Month: March 2019

History

Arrival of the Angles

It is thought that the Angles originated in Poland but had moved to central Denmark by the 4th century. They then expanded […]

It is thought that the Angles originated in Poland but had moved to central Denmark by the 4th century. They then expanded their territory into Germany, the Netherlands and eventually Britain. Traditionally, historians have claimed that the Angles ‘invaded’ Britain en masse in 500AD, abandoning their own overcrowded country for the sparsely-populated, fertile lands of England and southern Scotland. The Angles, along with the Saxons who arrived at around the same time, were described as brutish, uncivilised tyrants who easily conquered the pathetic British peasants.

This is now disputed. Modern archaeologists can find no sign of any battles or sudden large-scale immigration. Instead, new excavations and computer analysis point towards Britain having peaceful, well-organised trading links with Europe for many centuries, resulting in a natural flow of immigration. Fort-like structures on the coast were more likely to have been trading posts. Foreign ornaments and jewellery unearthed here were simply purchases from abroad.

Furthermore, there is evidence that cometary fragments wiped out most of England and part of Scotland in 562AD, leaving it open to undisturbed, gradual settlement by the Angles, Saxons, Jutes and Frisians after the land started to recover.

(Image: pixabay.com)

08/03/2019
3 min
6 years
193 words

Religion

The Reformation

Until 1526, Catholicism held sway in Britain but the combination of esoteric rituals, opulence and Latin pronouncements, though wondrous, was unintelligible to […]

Until 1526, Catholicism held sway in Britain but the combination of esoteric rituals, opulence and Latin pronouncements, though wondrous, was unintelligible to most. That year, William Tyndale (c.1491-1536) published his English translation of the New Testament from the original Hebrew and Greek on the newly-invented printing presses. The Reformation in Britain had begun.

German monk Martin Luther, pioneered Protestantism in 1517, but his books were burnt in London for being heretical. He reasoned that if a particular rite was not in the Bible, it was unnecessary. This helped King Henry VIII (1491-1547) to have his first marriage annulled, as it was pointed out that nowhere in the Bible did it state that the Pope was in charge, only monarchs. The Church of England was formed and all Catholic monasteries and abbeys were confiscated.

The next King, Edward VI (1537-53), was the first heir brought up as a Protestant. However, he died young and his official successor was the Catholic Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary (1516-58), so called because of her murderous revenge on the Protestants. On her death, another turnaround occurred with the accession of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), who tried to placate both sides but was excommunicated in 1570 by the Pope, thereby deciding the matter for Protestantism.

(Image: pixabay.com)

07/03/2019
3 min
6 years
208 words

Politics

The Scottish Parliament

The kingdom of Scotland had its own government institution for more than four centuries prior to 1707, when it became part of […]

The kingdom of Scotland had its own government institution for more than four centuries prior to 1707, when it became part of Britain. It was then governed from London until 1999. Since then, the Scottish Parliament and government jointly have responsibility for policy areas such as law, healthcare, immigration, consumer rights, energy, employment and industrial legislation in Scotland.

There are 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) and the Scottish government is made up of the political party with the most MSPs. The Scottish election procedure is similar to the one for the Welsh Assembly ~ one vote for the local constituency MSP (there are 73 of those) and one for the regional MSP (the other 56), the aim of which is to bring more balance.

The monarch’s approval must be obtained for the appointment of all Scottish Ministers. The leader is called the First Minister. The Scottish Parliament Building was constructed next to Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and was completed in 2004. Its Spanish architect is said to have strewn twigs and leaves on the table in order to represent his design concept. The finished building received many awards but at a price ~ some £414,400,000.

(Image of one façade of Scottish Parliament Building: Tim Hallam at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

06/03/2019
3 min
6 years
205 words

Sport

Cowes Week

Cowes Week takes place every year at the beginning of August and is based at the small port of Cowes on the […]

Cowes Week takes place every year at the beginning of August and is based at the small port of Cowes on the Isle of Wight. It is a boating regatta and although it has always had aristocratic connections, it is open to anyone who owns a correctly prepared boat, can muster a crew and pay the application fee.

There are forty races on each of the eight days, with four different start lines in the Solent, which is the channel between the Isle of Wight and the coast of mainland England. This is a very busy stretch of water, so there are occasional bumps and crashes! Cowes Week is also a social event, with parties, street entertainment, fireworks and the brilliant Red Arrows making an appearance:-

It is one of the longest-running regattas in the world, having started in 1826. It grew so much in popularity (and complexity) that by 1964 Prince Philip was suggesting that it needed a co-ordinated organising body ~ hence the formation of Cowes Combined Clubs Ltd. This oversees the race programme for a thousand boats in two groups, three or four divisions and up to forty classes.

(Top image: Peter Trimming at geograph.org.uk / CC BY-SA 2.0)

04/03/2019
3 min
6 years
200 words

Culture / Geography & Environment / Inventions

Big Ben

‘Big Ben’ is the nickname given to the hour bell in the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament in London. The […]

‘Big Ben’ is the nickname given to the hour bell in the Elizabeth Tower at the Houses of Parliament in London. The Tower’s five bells ~ Big Ben plus the four chiming bells ~ began marking the time every 15 minutes on 7th September 1859. Both the Tower and Big Ben have had their mishaps over the years, but they are probably at the top of most tourists’ must-see lists.

The clock mechanism includes the ‘Double Three-legged Gravity Escapement’ invented by Edmund Beckett Denison (Lord Grimthorpe) specially for Big Ben. It was subsequently used as standard in other turret clocks, as it gives accuracy to one second.

The Tower is leaning slightly, as the foundations are not up to modern standards and London Underground tunnels have been excavated in close proximity. An innovative ‘Compensation Grouting’ technique, developed by geotechnical expert Professor Lord Robert Mair (1950-), was successfully employed to address this situation. A four-year programme of refurbishment is currently being carried out on the whole of Elizabeth Tower, so Big Ben is silent except for New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday. This is partly to protect the technicians’ hearing.

(Top image: pixabay.com)

04/03/2019
3 min
6 years
191 words

Celebrations & Holidays

Talk Like A Pirate Day

There have been many gimmicky celebratory days concocted in recent times, but the International Talk Like A Pirate Day has a peculiarly […]

There have been many gimmicky celebratory days concocted in recent times, but the International Talk Like A Pirate Day has a peculiarly British appeal to it, even though it originated in the USA. It takes place on 19th September and its adherents take on a West Country English accent, speaking as if they were back in the 1700s and sailing the seas as pirates.

The inspiration comes from the character of Long John Silver in ‘Treasure Island’, written by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. The 1950 Disney film of the story featured English actor Robert Newton as the pirate Silver and he used his native Dorset accent for the part. Along with his roguish facial expressions his mode of speech identified him as a trickster-baddie with a soft side. Here’s a flavour:-

The idea of talking like a pirate has spawned many online videos, children’s games, teacher resources and party themes. Robert Newton (1905-56), he be the ‘patron saint’ of the movement and he would doubtless say “Yarr! Me hearties!” to all his devotees, that he would, arrr, arrr.

(Image: maxpixel.net)

02/03/2019
3 min
6 years
184 words

Entertainment

Charlie Chaplin

Sir Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) was an award-winning star of silent films in his trademark character, ‘the tramp’. He drew on his own […]

Sir Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) was an award-winning star of silent films in his trademark character, ‘the tramp’. He drew on his own childhood experiences of destitution in London, which included being sent to a workhouse at age seven. His acting talent sent him from rags to riches, which he used to buy his own film studio and take complete control of his films ~ writing, acting, directing, producing, editing and composing the music. Three of his songs became chart hits, including the beautiful and poignant ‘Smile’, sung by Nat King Cole.

It was whilst working in Los Angeles during WW1 that he learnt all aspects of the film-making business. His films were being churned out weekly and the public loved them. After the War, he went to a different studio and began to make films with more pathos in the story-line, as he realised that quality rather than quantity was important.

He became extremely rich and was able to found United Artists with three other film stars. However, he left the USA in 1952 as they were intolerant of his political views and he went to live in Switzerland. He was married four times and had eleven children.

(Image: Insomnia Cured Here at Flickr.com / CC BY-SA 2.0)

01/03/2019
3 min
6 years
205 words

Posts pagination

Previous 1 2 3

Quoting Neil Oliver...

I love Britain more than anywhere else in the world. With all my heart I declare that those of us born here, or who have made a home here by choice, are the luckiest, most blessed of all people. I am British. I will always be British.