#lord bessborough

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"SEES YEARS OF HARM FROM UNEMPLOYMENT," Toronto Star. March 26, 1934. Page 1. ---- Bessborough Deplores Effect on Youth ---- Vancouver, March 26. - "Unemployment is a curse that, even if it were lifted here and now, would still make its baleful effects felt for many years to come," the governor-general of Canada stated here last night, speaking on behalf of the unemployment service plan by which efforts are made to provide as much voluntary employment as possible.

"It is sad enough," continued Lord Bessborough, "to see those who have worked honorably all their lives suddenly and through no fault of their own deprived of their livelihood, but it is even sadder and more disheartening to watch the havoc unemployment is playing with the younger generation."

[mariacallous]

Though women were still occasionally accused of witchcraft, and persecuted, in Regency England and though the range of legal punishments for women still included whipping and burning at the stake, a gentler ethos had begun to prevail. Women, it was felt, required protection, both the physical protection of fathers, brothers and husbands and protection on the part of society from the defilements of worldliness. The older generation of aristocratic women notorious for their sophisticated amorality was dying out. Byron's confidante Lady Melbourne died in 1816, Lady Bessborough was aging. Women such as these, with their convenient but passionless marriages, their lovers and illegitimate children, their public roles as cultivated hostesses and political patronesses were gradually disappearing. In their place were women who, though they might not always adhere to it, subscribed to a far more confining moral code and had no public roles to speak of.

"Lady Holland once told me," Lady Bessborough wrote to Lord Granville, "all women of a certain age and in a situation to achieve it should take to politics - to leading and influencing." That advice had been offered decades earlier. By 1813, the number of prominent women exerting political influence was exceedingly small. Decorous patriotism was replacing partisan intrigue. A ladies' subscription was organized to pay for a monument to Wellington, "to be formed of the cannon taken by the duke in various engagements," the subscription to be sponsored by the Duchess of York. Raising funds to commission war memorials, to rescue soldiers' widows and children from destitution, or to aid the Waterloo wounded, were permissible activities for women. Yet even in undertaking charitable endeavors they ran into opposition. Wilberforce would not accept help from any women in his antislavery campaign, insisting that such work was "unsuited to the female characters as delineated in Scripture."

Opposition to slavery was scripturally sound; what was unsuitable was the appearance, in women active in the arena of the world, of immodesty. St. Paul had defined the female character in the New Testament, and anyone who might have forgotten what he wrote there had only to read Hannah More's study of his doctrine published in 1815. Women, St. Paul taught, ought to "adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array." They ought to keep silence, "for it is not permitted unto them to speak," lest they usurp men's authority. "Let the women learn in silence with all subjection," he cautioned. Let them learn from men, their divinely ordained superiors, whose primacy had been established beyond question at the time of creation. Adam was virtuous, Eve sinful; women suffered from an inherent weakness and sinfulness, and so ought to try to redeem their deficiency through living modest, quiet, passive lives "in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety."

More herself, of course, breached St. Paul's precepts by usurping male authority and immodestly presuming to teach others. But at least she refused membership in the Royal Society of Literature, saying it would be inappropriate for a woman to belong, and her prefaces were full of shamefaced apologies for her presumption in writing.

Female morality went hand in hand with religious piety, and immoral women, the Evangelists taught, deserved punishments that were akin to penance. Among those Wilberforce condemned as immoral were divorcées, many of whom sought freedom from their husbands in order to marry their lovers. (Divorce was a relatively rare phenomenon, and limited to the aristocracy, since a special act of Parliament was necessary to institute it.) His Proclamation Society made strenuous efforts to pass a bill in the House of Lords making a divorced woman guilty of a crime if she married her co-respondent. The bill passed the Lords, but not the Commons. Still, divorced women bore a weightier stigma in the Regency than they had a generation earlier, and many Evangelicals thought that a divorcée ought to shut herself away from society and devote the rest of her life to repentance.

If divorcées were expected to immure themselves like anchoresses, women conspicuous for their virtue were all but deified. That a morally weak woman should triumph over her infirmities was thought to be a near miraculous achievement, especially in an age when wickedness was on the rise. Byron recorded with amusement how his friend Wedderburn Webster talked on and on about his wife's good qualities, ending his harangue by asserting that "in all moral and mortal qualities," she was "very like Christ." (The poet had reason to doubt Webster's judgment of his wife, for she had made an un-Christlike proposition to him.)

Webster was deceived, but in seeing his wife in beatific terms he was not unique. Men spoke of the women they respected as superhuman, angelic beings, pure and untainted, uncorrupted by any stain of vice. And once they became accustomed to seeing them that way, it was only natural for men to want to keep them pure by screening them off from contamination. Hence the bowdlerization of the classics, the sanitizing of fairy tales, the increasing segregation of women from worldly pastimes. Card playing, which had been the usual evening entertainment, was abandoned and piano playing and singing took its place. Women began to make a point of leaving the room when the men made jokes, even innocent ones. They toned down their dress; the more serious-minded of them put aside their jewels and wore diamond or amethyst crosses. More and more the lives of women were becoming closed in by a narrowing circle of propriety. They were defined as either well-bred or ill-bred, pious or impious, pure or impure. There was no middle ground, at least in theory, and only by strenuous efforts at self-improvement could they attain the propriety, purity and piety that mad them truly worthy.

Carolly Erickson, Our Tempestuous Day: A History of Regency England

[keirainaustenland]

I found this image in an article titled, “16 Things Jane Austen Taught Us About Finding the Right Man,” under number 10, labeled “ Decency is one of the most underrated, but vital qualities in a man.” Under the image the author wrote, “A man who can put aside his own pride for the greater good is a keeper.” The meme itself is a series of four pictures praising Colonel Brandon for his actions throughout the novel. Even though Marianne constantly doesn’t give him attention Brandon still cares about her wellbeing and is very kind to her. During her illness he offers to help whenever he can and is so distraught that he admits his love for her to Mrs. Jennings. He also has a past history of raising the child of the woman he loved, even though she married his brother. Then, when Edward is denied his inheritance Colonel Brandon offers him a living even though he barely knows him. Lastly, the creator cites that, in fact, he has the wonderful quality of not being the sneaky and shady Mr. Willoughby. 

This meme reminded me of the quote by Elinor stating that, “‘Colonel Brandon's character,’ … ‘as an excellent man, is well established.’” The Colonel’s behavior is always honorable and good, and his steadfast love for Marianne finally pays off when Marrianne agrees to marry him. 

However,  I wonder if it is merely Austen’s belief that “opposites attract” that causes her to put Marianne and the Colonel together in the end. Conversely, is it simply her rush to tie up the ends of a story quickly and neatly?

Brandon has been a steadfast friend to Elinor Dashwood, and as her opinion of him flourishes, in my opinion it would have been a better conclusion for the two of them to end up together. In chapter 11 Elinor states, “In Colonel Brandon alone, of all her new acquaintance, did Elinor find a person who could in any degree claim the respect of abilities, excite the interest of friendship, or give pleasure as a companion . . . Colonel Brandon, unfortunately for himself, had no such encouragement to think only of Marianne, and in conversing with Elinor he found the greatest consolation for the total indifference of her sister.” 

Marianne spends the whole novel dismissing the Colonel while Elinor, with all of her sense, recognizes that he is a wonderful catch. Upon further investigation, at the time of the novel’s publishing, the general consensus also agreed that the ending was unsatisfactory, or “ends stupidly”. One reader, Lady Bessborough writing to Lord Glanville Leveson Gower, is quoted saying:

“Have you read Sense and Sensibility?  It is a clever novel.  They were full of it at Althorpe, and tho’ it ends stupidly, I was much amused by it.

Maybe Austen wants the reader to learn to balance sense and sensibility, by showing that each sister could learn from the other to find happiness. Elinor follows her passion and opens up to Edward, and Marianne becomes more sensible and ends up with Brandon. It may not have the flourish of her time with Willoughby, but to find real happiness Marianne needed steadfastness, loyalty, and respect.

[corallapis]

Henry ‘Chips’ Channon: The Diaries (Vol. 1), 1918-38, entry for 29th May 1923

—

Tuesday 29th May

Dined with Lady Ornamore and Browne.¹ She is supposed to be raving but I thought her and her dinner merely a trifle ‘Pont Street’!² I was between Lady Hermione Herbert³ and Lady Mildred FitzGerald.⁴ . . . . I fled to the Embassy Club⁵ to join Paul of Serbia et alii. He and the P of Wales have been great friends all this spring and telephone constantly. The P’s car is fitted up with an electric automatic cocktail mixer. He and Paul take Mrs Dudley Ward⁶ to dine and dance at the Embassy Club. When she refuses I see him dining sadly at Buck’s Club in a blue dinner jacket with his éminence grise, the irresistible Fruity Metcalfe.⁷ Will he be the Lord Farquhar⁸ of the next reign?

—

1. Olwen Verena Ponsonby (1876-1927), daughter of the 8th Earl of Bessborough, married in 1901 Geoffrey Henry Browne-Guthrie (1861-1927), 3rd Lord Ornamore and Browne and 1st Baron Mereworth.

2. Evelyn Waugh in Brideshead Revisited (1945), uses the term to indicate slightly ‘common’ behaviour by members of the upper classes; Lady Julia Flyte regards it as ‘Pont Street’ to wear a signet ring.

3. Lady Hermione Gwladys Herbert (1900-95), daughter of the 4th Earl of Powis, married in 1924 Roberto Lucchesi-Palli, 11th Duca della Grazia (1897-1979).

4. Lady Mildred Murray (1878-1969), daughter of the 7th Earl of Dunmore, married in 1919 Sir John FitzGerald Bt, MC (1884-1957), 21st Knight of Kerry.

5. Then the most exclusive nightclub in London, in Bond Street, patronised by royalty, the aristocracy and stage stars.

6. Winifred May ‘Freda’ Birkin (1895-1983), married in 1913 William Dudley Ward MP; she was mistress of the Prince of Wales from 1918 until supplanted by Mrs Simpson in 1934.

7. See entry for 14th April 1923 and footnote.

8. Horace Brand Farquhar (1844-1923), financier, had been Master of the Household to Edward VII and Steward of the Household to George V until 1922. For services rendered to both monarchs he was created a baron in 1901, advanced to a viscountcy in 1917 and an earldom in 1922. After his death he was revealed to be bankrupt. Metcalfe might well have performed similar services to Edward VIII as monarch had the King survived more than ten and a half months.

[hotmonkeelove]

Also important gothic novelist, poet, intellectual, wit, eccentric quaintrelle, unconventional beauty and gender rebel, liberal, wife of the future Prime Minister Lord Melbourne, daughter of the 3rd Earl of Bessborough, granddaughter of the 1st Earl Spencer, and ancestor of Princess Diana, and an equally tragic figure as the latter. Apart from Byron, she also had affairs with the Duke of Wellington and a young Bulwer-Lytton. Of her, Bulwer-Lytton later wrote, “Poor Lady Caroline ... she could not but inspire deep pity that was heightened by admirations for talents and qualities that well trained, might have made her one of the first women of her time.”

Lady Caroline Lamb, Lord Byron’s lover, and niece of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

[theroyalhistory]

Viscount and Viscountess Duncannon (later Earl and Countess of Bessborough), 1912  

[blankasolun]

The Princess of Wales Is Making Troubles Again There had been further rumours of a divorce. At the end of 1815 Charlotte had been 'in despair' at what Mercer had told her of the Princess' alleged intimacy with her courier, Bartolomeo Pergami.

[triviareads]

That is so romantic omg. And the engraving on the ring! I can’t believe that’s never been dramatized. Do you know of any other stories/anecdotes like that?

In reference to this post

I do! These are prob a bit more scandalous (wonder what Lady Whistledown would have to say on these) but still fun:

Elizabeth Armistead was a famous courtesan who had relationships with many members of the Whig aristocracy (a partisan courtesan, I guess) and that's how she met Charles James Fox, who she remained friends with for years before they got together. Fox was a huge womanizer who lived a dissolute lifestyle, but I guess the courtesan made an honest man out of him (which is a pretty funny reversal of the trope). They secretly married, and lived a much quieter lifestyle, and Mrs. Armistead carried out her duties as a politician's wife/hostess with considerable aplomb and was widely accepted by society from what I can tell.

Lady Cowper, the political hostess (not knock-off regency Regina George's mom), had a longstanding relationship with Lord Palmerston while she was married to Lord Cowper, who was a pretty boring dude while Lady Cowper was regarded as the powerhouse within that marriage. She is credited with bringing Palmerston over to the Whig side, and Lady Cowper's mother Lady Melbourne, on her deathbed, urged Lady Cowper to stay faithful not to her husband, but to Lord Palmerston. Sure enough, after Lord Cowper died, they shortly married (they had to get special permission from Queen Victoria, and a lot of people thought marriage was unseemly because they were both in their *fifties* gasp!) and lived happily together for many more years, through his tenure as Prime Minister.

I was planning on putting in Harriet, Lady Bessborough, and Lord Granville Leveson-Gower purely bc of the age gap situation (she was 32 and married and he was 20 when they met), and also because she arranged for him to marry her niece (which is wild), but the ending of their relationship just made me feel kinda bad for her because she seemed to love him more than he loved her near the end

They're def compelling stories, I think, from a historical romance perspective.

[exrlspencer]

INTRODUCING...Goerge John Spencer, 2nd Duke of Devonshire. 

NICKNAMES : “Spencer”. Oh, the power the mere surname held. A title, a duty, an expectation. But George adored it. It gave him power in the room, it notified any ignorant of his social strata that he was the figure of prestige in the room. Of course, he was no Villers or Mlabourough but Spencer also tied his demeanour to all HIS accomplishments. His name on the plaque of “distinguished alumni” at Harrow as well as his bust at The Queen's Lane Coffee House in Oxford (created as a joke by a nobody but it was a symbol of his dominance as a charmer of The Ton and took the name with pride). Yet, his Sister Lia, or the new Duchess, would call upon her older sibling as “Alfie”-- his love for the ol’ Alfred the Great who’s story of saving England from the Dane’s was one he plaid out numerously in their youth. However, his closest sociables have the privilege of calling him John. 

OCCUPATION : Earl of Spencer

BIRTHPLACE : Wimbledon Manor House, London. A Spencer residence landscaped by Capability Brown specifically in honour of George’s birth. It serves as a pleasure garden during the day where the public can promenade and marvel at one of the Spencers’ menial investments. 

CURRENT RESIDENCE : George inherited Anthrop House upon his father’s death and has maintained the grounds with ostentatious upkeep. He hired architect Henry Holland to make extensive changes including an extension to the parlour which serves as a social and cultural club for his fellow parliamentarians. Anthrop holds dinners and picnics in the gardens where John hires musicians to play French horns and organises unusual spectacles to entertain guests, such as a "Hooray Henry Olympics", as Charles Spencer calls it, with a donkey race for Lord Fordwick, dance competitions offering a guinea as the first prize, and sack races with the first prize of 30 shillings. However, his prized space is his personal library which he has filled with his personal treasures and retires to daily. 

AGE :  32

LANGUAGES :  English, French, Italian, and Latin. 

FAMILY

MOTHER & FATHER : The late Earl Spencer and Countess Spencer

SPOUSE : n/a

ISSUE : n/a

SIBLINGS :  Duchess of Devonshire and Viscount Althorp

ZODIAC : Libra

RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION :  Anglican

POLITICAL AFFILIATION  : Whig

FINANCIAL STATUS  : Owns entirety of Anthrope estate, multiple successful investments and capital tenure through his role as the First Lord of Admiralty. 

ORIENTATION : Heterosexual

PERSONALITY TYPE OUTWARD:

VICES : impressionable, idealistic, pretentious, emotionally reserved

VIRTUES : leisurely, methodical, loyal, observant

PERSONALITY TYPE INWARD: 

VICES : melancholic, awaiting, over-imaginative, wandering

VIRTUES : familial, pre-copied by on thoughts, artful, lyrical

FEARS : Truly enjoying the masked life he has created. Not being able to distinguish between his own desires and what is expected on him. Never understanding his emotion. Fulfilling expectation at the cost of his own self-fulfillment. The unhappiness of his family. 

LIKES: Manuscripts and old books; especially those written about Old English Kings. Collecting texts and locating lost editions. Country-waks, topographical drawings of his estate and writing pocket-companions to beautiful natural landscapes around England. 

In society: Visiting Coffee-Houses and private gallerias. Hosting Gambling nights in his London Apartments and entertaining his ton friends at the ���Social and Cultural Club” at Anthop. Riding parties and bets on sport.

AESTHETICS : Day Muddled mornings and twilight dew. Disheveled hair and rolled up linen sleeves. His wild steed resting in an open field. Sitting quietly before a country creek tracing the shadows of the nearby oak. Night fireworks and Strawberries balanced on her tongue. Lounging Earl on a velvet divan and with an Ace of Hearts behind his sleeve. The party sprinting with song across the polished marbles of his home. 

FACECLAIM :  J. J Feild

HEIGHT : 6’0

RECOGNIZABLE FEATURES : Neat Bronze locks, emerald sparkling eyes that give you the world- reveal every secret, but somehow you feel even more confused. A constant smile with a common scoff of disbelief. High-cheekbones and the chin never lower. 

How is your character viewed by the ton? : 

Having been doted upon endlessly by his parents George grew upon with an engraved knowledge that he was not to take social responsibility lightly. As he would succeed his father in the lower house, it was inevitable that his future wife was as politically savvy as him and came with a fortune to match her extensive wit. This lady was not to be chosen by his own admiration, hence, whilst considering himself still young he took leisure as his youthful rite not to be taken for granted. A frequenter in all the gambling clubs, and a common face at Don Slaters Coffee House, George is known as a King of fanciful indulgences and not to be crossed at the cards table unless looking for a lesson in failure. However, these indulgences were always kept in merit as he was one of the chosen few gentlemen who've learned their social and amorous skills at the feet of the masters. Handsome and wealthy, protégé to the most affluent products of Harrow college, George never stepped out of line (or so his family thought) and is viewed as an impressive addition to the ton’s elite circle. However, as of late George has found rarer and rarer at the common clubs. It’s been noticed that he has been resorting to discussions of the country, of travel, and of solitary leisure activities that seem quite unlike his usual self. 

Headcanons:

George has in some way been disenfranchised from his social environment. His affiliations are more and more turning to Whig ideologies and he has felt passionate about exploring his personal liberty and especially his artistic liberties. He has been entranced with the notion that he can retire to his grand-fathers cottage one day and continue collecting art and building a library full of continental texts and especially, books of poetry which illustrate a world outside the polite circle and within a romantic realm of nature and the picturesque. 

George really did admire the Countess of Bessborough and did for a time even think of love as a possibility. However, he understood that marriage to her would mean the end of his personal liberties and the start of his well-laid out political career and in a fit of confusion he betrayed her trust resulting in the breaking of the engagement. It was a quiet matter, but since he has been wondering if he really regrets the action and should have valued the match more. He has found himself often jealous and even more flirtatious in her presence knowing very well how it may be hurting her and discrediting all that they had once envisioned for their future. 

Due to his reputation as a proficient gambler, George has become disinterested in acquiring money and has of late been dealing with a more dangerous currency; secrets. Often, he has forgiven the loss of his opponents and instead required the payment of secrets. He has become wealthy in gossip and scandal which he shares with his sister and uses for their personal and political gain. In such, George is dangerous with his deep knowledge of that which would crumble the well established social delicacy of the ton. 

[londonseasonrp]

Hi all! While our open skeletons are winding down, we do still have a few that are highly coveted for game play. Below you’ll find a list of open skeletons and their suggested faceclaims that we’d love to have in game! We accept both reservations and applications on a first-come, first-serve policy and we accept on a rolling basis! 

LADIES OF THE TON:

Lady Seymour (jessica brown findlay, kirsten dunst, lea seydoux, jessica parker kennedy)

Duchess of York & Albany (jodhi may, rachel weisz, kristin scott thomas, kerry washington, nicole kidman)

Dowager Countess of Bessborough (pippa bennett warner, gugu mbatha-raw, fredia pinto, oona chaplin.)

GENTLEMEN OF THE TON:

Viscount Bolingbroke (pedro pascal, brad pitt, henry cavill, craig parker, dominic cooper)

Lord Champneys (james norton, sam reid, aneurin barnard, seth numrich, daniel sharman)

Lord Ponsonby (luke pasqualino, joe alwyn, sean teale, tom hughes)

Viscount Melbourne (tobias menzies, rufus sewell, aidan turner, tom bateman, denzel washington)

Earl Spencer (wade briggs, armie hammer, bradley james, domnhall gleeson, robert pattinson.)

[lebontonhq-blog]

OOC INFO

Name: Liv Age: 20s Pronouns: she/her Timezone: CET

IC INFO

Name: Claire Aelin Vaughan, sister to the Earl of Bessborough Age: 30 Pronouns: she/her Faceclaim: Natalie Dormer Family: Bessborough Political Affiliation: Whig

At least 3 headcanons about your character:

♔ As the second child she was free of the duties that her brother would inherit, but as the eldest daughter it was up to her to set an example to her younger sisters. Intended to be graced, poised, well mannered, well spoken and thoughtful, Claire was all of those thing, but more. Indulging in wild rides through the estate, hers was the untamed spirit of the Celts and Druids, roaming wild and free wherever and whenever she could.

♔ Married at the age of twenty three to a wealthy lord of her father’s choosing, Aelin thought her freedom was gone and she mourned it; only to find that her husband was, by no accounts, conventional. He liked her wild spirit and together they shared adventures, but the greatest adventure was never to come. They failed to produce an heir.

♔ They were married for five blissful years when illness took him and delivered him to God. At the age of twenty seven, Claire returned to her family. Her years spent in marriage outwardly tamed her spirit, but she remains as wild and uncontrollable on the inside as ever. With her brother taking the position as the 4th Earl, Aelin finds herself enjoying her freedom once again. She understands it will be a short lived freedom as all women must marry.

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

"Lord Bessborough rend honneur aux Victoria Rifles," La Presse. June 19, 1933. Page 13. ---- Le gouverneur général pose la première pierre de leur nouvel arsenal.

Belle cérémonie --- En présence d'une fort belle assistance militaire et civile, S. E. le comte de Bessborough, gouverneur général du Canada, a scellé samedi après-midi la pierre angulaire du nouvel arsenal des Victoria Rifles rue Cathcart, près de la rue Université, arsenal qui va doter ce grand régiment d'un établissement digne de ses fastes car jusqu'ici il ne possédait qu'un arsenal fort rudimentaire.

D’ailleurs le lieutenant-colonel Stuart-A. Rolland, commandant du régiment, en souhaitant la bienvenue au représentant de Sa Majesté, souligna cet état de choses et indiqua comment les Vics ont dû se contenter jusqu'à maintenant d'un arsenal tout à fait insuffisant et ce depuis nombre d'années.

Malgré la pluie qui commença de tomber peu après l'arrivée du gouverneur général revenu en train special de Shawbridge où il s’était rendu le cérémonie se déroula en présence d'une grande foule.

Le scellage de la pierre Une garde d'honneur de cent hommes, en grand uniforme, cet élégant uniforme vert, avec le bonnet de police en astrakan, que portent les Victoria Rifles, sous le commandement du major I.-H. Eakin, assisté du lieutenant M.-M. Allan et du second lieutenant C.-P. Decary, massée dans la rue Cathcart, face à l'édifice en construction, ajoutait au pittoresque de la manifestation que le cinéma et la photographie prirent sous tous les angles.

Le gouverneur général passa en revue la garde d'honneur et après avoir serre in main au lieutenant-colonel Rolland, se rangea à la tête des invités d'honneur au nombre de plus d'une centaine.

Après les quelques mots de présentation du lieutenant-colonel Rolland, qui remercia aussi le ministère de la défense nationale, le gouverneur général procéda au scellage de la pierre angulaire.

Le passé et l'avenir des Victoria Rifles Le gouverneur général, avant deprendre la truelle d'argent que lui présentait le lieutenant-colonel Rolland, prononça une courte allocution au cours de laquelle il rappela surtout les services rendus par les Victoria Rifles à l'empire britannique et affirma sa conviction que leur nouvel arsenal permettrait des hauts faits encore plus glorieux que jadis.

Immédiatement après le scellage de la pierre, l'évêque J.-C. Farthing la bénit avec tout le cérémonial d'usage.

Parmi l'assistance nombreuse, on connaissait sir Arthur Currie, le major general A.-C.-L. McNaughton, chef d'état-major; le brigadier général W-W-P. Gibsone; le brigadier général E. de B. Panel, le brigadier général T.-L. Tremblay, de Québec; le brigadier général John-A. Gunn, de Toronto; et le lieutenant-colonel Birtwhistle, d'Ottawa.

Le nouvel arsenal est construit sur l'emplacement de l'ancien arsenal érige en 1886 et devrait être terminé en décembre prochain.

Caption: Appelé à sceller la pierre angulaire du nouvel arsenal des Victoria Rifles, rue Cathcart près de la rue Université, S. E. le comte de Bessborough, gouverneur général du Canada, a rendu hommage, samedi dernier, an dévouement et au courage des "Vics", en présence d'une grande assis tance civile et militaire. En haut, l'on voit le gouverneur général passant en revue la tarde d'honneur, sous le commandement du major L.-H. Eakin. En bas, lord Bessborough sourit aux photographes tout en maniant la truelle d'argent avec laquelle il scella la pierre angulaire du nouvel édifice. (Cliches la Presse)

[anditendshowyoudexpect]

i was just browsing to get a new picture for my avatar

(from the book Gimson’s Prime Ministers by Andrew Gimson, illustrated by Martin Rowson)

LORD MELBOURNE Lived 1779–1848; prime minister 1834 and 1835–41

ON BEING ASKED to become prime minister, Lord Melbourne said he thought it ‘a damned bore’, and was ‘in many minds as to what to do’. 

His private secretary, Tom Young, retorted: ‘Why, damn it all, such a position was never held by any Greek or Roman; and if it only last three months, it will be worth while to have been prime minister of England.’ 

‘By God that’s true,’ Melbourne said. ‘I’ll go!’ 

We have this story from the diarist Charles Greville, who saw a great deal of Melbourne but, like most people, could not quite make him out: ‘Everybody wonders what Melbourne will do. He is certainly a queer fellow to be prime minister.’ To the world in general, Melbourne concealed his thoughts and emotions behind an affable, witty, tolerant, teasing exterior. As a young man, he had suffered the most notorious marital difficulties of any future prime minister. Yet he still loved and needed the company of spirited women, and became in the first years of her reign the adored prime minister and mentor of Queen Victoria. She saw at once that he was ‘straightforward, clever, honest and good’.

He was born William Lamb. His mother established herself as a great Whig hostess: beautiful, intelligent, vivacious, ambitious and promiscuous, she had children by several men while remaining married to the rich but unremarkable Lord Melbourne. William, her second son, was generally supposed to have been fathered by Lord Egremont and was educated at Eton, Trinity College, Cambridge, and Glasgow University. He grew into a tall, dark, handsome, amusing and unpushy young man, who was liked by everyone he met. The death of his elder brother enabled him to renounce the legal career on which, with no enthusiasm, he had embarked and to enter in 1806, at the age of twenty-six, the House of Commons. 

It also enabled him to propose marriage to the 19-year-old Lady Caroline Ponsonby, daughter of the Earl and Countess of Bessborough and niece of the Duchess of Devonshire, with whom he was in love. She was an upper-class wild child – slim, high-spirited and used on all occasions to getting her own way or else throwing a tantrum. For a few years they were happy, then they were unhappy. In 1812, she began a conspicuous affair with Lord Byron, a month after the poet awoke one morning and found himself famous, thanks to the publication of Childe Harold. It was Lady Caroline who described Byron as ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know’. He called her ‘the cleverest, most agreeable, absurd, amiable, perplexing, fascinating little being’. But he soon tired of her impetuous rages, realised her parading of their affair was doing him social harm and decided to break it off. She was infatuated with him, and refused to let him go. Her rages grew ever more extreme and culminated at Lady Heathcote’s ball in July 1813, where Byron refused to dance with her, so she broke a glass and began gashing her naked arms. 

The scandal was the talk of London and was followed by Lady Caroline’s excruciatingly embarrassing autobiographical novel, Glenarvon. Melbourne’s family urged him to separate from a woman who had heaped humiliation on them all, and most particularly on him. He agreed, but could not bring himself to leave her until 1825, and even after that, with tender good humour took what care he could of her until her death in 1828. They had one son, who was mentally handicapped, to whom Melbourne was devoted and who died in 1836 at the age of twenty-nine. 

For many years, his political career seemed no happier than his marriage. In 1812, he left the Commons, unable to stand the heavy cost of getting himself re-elected. He told his mother that leaving Parliament felt like ‘actually cutting my throat’, for it deprived him of ‘the greatest object of my life’. He cared about politics more deeply than he would generally admit. In 1816, he returned to Parliament, but these were the long years of Tory domination under Lord Liverpool, when there was no place for even a moderate, middle-of-the-road Whig like Melbourne. 

In 1827, Canning became prime minister and needed some moderate Whigs to serve in place of the stern unbending Tories who refused to join. In came Melbourne as Chief Secretary for Ireland. It was his first real job, and he demonstrated his ability to conciliate Catholics as well as Protestants, and also his well-hidden capacity for hard work. In Dublin, he relaxed in the company of the young, beautiful and animated Lady Elizabeth Brandon. Her husband, the Reverend Lord Brandon, attempted to get a bishopric for himself out of this, and having failed to do so, sued Melbourne, but was unable to prove that anything improper had occurred. 

The following year, Melbourne was one of the Whigs who resigned in sympathy with William Huskisson from the Duke of Wellington’s government. But at the end of 1830, when Lord Grey replaced Wellington, he appointed Melbourne to the vital post of Home Secretary. For while the Reform Bill made its tempestuous passage through Parliament, the country had to be saved from sliding into civil war. This Melbourne did with energy and firmness. He avoided sending in troops, but urged magistrates to use their powers to the full. Once again, he had given proof of his executive abilities. 

By 1834, the government was disintegrating and Lord Grey retired to Northumberland. William IV had to decide which of the Whigs to invite to take over as prime minister. His choice fell on the dependable Melbourne, for he seemed best placed to preserve the still-precarious order. His Cabinet colleague, Lord Durham, offered another reason for choosing Melbourne: ‘He is the only man to be prime minister because he is the only one of whom none of us would be jealous.’ 

So in came the amiable Melbourne. He was fifty-five and lasted for 121 days before the King decided to replace him with the Tory leader, Sir Robert Peel. The most memorable event at this time was the burning down, in October 1834, of the Houses of Parliament, an event greeted with cheers by the London mob. Peel had no majority in the Commons, so called an election, but made insufficient progress to gain control, so in April 1835 resigned. 

Melbourne, with some reluctance, was back. Few people expected him to last long, and he had renewed difficulties in his private life. He had for several years cheered himself by calling on his way home in the evenings on Mrs Caroline Norton, a beautiful and high-spirited young novelist who had established herself in rooms at Storey’s Gate, not far from Parliament. She was the granddaughter of the playwright Sheridan, a famous Whig whom Melbourne had known in his youth. 

George Norton, her villainous husband, decided to sue Mrs Norton for divorce, with Melbourne cited as co-respondent. But there was no evidence whatever that she had slept with him. When she was ill, Mr Norton had actually accompanied Melbourne to his wife’s bedroom. On another occasion, Mr and Mrs Norton had visited Melbourne together in his house in South Street, Mayfair, where he continued to live even after becoming prime minister. 

Melbourne asked William IV if he should resign. The King said definitely not. He and the Duke of Wellington suspected a shady plot to discredit Melbourne, and neither of them wanted anything to do with it. So Melbourne fought the case, though he did not appear in court himself, but sent the attorney general to make the case on his behalf. The court proceedings caused huge excitement but only lasted a day, for the main witness Mr Norton had managed to recruit was a drunken groom called Fluke, whose ludicrous evidence fell to pieces under cross-examination. The jury acquitted Melbourne without even leaving their box to confer. 

This was a success of a kind, and one which showed the prime minister’s resilience under pressure. But it also left a gap in his emotional life, for while he remained anxious for Mrs Norton’s welfare, he could no longer risk visiting her. This void was to be filled in a most unexpected way. 

In June 1837, William IV died, and was succeeded by his niece, the 18- year-old Princess Victoria. She was on bad terms with her mother, the Duchess of Kent, whose husband, the duke, had died when their daughter was only one year old. During Victoria’s childhood, the duchess, prompted by the unscrupulous Sir John Conroy, cut her off from other sources of advice and tried to lay the foundations for permanent control over her. 

Victoria was determined to resist them. But to whom could she turn for help and comfort in this endeavour? As soon as she met Melbourne, she knew she could count on him. And on whom could it be more proper to rely than on her prime minister? He became her private secretary, spent six hours a day with her and soon had his own bedroom at Windsor. Ministers were allowed to do pretty much as they pleased. Lord Palmerston, the Foreign Secretary, nearly started a war with France. Melbourne was engaged in the vital work of tutoring the young Queen, for which he was entirely suited. As she herself wrote, ‘he alone inspires me with that feeling of great confidence and I may say security, for I feel so safe when he speaks to me and is with me’. 

His conversation was fascinating. He dropped the swear words, but was as witty as ever. He had known everyone worth knowing for the last forty years, including her own family. Her uncle George IV had been as, Prince Regent, a regular visitor, and something more than a visitor, to Melbourne’s mother, and had become very fond of Melbourne himself. 

For although Victoria was Queen, the Victorian age had not yet set in. Melbourne remained, in his manners and sense of humour, a man of the eighteenth century, who detested earnestness and refused to admire the middle classes. His attitude is caught in his remark after hearing an evangelical sermon: ‘Things have come to a pretty pass when religion is allowed to invade the sphere of private life.’ He was deeply interested in religion, and had read widely on the subject. But he was not pious. 

Nor was he abstemious. He ate and drank huge amounts. In 1838, Lady Lyttelton observed that he was quite safe in office ‘unless he contrives to displace himself by dint of consommés, truffles, pears, ices and anchovies, which he does his best to revolutionise his stomach with every day’. 

In 1839, he made a dreadful error of judgement. One of the Duchess of Kent’s maids of honour, Lady Flora Hastings, had been unkind about Baroness Lehzen, who ran the queen’s household. Now Lady Flora grew unexpectedly large, and Melbourne encouraged the Queen in the idea that Lady Flora might be pregnant. When Lady Flora died, she was found, at the postmortem, to have an enormous liver tumour. The Hastings family were furious, and Victoria became for a time very unpopular. 

In the same year, Sir Robert Peel seemed about to become prime minister, but indicated that he would expect the Queen to replace some of her ladies-in-waiting. Victoria said she could not bear this, and Melbourne encouraged her in her resistance. Somewhat irregularly, he remained prime minister for another two years. 

In his offhand way, he helped to clarify the doctrine of Cabinet responsibility. For when he and his colleagues were discussing the Corn Laws, he told them: ‘Now, is it to lower the price of corn, or isn’t it? It is not much matter which we say, but mind, we must all say the same.’ 

But in 1840, he became superfluous to the Queen. She married her cousin, Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who transported her to a state of married bliss, and quickly became her chief adviser too. She wanted to make Albert a King Consort, an idea against which Melbourne quite rightly warned: ‘For God’s sake, let’s have no more of it, Ma’am. If you once get the English people into the way of making Kings, you’ll get them into the way of unmaking them.’ 

The following year, he called a general election, lost it and resigned. A year later, he suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered. He died in 1848. Anyone who likes the sound of him is urged to read Lord David Cecil’s wonderful two-volume biography of him, which captures better than any other the Whig attitude to politics.

[neverwasmag]

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Canada’s railway companies built grand hotels along the routes of the country’s burgeoning rail network. Many of these hotels were built in French château- and Scottish baronial-inspired styles, rich in dormers, towers and turrets.

When air travel started to compete with the railways in the second half of the twentieth century, many of the hotels struggled. Some were closed and torn down. The ones that survived are now national landmarks.

Let us take you on a tour of the grandest of Canada’s railway hotels.

Windsor Hotel, Montreal

The original Windsor Hotel, seen from what was then called the Saint James Cathedral in Montreal, Canada, 1897 (McCord Museum)

The Windsor Hotel in Montreal, Canada with the North Annex completed, 1906 (McCord Museum)

The first of the grand railway hotels, the Windsor, embodied the commercial success of Montreal, then Canada’s largest city.

It took a few years for the hotel to become successful, but by the turn of the century it had become the center of Montreal’s elite social life. A fire in 1906 provided the impetus for an expansion, doubling the number of rooms. During their royal tour of Canada in 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth stayed at the Windsor.

Grand staircase of the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, Canada, 1878 (McCord Museum)

Rotunda of the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, Canada, circa 1878 (McCord Museum)

Dining room of the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, Canada, 1878 (McCord Museum)

Another fire destroyed a third of the hotel in 1957. The damage was so extensive this time that the original building had to be torn down entirely. The Windsor continued to operate out of the North Annex, built in 1906, but the hotel fell into decline. It closed in 1981. The North Annex is now an office building.

Banff Springs Hotel, Alberta

The original Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada, 1902 (Library of Congress)

The Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada, 1929 (William J. Oliver)

The Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada, 1966 (Wikimedia Commons/Robeyclark)

The Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada, September 17, 2017 (Wikimedia Commons/Stephen Swift)

Located in the Banff National Park of Alberta, the Banff Springs Hotel has gone through several iterations.

The original hotel, which opened in 1888, was an Alpine structure adorned with stone accents, dormers and turrets. But it had accidentally been built the wrong way around, with its back to the mountain vista. Expansions were made in 1902. Only four years later, plans were drawn up for a complete overhaul. Walter Painter, the architect, designed an eleven-story tower in concrete and stone, flanked by two wings, this time facing in the right direction. For a time, the so-called Painter Tower was the tallest building in the country.

Dining hall in the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada, November 13, 2010 (Wikimedia Commons/Adam Jones)

Back terrace of the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada, August 17, 2013 (Gregg Jaden)

Hallway in the Banff Springs Hotel in Alberta, Canada, November 3, 2013 (Wikimedia Commons/James Levy)

World War I delayed the completion of Painter’s plan. It wasn’t until after a fire in 1926 had destroyed what was left of the original hotel that his two wings were finally completed.

Place Viger, Montreal

Old postcard of the Place Viger in Montreal, Canada (McGill Library)

Aerial view of the Place Viger in Montreal, Canada, 1921 (British Library)

The Place Viger in Montreal, Canada, March 21, 2014 (Wikimedia Commons/Thomas1313)

Killing two birds with one stone, the Place Viger in Montreal served as both a railway station and a grand hotel. Built in the Châteauesque style, inspired by French Renaissance architecture, it opened its doors in 1898.

The Viger competed with the Windsor Hotel. The first was favored by French-speaking elites, the second catered to Anglophones.

When the city’s commercial center shifted northwest in the beginning of the twentieth century, the hotel lost its appeal. The Depression forced it out of business in 1935. The railway station continued to operate until 1951. The building was then converted into office space. A highway was built next to it in the 1970s, straight through the historical heart of the city, making the whole area undesirable.

In recent years, the Viger and its surroundings have seen a revival. The building is now home to apartments as well as offices.

The Empress, Victoria

Postcard of The Empress hotel in Victoria, Canada, circa 1908

View of The Empress hotel in Victoria, Canada in the late 1910s or early 1920s (J.S. Horne)

The Empress hotel in Victoria, Canada, August 1930 (F.P. Keen)

The Empress hotel in Victoria, Canada, September 25, 2005 (Steffen Sledz)

View toward the Inner Harbor of Victoria, Canada with the back of The Empress hotel on the left, May 25, 2008 (Pat David)

The Empress hotel in Victoria, Canada, May 1, 2017 (Wikimedia Commons/Dllu)

The Empress hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, was built in the first decade of the twentieth century to accommodate Canadian Pacific’s steamship service, whose main terminal was just one bloc away. When Canadian Pacific ceased its passenger services to the city, the hotel was successfully remarketed as a resort to tourists.

The interwar years were the hotel’s heydays. Edward, Prince of Wales waltzed into dawn in the Crystal Ballroom in 1919. His brother, then-King George VI, and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, attended a luncheon at the Empress in 1939. Shirley Temple, the American actress, stayed there to escape kidnapping threats in California.

In the 1960s, it looked like the Empress might be demolished to make way for a modern, high-rise hotel, but local opposition thwarted this (diabolical) plan. Instead, the hotel was renovated.

Another renovation followed in 1989, when a health club and indoor swimming pool were added. The most recent restoration was in 2017.

Château Laurier, Ottawa

1912 view of Ottawa, Canada with the Château Laurier and Union Station on the right (Ottawa, Library Bureau)

The grandest of Canada’s railway hotels

The Château Laurier in Ottawa, Canada, 1916 (Library and Archives Canada)

The Château Laurier in Ottawa, Canada, 1947 (BAnQ Vieux-Montréal)

The Château Laurier in Ottawa, Canada, August 28, 2010 (Michel Rathwell)

The Château Laurier in Ottawa, Canada, August 15, 2015 (Wikimedia Commons/Red Castle)

Built in tandem with Ottawa’s downtown Union Station between 1909 and 1912, the Château Laurier was built by Canada’s Grand Trunk Railway, which later merged into the Canadian National Railways. The hotel was named after Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, who supported its construction.

Although it looks French from the outside, the interior of the hotel is more English or Scottish. Until a restoration in the 1980s, the lobby featured dark-oak panelling and a railed gallery overlooking the double-height space and trophies of the hunt.

An east wing was added in 1929, adding 240 rooms to the hotel. An Art Deco-style swimming pool and spa were added the following year.

The hotel was the place to be and be seen in those years. Richard Bedford Bennett, a native of New Brunswick, lived in the Château Laurier during his stint as prime minister from 1930 to 1935. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s English- and French-language radio stations operated out of the hotel’s top floors from 1924 to 2004.

Given its proximity to Parliament Hill, the American Embassy and other government buildings, and the fact that it has hosted many political meetings over the years, the hotel is sometimes referred to as “the third chamber of Parliament”.

Fort Garry Hotel, Winnipeg

Postcard of the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, Canada, 1920 (University of Alberta Libraries)

Hand-colored photograph of the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, Canada, post 1920 (University of Alberta Libraries)

The Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, Canada, post 1920 (University of Alberta Libraries)

The Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg, Canada, September 22, 2017 (Jessica Losorata)

Also built by the Grand Trunk Railway, the Fort Garry Hotel was the largest building in Winnipeg, Manitoba when it opened in 1913. The architecture was inspired by the Château Laurier as well as the Plaza Hotel of New York, which had been built six years earlier.

Canadian National Railways took over the hotel when it acquired the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in 1920. The prominent John Draper Perrin family of Winnipeg bought it in 1979. It was later operated by a Quebecer hotelier. Now it is an independent hotel again.

Royal York, Toronto

The skyline of Toronto, Canada with the Royal York on the left, 1930 (Wikimedia Commons)

1945 advertisement for the Royal York in Toronto, Canada (BPL)

The Royal York in Toronto, Canada, August 27, 2007 (Lord of the Wings)

The Royal York in Toronto, Canada, July 30, 2010 (Udo Dengler)

The Royal York in Toronto, Canada, July 18, 2017 (Robin Stevens)

Lobby of the Royal York in Toronto, Canada, July 28, 2017 (Viv Lynch)

Built across the street from Toronto’s Union Station, the Royal York was the tallest building in the British Empire when it opened its doors in 1929. It was state-of-the-art. The hotel had ten elevators to reach all 28 floors. All 1,048 rooms were equipped with radios and private showers. Amenities included a concert hall and a golf course. Opening night, on June 11, 1929, was the city’s most exciting social event of the year.

The hotel was modernized in the early 1970s. The marble pillars in the lobby were covered with wood panelling, contemporary wall lamps were added and the rugs were replaced with carpet.

Some of these changes were reversed in the late 1980s, when the Royal York underwent a $100-million restoration. A health club and pool were also added. The hotel’s in-house nightclub, the Imperial Room, was converted into a ballroom and meeting hall.

The Bessborough, Saskatoon

The Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon Canada, May 14, 1985 (The StarPhoenix)

The Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon Canada, May 21, 2015 (Robert Linsdell)

The Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon Canada, June 16, 2017 (Ted McGrath)

The Bessborough (or “Bess”) in Saskatoon, the largest city of Saskatchewan, was built by the Canadian National Railway in the early 1930s. Deliberately resembling a Bavarian castle, the hotel was named after the governor general of Canada at the time, Sir Vere Ponsonby, the Earl of Bessborough.

The Depression delayed the hotel’s opening until 1935. It was hailed as a sign of progress for what was still a relatively small city at the time. A railway hotel put Saskatoon on the map.

A $9-million restoration was completed in 1999 to return many of the hotel’s historical features.

A tour of the grandest of Canada's railway hotels, built in the late 1800s and early 1900s In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Canada's railway companies built grand hotels along the routes of the country's burgeoning rail network.

[lesliewofford83-blog]

BOF NEVER GABRIEL AND NEVER WAS MADE A BIRD A NEWBEC OR ANYTHING SHORTER THAN LESLIE AT 5′5 AND 3 QUARTERS INCHES TALL! AND FOR PEOPLE TRYIN TO BE ME AND INVADE ME THESE PEOPLE DIED, EVERY YEAR MORE AND MORE WILL DIE FOR TRYING TO STEAL MY STUFF OR HURT MY FAMILY OR KIDNAP MY KID(S) EVER OR HAVE ME LIVING MORE THAN ONE LIFE.

March 2002[edit source]

1 – David Mann, 85, American songwriter.

1 – Roger Plumpton Wilson, 96, British Anglican prelate.

3 – G. M. C. Balayogi, 61, Indian lawyer and politician.

3 – Calvin Carrière, 80, American fiddler.

3 – Harlan Howard, 74, American country music songwriter.

3 – Al Pollard, 73, NFL player and broadcaster, lymphoma. [1]

3 – Roy Porter, 55, British historian.

6 – Bryan Fogarty, 32, Canadian ice hockey player.

6 – David Jenkins, 89, Welsh librarian.

6 – Donald Wilson, 91, British television writer and producer.

7 – Franziska Rochat-Moser, 35, Swiss marathon runner.

8 – Bill Johnson, 85, American football player.

8 – Ellert Sölvason, 84, Icelandic football player.

9 – Jack Baer, 87, American baseball coach.

9 – Irene Worth, 85, American actress.

11 – Al Cowens, 50, American baseball player.

11 – Rudolf Hell, 100, German inventor and manufacturer.

12 – Steve Gromek, 82, American baseball player.

13 – Hans-Georg Gadamer, 102, German philosopher.

14 – Cherry Wilder, 71, New Zealand writer.

14 – Tan Yu, 75, Filipino entrepreneur.

15 – Sylvester Weaver, 93, American advertising executive, father of Sigourney Weaver.

16 – Sir Marcus Fox, 74, British politician.

17 – Rosetta LeNoire, 90, African-American stage and television actress.

17 – Bill Davis, 60, American football coach.

18 – Reginald Covill, 96, British cricketer.

18 – Maude Farris-Luse, 115, supercentenarian and one-time "Oldest Recognized Person in the World".

18 – Gösta Winbergh, 58, Swedish operatic tenor.

20 – John E. Gray, 95, American educational administrator, President of Lamar University.

20 – Ivan Novikoff, 102, Russian premier ballet master.

20 – Richard Robinson, 51, English cricketer.

21 – James F. Blake, 89, American bus driver, antagonist for the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

21 – Thomas Flanagan, 78, American novelist and academic.

22 – Sir Kingsford Dibela, 70, Governor-General of Papua New Guinea.

22 – Hugh R. Stephen, 88, Canadian politician.

23 – Ben Hollioake, 24, English cricketer.

24 – Dorothy DeLay, 84, American violin instructor.

24 – César Milstein, 74, Argentinian biochemist.

24 – Frank G. White, 92, American army general.

25 – Ken Traill, 75, British rugby league player.

25 – Kenneth Wolstenholme, 81, British football commentator.

26 – Roy Calvert, 88, New Zealand World War II air force officer.

27 – Milton Berle, 93, American comedian dubbed "Mr. Television".

27 – Sir Louis Matheson, 90, British university administrator, Vice Chancellor of Monash University.

27 – Dudley Moore, 66, British actor and writer.

27 – Billy Wilder, 95, Austrian-born American film director (Double Indemnity).

28 – Tikka Khan, 86, Pakistani army general.

29 – Rico Yan, 27, Filipino movie & TV actor.

30 – Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, 101, British consort of King George VI.

31 – Lady Anne Brewis, 91, English botanist.

31 – Barry Took, 73, British comedian and writer.

April 2002[edit source]

1 – Umer Rashid, 26, English cricketer, drowning.

1 – John S. Samuel, 88, American Air Force general.

2 – John R. Pierce, 92, American engineer and author.

2 – Robert Lawson Vaught, 75, American mathematician.

3 – Frank Tovey, aka Fad Gadget, 45, English singer-songwriter.

4 – Don Allard, 66, American football player (New York Titans, New England Patriots) and coach.

5 – Arthur Ponsonby, 11th Earl of Bessborough, 89, British aristocrat.

5 – Layne Staley, 34, former Alice in Chains lead singer.

6 – Nobu McCarthy, 67, Canadian actress.

6 – William Patterson, 71, British Anglican priest, Dean of Ely.

6 – Margaret Wingfield, 90, British political activist.

7 – John Agar, 82, American actor.

8 – Sir Nigel Bagnell, 75, British field marshal.

8 – María Félix, 88, Mexican film star.

8 – Helen Gilbert, 80 American artist.

8 – Giacomo Mancini, 85, Italian politician.

9 – Leopold Vietoris, 110, Austrian mathematician.

10 – Géza Hofi, 75 Hungarian humorist.

11 – J. William Stanton, 78, American politician.

14 – Buck Baker, 83, American member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame

14 – John Boda, 79, American composer and music professor.

14 – Sir Michael Kerr, 81, British jurist.

15 – Will Reed, 91, British composer.

15 – Byron White, 84, United States Supreme Court justice.

16 – Billy Ayre, 49, English footballer.

16 – Franz Krienbühl, 73, Swiss speed skater.

16 – Robert Urich, 55, American TV actor.

18 – Thor Heyerdahl, 87, Norwegian anthropologist.

18 – Cy Laurie, 75, British musician.

18 – Sir Peter Proby, 90, British landowner, Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire.

20 – Vlastimil Brodský, 81, Czech actor.

21 – Sebastian Menke, 91, American Roman Catholic priest.

21 – Red O'Quinn, 76, American football player.

21 – Terry Walsh, 62, British stuntman.

22 – Albrecht Becker, 95, German production designer and actor.

22 – Allen Morris, 92, American historian.

23 – Linda Lovelace, 53, former porn star turned political activist, car crash.

23 – Ted Kroll, 82, American golfer.

25 – Michael Bryant, 74, British actor.

25 – Indra Devi, 102, Russian "yoga teacher to the stars".

25 – Lisa Lopes, 30, American singer, car crash.

26 – Alton Coleman, 46, convicted spree killer, execution by lethal injection.

27 – Ruth Handler, 85, inventor of the Barbie doll.

27 – Baron Hans Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza, 81, German Industrialist and art collector.

28 – Alexander Lebed, Russian general and politician.

28 – Sir Peter Parker, 77, British businessman.

28 – Lou Thesz, American professional wrestler.

28 – John Wilkinson, 82, American sound engineer.

29 – Liam O'Sullivan, Scottish footballer, drugs overdose. [2]

29 – Lor Tok, 88, Thai, comedian and actor Thailand National Artist.

May 2002[edit source]

1 – John Nathan-Turner, 54, British television producer.

2 – William Thomas Tutte, 84, Bletchley Park cryptographer and British, later Canadian, mathematician.

3 – Barbara Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, 91, British Labour politician and female life peer.

3 – Mohamed Haji Ibrahim Egal, 73, president of Somaliland and formerly prime minister of Somalia and British Somaliland.

3 – Mohan Singh Oberoi, 103, Indian hotelier and retailer.

4 – Abu Turab al-Zahiri, 79, Saudi Arabian writer of Arab Indian descent

5 – Sir Clarence Seignoret 83, president of Dominica (1983–1993).

5 – Hugo Banzer Suárez, 75, president of Bolivia, as dictator 1971–1978 and democratic president 1997–2001.

5 – Mike Todd, Jr., 72, American film producer.

6 – Otis Blackwell, 71, American singer-songwriter and pianist.

6 – Harry George Drickamer, 83, American chemical engineer.

6 – Pim Fortuyn, 54, assassinated Dutch politician.

7 – Sir Bernard Burrows, 91, British diplomat.

7 – Sir Ewart Jones, 91, Welsh chemist.

7 – Seattle Slew, 28, last living triple crown winner on 25th anniversary of winning Kentucky Derby.

8 – Sir Edward Jackson, 76, English diplomat.

9 – Robert Layton, 76, Canadian politician.

9 – James Simpson, 90, British explorer.

10 – Lynda Lyon Block, 54, convicted murderer, executed by electric chair in Alabama.

10 – John Cunniff, 57, American hockey player and coach.

10 – Henry W. Hofstetter, 87, American optometrist.

10 – Leslie Dale Martin, 35, convicted murderer, executed by lethal injection in Louisiana.

10 – Tom Moore, 88, American athletics promoter.

11 – Joseph Bonanno, 97, Sicilian former Mafia boss.

12 – Richard Chorley, 74, English geographer.

13 – Morihiro Saito, 74, a teacher of the Japanese martial art of aikido.

13 – Ruth Cracknell, 76, redoubtable Australian actress most famous for the long-running role of Maggie Beare in the series "Mother and Son".

13 – Valery Lobanovsky, 63, former Ukrainian coach.

14 – Sir Derek Birley, 75, British educationist and writer.

15 – Bernard Benjamin, 92, British statistician.

15 – Bryan Pringle, 67, British actor.

15 – Nellie Shabalala, 49, South African singer and wife of leader/founder of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Joseph Shabalala.

15 – Esko Tie, 73, Finnish ice hockey player.

16 – Edwin Alonzo Boyd, 88, Canadian bank-robber and prison escapee of the 1950s.

16 – Alec Campbell, 103, Australia's last surviving ANZAC died in a nursing home.

16 – Dorothy Van, 74, American actress.

17 – Peter Beck, 92, British schoolmaster.

17 – Joe Black, 78, American first Black baseball pitcher to win a World Series game.

17 – Earl Hammond, 80, American voice actor best known for voicing Mumm Ra and Jaga in the television series Thundercats.

17 – Bobby Robinson, 98, American baseball player.

17 – Little Johnny Taylor, 59, American singer.

18 – Davey Boy Smith, 39, 'British Bulldog' professional wrestler.

18 – Gordon Wharmby, 68, British actor (Last of the Summer Wine)

19 – John Gorton, 90, 19th Prime Minister of Australia.

19 – Otar Lordkipanidze, 72, Georgian archaeologist.

20 – Stephen Jay Gould, 60, paleontologist and popular science author.

21 – Niki de Saint Phalle, 71, French artist.

21 – Roy Paul, 82, Welsh footballer.

22 – Paul Giel, 69, American football player.

22 – Dick Hern, 81, British racehorse trainer.

22 – (remains discovered; actual death probably took place on or around May 1, 2001), Chandra Levy, 24, U.S. Congressional intern.

22 – Creighton Miller, 79, American football player and attorney.

23 – Sam Snead, 89, golfer.

25 – Pat Coombs, 75, English actress.

25 – Jack Pollard, 75, Australian sports journalist.

26 – John Alexander Moore, 86, American biologist.

26 – Mamo Wolde, 69, Ethiopian marathon runner.

28 – Napoleon Beazley, 25, convicted juvenile offender, executed by lethal injection in Texas.

28 – Mildred Benson, 96, American children's author.

June 2002[edit source]

1 – Hansie Cronje, 32, South African cricketer, air crash.

4 – Fernando Belaúnde Terry, 89, democratic president of Peru, 1963–1968 and 1980–1985.

4 – John W. Cunningham, 86, American author.

4 – Caroline Knapp, 42, author of Drinking: A Love Story.

5 – Dee Dee Ramone, 50, founding member of The Ramones.

5 – Alex Watson, 70, Australian rugby league player.

6 – Peter Cowan, 87, Australian writer.

6 – Hans Janmaat, 67, controversial far-right politician in the Netherlands.

7 – Rodney Hilton, 85, British historian.

7 – Lilian, Princess of Réthy, 85, British-born Belgian royal.

8 – George Mudie, 86, Jamaican cricketer.

9 – Paul Chubb, 53, Australian actor.

9 – Bryan Martyn, 71, Australian rules footballer.

10 – John Gotti, 61, imprisoned mobster.

11 – Robbin Crosby, 42, American guitarist of rock band Ratt.

11 – Margaret E. Lynn, 78, American theater director.

11 – Robert Roswell Palmer, 93, American historian and writer.

11 – Peter John Stephens, 89, British children's author.

12 – Bill Blass, 79, American fashion designer.

12 – George Shevelov, 93, Ukrainian scholar.

13 – John Hope, 83, American meteorologist.

14 – Jose Bonilla, 34, boxing former world champion, of asthma.

14 – June Jordan, 65, American writer and teacher, of breast cancer.

15 – Said Belqola, 45, Moroccan referee of the 1998 FIFA World Cup final.

17 – Willie Davenport, 59, American gold medal-winning Olympic hurdler.

17 – John C. Davies II, 82, American politician.

17 – Fritz Walter, 81, German football player, captain of 1954 World Cup winners.

18 – Nancy Addison, 54, soap actress, cancer.

18 – Jack Buck, 77, Major League Baseball announcer.

18 – Michael Coulson, 74, British lawyer and politician.

19 – Count Flemming Valdemar of Rosenborg, 80, Danish prince.

20 – Enrique Regüeiferos, 53, Cuban Olympic boxer.

21 – Henry Keith, Baron Keith of Kinkel, 80, British jurist.

21 – Patrick Kelly, 73, English cricketer.

22 – David O. Cooke, 81, American Department of Defense official.

22 – Darryl Kile, 33, Major League Baseball player.

22 – Ann Landers, 83, author & syndicated newspaper columnist.

23 – Pedro "El Rockero" Alcazar, 26, Panamanian boxer; died after losing his world Flyweight championship to Fernando Montiel in Las Vegas the night before.

23 – Arnold Weinstock, 77, British businessman.

24 – Lorna Lloyd-Green, 92, Australian gynaecologist.

24 – Miles Francis Stapleton Fitzalan-Howard, 86, 17th Duke of Norfolk.

24 – Pierre Werner, 88, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg, "father of the Euro".

25 – Gordon Park Baker, 64, Anglo-American philosopher.

25 – Jean Corbeil, 68, Canadian politician.

26 – Barbara G. Adams, 57, British Egyptologist.

26 – Clarence D. Bell, 88, American politician, member of the Pennsylvania State Senate.

26 – Jay Berwanger, 88, college football player, first winner of the Heisman Trophy.

26 – Arnold Brown, 88, British General of the Salvation Army.

26 – James Morgan, 63, British journalist.

27 – Sir Charles Carter, 82, British economist and academic administrator.

27 – John Entwistle, 57, English bassist (The Who), heart attack.

27 – Russ Freeman, 76, American pianist.

27 – Robert L. J. Long, 82, American admiral.

27 – Jack Webster, 78, Canadian police officer.

28 – Arthur "Spud" Melin, responsible for marketing hula-hoop and frisbee.

29 – Rosemary Clooney, 74, singer.

29 – Jan Tomasz Zamoyski, 90, Polish politician.

30 – Pete Gray, 87, American one-armed baseball player.

30 – Dave Wilson, 70, American television director.

[sortyourlifeoutmate]

On May 15, 1847, the day before Lord Bessborough's death, Daniel O'Connell, the Liberator, died at Genoa, a broken and broken-hearted man, with his life's work in ruins round him. The cause of Repeal was all but dead, moral force and constitutional methods had failed, and Ireland herself lay prostrate, devastated by famine and fever, dependent on England for her existence, and at England's mercy as never before.

- The Great Hunger