#today in british history

[tmcphotoblog]

On this Remembrance Sunday, we honor those who gave everything for our freedoms. Their courage, sacrifice, and resilience remain woven into the fabric of our lives. Let’s not just remember but strive to be worthy of what they defended. Thank you for all who have served and still serving today our country is in your debt.

[hamletshoeratio]

"A strong queen is just what this country needs!"

The Irish who know the queen in question as the famine queen:

[tothechaos]

in "anecdotes that sound entirely made up," this evening i was at dress rehearsal for the show im in, the importance of being earnest. i was in the dressing room and one of the costume assistants fainted. i caught her and was asking her if she was alright, if she knew where she was, etc. the uh. unfortunate part is that i was asking her entirely in character, which includes a british accent. imagine if you will, fainting, and when you come to, a man dressed as a mid 19th century woman is asking you if youre alright in a british accent. i think i would faint again

[the-alan-price-combo]

60 years ago - on November 16th, 1964, the Animals recorded "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood"!! 🐾✨️

[elijah-loyal]

shaking my head and making direct eye contact with the security guard of the British museum as me and my beloved steal the Egyptian and Greek artifacts to return them to their countries of origin (I want the guard to know i do Not support his institution)

[oh-westly]

Where are all the guys from? (Like what parts of the U.K or wherever specifically)

So, fun fact about WW1 regiments, they were mostly location-based. You did have instances where you had outsiders in regiments, but for the most part, you had people from your region around you.

That being said, the Team belong to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment...

...characterised by their antelope hat pin. And to the right, their shoulder badge.

So...

They're from this area around Birmingham. Or they should be.

I did take a bit of liberty with their actual addresses, though. Roy, Matt, Will, and Jeremy all live closer to the city centre, mostly because they're apart of the bustling and growing economy that was there at the time (like Roy and Matt are actively involved in manufacturing). Tom is a little farther up north, where the farmland was sufficient for mixed farming like livestock rearing and orchards.

You'll get to see a lot of their homes and lives in England in S3, when they're all on leave. Hehe, can't wait!

[purplebass]

This morning I woke up more rested and I want to use this energy to study for a couple of hours (bc my exam is next week) and then probably continue writing the Kellila smut fic and outlining the Shades tennis AU fic and the Shades/TSC AU fic (bc it's so tempting to make my favorite ships meet bc of a wormhole). These are in my head right now but I know I am a one project at a time person so it will probably take me a while

[thoughtportal]

compensating British slave owners

United Kingdom finished paying off debts to slave-owning families in 2015

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/06/30/fact-check-u-k-paid-off-debts-slave-owning-families-2015/3283908001/

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/project/details/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/27/britain-slave-trade

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/01/cost-compensating-british-slave-owners

https://reparationscomm.org/reparations-news/britains-colonial-shame-slave-owners-given-huge-payouts-after-abolition/

[stairnaheireann]

#OTD in 1920 - The inquest into the death of Tomás MacCurtain, Lord Mayor of Cork killed by policemen in disguise on 20 March, returns a verdict of willful murder against the RIC, and indicts Lloyd George and the British government.

A Cork jury returns a verdict of willful murder against British Prime Minister Lloyd George following the killing in March of Lord Mayor Tomas MacCurtain. The verdict read: “We find that Alderman Tomas MacCurtain, Lord Mayor of Cork, died from shock and haemorrhage, caused by bullet wounds, and that he was wilfully wounded under circumstances of the most callous brutality; and that the murder was…

[yourbespokeartisanalapocalypse]

Today is the anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre in Manchester, 1819, one of the most important events in England in the nineteenth century.

What happened? Well... here's as good a description any...

On 16 August 1819 Mary Fildes and members of the Female Reform Society marched to St.Peter’s Fields in the centre of Manchester with many other people to angrily demand the end of political corruption, hunger and unemployment. The women said, “Every succeeding night brings with it new terror, so that we are sick of life and weary of a world, where poverty, wretchedness, tyranny and injustice, have so long been permitted to reign amongst men.”

As Mary and a peaceful crowd of tens of thousands of men, women and children listened to a speech by radical orator Henry Hunt, they were attacked without warning by the military, sent in by Manchester’s unelected authorities, resulting in many deaths and injuries. Mary only narrowly escaped serious injury as horsemen slashed at her with sabres. This shocking event became known as Peterloo Massacre.

Source

The effect? The newspapers were horrified but the government knee jerk response was to pass the hugely oppressive Six Acts which aimed to prevent the working classes from engaging in or accessing politics of any kind (perhaps the worst of which was a tax on newspapers which kept the news out of economic reach and wasn't fully repealed until the mid century. There was a vibrant illegal press in response to this though).

The massacre quickly entered into folk history and served as a rallying cry for the democratic movements that followed.

Find out more from the People's History Museum here and the Society for the Study of Labour History here.

[tmcphotoblog]

Such glorious photo of HM King George VI visiting No. 617 Squadron in 1943.

[gingerbreadmonsters]

sleepy and v fed up w this blasted reading for japanese history class tomorrow. give me 45 minutes to finish this article and i will be back to talk about kissing or something

[georgefairbrother]

This is the third in our occasional series featuring luminaries of stage and screen with a strong personal or professional connection with Northeast England, inspired by @robbielewis. Previous profiles were of John Nightingale and Edward Wilson. This time, Jean Heywood.

She was born Jean Murray, in Blyth, Northumberland, to a coalmining family, in 1921. She worked initially as a librarian, married mechanical engineer Roland Heywood in 1945 (they remained married until his death in 1996), and became involved in amateur theatre, finally turning professional only after her children had grown up.

Following work in repertory theatre, she made her television debut in 1968, but her breakout role was as family matriarch Bella Seaton in 39 episodes of the Tyneside Depression-era drama, When the Boat Comes In (1976-77).

In 1978, she had a leading role in the acclaimed BBC Play for Today, Our Day Out, written by Willy Russell and directed by Pedr James, in which she played a dedicated teacher at a tough, inner city Liverpool Comprehensive school, determined that her struggling students, resigned to the fate of becoming 'factory fodder' according to The Guardian, should at least have a nice time on a coach excursion to Wales. Our Day Out became one of the BBC’s most successful European exports, leading to a memorable headline in The Liverpool Echo.

In a 2015 interview with television historian and author, Oliver Crocker, Jean Heywood talked about the similarities between Bella Seaton and Mrs Alton, her character in the final season of the original All Creatures Great and Small (1990);

"...It’s sort of the character of the women in my early life… I never had any money when I was young and had to make do and mend and manage…So I didn’t have to search how to play that kind of character. People loved my character in (When the Boat Comes In), a working class, good woman, quiet but very strong and I think Mrs Alton was a similar character…"

"…Rehearsing is like playing a ball game, you throw a ball off the idea of your character that you’ve formed in your head, you keep throwing it in the air and nobody has received it back, until you go into the rehearsal studio where you throw the idea from inside your head to the other person, it comes back differently from how you’d imagined, so the character develops and works much more excitingly than what you had in your head..."

With James Bolam as Jack Ford, in When the Boat Comes In

Her television career spanned over 40 years and included appearances in War and Peace, Emmerdale Farm, Coronation Street, Family Affairs, Kavanagh QC, Boys from the Blackstuff, The Bill, Our Friends in the North, Heartbeat, Casualty and on the big screen in Billy Elliot.

Her final screen credit was in 2010, and she passed away in 2019, aged 98.

Sources include The Guardian, IMDb, and All Memories Great and Small by Oliver Crocker (Published by Devonfire Books)

[abbottisthedeathprocess]

Happy Battle of Hastings day to all who celebrate/mourn

[tmarshconnors]

Cardinal Wolsey: A Life In 9 Artworks

I won't lie I love history and I have been re-watching a lot of the Tudors which brought on the inspiration for this blog.

So Cardinal Wolsey’s life, marked by immense power and ultimate downfall, has inspired numerous artworks.

These pieces offer a visual chronicle of his journey from glory to despair, allowing modern viewers to witness pivotal moments of his life.

This artwork marks Wolsey’s early rise, depicting his procession to Westminster Hall in 1515 when he became a cardinal. Gilbert, fascinated by Wolsey, frequently revisited his life in art, capturing significant moments. In this piece, Wolsey holds a pomander, reflecting his historical concern with disease prevention.

This painting highlights the close relationship between Wolsey and King Henry VIII. The Cardinal appears focused and diligent beside a relaxed and trusting Henry, illustrating their bond during Wolsey's height of influence.

This detailed artwork portrays the grand summit between England and France in 1520, organized by Wolsey. Though the scene is a composite, it captures the event’s opulence. Wolsey, depicted modestly beside King Henry, orchestrated this massive and ultimately politically futile event.

This piece illustrates the intense rivalry between Wolsey and Buckingham, culminating in the Duke’s execution in 1521. Gilbert captures their mutual animosity in a chance encounter, with expressive faces revealing their deep-seated hatred.

Lucas’s painting reflects Wolsey’s fall from grace. Depicted with King Henry and Thomas Cramner, Wolsey’s sorrow is palpable as he faces his downfall, highlighted by the ominous presence of a raven, symbolizing his imminent demise.

A satirical take on Wolsey’s forced resignation in 1529, this drawing shows him tearfully handing over the Great Seal. Originally intended for humour, it underscores the poignancy of his loss of power and favour with the King.

Depicting Wolsey’s final moments in 1530, this engraving shows him surrounded by loyal companions at Leicester Abbey. Cavendish, his faithful servant, is depicted weeping at his side, highlighting the Cardinal’s tragic end.

This simple sketch from Wolsey’s biography captures his solemn burial at Leicester Abbey. Despite the crude execution, it serves as a historical record of his final resting place, though its exact location remains a mystery.

In this compilation of eminent British figures, Wolsey is honoured alongside historical greats. Created 150 years after his death, this miniature portrayal underscores his lasting significance in English history.

These nine artworks encapsulate Cardinal Wolsey’s dramatic life, from his meteoric rise to his tragic fall, immortalizing his legacy in vivid detail. I honestly find him a fascinating character of history.

BONUS!

Cardinal Wolsey Statue Historical landmark in Ipswich, England.