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According to Greek mythology, who solved 'The Riddle Of The Sphinx'? | SPHINX - Woman-Headed Lion of Greek Mythology
Sphinx, Athenian red-figure kylix C6th B.C., Museum of Fine Arts Boston
THE SPHINX was a female monster with the body of a lion, the head and breast of a woman, eagle's wings and, according to some, a serpent's tail.
She was sent by the gods to plague the town of Thebes as punishment for some ancient crime, preying on its youths and devouring all who failed to solve her riddle. The regent of Thebes, King Kreon (Creon), offered the throne to the one who would destroy her. Oidipous (Oedipus) took up the challenge, and when he solved the Sphinx's riddle, she cast herself off the mountainside in despair.
Sphinxes were very popular in ancient art. They were employed as sculptural gave stelae upon the tombs of men who died in youth. In archaic vase paintings they often appear amongst a procession of animals and fabulous creatures such as lions and bird-bodied sirens.
FAMILY OF THE SPHINX
[1.1] ORTHOS & KHIMAIRA (Hesiod Theogony 326)
[2.1] TYPHOEUS & EKHIDNA (Apollodorus 3.52, Hyginus Pref & Fabulae 151, Lasus Frag 706A)
[2.2] TYPHOEUS & KHIMAIRA (Scholiast on Hesiod & Euripides)
ENCYCLOPEDIA
SPHINX (Sphinx), a monstrous being of Greek mythology, is said to have been a daughter of Orthus and Chimaera, born in the country of the Arimi (Hes. Theog. 326), or of Typhon and Echidna (Apollod. iii. 5. § 8; Schol. ad Eurip. Phoen. 46), or lastly of Typhon and Chimaera (Schol. ad Hes. and Eurip. l. .c.). Some call her a natural daughter of Laius (Paus. ix. 26. § 2). Respecting her stay at Thebes and her connection with the fate of the house of Laius. The riddle which she there proposed, she is said to have learnt from the Muses (Apollod. iii. 5. § 8), or Laius himself taught her the mysterious oracles which Cadmus had received at Delphi (Paus. ix. 26. § 2). According to some she had been sent into Boeotia by Hera, who was angry with the Thebans for not having punished Lains, who had carried off Chrysippus from Pisa. She is said to have come from the most distant part of Ethiopia (Apollod. l. c. ; Schol. ad Eurip. Phoen. 1760); according to others she was sent by Ares, who wanted to take revenge because Cadmus had slain his son, the dragon (Argum. ad Eurip. Phoen.), or by Dionysus (Schol. ad Hes. Theog. 326), or by Hades (Eurip. Phoen. 810), and some lastly say that she was one on the women who, together with the daughters of Cadmus, were thrown into madness, and was metamorphosed into the monstrous figure. (Schol. ad Eurip. Phoen. 45.)
The legend itself clearly indicates from what quarter this being was believed to have been introduced into Greek mythology. The figure which she was conceived to have had is originally Egyptian or Ethiopian; but after her incorporation with Grecian story, her figure was variously modified. The Egyptian Sphinx is the figure of an unwinged lion in a lying attitude, but the upper part of the body is human. They appear in Egypt to have been set up in avenues forming the approaches to temples. The greatest among the Egyptian representations of Sphinxes is that of Ghizeh, which, with the exception of the paws, is of one block of stone. The Egyptian Sphinxes are often called androsphinges (Herod. ii. 175; Menandr. Fragm. p. 411, ed. Meineke), not describing them as male beings, but as lions with the upper part human, to distinguish them from those Sphinxes whose upper part was that of a sheep or ram. The common idea of a Greek Sphinx, on the other hand, is that of a winged body of a lion, having the breast and upper part of a woman (Aelian, H. A. xii. 7; Auson. Griph. 40 ; Apollod. iii. 5. § 8; Schol. ad Eurip. Phoen. 806). Greek Sphinxes, moreover, are not always represented in a lying attitude, but appear in different positions, as it might suit the fancy of the sculptor or poet. Thus they appear with the face of a maiden, the breast, feet, and claws of a lion, the tail of a serpent, and the wings of a bird (Schol. ad Aristoph. Ran. 1287 ; Soph. Oed. Tyr. 391 ; Athen. vi. p. 253; Palaephat. 7); or the fore part of the body is that of a lion, and the lower part that of a man, with the claws of a vuiture and the wings of an eagle (Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 7). Sphinxes were frequently introduced by Greek artists, as ornaments of architectural and other works. (Paus. iii. 18. § 8, v. 11. § 2; Eurip. Elect. 471.)
In the Boeotian dialect the name was phix (Hes. Theog. 326), whence the name of the Boeotian mountain, Phikion oros. (Hes. Scut. Herc. 33.)
Source: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
ALTERNATE NAME SPELLINGS
Sphinx, Athenian red-figure amphora C5th B.C., Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Hesiod, Theogony 326 ff (trans. Evelyn-White) (Greek epic C8th or C7th B.C.) :
"But she [Khimaira (Chimera)] also, in love with Orthos (Orthus), mothered the deadly Sphinx, the bane of the Kadmeians (Cadmeans) [Thebans]."
Lasus, Fragment 706A (from Natale Conti, Mythology) (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric III) (Greek lyric C6th B.C.) :
"The Sphinx was daughter of Ekhidna (Echidna) and Typhon, according to Lasus of Hermione."
Corinna, Fragment 672 (trans. Campbell, Vol. Greek Lyric IV) (Greek lyric C5th B.C.) :
"Oidipos (Oedipus) killed not only the Sphinx but also the Teumessian fox."
Aeschylus, Sphinx (lost play) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
The Sphinx was the satyr-play of Aeschylus' Oedipus-trilogy. It told the story of Oidipous' (Oedipus') encounter with the monster.
Aeschylus, Fragment 129 Sphinx (from Aristophanes, Frogs 1287 with Scholiast) (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"The Sphinx, the watch-dog that presideth over evil days."
Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes 539 ff (trans. Weir Smyth) (Greek tragedy C5th B.C.) :
"[During the war of the Seven against Thebes Parthenopaios (Parthenopaeus) threatens the Thebans with the image of the Sphinx embossed on his shield :] Nor does he take his stand at the gate unboasting, but wields our city's shame on his bronze-forged shield, his body's circular defence, on which the Sphinx who eats men raw is cleverly fastened with bolts, her body embossed and gleaming. She carries under her a single Kadmean (Cadmean) [Theban], so that against this man chiefly our [the Thebans] missiles will be hurled . . . [But] he [Aktor (Actor), a defender of Thebess] will not let in a man who carries on his hostile shield the image of the ravenous, detested beast. That beast outside his shield will blame the man who carries her into the gate, when she has taken a heavy beating beneath the city's walls."
Aeschylus, Seven Against Thebes 773 ff :
"For whom have the gods and divinities that share their altar and the thronging assembly of men ever admired so much as they honored Oidipous (Oedipus) then, when he removed that deadly, man-seizing plague (kêr) [i.e. the Sphinx] from our land."
Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca 3. 52 - 55 (trans. Aldrich) (Greek mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"While he [Kreon (Creon)] was king, quite a scourge held Thebes in suppression, for Hera sent upon them the Sphinx, whose parents were Ekhidna (Echidna) and Typhon. She had a woman's face, the breast, feet, and tail of a lion, and bird wings. She had learned a riddle form the Mousai (Muses), and now sat on Mount Phikion (Phicium) where she kept challenging the Thebans with it. The riddle was: what is it that has one voice, and is four-footed and two-footed and three-footed? An oracle existed for the Thebans to the effect that they would be free of the Sphinx when they guessed her riddle, so they often convened to search for the meaning, but whenever they came up with the wrong answer, she would seize one of them, and eat him up. When many had died, including most recently Kreon's own son Haimon (Haemon), Kreon announced publicly that he would give both the kingdom and the widow of Laios (Laeus) to the man who solved the riddle. Oidipous (Oedipus) heard and solved it, stating that he answer to the Sphinx's question was man. As a baby he crawls on all fours, as an adult he is two-footed, and as he grows old he gains a third foot in the form of a cane. At this the Sphinx threw herself from the acropolis."
Herodotus, Histories 4. 79. 1 (trans. Godley) (Greek historian C5th B.C.) :
"In the city of the Borysthenites [in Asia Minor] a spacious house, grand and costly . . . all surrounded by Sphinxes and Grypes (Griffins) worked in white marble."
Lycophron, Alexandra 1465 (trans. Mair) (Greek poet C3rd B.C.) :
"Phikian monster [i.e. the Sphinx of Mount Phikion (Phicium)], mouthing darkly her perplexed words."
Pausanias, Description of Greece 9. 26. 2 (trans. Jones) (Greek travelogue C2nd A.D.) :
"Farther on [beyond Thebes, Boiotia (Boeotia)] we come to the mountain from which they say the Sphinx, chanting a riddle, sallied to bring death upon those she caught. Others say that roving with a force of ships on a piratical expedition she put in at Anthedon, seized the mountain I mentioned, and used it for plundering raids until Oidipous (Oedipus) overwhelmed her by the superior numbers of the army he had with him on his arrival from Korinthos (Corinth). There is another version of the story which makes her the natural daughter of Laius (Laeus), who, because he was fond of her, told her the oracle delivered to Kadmos (Cadmus) from Delphoi (Delphi). Now Laius had sons by concubines, and the oracle delivered from Delphoi applied only to Epikaste (Epicaste) and her sons. So when any of her brothers came in order to claim the throne from the Sphinx, she resorted to trickery in dealing with them, saying that if they were sons of Laius they should know the oracle that came to Kadmos. When they could not answer she would punish them with death, on the ground that they had no valid claim to the kingdom or to relationship. But Oidipous came because it appears he had been told the oracle in a dream."
Oedipus and the Sphinx, Athenian red-figure amphora C5th B.C., Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Pausanias, Description of Greece 5. 11. 2 :
"[Amongst the images depicted on the throne in the temple of Zeus at Olympia :] On each of the two front feet are set Theban children ravished by Sphinxes."
Diodorus Siculus, Library of History 4. 64. 4 (trans. Oldfather) (Greek historian C1st B.C.) :
"A Sphinx, a beast of double form, had come to Thebes and was propounding a riddle to anyone who might be able to solve it, and many were being slain by her because of their inability to do so. And although a generous reward was offered to the man who should solve it, that he should marry Iokaste (Jocasta) and be king of Thebes, yet no man was able to comprehend what was propounded except Oidipous (Oedipus), who alone solved the riddle. What had been propounded by the Sphinx was this : What is it that is at the same time a biped, a triped, and a quadraped? And while all the rest were perplexed, Oidipous declared that the animal proposed in the riddle was ‘man’, since as an infant he is a quadruped, when grown a biped, and in old age a triped, using, because of his infirmity, a staff. At this answer the Sphinx, in accordance with the oracle which the myth recounts, threw herself down a precipice."
Aelian, On Animals 12. 7 (trans. Scholfield) (Greek natural history C2nd A.D.) :
"Egyptian artificers in their sculpture, and the vainglorious legends of Thebes attempt to represent the Sphinx, with her two-fold nature, as of two-fold shape, making her awe-inspiring by fusing the body of a maiden with that of a lion. And Euripides suggests this when he says `And drawing her tail in beneath her lion's feet she sat down.'"
Aelian, On Animals 12. 38 :
"Every painter and every sculptor who devotes himself and has been trained to the practise of his art figures the Sphinx as winged."
Pseudo-Hyginus, Fabulae 67 (trans. Grant) (Roman mythographer C2nd A.D.) :
"The Sphinx, offspring of Typhon, was sent into Boeotia, and was laying waste the fields of the Thebans. She proposed a contest to Creon, that if anyone interpreted the riddle which she gave, she would depart, but that she would destroy whoever failed, and under no other circumstances would she leave the country. When the king heard this, he made a proclamation throughout Greece. He promised that he would give the kingdom and his sister Jocasta in marriage to the person solving the riddle of the Sphinx. Many came out of greed for the kingdom, and were devoured by the Sphinx, but Oedipus, son of Laius, came and interpreted the riddle. The Sphinx leaped to her death. Oedipus received his father's kingdom."
Hyginus, Fabulae 151 :
"From Typhon the giant and Echidna were born . . . the Sphinx which was in Boeotia."
Ovid, Metamorphoses 7. 759 ff (trans. Melville) (Roman epic C1st B.C. to C1st A.D.) :
"The riddle that had baffled earlier brains was solved by Laiades [Oidipous (Oedipus) son of Laius] and headlong down the Carmina [Sphinx] had fallen, her mysteries forgotten."
Seneca, Oedipus 87 ff (trans. Miller) (Roman tragedy C1st A.D.) :
"[Oidipous (Oedipus) speaks :] Far from me is the crime and shame of cowardice, and my valour knows not dastard fears . . . The Sphinx, weaving her words in darkling measures, I fled not; I faced the bloody jaws of the fell prophetess and the ground white with scattered bones. And when from a lofty cliff, already hovering over her prey, she prepared her pinions and, lashing her tail like a savage lion, stirred up her threatening wrath, I asked her riddle. Thereupon came a sound of dread; her jaws crashed, and her talons, brooking no delay, eager for my vitals, tore at the rocks. The lot's intricate, guile-entangled words, the grim riddle of the winged beast, I solved.
Why too late dost thou now in madness pray for death? Thou hadst thy chance to die. This sceptre is thy meed of praise, this thy reward for the Sphinx destroyed. That dust, that cursed dust of the artful monster is warring against me still; that pest which I destroyed is now destroying Thebes. [I.e. the land is suffering from drought and pestilence and Oidipous incorrectly blames the ghost of the dead Sphinx]."
Oedipus and the Sphinx, Athenian red-figure stamnos C5th B.C., Musée du Louvre
Seneca, Oedipus 245 ff :
"Oedipus : Did any fear prevent a pious duty? [i.e. the proper burial of the dead.]
Creon : Aye, the Sphinx and the dire threats of her accursèd chant."
Statius, Thebaid 2. 500 ff (trans. Mozley) (Roman epic C1st A.D.) :
"At a distance from the city [of Thebes] two hills bear close upon each other with a grudging gulf between; the shadow of a mountain above and leafy ridges of curving woodland shut them in . . . Through the middle of the rocks threads a rough and narrow track, below which lies a plain and a broad expanse of sloping fields. Over against it a threatening cliff rises high, the home of the winged monster [the Sphinx] of Oedipus; here aforetime she stood, fierce uplifting her pallid cheeks, her eyes tainted with corruption and her plumes all clotted with hideous gore; grasping human remains and clutching to her breast half-eaten bones she scanned the plains with awful gaze, should any stranger dare to join in the strife of riddling words, or any traveller confront her and parley with her terrible tongue; then, without more ado, sharpening forthwith the unsheathed talons of her livid hands and her teeth bared for wounding, she rose with dreadful beating of wings around the faces of the strangers; nor did any guess her riddle, till caught by a hero that proved her match, with failing wings--ah! horror!--from the bloody cliff she dashed her insatiate paunch in despair upon the rocks beneath. The wood gives reminder of the dread story: the cattle abhor the neighbouring pastures, and the flock, though greedy, will not touch the fateful herbage; no Dryad choirs take delight in the shade, it ill beseems the sacred rites of the Fauni [Satyroi (Satyrs)], even birds obscene fly far from the abomination of the grove."
Statius, Thebaid 1. 66 :
"By wit of thy foreshowing I [Oidipous (Oedipus)] solved the riddles of the cruel Sphinx."
Suidas s.v. Oidpous (trans. Suda On Line) (Byzantine Greek Lexicon C10th A.D.) :
"The so-called Sphinx] appeared [at Thebes], a woman hideous and beastly in form, for having got rid of her man and having clenched her hand and having seized some difficult terrain, she would murder those who passed by. So Oidipous (Oedipus), after hatching a clever scheme, joined himself in piracy with her. Then biding his time as he planned, he took her in an ambush, and those with her."
Suidas s.v. Rhapsoidos :
"Rhapsoidos (Rhapsody) : The Sphinx stitching together songs . . . Sophokles [says] : ‘Why, when the watchful dog who wove dark song was here, did you say nothing to free the people?’ He is speaking about the Sphinx."
ANCIENT GREEK ART
| Oedipus |
Complete the title of this famous novel by George and Weedon Grossmith,'Diary Of A ...'? | Sphinx
Sphinx
The Sphinx was an ancient Egyptian divinity, who personified wisdom, and the fertility of nature.
She is represented as a lion-couchant, with the head and bust of a woman, and wears a peculiar sort of hood, which completely envelops her head, and falls down on either side of the face. Transplanted into Greece, this sublime and mysterious Egyptian deity degenerates into an insignificant, and yet malignant power, and though she also deals in mysteries, they are, as we shall see, of a totally different character, and altogether inimical to human life.
The Sphinx is represented, according to Greek genealogy, as the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. Hera, being upon one occasion displeased with the Thebans, sent them this awful monster, as a punishment for their offences. Taking her seat on a rocky eminence near the city of Thebes, commanding a pass which the Thebans were compelled to traverse in their usual way of business, she propounded to all comers a riddle, and if they failed to solve it, she tore them in pieces.
During the reign of King Creon, so many people had fallen a sacrifice to this monster, that he determined to use every effort to rid the country of so terrible a scourge. On consulting the oracle of Delphi, he was informed that the only way to destroy the Sphinx was to solve one of her riddles, when she would immediately precipitate herself from the rock on which she was seated. Creon, accordingly, made a public declaration to the effect, that whoever could give the true interpretation of a riddle propounded by the monster, should obtain the crown, and the hand of his sister Jocaste.
Oedipus offered himself as a candidate, and proceeding to the spot where she kept guard, received from her the following riddle for solution: "What creature goes in the morning on four legs, at noon on two, and in the evening on three?" Oedipus replied, that it must be man, who during his infancy creeps on all fours, in his prime walks erect on two legs, and when old age has enfeebled his powers, calls a staff to his assistance, and thus has, as it were, three legs. The Sphinx no sooner heard this reply, which was the correct solution of her riddle, than she flung herself over the precipice, and perished in the abyss below.
The Greek Sphinx may be recognized by having wings and by being of smaller dimensions than the Egyptian Sphinx.
From: Berens, E.M. The Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome. New York: Maynard, Merril, & Co., 1880. Text in the public domain.
| i don't know |
Commonly seen in insects such as Crickets and Grasshoppers, what name is given to the act of producing sound by rubbing certain body parts together? | Insects | Psychology Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia
110,000 Bees , Wasps , Ants - Hymenoptera
Estimates of the total number of current species, including those not yet known to science, range from two million to fifty million, with newer studies favouring a lower figure of about six to ten million. [1] [4] [5] Adult modern insects range in size from a 0.139 mm (0.00547 in ) fairyfly ( Dicopomorpha echmepterygis ) to a 55.5 cm (21.9 in) long stick insect ( Phobaeticus serratipes ). [6] The heaviest documented insect was a Giant Weta of 70 g , 2½ oz ), but other possible candidates include the Goliath beetles Goliathus goliatus , Goliathus regius and Cerambycid beetles such as Titanus giganteus , though no one is certain which is truly the heaviest. [6]
The study of insects (from Latin insectus, meaning "cut into sections") is called entomology , from the Greek εντομον, also meaning "cut into sections". [7]
Contents
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Insects possess segmented bodies supported by an exoskeleton , a hard outer covering made mostly of chitin . The segments of the body are organized into three regions, or tagmata ; a head, a thorax , and an abdomen . The head supports a pair of sensory antennae , a pair of compound eyes , one to three simple eyes (" ocelli ") and three sets of variously modified appendages that form the mouthparts . The thorax has six legs (one pair each for the prothorax, mesothorax and the metathorax segments making up the thorax) and two or four wings (if present in the species). The abdomen (made up of eleven segments some of which may be reduced or fused) has most of the digestive , respiratory , excretory and reproductive internal structures.
Nervous system
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Their nervous system can be divided into a brain and a ventral nerve cord . The head capsule (made up of six fused segments) has six pairs of ganglia . The first three pairs are fused into the brain, while the three following pairs are fused into a structure called the subesophageal ganglion .
The thoracic segments have one ganglion on each side, which are connected into a pair, one pair per segment. This arrangement is also seen in the abdomen but only in the first eight segments. Many species of insects have reduced numbers of ganglia due to fusion or reduction. Some cockroaches have just six ganglia in the abdomen, whereas the wasp Vespa crabro has only two in the thorax and three in the abdomen. And some, like the house fly Musca domestica , have all the body ganglia fused into a single large thoracic ganglion.
Respiration and circulation
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Insect respiration is accomplished without lungs , but instead insects possess a system of internal tubes and sacs through which gases either diffuse or are actively pumped, delivering oxygen directly to body tissues (see Invertebrate trachea ). Since oxygen is delivered directly, the circulatory system is not used to carry oxygen, and is therefore greatly reduced; it has no closed vessels (i.e., no veins or arteries ), consisting of little more than a single, perforated dorsal tube which pulses peristaltically , and in doing so helps circulate the hemolymph inside the body cavity.
Exoskeleton
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Most higher insects have two pairs of wings located on the second and third thoracic segments. Insects are the only invertebrates to have developed flight , and this has played an important part in their success. The winged insects, and their wingless relatives, make up the subclass Pterygota . Insect flight is not very well understood, relying heavily on turbulent aerodynamic effects. The primitive insect groups use muscles that act directly on the wing structure. The more advanced groups making up the Neoptera have foldable wings and their muscles act on the thorax wall and power the wings indirectly. These muscles are able to contract multiple times for each single nerve impulse, allowing the wings to beat faster than would ordinarily be possible (see insect flight ).
Their outer skeleton, the cuticle, is made up of two layers; the epicuticle which is a thin and waxy water resistant outer layer and contains no chitin, and another layer under it called the procuticle . This is chitinous and much thicker than the epicuticle and has two layers, the outer being the exocuticle while the inner is the endocuticle. The tough and flexible endocuticle is built from numerous layers of fibrous chitin and proteins, criss-crossing each others in a sandwich pattern, while the exocuticle is rigid and sclerotized . The exocuticle is greatly reduced in many soft-bodied insects, especially the larval stages (e.g., caterpillars ).
Development
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Hoverflies mating in flight
Most insects hatch from eggs , but others are ovoviviparous or viviparous , and all undergo a series of moults as they develop and grow in size. This manner of growth is necessitated by the inelastic exoskeleton. Moulting is a process by which the individual escapes the confines of the exoskeleton in order to increase in size, then grows a new and larger outer covering. In some insects, the young are called nymphs and are similar in form to the adult except that the wings are not developed until the adult stage. This is called incomplete metamorphosis and insects showing this are termed hemimetabolous . Holometabolous insects show complete metamorphosis, which distinguishes the Endopterygota and includes many of the most successful insect groups. In these species, an egg hatches to produce a larva , which is generally worm-like in form, and can be divided into five different forms; eruciform (caterpillar-like), scarabaeiform (grublike), campodeiform (elongated, flattened, and active), elateriform (wireworm-like) and vermiform (maggot-like). The larva grows and eventually becomes a pupa , a stage sealed within a cocoon in some species. There are three types of pupae; obtect (the pupa is compact with the legs and other appendages enclosed), exarate (where the pupa has the legs and other appendages free and extended) and coarctate (where the pupa develops inside the larval skin). In the pupal stage, the insect undergoes considerable change in form to emerge as an adult, or imago . Butterflies are an example of an insect that undergoes complete metamorphosis. Some insects have even evolved hypermetamorphosis .
Some insects (parastic wasps) show polyembryony where a single fertilized egg can divide into many and in some cases thousands of separate embryos. Other developmental and reproductive variations include haplodiploidy , polymorphism , paedomorphosis (metathetely and prothetely), sexual dimorphism , parthenogenesis and more rarely hermaphroditism .
Behaviour
File:Common brown robberfly with prey.jpg
Many insects possess very sensitive and/or specialized organs of perception . Some insects such as bees can perceive ultraviolet wavelengths, or detect polarized light , while the antennae of male moths can detect the pheromones of female moths over distances of many kilometres. There is a pronounced tendency for there to be a trade-off between visual acuity and chemical or tactile acuity, such that most insects with well-developed eyes have reduced or simple antennae, and vice-versa. There are a variety of different mechanisms by which insects perceive sound, and it is by no means universal; the general pattern, however, is that if an insect can produce sound, then it can also hear sound, though the range of frequencies they can hear is often quite narrow (and may in fact be limited to only the frequency that they themselves produce). Some nocturnal moths can perceive the ultrasonic emissions of bats , a mechanism which helps them avoid predation. Certain predatory and parasitic insects can detect the characteristic sounds made by their prey/hosts. Bloodsucking insects have special sensory structures that can detect infrared emissions, and use them to home in on their hosts.
File:SensillaeImms.png
Most insects lead short lives as adults, and rarely interact with one another except to mate, or compete for mates. A small number exhibit some form of parental care , where they will at least guard their eggs, and sometimes continue guarding their offspring until adulthood, and possibly even actively feeding them. Another simple form of parental care is to construct a nest (a burrow or an actual construction, either of which may be simple or complex), store provisions in it, and lay an egg upon those provisions. The adult does not contact the growing offspring, but it nonetheless does provide food. This sort of care is typical of bees and various types of wasps.
A few such insects also have a well-developed number sense, among the solitary wasps that provision with a single species of prey. The mother wasp lays her eggs in individual cells and provides each egg with a number of live caterpillars on which the young feed when hatched. Some species of wasp always provide five, others twelve, and others as high as twenty-four caterpillars per cell. The number of caterpillars is different among species, but it is always the same for each sex of larvae. The male solitary wasp in the genus Eumenes is smaller than the female, so the mother of one species supplies him with only five caterpillars; the larger female receives ten caterpillars in her cell. She can in other words distinguish between both the numbers five and ten in the caterpillars she is providing and which cell contains a male or a female.
Social behaviour
File:Termite Cathedral DSC03570.jpg
Social insects , such as the termites , ants and many bees and wasps , are the most familiar species of eusocial animal. They live together in large well-organized colonies that may be so tightly integrated and genetically similar that the colonies of some species are sometimes considered superorganisms . It is sometimes argued that the various species of honey bee are the only invertebrates (and indeed one of the few non-human groups) to have evolved a system of abstract symbolic communication (i.e., where a behaviour is used to represent and convey specific information about something in the environment), called the " dance language " - the angle at which a bee dances represents a direction relative to the sun, and the length of the dance represents the distance to be flown.
Only those insects which live in nests or colonies demonstrate any true capacity for fine-scale spatial orientation or "homing" - this can be quite sophisticated, however, and allow an insect to return unerringly to a single hole a few millimetres in diameter among a mass of thousands of apparently identical holes all clustered together, after a trip of up to several kilometres' distance, and (in cases where an insect hibernates ) as long as a year after last viewing the area (a phenomenon known as philopatry ). A few insects migrate , but this is a larger-scale form of navigation , and often involves only large, general regions (e.g., the overwintering areas of the Monarch butterfly ).
Light production and vision
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A few insects, notably the beetles of the family Lampyridae have evolved light generating organs. They are also able to control this light generation to produce flashes and some species use the light to attract mates.
Most insects except some species of cave dwelling crickets are able to perceive light and dark. Many species have acute vision capable of detecting minute movements. The eyes include simple eyes or ocelli as well as compound eyes of varying sizes. Many species are able to detect light in the infrared, ultraviolet as well as the visible light wavelengths. Colour vision has been demonstrated in many species.
Sound production and hearing
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Insects were the earliest organisms to produce sounds and to sense them. Soundmaking in insects is achieved mostly by mechanical action of appendages. In the grasshoppers and crickets this is achieved by stridulation . The cicadas have the loudest sounds among the insects and have special modifications to their body and musculature to produce and amplify sounds. Some species such as the African cicada, Brevisana brevis have been measured at 106.7 decibels at a distance of 50 cm (20 in). [6] Some insects, such as the hawk moth , can hear ultrasound and take evasive action when they sense detection by bats. Some moths produce clicks and these were earlier thought to have a role in jamming the bat echolocation, but it was subsequently found that these are produced mostly by unpalatable moths to warn the bats, just as warning colouration is used visually. [8] These calls are also made by other moths involved in mimicry . [9]
Very low sounds are also produced in various species of Lepidoptera , Coleoptera and Hymenoptera , mostly through the use of wing movement or friction at the joints of appendages.
Most soundmaking insects also have tympanal organs that can perceive airborne sounds. Most insects are also able to sense vibrations transmitted by the substrate. Communication with substrate-borne vibrational signals is widespread among insects because of the size constraints in producing air-borne sounds. [10] Insects cannot effectively produce low-frequency sounds, and high-frequency sounds tend to disperse more in a dense environment (such as foliage ), so insects living in such environments communicate primarily using substrate-borne vibrations. [11] The mechanisms of production of vibrational signals are just as diverse as those for producing sound in insects.
The Madagascar hissing cockroach has the ability to press air through the spiracles to make a hissing noise, and the Death's-head Hawkmoth makes a squeaking noise by forcing air out of their pharynx .
Chemical communication
Edit
In addition to the use of sound for communication, a wide range of insects have evolved chemical means for communication. These chemicals, termed semiochemicals , are often derived from plant metabolites include those meant to attract, repel and provide other kinds of information. While some chemicals are targeted at individuals of the same species, others are used for communication across species. The use of scents is especially well known to have developed in social insects.
Locomotion
Main article: Insect flight
Insects are the only group of invertebrates to have developed flight. The evolution of insect wings has been a subject of debate. Some proponents suggest that the wings are para-notal in origin while others have suggested they are modified gills. In the Carboniferous age, some of the Meganeura dragonflies had as much as a 50 cm (20 in) wide wingspan. The appearance of gigantic insects has been found to be consistent with high atmospheric oxygen. The percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere found from ice core-samples was as high as 35% compared to the current 21%. The respiratory system of insects constrains their size, however the high oxygen in the atmosphere allowed larger sizes. [12] The largest flying insects today are much smaller and include several moth species such as the Atlas moth and the White Witch ( Thysania agrippina ).
Insect flight has been a topic of great interest in aerodynamics due partly to the inability of steady-state theories to explain the lift generated by the tiny wings of insects.
In addition to powered flight, many of the smaller insects are also dispersed by winds. These include the aphids which are often transported long distances by low-level jet streams. [13]
Walking
Edit
Many adult insects use six legs for walking and have adopted a tripedal gait . The tripedal gait allows for rapid walking whilst always having a stable stance and has been studied extensively in cockroaches . The legs are used in alternate triangles touching the ground. For the first step the middle right leg and the front and rear left legs are in contact with the ground and move the insect forward, whilst the front and rear right leg and the middle left leg are lifted and moved forward to a new position. When they touch the ground to form a new stable triangle the other legs can be lifted and brought forward in turn and so on.
The purest form of the tripedal gait is seen in insects moving at speed and is illustrated in the gif animation of a 7-spot ladybird ( Coccinellidae , Coccinella septempunctata ). However, this type of locomotion is not rigid and insects can adapt a variety of gaits; for example, when moving slowly, turning, or avoiding obstacles, four or more feet may be touching the ground. Insects can also adapt their gait to cope with the loss of one or more limbs.
Cockroaches are amongst the fastest insect runners and at full speed actually adopt a bipedal run to reach a high velocity in proportion to their body size. As Cockroaches move extremely rapidly, they need recording at several hundred frames per second to reveal their gait. More sedate locomotion is also studied by scientists in stick insects Phasmatodea .
A few insects have evolved to walk on the surface of the water, especially the bugs of the family, Gerridae , also known as water striders. A few species in the genus Halobates even live on the surface of open oceans, a habitat that has few insect species.
Insect walking is of particular interest as an alternative form of locomotion to the use of wheels for robots ( Robot locomotion ).
Swimming
File:Notonecta glauca01.jpg
A large number of insects live either parts or the whole of their lives underwater. In many orders the immature stages are spent in water while the adults are either aerial or terrestrial in habit. A few species spend a part of their adult life either under or over water.
Many of these species have adaptations to help in locomotion under water. The water beetles and water bugs have legs adapted into paddle like structures. Some Odonate larvae, such as dragonfly naiads, propel themselves rapidly by expelling water forcibly out of the rectal chamber. [14]
Some species like the water striders are capable of walking on the surface of water. They can do this because their claws are not at the tips of the legs as in most insects, but recessed in a special groove further up the leg; this prevents the claws from piercing the water's surface film. [15] Other insects such as the Rove beetle Stenus are known to emit salivary secretions that reduce surface tension making it possible for them to move on the surface of water by Marangoni propulsion (also described using the German term Entspannungsschwimmen). [16] [17]
Evolution
Main article: Insect evolution
The relationships of insects to other animal groups remain unclear. Although more traditionally grouped with millipedes and centipedes, evidence has emerged favoring closer evolutionary ties with the crustaceans. In the Pancrustacea theory insects, together with Remipedia and Malacostraca , make up a natural clade .
The oldest definitive insect fossil is the Devonian Rhyniognatha hirsti, estimated at 396-407 million years old. [18] This species already possessed dicondylic mandibles, a feature associated with winged insects, suggesting that wings may already have evolved at this time. Thus, the first insects probably appeared earlier, in the Silurian period. [18]
The origins of insect flight remain obscure, since the earliest winged insects currently known appear to have been capable fliers. Some extinct insects had an additional pair of winglets attaching to the first segment of the thorax, for a total of three pairs. So far, there is nothing that suggests that the insects were a particularly successful group of animals before they got their wings.
Late Carboniferous and Early Permian insect orders include both several current very long-lived groups and a number of Paleozoic forms. During this era, some giant dragonfly-like forms reached wingspans of 55 to 70 cm, (22-28 in) making them far larger than any living insect. This gigantism may have been due to higher atmospheric oxygen levels that allowed increased respiratory efficiency relative to today. The lack of flying vertebrates could have been another factor.
Most extant orders of insects developed during the Permian era that began around 270 million years ago. Many of the early groups became extinct during the Permian-Triassic extinction event , the largest mass extinction in the history of the Earth, around 252 million years ago.
The remarkably successful Hymenopterans appeared in the Cretaceous but achieved their diversity more recently, in the Cenozoic . A number of highly-successful insect groups evolved in conjunction with flowering plants , a powerful illustration of co-evolution .
Many modern insect genera developed during the Cenozoic ; insects from this period on are often found preserved in amber , often in perfect condition. Such specimens are easily compared with modern species. The study of fossilized insects is called paleoentomology .
Coevolution
See also: Coevolution
Insects were among the earliest terrestrial herbivores and acted as major selection agents on plants. Plants evolved chemical defenses against this herbivory and the insects in turn evolved mechanisms to deal with plant toxins. Many insects make use of these toxins to protect themselves from their predators. And such insects advertise their toxicity using warning colours. This successful evolutionary pattern has also been utilized by mimics . Over time, this has led to complex groups of co-evolved species. Conversely, some interactions between plants and insects are beneficial (see pollination ), and coevolution has led to the development of very specific mutualisms in such systems.
Systematics
File:European wasp white bg.jpg
Traditional morphology-based systematics has included in the subphylum Hexapoda four groups - Insects ( Ectognatha ), springtails ( Collembola ), Protura and Diplura , the latter three being grouped together as Entognatha on the basis of internalized mouthparts. Supraordinal relationships have undergone numerous changes with the advent of cladistic methods and genetic data. A recent hypothesis is that Hexapoda is polyphyletic, with the entognath classes having separate evolutionary histories from Insecta.
As many of the traditional morphology-based taxa have been shown to be paraphyletic, it is best to avoid using terms such as subclass , superorder and infraorder and instead focus on monophyletic groupings. The following list represents the best supported monophyletic groupings for the Insecta.
† signifies an extinct taxon.
[19]
Paleoptera and Neoptera are the winged orders of insects, separated by the presence of sclerites and musculature that allow for folding of the wings flat over the abdomen in the latter group. Neoptera can further be divided into hemimetabolous ( Polyneoptera & Paraneoptera ) and Holometabolous groups. It has proven particularly difficult to elucidate interordinal relationships within Polyneoptera. Phasmatodea and Embiidina have been suggested to form Eukinolabia [20] . Mantodea, Blattodea & Isoptera are thought to form a monophyletic group termed Dictyoptera [21] . Paraneoptera has turned out to be more closeley related to Endopterygota than to the rest of the Exopterygota. The recent molecular finding that the traditional louse orders Mallophaga and Anoplura are derived from within Psocoptera has lead to the new taxon Psocodea [22] .
It is quite likely that Exopterygota is paraphyletic in regards to Endopterygota. Contentious matters include Strepsiptera and Diptera grouped together as Halteria based on a reduction of one of the wing pairs - a position not well-supported in the entomological community [23] . The Neuropterida are often "lumped" or "split" on the whims of the taxonomist. Fleas are now thought to be closely related to boreid mecopterans [24] . Many questions remain to be answered when it comes to basal relationships amongst endopterygote orders, particularly Hymenoptera.
Relationship to other arthropods
Edit
Other terrestrial arthropods, such as centipedes , millipedes , scorpions and spiders , are sometimes confused with insects since their body plans can appear similar, sharing (as do all arthropods) a jointed exoskeleton. However upon closer examination their features differ significantly; most noticeably they do not have the six legs characteristic of adult insects.
The higher level phylogeny of the arthropods continues to be a matter of debate and research.
Roles in the environment and human society
File:Aedes aegypti biting human.jpg
Many insects are considered pests by humans. Insects commonly regarded as pests include those that are parasitic ( mosquitoes , lice , bed bugs ), transmit diseases ( mosquitoes , flies ), damage structures ( termites ), or destroy agricultural goods ( locusts , weevils ). Many entomologists are involved in various forms of pest control, often using insecticides , but more and more relying on methods of biocontrol .
Although pest insects attract the most attention, many insects are beneficial to the environment and to humans . Some pollinate flowering plants (for example wasps , bees , butterflies , ants ). Pollination is a trade between plants that need to reproduce, and pollinators that receive rewards of nectar and pollen . A serious environmental problem today is the decline of populations of pollinator insects, and a number of species of insects are now cultured primarily for pollination management in order to have sufficient pollinators in the field, orchard or greenhouse at bloom time.
Insects also produce useful substances such as honey , wax , lacquer and silk . Honey bees have been cultured by humans for thousands of years for honey, although contracting for crop pollination is becoming more significant for beekeepers . The silkworm has greatly affected human history, as silk-driven trade established relationships between China and the rest of the world. Fly larvae ( maggots ) were formerly used to treat wounds to prevent or stop gangrene , as they would only consume dead flesh. This treatment is finding modern usage in some hospitals. Adult insects such as crickets, and insect larvae of various kinds are also commonly used as fishing bait.
File:Chorthippus biguttulus f 8835.jpg
In some parts of the world, insects are used for human food (" Entomophagy "), while being a taboo in other places. There are proponents of developing this use to provide a major source of protein in human nutrition . Since it is impossible to entirely eliminate pest insects from the human food chain, insects already are present in many foods, especially grains. Most people do not realize that food laws in many countries do not prohibit insect parts in food, but rather limit the quantity. According to cultural materialist anthropologist Marvin Harris , the eating of insects is taboo in cultures that have protein sources that require less work, like farm birds or cattle.
Many insects, especially beetles , are scavengers , feeding on dead animals and fallen trees, recycling the biological materials into forms found useful by other organisms , and insects are responsible for much of the process by which topsoil is created. The ancient Egyptian religion adored beetles and represented them as scarabeums .
The most useful of all insects are insectivores , those that feed on other insects. Many insects can potentially reproduce so quickly that if all of their offspring were to survive, they could literally bury the earth in a single season. However, for any given insect one can name, whether it is considered a pest or not, there will be one to hundreds of species of insects that are either parasitoids or predators upon it, and play a significant role in controlling it. This role in ecology is usually assumed to be primarily one of birds , but insects, though less glamorous, are much more significant.
Human attempts to control pests by insecticides can backfire, because important but unrecognised insects already helping to control pest populations are also killed by the poison, leading eventually to population explosions of the pest species.
Quotations
Oxford English Dictionary , Oxford University Press.
↑ Hristov, N.I., Conner, W.E. (2005) Sound strategy: acoustic aposematism in the bat–tiger moth arms race. Naturwissenschaften 92:164–169. DOI:10.1007/s00114-005-0611-7
↑ Barber, J. R. and W. E. Conner. (2007) Acoustic mimicry in a predator–prey interaction. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 104(22):9331-9334 [2]
↑ [3] PDF (176 KiB ) Virant-Doberlet M. & Čokl A. (2004). Vibrational communication in insects. Neotropical Entomology, 33(2): 121-134.
↑ Bennet-Clark H.C. (1998). Size and scale effects as constraints in insect sound communication. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B, 353: 407-419
↑ Dudley, R. 1998. Atmospheric oxygen, giant Paleozoic insects and the evolution of aerial locomotor performance. Journal of Experimental Biology 201(8):1043-1050 [4] PDF
↑ Drake, V A and R A Farrow 1988. The Influence of Atmospheric Structure and Motions on Insect Migration. Annual Review of Entomology. 33:183-210 doi:10.1146/annurev.en.33.010188.001151
↑ Mill, P. J. and R. S. Pickard 1975. Jet-propulsion in anisopteran dragonfly larvae. Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology 97(4):329-338 [5]
↑ Merritt, Cummins, and Berg. 2007. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. Kendall Hunt Publishers
↑ Linsenmair K, Jander R. 1976. Das "entspannungsschwimmen" von Velia and Stenus. Naturwissenschaften 50:231
↑ Bush, J. W. M and David L. Hu 2006. Walking on Water: Biolocomotion at the Interface. Annu. Rev. Fluid Mech. 38:339–69 PDF
↑ 18.0 18.1 [6] Michael S. Engel and David A. Grimaldi. (2004). New light shed on the oldest insect. Nature 427: 627-630 (12 February 2004) | doi:10.1038/nature02291
↑ Tree of Life Web Project. 1995. Arthropoda. Version 01 January 1995 (temporary). [7] in The Tree of Life Web Project, [8]
↑ Terry, M. D. and M. F. Whiting. 2005. Mantophasmatodea and phylogeny of the lower neopterous insects. Cladistics 21(3): 240-257
↑ Lo, N., G. Tokuda, H. Watanabe, H. Rose, M. Slaytor, K. Maekawa, C. Bandi, and H. Noda. 2000. Evidence from multiple gene sequences indicates that termites evolved from wood-feeding cockroaches. Current Biology 10(13):801-804.
↑ Johnson, K. P., Yoshizawa, K. and V. S. Smith. 2004. Multiple origins of parasitism in lice. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London 271: 1771-1776.
↑ Bonneton, F., F. G. Brunet, J. Kathirithamby, V. Laudet. 2006. The rapid divergence of the ecdysone receptor is a synapomorphy for Mecopterida that clarifies the Strepsiptera problem. Insect Molecular Biology 15(3):351-362.
↑ Whiting, M.F. 2002. Mecoptera is paraphyletic: multiple genes and phylogeny of Mecoptera and Siphonaptera. Zoologica Scripta 31(1): 93-104.
Further reading
| Stridulation |
Which singer had a 2008 number one hit with the song 'Mercy'? | Familiar Features of the Roadside: Chapter 6
Familiar Features of the Roadside
CHAPTER VI.
MEADOW SINGERS.
THE soft bleating note that comes to our ears from the marsh in summer time is that of the so called tree toad (Hyla versicolor), who was given his Latin name because he possesses an extraordinary ability to assume a color analogous with his surroundings. (Metachrosis is the term usually employed, meaning a shifting over from one color to another.) But it is a slow process with the little animal, who really requires quite a little time to “get over” from dull brown to bright green. He does this, however, and, according to the brown trunk, green leaf, gray stone, or green-white lichen on which he is perched, proceeds to match colors as a lady would in the purchasing of dress material. He is most commonly arrayed in warm gray.
Tree Toad.
The figure of the tree toad is not as charming as its voice or its color. He is covered with large and small warty excrescences from top to toe, and there is a prominent loose fold of skin across his yellow-white breast. He is short and stumpy in head and limb, as well as broad-toed; in fact, he is not aristocratic looking like his cousins Acris and Pickeringii. But his voice possesses a most winning, pathetic quality which I can only liken to the musical, bubbling bleat of a miniature lamb; there is something attractive and soothing about it. This should not be confused with the song of the common toad (Bufo Americanus), which can be closely imitated by whistling the note C two octaves above middle C and humming, sotto voce, A in the second octave below middle C, thus:
The tone is sustained uniformly for about four seconds, then an answer comes from across the pond a musical third lower — A in the treble and E in the bass.
Later in the summer we hear the combined voices of these singers in the hedges, by the roadside fence, in the orchard, and even on the border of the wood. In the northern parts of Vermont and New Hampshire I have rarely heard Hyla versicolor; but in the Highlands of the Hudson, on Long Island, and in various localities of New Jersey his voice is a very familiar one to me. The tone is not prolonged beyond two seconds (rarely a trifle over this), and it is characterized by a well-marked crepitation. The drowsy, droning voice of the common toad as he sings in the marshes in early summer is dual-toned and far more musical; indeed, it has all the mysterious charm of a soothing lullaby, and in my own mind it is intimately associated with the romantic, slow, introductory movement of Beethoven’s so-called Moonlight Sonata, a fitting musical interpretation of the peace and quiet of summer life in the country, just as the last, impetuous, hurried movement is interpretative of the restless, wearing life of the city.
Among the singers of the meadow not one is quite as attractive in appearance as the beautiful, pale, ivory-colored tree cricket (Œcanthus niveus). He is sometimes called the “snowy tree cricket,” as his ethereal body and glassy wings suggest a color which is the very antithesis of black. The song of this little creature does not issue from the grass, but from some tall weed stem or tree trunk. The tone is usually pitched in E and it recurs with rhythmical precision. Burroughs calls the Œcanthus the
“purring cricket,” and speaks of its song as coming “in waves,” which is not only true of the soloist but of the general chorus. The sound is regularly tossed back and forth like those sustained chords which occur early in the first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, but the musical effect of the grand chorus is a distinct alternation of two tones thus:
an exact counterpart of the opening notes of the scherzo in the Third Symphony.
How under the moonlight (not sun!) it was possible for the great Beethoven to so exactly reproduce the music which one hears at night in midsummer among the Highlands of the Hudson in the vicinity of Anthony’s Nose and Storm King without ever having set his foot upon American soil it is difficult to imagine! For there are no singing fields in the old country, comparatively speaking; the meadows of England, Tuscany, or Switzerland in May, June, or August are silent — that, at least, is my remembrance of them. And I may also add that a field in the White Mountain region of New Hampshire is only half musical, again comparatively speaking. The meadow music which one may hear at twilight on Long Island, Staten Island, in the Catskill Mountains, in the Highlands of the Hudson, around Lake Mahopac in Putnam County, and in the vicinity of Niagara Falls, N. Y., in Saddle River, Bergen County, and the counties of Monmouth, Atlantic, and Salem in New Jersey, and in various parts of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, is far beyond what one will hear in either Maine or New Hampshire. I refer exclusively to insect music. On or about the first of September, when the wooded slopes of the Navesink Highlands, New Jersey, are thrilling with the songs of crickets and katydids, the woods and fields of northern New Hampshire are almost silent. But we can not expect everything all at once or in just one place; so it is the case that the woods of New Jersey do not know the song of the hermit thrush, but the forest glens beneath Eagle Cliff and Mount Kinsman, in the Franconia Range, N. H., echo his music from June until August.
But I must return to our tree crickets. The little Œcanthus niveus begins his trilling song at sunset and continues it throughout the night. He tunes his fiddle about the end of July, and does not finish his concert until the autumn days grow cold. I understand that the female of this species deposits her eggs in the pithy stems of the raspberry and blackberry vines and thereby causes much trouble for the small-fruit grower.
Another closely allied species is called the broad-winged climbing cricket (Œcanthus latipennis). This cricket is larger than the preceding, and differs very slightly in color from it; it is ivory-white. The elytra — that is, the two superior wing covers — are glassy and perfectly transparent. It differs from the species Œ. niveus in having the top of the head and lower half of the antennæ suffused with pink or pink-brown; it also generally, if not always, lacks the small gray-brown spots which are invariably present in Œ. niveus on the lower face of the two lowest joints of the antennæ. The song of this broad-winged cricket need not be confused with that of Œ. niveus; it is like a continuous, shrill, high-pitched rattle-whistle.
Broad-winged Climbing Cricket.
Œcanthus latipennis, it is said, prefers the shoots of the grapevine in which to lay its eggs. It is distributed southward and westward, but doubtfully as far Northwest as Rock Island, Ill. It does not occur in the Northeastern States.
Tree Cricket
Œ. fasciatus.
The most remarkable tree cricket is that named Œcanthus fasciatus. This little creature sings all day and all night, in sunshine, cloud shadow, and dusky evening. Its favorite resort is the weedy roadside, or the hedges where tall sunflowers and goldenrods abound. It sings about the middle of August and continues until the time of frost. The predominating color of the wings is white tinted green, but the body varies from an ivory-white marked with gray-brown to black. In typical specimens the head and its vicinity are whitish, with three distinct gray-brown or dark-brown stripes. The song of Œ. fasciatus is shrill and rapid; it is varied in length, lasting from two or three seconds to one or two minutes without interruption. During the performance the wings of tree crickets are raised to a perpendicular position and vibrate so rapidly that the motion is not discernible. The notes of Œ. fasciatus occur at the rate of from twelve to sixteen a second, thus:
These marvelous little musicians with the glassy wings can outdo the swiftest “presto” of the piano virtuoso, by producing nearly one thousand notes per minute! The geographical range of Œ. fasciatus is the same as that of Œ. niveus, from southern New England to Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and southward.1 It is larger than Œ. niveus and has the longest antennæ of all the species.
Œcanthus angustipennis is a narrow-winged species, less common in the West than the species already mentioned, and more at home in the broad meadows than fasciatus. The species Œ. angustipennis, Œ. latipennis, and Œ. niveus prefer the cultivated field to the weedy wayside.
This slender cricket is white, deeply suffused with green, has longer and slenderer hind legs than those of the other species, and a smaller head. The song resembles that of Œ. fasciatus, but is less shrill, and lasts but from three to five seconds, with intervals of corresponding length.
Narrow-winged Tree Cricket.
The song is usually heard at night. Both the song and the singer have been confusedly connected with the rhythmical Œ. niveus; an attentive ear, however, can not fail to detect a wide difference in the songs. Œ. niveus utters its t-re-ee, t-re-ee, t-re-ee, in metronome time, fifty trills occurring in a minute — Jerome McNeil says seventy, but I give the results of my own personal experience. In different kinds of weather crickets sing faster or slower. In the case of Œ. angustipennis the song is slower than that of Œ. niveus.
The tree crickets are remarkable for their rhythmical music, and however out of time the voices may be for a short season, they inevitably become synchronous or antiphonal, and to my ear some large section of the grand chorus is always antiphonal. This perfectly charming effect of musical tones being tossed back and fourth, which I have already referred to as exactly reproducing the opening notes of the scherzo in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, is what Thoreau heard when he likened the sound to “slumberous breathing,” and what William Hamilton Gibson called “a pulsating vesper chorus... a lullaby between the evening and the morning twilights.” Hawthorn describes it as an “audible stillness,” and makes his Canterbury poet think “that if moonlight could be heard, it would sound just like that.” Of all the music in the moonlit field which holds our ears entranced as we linger on the highway, this is the sweetest and best; it is the cricket’s love song! I often wonder why Irving did not allude to it in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, because just near the bridge where the superstitious schoolmaster “lost his head” the music of Œ. niveus is rife from late August to the time when the days grow cold.2
Meadow Grasshopper.
A far less musical singer than the tree cricket lives in the meadow grasses, and favors us in broadest daylight in the warm days of July with his gip, gip, gip, gip-zee-e-e-e-e-e-e! This is the common meadow grasshopper Orchelimum vulgare. He is green, and he has long antennæ, so he must not be confused with the short, stumpy-feelered, red-legged locust, who is wrongly called a grasshopper. The Orchelimum is a delicately modeled creature, about an inch long, with transparent wings through which one may readily see the green body. His legs are slender, and at the shoulder end of each wing is the hard, glassy formation which, when the wing is rapidly vibrated, rubs on the concave expansion of the other wing and causes the sharp, zipping sound.
The locust (grasshopper) in flying, in a very different way, produces a clapping or snapping sound with his wings.3 The green grasshopper is a day singer, who revels in the noontime heat with the mercury standing at 90°.
The brown cricket (Gryllus abbreviatus),4 common in the Middle States, who lives in the pastures and the grassy borders of the road, is a daylight and twilight singer; his sharp musical note also thrills interruptedly from sunset to sunrise along with the softer and more regular note of the white cricket. In June and July the meadows and wooded pastures are filled with the cricket’s music. His chirp is fitful and shrill; it is not really a trill, but the rapid repetition of a single note from three to five times with irregular intervals. I can not rely on the black cricket for three-four time or six-eight time; he “gangs his ain gait,” as the Scotchman would say, and leaves me and my metronome to go mine. This is not the case with the white cricket; he is the soul of rhythmical accuracy. Our brown cricket, like the grasshopper, makes his music by a rapid vibration of his wings. The song is produced by a rubbing together of the superior wings, which are hard, glassy, and roughened on their contiguous edges; thus, the rapid flitting of the wings produces the musical stridulation — more musical and less stridulous, however, than the grasshopper’s zigging note. It is, of course, scarcely necessary for me to remark that it is not the female but the male insect who is always the musician.
Brown Cricket, and tiny Spotted Cricket.
There are several species of crickets which are common. The one I have already mentioned is most generally found in fields and on roadsides; it is what is called a social cricket — that is, it lives with its fellows and does not inhabit a burrow. Another common cricket (Gryllus Pennsylvanicus) burrows under every stone in my garden; he is not a social character.
The tiny spotted cricket (Nemobius vittatus), of a brownish striped color, is still another singer whose spasmodic, interrupted chirp is constantly heard in the fields during late summer and early autumn, from New Hampshire to Maryland and Nebraska. This musician has a variable song made up of a trill and a sharp preparatory click, thus:
During his singing his wings are elevated at a considerable angle from the body.
Still another meadow singer is the cone-headed grasshopper (Conocephalus ensiger). This is the commonest species east of the Rocky Mountains, and the most familiar bright, light green insect of the cultivated field, as well as the salt marshes near the seashore. Rarely he is a brownish straw color, but in any case his narrow, pointed forehead is a sufficient proof of his identity; he is, besides, a very long, slender grasshopper, with extremely long fine feelers and a sharp, rasping voice, quite unlike that of any of the other meadow musicians. His note is an emphatic, suddenly loud s-szip, s-szip, s-snip, s-szip, continuous, rapid, and penetrating beyond description. In fact, it is one of the least interesting and most ear-ringing voices of the meadow or roadside. He is sharp-toothed, too, as well as sharp-tongued, a fact which I have more than once ascertained by a too intimate acquaintance with the really handsome insect; but William Hamilton Gibson makes game of him, and calls him “the clown of all this heyday” so justly that we certainly should read Singing Wings5 for the sake of this amusing and fuller description.
Cone-headed Grasshopper.
But speaking of “biters” reminds me of another sharp-toothed character, whose vicious nip is sometimes sufficiently tenacious to cause him the loss of his head. The katydid (Microcentrum retinervis) is a frequent singer on the highway in the evening hours. He looks like a large green grasshopper, but he has larger wings, which are leaflike and delicately veined; his antennae are much longer than his body, and his slender, long legs give him a peculiarly distinguished appearance, quite superior to that of a plebeian grasshopper. The katydid lives among the trees and hides under the leaves in the daytime, but as soon as the sun sets emerges from seclusion and begins his “petulant and shrill” tirade. Dr. Holmes calls him a “testy little dogmatist,” and, as William Hamilton Gibson remarks, falls into an excusable entomological error by accusing the particular insect which he heard of being a female with a quivering, trilling voice! But in this case, the truth is, the male insects do all the disputing. The katydid’s voice is too familiar to need comment or description here. The tones are harsh and uttered in triplets like detached bits of the cicada’s zee-e-e-e-e (the locust), but the method by which the noise is produced is curious. In the upper portion of each green wing cover, near the point where it is joined to the body, just where it overlaps the other, is a glassy formation set in a sort of frame; as the insect opens and shuts its wing covers, these frames strike each other, and the result is the zig-zig-zig which we know so well. On or about the first of September the wooded slopes of the Highlands of Navesink resound with the quarrelsome voices of these curious insects; in the White Mountains I do not recollect of having heard even a single disputer “having it all his own way.”
There are two common species of the katydid, the one above described being the most abundant in the Northern States; it is usually called the angular-winged katydid. The other species, also common in the Central and Eastern States, is named Cyrtophyllus concavus; its wing covers are longer than its wings, and they are broadly convex.
The so-called grasshopper with very short feelers, who is usually decked out in a variety of colors, is really a locust. The commonest species in our Eastern fields is called Melanoplus femur-rubrum, or, in straight English, the red-legged locust.6 This destructive insect is widely distributed over the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. It swarms on the grassy intervales of the White Mountain region, and covers the broad meadows of New Jersey; it is everywhere, and always a perfect nuisance, devouring every green thing, and even relishing the flavor of a silk umbrella or a dainty muslin dress.7 Beware the locust! for besides his awkward habit of staining one’s clothing with “molasses,” he will make a dainty repast off a silk handkerchief or the printed flowers of a lawn dress! His song is a somewhat pianissimo z-ee-e-e-e, which is produced by scraping or rubbing his legs against his hard-shell wing covers; he is, in fact, a veritable fiddler in the grand orchestra of the meadow. One musician does not count for much in the noontime symphony of the singing wings, but when two hundred thousand bowstrings are in full swing there can be no doubt about who supplies the orchestra with its first violins! Although the locust’s music is but an obligato accompaniment to the high-pitched, ringing voices of the soloists, it soothes the ear with a drowsy hum, which is the very embodiment of midsummer peace and “audible stillness.”
Red-legged Locust.
Melanoplus atlanis, similar to M. femur-rubrum.
X, Left wing of Œ. niveus, showing the portion from A to B used for singing. Z, Left wing of Orchelimum, showing the vein in black at C used for singing. Both drawings are copied from cuts found in several publications —neither are true to nature; compare with the succeeding drawing of niveus wing, and the wing on drawing of Orchelimum.
A rather large locust (Trimerotropis verruculata) is quite common on the intervales of the White Mountain district. This creature flies like a bird, and snaps his wings at will during his devious flight. He skims along with a sudden klack, klack, klack, klack, and gives a dip at each “klack,” much in the same fashion that the yellowbird utters its joyous chirrup during its undulating flight through the twilight sky.
This insect is most commonly seen in the latter part of August and throughout September; it is very common on the meadows of Campton, N. H.
The locust called Stenobothrus curtipennis, a very common species at once recognized by its very short wings, also sings in the Campton meadows. This musician uses both legs at once, and scrapes his wing covers in somewhat syncopated time. But to distinguish his music from that of the other members of the orchestra is a difficult task. His hissing notes, given out at the rate of six to a second, continue for about two seconds, then a short pause and da capo. This music is not nearly as loud as that of the Orchelimum, nor as continuous; but it has the same hissing quality. The notes of Melanoplus femur-rubrum are irregular in length. Every grasshopper has his own song;8 the notes of no two species are exactly alike, so if we will listen attentively to an occasional individual song which comes to our ears from the border of the field, we can at least be sure what kind of a creature it is which sings.
Wing of Œ. niveus from life.
I must not omit to class among the meadow singers the grasshopper sparrow, or yellow-winged sparrow (Ammodramus Savannarum passerinus), sometimes wrongly called the Savannah sparrow. This bird has the remarkable gift of imitation to such a degree that we can scarcely distinguish his zigging, continuous note from that of the Orchelimum. His crown is black with a stripe of light dull yellow through the center; his back is streaked with black, brown, red, and ashy gray, and on his shoulders are edgings of yellow.
Short-winged Locust.
The yellow-winged sparrow nests upon the ground, and lays four or five gray-white eggs speckled with brown. Very frequently this bird appears on the grassy roadside, where it flits about shyly in and out among the weeds and the ferns, every other moment indulging in the peculiar, unmusical “sissing” note.
__________________________
1 Œ. fasciatus is reported as abundant along the roadsides of Champaign Co., Illinois
2 As the night when the schoolmaster rode abroad was a cloudy one, possibly the tree crickets were not singing as usual; a warm moonlight night is the best one for cricket music.
3 See Trimerotropis verruculata.
4 G. neglectus is the most common New England cricket. G. luctuosus is also common; its fore wings are very long and project beyond the abdomen. It is one of our largest crickets.
5 See Harper’s Magazine for 1886, vol. lxxiii.
6 Another common species is Melanoplus atlanis, similar to the one described.
7 In Canada and New England some years ago his ravages were particularly extensive and destructive.
8 Scudder says that these insects stridulate in four different ways, viz.:
First. By rubbing the base of one wing cover upon another, using for that purpose the veins running through the middle portion of the wing. This method includes the common crickets and the tree crickets.
Second. By a similar method, but using the veins of the inner part of the wing. This method includes the green or long-horned grasshoppers.
Third. By rubbing the inner surface of the hind legs against the outer surface of the wing covers. This method includes certain locusts or short-horned jumping grasshoppers.
Fourth. By rubbing together the upper surface of the front edge of the wings and the under surface of the wing covers. This method includes the locusts which stridulate during flight.
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What was the name of the German Nazi military officer and doctor who personally selected prisoners who would die in the gas chambers at Auschwitz? | Auschwitz Concentration Camp The Gas Chambers http://www.HolocaustResearchProject.org
A special commission of doctors arrived in Auschwitz Concentration Camp on 28 July 1941, and select unfit prisoners mostly from Block 15 to be murdered in one of the Euthanasia killing centres.
Dr Horst Schumann, the director of the Euthanasia Centre at Sonnenstein, is one of the members of this commission.
Altogether 573 inmates, mostly Polish prisoners are selected, and two brutal Capos join the transport at the last moment. Ernst Krankemann, Capo of the road construction squad, and Johann Siegruth, the one-armed head Capo of the Lumber- yard.
Krankemann is murdered during the trip, Siegruth committed suicide, the rest were gassed at Sonnenstein euthanasia centre, in a bathroom where carbon monoxide gas was introduced through the showerheads.
In late August 1941 Lagerfuhrer Karl Fritzsch uses the gas Zyklon B to kill Russian Prisoners of War in the cellar of Block 11.
On 3 September 1941 following the success of the experimental gassing, the experiment was repeated in the cellar of Block 11.
In the bunker they are crammed together in a few cells. The cellar windows are blocked up with earth. Then about 600 Russian POW’s officers, and political commissars are driven into the cellar. As soon as they are pushed into the cells the SS men threw in the Zyklon B gas, the doors were locked and sealed.
On 4 September 1941 Roll-Call leader Gerhard Palitzsch protected by a gas mask opens the doors and discovers that one of the POW’s is still alive. More Zyklon B is poured and the doors are closed once more. On 5 September the prisoners of the penal colony and the orderlies of the camp hospital were summoned and taken to the courtyard of Block 11, for “special work”.
Nazi Doctor Horst Schumann
They were then ordered to don gas masks and taken down to the cellar where the gassing had been carried out. Thence they had to carry the bodies up to the courtyard, strip them of their military uniforms and then transport them to the crematorium. On 16 September 1941 900 Russian Prisoners of War are gassed in the morgue of the crematorium, and Commandant Hoss described this in his memoirs.
“While the transport was detraining, holes were pierced in the earth and concrete ceiling of the mortuary. The Russians were ordered to undress in an anteroom, then they quietly entered the mortuary, for they had been told they were to be deloused.
The whole transport exactly filled the mortuary to capacity – the doors were then sealed and the gas shaken down through the holes in the roof. I do not know how long the killing took. For a little while a humming sound could be heard – when the powder was thrown in, there were cries of gas, then a great bellowing and the trapped prisoners hurled themselves against both doors.
But the doors held, they were opened several hours later, so that the place could be aired.
The first transports of Jews arrived in the camp from Silesia at the beginning of 1942, on 15 February the first transport of Jews who have been arrested by the Gestapo arrived in Auschwitz from Beuthen. The Jews are gassed in the morgue beside the crematorium. The transport arrived by rail at the unloading ramp near the camp. From there they were escorted by the SS to the courtyard of the crematorium. In the meantime, all approach and transit roads were cleared and closed.
After undressing the victims were led into the morgue-cum- gas chamber – where they were told they were going to have a shower, after which they would receive a meal and be assigned to work.
The moment the gas was introduced, in order to drown out the screams and groans of the dying people, the motor of a lorry, parked there for this purpose, was switched on.
Initially the process of killing and ventilation of the gas chamber lasted several hours. Later, after the installation of ventilators, this period was shortened to about an hour.
Shower Entrance
After this time had elapsed, the prisoners of the crematorium squad proceeded to burn the corpses. All of this took place in the deepest secrecy, with participation limited to the minimum number of SS men from the camp command and the Political Department.
Among those who took part in these actions were Maximilian Grabner, Franz Hossler, and the disinfection expert Adolf Theuer.
The modest capacity of the crematorium, which could cope with 340 corpses in the space of 24 hours and the difficulty of keeping the whole action a secret, resulted in the operation being transferred to Birkenau.
A farmhouse belonging to one of the evacuated inhabitants of Birkenau, which Adolf Eichmann had identified during his first visit to Auschwitz, had its windows walled up, its doors strengthened and sealed by screwing them in place, and shafts drilled in the walls. The entrance door bore the inscription “To the Baths”, and on the inside of the exit door , which opened out into the open countryside, the inscription “To Disinfection” was emblazoned.
This completed the gas chamber known as Bunker 1 or the Red House, became operational on 20 March 1942. After the gassing had been completed the corpses were buried in mass graves in a nearby meadow. After each operation the prisoners used in the burial are killed in the prisoners infirmary by a phenol injection into the heart.
Transports intended for gassing were directed to the unloading ramp – known as the “old Judenrampe” of the goods station at Auschwitz whence they were led off to the bunker. From July 1942 incoming transports began to be submitted to selections.
Disinfection Sign
After, the train was sealed off by a cordon of SS guards, the wagons were opened, the occupants told to get out and the selection process started immediately. The men were stood in one column along the ramp, the women and children in another.
This procedure was accompanied by the weeping and cries of people who, uncertain of their fate, were afraid of being parted from one another. The people had to approach the SS doctors in turn, whom decided on the basis of their external appearance on their fitness for work.
With a movement of his hand the doctor directed some to the right, and some to the left. Depending on the current need for labour, the young strong and healthy would be sent to the camp to work, while the rest – the sick,cripples, mothers with children, pregnant women and persons with a weak constitution were doomed to die.
With the help of stepladders they were loaded into waiting lorries and carried off to Bunker 1. If there was not enough room in the lorries for everyone, the remainder were led on foot across the meadows. In these meadows later on the huts of construction sector lll of the camp at Birkenau were to stand.
The escorting SS-men tried not to be provocative, on the contrary dispelling fears with false information about the fate that awaited them. People must have been re-assured by the outward appearance of the secluded cottage, especially in spring when the trees of the surrounding orchard were in bloom.
Upon arrival, the people were told of the baths and disinfection that awaited them and ordered them to undress in two huts reserved for this purpose, then they were led into the farmhouse. Individuals suspecting a trick, whose behaviour might evoke panic, were discreetly led behind the building and shot in the back of the head with low-calibre weapons.
The chamber, which was divided by two compartments, could admit 800 people at a time, and if the need arose considerably more were crammed in. Those who nevertheless could not be accommodated were shot immediately. After the doors were shut, bolted and screwed fast, specially trained SS disinfection experts introduced the gas Zyklon B in the form of small lumps of diatomite soaked in prussic acid.
Death of the people inside the gas chamber occurred after a few minutes as a result of internal suffocation caused by the prussic acid halting the exchange of oxygen between the blood and tissues.
Those standing near the shafts died almost instantly, those who shouted, the old, the sick and children also died a quicker death.
In order to ensure that no one remained alive, the gas chamber was not opened until half an hour had elapsed. In periods when the pressure of incoming transports was particularly intense, the gassing time was shortened to ten minutes.
Most of the corpses were found near the door through which the victims had tried to escape from the spreading gas. The corpses, which covered the entire floor of the gas chamber, had their knees half bent, and were often cloven together. The bodies were smeared with excrement, vomit and blood. The skin assumed a pink hue.
Following ventilation of the gas chamber, the corpses were removed, loaded onto iron wagons and transported by a narrow-gauge railway for a distance of several hundred meters and there buried in deep pits. All the personal belongings the people had brought with them had to be left at the “Judenrampe”- the owners were told that their things would be sent on to the camp separately.
These belongings were gathered up by prisoners of a special commando known in the camp jargon as the “Canada” commando, were loaded onto waiting lorries and taken to special warehouses, initially there were five, but towards the end of the camps existence there were thirty huts.
There the belongings were examined, sorted, cleaned and disinfected, before being shipped off, to the Reich, for distribution among the German people, and Volksdeutsche who had settled in the General- Government.
Blueprints that detail the ventilation system
Due to the increased number of Jewish transports to Auschwitz another farmhouse was converted, west of the later site of Crematoriums IV and V and is designated Bunker Number 2 or the White House. Next to it three barracks are built to serve as undressing rooms for people condemned to death.
This chamber contained four compartments in which it was possible to gas 1,200 people at a time. It was this chamber, which was used to show Himmler the whole gassing procedure, in July 1942.
Following a visit to the death camp at Chelmno in September 1942 to witness the technique used to dispose of corpses by burning on pyres this process was introduced towards the end of September 1942.
The bodies of the newly gassed began to be burned on pyres on which layers of 2000 corpses each alternated with layers of kindling. At the same time the exhumation and burning of bodies already buried in the mass graves was started.
On 19 January 1942 SS Sergeant Ulmer of the Central Construction Administration of Auschwitz completed the plans for the construction of Crematoria ll and lll in Birkenau, which commenced in the summer of 1942. These buildings had undressing and gas chambers underground.
Plans for two further gas chamber and crematoria IV and V were completed on 11 January 1943, in these two installations the undressing halls and gas chambers were on the same level as the crematorium.
* Details from Auschwitz Chronicle – Danuta Czech
Work on construction of the crematoria begun in July 1942 and continued at an accelerated pace until the middle of the following year. Several hundred prisoners on day and night shifts were employed building them.
Source -Auschwitz Museum
The first to be completed on 22 March 1943 was Crematorium IV, the next Crematorium II was ready on 31 March 1943, followed by Crematorium V on 4 April 1943 and Crematorium III on 25 June 1943.
Crematorium II and III, identical in construction, possessed five three-door furnaces with two generator hearths in each furnace. Crematorium IV and V, on the other hand , had one eight –door furnace.
Before the Crematoria were officially commissioned, on 4 and 5 March 1943, in the presence of high-ranking SS officers from Berlin, representatives of the camp authorities and engineers and employees of the firm Topf und Sohne, a test of Crematorium II was held.
Prisoners of the Sonderkommando who had been acquainted with the functioning of crematorium installations by a Capo brought from the Buchenwald Concentration Camp crematorium. August Bruck on the morning of the 4 March 1943 lit the burners of the generators and maintained the fire in them until four o’clock in the afternoon.
Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp. Gas chamber and crematorium II. SS photograph, 1943.
Source -Auschwitz Museum
Next, in the presence of the above- mentioned commission who, watch in hand, were following the course of the test, three corpses were placed in each retort. Because, contrary to expectations, it took as long as forty minutes to burn them, orders were given for the ovens to be heated for a fortnight.
In practice the capacity was twice as high- in Crematorium II and III, 5000 corpses were disposed of every twenty-four hours, and in Crematorium IV and V up to 3000.
Henceforth bodies were burned in the open only when there was an influx of particularly large transports and the crematoria were unable to keep pace with the work of extermination.
The highest daily number of people gassed and cremated actually achieved in 1944 during the extermination of the Hungarian Jews was 24,000.
At that time Bunker 2 was reactivated, the old burning pits reopened, an additional five large pits were dug around Crematorium V, and the railway onto which the transports were shunted was extended right up to the crematoria themselves.
Dr Nyiszli described the additional facilities the Nazis re-introduced to deal with the Hungarian transports:
“ Our path took us past the crematoriums- after showing the SS guard our safe conduct, we passed through an opening cut in the barbed wire and reached an open road. We crossed a clearing and came to a small pine forest. Once again we found our way blocked by a fence and gate strung with barbed wire. A large sign, similar to those on the crematorium gates, was posted here:
Entrance is strictly forbidden to all those who have no business here, including SS personnel not assigned to this command.
In spite of this sign we entered without the guards even asking – passing through the gate, we reached an open place which resembled a courtyard, in the middle of which stood a thatched –roof house whose plaster was peeling off. Its style was that of a typical German country house, and its small windows were covered with planks. As a matter of fact, it no doubt had been a country house for at least 150 years, to judge by its thatched roof, which had long turned black, and its often-replastered flaking walls.
Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp. Gas chamber and crematorium II - the furnaces. SS photograph, 1943
Source -Auschwitz Museum
It was now used as an undressing room for those on their way to the pyre. It was here that they deposited their shabby clothes, their glasses, and their shoes.
Behind the house enormous columns of smoke rose skyward, diffusing the odour of broiled flesh and burning hair. In the courtyard a terrified crowd of about 5000 souls- on all sides thick cordons of SS, holding leashed police dogs.
The prisoners were led, three or four hundred at a time, into the undressing room. There hustled by a rain of truncheon blows, they spread out their clothes, and left by the door at the opposite side of the house, yielding their places to those who were to follow.
Once out of the door they had no time to glance around them or to realise the horror of their situation. A Sonderkommando immediately seized their arms and steered them between the double row of SS who lined the twisting path, which flanked on either side by woods, ran for fifty yards to the pyre, which till now had been hidden by the trees.
The pyre was a ditch fifty yards long, six yards wide, and three yards deep, a welter of burning bodies, SS soldiers stationed at five-yard intervals along the pathway side of the ditch, awaited their victims.
They were holding small calibre arms – six millimetres – used in the KZ for administering a bullet in the back of the neck. At the end of the pathway two Sonderkommando men seized the victims by the arms and dragged them for 15 or 20 yards into position before the SS.
Their cries of terror covered the sound of shots.
A shot, then immediately afterwards even before he was dead, the victim was hurled into the flames. Fifty yards farther a scene similar in all respects was being enacted. Oberscharfuhrer Moll was in charge of these butchers.
Here the majority of the men were thrown alive into the flames – woe to any Sonderkommando by whose actions the living chain, which extended from the cloakroom to the pyre, was broken, with the result that one of the members of the firing squad was forced to wait for a few seconds before receiving his new victim.
Moll was everywhere at once – he made his way tirelessly from one pyre to the next, to the cloakroom and back again. Most of the time the deportees allowed themselves to be led without resistance. So paralysed were they with fright and terror that they no longer realised what was about to happen to them.
Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp. Gas chamber and crematorium III. SS photograph, 1943
Source -Auschwitz Museum
The majority of the elderly and the children reacted in this way. There were, however, a goodly number of adolescents among those brought here, who instinctively tried to resist with a strength born of despair.
If Moll happened to witness such a scene, he took his gun from his holster. A shot, a bullet often fired from a distance of 40 to 50 yards, and the struggling person fell dead in the arms of the Sonderkommando who was dragging him towards the pyre.
Moll was an ace shot – his bullets even pierced the arms of the Sonderkommando men from one side to the other when he was dissatisfied with their work.
Each of these modern crematoria was surrounded by a barbed wire fence, possessed a separate entrance and was concealed on the camp side by a wicker fence. Neatly tended flower- beds gave the whole place an innocent appearance.
The gas chambers and undressing rooms attached to Crematorium II and III were underground. On the walls of the spacious undressing room were, apart from the appropriate notices, numbered pegs to hang clothes on with benches under them, while the gas chambers had piping and imitation shower sprays.
People entering the chambers – first women with children, followed by men – were led to the opposite wall, behind a cordon of SS-men standing in front of it. As the gas chamber filled up, the latter withdrew towards the door. In this way 3000 people would be crammed into a gas chamber with a floor space of 210 square meters – 30 meters long by 7 meters wide and 2.4 meters high.
Auschwitz II-Birkenau - original blueprints of gas chamber & crematorium II
Source -Auschwitz Museum
In Crematorium IV and V, for reasons of economy, the gas chambers had not been built underground but on the surface. Each of these chambers had been originally divided into three, later into four compartments, containing 1500, 800, 800 and 150 people respectively.
As in the bunkers, the gas shafts in the gas chambers attached to crematoria IV and V were in the side walls. In the gas chambers attached to crematoria II and III the gas was introduced through openings in the ceiling which led into special pillars made of thick wire netting and with a movable core, which reached to the floor.
The SS disinfector opened a tin of Zyklon B and threw its contents into a special separating cone thanks to which the lumps of diatomite distributed themselves evenly inside the core of the mesh pillar, which hastened the process of gassing.
From 6 to 12 kilograms of gas would be introduced into the gas chamber at a time- in the years 1942-1943 19.652.69 kilograms of Zyklon B were delivered to Auschwitz by the firm Tesch und Stabenow.
Through a special spy-hole in the door the SS doctor supervising the gassing could observe the interior of the chamber.
Rudolf Hoss described one such gassing:
“ Through the spyhole in the door one could see how those persons standing nearest the shafts fell dead immediately. Nearly a third of the victims died instantaneously. The others began to huddle together, scream and gasp for air. Soon however, the screams turned into a death rattle, and a few minutes later all were lying down. By the time twenty minutes at the most had passed, no one was moving”.
Filip Muller a member of the Sonderkommando described a gassing:
“As people reached the crematorium they saw everything – this horribly violent scene. The whole area was ringed with SS. Dogs barked – machine- guns. They all, mainly the Polish Jews, had misgivings.
They knew something was seriously amiss, but none of them had the faintest of notions that in three or four hours they’d be reduced to ashes.
When they reached the undressing room they saw that it looked like an International Information Centre. On the walls were hooks,and each hook had a number. Beneath the hooks were wooden benches. So people could undress more comfortably, it was said.
And on the numerous pillars that held up this underground undressing room, there were signs with slogans in several languages – “Clean is Good”,” Lice can kill”, “Wash Yourself”, “To the disinfection area”. All those signs were only there to lure people into the gas chambers already undressed – and to the left, at a right angle, was the gas chamber with its massive door.
In Crematoriums II and III, Zyklon B gas crystals were poured in by a so-called SS disinfection squad through the ceiling, and in Crematorium IV and V through side openings. With five or six canisters of gas they could kill around two thousand people.
Zyklon B Label
This so-called disinfection squad arrived in a truck marked with a red cross and escorted people along to make them believe they were being led to take a bath. But the red cross was only a mask to hide the canisters of Zyklon B gas and the hammers to open them.
The gas took about fifteen minutes to kill. The most horrible thing was when the doors of the gas chambers were opened – the unbearable sight – people were packed together like basalt, like blocks of stone. How they tumbled out of the gas chamber.
I saw that several times- that was the toughest thing to take – you could never get used to that. It was impossible.
You see, once the gas was poured in, it worked like this: it rose from the ground upwards. And in the terrible struggle that followed – because it was a struggle – the lights were switched off in the gas chambers. It was dark, no one could see, so the strongest people tried to climb higher. Because they probably realised that the higher they got, the more air there was. They could breathe better. That caused the struggle.
Secondly, most people tried to push their way to the door. It was psychological – they knew where the door was, maybe they could force their way out. It was instinctive, a death struggle.
Which is why children and weaker people, and the aged, always wound up at the bottom. The strongest were on top. Because in the death struggle, a father didn’t realise his son lay beneath him”.
And when the doors were opened?
"They fell out. People fell out like blocks of stone, like rocks falling out of a truck. But near the Zyklon B gas, there was a void. There was no one where the gas crystals went in – An empty space. Probably the victims realised that the gas worked strongest there. The people were battered – they struggled and fought in the darkness. They were covered in excrement, in blood, from ears and noses."
"One also sometimes saw that the people lying on the ground, because of the pressure of the others, were unrecognizable. Children had their skulls crushed. It was awful, Vomit, Blood – from ears and noses, probably even menstrual fluid. I am sure of it.
There was everything in that struggle for life, that death struggle. It was terrible to see. That was the toughest part."
"It was impossible to save people. One day in 1943 when I was already in Crematorium V, a train from Bialystok arrived. A prisoner on the Sonderkommando saw a woman in the undressing room, who was the wife of a friend of his.
He came right out and told her – “You are going to be exterminated. In three hours you’ll be ashes”. The woman believed him because she knew him. She ran all over and warned the other women – “ We’re going to be killed. We’re going to be gassed”.
Mothers carrying their children on their shoulders did not want to hear that.
They decided the women was crazy. They chased her away. So she went to the men. To no avail. Not that they did not believe her- they’d heard rumours in the Bialystok ghetto or in Grodno and elsewhere. But who wanted to hear that.
When she saw that no one would listen, she scratched her whole face. Out of despair. In shock- she started to scream.
So what happened?
Everyone was gassed. The woman was held back – we had to line up in front of the ovens. First they tortured her horribly because she would not betray him. In the end she pointed to him. He was taken out of the line and thrown alive into the oven. We were told “Whoever tells anything will end like that”.
After the ventilators were switched on and the gas removed from the chamber, the doors were opened and the corpses dragged out and raised in an electric goods elevator to the crematorium building which was at ground level. Next after the hair had been cut off and the gold teeth removed, the corpses were dragged up to the ovens and laid on special trolleys, which were then pushed inside.
The period of cremation lasted about twenty minutes – the ashes and remains of bones were ground down in special grinders and thrown into rivers or carried away in lorries to the village of Harmeze where they were thrown into fish ponds, scattered in the swamps or used to fertilize the fields of the camps farms.
The gold teeth extracted from the corpses were melted down on the spot in a special melting pot installed in crematorium III and in some periods the daily haul came to as much as 12 kilograms. The crematorium roofs, warmed by the ovens below, were used for drying the hair of the murdered victims.
Dr Miklos Nyiszli describes his transfer to the commando of the living dead:
“ For about twelve minutes we drove through the labyrinth of barbed wire and entered well-guarded gates, thus passing from one section to another. Only then did I realise how vast the KZ was.
Dr Mengele suddenly interrupted my meditations. Without turning, he said: “The place I am taking you to is no sanatorium, but you’ll find the conditions there are not too bad.”
We left the camp and skirted the Jewish unloading ramp for about 300 yards. A large armoured gate in the barbed wire opened behind the guard. We went in: before us lay a spacious courtyard, covered with green grass.
The gravel paths and the shade of the pine trees would have made the place quite pleasant had there not been, at the end of the courtyard, an enormous red brick building and a chimney spitting flame. We were in one of the crematoriums. We stayed in the car, an SS man ran up and saluted Dr Mengele. Then we got out, crossed the courtyard and went through a large door into the crematorium.
“Is the room ready?” Dr Mengele asked the guard.
“Yes sir”, the man replied.
We headed towards it, Dr Mengele leading the way. The room in question was freshly whitewashed and well lit by a large window, which however, was barred. The furnishings, after those of the barracks surprised me: a white bed, a closet, a large table and some chairs. On the table, was a red velvet tablecloth.
The concrete floor was covered with handsome rugs. The Sonderkommando men had painted the room and outfitted it with objects that the preceding convoys had left behind.
We then passed through a dark corridor until we reached another room, a very bright, completely modern dissecting room, with two windows. The floor was of red concrete and in the centre of the room, mounted on a concrete base, stood a dissecting table of polished marble, equipped with several drainage channels. At the edge of the table, a basin with nickel taps had been installed. Against the wall stood three porcelain sinks. The walls were painted a light green, and large barred windows were covered with green metal screens to keep out flies and mosquitoes.
We left the dissecting room for the next room: the work room. Here there were fancy chairs and paintings – in the middle of the room, a large table covered with a green cloth- all about comfortable armchairs.
I counted three microscopes on the table. In one corner there was a well-stocked library, which contained the most recent editions. In another corner a closet, in which were stored white smocks, aprons, towels and rubber gloves. In short the exact replica of any large city’s institute of pathology.
I returned to my room and sat down.
More visitors arrived, men in civilian clothes, clean- shaven and smartly dressed. The Capo- in –Chief and two of his men entered my room. This too was a courtesy call. They had heard about my arrival and invited me to dine with them and meet the other prisoners.
I followed them up the stairs to the second story of the crematorium where the prisoners lived- an enormous room, with comfortable bunks lining both walls. The bunks were made of un-painted wood, but on each one silk coverlets and embroidered pillows shone. This colourful expensive bedding was completely out of keeping with the atmosphere of the place.
The whole room was bathed in dazzling light, for here they did not economise on electricity as they did in the barracks. Our way led between the long row of bunks. Only half the commando was present, the other half was on the night shift. Some of those here were already in bed asleep, while others were reading. There were plenty of books to be had, for we Jews are a people who like to read.
The table awaiting us was covered with a heavy silk brocade tablecloth: fine initialled porcelain dishes and place settings of silver. The table was piled high with choice and varied dishes, everything a deported people could carry with them – all sorts of preserves, bacon, jellies, several kinds of salami, cakes and chocolate. From the labels I noticed that some of the food had belonged to Hungarian deportees.
All these auxillary operations were carried out by the prisoners of the Sonderkommando under the supervision of SS men. In the years 1942-1945 the post of Crematorium Chief was held consecutively by:
SS – Hauptscharfuhrer Otto Moll
SS- Oberscharfuhrer Erich Muhsfeld
SS- Oberscharfuhrer Voss
The Sonderkommando were chosen chiefly from among Jewish prisoners of the countries from which current transports were arriving. Their number varied with the size and frequency of transports for extermination.
In order to isolate them from the other prisoners the members of the Sonderkommando were quartered separately – in the main camp in the cellars of Block 11, and at Birkenau in a block specially set aside for them, and from mid-1944 over the crematoria.
Allied aerial reconnaissance photos, 1944.
(photo source The Auschwitz Museum)
The location of the gas chambers and Crematoria are marked. Bunker 2 not visible in photograph.
In the event of any refusal to carry out their grisly tasks they were killed at once. On 22 July 1944, 435 young Greek Jews were gassed for refusing to work in the Sonderkommando.
The first Sonderkommando – numbering about eighty prisoners – which had been employed to bury the bodies of those gassed in Bunkers 1 and 2, were liquidated in August 1942.
The second – numbering some 150 – 300 prisoners employed at the same site, as those above, were gassed on 3 December 1942 in the gas chambers attached to Crematorium 1 in the main camp at Auschwitz.
The Sonderkommando reached its largest complement – of about 1000 prisoners – in the early summer of 1944 during the peak period of the extermination of the Hungarian Jews.
On 30 August 1944 – 874 prisoners worked in two shifts in the four crematoria at Birkenau.
As the number of transports sent to the camp for extermination fell in the late summer of 1944 , it was decided to liquidate gradually the members of the Sonderkommando.
On 23 September 1944 about 200 of them were sent from Birkenau to the main camp at Auschwitz where they were gassed by a ruse in a chamber hitherto never used for this purpose. The selected prisoners received food supplies and were loaded onto freight cars that were standing on a siding in Birkenau.
Rather than departing for Gleiwtz as promised, the train moved to a siding near Auschwitz main camp. Here the members of the Sonderkommando are led to a very large building in which clothing and other goods were disinfected.
Their particulars are recorded as if they were new arrivals – in the evening the supervisor of the Special Squad, SS- Hauptscharfuhrer Otto Moll, and the other SS guards watching them drink schnapps, which they offered to the prisoners. As soon as the prisoners were drunk , the room they were in was locked from the outside. Zyklon B was thrown in through a window, which killed them. News of this gassing despite the secrecy, reached the surviving members of the Sonderkommando, who began to prepare for an uprising.
When an attempt was made to liquidate a second batch on 7 October 1944 a revolt broke out during which several hundred prisoners were either killed fighting or murdered.
By 9 October 1944 the Sonderkommando numbered only 212 prisoners. The next day fourteen of them were arrested and placed in the bunkers of Block 11 in the Auschwitz main camp. Among them was one of the organisers of the revolt – Jankiel Handelsman of Radom. The remaining 198 prisoners were employed in Crematoriums II, III, and V, Crematorium IV was damaged, beyond repair during the revolt.
In the last period of the camps existence the prisoners of the Sonderkommando were used to remove traces of the crime. In October 1944 they were employed in pulling down the walls of the burnt out crematorium IV, and in November 1944 they dismantled the technical installations of the gas chamber and ovens in crematoria II and III which were then blown up.
Photo of a destroyed Gas Chamber & Crematoria at Birkenau
On 26 November 100 prisoners of the 200 Sonderkommando were chosen and allegedly sent to the Gross Rosen concentration camp – their fate remains unknown.
On 5 January 1945 six members of the Sonderkommando were dispatched to Mauthausen concentration camp where they were shot, thirty remained to man the last functioning crematorium V, and seventy were employed in clearing out and filling –in the burning pits.
On 20 January 1945 an SS division under SS – Corporal Perschel destroys Crematorium II and III and abandons the camp. On 26 January an SS squad blows up Crematorium V, the last of the crematoriums in Birkenau.
Lastly, a Polish report in 1946 by Dr Philip Friedman and Tadeusz discovered the use of a gas –van at Auschwitz, used to liquidate people sentenced to death by the special police court, which convened throughout the war at Auschwitz.
The relevant part in the report has been translated:
To kill small groups of prisoners (up to 30 people) in 1944 they introduced special lorry-gas chamber. Special report of secret organization dated 21.09.1944 describes that. (I do not know why the date is earlier than 1944):
“ In the sandy area (close to Maczki?) is located so called Sonderkomando Rycyrk – special lorry-gas chamber and plough. This lorry (Saurer) Pol 71-462, yellow-green was constructed on the special way, it included 4 m long and 2,5 wide chamber, steel plated inside, with door without handles, floor – trap door and grated window in the right corner to let in the fresh air. This lorry has at the back the pipe to which another pipe may be connected when necessary. When the engine was started the fumes were killing people inside. The plough was used for digging and burring the victims.
This Kommando was created in Russia to kill dangerous ‘elements’ (people) in the areas close to the front line. Then it arrived from Lithuania and served in Oswiecim under the direction of Polizei Standesgericht. There are other witnesses of similar killings in Oswiecim, who have seen the driver Arndt walking around this lorry and smiling: “my birds are being smoked inside”
| Josef Mengele |
Which prominent Nazi was known as 'The Butcher Of Lyon'? | Nazi Medicine and Nazi Doctors - Fold3
Fold3
Nazi Medicine and Nazi Doctors
Description
Nazi Doctors & Other Perpetrators of Nazi Crimes
Dr. Heinrich Berning
An associate professor at Hamburg University, Berning lead the "famine experiments" on Soviet prisoners. While the prisoners starved to death, he observed their bodily functions degrade; this included loss of libido, dizziness, headaches, edema and swelling of the lower abdomen (Annas & Grodin, 1992). Berning then published his results after the war.
Dr. Philip Bouhler
Bouhler was the head of the early euthanasia program (otherwise known as the T4 program ) along with Himmler.
Dr. Viktor Brack
Brack formulated ideas for experiments with Himmler. Brack was very interested in assembly line sterilizations and castration. He wanted to be in charge of the x-ray experiments at Auschwitz , but Himmler choose Schumann to be in charge over Brack.
Dr. Karl Brandt
Brandt was a personal physician to Hitler and one of the main defendants in the " Trial of Twenty-Three ".
Dr. Carl Clauberg
Clauberg conducted sterilization and castration experiments along with Horst Schumann at Auschwitz . He tried to look for cheap and fast ways of sterilization and found that x-rays worked quite well. Clauberg tried to artificially inseminate women with numerous things. He injected caustic substances into womens' cervixes to disturb the fallopian tubes (Lifton, 1986). One of the substances he would inject into the women with formalin, novocain, progynon and prolusion to terminate their pregnancies. Block ten at Auschwitz was know as Clauberg's block.
Dr. Leonardo Conti
Conti was chief physician of the Third Reich. He was responsible for the killing of a large number of Germans of "unsound mind"(Snyder, 1976).
Dr. Dering
At Auschwitz , Dering removed ovaries after Schumann 's x-ray applications by cutting horizontal lines above the pubic area (instead of cutting by the abdominal opening), which put the patient more at risk for infection (Lifton, 1986). After the operation, he sent the ovaries to the labs to ascertain how effective the x-rays were in destroying the tissue.
Dr. Auther Dietzsch
A doctor at Buchenwald , Dietzsch suggested that Dr. Ding (Schuler) inject typhus patients with fresh blood; this killed them.
Dr. Ding (Schuler)
He tried to immunize patients that had typhus by giving them fresh blood at Buchenwald ; this resulted in their deaths. He also gave patients typhus in order to perform other ineffective "curative" experiments on them.
Dr. Arnold Dohmen
Dohmen worked with Kurt Gutzeit at Auschwitz and began experimenting primarily with animals. He was convinced by Gutzeit to do human experiments and infected eleven Jewish children with hepatitis and punctured their livers ( Annas & Grodin, 1992). This heinous act had no scientific benefit whatsoever.
Dr. Eisele
Eisele was a doctor at Buchenwald who conducted vivisections. He also injected many patients with apomorphine to observe them vomiting. He performed many unnecessary operations and amputations and then murdered his patients (Hackett, 1995). Dr. Eisele was said to have killed at least 300 people.
Dr. Ellenback
Ellenback was employed by the Department for Blood Preservation at the Berlin SS Hospital at Buchenwald . He studied the oxygen levels of blood samples that were taken from patients doing certain activities and exercise.
Dr. Berthhold Epstien
Epstien was a prisoner pediatrician who helped Mengele with his work on the treatment of Noma (gangrene to the face and mouth). Noma is most often fatal but Epstien used the results of the experiments to help some children and adolescents recover.
Dr. Koersten Felix
Felix was a doctor who treated national socialist leaders (Snyder, 1975).
Dr. Finke
Finke was a professor at the University of Keil and worked closely with Dr. Sigmund Rascher in the Hypothermia experiments at Dachau . He wrote a lengthy research report (along with Dr. Holzloehner ) named "Freezing Experiments with Human Beings." Some of the findings were said to be false or made up, but he delivered his findings from the experiments to other physicians at a Nuremberg medical conference (Fischer,1995).
Dr. Karl Gebhart
Gebhart inflicted wounds upon his women patients at Ravensbruck and then injected sulfanilamide into the wounds. This experiment was fatal to all of the women.
Dr. Erwin Gohrbandt
Gohrbandt was a high-ranking top surgeon in Germany. As the Director of Surgery at the University Clinic of Berlin, he was the chief medical advisor for aeronautical medicine at the Luftwaffe's Sanitary Services Division (Annas & Grodin, 1992). He participated in the Dachau Hypothermia Experiments and then published a report on them in a leading surgical journal.
Johannes Golbel
Golbel was Dr. Clauberg 's assistant and he helped Clauberg improve the X-ray tracing material. He was allowed to perform many injections, even though he was not a doctor.
Irma Grese
Grese was a concentration camp guard at Auschwitz . She was also known as the "Blond Angel of Death." At Auschwitz , Grese was placed in charge of 18,000 female prisoners where she "beat prisoners without mercy and both watched and helped medical experiments"(Snyder, 1975). Irma Grese was especially fond of the operations that dealt with the removal of womens' breasts (Snyder, 1975). She had affairs with quite a few doctors at Auschwitz including Mengele , and was condemned to death after the war.
Dr. Kurt Gutzeit
Gutzeit was a gastroenterologist and professor of medicine at the University of Breslau. Gutzeit was one of the doctors who headed the hepatitis experiments performed on Jewish children at Auschwitz. When his assistant, Dr. Arnold Dohmen , tried to avoid the horrors of human experimentation by doing animal experiments, Gutzeit threatened that his too humane assistant needed to be woken up from his "animal-experiment lethargy"(Annas & Grodin, 1992).
Dr. Julius Hallervorden
Hallervorden was a neuropathologist at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Brain Research. He ordered hundreds of brains from the victims of the euthanasia project to be sent to him from the killing hospital, Brandenburg-Gorden (Annas & Grodin, 1992).
Dr. Siegfried Handloser
Handloser was a lieutenant General and the chief doctor at Buchenwald . He oversaw all medical "treatments" performed there.
Dr. August Hirt
Hirt was a professor at the University of Strasbourg. He collected human heads of "Jewish-Bolshevik commissioners" to do "important" anthropological and anatomical studies (Fischner, 1995). Hirt was also a practicing surgeon assigned by Himmler to find an antidote for mustard gas. He prepared cyanide salts to kill Auschwitz prisoners and was an assistant on the Strasbourg project. He experimented on people and dogs as well as on himself.
Dr. Holzloehner
Holzloehner worked with Dr. Finke and with Dr. Rascher on the Dachau hypothermia experiments. Holzloehner was a professor at the University of Keil and wrote (along with Finke) a research report called "Freezing Experiments with Human Beings". He then delivered his findings to other doctors at a Nuremberg medical conference.
Dr. Waldemar Hoven
Hoven was a physician at Buchenwald who gave his patients lethal injections to kill them.
Frau Ilse Koch
Kockwas also known as the "Bitch of Buchenwald ." She was the wife of a camp commander and her hobby was to collect the skins of inmates, both dead and alive, if they had a tattoo she liked. Koch turned the skin into book covers, gloves, lampshades and other sorts of furniture (Fischer, 1995).
Dr. Hans Wilhelm Koning
Koning arranged for male schizoid inmates and healthy female inmates to have electroshock therapy, then gassed them afterwards.
Dr. Lolling
Lolling was a SS Colonel who collected human skin from all of the concentration camps for his own personal study.
Dr. Maudas
Maudas injected or administered liquid doses of the juice of the plant caladium seguinium into his patients. He performed X-ray sterilization at Auschwitz .
Dr. Joseph Mengele
Mengele was the most visible camp doctor at Auschwitz and was known as the "Angel of Death". He developed a theory that humans, like dogs, had pedigrees (Snyder, 1976). He performed vivisections, injected chemicals into living peoples' eyes to try to change them, and perpetrated many horrific twin studies (few of which demonstrated anything that could be considered remotely of value). He fled after the war and was never captured.
Dr. Theodor Morell
Morell was Hitler's personal physician and injection specialist.
Dr. Joachim Mrugowsky
Mrugowsky was the chief doctor at the Hygienic Institute of Waffen SS in Berlin. Mrugowsky was a key figure in the planning and carrying out of destructive medical experiments in many concentration camps (Lifton, 1986). Some of the experiments he performed include the flawed and fatal efforts to try to find a typhus vaccine at Buchenwald and poisoned bullet experiments at Sachsenhausen .
Dr. Neuman
Neuman was a doctor at Buchenwald who experimented on people by vivisecting them and cutting pieces out of their livers.
Dr. Miklos Nyiszli
Nyiszli was in charge of the "special" dissection room at Auschwitz .
Dr. Plaza
Plaza was an SS captain at Buchenwald . Plaza killed many patients by lethal injection.
Dr. Adolf Porkorny
Porkorny was a retired man in military medicine who supported Clauberg 's work on sterilization.
Dr. Sigmund Rascher
Rascher was a Luftwaffe captain as well as a doctor. He was in charge of many of the "military medical experiments" at Dachau including the hypothermia experiments (where 300 people were killed) and the high altitude experiments. He examined the brains of Jews after their skulls were split open (while fully conscious) to see the effects of high altitude on humans (Hackett, 1995).
Dr. Ferdinand Sauerbach
Sauerbach was a top surgeon who took a public vow to support Hitler and the Nazi party, but ended up denouncing them after the war (Snyder,1976).
Dr. Klaus Schilling
Schilling was in charge of the malaria experiments the Nazi's practiced on healthy people. Schilling also injected other tropical diseases into patients to examine the various stages of disease progression and compared the effects of the diseases on different blood groups.
Dr. Horst Schumann
Schumann conducted sterilization and castration experiments at Auschwitz . Schumann also performed typhus experiments by injecting people with blood from typhus patients and then attempting to cure the newly infected subjects. He worked at Block 30 in the womens' hospital, Birkenau, and invented a machine that gave sterilization and castration treatment to both men and women. Schumann also had a little device that he inserted into the patients rectum to stimulate the prostate and produce ejaculation (Lifton,19nn).
Dr. Wolfram Sievers
Sievers was a SS colonel and head of the SS Ahneneube and selected candidates for Dr. Hirt 's experiments (Fischer,1995). ieivers was also known as the "Nazi Bluebeard" for his grisly practices.
Dr. Hermann Stieve
Stieve was the director of the Institute of Anatomy at Berlin University. He conducted experiments on women prisoners from the Plotensee prison and at Ravensbruck Concentration Camp. He examined the female menstrual cycle under stress, including looking at irregular bleeding that women manifested after they were informed that they would be executed (Annas & Grodin,19mm).
Dr. Ludwig Stumpfegger
Stumpfegger was one of Hitler's personal physician who remained with him until his last days (Snyder, 1976). He also worked in a clinic under Dr. Karl Gebhardt .
Dr. Vaernet
Vaernet was a SS major and a doctor at Buchenwald . He experimented with ways to try to cure homosexuality by injecting synthetic hormones into mens' groins, hoping that this would alter their sex drives and preferences (Hackett, 1995). Vaernet castrated fifteen men who all died as a result.
Dr. Helmuth Vetter
Vetter did pharmacological trials in Auschwitz and Mauthausen . He conducted medical experiments for Bayer using ruthenohal and 3582 to treat serious medical conditions. Most of the time the patients died quickly.
Dr. Hermann Voss
Voss was a professor of anatomy at Posen University in Poland. He conducted experiments by collecting materials straight from the guillotine of the Posen Gestapo (Annas & Grodin, 1992). He also did experiments on the blood in the spleen and from these he wrote a text book called the "Voss-Herrlinger Book" from which almost every medical student in Germany learned (Annas & Grodin, 1992).
Dr. Wagner
Wagner was a Doctor at Buchenwald and did a dissertation on tattooing. Wagner selected people with tattoos to die and made furniture out of human skin and bones (Hackett, 1995).
Dr. Bruno Weber
Weber was the chief of the Hygienic Institute. Interested in the interactions between human blood types, he injected his patients with a variety of blood types to observe the effects. Weber took the blood from weak inmates or killed inmates by letting them bleed to death (Lifton, 1986). He also gave patients various barbiturates and morphine derivatives to see if he could brain wash prisoners and use mind control (Lifton, 1986).
Dr. Edward Wirths
Wirths studied the pre-cancerous condition of the cervix and was the chief SS doctor at Auschwitz .
Dr. Helmut Wirths
Along with his brother , he studied pre-cancerous growths of the cervix at Auschwitz .
The Twenty-Three Doctors on Trial at Nuremberg
The Indictments Were on Four Charges:
1) Common Design or Conspiracy
4) Membership in Criminal Organizations
Here are the Twenty-three names as taken from The Encyclopedia of the Third Reich by Louis L. Snyder.
Name Sentence 1) Becker-Freysing, Hermann 20 years 2) Beigelbock, Wilhelm 15 years 3) Blome, Kurt Acquitted 4) Brack, Victor Death 5) Brandt, Karl Death 6) Brandt, Rudolf Death 7) Fischner, Fritz Life in prison 8) Gebhardt, Karl Death 9) Genzken, Karl Life in prison 10) Handloser, Siegfried Life in prison 11) Hoven, Waldemar Death 12) Mrugowsky, Joachim Death 13) Oberheuser, Herta 20 years 14) Pokorny, Adolf Acquitted 15) Poppendick, Helmut 10 years 16) Romberg, Hans Wolfgang Acquitted 17) Rose, Gerhart Life in prison 18) Rostock, Paul Acquitted 19) Ruff, Siegfried Acquitted 20) Schafer, Konrad Acquitted 21) Schroder, Oskar Life in prison 22) Sievers, Wolfram Death 23) Welz, Georg August Acquitted
Only 23 of the Nazi Doctors were put on trial and 7 of those were acquitted. Even the doctors that were sent to prison did not serve their full time.
George M. Weisz, MD
University of New South Wales, School of History, Sydney, Australia
This material was presented as an exhibition, Nazi Medicine, at the Sydney Jewish Museum in 2007
The curator was Mrs. Roslyn Sugerman. The supervising historian was Prof. Konrad Kwiet
The Nazis, who seized power in Germany in 1933, believed in a doctrine of racial purity: “The German people, the Aryans’ mental powers exceed that of the other races.”… “We have to eliminate the degenerates.”
Adolf Hitler had stated in 1924, “The National Socialist State, using medical science, must see that only healthy people beget children.” In 1933, he appealed to doctors, “I can not do without you for a single day, not for a single hour.” In response, 44% of the profession enthusiastically joined the Nazi Party.
Nazi doctors played an important role in implementing the Nazi government’s murderous programs - a four step ‘E-program’: eugenics, euthanasia, extermination and experimentation.
Eugenics (‘beautiful genes’)
Eugenics predated the Nazis, who promoted it to prevent the ‘degeneration’ of the German Volk (people). In 1923, Professor Ernst Rüdin (Head of the Research Institute of Psychiatry in Munich) advocated sterilization of the ‘unfit’. In 1927, Prof. Otmar von Verschuer (Head of the Department of Human Heredity, Munich) demanded sterilization of the ‘mentally subhuman’.
In 1933, Prof. Fritz Lenz (Head of the Department of Eugenics in Berlin) announced, “it is the will of Hitler that racial hygiene should be put into practice”. A ‘genetic purification’ process was implemented in the following stages:
The Sterilization Law, proclaimed in July 1933, sanctioned “the prevention of genetically diseased offspring with illnesses”. Two hundred ‘Genetic Health Courts’ were set up to assess people with ‘feeble-mindedness’, microcephaly (small heads), macrocephaly (big heads), schizophrenia, manic depression, epilepsy, spastic paralysis, Huntington's chorea (involuntary movements), Down's syndrome, facial, spinal and limb malformations (cleft lip/palate, spina bifida, club feet, etc.), congenital blindness or deafness, congenital syphilis and severe alcoholism.
In 1935, an amendment legalized 20,000 forced abortions, even in the late stages of pregnancy, on those with physical or mental disabilities. Marriage laws were introduced in 1935 to secure genetic health.
In 1937 some 500 children of mixed origins were sterilized, being ‘Rhineland bastards’, offspring of the French African (North-African and Sub-Saharan) and Indo-Chinese occupying forces and German mothers after World War I.
By 1945, some 400,000 Germans had been forcibly sterilised. Physicians helped to implement Nazi policies (Susan Bachrach, New England Journal of Medicine, 2004).
The ‘euthanasia’ centres
Euthanasia (‘merciful death’), or murder of the disabled
The state-sanctioned killing program provided for the murder of the mentally and physically disabled. With the outbreak of WWII, Adolf Hitler charged Dr. Karl Brandt, his personal physician, and Philip Bouhler, administrative Head of the Chancellery, with “the responsibility to extend the power of specific doctors in such a way…… that those suffering from incurable illnesses may be granted a mercy death”. The ‘euthanasia’ program took several successive ‘actions’. At the start was the obligatory notification of ‘those with a life not worth living’.
Initially, the ‘children’s euthanasia’, performed in 30 German and one Austrian children’s hospitals, killed children by exposure to cold, starvation, or injection by doctors of morphine/ scopolamine with luminal or veronal (medication normally used as anaesthetics during surgery).
Soon the killings were conducted from 4 Tiergarten Street, Berlin, the Centre for the program named Aktion T4. The murders were extended to include teenagers and adults and were perpetrated in six German and Austrian institutions equipped with mobile gas vans or stationary gas installations and crematoria. Viktor Brack, head of Aktion T4, ordered that the “gassing should be performed only by physicians”.
Whilst the Aktion T4 program was officially halted by 1941, largely due to public protest, the killing continued by other means. The victims were starved or killed with morphine /scopolamine injections and the handicapped were killed by doctors and nurses in numerous hospitals and asylums. Relatives were told that the victims had died of illness.
This uncoordinated, decentralized killing was called ‘wild euthanasia’ (killing the physically malformed, the mentally disturbed or intellectually retarded or the ill-behaved at places other than the designated gassing centres) and was performed in Hadamar and Bernburg. (USHMM)
A parallel action, from 1941 until 1944, was Aktion 14-f-13 (at the order of Heinrich Himmler, leader of the SS, the feared Schutzstaffel or ‘Defence squadron’). Concentration camp inmates unfit for physical work were designated for ‘special treatment’, namely to be killed in ‘euthanasia’ gassing centres. They were transported to the Bernburg, Sonnestein and Hartheim centres for killing. (USHMM)
More than 5,000 children and some 70,000 adults fell victim to the Aktion T4 program, and almost 120,000 in the combined ‘wild euthanasia’ and Aktion 14-f-13 program.
A total of 200,000 people were killed with the help of Nazi doctors, through starvation, exposure, narcotic ingestion, lethal injections and carbon monoxide gassing.
Doctor selecting on arrival in Auschwitz [Courtesy of Yad Vashem]
Extermination: the genocide of European Jewry
Adolf Hitler had said in 1919, “Jewry, a racial association, will bring about racial tuberculosis of the Volk. The final objective of our policy must be the removal of the Jews altogether”. This policy led eventually to the ‘Final Solution’ or Holocaust, the murder of six million European Jews during World War II.
In March 1943, the necessary staff and a doctor experienced in the killings in the ‘euthanasia’ program were transferred to the extermination camps. ‘Operation Reinhard’ commenced in conquered Poland: Jews were deported to Chelmo, Belzec, Treblinka, and Sobibor; and were killed with carbon monoxide gas. Zyklon-B gas was used later in the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp.
It is estimated that six million Jews (including one-and-a-half million children) and 250,000-500,000 Romany (gypsies) were murdered.
Role of the doctors
Nazi doctors selected victims on arrival at the camps; they participated in the management of the camps, by being present during gassing and occasionally by giving phenol injections into the heart of patients kept at the medical block in Auschwitz. According to Pastor Martin Niemoller, a prisoner from Dachau:
First, they came for the Communists and I did not speak up because I was not a Communist. Next they came for the Jews and I did not speak up for them because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics and I did not speak up because I was a Protestant. Finally they came for me and there was no one to speak up for me anymore” Pastor Martin Niemoller, prisoner, Dachau
Experiments and deadly medicine 80 different kinds of experiments were carried out in camps, performed by approximately 400 doctors on 7,000 victims. Some experiments were conducted for military purposes, others out of genetic curiosity; some were based on racial fantasies.
Survival and rescue ‘research’ Experiments tested bodily functions, adaptation to inhuman conditions, resuscitation measures and the ability to survive extremes. The ‘findings’ were meant to help save the lives of Air Force and Navy personnel.
Victim in low oxygen environment [courtesy US Holocaust Memorial Museum, USHMM]
High altitude experiments
In Dachau, victims were placed in chambers simulating the low oxygen pressures encountered in falling out, or bailing out, of aeroplanes. (Dr. Rascher).
The victims were ‘parachuted’ from various altitudes. At a simulated altitude of 13 km, they developed muscle spasms and became unconscious. At autopsy (post-mortem dissection), they were found to have air in the blood vessels of the brain and swelling of the brain; at 15 km ‘altitude’, they had difficulty breathing, turned blue, foamed at the mouth and then stopped breathing. At 30 km altitude, they went into an immediate coma. 70 out of the 200 victims did not survive the experiments.
Freezing experiments
In Dachau, inmates were exposed to 9-15 hours of dry cold, in the outside winter environment, or to wet cold, through immersion for 1-4 hours at 3º-12º C in a water tank. Some were clothed, others naked. The ‘findings’ were to help save the lives of sailors and airmen who fell into the cold North Sea.
The doctors measured external and internal responses of the human ‘guinea pigs’: body temperature with thermometers on the skin, in the rectum or in the stomach; blood thickness, sugar content, fragility of red blood cells, changes in the urine and the time until death. Some were anaesthetized, others given alcohol, which was of no benefit.Blood thickness increased, causing clotting, the heart rate increased, consciousness became clouded, the pupils of the eyes dilated and stopped reacting to light. At a body temperature of 29º C, irregular heart beats appeared. After 50 minutes, at a body temperature of 25º C, the heart stopped.
Re-warming methods were tested to revive the frozen victims: blankets, bathing in warm or boiling water, sunlight, hot water irrigations in the stomach, rectum and bladder; human body-to-body contact (with one or two females), with forced sexual intercourse. 80 out of the 300 victims perished.
Victim immersed in icy water [Courtesy of Yad Vashem]
Sea-water experiments
In Dachau, the victims were mostly Romany. 90 inmates were selected, the number of deaths is unknown.
Experiments with mustard gas
Carried out in Sachsenhausen and Natzweiler camps. 50 of the 220 victims died.
Incendiary bomb (phosphor)
These experiments were carried out in Buchenwald camp. There were no deaths, but much pain and disfigurement.
Poison experiments
These were carried out on Russian prisoners in Buchenwald. All died and underwent autopsies. Exact numbers are not known.
Blood clotting experiments
Performed in Dachau. The victims were given POLYGAL to clot the blood. Success was claimed, but was not confirmed in ethical post-war experiments.
Killing experiments
Phenol injections were used in camps and ‘euthanasia’ centres. In Buchenwald camp, 150 prisoners were injected intravenously. All 150 victims died in minutes.
Experimentation related to infectious diseases
Experimentation related to infectious diseases was carried out for the protection and treatment of soldiers.
Hepatitis (infectious jaundice) experiments were carried out in Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen and Natzweiler camps. Many victims died, others survived with permanent liver disease.
Typhus (spotted fever) is a disease caused by rickettsiae and transmitted by lice. In 1941 and in 1943-44, doctors experimented on 729 victims. 154 deaths were recorded.
Similar tests were perpetrated on hundreds of victims infected with yellow fever, smallpox, paratyphoid A and B, cholera or diphtheria.
Malaria was the subject of the largest experimentation, carried out in Dachau, involving 1,200 victims. Inoculated by mosquito bites (their hands held in cages full of infected insects), the victims were given various combinations of medications, quinine, neosalvarsan, pyramidon and antipyrine. 300 victims died, 30 from malaria, 270 from overdoses.
Pharmaceutical experiments and simulated battle wounds
In Auschwitz, 50 inmates had pus injected into their limbs, followed by a trial of three separate treatments: with sulphonamide, inert chemicals or surgery. The sulpha group survived, the rest suffered severe pain, fever and sepsis, and 19 died.
Sulphonamide experiments were also performed in Ravensbrück women's camp, testing the effect on various bacteria (streptococcus, staphylococcus, tetanus), all causing bone infection (osteomyelitis). Legs were cut open, and cultures of the bacteria were forced into the wounds. The doctors inserted wood shavings, rusty nails and ground glass to facilitate the gas gangrene infection and tied off blood vessels to deprive the muscles of oxygen (creating the anaerobic conditions in which the bacteria were known to thrive). Many victims remained mutilated and many died.
Bone-tendon transplantation, muscle and nerve transplantation experiments
These experiments were performed in Ravensbrück. Arms and legs of prisoners were cut off and parts were implanted into other victims. Bone was removed and transplanted to the victim’s other leg or into other victims. Nerves were cut out to observe how they re-grew.
Some 700 amputations were performed, 75 women victims remained invalids, 11 died.
Experiments to ‘prove’ Jewish inferiority: injecting children with Tuberculosis
This experiment was carried out on 20 children, aged 5-12 years, transferred from Auschwitz to Neuengamme camp. Tuberculosis bacteria were injected into the veins and, through the windpipe, into the lungs, to prove the reduced resistance of an ‘inferior race’. This study, performed on emaciated children, and resulting in a rapid deterioration of the children's condition, was a brutal, non-scientific experiment, with inaccurate conclusions.
School, rebuilt after bombardment [Courtesy of KZ-Gedenkstatte Neuengamme]
Memorial plaque in the school garden (modified), with names and comment [Courtesy of KZ-Gedenkstatte Neuengamme
At the end of the war the German authorities decided that all traces of these experiments had to be eliminated. Two weeks before liberation, on 20 April 1945, the children were taken to Bullenhuser Damm School, injected with morphine, hanged on hooks in the basement and cremated.
Schematic illustration of hidden radiation on boys vs. girls[designed by R. Cupples]
Sterilization experiments
Short-wave radiation to the lower abdomen of women over various length of time was studied. Severe abdominal pain resulted, and then the abdomen was opened, without anaesthetic, to allow for dissection. The method did not cause sterilization. Many women died.
X-ray and radium irradiation of the genitals of victims aged in their late teens or early twenties were performed in Auschwitz (Drs Schumann, Gebhardt). The dose required for immediate sterilization was assessed by subsequent removal, without anaesthetic, of the testicles or ovaries for examination. The dosage needed was found to be 500 rads for men and 300 for women.
The immediate effects of radiation were local skin burns and radiation sickness. Out of some 300 victims who survived, a delayed effect was reproductive sterility. Skin burns and radiation sickness made 100 prisoners incapable of work. They were put to death by poison gas.
A late effect, discovered 40 years later on, was cancer of the bowel (colon and rectum), published by Rotmensch and others in the medical journal CANCER (no. 57, 1986). The later on published list of victims in whom the diagnoses were made: Aliza B, Auschwitz no. 41544, Rigreta A, no 38968, Eleonora M, no 41579, Bella N, number unknown, Dora C, no. 38782, and Dora V, no 41624. The common factor was their exposure to radiation sterilization in 1942-1943.
Intra-uterine injections
Hundreds of female prisoners were injected into their wombs with chemical agents which produced inflammation and blockage of the ovarian tubes.
Schematic illustration of injection in uterus, with blockage in the left half.
With no anaesthetic, the chemicals introduced, causing excruciating pain, were caladium plant extract, carbolic acid, formalin, progynon (hormone), iodipirin (by Dr. Clauberg), or carbon dioxide. The inflammation of uterus, tubes and ovaries was immediate, causing perforation and peritonitis (infection in the abdominal cavity). Many of the 300 victims died.
Hereditary studies and irrational experiments
These experiments were conducted to provide a ‘scientific’ basis for Nazi racist ideology and biological evidence for the extermination of ‘inferiors.’ In Auschwitz-Birkenau, Jews, before being gassed, were subjected to a wide range of tests by Dr. Mengele. Head, body and limbs were measured, for studies in proportions. Blood serology studies and x-rays were repeated on a daily basis.
Romanies, too, were subjected to these experiments. Body and head characteristics were recorded and blood differences studied. Eye color, particularly heterochromatic (eyes being of different colour) was studied in Sachsenhausen. The removed eyes were sent to the Berlin Museum for further studies.
Twins
Dr. Mengele experimented on twins to search for clues to multiple births, in order to increase the Aryan birth rate, and also to try to obtain the desired Aryan blue eyes. Drops containing blue dye were instilled into the victims’ eyes. Another experiment was with TB: bacteria were injected into one twin, then both twins were killed and autopsied to observe the different pathology. 14 pairs were killed by phenol injection. Out of more then 1,000 pairs of twins, only 200 survived the torture.
Twin sisters from Prague, A. (Auschwitz no. 72890) and S. (no. 72919) who were interned aged 19, were exposed to repeat blood tests (serum protein research) and whole-body X-rays. They received blood transfusions from a pair of twin boys, leading to weeks of illness. The next intended stage in this experiment, copulation with the twin boys, was prevented by the advancing Russian troops. Pregnancies could not have resulted in any event as the under-nourished girls had ceased their monthly cycles. The ‘scientist’ Dr. Mengele had not even inquired about the regularity of their cycles. Today the twins live in Melbourne, in reasonable physical health, but in constant mental anguish.
Twins Annetta Able & Stephanie Heller Age 19
Recent photo of twins Annetta Able & Stephanie Heller
Dwarfs
Small people with a congenital growth defect (chondrodystrophy) called ‘dwarfs’, attracted the special interest of Dr. Mengele. He wanted to prove that dwarfs were a ‘degenerated’ form of humans. Relatively well fed, they were extensively investigated for physical characteristics, exposed to repeated total body x-ray examinations, daily blood tests, spinal punctures and semen examinations. Ears were injected with cold or hot water and their reactions recorded. Their family trees were studied, and their forced sex life observed.
The little peoples’ family, with some normal sized siblings [Courtesy of USHMM]
In Our Hearts We Were Giants; The Remarkable Story of The Lilliput Troupe - A Dwarf Family’s Survival of the Holocaust tells the story of the Ovitz family from Transylvania and their survival in Auschwitz.
Museum Collections
Collection of bones [Courtesy Yad Vashem}
The bone collectors
The Anatomy museum of Strasbourg University (Prof. Dr. August Hirt) collected 115 skeletons. 109 Jews, 2 Poles and 4 Russians in Auschwitz and Natzweiler were killed for their bones.
The letter below, from the Anatomical Institute at the University of Posen, illustrates skeletons and facial masks being offered for sale to Dr Joseph Wastl, Director of Anthropology at the Natural History Museum, Vienna, (letter dated 4 March 1942):
In response to your inquiry, I am offering you skulls of Poles for the price of 25 Reich marks each. For the time being I can not supply you with skulls of Polish children. I can offer you Jewish skulls, 25-50 years old for the price of 25 Reich marks each and give you the exact age and birthplace. I could also make plaster busts of the quintessential eastern Jews for you that you can see the form of the head and the often very peculiar ears.
Brain Histology from Euthanasia victim K.R. [Courtesy of WStLA Otto-Wagner Spital, Wien, previously Psychiatric Hospital Baumgartner Hohe Steinhof]
The brain collectors
The Eidinger Institute of Brain Research at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin collected children’s brains. A well-known neuropathologist, Prof. Dr. Julius Hallervorden, described a genetic, fatal disorder of the brain (proven later on to be due to an excessive iron deposit resulting from an enzyme deficiency). He had studied hundreds of brains, collected from euthanasia centres. The origin of the supplied brains, which were declared to be ‘wonderful material’, was known to the professor. He had even examined some of the children before their death in the euthanasia centre and had then done the autopsies. After 1945, he continued his successful scientific career. He was never tried in court and died in 1966, aged 84.
The eye collectors
Prof. Otmar von Verschuer, at the Berlin Institute of Human Heredity, collected eyes from Romany victims.
The skin collectors
Jewish and Romany women were at the mercy of the pathologically sadistic female guards, Irma Grese in Auschwitz and Ilse Koch, wife of the commanding officer, in Buchenwald. Both were collectors of human skin to make lampshades, book covers, items of furniture and hand bags.
The justice meted out to the criminal doctors
After the war, the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg sentenced seven Nazi doctors to hanging, six were acquitted, and eight were sentenced to 10-20 years imprisonment. The evolving Cold War left other indicted doctors at the benign mercy of ‘denazified’ judges. As a result, sentences were either nil or short prison terms. In the 1960s, with the new generation of judges, a few Nazi doctors were tried.
Dr. Herta Oberheuser, involved in hundreds of limb amputations at Ravensbrück camp, was sentenced to 20 years, reduced to 10, and eventually to five. She resumed medical practice in 1952, until her license was revoked in 1958.
Dr. Heissermeyer, the tuberculosis expert responsible for the children's tragedy, returned to practice his ‘lung specialty’ in Magdeburg, East Germany. He was tried 21 years later and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1966. He died in prison after 17 months, having served just three weeks for each child he had experimented on and killed.
Dr. Irmfried Eberl, director of the Bernburg euthanasia centre, was the only doctor to be the commandant of an extermination camp (Treblinka). He evaded punishment by committing suicide in 1948.
Dr. Horst Schumann, who had experimented on hundreds of men and women with radiation sterilization, was acquitted in 1960, being ‘unfit for trial’ (high blood pressure), was again held in prison for one year in 1972, was then released and lived in Frankfurt until his death in 1983.
Dr. Joseph Mengele, the ‘Angel of death’ in Auschwitz, escaped and lived in South America, where he died in 1979.
Dr. Eduard Wirth, chief medical officer at Auschwitz, committed suicide on his arrest in 1945. His brother, Dr Helmut Wirth, was never found.
Dr. Carl Vaernet, who attempted to ‘cure’ homosexuals with hormone injections or castration, was arrested and handed to the Dutch authorities for prosecution. He escaped and died in South America in 1965.
Dr. Heinrich Gross, a Viennese psychiatrist, involved in euthanasia and in experiments on thousands of children, escaped prison on three occasions. He died in Vienna in 2005, aged 90.
The value and morality of Nazi experiments
The cold exposure (hypothermic) experiments were the ones most studied after the War.
Robert Berger, a cardio-thoracic surgeon, concluded in perhaps the world’s most prestigious medical journal, The New England Journal of Medicine, in 1990:
The review of the hypothermia experiments in Dachau (shows that) they were fraudulent, unscientific and of no value………and morality would not permit their clinical application.
Indeed, the alleged effects of cooling on the heart tissue and on the brain have been disproved in many thousands of heart operations, performed since the advent of open heart surgery in the 1950s.
Nazi medicine remains the darkest page in the history of medicine.
GEORGE M. WEISZ, MD, FRACS was trained as an orthopedic and spinal surgeon in Israel, the USA and Canada. He has been in practice in Sydney since 1975. His interest in history and the arts led to a BA degree in European History at the University of New South Wales and to an MA in Renaissance Studies at the University of Sydney. As someone who had escaped the atrocities of World War II, his research has combined his two interests – history and medicine – looking at medical incompetence in early times and at the betrayal of medical ethics in modern times. In 2007 he authored a successful exhibition on Nazi Medicine at the Sydney Jewish Museum that then travelled to three other universities. His present research continues on both medical and historical lines, on ‘Ghetto Doctors’ Contributions to Medicine’ and on ‘Medical History Hidden in Renaissance Paintings’. He can be reached at [email protected] .
October 14, 2011
Carl Clauberg
Before WW2 Carl Clauberg was a well-respected Professor and gynaecological researcher with a successful medical career. But Clauberg, one of the most respected individuals in the German medical society, transformed at Auschwitz from a healer into a systematic killer.
Carl Clauberg was born in Wuppertal in 1898 into a craftsmen family. He participated in WWI as infantryman, later studied medicine and advanced to doctor-in-chief at the University gynaecological clinic in Kiel. He entered the NSDAP in 1933, and later he was appointed Professor for gynaecology at Koenigsberg University.
In December 1942, Carl Clauberg came to the death camp Auschwitz and received Block 10 for his medical experimental activities. At Auschwitz Professor Carl Clauberg injected chemical substances into wombs during his experiments. Thousands of Jewish and Gypsy women were subjected to this treatment. They were sterilized by the injections, producing horrible pain, inflamed ovaries, bursting spasms in the stomach, and bleeding. The injections seriously damaged the ovaries of the victims, which were then removed and sent to Berlin.
At Auschwitz victims were put into pressure chambers, tested with drugs, frozen to death, and exposed to various other traumas. Men and women were positioned repeatedly for several minutes between two x-ray machines aimed at their sexual organs.
Most subjects died or were gassed immediately because the radiation burns from which they suffered rendered them unfit for work. Men's testicles were removed and sent to Breslau for further examination.
Carl Clauberg was put to trial in the Soviet Union and sentenced to 25 years. 7 years later, he was pardoned under the "returnee" arrangement between Bonn and Moscow and went back to West Germany. Upon returning he held a press conference and boasted of his scientific work at Auschwitz.
After survivor groups protested, Clauberg was finally arrested in 1955 but died in August 1957, shortly before his trial should have started.
Dr. Herta Oberheuser
Dr. Herta Oberheuser killed children with oil and evipan injections, then removed their limbs and vital organs. The time from the injection to death was between three and five minutes, with the person being fully conscious until the last moment.
She made some of the most gruesome and painful medical experiments, focused on deliberately inflicting wounds on the subjects. In order to simulate the combat wounds of German soldiers fighting in the war, Herta Oberheuser rubbed foreign objects, such as wood, rusty nails, slivers of glass, dirt or sawdust into the wounds.
Burned with phosphorous
After WW2, in October 1946, the Nuremberg Medical Trial began, lasting until August of 1947. Twenty-three German physicians and scientists were accused of performing vile and potentially lethal medical experiments on concentration camps inmates and other living human subjects between 1933 and 1945.
Fifteen defendants were found guilty, and eight were acquitted. Of the 15, seven were given the death penalty and eight imprisoned.
Herta Oberheuser was the only female defendant in the medical trial. She received a 20 year sentence but was released in April 1952 and became a family doctor at Stocksee in Germany. Her license to practice medicine was revoked in 1958.
The Nadir of Nursing~ Nurse-Perpetrators of Ravensbrück Concentration Camp
Susan Benedict, CRNA, DSN, FAAN
Professor of Nursing
Medical University of South Carolina
99 Jonathan Lucas Street
Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center
Charleston, SC 29425
This study was funded by a grant from the University Research Committee, Medical University of South Carolina.
Perhaps there is nothing more symbolic of the evils of National Socialism of Germany during the era of World War II than the concentration camps. Originally established to house political prisoners, concentration camps eventually were used to imprison others who were not in agreement with the ideals of Nazi philosophy including political prisoners, communists, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses and people of ethnic groups deemed to be Aundesirable such as Jews and Poles. Prisoners of the camps, if they were able to work, were used as slave laborers. Others, because of age, having young children, or being ill, were put to death in gas chambers. One of these camps, Ravensbrück, was the only one established especially for women. It later had smaller sections for men and a youth camp, Uckermark.
The specific aim of this historical research is to describe the actions of some of the nurse-perpetrators of Ravensbrück, the consequences of these actions, and factors that determined or influenced these actions. These facts and events are relevant to nursing today because nurses are committed to providing compassionate care to diverse populations, often under extremely difficult circumstances. To understand factors which could lead nurses away from compassionate caring to malevolence is very important so that nurses can be aware of any harbinger of deviation from the caring role.
Ravensbrück Concentration Camp
The site of Ravensbrück concentration camp is just outside the town of Fürstenberg, Germany and is 55 miles from Berlin. The area is secluded but has excellent rail connections to Berlin and is known as a boating resort. Perhaps these geographical features, in addition to new housing, were an enticement to the SS (Schutzstaffel [storm troopers]) to work at Ravensbrück.
In 1938, 500 male prisoners from Sachsenhausen concentration camp were sent to construct Ravensbrück. On May 18, 1939 the first prisoners for Ravensbrück arrived and consisted of 860 female German political prisoners and 7 Austrian women. These 867 women had previously been imprisoned in Lichtenburg concentration camp. Ravensbrück consisted of 14 living barracks, 2 administrative barracks, 2 Revier [hospital] barracks, 1 bath house with 20 showers, 2 circular showers for 100 prisoners, and 1 bunker (punishment block). Each of the living barracks was designed to hold about 200 women. The capacity of Ravensbrück was supposed to be a maximum of 4,000 inmates.1 Many nationalities and ethnic groups were represented, including English, Norwegian, and even American.
There were a number of specialized barracks or Ablocks. Block 10 housed the prisoners with tuberculosis and the mentally ill. Block 17 held the prisoners known as the Aguinea pigs - the girls and young women used in the medical experiments - and Block 32 held the mothers with infants.2 By 1940, there were 4,200 prisoners in Ravensbrück. The camp population increased from 5,000 to 14,000 inmates in the years 1940 through 1942. In 1942, twelve new blocks were added to accommodate the increased inmate population.3
Much of the population of Ravensbrück was used for slave labor for corporations including Daimler-Benz, Siemens, and Dachalier Industries. The corporations had to pay Ravensbrück two Reichmark (approximately $.80) per day for each prisoner employed.4 Additionally, Ravensbrück provided the women who were forced to be prostitutes in the bordellos in the men's concentration camps at Mauthausen, Buchenwald, Neuengamme, and Dachau. Before World War II ended and after the evacuation of Auschwitz, Ravensbrück's population grew to 108,000 and conditions were deplorable.5
Rations were of meager quantity and poor quality. In the mornings, the prisoners were given a cup of coffee and 350 grams of bread. This amount decreased to 150 grams by the end of the war. At lunch they were given .75 liter of watery soup with cold potatos and, in the evening, another portion of watery soup. Later, the soup was made from potato peelings and occasionally included 30 grams of sausage which was usually spoiled.2
Until 1943, the Revier was run by two SS physicians and several nurses employed by the National Socialist (Nazi) party. One hundred fifty prisoners also were employed in the Revier.2 The Revier, which originally consisted of two blocks or buildings, was greatly expanded in 1943. In 1943, the number of beds in the Revier blocks increased to 2,000 and the personnel numbered 200.2 At that time, the duties of the SS physicians were largely transferred to prisoner-doctors. In 1944, approximately 20 prisoner-physicians worked in the Ravensbrück Revier to provide care for more than 75,000 prisoners. Most medical specialities were represented among these physicians.5 The Revier then consisted of seven blocks, each of which held 300 or more patients. It was common for 4 or even 5 patients to share two beds. In February, 1945, there were over 3,000 patients in the Revier with up to 50 deaths per day6 and at the end of the war there were nine Revier blocks.7
Each Revier block consisted of one large examining room, one doctor’s room, one room for the Head Nurse, an apothecary, and a kitchen. One small room held three beds for birthing. Workers in the Revier were priviledged. Most lived in a separate block which was less crowded than the others. They did not have to stand for the lengthy daily roll calls and were able to move throughout the camp. They wore distinctive armbands.8 A former inmate, Sylvia Salvensan, describes the Revier:
I cannot find the words to describe the conditions there. I am taking you into the room where the women were with deep wounds. These smell terrible because the bandages were changed only twice a week. Naturally they consisted only of paper which already slid about on the first day. It was terrible. All of the wounds were septic; it all ran into the bed...In the infectious disease ward things were 10 times worse. The floor was covered with sick people. All used one toilet.7
A Dutch nurse-inmate, Neeltje Ejpker, further described a Revier block:
There were boards instead of beds. There were about 200 prisoners in my room, and it was so tight that no one could sit down. The beds were set up threefold on top of each other. The hygienic conditions were terrible. We often had no water, there were no toilets, only latrines: one large bucket with two long handles on each side. All of us had diarrhoea and nobody could help us to the latrine. One time I saw a huge pile of corpses which was then picked up by a large car.9
This contrasts greatly with the description of the Revier provided by one of the SS nurses, Martha Pauline Haake, who was later imprisoned for her crimes:
The medical treatment was good. The food in Ravensbück concentration camp was at least as good and the same quantity as in this Internment Camp. The treatment of the prisoners in Ravensbrück concentration camp was good. I cannot remember that ever anybody was punished in the Revier, this refers to all sick-blocks. I have never beaten a prisoner or kicked him with feet, nor have I seen that ever anybody was beaten or kicked with feet in Ravensbrück concentration camp. Medicines were plentiful and plenty were distributed to the patients. In civilian hospitals less medical supplies were available than in Ravensbrück concentration camp for the prisoners. Every patient had his own bed. In the end the sick-bay was overcrowded and it happened that 3 patients had to lie in two beds. The bed had palliassos, and in winter every patient had 3-4 blankets. All beds were covered with linen, a white sheet, chequered bolstors and coverlet.10
Dr. Clauberg; sterilized Jewish women in Auschwitz & Ravensbruk
Only prisoners who had temperatures of 39 degrees Celsius (102 F) or higher were admitted to the Revier.2 Sick prisoners lined up in the corridor every morning to be seen by the camp doctors. They usually had to wait at least two hours in the line.11 Prisoners who were judged to eventually be able to return to work were afforded some level of care. Prisoners beyond the ability to work were doomed. They were provided no care and were often sent to a special block that would be periodically evacuated to a nearby mental hospital, Bernburg, to be gassed. The death rate at the Revier increased from a few a day to 727 in December 1944.12 The crematoria in the town of Fürstenberg were unable to keep up with the deaths and corpses pilled up behind the Revier. In 1943, a crematorium with two ovens was built at Ravensbrück.13
Treatment for usual medical disorders and obstetrical care were virtually nonexistent. Before 1942, pregnant women were sent away from Ravensbrück to be delivered and then returned to the camp without their infants. These babies were placed in Nazi orphanages. After 1942, deliveries were done in Ravensbrück and many of the babies were strangled at birth by one of the prisoner-nurses.5 Prisoner-nurse Gerda Quernheim burned them in the boiler room.2
In 1944, the policy changed, allowing women to give birth in Ravensbrück and to keep the babies. Between September 1944 - April 1945, 551 children were born in Ravensbrück, the majority to Polish political prisoners who arrived at Ravensbrück in various stages of pregnancy. A maternity ward was established with a prisoner nurse as midwife. Many of the babies died after a few days. The mothers had to shortly return to work so the newborns had to go the entire day without a feeding. One female physician inmate, Dr. Helene Goudsmit, testified:
One, amongst others, of the consequences of the bad hygenic conditions was the systematic death of ALL new-born children, whose mothers were unable to feed them because of their own undernourishment; this of course refers to the period during which I was at the camp. I myself saw German women (who had been interned for Rassenschande - relations of a child by a non-German) who had been pregnant and undergone an abortion by [Dr.] Orendi. It was customary to wait on purpose until the seventh or eighth month of pregnancy before carrying out the abortion; this greatly increased the risk during the surgical intervention because of the delay of this intervention and because of the bad general physical conditions of the women due to their internment.14
In February and March 1945, all children and pregnant women were transported out of Ravensbrück. Hundreds of children ranging in age from infants to teenagers were sent by train, many to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Most died of the subzero temperatures during the train ride. Those few who survived the transport died of starvation soon thereafter.15
The care in the Revier was supervised by the SS nurses and was abysmal. There were insufficient medicines and bandages and what was available was unfairly
distributed by the nurses. The distribution was overseen by the Oberschwester [Head Nurse] Marschall who gave most to the prisoners working in the bordello and to other Aasocial prisoners.5
Some prisoners, aware of the conditions in the Revier, tried to avoid going even when sick. Others were rejected for care from the Revier as not being sick enough. For these inmates, there was a chance for some care and medicine being obtained from fellow inmates. In fact, there was an illegal trade in medicines that were smuggled into the camp or were stolen from the SS infirmary. An additional and valuable source was the local pharmacy in the town of Fürstenberg which was owned by a woman who was anti-Nazi.16
The extreme crowding and poor hygiene provided the perfect setup for a variety of epidemics. Lice were everywhere and uncontrollable, leading to outbreaks of Typhus. In 1945, 30,000 inmates were immunized against Typhus but many patients died because their bodies were so malnourished and were unable to produce antibodies.2 Attempts were made to isolate prisoners with tuberculosis in one block but many cases went undiagnosed and untreated. Patients who were isolated were without treatment and either spontaneously recovered or died. Psychotic prisoners were locked up and their meager food ration was cut in half. They were considered incurable and most were later transported to one of the euthanasia centers, Bernburg, to be killed in the gas chambers.
Ravensbruck photo
The Medical Experiments
The first medical experiments were done in 1941 under the direction of Dr. Gerhard. One hundred twenty women between the ages of 18 and 30 were selected upon their arrival at Ravensbrück in a transport from Lublin, Poland and 75 were used for the experiments. They were admitted to the Revier and had surgery to emulate injuries to the legs similar to those received by soldiers at the front lines. The wounds of these women's legs were then intentionally infected with bacteria including gas gangrene and tetanus.2 Ground glass and wood particles were rubbed into the wounds. Postoperatively, some women received treatment with a sulfonamide drug whereas others received no treatment at all. The women were cared for only by SS nurses to maintain secrecy about the experiments. Later surgeries were carried out in the blocks without use of an operating room and without any preparation. Sixty of these 120 women lived until 1945 and some were later witnesses against the Ravensbrück Revier personnel. One prisoner-nurse, Violette LeCoq, testified:
In November, two women operated on by Dr. Treite were brought to the block room. They were not insane. The one, a Russian student, had a head surgery. The other, a young woman, was operated on her arm. The arm was totally open and not sutured. One could see the muscles and nerves. The arm was open from the elbow to the wrist. She died the next day. In March 1945, I saw young and old gypsies sitting on the floor of the examining room. They were screaming and rolling all over the floor in agony and pain. In front of the door was the female Czech police. In the room were head nurse Marschall, and Drs. Treite and Trommer.17
In August 1942, the bone and muscle experiments began. In some instances, in the operating room, the bones of the lower leg were smashed into many pieces with a hammer and repaired with and without clamps as a comparison. Casts were applied but removed within a few days, leaving the legs to heal without a cast. In the bone transplantation surgery, entire sections of the fibula were removed, some with and some without the periosteum. In one case, the arm and scapula of a prisoner was removed to be transplanted into a private patient who had lost his scapula, clavicle, and humerus to sarcoma. In the muscle experiments, several surgeries were done on each prisoner. Portions of muscle and nerve were removed each time. 2
A second type of experiment done at Ravensbrück was done in January 1945 by Dr. Schumann. He selected girls between the ages of 8 and 18 and injected contrast medium into the uterus and Fallopian tubes. The stated purpose of that experiment was to assess the development of female reproductive organs. Mostly gypsy girls were used and the study involved 120-140 girls. Many died of infections.5 Girls as young as 8 years old were used as subjects.18
The Role of Nurses
In 1943, in an attempt to alleviate some of the burden of the Revier blocks, each barrack was assigned a nurse. She was to administer first aid and take care of bandage changes and minor health problems. It was the block nurse who then was
authorized to send an inmate to the Revier for treatment or admission. A major duty of the block nurse was the delousing.19 However, not all nurses provided care to the sick and injured:
I was able to ascertain that the German nurses had never actually had any professional activity; they looked on the misery of the sick with the greatest indifference and even sarcasm and never did they make any effort whatever to help them even though it was possible for them to do so. It was a perfectly moral thing for the Schwester [nurse] to beat the sick, indeed I have seen Schwester Lisa beating sick women without any reason at all.20
Schwestern Marschall, Salvequart, and Quernheim
The actions of three nurses, one SS-employed nurse and two prisoner-nurses are described. These nurses were selected because there is extensive information about them as a result of their post-war trials.
Before describing their actions, it is important to point out that there were many women, including nurses, who no doubt acted in kind and moral ways. However, because they were not a part of post-war trials, their identities and stories remain largely unknown.
Elisabeth Marschall
Elisabeth Marschall was the Head Nurse [Oberschwester] at Ravensbrück. Elisabeth Marschall had been a nurse since 1909. In 1931, she joined the Nazi party because she believed, as she stated, that Aonly Hitler could save Germany from its [email protected] Prior to working in Ravensbrück, she was employed as the Oberschwester at the Hermann Göring Werke in Braunschweig. There she was accused of providing two French prisoners with food. She was interrogated by the Gestapo and was accused of Ataking food away from the German people@. As a result she was sent to Ravensbrück against her will.21
It was Elisabeth Marshall who, the night before an execution, would go to the Reviers card file to choose the names of the condemned, she who kept the secret records of the murders, she who set up medical supervision of Dr. Gebhardt's [email protected] According to one witness, AThe Head Nurse Marschall is co-responsible for the death of thousands of women in the camp. The same witness stated that she felt Agreat compassion that a woman who could have represented the Red Cross in Germany sank to such depths.7
Oberschwester Marschall, along with Dr. Treite, sat on top of an examining table and selected more than 800 women to be shipped to Auschwitz where most perished.23 Marschall also provided some post-operative care to the patients having the medical experiments. At her trial, she testified that she prepared the beds for the patients and gave them injections of morphine twice a day for the first day or two, then once daily, and then gave oral pain medication.21 One prisoner-nurse testified that Marschall had 50 prisoners with newborn infants loaded into a cattle car without water, food, or milk. All perished.
The first children who were born in camp remained in Revier I, packed in laundry baskets. Later on they were all brought into a small room. When they increased in numbers, they went into the office of Block 11 and later on they went with their mothers to Barracks 32. Back then, there were about 100 babies. Very few babies survived the first 4 weeks. The conditions under which they had to live were such that they had to die. The mothers did not receive any additional food and were unable to nurse their children. They were chased to work away from their children. Marschall forbade us to organize diapers and linens and designated two anti-socials [prisoners] in block 11 as caregivers for the infants, although we had plenty of experienced people in camp. All my pleading for more food for the children was ignored by Marschall and Treite. In 1944, we had to accept the fact that there was no milk. But in 1945, many Red Cross packages arrived and then there was so much milk, sugar, and oatmeal that we could have fed twice as many infants than we had. I have seen these items for myself in the room of the Head Nurse, and later on in a special room which was created for the packages. Even during that time Marschall did not release sufficient nutrition for the newborns.24
Another prisoner-nurse, Hildegard Boy-Brandt, described a fellow prisoner still holding her dead baby. AShe showed her empty breasts as if she wanted to emphasize that she was innocent of her infant's death. From where was she to take the strength
for a second life when there was not even enough for her?6 Of the 380 babies born in January 1945, most died during the first 14 days and all but one was dead by 3 months.25
Toward the end of March 1945, Oberschwester Marschall decided that all pregnant women and women with newborns had to work. She sent a group of five guards with whips to the block to enforce her edict. Everyday she demanded a precise count of the number who went to work.
Needless to say, Elisabeth Marschall provided a more humanitarian portrait of herself at her trial. She stated that she had never given a lethal injection, that she never selected anyone for extermination, and that she tried to obtain extra food for the mothers and infants. She also stated And, by the way, I was not a member of the German master race@. When asked to respond to witnesses portrayal of her as cruel and indifferent, she replied, AI was not very nice, but when you think of the people who came into the camp and who did not always behave properly, then it is very possible that I wasn’t very nice. But I can say that I always listened to them and tried to be as fair as possible.28
Vera Salvequart
Vera Salvequart, unlike Marschall, was a prisoner-nurse. Vera Salvequart was born in Czechoslovakia and was educated as a nurse. She was first arrested in 1941 for having a relationship with a Jewish man and for refusing to divulge his whereabouts to the Gestapo. She served 10 months in a prison in Flossenburg. In 1942, she was again arrested for having a relationship with a Jew which was prohibited in Nazi Germany. For this, she served two years in prison and was released in April 1944. It was only three months later that she was again arrested and sent to Ravensbrück. She came to Ravensbrück on December 6, 1944 after being arrested for helping five detained officers escape.28
Salvequart testified that she was ordered to not talk about anything she saw when she arrived at Ravensbrück and that she would be shot if she did. Initially she was assigned to work in the Revier of the youth camp, Uckermark, of Ravensbrück which served as the Revier for the sickest prisoners. From here patients were collected for the transports to the gas chambers . The condemned women were taken to Salvequart's block where they were undressed and often had to stand naked from 3 PM until 11 PM, when they were put in a truck and driven to the gas chambers. Salvequart's job was to fill out the death certificates of the women and to extract the gold teeth from the dead bodies in the early morning.29
In February 1945, she was reported to have given out a Asleeping powder@ to 50 extremely ill patients. By the next day, 5 had died, and 7 more the following day.30 AThe patients received a powder from Salvequart, which she pretended was a sleeping aid, and it killed them instead. If the patients refused to take the powder, lethal injections or dissolved poison was [email protected] One witness testified that she was present when Salvequart gave her friend a white powder and the friend died in her presence .9 Salvequart was also changed with having administered Ainjections in a very sadistic manner to sick prisoners, after which the victims died a horrific death.@21 When questioned about her poisoning patients, Salvequart testified,
I remember that the sick had no trust in the beginning because they thought that I took part in the mass murdering. I must say that in their place, I would have
had the same impression. I was locked up without interruption, couldn=t go anywhere alone, and all they knew about me was that I lived there where they murdered so many people. Additionally, the prisoners saw when I entered the wash room in the case of Schikovsky; they heard the woman scream and therefore assumed that I was part of the [email protected]
She denied giving poision either as a powder or as an injection to any prisoner.29
Inmate Lotte Sontag testified the following:
I was told by Vera Salvequart herself that the women were partly killed by poisoning with a white powder by her and partly murdered by injections which were administered by the SS men Koeller and Rapp.31
Salvequart described how she saved some women and infants from death by substituting their identification number with that of someone already dead, thus making them non-existent in the camp. She even kept one infant hidden and had male prisoners bring food and milk for him. When discovered, the infant was taken away by an SS guard who threw him into a cart filled with leftovers.29
Additional good acts were also attributed to Salvequart. A male prisoner of Ravensbrück testified that she asked him to help her steal medicines, food, and wood for the patients. They stole the medications from the SS apothecary. In fact, this same witness testified that Salvequart told him that her patients in the youth camp Revier were in very bad condition and she asked him to help get as many necessary items as possible.32
Salvequart did not get along with the two SS men who supervised her and at one time she was to be gassed herself. Several of the male prisoners came to her aid by
disguising her as a male prisoner and hiding her in their section of the camp. She continued in hiding until the camp was liberated in April 1945. She left Ravensbrück still disguised as a male on a transport of 1,000 male prisoners to an American transit camp for refugees. There she gave an American officer the list she had been keeping of prisoners who had been gassed. In the transit camp, she assisted with of the medical care of the refugees. Interestingly, this witness stated that he and Salvequart were to be engaged at the end of the war. When asked if he would have helped her had he known she had killed people, he stated that he would not have.32
Gerda Quernheim
Gerda Quernheim also was a prisoner-nurse and midwife. She was born in 1907 and was a German national. She was first arrested in 1938 for making statements against the government and was imprisoned for one year. Following this she was taken to Ravensbrück where she remained until April 1944. In April she was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau where she was imprisoned until being transferred back to Ravensbrück in January 1945.33
Although strictly forbidden, she became romantically involved with one of the SS physicians, Dr. Rudolf Rosenthal, and became pregnant.18 When she had an abortion, her affair with Dr. Rosenthal was discovered and both were sent to the bunker (punishment block). Ludwig Ramdohr testified:
On searching the sick-bay, I myself discovered a human embryo in alcohol, which, according to Quernheim’s statement was her own. In a later interrogation Quernheim admitted, however, that she got rid of the embryos when they had been removed from other prisoners.34
Quernheim’s actions as a nurse in Ravensbrück included both good and evil. She is reported to have stolen medicine to help some prisoners and participated in the killing of others. One postwar witness described Quernheim helping Dr. Rosenthal with abortions on prisoners, often very late in the pregnancy, and disposing the newborns in the boiler room.6 Another former prisoner stated Aif children were born they were
drowned immediately under the tender care of Gerda, a prisoner->nurse= who also had the duty of administering fatal injections to the gravely [email protected]
Margarete Gahr, a prisoner, testified:
I remember myself especially Gerda Quernheim, because she worked in the Revier as No. 1 Prisoner’s nurse under Dr. Rosenthal. Her cold-bloodness did let Gerda Quernheim become a multifold murderess. This my opinion I base of the following.
From my working room, that means from the Revier kitchen, I could see direct to the so-called AStuebchen@, which was the room for the dying. I was very often a witness hereupon, that sick persons were brought into the AStuebchen@ and that a short time later Gerda Quernheim with an injection syringe in her hand went into the room for the dying. A few minutes after Gerda Quernheim had left the room, the women were carried dead out of the room. These events I myself observed very often. I am of the opinion that quite a number of those sick persons could have been saved.36
Once, Dr. Rosenthal mixed up the files of two men with the same names, one of whom had died. When the error was found, he sent Quernheim to the Revier to give a lethal injection to the one still living, thus making the paperwork correct.6
In another instance, Quernheim helped Rosenthal administer an anesthetic to a healthy young girl to have one of legs amputated. The leg was taken away to Hohenlychen, an SS research institution. Shortly thereafter, the young woman was killed by a lethal injection.37
Quernheim’s description of her work differs considerably from these descriptions. She stated that her job consisted of providing treatments during clinic visits including bandaging, ear treatments, delousing, and venereal disease treatments. She stated that she did assist Dr. Rosenthal with surgery but Athese were medically necessary operations, and no one died from them.33 She made the following statement about her assistance with abortions:
It was also my task at night to remove premature births of those women for whom the doctors had prepared this, through operations. At several of these operations (called medical preparation AMedizinische Einleitung@ [medical induction]) I was present and assisted by e.g. handling instruments, washing of the patients, etc. After the operation I had to give medicines to the women to accelerate the expulsion of the embryo.33
The Consequences of the Nurse’s Actions
Elisabeth Marschall was tried after the war before the British military tribunal in Hamburg, Germany. She was found guilty on February 3, 1947 of Akilling and ill treatment of allied nationals and was sentenced to death by hanging.38 She was executed by the British military tribunal.39
Vera Salvequart was also a defendant at the same trial. She was found guilty on March 2, 1947 for her war crimes and was hanged on May 3, 1947.
After the war, Gerda Quernheim was charged with committing two war crimes: Killing by injections foreign nations and killing at least one newborn baby.40
Although Quernheim was initially sentenced to death, her sentence was changed to imprisonment on July 19, 1948.41 The prosecution stated that there were the following mitigating circumstances:
Many of the ex-internees spoke well of her conduct in general.
She herself was a prisoner.
The role she had in giving lethal injections or preparation of prisoners for compulsory operations may well have been under a very heavy duress and possibly also under the influence of Dr. Rosenthal whose mistress she was at the material times.42
Quernheim was released from prison in 1955, at age 47, after serving 7 years.
Factors Influencing or Contributing to the Nurses’ Actions
The hell of Ravensbrück is unimaginable despite many first-person accounts. Despair and disease affected all. Prisoners were never assured of another day of life; in fact, many did not want another day of life. Prisoners were subjected to every type of inhumanity that could be perpetrated - all in the name of National Socialism. It is profoundly sad that nurses were among the perpetrators and we can never fully understand why. Likewise, we cannot say for certain how we, as individuals, would have acted in that environment and under those conditions.
It is logical to assume that nurses employed by the SS such as Elisabeth Marshall held beliefs congruent with those of National Socialism, hence ideological commitment may have been a strong force motivating their actions. Elisabeth Marshall, from her own statement, supported Hitler and believed that he could Asave Germany from its misery.21 The SS nurses would, because of their National Socialistic beliefs, hold in low regard prisoners who were Communist, Jewish, Polish, or Gypsy. These prisoners were of value to the SS only as long as they could work as slave laborers or subjects for medical experiments and, of course, illness limited their productivity. Care, if any, was directed at getting prisoners back to their jobs or toward the success of the so-called medical experiments. It is likely that the SS nurses caring for the subjects of the experiments saw merit and value in the experiments and believed that the results would be useful to the German military.
Ideological commitment is more difficult to support in the prisoner-nurses. Both of the prisoner-nurses, Vera Salvequart and Gerda Quernheim, were political prisoners. That is, they were imprisoned for having ideals and actions against the National Socialists. Many of the victims of these nurses were of similar national origin and were also political
prisoners. Ideological commitment would seem to be absent or, at least, inconsistent in these nurses who had been imprisoned for defying the government of National Socialism.
Certainly, many of the actions of some of the nurses were carried out under duress. Punishment for disobedience was frequent and often deadly. Under these conditions, it would have been extraordinary for one to actively resist. For some, such as Gerda Quernheim, the issue becomes more complex. As described, Quernheim has had both good and evil attributed to her. Certainly her romantic involvement with an SS doctor influenced her actions and was cited by the Prosecution as a mitigating factor in commuting her sentence from death to imprisonment. Yet, her cruelty was undeniably exemplified by the burning of newborn infants.6
Vera Salvequart was a Czech citizen who twice had been arrested for her illegal relationships with Jews. She was sent to Ravensbrück for helping detained soldiers escape. In these actions, she did demonstrate a defiant and even a brave streak. Upon her imprisonment in Ravensbrück she was told that she would be shot if she talked about any of the events she saw while a nurse.33 She certainly saw many other women killed for lesser offenses hence, she no doubt feared for her life. Nonetheless, many of her actions seem inexplicably cruel. Salvequart, like Quernheim, had both good and bad actions attributed to her, confounding an understanding of her behavior.
Ninety-two thousand women and children from 18 nations died in Ravensbrück concentration camp, some because of the neglect or direct violence of SS and prisoner- nurses.43 Research into the actions of nurses in the concentration camps will continue in the hopes that examples of compassion will be found. Certainly there were many but because they were not defendants in post-war trials, their stories are more difficult to discover.
Enlarge
The head of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Goering, was also treated by the 'Devil's Dentist'
He noted that much of what caused him pain in later life was probably due to his poor diet as a down-and-out on the streets of pre-WW1 Vienna where Hitler lived like a tramp.
Hermann Goering, the bombastic Nazi Luftwaffe chief who invented the dreaded Gestapo in 1934, was such a coward that Blaschke noted; 'He cried before he even got in the chair.
'Prosthetics had to be made for him, and ready, on the same day because he "could not run around as the head of the Luftwaffe with missing teeth".'
Hitler was known in his inner circle as being squeamish when it came to his teeth.
His interpreter, Paul Schmidt, said that Hitler was once so frustrated after talks with Spain's General Franco failed to bring him into the war that he told his Italian ally Benito Mussolini: 'I would rather have two or three teeth out than go through that again!'
Deprem-Hennen notes in her book that while Blaschke, who died in 1957, was a die-hard Nazi who knew 'where all the gold from extermination camp victims had come from to be used in fillings for SS men,' he was not incapable of showing kindness.
'He used to carry the paralysed Jewish landlord of the mansion where he lived into the bomb shelter when the Allied planes were overhead,' she said.
Born 23.11.1897 in The Hague, died 2.6. 1948.
Surgeon. Prof. Dr. med. Medical Superintendent of the SS Hohenlychen Sanatorium, Consulting Surgeon of the Waffen-SS, Chief Surgeon in the Staff of the Reich Physician SS and Police. Defendant in the Medical Trial.
Gebhardt studied medicine in Munich starting in 1919. After two years as an unpaid assistant physician he received a post as an intern at the Surgical Clinic of the University of Munich, under Sauerbruch in 1924 and later under Lexer. There he gained his habilitation in 1932.
In 1935, he switched to Berlin, where he was appointed associate professor. In 1936 he distinguished himself in his post as a head of the Medical Department of the Reich Academy for Physical Exercises as senior physician of the Olympic Games. In 1937 he became chair holder for orthopedic surgery at the University of Berlin. I
n his student days Gebhardt had been a supporter of the national-counter-rcvolutionary movement and was active among other things in the Volunteer Corps "the Upland Alliance."
He joined the NSDAP on 1.5.1933 (No. 1,723,317). He began his SS career in 1935 as a medical superintendent of the Hohenlychen Sanatorium. In 1938 Himmler appointed him as his personal physician. In 1940 he became Consulting Surgeon of the Waffen-SS and President of the German Red Cross. Starting in 1943 Gebhardt was active in the Reich Physician SS and Police, Ernst Grawitz's Staff as a Chief Surgeon.
He rose to the rank of SS Major General and Major General of the Waffen-SS. Due to his top position in the SS, Gebhardt was involved in a series of experiments on humans which were carried out on concentration camp prisoners.
He could pursue his personal research interests as a specialist in reconstructive surgery as the main coordinator of the surgical experiments carried out on prisoners of the Ravensbrück Women's Concentration Camp, in which he attempted to defend the principles of invasive war surgery against the controversial innovations of the sulfanilamide treatment of war injuries. Gebhardt was condemned to death by the American Military Tribunal No. I in August 1947 and executed on 2.6.1948.
(the above text comes from the book by Dörner, Klaus, The Nuremberg Medical Trial, 1946/47:guide to the microfiche-edition , K.G. Saur, 2001)
Poppendick, Helmut.
Born 6.1.1902 in Hude. Internist. Medical Doctorate, Chief of the Personal Staff of the Reich Physician SS and Police. Defendant in the Medical Trial. Poppendick passed his school-leaving examinations in 1919 at the Oberrealschule in Oldenburg and studied medicine from 1919 to 1926 in Gottingen, Munich, and Berlin.
He completed his state medical board examinations in 1926 and, on 1.2.1928, received his medical license. Afterwards Poppendick worked for four years as a clinical assistant. primarily at the First Medical Clinic of Charité in Berlin. In 1932, he became a certified specialist in internal medicine.
Poppendick worked several months as an emergency doctor for the city of Berlin in Berlin East. Then, from June 1933 to October 1934 he was the assistant medical director at Virchow Hospital in Berlin. The following year he completed training as an expert for "race hygiene" at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Anthropology, Human Genetics and Eugenics.
After this, he became the adjutant of the ministerial director Arthur Gutt at the Reich Ministry of the Intcrior. He was also the chief of staff at the SS Office for Population Politics and Genetic Health Care, which in 1937 became the SS Main Race and Settlement Office. There Poppendick was departmental head and staff leader of the Genealogical Office.
When this office was taken into the Reich Physician SS on 1.8.1939, Poppendick was retained as a main department head. At the beginning of the war, he was drafted as an adjutant to a medical department of the army and took part in the attack on Belgium France and the Netherlands.
In January, 1941, he was released from the Medical Inspectorate of the German Army to join the Reich Physician SS, where he was promoted to head of scientific services in 1941. In November 1941, Poppendick was accepted into the Waffen SS. In 1943.
Ernst Grawitz of the Reich Physician SS appointed him to lead his personal staff. Poppendick joined the N5DAP and the SS in 1932 (Pg. No. 998.607 and SS No. 36.345). He ended his SS career at the rank of Colonel. Because of his high position. Poppendick was implicated in a series of involuntary medical experiments done on concentration camp prisoners.
He was sentenced to ten years imprisonment by the American Military Tribunal No. I in August 1947, however was released already in February 1951. Poppendick managed to receive his approval to get his medical services paid by insurance, in Oldenburg.
(the above text comes from the book by Dörner, Klaus, The Nuremberg Medical Trial, 1946/47:guide to the microfiche-edition , K.G. Saur, 2001)
Schumann performed the Xray experiments described elsewhere.
SS Captain Dr. August Hirt--murder for The Racial Museum
Hirt selected thirty-nine women for their racial characteristics:
[They] were given a sham physical examination for reassurance, then gassed....the corpses were immediately transported to the anatomy pavilion of the Strasbourg University Hospital. A French imate, who had to assist the project's director...told how "preservation began immediately," with the arrival of bodies that were "still warm, the eyes...wide open and shining." There were two subsequent shipments of men, from each of whom the left testicle had been removed and sent to hirt's anatomy lab.
Hirt was captured at Strasbourg by French troops, who found
"many wholly unprocessed corpses,"many "partly processed corpses", and a few that had been "defleshed...late in 1944," and their heads burned to avoid any possibility of identification...
Hirt killed himself shortly after. Lifton, pp. 284-287.
Culture media
When animal meat became a rarity, human flesh was used as culture media:
"Since the SS stole the meat used to produce the culture media, the chief SS physician found it very simple to replace it with human flesh"... In Auschwitz, then, human flesh was more expendable than valuable animal meat...
Lifton, 289.
Exports
The supply of victims at Auschwitz was so plentiful, they were exported anywhere else experimental subjects were needed:
eight prisoners from Auschwitz sent to Sachsenhausen for experiments with epidemic hepatitis...twenty Jewish children, ages five to twelve, transferred from Auschwitz to Neuengamme in Hamburg, where they were subject to injections of virulent tubercular serum and to other experiments, until they were removed from Neuengamme and secretly murdered just before the arrival of Allied troops.
Lifton, 301
Doctors played a crucial role at Auschwitz. They participated in virtually all selections , decided on life and death among the patients in the medical blocks (executing the weakest with phenol injections ), and in fact thronged to sign up at Auschwitz because of the plentiful human experimental material available in Block 10 . These German doctors saved the lives of many prisoner doctors, typically not out of mercy but to enlist them as collaborators in their human experiments.
Dr. Mengele
Born 1911, he was the eldest of 3 sons of Karl Mengele, manufacturer. Refined, intelligent, and popular in his town, Josef studied philosophy at Munich and medicine at Frankfurt am Main. In 1931, he joined a paramilitary group; in 1935, his dissertation dealt with racial differences in the structure of the lower jaw. In 1937, he joined the Nazi party; in 1938, the SS. In 1942, he was wounded at the Russian front and pronounced unfit for service. The following year, he volunteered for assignment to the concentration camps and was sent to Auschwitz.
Mengele began his research on twins, and haunted every arriving convoy in search of these subjects. Twins had a special destiny in Auschwitz: they escaped the gas but became the subjects of horrendous experiments which many did not survive. Mengele had many of his subjects killed for dissection, or disposed of them when they weakened or he no longer needed them. Mengele was obsessed with the nurture v. nature controversy: he wished to demonstrate that heredity counted for everything, environment nothing. Among his interests were eye color, blood type, and noma, the disease that left gaping holes in the cheeks of Gypsy children inmates.
Dr. Jancu Veckler:
In September 1943, I arrived at the Birkenau Gypsy camp. There I saw a wooden table with eyeballs laying on it. All of them were tagged with numbers and little notes. They were pale yellow, pale blue, green and violet.
Anatomy, p. 326.
Former prisoner Hani Schick, a mother of twins who was subjected to experiments together with her children, testified that on July 4, 1944, on Mengele's instructions, blood samples were collected from her children in such quantities that the procedure ended in the death of both son and daughter.
Anatomy, p. 324.
In [a] case in which a mother did not want to be separated from her thirteen- or fourteen-year-old daughter, and bit and scratched the face of the SS man who tried to force her to her assigned line, Mengele drew his gun and shot both the woman and the child. As a blanket punishment, he then sent to the gas all people from that transport who had previously been selected for work, with the comment: "Away with this shit!"
Lifton, p. 343
Prisoners would "march before him with their arms in the air," Dr. Lengyel tells us, " while he continued to whistle his Wagner"--or it might be Verdi or Johann Strauss. It was a mannered detachment...
More overtly, there are many stories of his striking people with his long riding crop, in one case running it over tattoos on the bosoms of Russian women, as a Polish woman survivor described, "then striking them there", while "not at all excited but...casual,...just playing around a little as though it were a little funny."
Lifton, p. 344.
Mengele's passion for cleanliness and perfection carried over into a selections aesthetic; he would send people with skin blemishes to the gas chamber or those with small abcesses or even old appendectomy scars. "My two cousins were sent in front of my eyes by Mengele to their deaths because they had small wounds on their bodies," was the way one survivor put it.
Lifton, p. 345.
Mengele fed his legend by dramatizing murderous policies, such as his drawing a line on the wall of the children's block between 150 and 156 centimeters (about 5 feet or 5 feet 2 inches) from the floor, and sending those whose heads could not reach the line to the gas chamber.
Lifton, p. 346.
Mengele could also kill directly. He was observed to perform phenol injections , always with a correct medical demeanor...Mengele also shot a number of prisoners and was reported to have killed at least one by pressing his foot on a woman's body.
Lifton, p. 347.
This duality,--a confusing combination of affection and violence-- was constantly described to me. The Polish woman survivor, for example, described him as "impulsive...[with] a choleric temper,", but "in his attitude to children [twins]...as gentle as a father...."... Twin children frequently called him "Uncle Pepi", and other twins told how Mengele would bring them sweets and invite them for a ride in his car, which turned out to be "a little drive with Uncle Pepi, to the gas chamber." Simon J. put it most succinctly: "He could be friendly but kill."
Lifton, p. 355.
On January 18, 1945, as the Soviet Army arrived, Mengele fled Auschwitz. Captured in June, he spent time in two U.S.-run prison camps, where he was not identified as a war criminal. Eventually, he escaped and made his way to Argentina. He lived in hiding there, in Paraguay and in Brazil, until January 24, 1979, when he drowned while swimming in the ocean in Bertioga, Brazil.
Anatomy, pp. 329-331.
Dr. Ernst B.
This anonymous doctor, interviewed extensively by Lifton, refused to participate in selections, performed no harmful experiments, and saved the lives of many patients and inmates. After the war, he was acquitted of war crimes and staunchly defended by ex-inmates, some of whom even refused to identify him for the authorities.
He was a young general practitioner in 1939, when the war began. He joined the SS and was eventually sent to Auschwitz in mid-1943. Knowing little about the camps, he brought his wife. When he expressed horror at the sight of emaciated prisoners, a good friend, Dr. Bruno Weber, told him to send his wife home, but that if he stayed, he could function independently of the SS hierarchy in the camp.
Weber then laid out to B. "almost with irony" the central Auschwitz truth, invoking the official term the "Final Solution of the Jewish question": "He [Weber] said, 'If you want to see how it works, go look out of the window. You will see...two large smokestacks...The normal kind of production of this machine...is a thousand men in twenty-four hours."
Lifton, p. 305.
B. searches for a Jewish friend
A former prisoner physician, Michael Z., told me how taken aback he was when Ernst B. burst into the laboratory "look[ing] for a Jewish friend. He asked me, speaking quite loud...:'Do you know Cohen?' I told him, '[Please] be quiet, you do not have the right to speak like that.'" Dr. Z. explained why he felt it necessary to protect Dr. B. by quieting him down and, by implication, to protect himself as well....But at the same time Z. was deeply moved by [the] SS doctor's quest: "I understood that he was indeed a man who had a different kind of mind....that he was capable of human feelings...Yes, it did impress me...because it was unheard of to see an SS pronounce the name of a Jewish friend."
Lifton, p. 306.
He refuses to perform selections
But B., when repeatedly approached by Wirths, gave a series of reasons for refusing: that he had too much work, found it incompatible with his assignment, and simply could not--was psychologically unable to--do it.
Lifton, p. 308.
He protects and saves prisoners
Once over his selections crisis, Dr. B. had no major difficulties in Auschwitz. He consolidated a remarkable set of relationships with prisoner doctors...When they were sick he made provisions for their medications and general care and visited them himself. He helped them send messages to, and arrange visits with, wives and friends in other parts of the camp. He contributed to their survival by keeping them closely informed about various Auschwitz currents and plans. And he directly saved lives in additional ways: by protecting prisoner doctors from selections, by finding them and rescuing them from the gas chamber when they had been selected, and by the benign experiments...
Lifton, p. 315.
His friendship with Mengele
Dr. B. remembered Mengele as "helpful," "a really fine comrade"... and admirable in his open expression of "outspoken antipathies and sympathies..."
When I brought up the question of Mengele's human experiments, B. sprang to the defense of his friend: human experiments were "a relatively minor matter" in Auschwitz; children (who made up most of the twins Mengele studied) had little chance to survive in Auschwitz, but Mengele made certain they were well fed and taken care of... And when I asked B. whether he would change his views if I presented him with extensive evidence of Mengele's practice of occasionally sending one or both twins to the gas chamber, B. answered unhesitatingly in the negative "because under the conditions of Auschwitz one must always say that Mengele's experiments were not forms of cruelty."
Lifton, p. 321.
Evacuated to Dachau, he gives a gun to Jewish doctors
With Allied armies approaching, he discussed with prisoner doctors possible arrangements for their escape from Nazi control, including the idea of providing them with SS uniforms. He then shook hands with them and "said goodbye in a very friendly way", and as a last act took a pistol out of his drawer and gave it to one of them for their protection.
Lifton, 326.
Yet he is nevertheless a Nazi
At the end of the interview, when comparing Nazi times with the present, he said that, despite the "full liberalization" today, there is an absence of "ideals for youth", a "lack of commitment", which leads to "chaotic conditions" and the absence of "a coherent community". The Nazis "overdid it" in the opposite direction, he acknowledged, but in Hitler's admittedly "primitive methods" there was "something right", something that "was good with the Nazis."
Lifton, p. 330.
Bullenhuser Damm School
To conceal all traces the SS transported the children to the former Bullenhuser Damm School, which had been used as a satellite camp since October 1944. They were immediately taken to the basement and ordered to undress.
An SS officer later reported: "They sat down on the benches all around and were cheerful and happy that they had been for once allowed out of Neuengamme. The children were completely unsuspecting."
The children were told that they had to be vaccinated against typhoid fever before their return journey. Then they were injected with morphine. They were hanged from hooks on the wall, but the SS men found it difficult to kill the mutilated children. The first child to be strung up was so light - due to disease and malnutrition - that the rope wouldn’t strangle him. SS untersturmführer Frahm had to use all of his own weight to tighten the noose. Then he hanged the others, two at a time, from different hooks. 'Just like pictures on the wall', he would recall later. He added that none of the children had cried.
At five o' clock in the morning on April 21th, 1945, the Nazis had finished with their work and drank hard-earned coffee ...
Jacqueline, 12
One of the children was JJacqueline Morgenstern, born to Suzanne and Karl Morgenstern in 1932 in Paris, France. Here Jacqueline led a happy life, she attended school and her father and uncle owned a beauty shop in central Paris.
After hert to a special children's barrack where the children were being held for later bogus medicaGeorges Andre Kohn, spoke French, too, and they became close friends.
TGeorges Andre Kohn was 12 years old and the youngest son of Armand Kohn, a rich Jewish businessman in Paris. In 1944 Georges, his grandmother (75), mother, father, his older sisters, Rose-Marie and Antoinette, and his eighteen year-old brother, Philippe, were crowded into cattle cars with hundreds of Jews to be deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp. oThree days after the train began moving, Rose-Marie and Philippe broke the bars of the car's small window, jumped out and miraculously survived the Holocaust. When the train arrived at Buchenwald, the family was separated. When the war was over, only Armand Kohn and the two escaped had survived.
And on April 20th, 1945, when the British were less than three miles from the camp, all the children of Bullenhuser Damm were murdered ..wever, when in 1940, Germany invaded France and the brutality of the Nazis accelerated with murder, violence and terror. In 1944 Jacqueline andAfter the war, the SS doctor Kurt Heissmeyer returned to his home in Magdeburg, postwar East Germany, to resume medical practice, highly regarded as a lung and tuberculosis specialist. The much-admired physician was eventually tried and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1966.
Arnold Strippel, the SS-Obersturmführer commanding these killings as well as many others, lived for years well in West Germany in a villa situated on the outskirts of Frankfurt despite all efforts made by relatives of the children to take him to trial.
Jacqueline and her mother went to the women's work camp, where food rations were meager. Suzanne gave Jacqueline most of her food, so she became malnourished and ill. When the Nazis found her no longer useful for forced labor, they sent her to the gas chambers.
The family's feelings of security collapsed, however, when in 1940, Germany invaded France and the brutality of the Nazis accelerated with murder, violence and terror. In 1944 Jacqueline and her parents were sent to Auschwitz. Jacqueline and her mother went to the women's work camp, where food rations were meager. Suzanne gave Jacqueline most of her food, so she became malnourished and ill. When the Nazis found her no longer useful for forced labor, they sent her to the gas chambers.ever, when in 1940, Germany invaded France and the brutality of the Nazis accelerated with murder, violence and terror. In 1944 Jacqueline and her parents were sent to Auschwitz. Jacqueline and her mother went to the women's work camp, where food rations were meager. Suzanne gave Jacqueline most of her food, so she became malnourished and ill. When the Nazis found her no longer useful for forced labor, they sent her to the gas chamcqueline Morgenstern, born to Suzanne and Karl Morgenstern in 1932 in Paris, France. Here Jacqueline led a happy life, she attended school and her father and uncle owned a beauty shop in central Paris.
The family's feelings of security collapsed, however, when in 1940, Germany invaded France and the brutality of the Nazis accelerated with murder, violence and terror. In 1944 Jacqueline and her parents were sent to Auschwitz. Jacqueline and her mother went to the women's work camp, where food rations were meager. Suzanne gave Jacqueline most of her food, so she became malnourished and ill. When the Nazis found her no longer useful for forced labor, they sent her to the gas chambers.
Medical care
At the end, there wasn' t any medical care in the camp, not even in theory. ( Prof. Herbert Thomas Mandl )
Life in the sick bay was hard. The people here were mere living skeletons and suffered from open and infected wounds. Every day, dozens died. ( Moshe Prusak )
Krankhajt iz gewen erger wi der tojt. Wer is gewen krank- - iz gewen szojn umnojttik. ... A kranker heftlin iz behandelt geworn erger fun a hunt (Sickness was worse than death. A person who was sick, was therefore useless. A sick prisoner was treated worse than a dog.( Henryk Goldring )
There was almost no treatment with medications. When the camp was still a work camp, the camp doctors asked us to bring back from the construction site the paper from cement sacks. These paper sacks were used to dress wounds. ( Dr. Norbert Fried )
We finagled some coal, but we didn' t use it as heating fuel. We ate it because we were told that coal stops diarrhea. ( Dr. A. Jehuda Garai )
... in addition everyone had severe diarrhea. I was lucky to invent a medicine for it which was composed of bread, butter, and silver nitrate. ( Dr. Istvan Nagel )
Every once in a while, I received a call from the barracks with orders to come to the sick bay in order to pick up freshly arrived medicine for my quarantine section- - once it was five, another time ten tablets of counterfeit aspirin or cardiazol, and this was intended for several days and fifty patients. ( Prof. Dr. Viktor E. Frankl )
Our "infirmary" consisted of three barracks buildings that were set to the side. There the misery and the stench were so enormous as if cholera were rampant. ( Dr. A. Jehuda Garai )
The sick people were in terrible condition, most of them with wounds full of pus. To help them I cut their hair to the skin, and in doing so, I removed clumps of pus. ( Dr. Schmuel Mittelmann )
There was no SS- doctor who offered any help whatsoever in the camp. Nevertheless, operations were performed in the camp and even amputations of legs. The place where this was accomplished was the dirt floor of one of the earth huts. I don' t know whether the patients received any kind of anesthesia - I never had strong enough nerves to watch. ( Dr. Norbert Fried )
After Kaufering IV had been declared a "Krankenlager" (camp for the sick) , none of the prisoners were allowed to have clothing. Everyone there was sick and had to lie naked on his wool blanket. ( Dr. Norbert Fried )
We were lying naked under lice-infested blankets, and our sides were rubbed raw from the hard boards we were lying on.( Dr. A. Jehuda Garai )
In six to seven days, the boards he was lying on had rubbed his tailbone raw. Even he did not get any straw or his bedding. A huge wound formed at his tailbone, and this man lay in his place, emaciated like a skeleton, helpless, with open wounds that began to spread on his back and were wider than a hand. ( Dr. A. Jehuda Garai )
Scabies was a very common affliction in camp Kaufering IV. In normal life this is a childhood illness, but in the concentration camp it was deadly. Scabies spread terribly among the sick prisoners who were forced to lie naked and close together under their blankets. There was no treatment for scabies. Such treatment would have been so useful in the camp - but nothing! ( Dr. Norbert Fried )
I especially remember one case. It was the Czech dentist Dr. Georg Sachs. He came from Camp XI. An SS-man had shot him in the stomach. Since they had no surgery instruments whatsoever in Camp XI, six Jewish doctors brought him to our camp. The operation took place around midnight or 1:00 a. m. , and the patient survived. He died later, when every patient with typhoid died. ( Dr. Norbert Fried )
Whenever someone got sick, had a finger torn off or something like that, or when someone had a foot that was frozen - they sent him to Camp IV for the sick. There he would die of typhoid. ( Dr. Norbert Fried )
As is well known, in the winter and spring of 1945 all prisoners got sick with typhoid. Aside from the high mortality rate among the weakened prisoners who were insufficiently housed, received no medicine and no care, and had to work very hard until the last, typhoid had some very unpleasant side effects: a insuperable distaste for any food (which represented an additional mortal risk) and terrible bouts of delirium. ( Prof. Dr. Viktor E. Frankl )
They staggered around with swollen feet and empty eyes until they collapsed, and then their stiff bodies were tossed into the nearby pits. ( Zwi Katz )
At night, unconscious skeletons staggered around in the camp like ghosts, slowly as in a haunted castle, and in their unconsciousness, they searched for their relatives and friends who had died long ago. Many of them froze to death, and some of them wanted to join their relatives in the mortuary bunker. They had to be restrained. The sickness was very contagious because we were full of lice. They sucked our blood, and in the process they infected us with the blood of the sick people. ( Dr. A. Jehuda Garai )
I got sick (typhoid? ) and was no longer able to work. Together with other sufferers I was quarantined in one of the earth bunkers. After 24 hours, I was assumed to be dead and was thrown on a heap of corpses. This heap of corpses was located at a distance of some 100 yards from the quarantine bunker, and the corpses were burned every morning. Because of the cold, I regained consciousness during the night and recognized where was. I was able to free myself from under the cold corpses and to crawl through the snow back to my own earth bunker.( Elias Godinger )
The number of deaths grew, and a strong person could have lifted one of the corpses with one hand; they were that light. ( Dr. A. Jehuda Garai )
During the outbreak of typhoid in Kaufering, we had approximately 25 dead people per day.( Dr. Norbert Fried )
Tog teglech zaijnen gesztorbn 30- 40 und 50 jidn, S' zaijen gestorben alt und jung! (Day after day 30, 40, and 50 Jews died. They died both old and young! ( Hendryk Goldring )
Berlin, SW 11, B. Prinz Albrecht Strasse 8
Field Command Post
November 1942
Dear Comrade Milch!
You will recall that through General Wolff I particularly recommended to you for your consideration the work of a certain SS Fuehrer, Dr. Rascher, who is a physician of the air force on leave [Arzt des Beurlaubtenstandes der Luftwaffe].
These researches which deal with the behavior of the human organism at great heights, as well as with manifestations caused by prolonged cooling of the human body in cold water, and similar problems which are of vital importance to the air force in particular, can be performed by us with particular efficiency because I personally assumed the responsibility for supplying asocial individuals and criminals who deserve only to die [todeswuerdig] from concentration camps for these experiments.
Unfortunately you had no time recently when Dr. Rascher wanted to report on the experiments at the Ministry for Aviation. I had put great hopes in that report, because I believed that in this way the difficulties, based mainly on religious objections, which oppose Dr. Rascher's experiments-for which I assumed responsibility-could be eliminated.
The difficulties are still the same now as before. In these "Christian medical circles" the standpoint is being taken that it goes without saying that a young German aviator should be allowed to risk his life but that the life of a criminal-who is not drafted into military service-is too sacred for this purpose and one should not stain oneself with this guilt; at the same time it is interesting to note that credit is taken for the results of the experiments while excluding the scientist who performed them. I personally have inspected the experiments, and have-I can say this without exaggeration-participated in every phase of this scientific work in a helpful and inspiring manner.
We two should not get angry about these difficulties. It will take at least another ten years until we can get such narrow-mindedness out of our people. But this should not affect the research work which is necessary for our young and splendid soldiers and aviators.
I beg you to release Dr. Rascher, Stabsarzt in reserve, from the air force and to transfer him to me to the Waffen-SS. I would then assume the sole responsibility for having these experiments made in this field, and would put the results, of which we in the SS need only a part for the frost injuries in the East, entirely at the disposal of the air force. However, in this connection I suggest that with the liaison between you and Wolff a "non-Christian" physician should be charged, who should be at the same time honorable as a scientist and not prone to intellectual theft and who could be informed of the results. This physician should also have good contacts with the administrative authorities, so that the results would really obtain a hearing.
I believe that this solution-to transfer Dr. Rascher to the SS, so that he could carry out the experiments under my responsibility and under my orders-is the best way. The experiments should not be stopped; we owe that to our men. If Dr. Rascher remained with the air force, there would certainly be much annoyance; because then I would have to bring a series of unpleasant details to you, because of the arrogance and assumption which Professor Dr. Holzloehner has displayed in the post of Dachau-who is under my command-about me in utterances delivered to SS Colonel Sievers. In order to save both of us this trouble, I suggest again that Dr. Rascher should be transferred to the Waffen SS as quickly as possible.
I would be grateful to you if you would give the order to put the low pressure chamber at our disposal again, together with step-up pumps, because the experiments should be extended to include even greater altitudes.
Cordial greetings and Heil Hitler!
S. RASCHER
Berlin, SW 11, B. Prinz Albrecht Strasse 8
November 1942
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Which creature features on the logo of the French clothing company Lacoste? | Lacoste - Shoes, Bags, Watches - Zappos.com
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The Lacoste Brand Story
René Lacoste entered the legend of tennis when he and his teammates "The Musketeers", stole the Davis Cup away from the Americans for the first time in 1927. Not forgetting his three French Open victories (1925, 1927 and the Roland-Garros stadium in 1929), his two victories in Great Britain (Wimbledon 1925 and 1928) and two U.S. Open titles at Forest Hills (1926 and 1927).
René Lacoste was born in France on July 2, 1904 and died on October 12, 1996. The true story of the "Crocodile" begins in 1927. René Lacoste liked to recount how his nickname became an emblem recognized throughout the world.
"I was nicknamed 'the Alligator' by the American press, after I made a bet with the Captain of the French Davis Cup Team concerning a suitcase made from crocodile skin. He promised to buy it for me if I won a very important match for our team. The public must have been fond of this nickname which conveyed the tenacity I displayed on the tennis courts, never letting go of my prey! So my friend Robert George drew a 'crocodile', which I then had embroidered on the blazer I wore on the courts."
An attentive spectator at René Lacoste’s Davis Cup matches was the winner of the British Women’s golf title, Mademoiselle Simone Thion de la Chaume, who soon became his wife and constant support.
In 1933, René Lacoste and André Gillier, the owner and President of the largest French knitwear manufacturing firm of that time, set up a company to manufacture the logo-embroidered shirt. The champion had designed this for his own use on the tennis court, as well as a number of other shirts for tennis, golf and sailing - as can be seen in the first catalogue, produced in 1933.
To the best of our knowledge, this was the first time that a brand name appeared on the outside of an article of clothing - an idea which has since become extremely successful.
This shirt revolutionized men’s sportswear and replaced the woven fabric, long-sleeved, starched classic shirts . The first Lacoste shirt was white, slightly shorter than its counterparts, had a ribbed collar, short sleeves with ribbed bands and was made of a light knitted fabric called "Jersey petit piqué".
Today, it continues to offer the same quality, comfort and solidity on which it built its name and which constitutes its uniqueness.
As an enduring legacy, the Lacoste brand has widely expanded over the years. Its famous crocodile emblem can now be seen on shoes , eyewear, watches , bedding, bath towels, bags , accessories, kid's shoes , as well as apparel.
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Who is the British evolutionary theorist who wrote 'The Selfish Gene'? | Debate over ‘selfish gene’ theory heats up | Genetic Literacy Project
Debate over ‘selfish gene’ theory heats up
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(Credit: Flickr/micahb37)
The concept of the “selfish gene” has been around for more than three decades. First coined by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins in his 1976 book, The Selfish Gene, the term describes sequences of DNA that spread by forming additional copies of itself within the genome and make no specific contribution to the reproductive success of the organism in which it is found.
This notion became very popular, in large part, because it captured the idea that all living things, including humans, primarily act to maximize the number of their descendants. It also served as an addendum to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, helping reinforce the validity of the theory of the survival of the fittest.
From the beginning, however, this idea has been questioned by many other scientists, researchers and journalists who scoff at the idea that humans are motivated by their genes and not by their own free will. Now, after David Dobbs wrote about the need to challenge the Selfish Gene Theory, in aeon magazine , new life is being breathed into this decades-long argument.
In the provocatively titled “Die, Selfish Gene, Die,” Dobbs writes about the notion of rapid gene expression—the idea that the genes within any given organism can be re-read or re-expressed to make the organism better suited for survival. Evidence of this theory, Dobbs writes, demands that the scientific community revisit the idea of the selfish gene.
“The selfish gene is one of the most successful science metaphors ever invented. Unfortunately, it’s wrong,” he writes.
Dobbs explains:
For a century, the primary account of evolution has emphasised the gene’s role as architect: a gene creates a trait that either proves advantageous or not, and is thus selected for, changing a species for the better, or not. Thus, a genetic blueprint creates traits and drives evolution.
This gene-centric view, as it is known, is the one you learnt in high school. It’s the one you hear or read of in almost every popular account of how genes create traits and drive evolution. It comes from Gregor Mendel and the work he did with peas in the 1860s. Since then, and especially over the past 50 years, this notion has assumed the weight, solidity, and rootedness of an immovable object.
But a number of biologists argue that we need to replace this gene-centric view with one that more heavily emphasises the role of gene expression — that we need to see the gene less as an architect and more as a member of a collaborative remodelling and maintenance crew.
Almost immediately after Dobbs’s article was published, it was met with some sharp criticism.
“However good Dobbs’s other writing may have been, this is a dire piece: one that is loaded with misinformation, wrong information, misleading information, and unsupported speculation,” wrote science writer Jerry Coyne . “None of it even comes close to deposing the value of the ‘selfish gene’ metaphor, and I’m not saying that just because I’m friends with Richard Dawkins.
According to Coyne, Dobbs makes several mistakes:
First, he wants to claim that the metaphor of the selfish gene is wrong. Second, he wants to show that it’s wrong because new understanding of gene regulation—how genes turn on and off during development—render the selfish gene metaphor passé. Finally, he claims that a new theory, that of “genetic accommodation,” relegates much of conventional evolutionary theory to the dustbin, for the new theory deposes the centrality of the gene in favor of the centrality of the environment and its non-genetic effects on development.
There were numerous other sharply critical responses to the Dobbs piece. “While I admire Jerry’s take-down of Dobbs, I’m not sure that he (Jerry Coyne) fully appreciates these other criticisms of the selfish gene,” writes science writer Laurence A. Moran, adding:
I think we should refer to modern evolutionary theory as “modern evolutionary theory” in order to make sure we’re not talking about “Darwinism,” “neo-Darwinism,” or the hardened version of the “Modern Synthesis.” Modern evolutionary theory includes an important role for random genetic drift, Neutral Theory, and population genetics.
We could clarify a lot of discussion if we stopped talking about extending “Darwinism” or extending the Modern Synthesis or proclaiming once again that the selfish gene has died. In fact, the selfish gene has died, it died almost thirty years ago but most people don’t know that. RIP.
Dobbs responded to the criticism in a post on his own website, admitting that he may have “muddled” the message in his original piece:
Most crucially, I seem to have not made clear that my challenge was less to a technical account of nature than to a metaphor and story used to describe those technicalities. To put it another way: I apparently did not make clear that “Die, Selfish Gene, Die” is a story less about how genetics and evolution work than about the stories we tell about how genetics and evolution work—and, most crucially, about how those stories about nature percolate out beyond academia and into the minds of the lay public.
Dobbs’s article, and the pushback it received, is a good example of how scientific theories are seldom unanimously agreed upon or remain static. But that is not a bad thing. It is the constant challenge that helps drive science forward.
Dobbs writes of his critics, “Despite discord they have engaged under the noble assumption that drives all the best science and all the best writing: That, absent evidence otherwise, we are all here trying to tell true and constructive stories about a nature gorgeously and maddeningly complicated.”
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What was the name of the woman with whom John Profumo had an affair that ended his political career? | The Superorganism vs. the Selfish Gene - How Natural Selection Works | HowStuffWorks
The Superorganism vs. the Selfish Gene
Emanuele Biggi/ Getty Images
Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins wrote a book called "The Selfish Gene" in the 1970s. Dawkins' book reframed evolution by pointing out that natural selection favors the passing on of genes, not the organism itself. Once an organism has successfully reproduced, natural selection doesn't care what happens after. This explains why certain strange traits continue to exist -- traits that seem to cause harm to the organism but benefit the genes. In some spider species, the female eats the male after mating. As far as natural selection is concerned, a male spider that dies 30 seconds after mating is just as successful as one that lives a full, rich life.
Since the publication of "The Selfish Gene," most biologists agree that Dawkins' ideas explain a great deal about natural selection, but they don't answer everything. One of the main sticking points is altruism. Why do people (and many animal species) do good things for others, even when it offers no direct benefit to themselves? Research has shown that this behavior is instinctive and appears without cultural training in human infants [source: CBC ]. It also appears in some primate species. Why would natural selection favor an instinct to help others?
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How Kin Selection Works
One theory revolves around kinship. People who are related to you share many of your genes. Helping them could help ensure that some of your genes are passed down. Imagine two families of early humans, both competing for the same food sources. One family has alleles for altruism -- they help each other hunt and share food. The other family doesn't -- they hunt separately, and each human only eats whatever he can catch. The cooperative group is more likely to achieve reproductive success, passing along the alleles for altruism.
Biologists are also exploring a concept known as the superorganism. It's basically an organism made out of many smaller organisms. The model superorganism is the insect colony. In an ant colony, only the queen and a few males will ever pass their genes to the next generation. Thousands of other ants spend their entire lives as workers or drones with absolutely no chance of passing on their genes directly. Yet they work to contribute to the success of the colony. In terms of the "selfish gene," this doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But if you look at an insect colony as a single organism made up of many small parts (the ants), it does. Each ant works to ensure the reproductive success of the colony as a whole. Some scientists think the superorganism concept can be used to explain some aspects of human evolution [source: Wired Science ].
Vestigial and Atavistic Traits
All organisms carry traits that no longer confer any real benefit to them in terms of natural selection. If the trait doesn't harm the organism, then natural selection won't weed it out, so these traits stick around for generations. The result: organs and behaviors that no longer serve their original purpose. These traits are called vestigial.
There are many examples in the human body alone. The tailbone is the remnant of an ancestor's tail, and the ability to wiggle your ears is left over from an earlier primate that was able to move his ears around to pinpoint sounds. Plants have vestigial traits as well. Many plants that once reproduced sexually (requiring pollination by insects) evolved the ability to reproduce asexually. They no longer need insects to pollinate them, but they still produce flowers, which were originally needed to entice insects to visit the plant.
Sometimes, a mutation causes a vestigial trait to express itself more fully. This is known as an atavism . Humans are sometimes born with small tails. It's fairly common to find whales with hind legs. Sometimes snakes have the equivalent of toenails, even though they don't have toes. Or feet.
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Which eminent zoologist wrote the books 'The Naked Ape' and'The Human Zoo'? | Desmond Morris : Naked Ape Human Zoo
Desmond Morris
Naked Ape : Human Zoo
Desmond Morris (Desmond John Morris) author of The Naked Ape and The Human Zoo was born in the village of Purton, near Swindon, Wiltshire, England on January 24th, 1928 as the son of an author of children's fiction and as the great-grandson of William Morris, the pioneering founder of the Swindon Advertiser - Britain's first penny paper - who was also a keen amateur naturalist. During his younger childhood Desmond Morris developed a strong interests in writing and in natural history.
As a teenager his interest in natural history developed towards being an interest in Zoology whilst he also became more interested in art. In 1946 he was obliged to put in two years National Service as a military trainee but also functioned as a lecturer in Fine Arts at the Chisledon Army College. He developed sufficient expertise as an artist to warrant his holding a one-man exhibition in Swindon Library.
In the autumn of 1948 he enrolled as an undergraduate at the Zoology Department of Birmingham University following his release from National Service. During his undergraduate course he continued to be involved in painting and became involved in film-making as a writer and director. His paintings were exhibited in London and in Belgium. In 1951 he graduated from Birmingham with first class honours and moved to Oxford to persue doctoral studies in animal behavior. Here he was placed under the tutorship of Dr. Niko Tinbergen.
In 1952 he married Ramona Baulch. His studies on the Reproductive Behaviour of the Ten-spined Stickleback (a small freshwater fish) led to his being awarded a doctorate in 1954 and then to post-doctoral research at Oxford Oxford on the reproductive behaviour of birds.
From 1956 he became seriously involved in the making of films and television programmes about animal behaviour and began studying the artistic abilities of apes. This was followed by the authorship of a number of natural history books and by the hosting of a popular TV program "Zootime" over several years. In 1959 he was appointed Curator of Mammals at London Zoo. Between 1959 and 1967 he was responsible for the authorship of quite a few natural history books sometimes in co-authorship with his wife.
In 1967 he became a rather more controversial figure in that his authorship strayed into rather more sensitive areas. He was editor of "Primate Ethology" a work which considered recent advances in the study of the behaviours of monkeys and apes, and was author of the international best-seller The Naked Ape which set out to be a frank study of human behavior from a Zoologist's perspective. The early and distinct signs of the financial success of this work which, at the last count, had been translated into 23 languages, selling upwards of 10 million copies, caused him to veer away from continuing in a recent appointment as executive director of the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London and towards relocating to the island of Malta in order to continue to write and to paint.
Amongst the many significant works that he wrote in these years are The Human Zoo (1969) and Intimate Behaviour (1971). In 1973 Desmond Morris returned to Oxford as a research fellow at Wolfson College. In this role it was anticipated that he would work in association with Niko Tinbergen's research group in the Department of Zoology and would continue to research human action-patterns.
Over the ensuing years he has maintained his many interests in animal behaviour research, the arts, and in making television programmes and films. The more significant publications in these more recent years include Manwatching, a Field-Guide to Human Behaviour (1977), an Illustrated Naked Ape (1986), Catwatching (1986), Dogwatching (1986), Babywatching (1991), The Human Animal (1994) and Peoplewatching (2002). Notably significant television and film productions in these years include The Human Race (1982), and The Animals Roadshow - a series which he co-presented with Sarah Kennedy and which proved to be widely popular over a three-year run after 1986.
In overall terms Desmond Morris has been responsible for the authorship of almost fifty scientific publications.
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Which creature appears on the Bacardi logo? | Morris, Desmond 1928– - Dictionary definition of Morris, Desmond 1928– | Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary
Morris, Desmond 1928–
Contemporary Authors, New Revision Series
COPYRIGHT 2009 Gale
(Desmond John Morris)
PERSONAL:
Born January 24, 1928, in Purton, Wiltshire, England; son of Harry Howe (a writer) and Dorothy Marjorie Fuller Morris; married Ramona Baulch (a writer), July 30, 1952; children: Jason. Education: Birmingham University, B.Sc., 1951; Magdalen College, Oxford, D.Phil., 1954. Hobbies and other interests: Painting, archaeology.
CAREER:
Oxford University, Oxford, England, researcher in animal behavior in department of zoology, 1954-56; Zoological Society of London, London, England, head of Granada TV and Film Unit, 1956-59, curator of mammals, 1959-67; Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, England, director, 1967-68; full-time writer, 1968—. Oxford University, research fellow at Wolfson College, 1973-81. Paintings exhibited in numerous shows in England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United States, first in one-man show in Swindon, England, 1948. Zootime television series, Granada TV, host, 1956-67; appeared on numerous other television programs, including Life, 1965-67; The Human Race, 1982; The Animals Roadshow, 1987-89; The Animal Contract, 1989; Animal Country, 1991-96; The Human Animal, 1994; and The Human Sexes, 1997. Social Issues Research Centre, member of panel of advisors.
MEMBER:
Zoological Society of London (scientific fellow), Oxford United Football Club (member, board of directors; former vice chair).
AWARDS, HONORS:
Statuette with Pedestal, World Organization for Human Potential, 1971, for The Naked Ape and The Human Zoo; D.Sc., Reading University, 1998.
WRITINGS:
The Reproductive Behaviour of the Ten-spined Stickleback, E.J. Brill (Boston, MA), 1958.
Introducing Curious Creatures, Spring Books (London, England), 1961.
(Editor, with Caroline Jarvis) The International Zoo Yearbook, Zoological Society of London (London, England), Volumes 1-4, 1962–63.
The Biology of Art: A Study of the Picture-making Behaviour of the Great Apes and Its Relationship to Human Art, Knopf (New York, NY), 1962.
(With wife, Ramona Morris) Men and Snakes, McGraw (New York, NY), 1965.
The Mammals: A Guide to the Living Species, Harper (New York, NY), 1965.
(With Ramona Morris) Men and Apes, McGraw (New York, NY), 1966.
(With Ramona Morris) Men and Pandas, Hutchinson (London, England), 1966, McGraw (New York, NY), 1967, revised edition published as The Giant Panda, Penguin (New York, NY), 1981.
(Editor) Primate Ethology, Aldine (Chicago, IL), 1967, revised edition, Aldine/Transaction (New Brunswick, NJ), 2006.
The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal, J. Cape (London, England), 1967, McGraw (New York, NY), 1968, revised edition published as The Illustrated Naked Ape, J. Cape (London, England), 1986.
The Human Zoo, McGraw (New York, NY), 1969.
Patterns of Reproductive Behaviour: Collected Papers, J. Cape (London, England), 1970, McGraw (New York, NY), 1971.
Intimate Behavior, J. Cape (London, England), 1971, Random House (New York, NY), 1972.
Manwatching: A Field Guide to Human Behavior, Abrams (New York, NY), 1977.
(With Peter Collett, Peter Marsh, and Marie O'Shaughnessy) Gestures: Their Origins and Distributions, Stein & Day (New York, NY), 1979.
Animal Days, J. Cape (London, England), 1979, Morrow (New York, NY), 1980.
The Soccer Tribe, J. Cape (London, England), 1981.
Inrock (fiction), J. Cape (London, England), 1983.
The Book of Ages (fantasy novel), Viking Press (New York, NY), 1983.
The Art of Ancient Cyprus, Phaidon (Oxford, England), 1985.
Bodywatching: A Field Guide to the Human Species, J. Cape (London, England), 1985.
Dogwatching, J. Cape (London, England), 1986, Crown Books (New York, NY), 1987.
Catwatching, Crown Books (New York, NY), 1987.
The Secret Surrealist: The Paintings of Desmond Morris, Phaidon (Oxford, England), 1987.
Catlore, Crown Books (New York, NY), 1988.
(With the Roadshow Team) The Animals Roadshow, J. Cape (London, England), 1988.
Horsewatching, Crown Books (New York, NY), 1988.
Animalwatching: A Field Guide to Animal Behavior, Crown Books (New York, NY), 1990.
The Animal Contract: Sharing the Planet, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1990.
Babywatching, Crown Books (New York, NY), 1992.
The Human Animal: A Personal View of the Human Species, Crown Books (New York, NY), 1994.
Illustrated Babywatching, Ebury (London, England), 1995.
Bodytalk: The Meaning of Human Gestures, Crown Books (New York, NY), 1995.
Cat World: A Feline Encyclopedia, Penguin (New York, NY), 1997.
The Human Sexes: A Natural History of Man and Woman, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.
Illustrated Horsewatching, Ebury (London, England), 1998.
Cool Cats: The 100 Cat Breeds of the World, Ebury (London, England), 1999, published as Cat Breeds of the World, Viking (New York, NY), 1999.
(With Kaori Ishida) The Naked Ape and Cosmetic Behavior (in Japanese), Kyuryudo (Tokyo, Japan), 1999.
Body Guards: Protective Amulets and Charms, Ebury (London, England), 1999.
The Naked Eye: My Travels in Search of the Human Species, Ebury (London, England), 2000.
Dogs: The Ultimate Dictionary of Over 1,000 Dog Breeds, Trafalgar Square (North Pomfret, VT), 2002.
The Naked Woman: A Study of the Female Body, Thomas Dunne (New York, NY), 2005.
for children
The Story of Congo, Batsford (London, England), 1958.
Apes and Monkeys, Bodley Head (London, England), 1964, McGraw (New York, NY), 1965.
The Big Cats, McGraw (New York, NY), 1965.
Zoo Time, Hart-Davis (London, England), 1966.
The World of Animals, illustrated by Peter Barrett, Viking Press (New York, NY), 1993.
other
Also contributor to journals, including Behavior, British Birds, New Scientist, and Zoo Life.
ADAPTATIONS:
The Naked Ape was filmed by Universal and released in 1973.
SIDELIGHTS:
Desmond Morris first came to wide public attention as the host of Zootime, a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) television series featuring the animals of the London Zoo, and as the author of The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal, in which he examines humans from a zoologist's perspective. Over the course of his career, he has emerged as "a keen observer of animals (human and other) and a prolific author," wrote Library Journal contributor Lee Arnold, reviewing The Naked Eye: My Travels in Search of the Human Species. Morris's fascination with animals began in early childhood, when he spent hours at a time in close observation of worms and beetles near his home. As a student, he was drawn to the science of ethology—the study of natural animal behavior. His teachers were some of the founders of this young science, including Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen. Morris's research in this discipline uncovered such phenomena as homosexuality among the tenspined stickleback fish and the "divorce" of mated pairs of zebra finches.
In The Naked Ape Morris brings the methods of observation he learned as an ethologist to bear upon his fellow man. He states that humans are merely one of many variations within the ape family, and then attempts to explain humankind's complex behavior by relating it to that of the lesser apes. The result proved fascinating to the general public; the book quickly became a bestseller. Many scientists, however, particularly anthropologists (whose domain is specifically the study of man), have reserved harsh criticism for Morris and The Naked Ape.
Saturday Review contributor Morton Fried thought Morris unqualified to write a book on human behavior. Morris, he wrote, "has simply given us a naive and scientifically reactionary book…. Clearly, he never took even a freshman course in [anthropology], or he flunked it." New York Review of Books critic J.Z. Young similarly faulted the book, suggesting that Morris deliberately emphasizes the most provocative aspects of his subject in order to ensure his book's popularity. Young pointed out that while more than one-fourth of The Naked Ape describes man's sexual habits, there is no mention whatsoever of language or learning. "It is not fair for any biologist to describe only those aspects of an animal that interest him and titillate his readers, especially if the ones omitted are the essential biological foundations of the success of the species." Other reviewers, however, praised Morris for making scientific material accessible to a wide audience. In Natural History, Peter Williams commended The Naked Ape for its "brilliant insights"; a Times Literary Supplement critic called it "not only a thoughtful and stimulating book, but also an extremely interesting one." Readers apparently agreed, for The Naked Ape was eventually published in more than twenty countries and sold over ten million copies.
Publication of Animal Days marked a change in tone. "This time, Morris doesn't try to shock or titillate with … theories," noted Peter Gwynne in Newsweek. "[Animal Days] is a straightforward, unpretentious memoir of his encounters with animals and fellow scientists. And it is a delightful book." Writing in the New York Times, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt likewise praised the book for its "gallery of arresting portraits of Mr. Morris's fellow animal behaviorists—the first great generation of them, really." A New York Times Book Review critic concluded that Animal Days is "a visit with an engaging raconteur who has spent his life in a fascinating field."
Morris's books have continued to bring the more intriguing aspects of animal nature to a broad readership. In Bodytalk: The Meaning of Human Gestures, the naturalist examines the vast number of meanings attached to hand gestures. Among the six hundred gestures Morris discusses are the "thumbs up" and "high five" familiar to most Americans, as well as the German convention of signaling someone as an idiot by slapping one's elbow with the palm of one's hand. Morris has also written books for children. Illustrated with watercolor paintings by Peter Barrett, The World of Animals finds the author contrasting the real nature of a variety of species with their cartoon and stuffed-animal counterparts. Not only lions, tigers, and bears, but koalas, platypuses, and beavers are described in a prose style accessible to younger readers that is as engaging as "the narration of a zoo tour led by an enthusiastic and expert guide," noted Booklist reviewer Elizabeth Bush. Other Morris books geared toward explaining nature to younger readers include The Story of Congo and The Big Cats.
In books such as Dogwatching and Catwatching, Morris applies his ethologist's eye to some of humanity's favorite pets. The books offer a variety of information about animals, answering questions from why cats seem to prefer women to why dogs bark. "The author turns his attention to animal behavior in just the right tone for pet lovers," noted Los Angeles Times Book Review contributor Mordecai Siegal, who commended the books' question-and-answer format as "quite appropriate for the curator of a zoo." Nevertheless, he echoed former criticisms of Morris's work, faulting the books for "the absence of information sources." The author replied to this charge in an interview with Kathy Hacker for the Chicago Tribune, saying that the popular nature of his books precludes the use of extensive citations: "A lot of the statements I make have this huge backup of quantified field work…. [Some] do not and are simply based on intuition and anecdotal observation. The agony of writing a pop book is that you can't say which is which. The text has got to flow," Morris continued. "If you put down every detail and every chart and every figure, I suspect people wouldn't read it at all."
Morris continued to titillate readers with The Naked Woman: A Study of the Female Body. A guide to the female body as much as it is a social commentary on it, the book explains how humans' main function is breeding, and therefore the female human anatomy is based on being sexually alluring to men. When it comes to social customs, Morris does not hesitate to criticize what he feels are misguided, inappropriate, or misogynistic practices that serve to subjugate women. Among these he includes Muslim laws regarding treatment of women and the practice of female circumcision. Overall, Morris believes that the female body has undergone significant physical adaptations more recently than has the male body, which makes it more complicated and more highly evolved.
In terms of the practical design of the female body, Morris notes that it is sometimes not quite right. For instance, round breasts are sexually attractive to mature males, but they tend to smother babies. He also theorizes that blonde hair is the most attractive to males because it is the softest and writes about the delicacy of the female foot as a sexual signifier. On the whole, reviewers felt the book offered interesting ideas as well as significant doses of controversy. "Most women who read the book are likely to be amused and irked, probably in equal proportions," wrote Enrique Fernandez in the Miami Herald, but Carol Haggas of Booklist called Morris "positively giddy with admiration for his subject," which she felt he tackles "cogently."
Morris embraced another popular topic in Dogs: The Ultimate Dictionary of Over 1,000 Dog Breeds. Instead of focusing on physical characteristics, as many dog guides do, Morris prefers a historical approach to discussing which dogs were used for what purpose thousands of years ago (for rescuing, hunting, herding, and guiding) and where each breed originated, up to contemporary developments in dog breeding, such as the rise of the Schnoodle and wolf-dog hybrids. The book provides "delightful browsing," according to a reviewer from Booklist, and Cleo Pappas, writing in Library Journal, said the author's "painstaking scholarship and research … set the book apart" from others of its ilk.
Morris's popularity extends to his other books, which encompass a variety of subjects, from art to soccer. His wide range of interests prompted Gwynne to write of him, "Zoologist Desmond Morris is the epitome of the scholar with interests too lively to hide under an academic bushel." Of himself, Morris told William Overend of the Los Angeles Times: "I describe myself as a senile 14-year-old…. I get more foolish and frivolous each year. I confess to cultivating immaturity. I don't aspire to maturity because it's so often connected with rigid thought…. I really don't want to ever take things too seriously, least of all myself."
BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:
books
Morris, Desmond, Animal Days, J. Cape (London, England), 1979, Morrow (New York, NY), 1980.
Morris, Desmond, The Naked Eye: My Travels in Search of the Human Species, Ebury Press (London, England), 2000.
periodicals
American Scientist, January-February, 1997, Robert Root-Bernstein, "Art, Imagination, and the Scientist," p. 64.
Booklist, December 13, 1993, Elizabeth Bush, review of The World of Animals, pp. 751-752; November 1, 2002, review of Dogs: The Ultimate Dictionary of Over 1,000 Dog Breeds, p. 538; August, 2005, Carol Haggas, review of The Naked Woman: A Study of the Female Body, p. 1974.
Chicago Tribune, January 9, 1986, Kathy Hacker, interview with Desmond Morris.
Entertainment Weekly, March 6, 1998, Margot Mifflin, review of The Human Sexes: A Natural History of Man and Woman, p. 74.
Financial Times, October 9, 2004, review of The Naked Woman, p. 33.
Library Journal, June 15, 2001, Lee Arnold, review of The Naked Eye, p. 94; June 15, 2002, Cleo Pappas, review of Dogs, p. 58.
Los Angeles Times, May 21, 1984, William Overend, interview with Desmond Morris. Los Angeles Times Book Review, May 31, 1987, Mordecai Siegal, review of Dogwatching and Catwatching; April 9, 1995, review of Bodytalk.
Miami Herald, October 12, 2005, Enrique Fernandez, review of The Naked Woman.
Natural History, February, 1968, Peter Williams, review of The Naked Ape; January, 1970, review of The Human Zoo, p. 104.
Newsweek, August 4, 1980, Peter Gwynne, review of Animal Days.
New York Review of Books, March 14, 1968, J.Z. Young, review of The Naked Ape.
New York Times, July 18, 1980, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, review of Animal Days; Walter Goodman, December 30, 1994, review of The Human Animal: The Language of the Body, p. B15; February 2, 1998, Walter Goodman, review of The Human Sexes, p. E5.
New York Times Book Review, August 10, 1980, review of Animal Days; May 14, 1995, Helen Fisher, review of Bodytalk: The Meaning of Human Gestures, p. 16.
Publishers Weekly, October 18, 1993, review of The World of Animals, p. 74.
Saturday Review, February 17, 1968, Morton Fried, review of The Naked Ape; March 4, 1972, review of Intimate Behavior, p. 77; July, 1980, James Sloan Allen, review of Animal Days, p. 60.
School Library Journal, January, 1994, Sally Bates Goodroe, review of The World of Animals, pp. 126-127.
Time, December 9, 1985, review of Bodywatching.
Times Literary Supplement, November 9, 1967, review of The Naked Ape.
Yale Review, summer, 1968, review of The Naked Ape, p. 612.
online
Desmond Morris Information Page, http://www.desmond-morris.com (June 2, 2006).*
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In terms of area, which is the smallest of Ireland's counties? | Ireland Geographical Facts, Figures and Physical Extremities
This page gives some of the physical extremities of Ireland
Most northerly point*
The most northerly point is Inishtrahull Island, situated in the Atlantic Ocean 7 km north of Inishowen Peninsula, county Donegal. It lies at latitude 55.43�N. Of mainland Ireland, the most northerly point is a headland 2 km northeast of Malin Head, Inishowen Peninsula, county Donegal. It lies at latitude 55.38�N.
Most easterly point
The most easterly point is Big Bow Meel Island, which is a rock situated 900 metres off the Ards Peninsula, county Down, at longitude 5.42�W. Of mainland Ireland, the most easterly point is Burr Point, Ards Peninsula, county Down at longitude 5.43�W. It is situated 2 km southeast of the village of Ballyhalbert.
Most southerly point
The most southerly point is Fastnet Rock, which lies in the Atlantic Ocean 11.3 km south of mainland county Cork. It lies at latitude 51.37�N. Of mainland Ireland, the most southerly point is Brow Head, county Cork, which lies 3.8 km east of the marginly more northerly Mizen Head. It lies at latitude 51.43�N.
Most westerly point*
The most westerly point is Tearaght Island, which lies in the Atlantic Ocean 12.5 km west of Dingle Peninsula, county Kerry. It lies at longitude 10.70�W. Of mainland Ireland, the most westerly point is Garraun Point, Dingle Peninsula, county Kerry which is 2.5 km northwest of Slea Head. It lies at longitude 10.51�W.
Geographical Centres
The geographical centre of Ireland is to be found in eastern county Roscommon, at a point 3km (2 miles) south of Athlone town.
The centre of Ulster is in county Tyrone, at a point 20km (14 miles) east of Omagh town, near the village of Pomeroy.
The centre of Munster is in the north of county Cork, at a point 9km (6 miles) south-west of the village of Rath Luirc.
The centre of Leinster is in western county Kildare, at a point 5km (3 miles) south-west of Kildare town.
The centre of Connaught is in county Mayo, 6km (4 miles) south-east of the pilgrim village of Knock.
The centre of Northern Ireland is in eastern county Tyrone, at a point 6km (4 miles) south-east of the town of Cookstown.
The centre of the Republic of Ireland is in south-eastern county Galway, at a point 3km (2 miles) south-west of the village of Eyrecourt.
Highest altitude
The summit of Mt Carrantuohill, county Kerry, rises to 1,041 metres (3414 feet) above sea level. The second highest point is the summit of Mt Beenkeragh, county Kerry, which rises to 1,010 metres (3314 feet) above sea level. The highest point in Northern Ireland is the summit of Slieve Donard, county Down, which rises to 852 metres (2796 feet) above sea level, and is the 8th highest peak in Ireland.
Tallest sea cliffs
The sea cliffs at Croaghaun, Achill Island off western Ireland fall 668 metres (2,192 feet) into the Atlantic Ocean. Slieve League in county Donegal has a drop of 601 metres (1,972 feet) into the same ocean. Both cliffs are almost twice the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. However, as there is no vantage point to see the cliffs at Achill Island the Donegal cliffs are more famous.
(thanks to Michele of irelandyes.com for this information)
Most populated county
The most heavily populated county is county Dublin, with 1,056,666 inhabitants at the last estimate. The next most heavily populated county is Antrim, with 566,400 inhabitants.
Most densely populated county
The most densely populated county is county Dublin, with 1147.3 inhabitants per square kilometre at the last estimate. The next most densely populated is county Antrim, with 199.2 inhabitants per square kilometre.
Least populated county
The county with the fewest inhabitants is county Leitrim with just 25,032 inhabitants at the last estimate. The next lowest is county Longford with 30,128 inhabitants.
Most sparsely populated county
The most sparsely populated county in Ireland is Leitrim, with a mere 15.8 inhabitants per square kilometre at the last estimate. The next most sparsely populated is county Mayo, which has 19.9 inhabitants per square kilometre.
Largest settlements
The largest city in Ireland is Dublin, which at 859,976 inhabitants, is home to almost 1 in 5 Irish people, and more than 1 in 4 in the Irish Republic. The next 9 largest settlements are Belfast (counties Down and Antrim, 475,968), Cork (county Cork, 174,400), Limerick (county Limerick, 75,436) Derry (county Londonderry, 72,334), Newtownabbey (county Antrim, 56,811), D�n Laoghaire (county Dublin, 55,540), Bangor (county Down, 52,437), Galway (county Galway, 50,853) and Lisburn (county Antrim, 42,110). More towns .
Largest county
In terms of area, the largest county in Ireland is county Cork at 7,457 km�. The next largest is county Galway, at 6,148 km�. The largest county in Northern Ireland is county Tyrone, at 3,155 km�.
Smallest county
The smallest county in Ireland is county Louth, which is just 820 km� in area - 9 times smaller than county Cork. The next smallest is county Carlow, which is 896 km�. The smallest county in Northern Ireland is county Armagh, at 1,254 km�.
Longest river
The longest river in Ireland is the river Shannon whose source is Shannon Pot, county Cavan, and which enters the sea between counties Clare and Limerick after a journey of 386 km (240 miles). It is, in fact, the longest river in the British Isles. The longest river within Northern Ireland is the river Bann, whose source is in the Mourne Mountains, county Down and which enters the sea in county Londonderry after 122 km (76 miles).
Largest lake
Lough Neagh, Northern Ireland, which is 396 km� (153 miles�) in area. It forms part of counties Tyrone, Londonderry, Antrim, Down and Armagh. It is, in fact, the largest lake in the British Isles.
Closest to Britain
The closest point that Ireland comes to Britain is Torr Head, county Antrim, which is just 23 km (14 miles) from the Mull of Kintyre, Scotland. On most days, fields in Scotland can be seen clearly across the North Channel.
Largest island
Besides Ireland itself (82,463 km�) the largest offshore island in Irish waters is Achill island, county Mayo, with an area of 148 km� (57 miles�).
Tallest waterfall
Ireland's tallest waterfall is Powerscourt Falls, county Wicklow, where the water drops 106 metres (350 feet). It is the third tallest waterfall in the British Isles.
Sunniest town
The town in Ireland which enjoys the most sunshine is Rosslare, county Wexford which has over 1600 hours of sunshine per year (4 hrs, 20 mins per day).
Cloudiest town
The town in Ireland which receives the least sunshine is Omagh, county Tyrone which has less than 1200 hours of sunshine per year (3 hrs, 20 mins per day).
Wettest place
The wettest place in Ireland is the area of the Maumturk and Partry mountains of counties Mayo and Galway, which receive annually over 2400 mm of rain.
Driest place
The driest place in Ireland is Dublin city which receives less than 800 mm of rain per year.
*Excludes Rockall Island, which is situated in the north Atlantic 440 km northwest of county Donegal. Although it is merely an uninhabited outcrop of rock a few tens of metres across, it is important in that whoever owns it can claim the fishing and oil rights around it. It is currently in dispute between Iceland, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and Denmark. Rockall Island is at latitude 57.61�N, longitude 13.70�W.
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In 'Keeping Up Appearances', what is the name of 'Hyacinth Bucket's' unseen son? | Ireland's counties and provinces | Ireland.com
Home Discover Ireland
Ireland's counties and provinces
The island of Ireland is made up of four provinces and 32 counties, and they all have their own unique charms and traditions
Glenveagh National Park, County Donegal
Connacht
Connacht is largely made up of counties on Ireland's western coast. Roscommon is the only county landlocked county in the province. Connacht is home to stunning scenery, including Connemara , Achill Island, and Sligo’s world-renowned surfing coast. Many parts of the province retain their very strong Gaelic traditions, in particular the Aran Islands. The Irish language is spoken throughout Connacht's Gaeltacht (Irish speaking) areas.
The five counties of Connacht are Galway , Leitrim , Mayo , Roscommon and Sligo .
Clogher Bay, Dingle Peninsula, County Kerry
Leinster
This eastern province is home to the Republic of Ireland’s capital city Dublin , originally founded by the Vikings. Today, rarely a week goes by without some form of festival happening in the city.
Leinster is now the most populated province on the island, with over half the population of the Republic of Ireland living there. The area was heavily colonized over the centuries and, as a result, it's home to many fine examples of medieval, Norman, Georgian and Neolithic architecture.
Carlow , Dublin , Kildare , Kilkenny , Laois , Longford , Louth , Meath , Offaly , Westmeath , Wexford and Wicklow are the counties that make up the Leinster region.
Munster
Two of Ireland’s largest counties are found in Munster: Cork and Kerry . Both have their own names they like to go by.
In Cork they consider themselves the “People’s Republic of Cork”, because if there is one thing people from Cork love, it’s Cork. It's also affectionately known as the gourmet county, because of its excellent culinary expertise.
“The Kingdom of Kerry” is renowned for its spectacular golf courses and it has won the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championships more times than any other team. Plus it has lush green scenery and a stunning coastline that is coveted by visitors while the town of Dingle boasts its own resident dolphin called Fungi (so popular he even has his own Twitter account .)
The lunar Burren and Cliffs of Moher are in County Clare and several ancient castles populate the counties of Limerick , Tipperary and Waterford . Waterford is renowned for its exquisite hand-cut crystal glass.
Munster’s counties are Clare , Cork , Kerry , Limerick , Tipperary and Waterford .
Ulster
The combined influences of several different cultures – the Ulster Scots, the Gaels, the Normans and the Anglo-Normans – have sculpted and colored the Ulster landscape in a particularly unique manner.
Natural beauties such as Donegal’s Glenveagh National Park, the Mourne Mountains in County Down , Fermanagh’s Lakelands and the Giant’s Causeway in Antrim (seen in all its glory here in Ben Joyner’s competition winning video ) make this part of the island a spectacular place to visit.
Meanwhile, the capital of Northern Ireland, Belfast city , played its part in making maritime history as the birthplace of the world's most famous ship: the Titanic .
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The Calcaneusis the medical name for which bone in the human body? | Calcaneus Bone Anatomy, Definition & Function | Body Maps
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Calcaneus
Located within the foot, the calcaneus is also known as the heel bone. It is situated in the back of the foot, just below the talus, tibia, and fibula bones of the lower leg. Of all of the bones in the foot, the heel bone is the largest.
The calcaneus has a unique design and structure. At the front, the heel bone features many curves to accommodate the talus and the many different tarsal bones, which lead to the metatarsals and phalanges that make up the front of the foot and toes. The back of the heel bone is not as complex, featuring a tuberosity and a medial process — landmark areas of the bone where muscles attach.
The calcaneus provides insertion points for the abductor hallucis and the abductor digiti minimi muscles. At the back of the heel, the Achilles tendon inserts into the rough area located on the superior (upper) side. This fibrous connective tissue, as well as other ligaments and muscles, is necessary for standing, walking, and running. As such, a broken or fractured calcaneus will make these movements difficult.
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Which American state hasthe smallest population? | Foot Bone Anatomy: Overview, Tarsal Bones - Gross Anatomy, Metatarsal Bones - Gross Anatomy
Foot Bone Anatomy
Author: Vinod K Panchbhavi, MD, FACS; Chief Editor: Thomas R Gest, PhD more...
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Overview
Overview
The human foot is a highly developed, biomechanically complex structure that serves to bear the weight of the body as well as forces many times the weight of the human body during propulsion.
About 26 bones in the human foot provide structural support. They can be grouped into 3 parts, as follows [ 1 , 2 ] :
The tarsal bones (7) [ 3 , 4 ]
The metatarsal bones (5) [ 5 ]
The phalanges (14) [ 6 ]
Apart from these main bones, the sesamoid bones help improve function and are often found as variants of the accessory bones.
The foot itself can be divided into 3 parts: the hindfoot, the midfoot, and the forefoot. The hindfoot is composed of 2 of the 7 tarsal bones, the talus, and the calcaneus; the midfoot contains the rest of the tarsal bones; and the forefoot contains the metatarsals and the phalanges.
The images below depict the bones of the foot.
Bones of the foot, dorsal and ventral views.
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Tarsal Bones - Gross Anatomy
The tarsal bones are 7 in number. They are named the calcaneus, talus, cuboid, navicular, and the medial, middle, and lateral cuneiforms.
Calcaneus
The calcaneus is the largest of the tarsal bones located in the heel of the foot and bears the weight of the body as the heel hits the ground. This bone protrudes out at the back, providing a strong lever for the triceps surae muscles of the calf and helping with plantar flexion and push off during ambulation (see the image below). The calcaneus is roughly 3-dimensionally rectangular in shape, with its long axis directed anteriorly and laterally, and it has 6 surfaces.
Ankle joint, lateral view.
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Calcaneus, surface anatomy
The superior calcaneal surface (see the following images) of the calcaneus has 2 parts: articular and nonarticular. The nonarticular part extends posteriorly to form the heel; it varies in length in different individuals, is convex from side to side, is concave in the anteroposterior axis, and supports a fat pad situated anterior to the calcaneal (Achilles) tendon. The articular part that lies anterior to the nonarticular part of the superior surface has an oval facet; the posterior facet faces superiorly and is also tilted anteriorly. The articular portion of the superior surface is convex in the anteroposterior axis and articulates with the posterior calcaneal facet on the undersurface of the talus.
Superior surface of the calcaneus bone.
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At the anterior boundary of the posterior facet is a deep depression, which continues posteromedially in the form of a groove. This groove is called the calcaneal sulcus. It matches the inferior similar sulcus underneath the talus, and both these grooves form a canal in the hindfoot called the sinus tarsi.
Just anteromedial to the calcaneal sulcus is another area of articular surface elongated and concave in its long axis that is directed anterolaterally. This articular surface is divided by a transversely oriented notch into a larger facet, called the middle facet, as well as a smaller facet anterior to this, called the anterior facet (see the previous image).
The middle facet lies on a medially projecting process of the calcaneus called the sustentaculum tali (see the image below). It articulates with the middle calcaneal facet on the under surface of the talus. The anterior facet lies on the anterior process of the calcaneus and articulates with the anterior calcaneal facet on the talus. The upper surface, anterior and lateral to the facets, is rough for the attachment of ligaments and for the origin of the extensor digitorum brevis.
Medial surface of the calcaneus bone.
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The inferior or plantar calcaneal surface is wider posteriorly and convex from side to side. It has a plantar prominence at the back, called the calcaneal tuberosity (see the following image), which has a central longitudinal depression dividing it into a smaller lateral process that is the origin of a part of the abductor digiti minimi (quinti), as well as a larger broader medial process that gives attachment, by its prominent medial margin, to the abductor hallucis, and in front to the flexor digitorum brevis and the plantar aponeurosis.
Lateral view of the calcaneus and cuboid bones.
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The depression between the processes gives rise to the abductor digiti minimi (quinti). The rough surface in front of the processes gives attachment to the long plantar ligament and to the lateral head of the quadratus plantae. The plantar calcaneocuboid ligament is attached to a prominent tubercle nearer the anterior part of this surface, as well as to a transverse groove in front of the tubercle.
The lateral calcaneal surface (see the image below) is broader posteriorly and becomes narrower anteriorly. It has a small tubercle in the middle, to which the calcaneofibular ligament is attached. Anterior to this tubercle are 2 grooves separated by a ridge, the trochlear process or peroneal (fibular) tubercle. The fibularis (peroneus) brevis tendon lies superior and the fibularis (peroneus) longus tendon lies inferior to the peroneal (fibular) tubercle.
Lateral surface of the calcaneus bone.
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The medial calcaneal surface (see the first image below) has a deep concavity in the anteroposterior direction in which run the neurovascular structures from the leg into the foot. Toward the upper and anterior end is a medially oriented horizontal projection, the sustentaculum tali (see the second image below). The sustentaculum tali has an articular surface for the middle calcaneal facet and is grooved inferiorly to house the flexor hallucis longus tendon. Its anterior margin gives attachment to the plantar calcaneonavicular ligament, and its medial margin gives attachment to a part of the deltoid ligament of the ankle joint.
Medial surface of the calcaneus bone.
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Talus
The talus is the second largest tarsal bone, and it is situated above the calcaneus in the hindfoot. This bone is unique in that two thirds of the talar surface is covered with articular cartilage, and neither tendons nor muscles insert or originate from this bone. The talus has 5 articular surfaces, all of which have a weight-bearing function. The talus is composed of 3 parts (the head, neck, body) and 2 processes (the lateral and posterior).
The talar head is the portion that articulates mostly with the navicular. The body includes the dome of the talus at the ankle joint and the posterior facet at the subtalar joint. Between the head and the body is the neck, which does not articulate with the ankle and sits over the sinus tarsi below. The body and neck of the talus are not coaxial, because in the horizontal plane the neck angles medially with a variable angle of declination.
Talus, head
The talar head looks forward and medialward; its anterior articular or navicular surface is large, oval, and convex. The anteroinferior medial portion of the talar head is quadrilateral or oval and provides articulation with the anterior facet of the calcaneus. This portion of the head is flat and continuous anteriorly with the navicular articular surface (see the images below).
Anterior view of the talus and calcaneus bones.
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The head of the talus nests within an articulation known as the acetabulum pedis, or foot socket (see image below), as described by Sarrafian. [ 2 ] This socket is formed by the calcaneal middle and anterior surfaces connected to the large navicular articular surface by the inferior and superomedial calcaneonavicular ligaments. The acetabulum pedis has a variable volume capacity and adapts to the changing position of the talar head during gait. It is hinged laterally by the lateral calcaneonavicular component of the bifurcate ligament and medially by the posterior tibial tendon and the spring ligament.
Superior view of the acetabulum pedis.
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Talus, neck
The neck is directed forward and medialward 15-20º and comprises the constricted portion of the bone between the body and the oval head (see the following image). This portion of the talus is most vulnerable to fracture. The neck has 4 surfaces: (1) superior, (2) lateral, (3) medial, and (4) inferior.
Medial surface of the talus bone.
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The superior surface of the neck is limited posteriorly by the anterior border of the trochlea of the talus (the dome or body) and anteriorly by the articular surface of the talar head. The tibiotalar capsule inserts along this superior surface just proximal to the insertion of the capsule of the talonavicular joint. The lateral surface of the neck is concave and is continuous below with the deep groove for the interosseous talocalcaneal ligament. It provides an insertion for the medial aspect of the inferior extensor retinaculum. The inferior surface of the neck forms the roof of the sinus tarsi and sinus canal. The medial surface provides an area for insertion of the talonavicular ligaments.
Talus, body
The body of the talus is arbitrarily divided into 5 surfaces: (1) lateral, (2) medial, (3) superior, (4) inferior, and (5) posterior.
The lateral talar body surface carries a large triangular facet, concave from above downward, for articulation with the lateral malleolus (see the image below). It is continuous above with the superior articular surface and in front of it is a rough depression for the attachment of the anterior talofibular ligament. Along the anterior, inferior, and posterior perimeter of this lateral articular surface is the lateral process, a nonarticular component of the talus. The lateral talocalcaneal ligament inserts at the inferior tip of the lateral process. Along the anterior border of the triangular lateral process are 2 tubercles for insertion of the anterior talofibular ligament. Along the posteroinferior border of this lateral surface lies a groove for the attachment of the posterior talofibular ligament.
Lateral surface of the talus bone.
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The medial talar body surface of the body presents 2 areas, superior and inferior(see the following image). The superior portion is occupied by a pear-shaped or comma-shaped articular facet, which is broader anteriorly and is called the medial malleolar facet. It articulates with the medial malleolus of the tibia and is continuous above with the superior articular surface for tibia. The long-axis medial malleolar facet is oriented anteroposteriorly. The inferior portion is nonarticular, and its anterior half is a depressed surface perforated by numerous vascular foramina. Under the tail of the medial malleolar facet, the posterior half of the inferior portion consists of a large oval area that provides insertion for the deep component of the deltoid ligament.
Medial surface of the talus bone.
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The superior surface of the talar body is completely covered with articular cartilage for articulation with the tibia. It is shaped like a pulley, with the groove of the pulley termed the trochlea, closer to the medial border. The superior surface is broader in front than behind, convex anteroposterior axis, slightly concave from side to side: in front, it is continuous with the upper surface of the neck of the bone (see image below).
Superior surface of the talus bone.
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The inferior talar body surface presents 2 articular areas called the posterior calcaneal articular surface and the middle calcaneal articular surface . These articular surfaces, one for the posterior and the other for the middle calcaneal facets, are separated from each other by a deep groove, the sulcus tali. The groove runs obliquely forward and lateralward, becoming gradually broader and deeper in front. In the articulated hindfoot it lies above a similar groove upon the upper surface of the calcaneus, and forms, with it, a canal termed the sinus tarsi, in which lies the interosseous talocalcaneal ligament.
The posterior calcaneal articular surface is large and of an oval or oblong form. It articulates with the corresponding facet on the upper surface of the calcaneus and is deeply concave in the direction of its long axis, which runs forward and lateralward at an angle of about 45° with the median plane of the body. The middle calcaneal articular surface is small, oval in form and slightly convex; it articulates with the upper surface of the sustentaculum tali of the calcaneus(see the first image below). The posterior surface is narrow, and traversed by a groove running obliquely downward and medialward and transmitting the tendon of the flexor hallucis longus (see the second image below).
Medial view of the talus and calcaneal bones.
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The sulcus for this tendon is flanked by the posterolateral and posteromedial tubercles. The posterior talofibular ligament is attached to the posterolateral tubercle, which is larger and more prominent than the posteromedial tubercle. The posterolateral tubercle contributes an inferior articular surface that is in continuity with the posterolateral aspect of the posterior calcaneal surface of the talus. An accessory bone, the os trigonum, may be found in connection with the posterolateral tubercle.
Talus, articulations
The talus articulates with 4 bones: the tibia, fibula, calcaneus, and navicular.
Cuboid
The cuboid bone is placed on the lateral side of the foot, in front of the calcaneus, and behind the fourth and fifth metatarsal bones. It is cuboidal in shape but has a broader base oriented medially (see the image below).
Lateral view of the calcaneus and cuboid bones.
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Cuboid, surfaces
The dorsal cuboidal surface, directed upward and lateralward, is rough, for the attachment of ligaments. The plantar surface appears in front of a deep groove, the peroneal (fibularis) sulcus, which runs obliquely anteromedially. It lodges the tendon of the fibularis (peroneus) longus and is bounded behind by a prominent ridge, to which the long plantar ligament is attached. The ridge ends laterally in an eminence, the tuberosity, the surface of which presents an oval facet; on this facet glides the sesamoid bone or cartilage frequently found in the tendon of the fibularis (peroneus) longus. The surface of bone behind the groove is rough, for the attachment of the plantar calcaneocuboid ligament, a few fibers of the flexor hallucis brevis, and a fasciculus from the tendon of the tibialis posterior.
The lateral cuboidal surface presents a deep notch formed by the commencement of the peroneal (fibularis) sulcus. The posterior surface is smooth, triangular, and concavoconvex, for articulation with the anterior surface of the calcaneus; its inferomedial angle projects backward as a process, which underlies and supports the anterior end of the calcaneus.
The anterior cuboidal surface, of smaller size, but also irregularly triangular, is divided by a vertical ridge into 2 facets: the medial, quadrilateral in form, articulates with the fourth metatarsal; the lateral, larger and more triangular, articulates with the fifth metatarsal. The medial surface is broad, irregularly quadrilateral, and presents at its middle and upper part a smooth, oval facet, for articulation with the third cuneiform; and behind this (occasionally), a smaller facet, for articulation with the navicular; it is rough in the rest of its extent, for the attachment of strong interosseous ligaments.
Cuboid, articulations
The cuboid articulates with 4 bones: (1) calcaneus, (2) third cuneiform, (3) fourth metatarsal, and (4) fifth metatarsal. It occasionally articulates with a fifth, the navicular.
Navicular bone
The navicular bone is located medially in the midfoot between the talus posteriorly and the 3 cuneiform bones anteriorly (see the following image). It forms the uppermost portion of the medial longitudinal arch of the foot and acts as a keystone of the arch. It is a boat-shaped bone that sits between the talar head and the 3 cuneiform bones. The navicular bone has 6 surfaces.
Bones of the foot, larger lateral view.
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Navicular bone, surfaces
The posterior navicular surface is oval, concave, broader laterally than medially, and articulates with the rounded head of the talus (see the image below).
Posterior surface of the navicular bone.
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The medial navicular surface slopes posteriorly to end in a rounded prominent tuberosity (see the image below), where a portion of the posterior tibial tendon is inserted. Much of the tuberosity accepts the attachment of the plantar calcaneonavicular (spring) ligament arising from the sustentaculum tali.
Superior view of the talus and navicular bones.
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The anterior navicular surface is convex from side to side, and subdivided by 2 ridges into 3 facets, for articulation with the 3 cuneiform bones. The dorsal surface is convex from side to side, and rough for the attachment of ligaments (see the following image). The plantar surface is irregular, and also rough for the attachment of ligaments. The lateral surface is rough and irregular for the attachment of ligaments and occasionally presents a small facet for articulation with the cuboid bone.
Dorsal surface of the navicular bone.
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Navicular bone, articulations
The navicular articulates with 4 bones: the talus and the 3 cuneiforms. It occasionally articulates with a fifth, the cuboid.
Cuneiforms
The 3 cuneiforms are named the medial, middle, and lateral, and they are convexly shaped on their broader dorsal surfaces. The middle and the lateral cuneiforms are also wedge shaped, so that the apex of each bone points plantarward and toward the center of the foot. The medial cuneiform is convex medially and rounded inferiorly. The medial and lateral cuneiforms project farther distally that the middle cuneiform to create a mortise for the base of the second metatarsal that articulates with the middle cuneiform. This configuration creates a keystone effect and contributes to the stability of the midfoot. See the following images.
Bones of the foot, dorsal and ventral views.
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Medial cuneiform overview, surfaces, and articulations
The medial cuneiform bone is the largest of the 3 cuneiforms. It is situated at the medial side of the foot, between the navicular behind and the base of the first metatarsal in front.
The medial surface of the medial cuneiform is subcutaneous, broad, and quadrilateral. At its anterior inferior edge is a smooth oval impression, into which part of the tendon of the tibialis anterior is inserted; in the rest of its extent, it is rough for the attachment of ligaments. The lateral surface is concave, presenting, along its superior and posterior borders a narrow L-shaped surface, the vertical limb and posterior part of the horizontal limb which articulate with the second cuneiform, whereas the anterior part of the horizontal limb articulates with the second metatarsal bone. The rest of this surface is rough for the attachment of ligaments and part of the tendon of the fibularis (peroneus) longus.
The anterior surface, kidney shaped and much larger than the posterior surface, articulates with the first metatarsal bone. The posterior surface is triangular, concave, and articulates with the most medial and largest of the 3 facets on the anterior surface of the navicular. The plantar surface is rough and forms the base of the wedge; at its back part is a tuberosity for the insertion of part of the tendon of the tibialis posterior. It also gives insertion in front to part of the tendon of the tibialis anterior. The dorsal surface is the narrow end of the wedge and is directed upward and lateralward; it is rough for the attachment of ligaments.
The first cuneiform articulates with 4 bones: (1) navicular, (2) second cuneiform, (3) first metatarsal, and (4) second metatarsal.
Middle cuneiform overview, surfaces, and articulations
The second cuneiform bone, the smallest of the 3, is wedge shaped with a dorsal base and apex plantar. It is situated between the other 2 cuneiforms, and articulates with the navicular behind and the second metatarsal in front.
The anterior surface of the middle cuneiform bone, triangular in form, and narrower than the posterior, articulates with the base of the second metatarsal bone. The posterior surface, also triangular, articulates with the intermediate facet on the anterior surface of the navicular. The medial surface carries an L-shaped articular facet, running along the superior and posterior borders, for articulation with the first cuneiform, and is rough in the rest of its extent for the attachment of ligaments. The lateral surface presents posteriorly a smooth facet for articulation with the third cuneiform bone. The dorsal surface forms the base of the wedge; it is quadrilateral and rough for the attachment of ligaments. The plantar surface, sharp and tuberculated, is also rough for the attachment of ligaments and for the insertion of a slip from the tendon of the tibialis posterior.
The medial cuneiform articulates with 4 bones: (1) navicular, (2) first cuneiform, (3) third cuneiform, and (4) second metatarsal.
Lateral cuneiform overview, surfaces, and articulations
The anterior surface of the lateral cuneiform is triangular and articulates with the third metatarsal bone. The posterior surface articulates with the lateral facet on the anterior surface of the navicular and is rough below for the attachment of ligamentous fibers.
The medial surface of the lateral cuneiform presents an anterior and a posterior articular facet, separated by a rough depression: the anterior, sometimes divided, articulates with the lateral side of the base of the second metatarsal bone; the posterior skirts the posterior border and articulates with the second cuneiform; the rough depression gives attachment to an interosseous ligament.
The lateral surface of the lateral cuneiform also presents 2 articular facets, separated by a rough nonarticular area; the anterior facet, situated at the superior angle of the bone, is small and semi-oval in shape, and articulates with the medial side of the base of the fourth metatarsal bone; the posterior and larger one is triangular or oval and articulates with the cuboid; the rough, nonarticular area serves for the attachment of an interosseous ligament. The 3 facets for articulation with the 3 metatarsal bones are continuous with one another; those facets for articulation with the second cuneiform and navicular are also continuous, but the facet for articulation with the cuboid is usually separate.
The dorsal surface is oblong, its posterolateral angle being prolonged backward; whereas the plantar surface is a rounded margin and serves for the attachment of part of the tendon of the tibialis posterior, part of the flexor hallucis brevis, and ligaments.
The third cuneiform articulates with 6 bones: (1) navicular, (2) second cuneiform, (3) cuboid, and (4-6) second, third, and fourth metatarsals.
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The base at the proximal end is wedge-shaped, articulating proximally with the tarsal bones and by its sides with the contiguous metatarsal bones; its dorsal and plantar surfaces are rough for the attachment of ligaments.
The head at the distal end presents a convex articular surface, oblong from above downward, and extending farther backward plantar than dorsal. Its sides are flattened, and on each is a depression, surmounted by a tubercle, for ligamentous attachment. Its plantar surface is grooved anteroposteriorly (for the passage of the flexor tendons) and marked on either side by an articular eminence continuous with the terminal articular surface.
First metatarsal bone
The first metatarsal bone is the stoutest and the shortest of the metatarsal bones. The body is strong and of well-marked prismoid form. The base usually has no articular facets on its sides, but occasionally on the lateral side an oval facet exists, by which it articulates with the second metatarsal. Its proximal articular surface is of large size and kidney shaped; its circumference is grooved (for the tarsometatarsal ligaments) and medially gives insertion to part of the tendon of the tibialis anterior; its plantar angle presents a rough, oval prominence for the insertion of the tendon of the fibularis (peroneus) longus. The head is large; on its plantar surface are 2 grooved facets, on which glide sesamoid bones; the facets are separated by a smooth elevation.
Second metatarsal bone
The second metatarsal bone is the longest of the metatarsal bones, as it extends proximally the most, articulating with the recessed middle cuneiform. Its base is broad above, narrow and rough below. It presents 4 articular surfaces: one behind, of a triangular form, for articulation with the second cuneiform; one at the upper part of its medial surface, for articulation with the first cuneiform; and 2 on its lateral surface, an upper and lower, separated by a rough nonarticular interval. Each of these lateral articular surfaces is divided into 2 by a vertical ridge; the 2 anterior facets articulate with the third metatarsal; the 2 posterior (sometimes continuous) with the third cuneiform. A fifth facet is occasionally present for articulation with the first metatarsal; it is oval in shape and situated on the medial side of the body near the base.
Third metatarsal bone
The third metatarsal bone articulates proximally, by means of a triangular smooth surface, with the third cuneiform; medially, by 2 facets, with the second metatarsal; and laterally, by a single facet, with the fourth metatarsal. This last facet is situated at the dorsal angle of the base.
Fourth metatarsal bone
The fourth metatarsal bone is smaller than the preceding metatarsal bones; its base presents an oblique quadrilateral surface for articulation with the cuboid; a smooth facet on the medial side, divided by a ridge into an anterior portion for articulation with the third metatarsal, and a posterior portion for articulation with the third cuneiform. On the lateral side, a single facet, for articulation with the fifth metatarsal, can be found.
Fifth metatarsal bone
The fifth metatarsal bone is recognized by a rough eminence, the tuberosity, on the lateral side of its base. The base articulates behind, by a triangular surface cut obliquely in a transverse direction, with the cuboid, and medially, with the fourth metatarsal. The tendon of the fibularis (peroneus) tertius inserts on the medial part of its dorsal surface. The fibularis (peroneus) brevis inserts on the dorsal surface of the tuberosity. A strong band of the plantar aponeurosis connects the projecting part of the tuberosity with the lateral process of the tuberosity of the calcaneus. The plantar surface of the base is grooved for the tendon of the abductor digiti (minimi) quinti and gives origin to the flexor digiti minimi (quinti) brevis.
Metatarsal articulations
The base of each metatarsal bone articulates with one or more of the tarsal bones, and the head articulates with one of the first row of phalanges. The first metatarsal articulates with the first cuneiform, the second with all 3 cuneiforms, the third with the third cuneiform, the fourth with the third cuneiform and the cuboid, and the fifth with the cuboid.
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Proximal phalanges
The body of each proximal phalanx is similar to the metatarsals in being convex above and concave below. The base is concave for articulation with the respective metatarsal, and the head presents a trochlear surface for articulation with the second phalanx.
Middle phalanges
The middle phalanges are smaller than the proximal ones but larger than the distal phalanges; the features at the base and head are similar to the proximal phalanges.
Distal phalanges
The distal phalanges are flattened from above downward; each presents a broad base for articulation with the corresponding bone of the second row and an expanded distal tip for the support of the nail and end of the toe.
Sesamoids of the foot
Galen apparently first coined the term sesamoid because of the resemblance of these small rounded bones to the sesame seed. [ 7 ] The location of the sesamoids in the foot is constant, but the frequency of occurrence may vary. [ 8 ]
The sesamoids give a mechanical advantage to the musculotendinous unit in which they are located and reduce friction and pressure in the nearby joint. The sesamoids may be totally or partially contained within the tendinous structure, and they may ossify or remain cartilaginous or partially ossify with a fibrocartilaginous interface between the ossified fragments. This variability in ossification might explain the radiographic absence or presence of various sesamoid bones, as well as the incidence of bipartism of sesamoids.
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Superior view of the acetabulum pedis.
Medial view of the talus and calcaneal bones.
Lateral view of talus and calcaneal bones.
Anterior view of the talus and calcaneus bones.
Lateral view of the calcaneus and cuboid bones.
Anterior surface of the calcaneus bone.
Lateral surface of the calcaneus bone.
Medial surface of the calcaneus bone.
Superior surface of the calcaneus bone.
Superior surface of the talus bone.
Medial surface of the talus bone.
Lateral surface of the talus bone.
Posterior surface of the talus bone.
Inferior surface of the talus bone.
Superior view of the talus and navicular bones.
Posterior surface of the navicular bone.
Dorsal surface of the navicular bone.
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Which American rock star was killed whilst touring the UK when his taxi hit a lampost in Chippenham in April 1960? | BBC - Wiltshire - History - The death of Eddie Cochran
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Eddie Cochran
The death of Eddie Cochran
Geoff Barker
Read the story of how the rock'n'roll legend met his tragic end in a car crash in Chippenham in 1960.
American rock'n'roll star Eddie Cochran died during the afternoon of Easter Sunday 17th April 1960.
His death in St. Martin's Hospital in Bath, came as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash just outside Chippenham, late the night before.
Eddie and his great friend Gene Vincent had been touring the UK since mid-January, on a package tour that had created a sensation amongst UK rock n roll fans.
Not one, but two genuine American rock'n'roll stars, criss-crossing the UK and even making TV and radio appearances!
By then, the first flush of raw rock'n'roll was long gone, so the sight and sound of Gene and Eddie was an antidote to the blandness of much pop music at that time. They were nothing short of a revelation… Eddie in particular.
Often described as 'James Dean with a guitar', Eddie Cochran had everything going for him.
A young, good-looking guy, a hugely talented musician, who as well playing stunning guitar, could also handle bass and drums and most unusually for those times, also wrote his own songs.
Two of which - 'Summertime Blues' and 'C'mon Everybody', had been huge hits and today - nearly 50 years on - are regarded as classics of the genre.
Eddie had arrived in the UK on 10th January 1960, to join a UK tour with Gene Vincent which had already been on the road since before Christmas.
It was promoted by top pop impresario Larry Parnes and the support acts and musicians were all young UK rock'n'rollers that Parnes had under contract.
These included at various times along the tour - Billy Fury, Joe Brown, Georgie Fame, Vince Eager and Johnny Gentle.
It was a long tour with a punishing schedule, and the British winter was not something that California-resident Cochran was used to.
So by the time they all rolled up at the Bristol Hippodrome on Monday 11th April for a week-long residency, Eddie (and his accompanying girlfriend, songwriter Sharon Sheeley) were looking forward to returning to the USA immediately afterwards.
For this last week of the tour, Billy and Joe were off playing elsewhere and the support acts included Georgie Fame, Johnny Gentle and also Tony Sheridan - who a year later would make a record in Germany, with an unknown Liverpool group called The Beatles.
After the final show on Saturday 16th April - and back at the Royal Hotel to collect their things - Eddie wanted a lift back to London with Johnny Gentle, who had driven himself to Bristol, but his car was full.
There were no more trains at that time of night, so a taxi was called. Sometime after 11.00pm, a Ford Consul driven by George Martin, with Eddie, Gene, Sharon and tour-manager Pat Thompkins, set off for London.
Eddie, Sharon and Gene sat in the back, with Thompkins next to the driver.
These were pre-M4 days, so Martin initially chose the old A4 down through Bath, but with this being a bad road, especially at night, he decided on a short cut on the outskirts of Chippenham.
The accident spot on Rowden Hill in Chippenham
Thompkins later recalled: "You come out from under the viaduct and come across a bridge in front of you.
"On your right is the A4 and then the bridge and on your left is the A4 to London.
"Well, he saw the A4 and turned right, going the wrong way. When he saw the milestone, he realized he was going the wrong way and hit the brakes."
It appears that as the car sped out of Chippenham trying to get back on the right route, Martin lost control on the bend at Rowden Hill, (then a notorious accident black-spot) and spun backwards into a concrete lamp post.
The impact sent Eddie up into the roof and forced the rear door open, throwing him onto the road.
After the car had come to a halt, Martin and Thompkins were able to walk away from the wreckage uninjured. But Gene and Sharon, along with Eddie were lying on the grass verge.
Gene had broken his collarbone, but fortunately for Sharon, she only suffered shock and bruising.
However, the injuries to Eddie would prove fatal.
The noise had brought local residents onto the scene. Dave Chivers told the Wiltshire Times: "I was getting into bed when I heard a whistling outside, followed by a series of bumps and smashes.
The Daily Mirror reports on Eddie's death
"My first reaction was that it was a plane crash.
"I went outside and saw the wrecked car, several people lying about, a large guitar and scattered photographs, which had come from the open boot. I telephoned for an ambulance from the kiosk nearby."
The first police on the scene included a young Wiltshire cadet called Dave Harman, who with a name change to Dave Dee, become a highly successful pop star himself.
The time of the accident can be accurately pinpointed. In those days the street lights went out at midnight and the ambulance from Chippenham arrived soon after, in total darkness.
The three were taken to St Martin's hospital, but Eddie had suffered severe brain damage. He never regained consciousness and died at 4.10pm that afternoon.
Like Buddy Holly who came our way two years earlier, Eddie Cochran also had a profound influence on young aspiring British musicians.
Joe Brown has often said what a great and innovative guitar player Eddie was, introducing styles and techniques that had never been seen here before.
Georgie Fame totally credits Eddie with introducing the music of Ray Charles to a mainstream UK audience, through his playing of Charles' songs in his stage act.
Shadows drummer Brian Bennett backed Eddie on the tour, as a member of Marty Wilde's band, who were loaned out to Cochran for some of the live dates and also his BBC radio sessions for the Saturday Club show.
Brian recalls Eddie showing him some great drum tricks and said what a great player he was.
Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey both idolised Eddie and of course, 'Summertime Blues' was for years a Who stage-favourite.
Ironically, the biggest UK hits for Eddie's songs 'C'mon Everybody' and 'Somethin' Else', came in 1979, when The Sex Pistols took them both to number three in the charts.
George Harrison had seen Eddie when the tour played Liverpool and even acquired an important piece of Eddie memorabilia; In 1999 I worked on a radio series for the BBC World Service with Paul McCartney, looking back at his early rock'n'roll years.
Paul recalled the-then unknown Beatles touring Scotland backing Johnny Gentle in 1960.
Eddie had given Gentle his stage shirt after the Bristol show and following a week of pestering by the young Beatle, Johnny eventually passed it to George.
Johnny came to one of the Eddie Cochran Weekender events in Chippenham, where I interviewed him live on air. He too said what an amazing talent Eddie was, and also said he wished he'd kept that shirt!
The plaque which marks the spot where he died
When someone dies young, it's always the eternal question - what would they have done in life?
In the case of Eddie Cochran, I think there can be little doubt he would have been the first 'guitar-hero' of the sixties, with Clapton, Beck, Page and Hendrix queuing up to play with him.
Jimi always said he wanted Eddie Cochran played at his funeral, and he got his wish.
What makes this whole story even more poignant, is how young Eddie was when he took his seat in the car that night - just 21.
Today, that dangerous bend at Rowden Hill, Chippenham has long since been made safe. There is no longer any physical reminder of the tragedy, except for one thing - a plaque on the grass verge in memory of Eddie.
It was erected by fans and unveiled at one of Chippenham's Eddie Cochran Weekender events by Sharon Sheeley, on what was her first visit since that fateful night at Easter 1960.
last updated: 19/03/2009 at 16:24
created: 27/02/2009
| Eddie Cochran |
During World War II, by what name was William Joyce better known? | Bedford borough bulletin may 2016 by Martin Quince - issuu
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INSIDE: 18 pages of Arts, Theatre, Music, Shows, Comedy, Dining and lots of local events
BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 3
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East West rail link is good news
Network rail’s preferred option for the Central Section of the route is the Bedford–Sandy– Cambridge corridor.
The proposed Central Section would connect with the Western Section of East West Rail via a geographic ‘corridor’ that starts in the Bedford area and progresses towards Sandy and on to Cambridge. Network Rail will publish written documentation, analysis and evidence supporting the decision in May. Once the methodology behind the Bedford-Sandy-
SERVICING
Cambridge corridor is published, further analysis and consultation will take place to determine options for the ‘line on a map’ route. Cllr Sue Clark, Deputy Executive Member for Regeneration at Central Bedfordshire Council, said: “It is incredibly important we continue to make progress with the Central Section, as its completion means faster and better rail services for Central Bedfordshire, bringing essential infrastructure to support housing growth and the prospect of more jobs.” Erica Blamire, Principal Strategic Planner at Network Rail, said: “In reaching our decision on the Central Section we have assessed the benefits and costs of several potential broad corridors, with input from rail industry stakeholders and regional working groups, including the local authorities in the East West Rail Consortium and the Department for Transport. “We’ve considered the station catchment areas for population and employment, operating costs, forecast passenger demand,
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demand for short and longer distance journeys, and the impact on reducing crowding on the London rail network. “We’ve also considered the infrastructure needs, train service opportunities and wider impacts that the railway would have. This work has allowed us to reduce the 20 potential corridors which were originally identified down to this single corridor which the evidence indicates offers the best return on investment.”
East West Rail seeks to provide more, faster and more reliable services connecting East Anglia with Central, Southern and Western England to improve connectivity and support economic growth. Work is already underway on the Western Section of East West Rail. A new passenger service between Oxford Parkway and London Marylebone via Bicester Village started in October 2015. Services will operate from Oxford from December 2016.” Mayor Dave Hodgson said: “It’s excellent news that the ‘corridor’ for the central section will be Bedford onto Sandy and then Cambridge. It’s the right decision for the line as a whole and it’s the right decision for Bedford. The exact route of the line is still to be determined, and we will continue to press Network Rail to ensure that the final scheme maximises the economic and practical benefits for local residents.”
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The Bedford Bulletin is an independent magazine with no affiliation to any other organisation. Published by © 2016 Rosetta Publishing Ltd. 30 Radwell Road, Milton Ernest, Bedford MK44 1SH. Tel: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 Email all departments:[email protected]. Printed by: Mortons Print Limited, Newspaper House, Morton Way, Boston Road, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR.
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Bedford men receive their Legion d’honneurs
TWO British D-Day veterans have just been awarded the Legion d’honneur, France’s high distinction. Jim Donachie, a Royal Engineer from Bedford and Richard Wood, of the Royal Navy have each been honoured. Both were in Normandy, at Juno Beach, on June 6, 1944. Jim, as an engineer, landed and then went with the troops all the way to Germany, putting up temporary pontoon bridges to cross the Rhine and the Elbe, to replace those destroyed by the retreating German army. Jim, just 19 at the time, is now nearly 93 and still remembers it vividly. He said “It was absolute chaos at first and did not get much easier. Many of my friends and colleagues were left on the beach and many more died on the way to Germany, especially at the hand of Stuka bombers. “I am still not sure how I made it and still sometimes get the shivers thinking about it. I feel honoured, though, that the French have not forgotten us.” Dick Wood, who lives in
Sandy, was in the Royal Navy for the whole of the war, at first on the HMS Aurora, then HMS Jervis. While on the Aurora he saw action off the coast of North Africa, and then Sicily, the Salerno landings and at Monte Casino. At one point the ship picked up the King from Tripoli and took him to Malta. The Aurora was damaged by
bombing and had to withdraw to Taranto for repairs. Then, for the D-Day landings, Dick joined the destroyer HMS Jervis, where they helped Canadians on to the Juno and Omaha beaches, then supported by bombing selected targets. Dick said: “We saw sights that people had never seen before and never seen since. There was hand
to hand fighting, rows of ships, from our destroyer back to battleships like the Rodney, on-shore artillery and aircraft strafing and bombing. It was unbelievable. “After D-Day we were sent to an island off the coast of France where we had to run the gauntlet between the French mainland and the Channel Islands. There was a radio station we had to destroy. I went ashore with about a dozen others. We destroyed it but thankfully the Germans had gone by the time we got there.” I met the veterans at the monthly meeting of the Bedford branch of the Royal Engineers. Vice chairman Terry Darlow said: “It is difficult to put a value on what people like Jim and Dick did. It gives us an immense sense of pride.” The French government has been awarding the Legion d’honneur to D-Day veterans, as a way of honouring and thanking those who fought and risked their lives to secure France’s liberation during the Second World War. It is France’s highest distinction and is awarded in recognition of both civilian and military merit.
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Relief for commuters
OVER 700 runners and walkers took part in the Rotary Western Bypass Challenge organised by The Rotary Club of Bedford in aid of St John’s Hospice, Moggerhanger. On Sunday April 10, runners, walkers and families in fancy dress turned out for a community event that brought hundreds of Bedford folk together for a one off chance to run or walk the new bypass before the traffic is allowed on it. The Bypass was opened to traffic on April 25. Their were three events: 5 and 2.5 mile runs and a 2.5 mile walk. Coming home first was Jean-Pierre Mitchell in the five mile run which was started by the Lord Lieutenant Helen Nellis, the 2.5 mile run by Bedford MP Richard Fuller and the 2.5 mile walk by the Mayor of Bedford, Dave Hodgson. The aim of the day was to raise funds to support St John’s Hospice and at the time of writing over £12,000 has been realised with, it is hoped, much more to come as participants collect sponsorship money and send it in to the Rotary Club Charity Trust Fund where it is being collected and gift aid claimed before being passed on to St John’s Hospice.
BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 5
The Mayor of Bedford Mr Dave Hodgson lit a beacon on Bedford’s castle mound on Thursday May 21, 2016. The event marked Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. A large crowd gathered to mark the occasion. Bedford’s Brass Band and Pipe Bands also played a number of tunes. The crowd sang ‘Happy Birthday’. Also in attendance were the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Mrs Helen Nellis and the Bishop of Bedford, the Rt Revd Richard Atkinson.
6 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 There will be a BUSINESS BREAKFAST at Mark Rutherford school on the 11th May from 8-10am. The focus will be on STEM and Engineering and we are looking for anyone involved in that industry locally to come along and network and share their knowledge with the students at school. Bacon butties and coffee served too. For more details please contact Kath Unwin at the school: 01234 290200 or email: [email protected]
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Blow for Bedford Brass
BEDFORD Brass has launched an appeal for new players. Musical Director Mrs Liz Schofield said: “It is really good fun to play in a group and make music together. That’s why we are launching a search for the town’s hidden players and inviting them to join us.” Liz took over the baton just a few weeks ago and is looking to swell the volume of Bedford Brass – trombonist and percus-
sionists are in particularly short supply but players of any brass instrument are welcome. The Band rehearses every Thursday evening in Kempston East Methodist Church hall from 8pm-10pm. Bedford Brass also has a training band called the ‘AJs’. Mr. Peter Halliday conducts the AJs on Tuesday evenings at Kempston West Methodist Church from 7pm to 8.30pm.
Band Member Jenny Gellatly said: “Bedford Brass is a non competing band and each year the Band plays at a number of concerts, fetes, churches and band stands in Bedfordshire and the surrounding area.” If you would like more information about joining the band or would like to book the Band, please contact the Band Secretary Mrs Pat Vought, Tel 01234 852949 Email: [email protected]
New probate specialist
WOODFINES Solicitors has welcomed a new solicitor to its ranks. Esther Marchant will be joining the firm as a specialist in Wills and Probate department, and brings with her over 30 years of experience in writing Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, estate planning, probate administration, trusts and other related issues. Esther is from north Buckinghamshire and is the third generation of solicitors from her family. She now lives in Bedfordshire and has worked at law firms in both Bedford and nearby Milton Keynes. She says that she is looking forward to rejoining the Bedford workforce, a sentiment echoed by Woodfines’ Senior Partner, Mike Cox: “We are very much looking forward to having Esther join our team in Bedford. We are committed to offering an excellent service in our Wills & Probate department for individuals and families across Bedford, and are confident that Esther will help us to continue this.”
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BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 7
High note for College’s musical students REPRESENTING Bedford College for the 2016 Battle of the Bands at the Stables, MK were the winning band ‘Weighted Space’. The group comprised of five first year Music Performance students, who competed against ten other schools and colleges to win the event. Jamie Gilman-Lewis (bass player and co-singer of Weighted Space) said: “Winning Battle of the Bands was something that we weren’t expecting, so when they announced our name we were both overjoyed and genuinely shocked. “The whole night was so much fun and it makes me very excited for the future of the band. Congratulations to everyone who took part, thanks to the organisers and the judges, and well done to everyone in Weighted Space for pulling off the win”. The students have won Marshall amps and a free six hour recording ses-
sion and the music department have won an electric piano worth £1,000. Bedford College staff Charlie Luscombe and Ben Baal-Bowdler, the rest of the music team and students would like to congratulate ‘Weighted Space’ and all the other schools and colleges and organisers that took part in this fantastic event. Bedford College music students’ final show of the year can be seen at Esquires club on Thursday May 19th. This is an amazing opportunity for Bedford College students and a real high note on which to end the year. Prospective music students and their parents/guardians are invited to attend along to the Esquires showcase. The age policy on the door at Esquires is as stated on their website: All gigs at Esquires are 16+. If you look young for your age, bring ID! 14-15 year olds can attend if accompanied by their parent / legal guardian.
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BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 9
Council act to clear illegal camp by river
A CAMP of east Europeans set up near The Embankment in Bedford has been removed by the council. The camp, by the River Great Ouse opposite Aspects Centre, has been there for several months and has been a source of concern to local people. Complaints had been made by residents to the police that it should not be there and needs to be removed. They were worried that if nothing was done it would grow and others might spring up. There have been other camps before, one on the Priory Country Park car park. One resident said: “I know it is difficult and people have to live somewhere. But this is not the way sound mean but we don’t pay all Councillor for Newnham to do it and either the police or the this money to live by a refugee Ward, John Mingay, said: “I am council should act. I don’t want to camp.” glad it has been removed. We do
not want these illegal camps being set up. They are not people who want to integrate into our society but mainly parasites. They are an eyesore and local people are also nervous of them as trouble often follows them. “I went to speak to some of them and was just abused. “With the country park and river we are a prime target for these camps, so I am pleased the council has acted.” A Bedford Borough Council spokesperson said: “Following legal proceedings by the council, a court order was issued and the encampment at Aspects Leisure park has been removed.” Other camps still exist in and around the town, which are less prominent.
10 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
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Harpur Run and Fun Day
THE Harpur Trust is delighted to announce the launch of its 450th anniversary 5k fun run on Sunday 22nd May at Priory Country Park. The run, which is being supported by The Bedford Harriers AC, and officially started by Olympic Gold Medallist Tim Foster MBE, is part of an all-day sports themed public event which promises to be one of the highlights of the charity’s anniversary celebrations this year. Open to everyone living in the area the event is expected to attract around 3000 people. As well as a 5k fun run around the lake, there will be a 1k kids run plus climbing, orienteering, mini golf and an inflatable assault course. Priory Sailing Club will be offering a variety of water sports as part of their annual open weekend and students from the University of Bedfordshire will be on hand to measure your fitness levels. Local bike shop Flamme Rouge are offering free safety checks to anyone who cycles to the event and they will be exhibiting a selection of bikes. Demonstrations will include line dancing, street dance and cultural dance, performances from the Queen’s Park Fusion Choir plus an array of charities and local businesses will be exhibiting. Sarah Elam is managing the Trust’s anniversary events said: “The 5k race is the perfect entry level race for a beginner, but its setting in the stunning Priory Country Park will ensure there
is a scenic route for more seasoned runners looking to up their PB.” With 12 weeks to go, there is plenty of time to get those running shoes on and get training but with just 300 places available, those interested are being encouraged to sign up now www.harpurtrust. org.uk/450. The Trust is also recruiting volunteers (18+) to help out on the day please contact Sarah on 01234 369519.
email: [email protected]
Work stops at 4.30!
SiNCe the February 22, a 200 yard stretch at the Broadway end of tavistock Street has been completely closed to traffic in order to renew the drainage, reconstruct the traffic island, resurface the road and renew the pathways. obviously, this has seriously affected local business, the public and the transport system in Bedford in many different ways. We understand that the work was deemed essential to improve the drainage in the street as there have been problems with standing water in the road causing problems with shopfronts and occasionally soaking passers-by when drivers thoughtlessly make no attempt to avoid the puddles. Most of the businesses affected have made great efforts to work with the contractors to assist in the speedy implementation of the project. However, it might have made a difference it some things have been done differently. The businesses affected have suffered a reduced level of footfall as the general perception is that the road is closed making access very difficult. Despite the multitude of signs at various strategic points this seems to cause more confusion than direction and after driving round the famous “turbo- roundabout” three times it is probably simpler to go home or elsewhere to shop.
the information distributed by the Council Highways department indicated that the work would be carried out almost round the clock. the local business community have been very frustrated at times when, on a mild bright evening work stops at 4.30pm and the site becomes more like a scene from Lawrence of Arabia, deserted by the contractors, who could have worked for a further three hours to attempt completion of the project in a faster time. The local Tavistock Street business community would like it to be known that none of them have closed for the duration – why on earth would they? It is ‘business as usual’ in Tavistock Street, no business has shut down; access to the Queens Street car park is still possible from Tavistock Street and, apart from a few spaces on the south side of the road and along the prison wall parking along the Tavistock Street is still available. There has been little suggestion of any financial support from the Council other than an offer to help spread payments of business rates – no reduction of course – and making a claim for hardship relief through the normal rating system. No prior thought appears to have been given by the Council to the adverse effect that these roadworks would definitely have on businesses in Tavistock Street.
Adrienne Jessop U. Bristol Alison Brokenshire U. Bristol Uma Madhav U. Cardiff Hema Mistry U. London
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12 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
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BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 13
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Apprentice wins prestigious award
BEDFORDSHIRE-based MACS Plasterboard Systems Limited are pleased to announce that Lorrie-Ann Frater a second year apprentice, has won an Apprentice-of-the-Year award. Lorrie-Ann beat substantial competition in winning the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) award and was honoured at a gala awards lunch at the Plaisterers Hall in London. Lorrie-Ann Frater is an Apprentice Quantity Surveyor working at MACS Plasterboard Systems as she moves towards gaining her BTEC Level 3 in Construction and Built Environment and NVQ Diploma in Construction Contracting Operations General Level 3 at Bedford College. Lorrie-Ann joined MACS in 2014 as a school leaver with virtually no knowledge of Quantity Surveying or of the Construction Industry. “We are extremely proud of Lorrie Ann being awarded the FIS apprentice of the year. It is recognition like this, of the hard work, that both Lorrie Ann and the MACS Commercial Team have made bought which pushes the company to the forefront of training & development”, says MACS Commer cial Director Mark Wareham, Lorrie-Ann’s immediate supervisor. “In a short period Lorrie-Ann has progressed from being a novice to becoming to a valued member of the MACS team; to such an extent that she and now runs the financial side of the MACS Plasterboards Customer Care Works – a role that involves pricing works to be carried out for MACS clients and also responding to client requests or queries.”
Wonderful women at work Slimming
BEDFORD College is helping the Soroptimist International organisation celebrate its 85th anniversary in 2016. The college has links with the local branch of the society dating back to its earliest days. Now it is keeping that connection alive with modern activities to support women at home and abroad. Illustrator Sara Sayer is the latest female student to benefit from a £1,000 Bursary from the late Peggy Holgate via the Soroptimists of Bedford. Sara is a second year HNC 5 Fine Art student who promotes her work under the brand kookymagpie.com She used her bursary to attend an illustration summer school at Central Saint Martin’s in London and then ran a community course at a pop-up art event in Bedford. She is photographed with Soroptimists Rita Beaumont, left, and Pauline Panter, right at the South Bank Arts Centre at Bedford College. On May 12th Soroptimists will be joining the college Hair & Beauty Show at the Bedford Corn Exchange to ask local salons and spas to support their Bedford Bloomers campaign to help young women in Sierra Leone. President of the Bedford branch Pauline Stewart JP says: “Ours is an organisation which has included amongst its past members some of the most inspiring women from the county, who had influence at national and international levels. We want to pass that baton on to the next generation who are
currently starting out on their lives and careers.” Bedford Soroptimists will be hearing from Bedford College Hair & Beauty lecturer Melissa Peacock at a special workshop on October 17th and on October 23rd they will be celebrating the 85th anniversary lunch at the Bedford Corn Exchange. Bedford College in Cauldwell Street has been independent for 20 years, but before that was part Bedford College Higher Education which included the world-famous PE and teacher training organisations (which are now part of the University of Bedfordshire). The link between the college and the Soroptimists includes names like the late Eileen Alexander, after whom the sports hall is named in Bedford. She was President of the Bedford Soroptimists in 1978-79. More recently long-serving Bedford College governor Miss Paddy Barratt was President from 199899.Melissa Peacock from Bedford College: “There has been some great work going on between the Soroptimists and the college and we thought this anniversary year would be a good time to wave the flag for both organisations.” Bedford College is the largest provider of post-16 education in the county with apprenticeships, advanced and degree-level learning. www.bed ford.ac.uk Soroptimists http://sigbi.org/bedford
World saved my bacon
OVER the last 20 years Linda from Wootton has gone through a battle with her weight. She was a smoker and decided to quit smoking in 1996 which triggered her weight gain. Linda gained three stones and ever since struggled to lose the weight. Linda said: “You name it, I tried it, with some attempts I would lose the weight but absolutely nothing kept it off.” Now Linda has transformed her life, she has won her battle with weight, eating foods that she loves with Slimming World, and now has enough confidence to be taking over a group in her own village to help others feel as amazing as she does now. Now a size 12 Linda is absolutely loving life and has met lots of new people in group, depression is a thing of the past for her now and Linda is taking another step forward and will be re-launching the Slimming World group in Wootton in order to help others feel the same relief, happiness and success she has felt with Slimming World. Linda says: “Come along to meet me at the Wootton group at the Wootton Memorial Hall, off Bedford Road MK43 9JB at either 5.30pm or 7.30pm. I will be waiting to welcome you at the door and will be with you every step of the way. Contact me on 07912 484615.”
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Community and Family Sing-Along with Strawberry Cream Tea!
LAST summer on Father’s Day, Kiosk at the Park bustled with life and song. Local musician Leyla Burrows put together a set list that spanned years and genres! Children sang Let it Go with gusto, everyone sang harmonies and clapped rhythms to Happy and we remembered years gone by with We’ll meet again. We were accompanied by local musicians and spoilt with Pimms, strawberries and cream by Emma Garrett, Charlie Fay and the Kiosk team. This summer, we will be spoilt again! Come to the Kiosk on June 18th at 2pm to indulge in an hour of summer singing. Team Kiosk will be hosting and Leyla will be helping you sing like you’ve never sang before!
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oN April 19 Beverely rode, Activity Co-ordinator at Salvete, home for the elderly in rothsay Place and her daughter both ‘braved the shave’ for Macmillan Nurses and Salvete’s seaside trip fund. So far they have raised £469.65. the Jumbulance to take our residents to Great Yarmouth will cost five hundred pounds. if you can help at all please donate via their Just Giving page www.justgiving.com/ BeverleyAnn-rode
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BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 15
16 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
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Dave by Dave Hodgson Mayor of Bedford
Richard Fuller MP for Bedford & Kempston
TEACHERS ARE VITAL TO STANDARD OF SCHOOLS
GOOD TRANSPORT LINKS ATTRACT INVESTORS
THIS is a busy time for our local schools. Preparations for exams are well underway. Parents are choosing schools for their children hoping that they will get their first choice. Head teachers and Governors are working on their plans for the overdue, but welcome, transition to a two tier system – primary and secondary schools – across the Borough. All of this on top of the usual work of our teachers. I don’t know about you, but I can remember the names of all my teachers at each year of school – and that started nearly 50 years ago! Teachers can have a lifelong impact on their students – opening eyes to new knowledge, drawing out a talent, or nurturing confidence. I benefitted enormously from my teachers and I want to do all I can to ensure local schools deliver the highest quality education for all children. The Government recently announced that “all schools must become academies” by 2020. Schools have been considering this since I became MP six years ago. In discussions with teachers, governors and parents my view has consistently been that becoming an academy is beneficial but does not magically improve performance of a school: teachers and head teachers will continue to be the most important factors in improving school standards. Academy status is a sign of confidence by the school’s leadership and should be seen as a positive step. In Bedford and Kempston, the track record of the local authority in improving academic attainment is poor, so we have good reason to consider this transition to a full academy environment. With a timetable of four more years for schools to make this transition (making 10 years in all), it cannot be said that schools are being rushed. Let’s see what comes of this government proposal. In the meanwhile let us support our schools as they make the transition to two tier and their drive to improve standards – whichever type of school governance they follow.
AFTER over half a century of appearing on national and local plans and strategies, Bedford’s completed western bypass is now a reality. I made delivering this project a priority when I became Mayor. With the first phase in place, and with traffic levels growing, the need for the final section linking the A428 to the west of Biddenham with the A6 at Clapham to the north of the town was clearly overwhelming. However, there were numerous reasons why it hadn’t been delivered over all those decades of planning, and many obstacles stood in the way of getting construction underway. For me, though, a completed bypass was simply essential for all road users, and for Bedford’s economy and jobs growth. So when it became clear that usual processes were not going to get it built, I launched the successful strategy of pursuing Compulsory Purchase Order Proceedings. This broke down the logjam, got all parties to the table negotiating, and the orders were approved. We also won funding from external sources, minimising the impact of this £18.6 million scheme on local taxpayers, and the project was completed on time and within budget. The new road now in place means that anyone travelling west or south of Bedford from the North will not need to drive into the town and through its busy junctions at all. And vice-versa, of course! Of course, this is not a silver bullet for Bedford’s congestion problems. We have a historic road network, adapted over time as the town has seen rapid, ongoing growth in traffic levels. But the bypass will help. It sends a clear message out to investors, making Bedford Borough even more attractive to employers and, crucially, will simply help road users to get into and around Bedford.
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Bishop Richard by Rt Revd Richard Atkinson Bishop of Bedford
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ONE of the most rewarding experiences of being a Bishop is when I meet women and men who are exploring their call to ordained ministry as a deacon and priest in the Church of England. As part of the process they have to meet me as their Bishop, and gain my support, in order to attend a selection conference. Not only are these inspiring conversations that explore people’s journeys of faith, but they are also occasions of great hope. For many years the Church of England sadly lost the plot on ministry. The numbers coming forward to be ordained went down and, equally significantly, the ages of those selected went up. Not only were there fewer people, but they would serve for less years. Combined with an aging work-force and the consequent increase in retirements the future looked bleak. In recent years the tide has begun to change. More and more people are coming forward and being selected for training; the age profile of those chosen is going down; and in particular a healthy proportion are under thirty. There is a commitment to see these numbers increase further. It is one of the most hopeful indicators in the church today. This is very much the story of ministry in the Diocese of St Albans. In a few weeks’ time it will be represented by those ordained as deacons and priests in our Cathedral. It is good news, not least because across our county a number of parishes are currently vacant. For those who live in Henlow and Langford, Harold and Carlton, Renhold, Elstow, and elsewhere it matters that there are priests to take on their parishes. Above all it is good and hopeful news because all those I meet with to explore their vocation are committed, not just to pastoring church congregations, but to serving the whole community and being at the heart of their neighbourhoods. As I write this, I am also thinking ahead to our Bishop’s staff residential meeting which is happening at St Columba’s House in Woking; the place to which thirty-seven years ago I went for my selection conference, and where I was recommended for training. It will be the first time I have returned, but already the memories are there of how my call was explored and affirmed. I thank God that others are on the same journey.
MAY BANK HOLIDAY
Alistair by Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP
LACK OF PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF AUTISM
WHEN I first became an MP in 1983, I would occasionally meet parents at an advice centre who would say to me: “I think my child has something called autism, but the school does not know what it is. This is rather different now. There has been growing awareness and diagnosis over recent decades. It is estimated that there are some 700,000 people in the UK with autism, of which 120,000 are of school age. As Minister responsible in the Department of Health, I am very conscious of both the advances made, and of the issues that still remain.
HOW CAN WAITS BE SHORTENED Attending a meeting with the National Autistic Society this week, I was able to respond to the worries about waiting for diagnosis by saying that the Department and the NHS were actively touring the country at present to examine best and worst practice to try and find out how waits could be shortened. But awareness does not always mean acceptance, and there are still too many occasions when there is a lack of public understanding of the difficulties caused by autism. It is upsetting that one in four sufferers have been asked to leave a public place due to their behaviour. To help with this, the NAS has produced a video ‘Too Much Information’ which describes through the eyes of a brave child called Alex what it’s like to experience common place life. It’s only 90 seconds of yours to watch. Do find it at http://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/ tmi.aspx and have a look. Thank you.
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BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 17
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18 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
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Entrepreneur launches pet bed business BEDFORD Modern School Year 7 student Alice Habermehl, has successfully launched an environmentally friendly pet bed business following her pitch to Pets at Home Head of Innovation, Claire Gavin, on the BBC show, Pocket Money Pitch which was aired on Monday 28 March. Alice auditioned for the television programme in 2015 and after several selection stages, including a Skype audition with the assistant producer of children’s BBC, she was chosen to take part and present her business idea in a head to head, Dragons Den style pitch to a panel of five young business entrepreneurs. Alice’s business idea is to create and sell attractive, low cost and environmentally friendly cardboard pet beds. She has called her business Aleo Pet Products; the first two letters of her
name and the last two from her cat’s name, Cleo. The idea started when Cleo preferred an empty cardboard box to the luxury cat bed Alice had saved her pocket money to buy. But the young entrepreneur decided to turn her disappointment into something positive and decorated the box with her own design. She then applied to take part in Pocket Money Pitch with the business proposal of selling boxes for children and creative adults to decorate and personalise as beds for their pets. She said: “All cat owners will know how much cats love cardboard boxes; they’ll jump into one at the first opportunity! Aleo pet homes are stylish, low cost, environmentally friendly and fully customisable. I hope that children and adults will have hours of fun decorating their Aleo pet homes.” Alice enjoyed taking part in Pocket Money Pitch and was inspired by the experience. She has worked hard to develop her idea and has secured a manufacturer for her product in the UK and which is being stocked at both Scott’s Veterinary Clinic in Bedford and Willington Garden Centre. The industrious 12-year-old plans to donate some of her profits to Bedford and District Handicapped Riders Association; a charity her grandma founded 55 years ago which, together with her brother, Ollie, she has raised hundreds of pounds for in the past. For further information visit: www.aleopetproducts.co.uk.
email: [email protected]
Charity gives thanks to the ultimate Bedford Philanthropist
ON Friday 22nd April 2016, 600 pupils and staff from across the Harpur Trust schools and the charity’s headquarters, gathered for a service to give thanks to the legacy left to the town of Bedford by Sir William Harpur. The occasion marked the official 450th anniversary of the founding of the Harpur Trust which was established in 1566, when Queen Elizabeth 1 sat on the throne. The inspirational guest speaker was Squadron Leader Charlotte Thompson-Edgar (pictured) who was dubbed the ‘Angel of Afghanistan’ after rescuing over 600 wounded troops by helicopter in Helmand Province. Last year, she was awarded nursing’s highest honour, the Royal Red Cross Second Class for exceptional services and devotion to duty Among the many she helped to save was Britain’s first surviving triple amputee of the war. Mark Ormrod lost both legs and an arm when he stepped on a homemade bomb on Christmas Eve 2007. Charlotte attended the former Bedford High School which merged with Dame Alice School in 2012 to become Bedford Girls’ School. She will talk about the values that she gained
whilst at school and how these have shaped her in her career. Pupils from each of the four schools (Bedford School, Bedford Girls School, Bedford Modern School and Pilgrims Pre-preparatory School) performed together with a 450th Anniversary Choir and Orchestra specially formed for the occasion. As well as being involved in readings and prayers, a child from each of the schools also laid a wreath on the tomb of Sir William Harpur, who is buried in the Trinity Chapel of the church. Amongst the guests were Helen Nellis, (the Lord Lieutenant), Charles Whitworth, (The High Sheriff), the Rt Revd Richard Atkinson (the Bishop of Bedford), and Patrons of the Trust Mayor Dave Hodgson and Richard Fuller MP.
Girlguiding Beds honoured
Helping out with the paint brushes
CriCketiNG legend Mike Gatting was in Bedford on Sunday – doing a bit of painting and decorating. Mike Gatting, a former england captain who often courted controversy, was attending a special Nat west Cricket Force at Bedford Cricket Club last month. Bedford was picked as one of three clubs out of more than 2,000 across the country by the england and wales Cricket Board to host a
special Nat west Cricket Force at the weekend. Gatting was once famously on the wrong end of fame, and Shane warne’s first delivery in an Ashes test match, which became known as the ‘ball of the century’, in 1993. Mike said: “i have been doing this for many years now and am happy to help in any way that promotes grass-roots cricket, even if it means giving the changing rooms a fresh lick of paint!”
ON Thursday 31st March the High Sheriff’s Citizenship Award for 2015-2016 were held at The Forest Centre in Marston Moretaine. The evening was designed to recognise achievement and to honour the positive work of local volunteers and community groups, who regularly and freely give their time to help others. Members of Girlguiding Bedfordshire were delighted to be winners in three categories for their work. County Commissioner Ann Crome, Bedford Division Commissioner Gill Lake and 15-year-old Young Leader Keliyah Morodore-Spencer, all received awards. Keliyah has overcome huge obstacles in her personal life, but continues her work at 25th Stopsley Rainbows as well as helping at 5th Stopsely Guides. Keliyah was thrilled to have won and said: “Even though things are sometimes really challenging for me at home, I still want to give back to my community. I love volunteering and being part of Girlguiding has allowed me to do that, this is very important to me” Gill said: “I have been volunteering within Girlguiding for many years. During that time I have held a number of posts, both as a Leader as well as Division Commissioner, and it is a real honour to receive this award.” Gill added: “So many people give of their time to lead girls within Guiding and that contribution, is truly priceless.”
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BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 19
A BIG deal for Bedford Borough
WORK on the £36million new Riverside North development is continuing at pace in Bedford’s town centre with exciting 3.6 acre project growing every day. Since summer 2015, visitors and residents have watched as the work takes place to deliver the project which includes a cinema, restaurants, a new pedestrian and cycle bridge over the river and a large river-fronted public square. The project, co-developed by Coplan Estates and Bouygues Development, funded by TIAA Henderson and delivered by Bouygues UK, covers a 3.6 acre site and replaces former council offices and a car park with new leisure opportunities alongside 46 private homes; 18 affordable homes; a large public square and a 100-bedroom Premier Inn hotel - all of which are situated in this prime location, overlooking the river. Leisure and Food and Drink will feature heavily at Riverside North with top names such as Vue Cinema with a state-of-the-art seven screen cinema, Wagamama, Zizzi, Bella Italia, Chimichanga, and Coal Grill & Bar already signed up. Visitors to the site, off Horne Lane in Bedford town centre, will see the framework of all the major units are now in place. The structural steelwork for the cinema was completed in March and the concrete frame for the hotel is now also complete. The next stage of the developer-funded scheme will see a new pedestrian bridge put in place over the summer. Located on the river banks, the footbridge will link St Mary’s Gardens to the major new public square. Once opened the bridge will give pedestrians and cyclists swift,
vehicle free access to the town centre. Work on the bridge has been carried out to the south-side of the River Great Ouse, adjacent to Bedford College. Piling is underway and will be completed this week (week commencing 25th April), which provides ground support for the bridge. The bridge will then be lifted into place by a huge 1,000 tonne crane in early summer. The Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said: “With town centres elsewhere across the country struggling in the face of internet and out-of-town shopping, Bedford needs to offer not only good quality shopping but also leisure,
culture and food and drink. Riverside North will make a huge contribution to achieving this vision, and it is great to see it taking shape. It will draw large numbers of extra visitors, benefitting the town centre as a whole while creating 250 new jobs.” “It will give people of all ages even more reason to visit and enjoy Bedford town centre, both during the day and in the evening. The development will help Bedford to continue to buck the trend and establish itself as an attractive destination in its own right - to visit, to enjoy and to spend quality time in with friends and family.”
Photogrpahy: Keith Mayhew – People Press.
Sheriff of Bedfordshire’s appointment ceremony
Charles, with the Lord-Lieutenant and his Cadet.
MR CHARLES WHITBREAD was officially appointed to the Office of the High Sheriff of Bedfordshire at a ceremony held at All Saints Church, Southill on Sunday 3rd April. The ceremony was attended by around 120 dignitaries, family and friends, including the LordLieutenant of Bedfordshire, Helen Nellis. The Office of the High Sheriff is an annual appointment by the Queen which goes back to Saxon times and Charles takes over the role from the Countess of Erroll. The High Sheriff is the Queen’s representative in Bedfordshire for all matters relating to the Judiciary and the maintenance of law and order. The Office of High Sheriff is nonpolitical and entirely self-funded. As such, the 55 high sheriffs of England and Wales are able to bring people together within their counties and to support not only the Judiciary but also the enormous contributions made by the emergency services, the armed forces, local authorities, church and faith groups and the voluntary community. Bedfordshire has been home to
the Whitbread family since around 1280. The family lived firstly in the parish of Shillington before moving to Cardington in 1639 and then to Southill in 1795. Charles and his wife Jane, now live at Southill Park with their two sons and two daughters. Charles follows a tradition of high sheriffs from within his family: 1767 Samuel Whitbread (Hertfordshire), 1831 Samuel Charles Whitbread, 1837 William Henry Whitbread, 1947 Major Simon Whitbread, 1962 Humphrey Whitbread TD, 1973 Sir Samuel Whitbread KCVO. As well as heading up the family estate at Southill, Charles is involved in several organisations in Bedfordshire, and counts natural history, conservation and reading amongst his interests. During his shrieval year he is looking forward to gaining a greater understanding of the legal system as well as meeting and connecting people in a variety of organisations, both voluntary and statutory, throughout the county.
20 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
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Untimely death of well-known thespian
ONE of Bedford’s leading thespians has died suddenly on a holiday in Los Angeles. Keith Pendall was a mainstay of Bedford’s theatre scene for more than 50 years. Keith’s father, Reg Pendall was a founder member of Bedford Marianettes which originated in St. Mary’s Church. This was where Keith found his love of the theatre and joined at the age of 16, performing his first role as the eldest son of the King of Siam in “The King and I.” It was in this production where he first met Pat Pearson, who eventually became his wife in 1971. Their shared love of the theatre has lasted until the present day, and over the years Pat and Keith have played a very active part in the community. Keith was fortunate enough to have many leading roles in various amateur clubs in the area, including “Kipps” in “Half a Sixpence”, (pictured) “Judas Iscariot” in “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Albin” in “La Cage Aux Folles” and “Don Quixote” in “Man of La Mancha” to name but a few. Perhaps the most memorable of all and the role for which he will be remembered is “Emcee” in “Cabaret” which he performed four times! More recently, Keith was an active member of Bedford Drama Company and in fact, his last role in February of this year was as “Professor Banks” in the hugely successful production of “Blue Stockings” at The Place Theatre in Bedford. Born and bred in Bedford he attended Silver Jubilee School and started work at Frames Travel in the High Street in 1962, which led to a long and successful career in the travel
Apprentices Lee, Carlan and Zain with Bedford College’s, Roger Lett, Graham Paxton (Owner, GRT Group) and Cole Turner and Daniel Ward from Bouygues UK.
Trio sign up at Riverside North
Keith Pendall October 24 1947 – March 26 2016
business. He eventually became a lecturer on this subject at Cambridge Regional College until his death. Due to his great love of all things showbiz, Hollywood seemed a poignant place to take his “final bow!” Keith’s love of theatre was only superseded by the love for his family. His wife of 45 years, Pat. Daughters Rebecca and Jessica and his grandchildren Joseph and Phoebe.
Bedford Drama Company is dedicating its latest production, ‘Outside Edge’, to the memory of Keith Pendall. Keith was a long-standing, leading light of the Bedford Theatre scene who sadly passed away unexpectedly over Easter. In paying tribute to Keith, Jenny Curzon of the BDC Committee said, “Keith was renowned for his love of theatre in all its aspects. He was one of Bedford’s leading lights appearing in innumerable musicals, operettas, plays and pantomimes over many decades. Keith’s talent was as an all-rounder who could act, dance and who had a great singing voice. His last performance was for me as Mr. Banks in Blue Stockings in February this year. We remember Keith as a person with great energy, a wicked sense of humour and a man who will be sorely missed”
oN Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th April girls and leaders from across the Bedford Division took part in the second ever Bedford Guiding Lights Gang Show, held at the Place theatre in Bedford. Based on the original, ‘Gang Show’, which was started in 1932, when Scouts in London performed in a variety show, Bedford Guiding Lights was started in 2014, although just for guides, incorporates all of the fun of the original Gang Show. there were two fully packed performances filled with singing, dancing, acting and an array of amazing costumes. rainbows, Brownies, Guides and their leaders performed hits from across the ages, executed dance routines and even performed some magic tricks! Producer Gayle Darlington-Shaw, who is also an Assistant rainbow Leader, said: “we are so proud of all the Leaders who have worked so hard with the girls to put on such a brilliant show. i for one, cannot wait to do it all again.” Gayle added: “So much hard work has gone into putting the show on, but it has been worth every minute.” the Bedford Guiding Lights are shining brightly!
THREE Bedford College students have become the latest people to benefit from the opportunities being created as part of the new £36m development that will deliver a new town centre for Bedford. Carlan Clarke and Zain Aslam, both 17, and 16 year old Lee Bass have all signed up to become apprentice bricklayers on the 3.6 acre Riverside North scheme that will bring new homes, shopping and leisure facilities for local residents, as well as a new bridge for pedestrians and cyclists, to the town. The trio has been snapped up by GRT Group, a subcontractor to construction firm Bouygues UK, which is building the new development. Bouygues UK is part of the same group of companies as Bouygues Development which, along with Coplan Estates, is responsible for the Riverside North project. Former Redborne Upper School pupil, Lee, who lives in Flitwick, said he was keen to get involved as an apprentice because he wanted to be able to earn while he was learning on the job. His comments were echoed by Carlan, who added: “I want to be independent, financially secure and to produce high quality work.” Zain, who lives in Putnoe and studied at Plackgate High School in Blackburn said he was interested in
becoming an apprentice because of his interest in bricklaying – and because he wanted to gain experience to help him in his future career. Bouygues UK’s Regional Managing Director, Mikel Berrebi, welcomed Carlan, Lee and Zain to the project, saying: “The construction industry needs more people working in the industry: it’s that simple. And one of the best ways to try out a career is as an apprentice, where you get to study towards qualifications and gain useful, practical experience as well as a real insight into the day job. Our Community Engagement Manager, Liz Jeffs, has been working hard to establish relationships with the college, as well as local schools and the university, so we can help more students to understand how our industry works; and how the education they receive could one day help them to deliver new homes and facilities like we are doing here at Riverside North. “We’re also grateful for the support of Graham Paxton, who owns GRT Group, and is himself a former Bedford College student. He makes a point of taking on apprentices so he can give something back to the college and the industry. “We’re looking forward to having Carlan, Lee and Zain on site and to help them develop their future careers within the construction industry.”
Guiding Lights shone brightly
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BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 21
Wedding brought forward so dying mum can attend
‘First’ for Bedford Indoor Bowls
MARK Curtis and Graham White, after winning a series of matches over the winter, earned the accolade of playing in the finals of the Men’s National Indoor Over 60s Pairs competition at Nottingham. In reaching the final, they defeated a team from Welford-on-Avon 20-17 to take the title for The ‘Boro’. In 1982, Dave Hirst and current club manager John McConnell overcame strong opposition to win the Outdoor National Pairs title, but this is the first time we have won a National title on carpet since the Indoor club opened in 1971. In the final, Mark and Graham looked certain winners when they opened up a 16-3 lead after 13 ends, but their opponents fought back and with two ends to go, the gap had closed to 17-13. However, The Boro’ men finished the stronger and proudly walked off with the trophy.
Visitor numbers for Higgins
BLOCKBUSTER exhibition J.M.W Turner & The Art of Watercolour as well as a successful and vibrant events programme have contributed to a busy year at The Higgins Bedford. The art gallery and museum has welcomed 41,787 visitors in the year 2015-16. J.M.W. Turner & The Art of Watercolour offered a unique chance to see all nine of Bedford’s watercolours by J.M.W. Turner together for the first time. These were displayed alongside works by contemporaries of Turner, and artists inspired by his work.
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A MOTHER with terminal cancer is determined to be at her daughter’s wedding before she dies. The wedding has been brought forward by 16 months to make it possible. This has cut the time to save up and plan for the wedding but friends, family, companies and complete strangers have rallied round since a funding page was set up. The wedding of her daughter, Jessica Goodwin, 26, was due to be in November next year but will now be this July. Jane Hall, 51, from Hillgrounds Road, Kempston, was diagnosed with liver cancer earlier this year. Jane has never smoked or been a regular drinker and the doctors are not sure how she could contract primary liver cancer, because she doesn’t have any of the risk factors that normally contribute to this particular rare type of cancer. It is, sadly, inoperable and terminal, with Jane only have months left to live. Jane said: “They told me in February it was terminal. We have been through all the options and now it is just a question of pain management. But I am determined to see Jessica married this July. I will be at the wedding and Addenbrookes understand that.” This is even more important, as her father, Mark Goodwin, was killed in a car crash on the A6 near Bedford in 1993. There is a sign on the roundabout dedicated to her father. Due to the wedding being brought forward, it was planned as a
simple affair to cut the costs. But to get a bit of help Jessica set up a funding page. The power of social media means the page has raised more than £5,000 and companies and organisations have offered everything from the wedding dress, to the car, flowers, and a marquee for the evening. A local florist and a photographer have also agreed to help. Jessica said: “I was very happy to do it on a budget but it is fantastic that so many people have helped so much. The kindness and generosity of people is wonderful. Both me and my husband to be Ayden are overwhelmed.” And 10 days after the wedding Jessica’s sister, Georgina is due to give birth to her second child. Jane plans to be here for that as well.
Jane at the back with Georgina, Jessica and Daniel.
CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTRE HOURS The Council’s Customer Service Centre located at 2 Horne Lane, adjacent to the Old Town Hall building, is open 8.45am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and Fridays 8.45am to 4.45pm. Opening hours for the Payments Office are Monday to Friday 8.45am to 4pm. Both offices are closed on Saturdays. The new system sees the centre’s opening times streamlined to the same hours of Council business. Most Council bills, can be paid on-line and many can be paid at local post offices and PayZone outlets (just check that there is a payment barcode on the bill). Contact the Council by on 01234 267422 or visit the website at www.bedford.gov.uk
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22 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
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Cube square funding circle
A BEDFORDSHIRE-based company has helped local academy schools win over £5 million in Government funding. In the latest round of Condition Improvement Fund (CiF) bids to the Education Funding Agency (EFA), Cube Building Consultancy based in Flitwick, secured six out of seven applications totalling £1.8 million, bringing the amount raised over the past three years to over £5 million. The Bedfordshire Schools that have benefitted from their latest bid winning services include, Alameda Middle School and The Firs Lower School in Ampthill, Brooklands Middle School and Gilbert Inglefiled Middle School in Leighton Buzzard, Holywell Middle, Cranfiled and Wootton Upper School. Cube are a firm of chartered surveyors who have been providing a full complement of services to schools and businesses for over 12 years. It has achieved ground-breaking success for more than a dozen academy schools by providing bid, project and
contract management services. The bids have been secured for vital works such as new roofs, new heating and distribution systems and essential health and safety compliance works such as fire safety and lighting systems. “We have expertise in an area which is completely unchartered territory for many School Leadership Teams and School Business Managers. There are strategic decisions that need to be
collating data in support of their long term aims. We deliver a range of services that include Condition Improvement Fund (CiF) bid preparation and submissions. Cube’s CiF success rate currently stands at 75% against the industry average of 25%.” Working in partnership with specialist solicitors who have acted for many schools converting to academy status, the two companies provide strategic advice on the range of academy models most suited to each school and on built environment issues, whether during the transfer from the Local Authority or as a wider MAT evaluated before seeking access to arrangement. funding streams that can make a huge difference to a school’s balCube is staging an event for ance sheet. If they take the wrong School Business Managers, route early on they could miss out Governors and School Heads to on vital funds,” explained Key explain how to ensure that CiF Account Manager Tim Warneford bids and multi-academy appliat Cube, cations for funding have the best “Cube and our legal associates, chance of success. Anyone who combine strategic and operational would like to attend can contact advice in ensur-ing the school is tim warneford at tim@ fully appraised of their options cubebuildingconsultancy.com before strategically collecting and or call on 01525-722218.
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 email: [email protected]
BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 23
Western Bypass opens
Mayor ‘Dave’ takes over Western Bypass from John Breheny CEO Breheny Civil Engineering – delivered ahead of schedule.
“No silver bullet to town’s traffic problems but every bit helps.” – Monday April 25, 2016
Olympic Gold Medallist names new school building
THE new Year 7 and 8 building at Biddenham International School and Sports College has been officially named and opened by London 2012 Gold Medal winning athlete and former pupil Etienne Stott. Pupils, staff and invited guests cheered as Etienne unveiled the new sign in his name to mark the official opening of the first purpose built Year 7 and 8 unit in Bedfordshire.
Head teacher David Bailey said: “We were delighted to welcome our first Year 7 students in September last year and they have been a fantastic addition to the school. Everyone was thrilled when Etienne agreed we could name the new building in his honour as he is without doubt one of the most exceptional students to have attended our school. We hope that his name will continue to inspire all stu-
dents who use this new building and remind them that with hard work and dedication they can achieve great things.” Invited guests on the day included Deputy Mayor of Bedford Borough, Cllr Charles Royden, who said: “The council is investing £25 million in school buildings and this building, at a cost of nearly £1 million, will be a huge benefit to the education of
pupils at Biddenham International School and Sports College.” Biddenham is one of Bedford’s’ leading secondary schools and was deemed to be ‘good’ in all areas by a recent Ofsted report. From year 7 to the Sixth Form there are the highest educational standards, alongside numerous other opportunities, to enrich the present and future lives of all who journey through the school.
24 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
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Rock’n’Roll in Brita by Ken Broughton
OOKING back now it seems strange to reflect that until the summer of 1956 there was nowhere in this country let alone Bedford where you could hear live rock’n’roll music. Bill Haley and Comets had featured regularly in the pop charts throughout 1955 and in early 1956 we had Elvis Presley. Carl Perkins and Pat Boone, along with Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers to name but a few who had chart hits. The very first British rock’n’roll band was Tony Crombie and his Rock’n’Roll Rockets and they began with a week long residency at the Theatre Royal Portsmouth in September 1956. They opened with a song ‘We’re Gonna Teach You To Rock’ and finished with the Bill Haley hit ‘The Saints Rock’n’Roll’. Later that same month a 19-yearold singer and guitarist name Tommy Steele from Bermondsey, London, made his professional debut backed by his group The
L
Steelmen. The following year he was distancing himself from rock music and looking to project himself as an all round entertainer, which proved to be a very good career move. He branched out into films in Hollywood and is still a top-class showbiz performer. He was awarded with an OBE and here I am still waiting for my MBE for services rendered on the local karaoke scene. Are you listening David Cameron? At the start of 1957 rock’n’roll fever had take a firm hold in Britain and us teenagers were soon showing an insatiable appetite for this music. Tommy Steele began the year with a No 1 chart hit ‘Singing the Blues’. American singer, Guy Mitchell had a million selling No 1 hit in his own country and shared top spot in the charts over here with Steele. Bill Haley and Comets were the first American rock stars to tour Britain and the build-up to and coverage of the tour was amazing with simply incredible scenes upon arrival on the The Queen Elizabeth
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liner at Southampton. They then travelled by train to Waterloo station in London. Not until the Beatles in the early ‘60s were such scenes witnessed. The tour opened at the Dominion Theatre, London. The atmosphere was supercharged and the performance of Haley and The Comets left the crowd breathless. Nothing quite like this had ever been seen on a British stage. I remember Rudy Pompilli, Haley’s saxophonist telling me when I met him in Boston, USA, in 1970, that he could never have imagined scenes that occurred in Britain back then. The Platters, Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, Freddie Bell and The Bellboys and Charlie Gracie – who still on occasions perform over here, came over on a tour. Rock’n’roll was at its peak here in 1958, with records by the top American acts selling in increasing volumes and 45rpm records replacing those of the 78rpm format. Elvis Presley led the way with ‘Jailhouse Rock’, his first No 1 hit of the year. Also the title of his film. He was followed by Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Paul Anka and the Everly Brothers. There was still very little encouraging support from the british media, who never missed and opportunity to dismiss rock’n’roll as a passing phase. The rock scene in Britain had by now, really come alive with Tommy Steele still the pack leader. Terry Dene should have been a natural successor but unfortunately lacked the temperament for stardom. He was constantly in the newspapers as his life was unravelled under intense pressure of public scrutiny. Opinion over his marriage to singer Edna Savage and then later a very short and disastrous period of National Service in the army provided the press with further ammunition to hammer both himself and rock’n’roll’ in general. Terry Dene later became and evangelist and to my knowledge still follows this pursuit. Marty Wilde and Billy Fury then took over but it was Cliff Richard who ultimately became No 1 after he burst into the limelight in the autumn of ‘58, with ‘Move It’ still considered by many to be the best British rock’n’roll song of all time. The ‘Six-Five Special’ on BBC TV was the only show aimed specifically at our generation, hosted and compered by Pete Murray and Josephine Douglas. It was launched in February 1957 and the following
year ITV came up with its own TV shows ‘Oh Boy’ which proved even more popular and eventually took over from ‘Six-Five Special’ which ceased ceased transmission later that year. UDDY HOLLY and The Crickets arrived for a tour over here in March 1958 as did Paul Anka and in May came Jerry Lee Lewis. Was Britain was not ready for him? His first records released over here were ‘Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On’ and ‘Great Balls of Fire’, these reached No 1, but his personal life which on reflection could have been much better for him had it remained private, left a lot to be desired. What we didn’t know but were about to find out was that Jerry Lee had married the girl who accompanied him on tour. Nothing wrong with that surely, but the girl, Myra Brown was only 12-years-old. What made matters worse was the fact that he was still married to his second wife at the time he married Myra. It transpired she was his second cousin. The scandal was front page news when the tour opened in Edmonton two days later and very soon became more than just a scandal, it was an outrage. Back in the 1950s we Brits still retained a certain amount of Victorian values and many, even the young people recoiled in horror at the prospect of this rock’n’roll monster amongst us. How times have changed. We now live in a society where a lot of children are brought up in a single parent environment and a good many don’t even know who their father is! Anyway to carry on. After two more shows in Kilburn and Tooting (all the shows were in London), the tour was cancelled. Leaving Jerry Lee Lewis, his child bride and the rest of his entourage to return to the states. It was many years before he was allowed back and when he was, he became more popular than he could have ever have imagined. He has always been one of my favourite rock stars. I was lucky enough to see him when he performed over here at the Twinwoods Festival, Clapham a few years ago. In 1959 everything ground to a halt. Elvis was in the US Army and tragically Buddy Holly along with Richie Valens and the The Big Bopper (he of Chantilly Lace fame) perished when their plane crashed
B
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in 1956-63 into a corn field outside Mason City, Iowa. The dates was February 3, 1959 and was described in the song ‘American Pie’ by the singer/songwriter Don McLean in the song ‘The Day That Music Died’. Cliff Richard was now undisputed leader of British rock’n’roll, taking over from Marty Wilde who had fallen out with his record company over their insistence that he use session musicians instead of his own band The Wildcats when recording. Bill Haley was no longer at the forefront, although he found new popularity in the late 60s and 70s and in the mid 70s was invited to perform before the Queen and Prince Philip at the Royal Variety Show. U.S. tours to the U.K. had almost completely stopped and the was Larry Parnes, Mr Parnes, Shillings and Pence as he was dubbed who kept rock’n’roll on the road. He managed a large number of British acts including: Billy Fury, Joe Brown, Vince Eager, Georgie Fame and Dickie Pride. So with Parnes doing his best to deep the rock’n’roll ball rolling and U.S. tours virtually at a standstill the future really looked bleak. Never before or since had there been so few Americans performing over here and so it seemed as if the prophets of doom were correct in their assessment. However when all seemed lost on single stage appearance during the final month of the year change all that. On a cold December evening at Tooting Granada in south-west London, Gene Vincent appeared on stage, grabbed the microphone, rolled his eyes to the heavens and began to sing and after that nothing in this country was ever the same again. He came over here for a TV appearance but after the Tooting show was persuaded to stay over for further shows at other venues and just before Christmas he appeared at the Royal County Theatre, Bedford, where I, along with Tony Bartram, Roger and David Clegg saw him and after that, the feeling was that it could only get better and so it did. All will be revealed next month under the heading ‘American Rock’n’ Roll in Bedford.
F Rock’n’Roll was the music of the 1950s for us teenagers then 1959 was undoubtedly the bleakest year ever for this brand of music. Buddy Holly was dead. Elvis was in the army and American tours to this country had almost stopped
I
completely. On the face of it, the Rock’n’Roll era was rapidly drawing to a close in the UK, or so it appeared. Happily the opposite was the case, two men must be given full credit for breathing live into a supposedly dead corpse. Jack Good with ITV shows ‘Oh Boy’ and ‘Boy Meets Girl’ and Larry Parnes who kept Rock’n’Roll on the road to recovery with his stable of home grown British Rock’n’Rollers led the way. It wasn’t long before Don Arden, Arthur Howes and several other music promoters were able to used their considerable influence to entice American artists over here at the beginning of the new decade. Gene Vincent led the way in January 1960 with a series of concerts promoted by Parnes on the Granada Cinemas circuit and he appeared at Bedford’s Granada on January 13. His impact on British audiences cannot really be under estimated at a time when it seem to many that Rock’n’Roll was fading out in Britain. Then Eddie Cochran flew over for what was originally intended to be a very short tour supplemented by ITV appearances with Gene Vincent on ‘Boy Meets Girl’. He and Vincent were good friends who had appeared together on TV shows in USA. Parnes hit upon the brilliant idea of paring them together for a nationwide tour, which began on my birthday, January 24 in Ipswich and ended on April 16 in Bristol. It was in a taxi travelling from Bristol to London that Cochran was killed when it crashed into a lampost in Chippenham, Wiltshire. Bedford would have been on his agenda had he lived. Bobby Darren, Duane Eddy, The Everly Brothers, Freddie Cannon, Johnny Preston and Conway Twitty, toured over here but not in Bedford. There were several shows at the Granada featuring Lonnie Donnegan, Adam Faith and Billy Fury, to name just a few, throughout the year but it was not until February 16, 1961 that we saw an American artist top the bill and guess who it was? Yes, it was that man again Gene Vincent who headlined a show supported by Jess Conrad, Mark Wynter, Michael Cox, Johnny Duncan and The Blue Grass Boys, the fantastic Screaming Lord Sutch, along with comedian/compères Mike and Bernie Winters. I took my girlfriend Valerie Hay to see this show as I did several others. Gene
BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 25
Vincent came back to Bedford three more times before the year was out, twice at the Corn Exchange and once again at the Granada. The Rock’n’Roll spoil sports in this country were once again claiming that our music was finished by 1962 mainly on account these records were making little or no impact on the charts, but there was an increase in American tours. Many of which were very successful but it wasn’t until May 9 of that year that we had our first show which never featured Gene Vincent. This show was called ‘Rock’n’Twist’ USA (the twist being a very popular dance at the time). It was the first British tour for Jonny Burnett, a great friend of Elvis, Gary US Bonds and Gene McDaniels. June 6 saw Bruce Channel who wrote and recorded ‘Hey Baby’ a massive trans-atlantic hit, featuring the distinctive harmonica playing of Delbert McClinton. It was his harmonica style which was a big influence on John Lennon, who played this instrument on the
Beatles first record ‘Love Me Do’. These shows were now coming thick and fast. Next up was a tripleheader with Dion, Del Shannon and Buzz Clifford. Buzz Cliffords performance was rather disappointing, consisting of just three numbers including his ‘Baby Sittin’ Boogie’ hit but Dion and Del Shannon were both on form singing a string of their hits. This show was on September 19. To be continued next month.
26 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
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MAY IN THE GARDEN – by Milton Ernest Garden Centre
HE most frequent question we are asked at the Garden Centre (apart from where are the toilets?) is what can I grow in a pot? The answer is almost anything providing you choose the correct size pot and compost and remember to water and feed as required. Apart from the occasional shower the plant only gets what you give it. Pots come in all shapes and sizes the important thing is to choose a container where the volume of compost is adequate for the plants you want to grow. We are happy to advise you. Plastic, fibre glass and glazed pots have the advantage of holding moisture in the compost longer than terracotta as the moisture does not evaporate through the porous sides. It is important to maintain free drainage so raise the pot from the ground with pot feet and put a layer of large gravel, broken brick, tile or polystyrene in the bottom 10cms and then add the compost. Growing plants in pots mean they can go with you when you move house. Last month I wrote about growing Blueberries, Raspberries and Strawberries in pots so keeping with the food theme Apples,
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‘Potty’ advice
Peaches, Citrus and Nectarines are also successful. Dessert apples are better to grow in containers than Cookers. Any variety grafted onto an M27 rootstock is suitable. Plant in JI No. 2 compost and feed in the
Did you know that relaxation can actually improve your health?
That’s right. Relaxation is good for your mind and body. Over the past decades, large amounts of research on relaxation have been compiled. Researchers found that relaxation can help prevent many diseases and make you feel better in general. When you relax you gain more energy and achieve better sleep patterns. Regular relaxation is beneficial for the immune system. It has been found that after one month of regular relaxation a person can increase their natural killer cells and antibody levels. The benefits of relaxation are unlimited. Many doctors are now just realising that relaxation has so many incredible health benefits and now many of them see the difference in their patients. As part of my programmes, I regularly include relaxation as part of the treatment for my clients. If you didn’t know the benefits of relaxation, you’re not alone. Many people aren’t aware stress and tension have such a harmful effect on their health. And to top it off, these very same people usually have a hard time letting themselves just relax. This is one of the many reasons hypnosis is so beneficial. Hypnosis can greatly improve your ability to relax in a gentle and enjoyable way. Relaxation enables you to become more productive in your thinking, and ensure greater efficiency and effectiveness. Put the day behind you and relax! Contact me, to provide a bespoke relaxation programme to improve your health. Dr Sue Peacock, Consultant Health Psychologist Well –aHead – ‘providing psychological health solutions’ Email: [email protected] Tel: 0759 8960 531 Website: www.well-ahead.com
spring with fish blood and bone. Peach Garden Gold or Stark Sensation and Nectarine Nectar Crest are also grown in JI No. 2 compost in a container at least 45cms across and deep. Citrus fruits like Meyers Lemon, Nagami Kumquat and Satsuma Mandarin all need Lime Free compost so JI Ericaceous should be used for these plants. Figs are very good when grown in tubs. They grow naturally in poor stony soil so are happy in a container where their roots are restricted. Herbs and vegetables also grow well as potted plants. It is great to have the herbs you use most like Parsley, Thyme, Oregano and Chives outside the kitchen door and Basil and Coriander on the windowsill. I sow a pot of Basil and Coriander every month to have a continuously fresh supply and dry any excess. Sweet Bay is often grown as a decorative standard in a pot in a formal garden using JI No 2. Potatoes grown in the toughened plastic bags produce amazingly large crops of scrummy new potatoes. Use multi compost like Jacks Magic to grow all sorts of Salad Leaves, Spring Onions, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Chillies, Peppers and even Climbing French Beans on a tripod. Pots are often used to grow colourful bedding plants and bulbs for maximum impact. That’s great and these have a place in every garden but they do need to be replanted each spring and autumn for continuous interest which can be quite
costly. Now is the time to start planting tubs with bedding plants like Geraniums, Begonias, Petunias and other summer favourites. If pots are planted with trees, shrubs, roses or perennial plants by choosing varieties carefully you can also achieve colour and interest throughout the year. It is often effective if these pots are grouped and planted with a selection of evergreen, deciduous, and flowering plants so each area maintains maximum interest. Many shrub varieties are grafted onto a stem of a more vigorous plant to produce in effect a small tree. These are called mini standards and are very attractive when grown in containers giving height to areas. Roses are good examples of these together with Euonymus, Holly, Olives, Salix Nishikii, The Weeping Pussy Willow and Prunus Brilliant. In formal gardens Box and Bay are grown in the same way as standards, spheres or cones using JI No 2 compost. Medium and dwarf shrubs adapt very well to container growing. For sunny places Hebes, Lavender, dwarf Buddleias, Choisya, Cistus, Palms, Cordylines and Pittosporum are good evergreen choices while Hydrangeas, Sarcoccoca, Daphne, Fatsia and Aucuba are all excellent in shade. Camellias, Azaleas and Rhododendrons are also suitable for shady places but must be planted in Ericaceous JI and fed with ericaceous feed because they grow naturally in lime free soil. Roses, Sweet Peas and Hybrid Clematis trained to grow on tripods are also good in large pots in sunny places patio Climbing Roses being especially successful. I love to grow foliage herbaceous plants in large pots to mix with my summer bedding schemes. I use Hostas, Ferns, Phormiums and Heucheras and to cheer the winter months Hellebores and early flowering dwarf daffodils. Most importantly don’t forget to water and feed your plants in pots they really do rely on you. Car Boot Sale Sunday 15th May 10am to 1pm. Details of all events and activities are on our web site at www.miltonernestgardencentre.co.uk Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter and Instagram where we post daily and sign up to the email newsletter which always has a special purchase.
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BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 27
Shuttleworth College’s quality is higher – official THE Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has confirmed the quality and standards of provision at Bedford College, including Shuttleworth
College, following its review in January 2016. Shuttleworth Director Mike Johnston has welcomed the news: “We believe our range of land-
TV gardeners praise
AN eNtrY in the Young Gardeners of the Year competition by Shuttleworth Colege students has been praised by tV gardeners Alan titchmarsh and David Domoney. Alan said the Moroccan-theme showed the creativity of design in gardening and David continued the praise. Shuttleworth took a silver prize in the contest, which was staged at the ideal Home Show at olympic, London. the garden was featured on itV and an interview can be seen on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v= 2g5wrtp9cVk People can sign up for a range of courses related to horticulture, garden design and estate management at Shuttleworth College. these range from one day sessions to full-time royal Horticultural Society courses. www.bedford.ac.uk
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based learning in developing Higher Level courses provides valuable support to rural industries and employers.” A team of QAA reviewers visited the college and judged that its academic standards, the quality and enhancement of its student learning opportunities, and the quality of information about its learning opportunities all meet UK expectations. The review identifies a number of examples of good practice. These include: l the strategic and market-led approach to the development of the provision to meet the needs of local employers and students l the wide range of opportunities to work with employers to enhance student learning. Emma Lowe, Director of Quality, Performance and Standards at Bedford College, said: “It is very rewarding to see it acknowledged that Bedford College is recognised by businesses and professionals for our work in ensuring students have a clear line of sight to jobs through our
Mike Johnston Director of Shuttleworth College.
delivery of Higher Education. “Bedford College offers progression for 16-year-olds into Higher Education, and we are glad to have our work in this area highlighted and endorsed by experts in education.” QAA’s Higher Education Reviews are carried out by experts from other universities and colleges. Every review team includes a student reviewer, because QAA believes that students should be partners in the quality assurance of their education.
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No Loss Productions brought Bedford to a standstill. On Easter Saturday, 2016, Cally Lawrence’s theatre company produced ‘The Passion’ play. This was the first time in 30 years that this two hour outdoor play had been staged in the town. Hundreds of people filled the streets to enjoy this brilliant production of the Easter story. A volunteer cast of nearly 100 had been in rehearsal since last October. The play commenced in Church Square and processed through the town to the Castle Mound where Christ was crucified. White doves were released as a fitting finale to the event.
Photography: Martin Quince
28 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
The Passion – Jesus’ trials, crucifixion and resurrection
30 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
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HISTORICALLY SPEAKING – by David Fowler, Bedford Tour Guide
John Usher – Bedford’s Gothic Architect
OHN USHER, of Blunham, the son of the Surveyor to the River Ivel Navigation, moved to an office ‘opposite St Paul’s, High Street, Bedford’ as an Auctioneer, Surveyor & Appraiser in 1846 at age 24. He was to become ‘the most original and prolific architect of 19th century Bedford’. By 1854 W B Usher & Son were at St Peters Green thereafter John moved to offices at 30 Mill Street which he designed himself. Above the door, which is reputed to have come from the Old Bedford Prison, is perhaps an acknowledgement of Usher’s own beard! “It was also said that Mr. Usher was the first man to wear a beard in Bedford after a long spell of the beardless mode in the middle of the last century. At that time Mr Usher seems to have made quite a study of the beard as the natural adornment and protection of man, and so much was he impressed with its utility that he is said to have re-set the fashion locally.” From 1866 he was at 44 High Street and ultimately in 1876 to 9 St Paul’s Square which again he had designed and where the architectural practice remained for almost ninety years. Being a nonconformist and attending the Howard Chapel, Mill Street, it was perhaps no surprise that he was asked to design the 1849 refacing and extension, also being responsible for its school at the rear in 1862. He went on to specialise in chapels: Cauldwell Street Baptist Chapel also in 1862 (demolished 1960), followed by the Baptist Chapel at Sharnbrook 1865 and Baptist Church, Mill Street 1869 (demolished 1964). His Bunyan meeting schools of 1866 were an extension and skilful imitation of the 1849 Bunyan Meeting itself. In 1867 Usher built his own house “Hiawatha” in Goldington Road, the most noteworthy of all his town houses in exuberant High Victorian style, with heavily carved bargeboards, multi coloured brickwork,
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Design for ‘Hiawatha’ 1867.
The Turnley Fountain 1870–1880.
later recycled as the base for John Howard’s statue a few yards away. 57 High Street was designed in neo-gothic style in 1871 for Henry Adkin the gunsmith. The pinnacles at the top are surmounted by gun dogs modelled by the Exeter sculptor, Harry Hems and Henry’s initials can be seen above the central secondfloor window. Usher’s long association with the Howards lead to the 1873 design of Clapham Park for James Howard, MP and twice Mayor of Bedford. This was of a style said to be “domestic gothic in general treatment with a dash of early Norman in it”. Clapham Park Farm had been the site of the steam ploughing demonstration by James Howard for Garibaldi, the Italian Patriot, in 1864. John Usher was responsible for laying out Warwick Avenue and De Parys Avenue “and may be said to have first planned out the Bedford Park in the course of the preliminaries” and ”prepared the first map of the ground for the purposes of the internments” at Bedford Cemetery, Foster Hill Road. There are many more examples of Usher’s designs around our area. 57 High Street, Adkin’s gun dogs 1871.
Venetian Gothic windows and coloured tiles. Here John Usher died in 1904; the house was demolished in 1968. One of his best surviving examples is the 1869 ‘Holly Lodge’, 43 Grove Place, less elaborate than ‘Hiawatha’, but notable for the staggered three light window marking the staircase. In 1869 Usher carried out extensions to James & Frederick Howard’s Britannia Works, built in 1858 to the designs of the London Architect, Robert Palgrave. Britannia Works was the major success story of Victorian Bedford, supplying agricultural implements worldwide. Now demolished except Palgrave’s ornate Works Entrance; one of the streets on the site is called Usher Close. Thomas Wesley Turnley, a partner in what was to become Sharman Law solicitors, retired in 1870 wishing to donate a fountain for St Paul’s Square. Usher’s elaborate design lasted for 10 years before it was demolished, its dowdy replacement on the corner of the churchyard would I am sure have made Thomas turned in his grave! The steps were
‘Holly Lodge’ 1869.
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BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 31
out & about comedy p
“Very funny” – Harry Hill. Jenny Collier is going to be a star! Since moving from the Welsh mountains to London in 2010 she has reached the finals of the BBC New Comedian of The Year and the prestigious NATY’s plus she won
Putting a spring in your step
Castle Comedy is sure to put a spring in your step this Spring! On May 12th the Gordon Arms, ent Shed in Bedford plays host to a selection of comics that are all destined for great things! They are quite simply some of the funniest comedians currently working in the UK. Opening the show is tony Maresse. Tony is a powerhouse of a comedian. He talks of growing up in Hackney with his Italian parents, effortlessly performing numerous characters and accents to hilariously bring his tales to life. He starred in How to be a Man (Channel 4) where in his own words he was “well funny and handsome” and also produces his own comedy short films for KillTv. “Tony Marrese is without a
The Laughing Horse New Act of The Year in 2014. She is charming, has a wonderful comic turn of phrase and can be very very naughty! ‘’Very likeable...Clearly a rising star’’ – the evening Standard
doubt one of the best live comedians I have seen at the Fringe and I even struggle to think of better live comedians I have seen elsewhere.” – Broadway Baby.
Continued on page 33 col. 1
THE
KEMPSTON 01234
851120
ENTERTAINMENT EVERY WEEK Sunday 1st May KIDS PARTY 3pm – BBQ, games, prizes, disco 6.30pm – open mic night with the fantastic
DANNI BENTLEY
Created and written by Gerard Alessandrini
SHARNBROOK MILL THEATRE 7.30pm Monday 6 – Saturday 11 June An amateur production presented by Sharnbrook Mill Theatre Trust by arrangement with TRW.
Monday June 6th is CHARITY NIGHT with The Rotary Club of Rushden! Tickets at £15.00 include Drinks Reception at 6.30pm available from John Garley on (01933) 312668 Graham West on (01933) 222271 Email at [email protected] or visit www.sharnbrookmilltheatre.co.uk Registered Charity No 242164
Sunday 29th May FAMILY FUN DAY with BBQ bouncy castle games and prizes 3pm till 8pm then open mic from 8pm with the delicious
all welcome Saturday 7th May FANTASTIC ROCK BAND THE MIGHTY
DANNI BENTLEY
HARKBACK
Saturday 14th May a night of SOUL AND MOTOWN with the beautiful
D AT E S F O R D I A R Y Saturday 11th June The one and only
SAHARA SOUL Saturday 21st May
GAVIN BRENNAN ROADSHOW DISCO Saturday 28th May the amazingly entertaining
BLUES BROS
Saturday 4th June band night with
DR PHIL SOUL MAN Saturday 25th June the fantastic band FASCINATION Saturday 16th July a night with OLLY MURS
CHECK FOR DETAILS www.facebook.com/conclub.kempston
32 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
email: [email protected]
at DALEY’S CLUB Bedford Road, Kempston
7.45pm Thursday July 7
Entry by TICKET ONLY £10 available from the bar or call
01234 851143
TONY MARR ES Heavy TV ch E – NATY finalist, an man Channe nel 4, How to be a l 4, Fanboy s anonymou FLIP TV... s Tony Marre se is EXCELLEN T! TIME OU T...
now this guy is OLAF FALAFEL st see if you someone you mu . Hilariously nce cha have the destined for funny and surely re and fame. greater exposu
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ED HEDGES Bris tol comic who was joint winner of the So You Thi nk You're Funny new tale nt competition at the Edinburgh Frin ge, at the age of just 19.
Golden Years Menu Exclusive to over 60s on Thursdays & Fridays
Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea menus available prices TEA ROOM FARM SHOP from £5.25 Providing home-reared and local produce Serving traditional home-reared to include ● On farm Butchery and locally produced breakfast, ● Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Light Lunches, and free tea and ● Delicatessen Home Made Cakes, ● Jams, Pickles and Preserves coffee using our own Eggs. ● Local Beer and Ales We are open Thursday and Friday 9.30am-5pm. Saturday and Sunday 10am-4pm
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– Passionate for food and farming – Tel: 01234 772688 Email: [email protected] www.scaldendfarm.com
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comedy p
Closing the show is Cornish funnyman, Matt Price. Matt is quite possibly the best storytelling comedian working the comedy circuit. He is known for having some of the most extraordinary and outrageous stories drawn from the wilder side of life. Yet this selfeffacing Cornish born comic brings real warmth and heart to his tales as well as finding some audacious laughs in the most unexpected places. He has taken the Edinburgh Festival by storm gaining numerous rave reviews in 2014 & 2015. “A genuine ordinary guy spinning some yarns, extraordinary in their telling” HHHH Chortle “A terrific comedian and a wonderful storyteller” HHH the Scotsman. Your Mc for the show is Castle Comedy favourite, Paul Revill! The shows sell out quickly so be sure to book early to avoid disappointment! Doors open 7.30pm, Show starts at 8.15pm and tickets are £8 (£6 NUS) or £16 which includes a pre show meal and glass of wine at the Gordon Arms. To book call 07736 060541 or online at www.castlecomedy.co.uk Castle Comedy – Bringing Comedy Royalty to Bedford.
Comedy at the Barns Hotel The Barns Bedford Friday May 13
BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 33
between audience and performer-she obliterates it” edinburgh evening News.
The Barns Hotel in Cardington Road, hosted its first comedy night last month. Following this first successful comical occurrence they have a series of future events planned. Next up in May are: Mrs Barbara Nice, having recently
supported both Johnny Vegas and Peter Kay, Barbara is now a circuit headline act in her own right, as well as being one of the most experienced comperes in the country. “She doesn’t just blur the gap
and cheeky intelligent patter make him a comedian who can entertain rooms of all ages. The line-up is completed by the very bald and very angry man from Also on the bill: Craig Deeley a Birmingham-based stand-up who has crafted his art form over the last ten years. Craig’s repertoire is one of anecdotal observational comedy, combining humble self-mockery and tapping into the ridiculousness of modern life and everyday occurrences that we all recognise. Luke Graves, full of charm and confidence Luke Graves is funny and professional beyond his comedy years. His relaxed and friendly style on stage combined with his sharp joke writing, consistent punchlines
Birmingham, Dave Pollard. Check with the hotel for start times, meal and accommodation deals.
34 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
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email: [email protected]
Spring King +guests
Esquires, Bedford Friday May 13
Spring King is a four-piece postpunk band from Manchester. They are ‘a small-scale, art-pop-punk project’. The band hit the road for a handful of select shows following a year that saw them pick up support from the likes of The Guardian, Stereogum, NME, DIY and The Line of Best Fit, along with becoming the first ever band to be played on Beats 1; being playlisted at both Radio 1 and 6 Music; and touring with Courtney Barnett, Slaves and FIDLAR. With extensive 6music play, Radio One Maida Vale sessions, championed by Zane Lowe, the first band ever played on Apple’s Beats 1 and more there’s huge excitement in the music scene about this up-andcoming prospect. New single ‘Who Are You?’ was launched recently and announced as hottest record in the world on Radio 1 by Annie Mac and has just been ‘A’ listed on 6 Music. Huw Stephens has also just made it his record of the week on Radio 1. “From songwriting experiment to the most hyped uk guitar band of
the year” NMe “…one of the most exciting live acts in the UK: raucous but not sloppy, delivering infectious melodies with copious amounts of enery” BBC introducing “They’re either going to crash headfirst into the nearest hazard, or
they’ll speed by into stardom” DiY Mag “Like the bottled-up energy of a university house party in full swing” the telegraph The band visit Bedford Esquires on Friday 13th May with doors opening at 8pm. Tickets are on sale
now priced £8 advance from Seetickets and all the regular outlets. This will be the last tour of venues of this size so catch them up close and personal before they leap into bigger venues later in the year, you saw them here first!
live sets between original compositions and their own take on other artists songs, including their infamous ‘Prodigy Medley’. The nine piece brass band have backed some of the worlds finest, as
well as selling out shows across the world in their own right, and closing the 2012 London Olympics. They describe themselves as Contemporary brass rock/hip-hop/ Balkan/afrobeat/jazz music - all we
know is it’s going to be fun! Expect Brass, Beats & Bass! Tickets are £13 advance, on sale from Seetickets, Mario’s Hair Design in Kempston, Boutique Planet and Esquires Bar in Bedford.
The Pad presents Hackney Colliery Band Esquires, Bedford Friday May 27
“Craving a mash-up of early rave classics in frenetic, Balkan brassband style? Finally, your prayers are answered. An inspired musical collision.” “Reinventing the brass-band format for the 21st century” times “This is the most enjoyable, fun music that I know of” observer “One of the greatest live bands we have in this country” BBC radio 2 Ever craved for a night out that’s a little bit different? You’ve seen a million four piece indie rock bands, your fair share of tributes, and you’re all over watching a DJ play other peoples records for four hours. The answer? Head to Esquires on Friday 27th May, where former Amy Winehouse live collaborators Hackney Colliery Band are performing, for what promises to be one of the finest shows the venue has ever seen. The band released critically acclaimed debut album ‘Common Decency’ in 2013, and mix up their
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 email: [email protected]
the quarry e
Think No Evil of Us
The Quarry Theatre, Bedford 4.30 & 7,30pm Fri May 6
The Quarry Theatre, Bedford 7.30pm Tuesday May 24
The stories you know from the characters you don’t! This familyfriendly double bill comes from London’s world-renowned venue, Shakespeare’s Globe, and is a great opportunity for any budding young theatricals to experience Shakespeare as they’ll have never seen before. In Romeo Untold, the story of Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet is retold through the eyes of the Capulet Ball’s party planner. Titus Untold retells Shakespeare’s goriest tragedy, Titus Andronicus, as seen from the kitchen of Titus’s piemaker. These shows premiered to great critical and popular acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe, and are now touring internationally. Rediscover two Shakespearean classics together in just two hours (inc. an interval).
Written and performed by David Benson, this classic one-man show unlocks the character of one of Britain’s best-loved and most-missed entertainers. In this thrilling and hilarious tour de force we see Kenneth Williams at his funniest and at his most badly behaved. David Benson’s uncanny impersonation was also heard in the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 series, ‘The Private World of Kenneth Williams’. Following its Fringe First winning debut at the Edinburgh Festival in 1996, ‘Think No Evil of Us’ played in the West End. Now it returns for a strictly limited twentieth anniversary tour in an updated version. The show continues to prove its enduring popularity both with audiences who loved Kenneth Williams and those who know nothing of his work.
music Choirs from Norway & Bedford in concert St Paul’s Church, Bedford 7pm Saturday May 7
Kongsberg Kantori, a choir from south east Norway will be singing a Bach cantata and with St Paul’s church choir a selection of other church music on Saturday 7th May at St Paul’s, Bedford, at 7.00 pm. St Paul’s church is delighted to
welcome this 50 strong choir open to all ages, founded in 1973 and directed by Matthias Anger. The choir prides itself in the quality of its singing and vocal tone and is a fitting accompaniment for St Paul’s outstanding choir directed by Ian Runnells. This choral concert in the glorious interior of St Paul’s church will be a memorable international evening. £10.00 (£5.00 F/T students and under 18) from 01234 340163 or at the door.
BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 35
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 email: [email protected]
BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 37
the place p in the park t
Brobdingnag; visit the floating island of Laputa and a country peopled (or horsed?) entirely by talking horses... A brand-new, adventurous and delightfully innovative adaptation of Jonathan Swift’s classic satirical story loved by adults and children alike.
Blair Dunlop
Blair Dunlop, the award-winning British singer, songwriter and guitarist, will bring his keen-eyed narratives and captivating performance to The Place. Blair and his band will be performing songs from his acclaimed albums and previewing songs from his third asyet-untitled album scheduled for release in May 2016. Blair released his celebrated album House Of Jacksin mid-2014. His second full length record lived up to the promise of his 2012 debut (the quality of which contributed to his winning the BBC Radio 2 Horizon Award) and cemented his place as one of Britain’s most exciting talents to come from the folk scene. The Guardian stated that the House Of Jacks proves Blair is an increasingly adventurous songwriter, Uncut reviewed it as thoughtful and exploratory, The Independent on Sunday described it as fluent, lamentory and accomplished while Q Magazine wrote that House of Jacks is an exciting glimpse of where traditional folk might go.
8pm Thursday May 5
Tempest in a Teacup An enchanted island in the middle of the ocean and the storm to end all storms, The Tempest in a Teacup reimagine’s Shakespeare’s fantastical play for a young audience. We open Prospero’s spell book and out fly the most marvellous creatures. This is a story where fairies are conjured from thin air and books fly like butterflies around the room. Follow the plays magical characters as they explore the island and find out what happens when strangers are washed onto their land. This is a playful adventure using puppetry and storytelling, transporting the audience to this magical island in the middle of the ocean where wondrous things can
2.30 & 5pm Tues May 31
Belshazzar’s Feast Start with traditional folk music, add a touch of classical and jazz, throw in a bit of pop and music hall, and top it off with lashings of wry humour and you have a wonderfully entertaining evening with Belshazzar’s Feast. Paul Sartin (of Bellowhead and Faustus) and Paul Hutchinson (of Hoover The Dog) have together wowed audiences
8pm Thursday May 19
across the UK with their eclectic and eccentric mix of tunes and between songs chat that always sends audiences home with smiles on their faces.
Gulliver’s Travels Join Lemuel Gulliver on a fantastical and hilarious voyage into the unknown Meet the tiny people of Lilliput and the giants of
7.30pm Monday May 30
38 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
email: [email protected]
twinwood festival The original and best vintage music and dance festival
As vintage style continues to grow in popularity, every year, over the August bank holiday, Twinwood festival attracts increasing numbers of well-turned out vintage lovers to its historic site in Clapham, Bedfordshire. Now in its 15th year, the festival will be offering visitors over sixty fabulous vintage music acts, with bands like The Puppini Sisters, Alex Mendham and His Orchestra, Down for the Count, Mike Sanchez, The Bootleg Beatles and the Electric Swing Circus. Spread over eleven themed on-site venues the programme of music spans from the 30s right through to the swinging 60s and also includes Gypsy Jazz and Electro Swing! However, Twinwood Festival is not just music! 2016 will see the biggest selection of original vintage, retro and vintage reproduction traders, with well over 150 different stalls across the site. There will also be several vintage beauty salons, a men’s barbers, museums, classic
cars, dance lessons, bars, clubs, food vendors and, of course, plenty of places to dance! Twinwood Festival is also a great place to camp with picturesque
campsites providing close by, affordable and comfortable accommodation to festival goers with generous pitches, perfect for caravans, campervans, motorhomes
and tents. As if this wasn’t enough, for the first time 2016 visitors will be able to buy glamorous glamping packages for the festival in association with Brook Bell Tents.
NEW LOOK – NO MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED
“Sweet as a nut”
Daley’s Bedford Road, Kempston
Jonny Snooker FUNCTION ROOM Room FOR HIRE B
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3 POOL TABLES in the bar
01234 851143
THURSDAY JULY 7th – Ticket only show – £10 available from the club. Four great comedians including headline act Ian Stone, BT Sport, Fighting Talk & Mock the Week ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
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Mon-Thurs 11.30am–12midnight, Fri-Sat 11.30am-1am, Sunday 12noon-12midnight
40 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
email: [email protected]
Two exciting new Exhibitions at The Higgins
Now until October 2 Bedford’s War Machines
This new exhibition at The Higgins Bedford takes a close-up look at the Simplex railway locomotives made in Bedford and explores the town’s home-front contribution to the Great War. 2016 marks the centenary year in which Simplex petrol locomotives, which were integral to the allied effort on the Western Front, began to be made in Bedford. 823 Simplex Motor Rail petrol locomotives were exported to the Front from Bedford. The engines were part of a new infrastructure for getting troops, supplies and ammunition to the front lines. Simplex petrol engines were safer than steam engines, which could be targeted by the enemy and were too heavy for the mud-ridden trenches. Other engineering firms in Bedford, including W. H. Allen’s, were also involved in manufacturing war machinery and ammunition for the Front.
In 1916, W.H. Allen’s expanded, building a new factory at Biddenham, employing a predominantly female workforce and producing Le Rhone Rotary aircraft engines. The men and women making these machines in Bedford had an essential role in the eventual allied victory in the First World War.
The exhibition, in partnership with Leighton Buzzard Railway, includes a rare surviving Simplex locomotive and wagon, which will be installed in The Higgins Bedford courtyard. Lucien Freud, Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Stanley Spencer and Dora
Beautiful Bodies
Carrington are all included in this exhibition: a celebration of the differing approaches to drawing the human figure taken by British artists. The exhibition is drawn exclusively from Bedford’s internationally renowned collection. The angular works of Wyndham Lewis and the gritty realism of Lucien Freud and Walter Sickert are in stark contrast to Dora Carrington’s tender drawings of her brothers. It is the first time Carrington’s drawings of Noel and Teddy have been on display at The Higgins Bedford. The works, Noel Carrington c. 1912 and Teddy Carrington c.1915 were acquired by the art gallery in 2012 from the artist’s family. Carrington would often persuade her brothers to sit for her on visits home to Bedford from the Slade School of Art and the two drawings are remarkable examples of her talent for figure drawing. Including many of the 20th century’s most influential artists, this exhibition celebrates the inspiration these artists have drawn from the human figure.
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 email: [email protected]
Over 100 shows all in one tin! Does exactly what is says on the tin #itsinthecan
From thursday 21st to Saturday 30th July Bedford will host the 10th Anniversary International Festival Fringe bringing to Bedford a carefully selected programme of comedy, theatre, live music, film, dance and physical theatre to your doorstep. All these events will be held exclusively at The Quarry Theatre. It does exactly what it says on the tin… Bedfringe started back in 2007 making 2016 the tenth Bedfringe. That’s where the tin banding comes from (in case you were wondering). Bedfringe is moving into The Quarry Theatre for 10 days bringing to the main auditorium and studio theatre a dynamic range of acts ranging from stand-up comedy, theatre, music, dance to hi-tech shows like WiFi Wars where you play games against other audience members on a huge projected screen using your smart phone! Look out for some highlights including the 4th instalment of Joe Bone’s stunning Bane series, Tom Binns… the only comedian to get a five-star review in The Scotsman at last year’s Edinburgh fringe brings his brand new show and the fabulous Paul Foot will be bringing his new show Tis a Pity She’s a Piglet! There’s plenty do to for the kids as well… and thanks to Bedfordshire Inflatables, lots of garden games will be out for the little uns’ to play with including swing cars, space hoppers, connect 4, snakes and ladders and
An exciting local event bringing Bedford businesses together for a spot of wet, muddy, fun team building to raise funds for FACES Bedford charity. A wonderful charity supporting families and children in Bedford. www.facesbedford.org/ In partnership with Canoe Trails who are hosting this event and supplying everything you need we will provide a fantastic day of fun and team challenges, followed by a celebration event at The Embankment hotel. For further details: www.beds-businesswomen. org/event/faceoff-charity-battle/
limbo! So why not just come down and enjoy the wonderful bar and garden areas of The Quarry Theatre! Kids show highlights for us are Morgan & West’s Utterly Spiffing Spectacular Magic Show, Three Half Pints (stars of CBeebies Spot Bots) bring their new show Bad Guys and a special touring show (in a van!) The Last Post. So what are you waiting for? Visit www.bedfringe.com to start your Bedfringe experience! Fionna Fowler, Co-Director and James Pharaoh, Director Bedfringe.
BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 41
42 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
email: [email protected]
proms in the park t Proms in the Park celebrates 20 years
Bedford Park Concerts are returning this year with their much loved event - The Bedford Park Proms, which will take place on the August 6. It will be made even more special this year as the Proms will celebrate its 20th anniversary and as such the audience will be treated to a spectacular night of music, fireworks
August 6, 2016
and the famous laser show as well as some other surprises on the night. The concert will feature the renowned London Gala Orchestra and as in previous years The Bedford Choral Society will be back performing popular classics and film scores. There will also be some very special guest soloists. This year Classical Brit Award winning Blake will be the headline act at Bedford Park Proms. The classical super group have sold over one million albums; they mix eclectic classical and pop songs with rich harmony vocals. Their extraordinary success has seen them tour extensively all over the world and as well as winning over the public they have also been firm favourites with Royalty, performing several times for the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Blake will be joined by Rebecca Newman, affectionately named ‘The People’s Soprano’ by fans, colleagues and the media. Singer-songwriter Rebecca Newman stormed to number one in the Official UK
Classical Albums Chart with her debut album release. She has also shared the stage with some of the biggest classical stars from Russell Watson, Alfie Boe, and Aled Jones. The night will conclude with a spectacular firework finale, which for many was the biggest highlight of
last year’s Proms. The Bedford Park Proms is one of the only shows in the country where the fireworks are truly choreographed to the music. In true Proms style, the audience is encouraged to bring picnics, table and chairs or rugs and enjoy the amazing family friendly atmosphere.
We have one pair of tickets to give away to see Tom Jones Live at Bedford Park on the 7th August To enter simply answer the following question Q: Fill in the missing blank of one of Tom’s most famous songs – It’s not ______________ Email the answer to: [email protected] with Tom Jones Comp in the subject heading. Good luck! NB: By entering this competition you give permission for LPH Concerts to contact you via email about their future events (martin is this allowed? )
TICKET INFORMATION tickets are now on sale at www.bedfordparkconcerts.co.uk Like us on Facebook - /Bedfordparkconcerts Follow us on twitter – @BedfordConcerts
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 email: [email protected]
music a
Tom Jones with special guests
The Shires
Bedford Park Sunday August 7
With a career that has spanned more than half a century Toms Jones is an international performer with more than 100 million record sales generated by hits such as ‘It’s Not Unusual’,’ Kiss’, ‘Delilah’ and
‘What’s New Pussycat’, Tom Jones along with his band are set to entertain Bedford with a repertoire that spans five decades. Tom Jones has won many accolades including a BRIT Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music and a Silver Clef Award for Lifetime Achievement. Knighted in 2006, the global star has amassed 36 top 40 UK hits. His irresistible show traverses musical eras and genres, appeals to young and old, male and female, mainstream and cutting
edge. Tom has always been about the power of the voice, the power of the song – he is a living legend, one of the few musical artists whose profession began at the dawn of modern popular music who continues to have a vital recording and performing career to this day. Warming the crowd up and returning to their home county will be very special guests The Shires. The duo of Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes are one of the hottest country influenced acts right now. Hailing from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, The Shires are set to warm up the Bedford crowd and open the show for what will be an electric night of fantastic music from not only one of the greatest entertainers in the world but some home grown talent too! Tickets are on sale now and expected to sell out fast. They can be purchased at: www.bedfordparkconcerts.co.uk
Tickets - Adults £45.00 inclusive of booking fee. Children age 5-15, £15.00 inclusive of booking fee. Under 5s, Free. Under 18s must be accompanied by an adult. Please note this is Not a picnic concert. Fully licensed bars and a variety of hot food and drink outlets are available inside the venue.
We have one pair of tickets to give away to see Tom Jones Live at Bedford Park on the 7th August To enter simply answer the following question Q: Fill in the missing blank of one of Tom’s most famous songs – It’s not ______________ Email the answer to: [email protected] with Tom Jones Comp in the subject heading. Good luck!
Above Bedford Rowing Club
NB: By entering this competition you give permission for LPH Concerts to contact you via email about their future events (martin is this allowed? )
TICKET INFORMATION tickets are now on sale at
www.bedfordparkconcerts.co.uk Like us on Facebook - /Bedfordparkconcerts Follow us on twitter – @BedfordConcerts
TIN BULLE
YOUR l events FREE FORD BOROUGH EDITION Comedy, Dining and lots of loca COPY BED of Arts, Theatre, Music, Shows, 6 MAY 201
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Best river view in Bedford
The Boat House Duck Mill Lane Bedford MK42 0AX Tel: 01234 353183
Open Weekdays 6.00pm – 10.30pm Saturday 10am–10.30pm Sunday 10.30am–5pm
WEDNESDAY – FRIDAY Evening 6.30pm – 9pm SATURDAY 11am – 8pm : SUNDAY 11am – 4pm Email: [email protected]
GOOD FOOD SERVED
Christenings : Birthdays : Parties Weddings : Funerals
ROOM HIRE AVAILABLE Opposite the Swan Hotel on the Embankment
The Best Riverside Venue in Bedford
44 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016
The 19th bi-annual Bedford River Festival The 2014 festival saw visitor’s numbers reach an amazing 250,000. This year’s River Festival promises to be even more popular with 100 boats already signed up to attend, twenty three of which have not been seen at the event previously. Events on the river include competitions for the best decorated narrow boats and cruisers; an
Sat 16 – Sun 17 July
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
illuminated boat parade; kayak slalom; the ever popular Dragonboat races on Saturday, and raft racing on Sunday. In addition, 2016 marks 850 years since the signing of the Royal Charter by King Henry II. The charter granted new rights and powers to the people of Bedford and the River Festival will host a twelfth century village on honour of this special anniversary. The Mayor of Bedford Borough, Dave Hodgson, said ‘The River Festival is a fantastic event that that is powered by Bedford Borough’s community spirit. There is always a
email: [email protected]
vast array of attractions for people of all ages to enjoy, and I am looking forward to seeing this year’s programme develop as the event approaches.’ Program details are yet to be finalised and Bedford Borough Council’s events team are still accepting applications for participation in the Dragonboat races, raft races, and the Carnival Parade. For information about getting involved please visit: https://www.bedfordcornexchange.c o.uk/downloads/index.php.
events t
Busk Till Dusk St John’s Hospice Saturday August 13
Following the amazing success of last year’s event, Busk till Dusk 2016 is back even bigger and better. There were some fantastic acts, some whom are reappearing this year. The event takes place on August 13 at St John’s Hospice. This festival-in-a-day really has something for everyone. From classical to rock, pop and everything in between you won’t be disappointed. It’s an event that you won’t forget, while raising lots of money for your local hospice. It’s going to be a superb day and one you won’t want to miss. Last year There was a mix of visitors of all ages. They welcome music lovers to bring their blankets, picnics and painted faces. There will be something for everybody including a variety of food traders and our very own St John’s Bar serving real ales, cider and Pimms, with all profits coming to the hospice. For tickets: www.busktilldusk.com/
Cruising season has started
With the arrival of spring the John Bunyan Community Boat takes to the river again for its fourth season on Bedford’s beautiful River Great Ouse. Since its launch in July 2013 the boat has carried over 15,000 people on private and public cruises. The 2016 programme starts on Sunday 1st May cruising from Priory Marina, calling in at Sovereigns Quay (next to the Star Rowing Club) and cruising up to Kempston. On Thursday afternoons the cruises run from Sovereigns Quay towards Cardington Lock. Other regular public cruises include a three hour cruise to Great Barford to The Anchor for lunch, a cruise from the Town Centre to The Barns Hotel for Afternoon Tea, a Saturday evening Fish & Chip Super Cruise, the very popular Sunset Cruise and Afternoon Tea Cruises run in conjunction with The Bedford Swan Hotel. The highly acclaimed Thursday evening Jazz Cruises continue on a monthly basis featuring top jazz musicians. Full details can be found on the website: www.johnbunyanboat.org. Tickets for the public cruises can be purchased on line, and at The Travel & Tourist Office at Bedford Bus Station, or the Corn Exchange Box Office, No. 13 St. Paul’s Square or by phone 01946 817456.
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 email: [email protected]
literature m Half a Pound of Tuppeny Rice
Local author talks to Steve Lowe about his first novel
Oscar Wilde once said that: “Life imitates Art far more than Art imitates Life.” A new mystery novel just published by David Coubrough disagrees with Wilde, at least in its origins. The young David enjoyed family holidays in Cornwall with his family. They got to know other families away at the same hotel, on the edge of St Ives, who holidayed at the same time, and it became an annual pilgrimage. Holiday friends became life long friends and Cornwall became, if not a second home, then a much visited friend. So when, after a life running his own and helping to run other peoples businesses, David suddenly had an urge to write a novel, Cornwall seemed the obvious location. Once started, the plot of the book ‘Half a Pound of Tuppeny Rice’ definitely
events t International Kite Festival
Russell Park, Bedford Sat & Sun June 11 & 12
Bedford Borough Council is getting ready to host the 14th Annual International Kite Festival and
thickens. In the novel each summer a group of families holiday together in St Ives. This continues for many years, as families and children live together for a fortnight each year. Then, in 1972, their lives are shattered and they never meet up again. In a lane near the village a night porter is found fatally poisoned. Later that week the body of a man is washed ashore under mysterious circumstances, apparently drowned. All five fathers are questioned but released, and no-one was ever charged. For Grant Morrison, then aged seventeen, it was the last family holiday, the last golden summer. The devastating events troubled him for decades and finally, nearly forty years later, he decides it’s time to find out the truth, revisiting the Cornish places of his youth. It could cost him his life, but he had to find out. That is the plot of the novel. In reality David still loves Cornwall, still holidays there and still sees some of his old friends. I met him in his home in Oakley. David said: “Those who know
you’re invited! Each year, this free event attracts thousands of visitors to Bedford and is a great day out for the family. The event showcases kites from the four corners of the globe.The Kite Festival is open on Saturday, from 10am – 6pm, and on the Sunday, from 10am – 5pm.
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BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 — 45
Cornwall will recognise many of the settings and enjoy the location, not quite as much as the book I hope. It has many twists and turns and there is a final twist at the end. “Writing a novel is new for me, having been involved all my working life in either running businesses, often in catering, or helping to set up businesses, as well as management recruitment. “So this is a new venture, but one I have absolutely loved, and I hope the readers will as well.” So much so, he is already working on a sequel. As much as David, who hails from Radlett, loves Cornwall, he also loves Oakley and the villages of north Bedfordshire. “They have their own charm, and although are relatively unfashionable when compared to places like the Cotswolds, are very lovely.” And who knows, his third novel may uncover dark deeds amid the rural calm of north Bedfordshire.
46 — BEDFORD BULLETIN MAY 2016 ST PAUL’S CHURCH, BEDFORD,
TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952
email: [email protected]
7.00 pm Saturday 7 May
JAZZ ON THE GREAT OUSE
meeting, 7.15 for 7.30 start, at Putnoe Heights Church, Bedford, MK41 8EB
CONCERT
Choirs from Norway and Bedford in joint concert Choral concert jointly by Konsberg Kantori and S Paul’s church choir Bach cantatas and other works
£10.00 (£5.00 F/T students and under 18) from 01234 340163 or at the door. 7.00 for 7.30 pm Saturday 14 May
CHAMBER MUSIC RECITAL
by local and international artists: guitar, voice, piano duets and solos by tamara McCoy and Valerie Hartzell works by Carulli, Liszt, Dyens, Albeniz, Boccherini, and de Falla £12.00 (£10.00 concessions) from 01234 340163 or at the door. PROCEEDS TO ST PAUL’S CHURCH.
More information. http://www.stpaulschurchbedford.org .uk/index.shtml ST PAUL’S SQUARE, BEDFORD MK40 1SQ
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MUSIC NIGHT
tHe FeNNY StoMPerS JAzz BAND Bedford Lions Club are proud to announce a fundraising event on
Saturday 7 May 2016 Bromham Village Hall, Village road, Bromham Mk43 8JP The musicians will be ‘The Fenny Stompers Jazz Band’ from Fenny Stratford, near Bletchley, Milton Keynes.
The prime purpose of the event is to raise funds for Beds & Northants MS Therapy Centre. Tickets are available from any member of Bedford Lions Club, or the lions ticket website: [email protected]
Doors open at 7.30pm. Tickets are £13 per person, the price includes a fish and chip supper.Friday 6th May 2016 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Following the success of last year’s Jazz on the Great Ouse Cruises the John Bunyan Boat Team are pleased to announce the programme for 2016. The cruises which are run in association with Olney Jazz Club, Consica Jazz and The Barns Hotel feature top national and local jazz musicians. The programme is: thursday May 19th PIANO JAZZ with the ALAN HAUGHTON TRIO featuring Alan Haughton (piano) Tomas Pedersen (double bass) Bobby Orr (drums) thursday June 23rd RICHARD ExALL (sax/clarinet) with ALAN HAUGHTON (piano) BOBBY ORR (drums) thursday July 21st RACHEL AND FRIENDS featuring RACHEL HICKEY (vocals) BILL MEREDITH (piano) NIGEL EMERTON (double bass) thursday August 18th GARRY WOOD SWING BAND featuring GARY WOOD (vocals and trumpet) RONNIE FERN (Drums) ALAN HAUGHTON (piano) thursday September 22nd TOM SYSON TRIO, featuring TOM SYSON (trumpet) ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Addison Centre Kempston Fund Raising
TEA DANCE
MoNDAY 23rd MAY 2016 2.00pm to 4.30pm £2.50 (Incl Cuppa) Tel: 01234 851877 or 01234 340997
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KEMPSTON SENIOR CITIZENS’ CLUB DANCING, WHIST, BINGO Meets wednesday 10am-12noon Friday 10am-4.00pm
at the CENTENARY HALL, behind Kempston Town Hall, Bedford Road For further information telephone:
Linda Travers Smith demonstrates using watercolour and ink
Ursula Buchan will talk about the
PARKSIDE SINGERS
Visitors very welcome Admission £4 per meeting (non Members) - includes Raffle & Refreshments
Friday 6th May 2016
Entry is free for members, £5 for visitors. Contact Jean Paterson 01234 307210 or www.bedsartsociety.co.uk for information.
–––––––––––––––––––––––– are giving a
CONCERT
2.30pm Sunday May 15th to help raise funds towards Aragon Day 2017.
Tickets cost £7 each and are available from COUNTRY PROPERTIES AMPTHILL tel: 01525 403033 or tel 01525 751629.
WILSTEAD PLAYERS
–––––––––––––––––––––––– Wilstead Players are offering a
RIOTOUS COMEDY entitled
‘the Haunted through Lounge and Dining Nook at Farndale Castle’ by David McGillivary and Walter Zerlin Jnr
It features the inept Drama Society of the Farndale Avenue Townswomen’s Guild attempting to perform a play which inevitably goes horribly wrong! Performances in wilstead are
6th and 7th May.
tickets £8 from Box office 01234 740782
01234 857011 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– ALL SAINTS CHURCH Great Barford Proudly presents
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SHANNON EXPRESS
ILLUSTRATED TALK IS
Saturday 18th June 2016 from 7.00pm – 9.30pm £10.00 per ticket (to include refreshments and free glass of wine.) Please contact: Maureen Munnelly on 01234 870633 or Ann Lovesey on 01234 870693 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
BIDDENHAM GARDENERS’ ASSOCIATION tuesday 17th May at 7:45 for 8pm Biddenham Village Hall
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BEDFORDSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY Friday 6 May 2016
WINGS OVER THURLEIGH
Mark Rutherford School Drama Hall Bedford MK42 9Rx www.bfhs.org.uk . Next talk will be Friday 1 July 2016
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www.biddenhamgardenersassociation.org.uk BRITISH RED CROSS BEDFORDSHIRE
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OPEN GARDENS 2016 Sunday 8 May, 1.30- 5pm
Gardens of westoning, Mk45 5Jw. teas, toilets, plants, parking. Sunday 15 May, 1.30-5pm
Milton House, Milton ernest, Mk441rL teas, toilets, plants, parking. Monday 30 May, 1.30-5pm
tofte Manor, Souldrop rd, Beds. Mk44 1HH. teas, toilets, plants, parking. Sunday 5 June, 1.30-5pm
oakley Gardens, westfield road, Mk43 7SU. teas, toilets, plants, parking. Sunday 12 June, 1.30-5pm,
Howbury Hall, Bedford, Mk41 0JB. teas, toilets, plants, parking. Sunday 26 June, 1pm to 5pm
turvey House and Garden, Beds., Mk43 8eL. teas, toilets, plants, parking.
£6.00 pre-book for house & garden by 12th June, telephone Natasha on 01582589083. Garden only on the day £4.00
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SPRING EXHIBITION
10am- 4pm Saturday 28th - Monday 30th May, 2016 Flitwick Village Hall Dunstable Road, Flitwick MK45 1HP Free Entry & Parking Paintings by Local Artists Paintings Demonstrations Refreshments Available Tombola
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TEL: 07724 905406 or 07894 935952 email: [email protected]
OUT OF OFFICE CHALLENGE
24 June 2016 Get together with your work colleagues and join us for a day of volunteering, team building and networking. Teams will compete for points throughout the day, with exciting prizes for the winning team. 17 July – 1.00pm – 5.00pm A summer memorial event to be held in the grounds with the opportunity to purchase sunflower plaques with you loved ones name.
ART EXHIBITION
13 August – 3.00pm -10.00pm Come and experience 20 Acts performing across 3 stages in this one day music festival. This summer event is guaranteed to be a great day out for all. To book your tickets go to www.sueryder.org/busktilldusk
COUNTRY FAYRE
14 August – 11.00am – 4.30pm Come along to St John’s Hospice country fayre and enjoy a day of best attractions including vintage cars, birds of prey, archery, craft stalls, dog show, food court and much more. www.suryder.org/countryfayre
STARLIGHT WALK
WEDNESDAY 25 MAY 2016 7.30 – 10.00pm –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Members £5 PAY AT Non-Members £6 DOOR –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Contact: 01234 344423 www/Organfax/clubs/Bedford ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
PL ANT SALE Friday 20th May 10a.m. to 1p.m.
COFFEE MORNING Saturday 21st May 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
PLOUGHMAN’S LUNCHES CREAM TEAS Sunday 22nd May 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
CREAM TEAS
In aid of MacMillan Cancer Support Starting at 1pm
in the evening
DISCO
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO MACMILLAN ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
There will also be many other attractions such as: cake stall, tombola, jewellery, baby clothes, bric-a-brac, toys, games, books & plants, Grand Draw, MU stall & bouncy castle and a ‘bargain basement’ There will also be tea coffee and cakes. Please come along to support the church and also to enjoy a friendly family atmosphere. CHRIST CHURCH BEDFORD
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PL ANT SALE
Sunday 8th May 11.30-1.00 Where?... Christ Church gardens. Denmark Street (in church halls if wet) It’s the place to be! Everyone is welcome! Why?.. We are raising money for the Home of Hope Orphanage in Malawi. Some of our church young people are spending two weeks at the orphanage and are fundraising for this trip. Also, money raised at the plant sale will be used to support a tree nursery for much needed trees and fuel efficient stoves through Neno Macadamia trust. on sale... Plants, Bric a Brac, twin a tree, twin a Stove, twin a kitchen, Cakes! Also... face painting fun, cook stove demonstrations, live music, presentations and refreshments so... Plenty for all!
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Wednesday
OLYMPIC THEME
There will be organised games for children, bouncy castle, bucking bronco bull, BBQ, auction, raffle and various other activities
SHeFForD MAJoretteS
25%
At Little Orchard, 36 Blunham Road Chalton, Moggerhanger MK44 3RA Raffle - Cake Stall - Pickles & Preserves Bedding plants, hanging baskets, tomato plants, vegetable plants, herbs, perennials and much more For more information call Jo Hollington on 01767 641184 All proceeds to St. John’s Church –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– COCK INN WOOTTON
Saturday 4th June at 12noon Entrance 50p (children free) Come along and enjoy a performance of ‘batton twirling’ by the:
OFF
12 November – 7pm – 1.00am Our yearly ball will be taking place at The Park Inn Hotel Bedford. Get your glam rags ready and register your interest. For further info call 01767 642412 email: [email protected] ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
IN CONCERT
| i don't know |
Which British city stands between the mouths of the rivers Deeand Don? | Aberdeen Travel Guide and Tourist Information: Aberdeen, Scotland
Aberdeen Tourist Information and Tourism
(Aberdeen, Scotland, UK)
The 'Granite City' of Aberdeen lies along the North Sea coast of Scotland and has been famed as the 'Oil Capital of Europe' since the discovery of vast oil reserves in the deep waters off its shoreline. The resulting oil boom catapulted the city's economy skywards, attracting major international oil companies to its business district.
This atmospheric city, however, had already been on the map for some 8,000 years due to its location on two major rivers, the Dee and the Don. Prehistoric settlements lined the river mouths and through the millennia the city of Aberdeen developed into a centre for culture and education, as well as commerce and more recently, tourism. Fine buildings line its wide streets, many constructed from quarried local granite with mica deposits which glitter in the northern sunlight.
Aberdeen has long been a favourite tourist destination for its glorious architecture, its central place in Scottish history and its closeness to the wild and remote beauty of the Highlands. It is a relatively small city with excellent transportation options and is famous for its gardens, parks and endless seasonal floral displays.
Many of its districts retain a distinct 'village' feel, and the wide, gently sloping sandy beach and adjacent promenade, between the mouths of the two rivers, is crowded with locals and visitors during the summer months. Tourist information about the plentiful things to see and do in Aberdeen is available at the local tourism office on Union Street, next to the Netherkirkgate and the First Travel Centre, and close to the cinema and Provost Skene's House.
Accommodation here is not known for being cheap and B&Bs tend to provide the most competitive option, with a good choice of guest houses residing on the south-western side of the railway station, on roads such as Springbank Terrace, which is just off South College Street and runs into Willowbank Road. During the week, local hotels are regularly frequented by businessmen and workers from the petroleum industry, meaning that prices remain high, especially for single beds, while guest rooms tend to be reduced at the weekend. In the busy summer season, self-catering flats are often available through the Robert Gordon University and the University of Aberdeen, offering an affordable alternative.
Aberdeen Tourist Information and Tourism: Top Sights
Located just a matter of minutes from the city centre and to the north, Old Aberdeen is packed with charisma and character, being home to many old buildings and entered through the Old Town House gateway. However, tourists should note that the Castlegate area of the city, to one side of Union Street, is actually even older. The Castlegate Tolbooth Tower is particularly notable, since it is the city's oldest structure and the only remnant of the castle.
A lively spot to hang out, the harbourfront is often bustling with activity and its early morning fish market has taken place here for literally centuries.
Of course, it may be that you are in the city to take in a show at His Majesty's Theatre, or perhaps to attend an event at either the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre or the Pittodrie Stadium. More information about Aberdeen Tourist Attractions .
The main landmarks of Aberdeen tend to be of a historic nature and reflect the city's illustrious heritage. Located in Old Aberdeen and within the city's spreading university campus is the 16th-century King's College, with its hard-to-miss crowning spire and period interior, which remains much the same in appearance as the day it first opened its doors. Another Old Aberdeen highlight is the 14th-century St. Machar's Cathedral, sited between Seaton Park and the Botanical Gardens, which dominates the Chanonry area with its twin sandstone towers and unusual subtle fortifications.
Standing on Broad Street and just across from the Bon Accord Shopping Centre, Marischal College boasts an interesting claim to fame, being the second-biggest granite building in existence, anywhere on the planet. Other significant landmarks worth noting as you tour the city include St. Nicholas Church on George Street, the Salvation Army Citadel on Castle Street and the Statue of William Wallace at the Union Terrace Gardens, as well as the scheduled ancient monument that is the Torry Battery. More information about Aberdeen Landmarks and Monuments .
If it is a rainy day in Aberdeen and you are looking for something indoors, then worthy of consideration are the surprisingly plentiful museums. Enjoying splendid views across the harbour, the Maritime Museum and Provost Ross's House offer two attractions in one, with much shipbuilding heritage information to digest. At the Gordon Highlanders Museum, you can learn all about the famous Gordon Highlanders through its wealth of militaria and armoury. Located on the Schoolhill stretch and close to Robert Gordon's College, the Aberdeen Art Gallery functions as the city's principal visual arts exhibition space and contains collections of themed paintings, including some Post-Impressionist pieces and works created by the famous Scottish Colourists group.
If you are on holiday in the city as a family, then several attractions within this category stand out, such as the Aberdeen University Zoology Museum on Tillydrone Avenue and the Satrosphere Science Centre at the Tramsheds on Constitution Street. More information about Aberdeen Museums and Aberdeen Art Galleries .
Most people understandably think that Aberdeen is part of Aberdeenshire, although these two areas are generally treated as individual regions, with lots of day trip possibilities presenting themselves. The Balmoral Estate is located to the west of the city and within reasonable driving distance, with this royal estate being a major nearby attraction with beautiful gardens. Excursions to the Cairngorms National Park are also popular, where lochs, rivers, walking trails and a mountain railway all await tourists. A trip to the Scottish Highlands via the Orient Express Northern Belle railway is something not to be missed, while at under an hour to the north, the 13th-century Fyvie Castle comes with an impressive collection of paintings and arms, as well as a picture-postcard lake and landscaped grounds.
Slightly nearer and to the west of Aberdeen, Castle Fraser is a Baronial tower house with a long history, and if you head considerably further west you will find the attractions of Inverness and world-famous Loch Ness . Also a fair distance away, although this time to the south-west, are the cities of Dundee (just under two hours), Stirling (around three hours), the Scottish capital of Edinburgh (also around three hours) and Glasgow (roughly three and a half hours). More information about Aberdeen Attractions Nearby .
More Aberdeen Information / Fast Facts and Orientation
Country: Scotland (north-east)
Area: approximately 71 square miles / 184 square kilometres
Population: approximately 215,000
Time zone: GMT / UTC and BST (British Summer Time), 5 hours from Eastern Standard Time
Country dialling code: +44
Average daily Aberdeen January temperature: 6°C / 43°F
Average daily Aberdeen July temperature: 17°C / 63°F
| Aberdeen |
What was the name of the oil tanker that ran aground in Alaskain March 1989 spilling over 10 million gallons of oil? | Aberdeen travel guide - Wikitravel
(5-8)
— excerpt from Aberdeen by Rachel Annand Taylor.
Two daily local newspapers serve Aberdeen: the tabloid Evening Express and the more serious Press & Journal (often referred to by Aberdonians as the "P&J", it also publishes editions specific to other areas in the North of Scotland). There is an urban legend that the Press & Journal once ran the headline, "Aberdeen Man Lost at Sea". It was April 1912 and the story referred to the sinking of the Titanic. Whether this is true or not, reading these can give an interesting angle on developments and life in the city and surrounding towns. You can buy them at any newsagent, supermarket, convenience store, street news-stand, and other places throughout the city.
Aberdeen and the north-east of Scotland also feature in fiction. Lewis Grassic Gibbon's trio of novels tell the story of a young woman, Chris Guthrie, growing up and living in the north-east of Scotland. The first, Sunset Song (1932) tells her story of growing up in a rural area just south of Aberdeen, at a time of change in society and the rural way of life. Sunset Song is regarded as one of the most important Scottish novels of the 20th century and many Aberdonians have studied it in school. The other works of the trilogy are Cloud Howe (1933) and Grey Granite (1934), which feature her life continuing in a north-east city that may or may not be Aberdeen.
Numerous crime novels by Scottish author Stuart MacBride are set in Aberdeen. His best-selling thrillers featuring Detective Sergeant Logan McRae portray a fictional darker side of the city and its environs, but make frequent reference to real-life city locations. These include Cold Granite (2005), Dying Light (2006), Blind Eye (2009) Shatter the Bones (2011), Close to the Bone (2013) and The Missing and the Dead (2015). These novels often feature prominently in bookstore displays in the city. Iain Banks' 2012 novel Stonemouth (adapted by the BBC into a 2015 drama serial) follows a man returning to a small seaport town north of Aberdeen after leaving due to a sexual scandal. Its name is adapted from Stonehaven, a small town a few miles south of Aberdeen.
In addition, there is an anthology of poems about Aberdeen called Silver: An Aberdeen Anthology (2009) edited by Alan Spence and Hazel Hutchison. Also insightful is historian Ian R. Smith's reflections on his hometown and life there, after having moved away, published as Aberdeen: Beyond the Granite (2010). If you are interested in books about Aberdeen or by local writers, call into Waterstone's bookstore (Union Street/Trinity Shopping Centre) or WH Smith (in the St. Nicholas Centre). Each store has a local interest section with a surprising range of relevant books about Aberdeen and life in the city. Also, the city's public Central Library on Rosemount Viaduct has a local section just inside the doorway and is free for all to browse. Most insightful about the city's architecture are Aberdeen: The Illustrated Architectural Guide by W. A. Brogden (4th edition, 2012) and The Granite Mile: The Story of Aberdeen's Union Street (2010) by Diane Morgan, among others. There are a wide range of books published about the city's history, architecture, local life, and other topics.
Talk[ edit ]
Scottish English is the everyday language. Unlike the highlands and islands, Scottish Gaelic (pronounced "gallic" not "gae-lic") is not widely spoken and is rarely heard. You will also hear other languages spoken on the street by many Aberdonians who have come from other places, with Polish, Russian, Mandarin and numerous other European languages heard often. However, the local dialect is called Doric, now spoken primarily by middle-aged and older people and those from lower social classes. Doric can be more confusing at first than other Scottish dialects. This includes for native English speakers - while Scots accents are frequently heard on TV and radio around the UK and other places, Aberdeen accents are not.
Gallowgate, looking toward Broad Street and corner of Marischal College
With time you quickly pick up what people mean, which is often clear from the context anyway. In fact, most people speak in in a standard Scots accent similar to that elsewhere which is easy for most visitors to understand. However, you are likely to hear Doric spoken by some while out and about, particularly if you travel by taxi or bus. Few young people speak it today, or may speak it only with close family or other Aberdonians and switch to standard Scots English when around others.
Here are a few commonly used words and phrases:
"Fit like?" - A greeting, essentially, "Hello, how are you?".
"Nae bad, yersel?" - "Not bad, yourself?".
"Fit?" - "What?".
"Aye" - "Yes" (as used throughout Scotland).
"Na'" - "No" (usually, an n sound followed by a vowel constitutes "no".
"Wee" - "Little", though this famous Doric word has become common throughout Scotland and in other areas worldwide.
"Dinnae ken/Da ken" - "Don't know".
"Hay min" - "Excuse me good sir?"
"far aboot ye fae?" where are you from?
"ben a/eh hoose" - "Through the house/in the other room"
"gie" - "give"
"tea" - can be used to mean an evening meal, i.e. supper, as well as the beverage.
If you politely suggest you don't understand, almost all Doric speakers will be able to switch to more standard English to converse with you, particularly if you are from outside the UK.
Get in[ edit ]
Although Aberdeen is remote by UK standards, do not be put off as with modern air and rail transport links it is remarkably easy and fast to get to. Journeys by bus or car to the city can be long so many travellers coming from outside Scotland arrive by plane (a flight of an hour or so from London) or by train.
By plane[ edit ]
Aberdeen International Airport, main passenger terminal, showing bus stop where buses arrive and depart for the city centre
Aberdeen International Airport ( IATA : ABZ) [2] is at Dyce, 7 miles (11 km) from the city centre. Airlines fly to/from European cities as well as UK destinations. It is operated by BAA (the same company which runs London Heathrow, Stansted and Glasgow Airports) but operations are smoother than at Heathrow. Many Aberdonians rely heavily on the airport when travelling outside Scotland and it is also one of the world's largest heliports, serving the offshore rigs in the North Sea. Helicopters are everywhere at the airport (and in the skies over Aberdeen) and can be seen from the terminal building windows.
Destinations[ edit ]
Major hub destinations (several times a day) include London-Heathrow (with British Airways), Paris-CDG (with Air France), Amsterdam (with KLM) and Frankfurt (with Lufthansa). There are also international flights from Dublin (with Aer Lingus), Copenhagen (with SAS), Bergen, Groningen, Stavanger, Oslo, Gdansk in Poland and Baku in Azerbaijan (another oil city). UK destinations include London City (with Flybe), London-Gatwick (with easyJet), London-Luton (easyJet), Belfast, Birmingham, Norwich, Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Bristol, East Midlands, Exeter and Southampton, as well as Stornoway (on the Isle of Lewis in the Western Isles), Wick (in the far north of Scotland), Orkney and Shetland (all these are mostly operated by BMI Regional, Eastern Airways or Flybe). Other routes cater to the oil industry, including Scatsta on Shetland. Occasional longer distance holiday and charter flights also operate on a seasonal basis.
Getting to/from the Airport[ edit ]
To travel between the airport and city centre, the bus is the quickest and most convenient option. The 727 bus route (branded "JET") operates distinctive blue buses which run every 20 minutes on weekdays during the day and every 30 minutes at evenings and weekends. These buses arrive and depart from the bus station at Union Square on Guild Street and also call at Broad Street. In June 2015, a single ticket costs £2.90 and a return (good for 28 days) costs £4.80 (you can also get a "day return" ticket for £3.60 but it's only valid for that day). Dyce has a railway station, but it is the wrong side of the runway from the terminal and inconvenient to get between station and airport terminal, although there is a bus link (number 80, operated by Stagecoach Bluebird). Unless you are going to another destination on the railway line, the 727 bus is the best choice. Info and timetables are available at the bus company's website: [3]
Getting to/from the airport by taxi is also popular (there can be large queues at the airport if a flight was busy). Taxi is a good option if you need to get to or from somewhere other than the city centre, or if you have a lot of luggage. Allow approximately £20 for a one-way trip between the airport and city centre. If you need to arrive at the airport early in the morning, do not count on finding a taxi in the street; book your taxi with the taxi company the night before. Hire cars are also readily available from major international companies at the airport.
Station Facilities[ edit ]
There is a Travel Centre with ticket office and information (e.g. timetables), open M-F 06.15 to 21.30, Sat 06.15 to 19.15 and Sunday 09.00 to 21.30. There are also automatic ticket machines in the concourse, which can be accessed at any time: Tickets purchased in advance (e.g. on the internet) can also be collected from any of these machines (you'll need your payment card and booking reference). The first-class lounge is inside the Travel Centre. Luggage trolleys are provided without charge and a left-luggage facility is available from the front plaza. A waiting room is on the main concourse, as is a WH Smith store selling books, magazines and snacks. There is also a café. There are toilet facilities (30p charge applies), in addition to those in Union Square (free to all).
Many other shopping and eating facilities are located in the Union Square complex which can be accessed directly through the concourse and is integrated with the station. These include the drugstore Boots, Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Marks & Spencer Simply Food and many other shops and restaurants. Facilities at Union Square open late into the evening and also include ATM machines, through-access to the city's bus station, and a hotel.
Parking, Taxis and Buses[ edit ]
Medium-term parking is available in the adjoining College Street Car Park (access only from College Street) and a small number of free spaces inside the station which offer parking for 20 minutes only. Taxis are available from a stand within the station concourse, and are popular with travellers carrying luggage. Regional and national bus services (including buses to Aberdeen International Airport) depart from Aberdeen Bus Station, which is located on the other side of the adjoining Union Square complex. It is possible to walk directly from the concourse, through Union Square and to the bus station without entering the open air. This option is useful in winter and periods of bad weather.
By sea[ edit ]
Aberdeen Harbour seen from a ship around 2008, showing Regent Quay (foreground) and Trinity Quay (left). Harbour Clock also shown (i.e. clock tower of the Harbour Board offices)
Aberdeen Harbour is located in the city centre, and can be plainly seen from many streets including Market Street, Guild Street and the Shiprow. Car ferries to and from the Northern Isles are operated by NorthLink [5] and these two vessels (the Hjaltland and Hrossey) arrive from Lerwick , Shetland and Kirkwall , Orkney at the ferry terminal at Aberdeen Harbour. They sail overnight from the Northern Isles and from Aberdeen, departing at 5pm or 7pm and arriving late at night (if sailing from Aberdeen to Kirkwall) or the following morning (if sailing to Lerwick or Aberdeen). Kirkwall is served only three or four nights a week while Lerwick and Aberdeen are served daily. The terminal is just off Market Street, opposite the car entrance to Union Square. Foot passengers are also conveyed.
Driving conditions[ edit ]
Main roads leading into the city are high-quality and well-maintained by the Scottish Government. In contrast, Aberdeen's city streets (which are maintained by the city council) have a few potholes, dropped manhole covers and cracked/damaged surfaces. Many of these were caused during the harsh winter of 2010/11, many but not all of which have now been repaired, but this took several years due to budget constraints. Speed limits lower than 60 mph are often in force along main roads outside the city (especially country roads) because Aberdeenshire has some of the most dangerous roads in Scotland. To improve safety at accident blackspots, speed limits are enforced by many automated speed cameras as well as police patrol cars. The Dundee to Aberdeen section of the A90 has a particularly large number of these.
Although all city streets are lit at night, most main roads leading into the city (including the A90 and A96) are not lit except at major intersections. Be prepared to use main beam (i.e. high beam) headlights. Added to this, be aware that country roads in Aberdeenshire are among the most dangerous in the UK, due to frequent bends and chicanes, narrow carriageways, and excessive speed by many drivers. While this makes many of them great fun to drive if your car handles well, you should drive cautiously if you are not familiar with a rural road and especially if your car's steering wheel is on the left. Local drivers (usually in powerful German cars bought with oil money) often drive aggressively or overtake thoughtlessly, and this is partly responsible for the high accident rate. Do not be intimidated or goaded into going too fast and remain at a speed you are comfortable with as otherwise your trip may end with being airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
In winter, roads are often affected by snow and fog (with much heavier snow the further inland). Most major city streets and main roads to/from the city (e.g. A90) are gritted but local roads are not, leading to very slippery conditions and increased risk of accidents. This is compounded by the fact that few Scottish cars are fitted with snow tyres or snow chains in winter (although these are available in Aberdeen). On mountain routes (e.g. A93), roads are often closed due to snow by "snow gates" which are shut by police and close off the road. However, all except coastal roads can be closed by heavy snow when weather is poor. Avoid car travel in poor winter weather unless you are experienced with driving in these conditions.
Get around[ edit ]
High Street in Old Aberdeen, at the heart of the University of Aberdeen's King's College campus, seen in the 1980s. The scene today, aside from the cars, is unchanged.
On foot[ edit ]
Walking is an excellent way to get around Aberdeen, particularly around central areas, as the city centre is relatively compact. Walking is also by far the best way to appreciate the grand architecture of the city. However, the city is not that small (e.g. Union Street is one mile long) so for journeys outside of the city centre, wheeled transport may be useful.
Pedestrian Maps[ edit ]
Aberdeen has a mediaeval layout like many cities in the UK, so for the first-time visitor, a map is helpful. There are quite a few of these located on signs around the city centre, mainly in points of interest (e.g. the Castlegate). However, it is very useful to have a map of the city to carry with you. You can buy maps from the Tourist Information Centre on the corner of Union Street and Shiprow, city bookstores, or you can order one online such as at amazon.co.uk . If you won't be leaving the city centre, you can also print one out from the internet before you arrive. Alternatively, a smartphone's map feature can be very useful as the city is covered in detail by services such as Google Maps. Aberdeen walking directions [6] can be planned online with the walkit.com [7] walking route planner.
By bus[ edit ]
His Majesty's Theatre, seen from Union Terrace Gardens
Most city bus routes are operated by First Aberdeen [8] , a division of global transport company FirstGroup who have their international HQ next to the bus station on King Street. FirstGroup is an Aberdeen company; it developed out of the Aberdeen city bus corporation after it was privatised in the 1980s, and grew massively following numerous mergers and takeovers (they run many UK bus and train services, including ScotRail until 2014, and own the Greyhound bus network in the United States). Some city buses are also run by Stagecoach Bluebird [9] , who operate routes such as numbers 5, 9U, 59, as well as the 727 airport bus. However, apart from these routes, most Stagecoach Bluebird buses are running between the bus station at Union Square and towns and villages in Aberdeenshire or further afield in the region. While these regional buses do pick up and stop at city bus stops, they are a less useful option for within-city transport.
Today there are around 22 city bus routes run by First Aberdeen and 3 by Stagecoach Bluebird and most operate on a hub-and-spoke system, i.e. a route starts in a suburb or on the outskirts, comes in through the city centre, and then goes out to another suburb. Services begin around 5AM and end close to midnight with a few night services at weekends. The First network uses a colour-coded system with main routes having a colour (e.g. 3 is purple, 20 is indigo, 1&2 are red) while less important routes have no colour. The map is in the style of the London Underground which helps to find your way around. Information on routes is available on First Aberdeen's website [10] , but for face-to-face info, bus maps, timetables and bus passes, call into the First Travel Centre on Union Street, between Market Street and the Shiprow. It is open 9-5 every day except Sunday and public holidays. You can get info about all Stagecoach Bluebird routes at the Bus Station at Union Square or on their website.
To use the bus you pay the driver as you get on. Tell him or her your destination and he/she will tell you the fare or sell you a day ticket. Press one of the "stop" buttons around the bus when you are nearing your destination and the bus will stop at the next bus stop. First Aberdeen buses do not carry any change at all so you need to use the exact money. As of June 2015, an adult single fare on city buses is usually £2.20 but is £2.60 if the journey is longer, while all child tickets are £1.10. An adult return ticket (also valid for two journeys on different routes) is usually £3.75 but is £4.00 for longer journeys. If you'll be using more than two buses a day, a day ticket gives travel on all First buses that day; for adults this day ticket costs £4.00 (or £3.00 if issued after 7pm) and £3.50 with a university-issued student ID card. You can also buy a carnet from the First Aberdeen travel shop on Union Street or any shop with a PayPoint outlet (usually newsagents or small convenience stores; they have a yellow "PayPoint" sign outside).
All buses are modern and have low-floor access; some routes (e.g. 1 and 2) use articulated "bendy" buses. First Aberdeen has a monopoly on city bus routes and a reputation for mediocre service and high fares compared to other cities. Citizens frequently complain about the service, but in truth most services are fairly good, with routes that pass the universities (e.g. 1 and 2) being especially frequent during term-time. After 7pm all run only every 30 minutes. Stagecoach Bluebird city buses run on few routes at the moment but are often slightly cheaper, and drivers give change.
By taxi[ edit ]
The tower of the Petrofac building glows in a changing sequence of bright colours at night, a distinctive point on the city's skyline. It houses offices of an oil services company.
Taxis are widely available from a number of ranks dotted around the city centre. The main ranks are located off at Back Wynd (just off central Union Street), Hadden Street (just off Market Street) and inside the railway station. There is another located at Chapel Street (at the western end of Union Street). Most Aberdeen taxis are saloon cars or people-carriers rather than London-style black cabs and can be any colour. Taxis and their drivers must be registered with the City Council and carry an official taxi registration plate (usually on the back). You can also call for a taxi to pick you up from any address; while there are various companies, the major ones are ComCab at 01224 35 35 35 and Rainbow City on 01224 87 87 87.
Taxis are the most popular way to get home from a night out, so at night they can be harder to come by. After dark, they can be hired only at designated posts on Union Street - these consist of a vertical post with the words "Night Taxi" illuminated. You'll probably spot them by the queue forming at each Night Taxi stand. On busy weekend nights, be prepared to queue for long periods among drunken revellers, when these ranks are often patrolled by taxi marshalls. At night it can can be difficult to hail a taxi on the street as many do not give any indication if they're available for hire and some will not pick up groups of males. Aberdeen taxi fares are high, but they always go by the meter price and are regulated by Aberdeen City Council.
By bicycle[ edit ]
Due to the many narrow roads and inadequate lane provisions, this can be rather treacherous at times. Cycle lanes are appearing (but are often shared with buses) as are cycle "boxes" at traffic lights so the situation is getting better for those who cycle. It's getting easier to park a cycle too, the city council have now provided loops for chaining bikes within the city centre streets (e.g. at Shiprow and Castle Street) and within the multi-storey car parks. Aberdeen City Council has a webpage with information on cycling in the city [11] , while Aberdeen Cycle Forum [12] - a voluntary group encouraging and developing cycling within Aberdeen - have produced cycle maps for the city. These can be downloaded from the City Council's cycling website (see above), or obtained from public libraries in the city or council offices (such as Marischal College on Broad Street).
It is possible to cycle from Aberdeen city centre to the genteel suburb of Peterculter along the route of the Old Deeside Railway. The "line" begins just outside Duthie Park and passes through Garthdee, Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber before ending at Station Road. It is mostly paved with a few breaks where you have to cross a road. The route is very scenic and relaxing, and is also used by people walking dogs, riding horses, other cyclists, and other people just enjoying a stroll, so being courteous is a must. There are signs placed along the line with bits of history about the line and how it came to be.
By train[ edit ]
Girdleness Lighthouse stands close to the entry to Aberdeen Harbour and protects shipping from being wrecked on the rocky shore, since the wreck of a whaling vessel in 1813
Prior to the 1960s, Aberdeen had a suburban rail service but like many less-profitable routes in the UK, this was closed during the "Beeching Axe" of the 1960s. The only stations in the city now are the main railway station on Guild Street in the city centre, and a single suburban station at Dyce. As a result, rail transport is unlikely to be an option for within-city transport other than to Dyce, but it can be useful for travel to outlying towns. Local services run from the station at Guild Street to:
Dyce - On the north west of the city along the Inverness line. This may be an option for travelling to the airport, but less convenient than the 727 bus for most travellers. It may be a preferable way to travel to the suburb of Dyce as the journey time is less than 10 minutes, as opposed to the hour+ it takes on the bus due to traffic congestion and the fact that the bus takes a circuitous route. There are plenty of trains, though the frequency is quite scattered, so consult a timetable or www.nationalrail.co.uk . Dyce station is located just off its main street.
Inverurie - The next stop up the line from Dyce, out of the city in Aberdeenshire. The station is located a short walk from the pleasant town centre. Many commuters live in Inverurie.
Portlethen - The first stop south on the line. There are few services stopping here outwith rush hour. The station is on the east of the town on the road to the old village. A walk from here to the main shopping area will take you around 10–15 minutes, there are buses that run every 20 minutes just outside the station if you need to use them.
Stonehaven - The next stop south from Portlethen. Trains are fairly frequent. Buses to Stonehaven centre depart from the hotel across from the station, or you can walk (10–20 minutes depending on speed). Stonehaven is a pleasant harbour town which attracts tourists, including to see the spectacular ruins of Dunottar Castle. Between here and Aberdeen, look out the sea-side of the window for spectacular coastal views. Many tourists visit Stonehaven in the summer and train is a great way to reach it from Aberdeen. The journey time from Aberdeen station to Stonehaven station on the train is around 20 minutes.
See[ edit ][ add listing ]
For more information on these and other attractions the Tourist Information Centre at the corner of Union Street and Shiprow is a useful point of contact (open Monday to Saturday 9am to 6.30pm, more restricted hours on Sundays, tel. 01224 288828). Many city museums and galleries are closed on Mondays.
Aberdeen Art Gallery [13] Schoolhill. Tel: 01224 523700, [14] Open Tuesday-Saturday 10.00AM-5.00PM, Sunday 2.00PM-5.00PM. ****Closed until Winter 2017 due to major refurbishment and extension****. Schoolhill., Open Tuesday-Saturday 10.00AM-5.00PM, Sunday 2.00PM-5.00PM. The Aberdeen Art Gallery is set in a Victorian building with an exquisite marble and granite main hall. On the ground floor are housed modern works including pieces by Tracy Emin and Gilbert & George, with many others. Upstairs hang more traditional paintings and sculpture. These include Impressionist pieces as well as works by the Scottish Colourists. There are frequent temporary exhibitions (see website) and also display of antique silverware and decorative pieces. Columns in the main hall display the many different colours of local granite used to build the city. There is a good gift shop too. For those who like art, an afternoon could easily be spent here, but at least a quick browse is well worth it for anyone. The gallery is closed on Mondays. Admission free.
Aberdeen Maritime Museum [15] Shiprow. Tel: 01224 337700, [16] . Open Tuesday-Saturday 10.00AM-5.00PM, Sunday 12.00PM-3.00PM. This museum, rated five-star by the Scottish Tourist Board, tells the story of Aberdeen's relationship with the sea, from fishing to trade to North Sea oil. It offers an extraordinary insight into the mechanics and technology of ships and oil rigs, Aberdeen's rich maritime history and the lives of some of the people who have worked offshore in the North Sea for the past 500 years. The newest part of the complex is a blue, glass-fronted building on the cobbled Shiprow. Inside is a spiral walkway, rising upwards around an eye-catching model of an oil rig. Connected to this structure are the much older buildings which take visitors through a series of castle-style corridors and staircases to reach the numerous room sets, historical artefacts and scale models. If your time in Aberdeen is limited, go and see this. There is so much to see, and even the buildings themselves are worth a look. There is also a restaurant - slightly expensive, but the food is pretty good. There are excellent views of the harbour from the top floor. The museum is closed on Mondays. Admission free.
Granite Architecture. Aberdeen's granite buildings form one of the most celebrated cityscapes in Britain, with beautiful and architecturally significant buildings literally everywhere, especially in the city centre. However, some (particularly on Union Street and streets nearby) are now in need of restoration, much as the New Town of Edinburgh was before its restoration in the late 20th century. As such, currently many of the great granite buildings of the city centre have a sense of faded grandeur, though some (such as Marischal College - see below) have been dramatically restored. The Wikipedia article on Architecture in Aberdeen gives a good introduction [17] but here are a few to get you started as you walk around the city centre. The newly restored Marischal College on Broad Street, displays what poet John Betjeman called "tower on tower, forests of pinnacles, a group of palatial buildings rivalled only by the Houses of Parliament at Westminster". Then try the Town House (i.e. city hall) on Union Street, with its confident Victorian tower and street frontage. The Salvation Army Citadel on the Castlegate is an excellent example of the Scottish Baronial style, with its fairy-tale turrets, while a walk up (and down) Union Street with its mile of impressive granite buildings is a must. As you walk along Union Street, look up; the architecture is often not visible from street-level. Unlike other grand streets in the UK (such as Grey Street in Newcastle or the Royal Crescent in Bath ), but like Princes Street in Edinburgh , each building on Union Street is different to the next in stature and architectural style. You will see a wide range of architectural styles, from highly ornamented to robust and Scottish-looking. Then, on Rosemount Viaduct, the cluster of His Majesty's Theatre, St. Mark's Church and the Central Library form a widely-praised trio. City bookstores and the Central Library carry books about Aberdeen's architecture, such as Aberdeen: An Illustrated Architectural Guide by W. A. Brogden (2012, 4th ed.) and The Granite Mile by Diane Morgan (2008) on the architecture of Union Street.
Union Terrace Gardens is a small city-centre park on one side of Union Terrace, just off Union Street. A small river, the Denburn, used to flow past here but is now covered by the railway line. Union Terrace Gardens is a rare haven of tranquility, greenery and natural beauty in the city-centre. In summer look out for the floral coat of arms, and in warm weather citizens sunbathe and picnic on the lawns. All year round, from the gardens you can appreciate some of the grand architecture on Union Terrace and Rosemount Viaduct. In winter, the park is beautiful in the snow. In 2011-12 the park was threatened with demolition to build a heavily-engineered "City Garden" as a new civic heart for the city, sponsored by local oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood who offered £50 million of his own money to part-finance the scheme. The project was extremely controversial but citizens voted narrowly in favour of the redevelopment in a referendum. However, following the 2012 elections to the city council the new city administration scrapped the controversial project. Entrance free.
Aberdeen Beach. Aberdeen's long sandy beach once made it something of a holiday resort, advertised by railway travel posters (that you may see at the Tourist Information Centre on Union Street). The beach stretches from picturesque Footdee (see below) at one end to the mouth of the River Don over two miles north. While it's rarely hot enough for sunbathing and the North Sea is cold all year round, it's a fantastic place for a jog or a bracing walk. Surfers and windsurfers are also frequently to be found there. On sunny days, the beach is a popular place to spend time and one of the best spots in the city for a romantic walk. Amenities at the southern end include an amusement park, ice arena, leisure centre and leisure park with restaurants and cinema.
Footdee (usually pronounced "Fitty") A former fishing village absorbed by the city, in the streets around Pocra Quay. It is located at what was once the foot of the River Dee (hence the name) before the course of the river was artificially diverted to improve the harbour. This area is a laid-back cluster of traditional, small, quaint houses and quirky outhouses, and the area was specially constructed in the 19th century to house a fishing community. Footdee is located at the harbour mouth, where dolphins can often be seen.
Old Aberdeen [18] The quaintest part of the city and location of the University of Aberdeen's King's College Campus, along the High Street and the streets leading off it, with modern university buildings further from it. The Chapel and Crown Tower at Kings College date from the 16th century (the tower is a symbol of the city as well as the university), while many of the other houses and buildings on the High Street and nearby are centuries old. The university's Kings Museum (M-F 9-5, free) a little way up the High Street puts on rotating displays from the university's collections. The new University Library (looks like a glass cube with zebra stripes) has a gallery space open every day with rotating exhibitions (free; check website for opening times), and you can explore the library (it's open to the public) which has outstanding views of the whole city and sea from the upper floors. The Old Town House at the top of the High Street (looks like it's in the middle of the roadway) has a visitor centre with leaflets on the area's heritage and rotating exhibitions. You can also explore the scenic and serene Cruickshank Botanic Garden which belongs to the university and is used for teaching and research, as well as being open to the public. The nearby St. Machar's Cathedral on the Chanonry (a continuation of the High Street) with its two spires, was completed in 1530 and is steeped in history and worth a visit (Aberdeen has three cathedrals, all named after saints). As it is part of the Protestant Church of Scotland, it does not actually function as a cathedral but is always called this. To get to Old Aberdeen, bus route No.20 from Broad Street takes you right there - get off at the High Street. Alternatively take No.1 or No.2 from Union Street and get off on King Street at the university campus (by the playing fields).
Winter Gardens at Duthie Park [19] (01224 585310). At Duthie Park. The David Welch Winter Gardens are one of the most popular gardens in Scotland and one of the largest indoor gardens in Europe. Consisting of a variety of glasshouses, they house a wide range of tropical and exotic plants, many of them rare. The frog that rises out of the pond is also amusing, and the Japanese Garden (one of the few exterior spaces) is tranquil. The entrances to Duthie Park are at the end of Polmuir Road in Ferryhill (AB11 7TH) or at Riverside Drive just after the railway bridge (this entrance also has a free car park), and you can walk through the park to the Winter Gardens. Duthie Park has recently benefitted from a £5 million renovation to restore it to its Victorian glory. The Winter Gardens are open every day 9.30am to 4.30pm (Nov-Mar), 5.30pm (April, Sep-Oct) or 7.30pm (May-Aug). Admission free.
Johnston Gardens [20] Viewfield Road. Open everyday 8am until 1 hour before dusk. This one-hectare park in a middle-class suburb is one of the most spectacular in Scotland. Packed with dramatic floral displays, it also has a stream, waterfalls, ponds and rockeries. Many have suggested that Aberdeen won the Britain in Bloom award so many times on the basis of this park alone. The pond has ducks, there is a children's play area, and also toilets are provided. To get there, take bus route No.16 from Union Street, or a taxi. Entrance free.
The Gordon Highlanders Museum [21] St. Lukes Viewfield Road. Tel: 01224 311200, [22] . Open first Tuesday in April to last Sunday in October, Tuesday-Saturday 10.30AM-4.30PM, Su 1.30PM-4.30PM (last admission 4PM). November-March open by appointment only. Closed Mondays. At the Gordon Highlanders Museum you can re-live the compelling and dramatic story of one of the British Army's most famous regiments, through the lives of its outstanding personalities and of the kilted soldiers of the North East of Scotland who filled its ranks. Exhibits include a real Nazi flag from Hitler's staff car, and there is a small cinema where you can watch a film on the history of the regiment. For the younger visitors there are a number of uniforms to try on, and there is also a coffee shop. For those interested in military history this small gem is a must. To get there, take route No.16 from Union Street or taxi. Admission: Adults: £2.50, Children: £1.00, Seniors: £1.50, Closed season: £3.00.
Provost Skene's House [23] . Guestrow (walk under passageway at St. Nicholas House on Broad Street and it's in the little plaza there). Tel. 01224 641086. Open Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm. ***Provost Skene's House is currently closed as access is not possible due to construction works on the Marischal Square development which surrounds it*** Scottish towns and cities have a "provost" instead of a mayor and this house used to belong to Provost George Skene. The large, picturesque house dates from 1545 (it's the oldest house left in the city) and houses various rooms furnished to show how people in Aberdeen lived in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. There is an excellent cafe in the cellar. The house is closed on Sundays. Admission free.
The Tolbooth Museum [24] . Castle Street (i.e. the eastern part of Union Street, before it enters the Castlegate square.). Tel. 01224 621167. Open Monday - Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 12noon - 3pm. This is Aberdeen's museum of civic history; it is now open every day (though in the past it opened only in summer). In Scottish towns and cities, a "tolbooth" was the main municipal building or Town Hall, providing council meeting space as well as a courthouse and jail. Aberdeen's Tolbooth Museum is situated in a 17th-century tolbooth which had housed jail cells in centuries past, and played a key role in the city's history, including the Jacobite rebellions. The museum has fascinating displays on crime and punishment, as well as the history of the city. The entrance is at the Town House (the modern equivalent of the Tolbooth!), just along from the Sheriff Court entrance and next to the bus stop. The museum is closed on Mondays. Due to the ancient nature of the building, bear in mind that The Tolbooth has limited access for visitors with mobility difficulties. Admission free.
King's Museum [25] . High Street, King's College campus, University of Aberdeen. Open Monday-Friday 10.00AM-4.00PM, Saturday 11.00AM-4.00PM, closed Sunday At the University of Aberdeen's King's College campus, High Street, Old Aberdeen (from city centre, take bus 20 from Broad Street) The University of Aberdeen holds extensive collections of artifacts from a variety of cultures around the world. In the past, it displayed them in the Marischal Museum at Marischal College, but this closed during its redevelopment as the City Council's main offices, and the university has shown no intention to re-open it. Its replacement is the King's Museum, located on campus. This museum is on the High Street (in the middle of the King's College campus) in a building which served as the Town House (i.e. town hall) of Old Aberdeen when it was a separate town. The museum puts on rotating exhibitions drawn from these collections, often with a focus on archaeology and anthropology. Frequently, students and university staff contribute to events at the museum to add extra insight or bring the artifacts to life and there are evening lectures. While on campus, you can also visit the gallery at the university's impressive new Sir Duncan Rice Library (which looks like a zebra-striped tower that you'll see from all over campus), which puts on rotating exhibitions from the university's other collections. Its small public gallery on the ground floor shows changing exhibitions from the university's collections. While there, ask at the reception desk to go into the main library (it's open to the public but they have to give you a pass for the turnstile) and take the lift to Level 7. You can admire views of the sea and almost the entire city, including a quiet reading room with panoramic sea views - can you spot the lighthouse? Admission free (to both the museum and library).
Zoology Museum (at University of Aberdeen) [26] Zoology Building, King's College campus, University of Aberdeen, St. Machar Drive. Open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm. This museum is located on campus, on the ground floor of the university's Zoology Department. It has a big collection of zoological specimens, from protozoa to the great whales. Exhibits include taxidermy, skeletons, skins, fluid-preserved specimens and models. The museum is in the university's Zoology Building, which towers over the Botanic Gardens. Take bus No.20 from city centre and get off at the end of the High Street, and walk through the Gardens to reach it. Or take bus No.19 and get off just outside it.
Do[ edit ][ add listing ]
What's On in Aberdeen (Events listing for Aberdeen), [27] . Guide to what's happening in Aberdeen: who's playing where, events, restaurants, special offers, where to stay. edit
See an arthouse film at the Belmont Picturehouse cinema, 49 Belmont Street, city centre (Just off Union Street, about half-way along the street), ☎ 0871 902 5721, [28] . Arthouse, foreign and selected mainstream films are shown here every day, in a historic building on Belmont Street. Films in languages other than English are subtitled. An adult ticket costs £8.50 (£7.00 for matinees) and child tickets cost £4.50. Tickets can be booked online or in person. edit
Satrosphere Science Centre (Aberdeen Science Centre), The Tramsheds, 179 Constitution Street, Aberdeen, AB24 5TU, ☎ 01224 640340, [29] . Every day 10am-5pm. The Satrosphere Science Centre was Scotland’s first science and discovery centre, first opened to the public in 1988. The centre has over 50 hands-on interactive exhibits and live science shows, which inspire your inner scientist as well as entertain the whole family. It is a great place for children, and is located in what used to be the main depot for the city's tram system. Adults £5.75, children £4.50, family of four (including 1 or 2 adults) £17.00. edit
Take a cooking class at the Nick Nairn Cook School, 15 Back Wynd, city centre (Back Wynd is just off Union Street, next to the graveyard), ☎ 01877 389 900, [30] . Celebrity chef Nick Nairn has recently opened a branch of his cook school in Aberdeen. If you like food or cooking, you'll love the one-off classes here, which range from 2 hours to a full day. Classes are available for all levels, from beginner to gourmet chef. £40 to £160 depending on class length. edit
Go on a cruise around Aberdeen Harbour (Aberdeen Harbour Cruises), Eurolink Pontoon (next to Fish Market), Aberdeen Harbour (Walk in the Harbour entrance on Market Street, directly opposite the car park entrance to Union Square - there's no parking except at the Union Square car park), [31] . Aberdeen Harbour is one of the busiest ports in Britain, with lots of ships of many kinds arriving and departing each day. This 45-minute boat tour is narrated and tells you about the major sights of the harbour and some of what happens there. It's also a great chance to see Aberdeen from a different angle - for centuries travellers arrived at the city mostly by sea and this was their first view of its skyline (especially the Clock Tower at the Harbour offices). In summer 2012, tours operated June to September and departed at 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm and 4pm Wed-Sun (7 days a week in July and August). Payment is by cash only - use the cash machines at the nearby Union Square shopping centre if you need to. Adults £8, children £4, family £20 (2 adults + 2 children). edit
Festivals[ edit ]
Aberdeen International Youth Festival [32] (01224 213 800) takes place in early August each year. It is one of the world's biggest celebrations of youth arts, including theatre, dance, and music (including classical, jazz, opera and world music). Performances take place at venues around the city.
Aberdeen Jazz Festival [33] takes place in March each year. It showcases live jazz performances from around the world at a number of city venues.
British Science Festival 2012 [34] is being hosted by the University of Aberdeen from 4th to 9th September 2012. Demonstrations, talks, exhibitions, lectures and fun events will take place for everyone from children and families to adult members of the public. Celebrity guests will include physicist Brian Cox and psychologist Richard Wiseman. Venues will be across the city and on campus at the University of Aberdeen.
Word - The University of Aberdeen Writers Festival [35] takes place each year in May and is one of the highlights of the cultural calendar in Scotland. Readings, discussions, performances, exhibitions and even films are shown across the three-day festival which attracts top authors from around the UK and the world.
Sports[ edit ]
Watch football (soccer) at Pittodrie Stadium (Aberdeen Football Club), Pittodrie Street, Aberdeen, AB24 5QH (Head north up King Street, and turn right at the graveyard), ☎ 01224 650 400, [36] . If speculating is your thing, why not go and watch Aberdeen's home grown, Scottish Premier League football (soccer) team Aberdeen Football Club (or "The Dons") at work at their home ground of Pittodrie. Home matches take place on Saturday afternoons during the football season which runs July - May - check website for details. edit
Water Sports, Aberdeen Beach. Aberdeen's long beach is ideal for water sports such as surfing, windsurfing and kitesurfing. The Aberdeen Waterports store at 35 Waterloo Quay, AB11 5BS (Tel: 01224 581 313) stocks equipment for diving and also offers training in Scuba diving edit
Dry-slope skiing and snowboarding (Aberdeen Snowsports Centre), Garthdee Road, AB10 7BA, ☎ 01224 810215, [37] . M-F 10am-8pm, S-S 10am-4pm. This dry slope includes a large Alpine run and Dendex run, as well as a nursery slope. Individual and group tuition in skiing and snowboarding is available, and all equipment can be hired. If you meet a certain minimum standard (i.e. can control your speed, link turns and use uplifts), there are open public sessions every day; check website for timetable. edit
Ice skating (Linx Ice Arena), Beach Promenade AB24 5NR (On the seafront next to the Beach Leisure Centre), ☎ 01224 655406, [38] . Check website for public opening times as also used for training by professional skaters. The Linx Ice Arena is one of Scotland's most important ice rinks, opened in 1992. It is open every day except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Facilities include a national-sized ice pad measuring 56m x 26m, with a cafeteria open on Thursday and Friday evenings and weekends. Including skate hire: Adults £7.45, children £5.30 (discount for bringing own skates). edit
Theatre/Concerts[ edit ]
For plays, shows and live music, there are four main city-owned venues in Aberdeen, each providing a distinct and atmospheric setting for performances. You can book tickets and get a guide to what's on at these city-run venues from Aberdeen Performing Arts. They run the Aberdeen Box Office which sells tickets for all these venues plus some others; it is located on Union Street next to the Music Hall [39] .
His Majesty's Theatre [40] on Rosemount Viaduct plays host to a wide range of plays and musicals, including major touring productions as well as local commissions. There is also an excellent restaurant in a modern extension to the building. If you are in the city over the Christmas period with children, a trip to a showing of the annual pantomime is a must!
The Music Hall [41] on Union Street opened as the Assembly Rooms in 1822. Today it provides an elegant setting for classical music, popular music, stand-up comedy and other performances.
Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) [42] on the A90 (in Bridge of Don) is the venue for most of Aberdeen's pop and rock concerts. In frequent years wrestling has been a fixture as well. The venue has recently been dramatically expanded, and most functions are now held in the brand new building. If you are stuck for finding the AECC, look for the tall viewing tower, a fixture of the new structure. It is easily visible from most points close to the River Don.
The Lemon Tree [43] was once regarded as a rather "fringe" venue, and indeed it still is the launching platform for many alternative acts, but the sheer variety of talent on display (blues, rock, comedy and dance, to name but a few genres) rivals that of the three venues above. The interesting location creates a great atmosphere, and is one of the main venues for the annual International Jazz Festival (see above).
Learn[ edit ]
Nick Nairn Cook School, 15 Back Wynd, [44] . Scottish celebrity chef Nick Nairn (known to many from his TV shows) has recently opened a cookery school in the city. It offers short courses (from a couple of hours to a whole day) in cooking. It's a great way to spend some time for foodies or cookery lovers. Prices range from about £40 to £160. edit
University of Aberdeen, Kings College, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, ☎ 01224 272000, [45] . One of the oldest universities in the UK (founded 1495), it is renowned for its teaching and research in a full range of disciplines including the liberal arts, sciences, social sciences and the professions. Until the University of the Highlands and Islands was created in 2011 with its centre at Inverness , Aberdeen was the most northerly university in the UK (the Robert Gordon University, also in the city, is a little way south of the University of Aberdeen). It is a research-focused university of about 14,000 students, most at its main Kings College campus in Old Aberdeen, but some at its Medical School at Foresterhill. The Medical School is prestigious and the centre of a great deal of research, and is where (for example) the MRI scanner was developed. The university's iconic buildings, Marischal College (in the city centre but no longer used for teaching) and the tower of Kings College, are also iconic images of the city of Aberdeen. A huge new library was opened in 2011 at the Kings College campus. It is of unusual architecture for Aberdeen, taking the form of a seven-story zebra-striped tower. It is open to the public and outstanding views are available from the upper floors. The university's Language Centre and extension service, the Centre for Lifelong Learning, both provide popular adult education courses. edit
The Robert Gordon University (RGU), Schoolhill, AB10 1FR and Garthdee Road, Garthdee, AB10 7QG, ☎ 01224 262000, [46] . Usually referred to as "RGU", it became a university in 1992 but developed out of an educational institution dating from 1750 founded by the Aberdeen merchant and philanthropist Robert Gordon. The word "The" is officially part of the title. RGU has two campuses, one in the city centre at Schoolhill and a larger suburban campus at Garthdee, by the banks of the River Dee. It has recently been rising rapidly in university rankings and was named Best Modern University in the UK for 2012 by the Sunday Times, in addition to other recent awards. It is a teaching-focused university of about 15,500 students but significant research is also conducted (but not as much as the University of Aberdeen). Degrees are offered from undergraduate to PhD level in a wide range of disciplines, primarily (but not limited to) vocational and professional disciplines and those most applicable to business. It has become known for its high level of graduate employment. The university's art school, Gray's School of Art, offers short courses in art, sculpture, photography and fashion to the general public with no need for prior training. edit
Aberdeen College, [47] . The largest further education college in Scotland, it has campuses within the city and without. Its largest facility is on the Gallowgate on the outskirts of the city centre. edit
Buy[ edit ][ add listing ]
Aberdeen is the shopping capital of the north of Scotland, drawing shoppers from the entire region. As there are no other nearby cities and oil money means many Aberdonians have money to spend, there are a large number and quality of stores in the city for its size. For many decades, the main shopping street was Union Street, which rivalled the most prestigious streets in Britain. Today, Union Street is still considered the spiritual heart of shopping in Aberdeen and contains many shops, but primarily chain stores found in high streets all over the UK. A walk up and down Union Street is essential for any first visit to Aberdeen. The dramatic architecture, although now mostly in need of restoration, is not visible in storefronts at street level - look up to see the impressive carved granite and grand designs of each building. Sidewalks on the street get very busy during the day and especially on weekends.
In recent years more upmarket stores have been gravitating from Union Street and other streets to the shopping malls in the city centre, and independent stores to the streets around Union Street. At the same time, some shops on Union Street have been moving downmarket. As a result, shopping in Aberdeen is spread out around Union Street, these malls, and surrounding streets. The shopping malls are extremely popular with Aberdonians. They include the Bon Accord Centre (entrances on Upperkirkgate and George Street), the St. Nicholas Centre (entrances on Upperkirkgate and St. Nicholas Square), the Trinity Centre (entrances on Union Street and Guild Street), The Academy (entrance on Schoolhill, specialises in boutique shops), and the newest and largest, Union Square [48] on Guild Street. Today, nearly all the stores found on British high streets can be found in Aberdeen at these malls, on Union Street or a surrounding street. Most shops open at 9am and close at 5pm or 6pm. Late-night shopping (till 8pm) is on Thursdays in Aberdeen, except Union Square where shops are open till 8pm every weeknight.
Some of the many high-street stores that may be useful when travelling include the following, but there are many more:
John Lewis, Bon Accord Centre/George Street, department store
Debenhams, Trinity Centre, department store
Marks and Spencer, St. Nicholas Square (off Union Street, clothing and food) & Union Square (homewares and food)
BHS, Union Street, department store
Next, St. Nicholas Centre (largest), Union Square (smaller) & Berryden Retail Park, fashion and homewares
Boots, Union Street, Union Square and Bon Accord Centre, large drugstore
Currys-PC World, St. Nicholas Centre, electricals and technology store that sells computers and accessories, small electronic devices (e.g. tablets, radios, hi-fi's and music accessories etc.) and mobile phones
Apple Store, Union Square, sells Apple electronics and computers and accessories
Primark, Union Street, fashion and limited homewares
Topshop and Topman, Union Street (smaller) and Bon Accord Centre (larger), fashion
River Island, Bon Accord Centre, fashion
New Look, Bon Accord Centre (larger) and Union Square (smaller), fashion
Hollister, Union Square, beach-inspired fashion
GAP, St. Nicholas Square, fashion
H&M, St. Nicholas Centre & Union Square, fashion
Zara, Union Square, fashion
Jack Wills, Schoolhill (opposite Aberdeen Art Gallery), fashion
Waterstones, Trinity Centre, Union Street, books
HMV, Trinity Centre/Union Street, music, movies and games
Forbidden Planet, Schoolhill, Science Fiction store
When shopping, don't be limited to the malls and chain stores! Aberdeen has a large collection of small, tucked-away shops which can provide everything from Bohemian dressware to Indian furniture. If you are adventurous you may uncover a hidden wonder. Good streets to find independent stores in the city centre are Rosemount Viaduct, Holburn Street, Rose Street, Chapel Street, Belmont Street, Upperkirkgate and The Green, along with Rosemount Place in the Rosemount area (to the north of the city centre).
Markets[ edit ]
The Aberdeen Country Fair [49] is a farmers' market and craft market on the last Saturday of every month, and takes place on Belmont Street. It is very popular and one of the largest in Scotland and stalls sell high-quality local produce, foods and crafts.
Aside from this there are few outdoor markets in Aberdeen aside from irregular international and Christmas markets which are organised every so often, typically on Union Terrace. There is also a less prestigious market on the Castlegate every Friday morning, selling general items.
You may walk past the Aberdeen Market building on Market Street. Aberdeen once had a grand and prestigious indoor market similar to (if not as big as) those in other cities such as the Grainger Market in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the St. Nicholas Markets in Bristol but it was demolished in the 1980s and replaced by this. The current modern building provides an indoor market which offers permanent space to small stallholders providing retail, food or other services. Most of the units inside are small shop-like enclosures, and the low rents provide a chance for small start-ups and local entrepreneurs to get a foothold while building up their business, before moving to more established areas of the city-centre. Although it appears downmarket, footfall is quite high and you may encounter hidden gems! For example, amazing sushi was available at a stall here, until the proprietor's success here enabled him to recently open his own restaurant on Huntly Street (further up Union Street).
Supermarkets and Food Stores[ edit ]
If you are looking for food (e.g. if staying in one of the aparthotels or walking round the city has made you hungry), or general items such as toothpaste, these are good places to go. Like most people in the UK, Aberdonians buy much or all their food and everyday items at supermarkets, of which there are many in the city, but the largest ones tend to be in suburbs or on the outskirts. However, there are also a number in the city centre or close to the centre. Most city supermarkets are open till 9pm or later every night. If you have a car, the Tesco Extra hypermarket at Laurel Drive, Danestone and Asda superstore at the Bridge of Dee roundabout are open 24-hours. Some of the useful, more central stores are as follows:
The Co-Operative, Union Street and another on George Street, small supermarkets in the city centre that offer most everyday items. Union Street store is just past the Music Hall and is open 6am-11pm every day, George Street store is opposite John Lewis and is open 6am-10pm every day (opens 7am on Sundays).
Marks & Spencer, St. Nicholas Square/St. Nicholas Centre (opens 9am, closes 6pm Mon-Wed, 8pm Thur, 7pm Fri-Sat) and another at Union Square (8am-8pm M-Sat, 10am-6pm Sun), upmarket supermarkets.
Morrisons, King Street, larger supermarket popular with students (8am-10pm Mon-Sat, 9am-8pm Sun)
Asda, Beach Retail Park, behind funfair, large supermarket useful if you are in the beach area (8am-10pm every day) and another at Garthdee Road by the Bridge of Dee roundabout, very large supermarket (open 24 hours).
In addition, there are an increasing number of handy The Co-Operative, Sainsbury's Local and Tesco Express mini-supermarkets/ convenience stores in the city centre and around. These are all open from early till late (usually 11pm). Useful such stores include Sainsbury's Local stores on Upperkirkgate/St. Nicholas Centre, Rosemount Place, and on Holburn Street; a Tesco Express store at the western end of Union Street and another on Holburn Street; and numerous small Co-Operative stores such as the west end of Union Street, Rosemount Place and in numerous suburbs. If hungry late at night, there is a 24-hour convenience store on Market Street.
Restaurants[ edit ]
Cafe 52, 52 The Green. Offering a variety of delicious dishes at a good price. Has an outdoor seating area with lots of plant for nice days Also serves a local delicacy known as "Cullen Skink", a warming fish soup made with milk.
Pizza Express, Union Street. A very good menu with great food. Modern setting. Not the cheapest, but reasonable.
Lahore Karahi, King Street. A relatively new entrant to the established Aberdonian Curry Houses, Lahore Karahi offers arguably the most authentic Pakistani/Indian cuisine, and at the best of prices too.
Musa art and music cafe, 33 Exchange St. A great restaurant/cafe/art gallery with the best food in Aberdeen and sometimes with live music
La Lombarda, 2-8 King Street. One of most popular Italians, and with good reason. Good location next to Castlegate. Claims to be oldest Italian restaurant aorund but food is far from being 'good' Italian. It's more English-style Italian.
Little Italy, [50] . 79 Holburn Street. A bit pricey, but a wonderfully rustic decor makes for great atmosphere. A bit out of the way. edit
KURY, 22-24 King Street. Consistent rave reviews make this Indian restaurant a hotspot. Slightly overpriced, but it's worth it.
The Royal Thai, [51] . The oldest Thai restaurant in Aberdeen and it shows in how exceptional the food is. edit
Chinatown, [52] . 11 Dee Street, just off Union Street. Great Chinese food along with nice, vibrant decor and a bar make this restaurant highly recommended. edit
Yu, 347 Union Street. Reasonably-priced food. Good, but nothing to shout about. Convenient location.
The Illicit Still, off Broad Street. Sensibly priced pub grub.
The Beautiful Mountain, Belmont Street. Fine sandwiches, soups, smoothies and Sunday breakfasts!
Nazma Tandoori, Bridge Street. Alongside the Blue Moon, Holburn Street, this is the most authentic and finest Indian restaurant in Aberdeen.
Moonfish Cafe, 9 Correction Wynd, behind GAP. High quality seafood restaurant. Rated as one of the best restaurants in Aberdeen.
The Tippling House, 4 Belmont Street. A late-night cocktail bar that serves tasty bar snacks and dinner.
Where to buy food to cook yourself[ edit ]
See the section on food stores and supermarkets in "Buy" above.
Drink[ edit ][ add listing ]
Like any Scottish city Aberdeen has a large number of bars and nightclubs. The role of alcohol in Scottish culture is frequently debated but for better or worse, heavy drinking is a feature of nights out for many in Scotland, especially on weekend nights. However, this is less pronounced in suburban establishments and those outside the city-centre or catering to an older clientele. Aberdeen is a city with a large number of young people (including students and young professionals) and people of all ages who like to go out. As a result, while not on the same level as Glasgow, nights out are often lively - much livelier than many visitors would expect. Especially on weekend nights, the city centre is full of revellers, even in the most severe winter weather (Aberdonians, like those in Newcastle , often do not dress for a night out according to the weather).
There are hundreds of licensed premises in the city that cater for every taste, from upmarket bars, to more casual bars, and a wide range of pubs. There are also numerous clubs, some very good (e.g. Snafu on Union Street opposite the Town House). Due to the large student population there are often student deals around. These may be extended to everyone and not just those with student ID cards. If you plan to go to a club, bring photographic ID showing your date of birth as this is often demanded by doormen - a photocard driving licence or passport is effective. Remember that smoking is illegal inside public venues - you will notice crowds of smokers standing outside even in freezing conditions.
The usual and most approachable starting point for a night out is Belmont Street. It is home to numerous bars and nightclubs. Union Street and to a lesser extent Langstane Place and Bon Accord Street (off Union Street) are also destinations for a night out due to their numerous venues. Various other city-centre streets are also home to drinking establishments.
Triple Kirks [Exodus Nightclub]. An excellent student & local drinking hole and part of the ScreamPubs chain. Save money with a yellow card. Exodus focuses on Indie/Alternative and Classic Rock, Pop & Soul.
Revolution Bar. Part of the Revolution chain specialising in cocktails. Has a wonderful smoking terrace out the back.
The Wild Boar. A quieter setting, sometimes with acoustic live music. Known for its wine selection.
Siberia (or Vodka Bar). Serves 99 flavours of vodka and has a smoking terrace out the back.
Cafe Drummond's. A small late-licence venue which focuses on live bands.
O'Neils. Irish themed pub with a nightclub upstairs.
Ma Camerons. The oldest pub in the city. Shows live football in a traditional pub setting with a roof garden.
Old School House. A quieter pub near Belmont Street.
Slain's Castle. A highlight of Aberdeen's pub scene. An old church converted into a gothic style pub, famous for it's Seven Deadly Sins cocktails. Hallowe'en is a particularly eventful night here.
Enigma. Located in the Academy Shopping centre, with a secluded licenced courtyard.
All of the above bars serve a variety of food at reasonable pub prices, with the exception of Cafe Drummond's.
One street along from Belmont Street, is Liquid Nightclub. Located on Bridge Place, this is by far Aberdeen's biggest nightclub and regularly features guest DJs. Entry is usually around £5 it has discounted drinks every night. Also nearby is Espionage(The Cesspool of Aberdeen), catering for a slightly older market. No door charge, but full price drinks and incredibly rude staff members, possibly the reason for it's nick name.
On either side of Belmont Street and you'll find many other pubs:
The Prince of Wales St Nicholas Square, Just off of Union Street. Boasting one of the longest bars in Aberdeen and eight Real Ale pumps, sometimes called the "PoW" or quite simply the "Prince", this pub is one of the hidden gems of Aberdeen packed with locals, oil workers and Students alike. They keep their beer exceedingly well.
Soul in the converted Langstane Kirk. Uppermarket.
The Moorings which can be found by heading down Market Street and turning left when you get to the harbour, is probably the finest watering hole for those of a rock'n'roll persuasion. It's a drinker's paradise, with over a huge range of world beers, real ale, real ciders, a collection of authentic absinthe, a huge selection of rums, and even outlandish tiki cocktails served in pint jars. Regular live music nights (both local and touring bands), a welcoming atmosphere and Aberdeen's best jukebox make this a must for any visiting rockers. The pub's logo, a mermaid twined round a Flying V guitar, features on t-shirts for sale behind the bar. Open till 3am at the weekend.
Tonic Very cheap and popular, especially during the week.
Paramount Next to Tonic and very similar.
Bridge Street Social Club (Formerly "Korova" Three floors, rock and alternative music, very popular.
Prohibtion Mainstream.
Society Two floors, renowned for it's cocktails.
Near the Marischal College you will find some craft brew bars
six°north Belgian style beers brewed in Stonehaven. Extensive craft brew bottle menu.
BrewDog Successful craft brewery founded in Aberdeen.
Major nightclubs in Aberdeen include:
Espionage is a large club on Union Street.
Snafu Small indie club, generally cheap and student geared.
Priory Renowned as Aberdeen's most violent nightclub. Small and dingy, not popular with locals.
Bridge Street Social Clun (Formerly "Korova") Rock and alternative club beneath a bar of the same name. Cheap and large.
Aurum As a rule, expensive and mainstream.
Exodus As a rule, cheap with very varied music. Tuesday nights (which feature soul, motown tc. music) are particularly popular.
The Grill, Union Street (Opposite the Music Hall). A small severely plain interior, but a haven for a whisky connoisseur; whiskies from Scotland and around the world. Tasting menu available. edit
Sleep[ edit ][ add listing ]
Aberdeen has a wide range of hotels as well as guest houses and bed-and-breakfasts. Many of these cater to business travellers (who come all year round) as well as tourists (most of whom visit in summer). There are also an increasing number of apart-hotels and self-catering apartments available. For budget accommodation, plan for £70 a night or less while for a splurge plan for £150+ a night, and somewhere in the middle for mid-range. Those below are just a few suggestions. You can find many, many others on any hotel-booking website. A number of bed-and-breakfasts are also located on King Street. If you find yourself in Aberdeen without a reservation and needing a place to stay, the Tourist Information Centre on Union Street has a more extensive list.
The mid-range hotels have frequent special offers which reduce the price significantly so check their websites in advance to see if an offer will be on during your stay. During early-to-mid September in odd-numbered years (e.g. 2011, 2013) the giant Offshore Europe oil industry convention takes place with all hotel spaces in the city and surrounding towns packed to capacity. Unless you want to face a "no room at the inn" scenario, avoid visiting at the same time as the convention.
Budget[ edit ]
Aberdeen Youth Hostel, 8 Queen's Road (Bus route 13 from city centre), ☎ 0870 004 1100, [53] . A hostel run by the Scottish Youth Hostel Association in a historic building a couple of miles west of the city centre. There is a shared self-catering kitchen, breakfast is available, and beds are in dormitories of various sizes plus a couple of single rooms. Bus route 13 connects it with the city centre. £25 or so per night in a shared dorm, more for a private room. edit
Hotel Ibis Aberdeen, 15 Shiprow, ☎ 01224 398800, [54] . A new hotel that is part of the Ibis chain, built as part of the City Wharf development. Provides good budget accommodation in the middle of the city centre (opposite the Maritime Museum), with views of the harbour from some rooms. Rooms are exactly the same as every other Hotel Ibis and so are reliable and clean. An NCP car park and the 24-hour PureGym are next door. £44-£60. edit
Premier Inn, West North Street, Aberdeen, AB24 5AS (Just off King Street), ☎ 0871 527 8008, [55] . This chain hotel is housed in a concrete building on West North Street that looks like an office building (just opposite the Aberdeen Arts Centre and The Lemon Tree performing arts venue), but the location is handy for the city centre, guest ratings are good, the Premier Inn chain is reliable and prices are affordable. There is parking available plus on-site restaurant. Around £60. edit
Mid-Range[ edit ]
'Holiday Inn Aberdeen Exhibition Centre' - Claymore Drive, Bridge of Don phone - 01224 706878 url - www.holidayinn.com price - £49-£185. Located next to Aberdeen Exhibition Centre, the Holiday Inn is a modern hotel, with 123 well equipped bed room. The hotel restaurant is a great place to start an evening if attending a concert at the AECC.
The Douglas Hotel, 43-45 Market Street, ☎ 01224 582255, [56] . A Victorian hotel in the city centre, close to the train and bus stations. It provides comfortable accommodation with well-appointed, tastefully-furnished and well-equipped rooms. The hotel also offers one-bedroom self-catering apartments in a nearby apartment building. £75-145. edit
The Northern Hotel, 1 Great Northern Road, Aberdeen AB24 3PS (Bus route 17 to/from city centre), ☎ 01224 483342, [57] . A privately-owned Art Deco hotel, it is located on Great Northern Road in the suburb of Kittybrewster. Bus route 17 connects it to the city centre and it is also on the route of the 727 bus between the airport and city centre. Rooms are comfortable and provide a good night's sleep. Self-catering apartments are also available. £97-117. edit
Micasa ApartHotel, 9 Market Street (Building is on corner of Union Street and Market Street, entrance is on Market Street), ☎ 01224 565 950, [58] . These well-appointed serviced apartments are located upstairs in an impressive granite building in the city-centre that used to be a department store (shops are still located in the ground floor). Each apartment has one or two bedrooms (two-bedroom ones cost more, e.g. £155 per night) and its own kitchen to allow self-catering. Around £115 for a one-bedroom apartment. edit
The Mariner Hotel, 349 Great Western Road (Bus route 19 to/from city-centre), ☎ 01224 588901, [59] . A cozy hotel in Aberdeen's pretty west end. The hotel features an outstanding restaurant with excellent options both for meat-lovers and vegetarians. £70-150. edit
Park Inn Hotel Aberdeen, 1 Justice Mill Lane, AB11 6EQ (Street runs behind and parallel to the west part of Union Street), ☎ +44 (0) 1224 592 999, [60] . This large modern hotel opened in August 2010 and provides a wide range of facilities. There are business meeting rooms and pets are allowed (but call first to confirm before you bring your dog, ferret, budgerigar, etc.). £70-140. edit
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Aberdeen City Centre, Beach Boulevard, AB24 5EF (Is at the end of the Beach Boulevard, towards the sea), ☎ 01224 633339, [61] . It is a large hotel and leisure club located in the centre of Aberdeen beside the beach (not to be confused with the Hilton) £70-100. edit
Skene House, 6 Union Grove, AB10 6SY, ☎ +44 (0)1224 58000, [62] . has three apart-hotels in the town, all set in old tenement blocks. Each room has its own kitchen and living room and is basically an apartment that is run like a hotel. One is at the corner of Holburn Street and Union Grove, while another is on South Mount Street in the middle-class Rosemount area just north of the city-centre. See website for full information. edit
Splurge[ edit ]
The Marcliffe Hotel and Spa, North Deeside Road, Pitfodels AB15 9YA, ☎ 01224 861000, [63] . The Marcliffe at Pitfodels is a 5-star hotel outside the city, providing luxurious rooms plus a spa and conference facilities. You'll need a car to get there. £150-300. edit
Mercure Ardoe House, South Deeside Road, Blairs, AB12 5Y, ☎ +44 (0)1224 860600, [64] . Ardoe House is a Victorian mansion house, that looks somewhat like a castle. It is located outside of the city and provides very comfortable accommodation, but to get there you'll need a car. edit
Malmaison Aberdeen, 53 Queens Road, AB15 4YP, Phone: +44 (0)1224 321371, formerly the Queens Hotel, this is an upmarket hotel in the upmarket Queens Cross area, in the city's West End.
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Aberdeen Treetops, 161 Springfield Road, Cragiebuckler, AB15 7AQ, ☎ +44 (0)1224 313377, [65] . checkin: 14:00; checkout: 12:00. is a large comfortable hotel located in a suburb, close to Hazelhead Park (the city's largest park). (57.134397,-2.152639) edit
Macdonald Norwood Hall Hotel, Garthdee Road, Aberdeen, AB15 9FX Phone: +44 (0)1224 868951 is a 19th century estate situated on the site of the 15th Century Pitfodels Castle surrounded by stunning Scottish scenery.
Macdonald Pittodrie House, Chapel of Garioch, Inverurie, AB51 5HS Phone: +44 (0)1467 622437 is a historic country house with breathtaking views offering guests 4 star luxury accommodation & award-winning cuisine.
Stay safe[ edit ]
Aberdeen is a very safe city, with a crime rate lower than the rest of the UK. It is very unusual for visitors to experience crime in Aberdeen, especially compared to other UK cities such as London . However, use common sense. Whether male or female, avoid walking through deprived areas such as Tillydrone (north of Bedford Road and east of St. Machar Drive) and Torry (the south bank of River Dee) as these have a relatively higher crime rate. Also, avoid walking alone south of the River Dee at night as muggings and assaults here are reported frequently in the media.
Street beggars sometimes operate in the city-centre, but are relatively harmless. Aberdeen beggars are not aggressive. Aberdeen is a harbour city and prostitution occurs in certain streets in the harbour area. Prostitutes (who are primarily drug addicts) are not always provocatively dressed and may approach male passers-by saying "Are you looking for business?". It is illegal to engage a prostitute.
The main possibility of hassle is with alcohol-related aggression at night (particularly weekend nights). While few Scots would admit it, most cannot handle anything like as much alcohol as they would claim and on nights out, many (both men and women) drink far more than they can handle. Public drunkenness on weekend nights is an issue, as throughout Scotland. As a result, brawls, assaults and abuse (e.g. racist or homophobic language) are not uncommon and there is a heavy police presence on weekend nights. To avoid any hassle, firstly avoid drinking more than you can handle yourself. Avoid getting into arguments, making eye contact with groups of males, or staring at obviously drunken individuals. If you are from England, avoid displays of English symbolism such as the St. George's Cross or wearing England sports kits as this may make you or your group a target for aggressive drunks looking for an excuse for a fight. Also, be aware of having your drink spiked at city bars and clubs; do not allow a stranger to buy a drink for you or let your glass out of your sight.
Contact[ edit ]
The city is well-covered by the main UK mobile phone networks - nearly every Aberdonian has a smartphone and seems to be using it most of the time. You can also access the internet at the following locations:
Books and Beans, 22 Belmont Street, ☎ 01224 646 438, [66] . Mostly acting as a fairtrade cafe and second-hand bookstore, this establishment has a few PCs for internet access while you drink. edit
Aberdeen Central Library, Rosemount Viaduct (just along from His Majesty's Theatre, or right in front of you if you walk down Union Terrace from Union Street). 9am to 5pm (till 8pm on Mon and Wed). The central library (one of the libraries founded by Andrew Carnegie) has a few computers on the upper level where you can access the internet for up to 20 minutes free of charge without being a library member. They are situated next to the staircase. edit
You can also access free wi-fi (i.e. wireless internet access) if you bring your laptop/tablet/smartphone in the following areas:
Union Square (shopping centre), (entrance on Guild Street next to railway station). The main atrium and the upper level at the south atrium (where the Starbucks is located) have free wi-fi, and there is a Costa coffee stand and the Peckhams cafe in the main atrium which provide seats if you order a beverage or snack. edit
Ninety-Nine (bar), Back Wynd (opposite taxi rank), ☎ 01224 631640. Ninety-Nine is a trendy bar on Back Wynd, that also serves food and coffee, with free wi-fi. edit
The Archibald Simpson (pub), corner of Union Street/Castle Street and King Street (opposite Castlegate), ☎ 01224 621365. Named after one of the architects responsible for many of Aberdeen's distinctive granite buildings, this pub is located in a grand building that used to be a bank. The pub has free wi-fi. edit
Work Out[ edit ]
Gyms and fitness facilities are very popular in Aberdeen (exercising outside is not always possible due to the weather!). Numerous private chains operate in the city (e.g. DW Fitness, David Lloyd, Bannatyne's, etc.) and are popular, but if you're visiting, try the suggestions below. If looking for a place to jog, try along the esplanade at the beach, or in one of the larger parks such as Duthie Park (entrances on Polmuir Road and Riverside Drive) or the city's largest park, Hazlehead Park in the western part of the city.
The popular PureGym [67] (0845 189 4701) on the Shiprow in the city centre (next to the Hotel Ibis) offers a day pass for £6 (or 3 days for £13 or 7 days for £25) and is open 24-hours. It has a full range of cardio equipment, resistance machines and reasonably-large free weights area. The pass can be purchased from a machine at the entrance and gives you a PIN which you type into a keypad to gain access. From the morning till 8pm staff are in attendance, and after that an unstaffed service is provided. CCTV cameras flood the area and impenetrable metal turnstiles permit access only to those with a PIN from a day-pass or regular membership. However, in practice at least one member of staff is on the premises at all times, even through the night. As a result it is safe and not intimidating even late at night, with a surprising number (male and female) exercising there till the early hours. Bring a padlock for the locker or buy one from the vending machine. An NCP car park is next-door but the gym has a deal with other city-centre car parks too - ask for details.
Further from the city-centre, the two universities also operate high-quality sports and fitness facilities open to the public, including large indoor sports halls. Numerous athletes train at both facilities. Their websites have full details.
The University of Aberdeen's Aberdeen Sports Village [68] (01224 438 900) on Linksfield Road (just off King Street, close to the main campus at Kings College) has a wide range of facilities including gyms, group exercise, and sports hall but no pool (an Aquatics Centre with 50m pool is under construction). Take bus route no.1 or 2 from city-centre. It is open M-F 6.30am-10.30pm, Sat 7.30am-7.30pm, Sun 7.30am-9.30pm.
RGU:SPORT (01224 263666) at the Robert Gordon University's campus at Garthdee has similar facilities plus a 25m pool and climbing wall. Take bus route no. 1 from city centre, and get off at the campus bus stop. This bus stop is located outside the Faculty of Health and Social Care building, and RGU Sport is the next building along (after this stop, the bus continues back to the city centre via suburbs). It is open M-F 6am-10pm S-S 9am-7pm.
Another option is provided by council-run services (branded as Sport Aberdeen [69] ), which include leisure centres, swimming pools and an ice-skating arena.
One of the most popular council-run centres is the the Beach Leisure Centre [70] (01224 655401) on the Beach Promenade. There is a gym/fitness studio there are also various other facilities for exercise and indoor sports, including climbing, table tennis, badminton and volleyball among others. There is a large swimming pool of the "water-park" style. It's not good for swimming laps, but offers a wide range of attractions including water slides, rapids and waves, and is great fun for the family. If looking for a pool you can do laps in, try the one at RGU:SPORT (see above) or one of the council-run pools in the suburbs.
Post Offices and Mailboxes[ edit ]
A main city post office is located at the western end of Union Street close to the junction with Holburn Street, and another in the basement of WH Smith in the St. Nicholas Centre. There is a smaller post office in the back of RS McColl on the Castlegate; it is run down but safe and provides the full range of postal services. Post offices are usually open 9am to 5pm on weekdays and Saturdays.
Mailboxes are dotted around the city centre and like all UK mailboxes take the form of a bright red cylinder. However, since summer 2012 a handful of golden postboxes have appeared across the UK, each specially painted to commemorate a British gold-medal winner at the London 2012 Olympic Games who is from or has a connection to that area. Aberdeen has at least two of these golden postboxes in honour of local gold-medal-winning Olympians - one on the Castlegate commemorates rower Katherine Grainger while another on Golden Square is in honour of Paralympic cyclist Neil Fachie. You can also find plain red post boxes at the corner of Union Street and Broad Street (next to the Town House), and on Union Street by the staircase that leads down to The Green. You can also post mail at Post Offices.
Banks[ edit ]
As with the rest of Scotland, bank branches in Aberdeen are dominated by the "big four" Scottish banks: the Bank of Scotland, the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Clydesdale Bank and Lloyds TSB Scotland. You'll find their branches dotted around the city centre and in many suburbs and they provide a full range of banking services (e.g. cashing travellers' cheques) and all have ATMs. Most banks in Aberdeen are open on weekdays from 9am to 5pm, with some open Saturday mornings. Useful city centre branches are:
Bank of Scotland, 201 Union Street and also at 48 Upperkirkgate (at corner of entry to Bon Accord shopping centre). Both are open on Saturdays from 9am to 3pm. edit
Royal Bank of Scotland, 78 Union Street (at corner with St. Nicholas Square). Open weekdays 9.15am to 6pm, Saturdays 9am to 1pm. edit
Clydesdale Bank, 62 Union Street (at corner with St. Nicholas Square). Open 9.15am to 4.45pm, Saturdays 9am to 1pm. edit
Lloyds TSB Scotland, Castlegate and also at 8 Holburn Street. Open Saturdays 9am to 1.30pm, they close at 4pm on Mon-Wed. You can access Lloyds TSB accounts from other parts of the UK here too as they are part of the same bank. edit
If looking for banks which are prominent in England and Wales, these generally have only a single branch in the city (other than Santander which appears to be everywhere).
NatWest Bank, 262 Union Street (in the western part of the street). 9am to 4.30pm (7pm on Thursday), closed Saturday. edit
HSBC, 95 Union Street. This large branch opened in May 2012 and covers five floors. edit
Barclays Bank, 163 Union Street (at corner with Bridge Street). edit
Nationwide Building Society, 250 Union Street (in western end of the street). edit
Santander, Numerous branches on Union Street - try the one half-way between the Shiprow and Market Street. edit
Halifax. There are no branches of the Halifax in Aberdeen now - but you can access your account from any Bank of Scotland branch as Halifax is now part of the Bank of Scotland. edit
Northern Rock/Virgin Money, 395 Union Street (at western end of the street). edit
Places of Worship[ edit ]
As you walk through the city, you'll notice many churches in the city centre, some of which have now been converted to other uses (e.g. the Maritime Museum on Shiprow and numerous bars on Belmont Street and Union Street are partly housed in converted churches). However, there are still many places of worship for all major faiths. As throughout Scotland, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) has the largest number of churches and adherents, followed by the Roman Catholic Church, and then the Scottish Episcopal Church (part of the Anglican Communion).
Aberdeen has three cathedrals representing each of these: St. Machar's Cathedral in Old Aberdeen (not a cathedral as it is now Presbyterian but usually termed as such), St. Mary's Cathedral on Huntly Street (Roman Catholic) and St. Andrew's Cathedral on King Street (Episcopalian). Cathedral decor and memorials at St. Andrew's commemorate the fact that the first bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States, Samuel Seabury, was consecrated in Aberdeen in 1784 by bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church a short distance from where the cathedral now stands.
Evangelical churches have been growing in the city in recent years and there are now quite a few of these, often housed in church buildings redundant from other denominations. The cathedrals and most city-centre churches are also open for private prayer and contemplation during the day. You may see the old Scottish word "kirk" used to refer to a church. Islam has also been growing recently in the city: the main mosque is located in Old Aberdeen and now struggles to cope with the growing number of Muslims worshipping there.
Christianity[ edit ]
Presbyterian (Church of Scotland): Has many churches throughout the city. In the city centre, the Kirk of St. Nicholas Uniting is the city's central church, in a shared congregation with the United Reformed Church. It's located in the churchyard just off Union Street (Sunday worship at 11am, daily prayers at 1.05pm), or try St. Mark's Church on Rosemount Viaduct between His Majesty's Theatre and the Central Library (services Sundays 11am)
Roman Catholic: Numerous city churches, including St. Mary's Cathedral on Huntly Street (main Sunday Mass at 11.15am, other Sunday Masses also at 8am and 6pm and at 3pm in Polish). Or try St. Peter's Church, in a little alley just off the Castlegate (Sunday Mass at 11.15am).
Anglican/Episcopalian (Scottish Episcopal Church): For broad church worship with formal choir, try St. Andrew's Cathedral on King Street (main Sunday service is Holy Eucharist at 10.45am, Evensong at 6.30pm). For high church worship, try St. Margaret of Scotland on the Gallowgate (Mass at 10.30am on Sundays).
Evangelical/Charismatic: Try the City Church on Gilcomston Park, a street just off South Mount Street in the Rosemount area (Sunday services at 10am and 7pm).
Baptist: Try Crown Terrace Baptist Church on Crown Terrace in the city centre (Sunday worship at 11am), or Gerrard Street Baptist Church which is on Gerrard Street just off George Street (Sunday worship at 10.30am with monthly communion).
Salvation Army: You can't miss the Citadel on the Castlegate, with its distinctive Scottish Baronial-style tower that can be seen from all along Union Street (morning worship at 10.15am on Sundays).
Latter Day Saints: Aberdeen's Mormon meetinghouse is located on North Anderson Drive, with the main worship service at 10am on Sundays.
Islam[ edit ]
Aberdeen Mosque and Islamic Centre is located at 146 Spital, in Old Aberdeen, just up the street from the University of Aberdeen's Kings College campus. The mosque's website [71] gives details of prayer times and religious activities at the Islamic Centre.
Judaism[ edit ]
Aberdeen Hebrew Congregation is Britain's most northerly synagogue, and can be found at 71 Dee Street, AB11 6DS. The website [72] gives details of opening times and religious events.
Get out[ edit ]
Aberdeen makes an excellent base for exploring the surrounding region, particularly Aberdeenshire . Road signs placed by Aberdeenshire Council on entering claim it to be "The very best of Scotland, from mountain to sea" and many of the most beautiful, seductive, and interesting features of Scotland are in easy reach of Aberdeen. These make ideal day trips, returning to the city in the evening. A car makes it easiest, but some places are easily accessible by bus or train, in some cases with a bit of walking. If driving, unless you have a satellite navigation system make sure you have road maps - buy these at city bookstores, petrol stations or the Tourist Information Centre on Union Street.
Visit Stonehaven, (Take A90 south of Aberdeen or catch a bus from the bus station. For a more scenic journey take one of the frequent trains from Aberdeen railway station), [73] . Stonehaven is a picturesque small town about 15 miles (24km) along the coast south of Aberdeen (the scenery from the railway line between them is spectacular; it's a walk of about 1km from the station to the town centre). There is a harbour which is pleasant to explore, with a number of lovely places to eat and drink, as well as an Art Deco open-air (but heated!) 50m pool (lido) open from June to September, while in winter the Fireballs Festival sees men swinging flaming balls of fire at the stroke of midnight to celebrate the New Year. Another must see is the spectacular Dunottar Castle (see "Castles" section below). edit
Castles[ edit ]
Many spectacular, even fairy-tale castles are located near to Aberdeen. Unlike many English castles (which are often simply military forts), many Scottish castles developed to be not only fierce strongholds but also comfortable homes for local landowners or the wealthy elite, often with amazing gardens. Today you can visit some of them, especially those in the care of the charity The National Trust for Scotland or the state antiquities agency Historic Scotland. They are popular visitor attractions with cafes or tea rooms and gift shops, and often good for families.
Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, AB39 2TL (Car: From Aberdeen, take A90 and then A92 after Stonehaven and follow direction signs. Or follow walking trail from Stonehaven Harbour), ☎ 01569 762173 ( [email protected] ), [74] . April-Oct 9am-6pm daily, rest of year, open daily 10am-5pm or sunset if earlier. Located just south of Stonehaven and managed by Historic Scotland, this is one of Scotland's most evocative castles. The ruins of this cliff-top fortress are perched on a rocky promontory with cliffs soaring down to the North Sea, with fantastic views. You can wander round the extensive remains, which once hosted many famous figures of Scottish history, and during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a small garrison held out against dictator Oliver Cromwell's army to protect the Scottish crown jewels (Cromwell had already destroyed the English crown jewels). The most scenic way to get to Dunnottar is the mile-long walking trail from the harbour at Stonehaven. The hike is a narrow path through fields and along the cliffs that provides stunning views the entire way. Or if you prefer, there is a small car park and path up to the castle. Adult £5, child £2. edit
Crathes Castle, Crathes Estate, Banchory, AB31 5QJ (Follow A93 out of Aberdeen, castle is about 15 miles (24km) west of the city, or take bus 201, 202 or 203 from bus station at Union Square which stop at entrance to the castle), ☎ 0844 493 2166 ( [email protected] ), [75] . April-October: 10.30am-4.45pm daily, November-March Sat-Sun only 10.30am-3.45pm. This castle with its little turrets on the large tower, thick walls and ivy growing up the cream walls is beautiful, and acted as a family home until recently. Has a fantastic garden with carved yew hedges and colourful borders. You can also hike pre-marked trails in the large estate. Adult £11.50, children/seniors/students £8.50, family £28. edit
Craigievar Castle, near Alford, AB33 8JF (Car only: Take A944 west out of Aberdeen, then after passing Alford take A980 - castle is about 26 miles (42km) west of city), ☎ 0844 493 2174, [76] . April-June and September, Fri-Tue 11-5.30, July-Aug daily 11-5.30. This fairy-tale pink castle has the sort of turrets you thought only existed at Disneyland. Fitting elegantly into the rolling landscape, it was completed in 1626. It has the original carved plaster ceilings and original Jacobean woodwork. You are shown round by a guide. There is a small but lovely garden. Adult £11.50, children/seniors/students £8.50, family £28. edit
Drum Castle, Drumoak, by Banchory, AB31 5EY (Take A93 west out of Aberdeen, castle entrance is on this road about 10 miles (16km) west of city, or take bus 201, 202 or 203 from Union Square bus station, which stop half a mile (800m) from castle, up a fairly steep hill), ☎ 0844 493 2161 ( [email protected] ), [77] . April-June and September, Thur-Mon 11-4.45, July-Aug daily 11-4.45. This castle combines a 13th-century square tower which is the oldest intact in Scotland, a Jacobean mansion house and elegant Victorian additions. The interior has fine furniture and paintings. It also has a beautiful garden including a special garden of historic roses, and an estate with woodland trails to hike through the Forest of Drum. Adult £9.50, children/seniors/students £7, family £23. edit
Golf[ edit ]
Scotland is the country that gave birth to golf, and excellent courses are provided not only for citizens by the City Council but by various private organisations. The Royal Aberdeen golf course was founded in 1790 and is the sixth oldest in the world, and the Royal Deeside course in the River Dee's valley are both excellent. However, these and yea even the Old Course at St Andrews are about to be eclipsed by what is (after years of controversy and news coverage) Scotland's new most famous course; Donald Trump's International Golf Links at Menie in Aberdeenshire. You can also play golf at a number of public golf courses in the city, most notably at Hazlehead Park which has two 18-hole courses and at Queen's Links by the Beach (entrance on Golf Road).
Trump International Golf Links, Menie Park Lodge, Menie Estate, Balmedie, Aberdeenshire AB23 8YE (Take A90 north of Aberdeen and turn off at Balmedie), ☎ 01358 743300 ( [email protected] ), [78] . After many years and much controversy, including its environmental impact, compulsory purchase and bulldozing of local homes and a recent face-off with the First Minister over a proposed windfarm nearby, Donald Trump is officially opening his new flagship course and resort on 10th July 2012. The spectacular championship links course include dunes and is billed by Trump as "the world's greatest golf course", while there is also a second 18-hole links. This is Scotland's hottest new golf destination, and it's just outside Aberdeen. edit
Royal Aberdeen Golf Course, Links Road, Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, AB23 8AT (From city centre, drive north up King Street and take the 2nd right after crossing the bridge over the River Don, or bus No. 1 or 2), ☎ 01224 702571, [79] . The Royal Aberdeen operates a celebrated links just north of the mouth of the River Don. The course runs essentially out and back along the North Sea shore. The outward nine (which is acknowledged as one of the finest in links golf anywhere in the world) cuts its way through some wonderful dune formation. The inland nine returns south over the flatter plateau. A traditional old Scottish links, it is well-bunkered with undulating fairways. It has an excellent balance of holes, strong par 4's, tricky par 3's and two classic par 5's, with the 8th (signature hole) protected by nine bunkers. The ever-changing wind, tight-protected greens and a magnificent finish makes Balgownie a test for the very best. It was highly praised by participants in the 2005 Senior British Open. The eminent golf writer Sam McKinlay was moved to say "There are few courses in these islands with a better, more testing, more picturesque outward nine than Balgownie". edit
Deeside Golf Club, Golf Road, Bieldside, AB15 9DL (Take A93 south-west from city centre), ☎ 01224 869457 ( [email protected] ), [80] . This prestigious private course about 5 miles (8km) outside the city was founded in 1903 but in the past few years has had major reconstruction work and is highly regarded. Set close to the valley of the River Dee, there are great views of the river and nearby forests. edit
Aberdeen is a good location to stay if you want to see castles, play golf or go on a distillery trail. Within 30 miles you can visit Crathes, Drum and Dunottar Castles.
The Malt Whisky Trail route is about 30 miles north and involves a number of distilleries including the Glenfiddich and Glen Grant tours.
The "Royal Deeside" area is also popular. Towns such as Aboyne, Ballater and Braemar are worth a visit. Balmoral Castle is very popular due to its Royal connection.
This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow !
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During World War I, by what name was the spy Margarethe Geertruida Zella better known? | Margaretha Geertruida Zelle - definition of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle by The Free Dictionary
Margaretha Geertruida Zelle - definition of Margaretha Geertruida Zelle by The Free Dictionary
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Margaretha+Geertruida+Zelle
Related to Margaretha Geertruida Zelle: Gertrud Margarete Zelle
Ma·ta Ha·ri
(mä′tə här′ē, măt′ə hăr′ē) Originally Margaretha Geertruida Zelle. 1876-1917.
Dutch spy. A professional dancer in Paris after 1905, she apparently spied for Germany during World War I and was arrested and executed by the French.
Mata Hari
(ˈmɑːtə ˈhɑːrɪ)
n
(Biography) real name Gertrud Margarete Zelle. 1876–1917, Dutch dancer in France, who was executed as a German spy in World War I
Ma•ta Ha•ri
(ˈmɑ tə ˈhɑr i, ˈmæt ə ˈhær i)
n.
(Gertrud Margarete Zelle) 1876–1917, Dutch dancer in France: executed as a spy by the French.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Mata Hari |
Which British city lies between the mouths of the rivers Test and Itchen? | Notable Quotes from the Great War
Notable Quotes from the Great War
General Interest
Email
Introduction
There is a fascination about what is contemporaneously said and written about the battlefield, and by those on active service when the fighting is actually taking place. The often self-serving memoirs and analyses of later years have by no means the same immediacy. Or, if the truth is known, the same veracity: the passing months or years frequently adjust the recall of the raconteur to a more personally positive reading of what took place, or produces wisdom after the event. Accordingly, the scope of these quotations is restricted to entries with an attributable date within the 51 months of the duration of the Great War. In a single exception to this rule, quotations have been included by Sir Edward Grey, the British Foreign Secretary, that were made on the 3rd
August 1914, in the very final hours before the British Empire entered the Great War and on the day Germany declared war on France.
Not surprisingly, one of the most prolific sources of notable battlefield quotations over the last 250 years was Napoleon Bonaparte. A more unexpected source was the commanders of the American Civil War, who produced an amazingly large selection. The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln on the 19th November 1963 - on the battle fought from 1st - 3rd July 1863 - whilst the war still raged on, being one of them and, perhaps, the most famous war quotations ever.
Considering the number of men involved in the Great War, the numbers of notable quotations on the Great War that can be found in standard dictionaries is comparatively small; certainly less prolific than one might expect. The selection made here is has no rationale other than it meets the inclusion criteria and caught the author's eye and sense of appositeness. Wherever possible the most accurate dating available to the author is given. For the purposes of balance, care has also been taken to include a few less than famous but relevant quotations from the other ranks of the Armed Services and from the other combattant nations. There are even a couple of anonymous authors.
As the events of August 1914 - November 1918 represented a truly World War, the quotations about the Western Front cannot always be usefully separated from those of the Great War in general: many quotations refer to the whole gamut of the fighting. But where appropriate, attribution to the Western Front is made.
List of war quotations
ALEXANDER, Earl Harold Rupert Leofric George. Field Marshal, British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
1917: [Then Lieutenant] I'm afraid the war will end very soon now, but I suppose all good things must come to an end, so we mustn't grumble.
ALLENBY, Edmund Henry Hynman. General, Commander (British) Egyptian Expeditionary Force.
1917: In pursuit you must always stretch possibilities to the limit. Troops having beaten the enemy always want to rest. They must be given as objectives, not those that you think they will reach, but the farthest away they could possibly reach. [Surely he had in mind the successful follow-up attack he launched with a weary EEF on the 17th December 1917 against the reeling Turkish 7th and 8th Armies in
Palestine
].
ANONYMOUS COMMANDER, Guards Brigade Battalion, British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
1917: You [Subaltern E. K. G. Sixsmith] can forget all your training; you have come here to show all your men how to die.
BEATTY, Sir David. Admiral, Commander-in-Chief, British Battle Cruiser Fleet, Royal Navy.
30th May 1916: There's something wrong with our bloody ships today. [At the Battle of Jutland after the battlecruisers HMS Indefatigable and HMS Queen Mary were quickly hit, blew up and sank with the loss of almost all hands].
BINYON, Robert Lawrence. Poet/ Medical Orderly, Red Cross Ambulance Unit, British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
September 1914: They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old;/ Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn./ At the going down of the sun and in the morning/ We will remember them. [Perhaps the most quoted poem of the Great War].
BROOK
. Lieutenant Colonel, Commandant, Military Detention Barracks, Wandsworth,
London
UK
.
July 1916: I had them placed in special rooms, nude, but with their full army kit on the floor for them to put on as soon as they were minded. There were no blankets or substitute for clothing left in the rooms, which were quite bare. Several of the naked men held out for several hours but they gradually accepted the inevitable. Forty of the conscientious objectors who passed through my hands are now quite willing soldiers. [Quoted in the Daily Express of 4th July 1916].
CHARTERIS, John. Brigadier, Chief Intelligence Officer, British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
September 1914: The angel of the Lord on the traditional white horse and clad all in white with flaming sword, faced the Germans at
Mons
and forbade their further progress. [Referring to the British Army legend of the Angel of Mons, August 1914].
CHURCHILL, Winston Leonard Spencer. British First Lord of the Admiralty (Naval Minister).
27th December 1914: Are there not any alternatives than sending our armies to chew barbed wire in
Flanders
? Further cannot the power of the Navy be brought more directly to bear upon the enemy? If it is impossible or unduly costly to pierce the German lines on existing fronts, ought we not, as new forces become to hand, to engage him on new frontiers, and enable to Russians to do so too? [Churchill was the leading proponent of the Gallipoli Campaign in 1915].
1914: [Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, Commander-in-Chief, British Grand Fleet is?] The only man on either side who could lose the war in an afternoon.
CLEMENCEAU, Georges. Newspaper owner/French Prime Minister.
1914: War is too important to be left to the Generals.
COLE, Charles. Private, Coldstream Guards, British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
1916: Something was brought [up] near the reserve trench, camouflaged with a big sheet. We didn't know what it was and were very curious and the Captain got us all out on parade, He said, 'You are wondering what this is. Well it's a tank' and he took the covers off and that was the very first tank. He told us what we had to do when we made the attack at Zero Hour was just to wait for the tank to go by us and all we had to do was mop up, and consolidate our trench. Well we were all at the parapets, waiting to go over [the top] and waiting for the tank. We heard the chunk, chunk, chunk, chunk, then silence! The tank never came. [Many of the early tanks broke down before they reached the start-line].
DALEY, Daniel 'Dan' Joseph Daly. 1st
Sergeant
1917: Gentlemen, the battle is done, the victory is ours.
FERRY, Abel. Lieutenant, French Army/Deputy, French Assembly.
1916: They claim that to fire human grapeshot at the enemy without preparation gives us moral ascendancy. But the thousands of dead Frenchmen, lying in front of the German trenches, are instead those who are giving moral ascendancy to the enemy. If this waste of human material keeps on, the day is not far off when the offensive capacity of our army, already seriously weakened, will be entirely destroyed. [There were several French Deputies who were also serving soldiers].
FISHER, Sir John Arbuthnot. Admiral,
First
Sea
Lord, British Admiralty.
1914: The whole principle of naval fighting is to be free to go anywhere with every damn thing the navy possesses.
January 1915: In war the first principle is to disobey orders. Any fool can obey orders!
[Fisher was Churchill's First Sea Lord in 1914/15].
FOCH, Ferdinand. Marshal of
France
/Field Marshal, British Army, Western Front.
7th September 1914: [Then a General field commander] Victory will come to the side that outlasts the other.
8th September 1914: My centre is giving way, my right is in retreat: situation excellent. I shall attack. [First
Battle
Marne
, September 1914].
26th March 1918: [Then Chief of Staff, Allied Supreme Command] I would fight without a break. I would fight in front of
Amiens
. I would never surrender. [Against Ludendorff's German Friedensturm (Peace) Offensive, March 1918].
26th August 1918: [Then Allied Supreme Commander for Western Front] It is this persistent and intensifying of the offensive - this pushing vigorously forward on carefully chosen objectives without excessive regard to alignment or close touch - that will give us the best results with the smallest losses. [The Final 100 Days Allied Offensive, 1918].
FRENCH, Sir John Denton Pinkstone. Field Marshal, Commander-in-Chief, British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
1914: I have no more reserves. He only men I have left are the sentries at my gates. I will take them where the line is broken, and the last of the English will die fighting. [First
Battle
, October, 1914].
FULLER, John Fredrick Charles. Major General, British Army, Western Front.
1916. Do not let my opponents castigate with the blather that Waterloo was won on the playing fields of England, for the fact remains geographically, historically and tactically, whether the great Duke uttered such nonsense or not, that it was won on the fields of Belgium by carrying out a fundamental principal of war, the principle of mass; in other words marching onto those fields three Englishmen, Germans or Belgians to every Frenchman.
1917: Cambrai has become the Valmy [ Battle of, in
Belgium
: Napoleon vs. Duke of Brunswick] of a new epoch in war, the epoch of the mechanical engineer.
1918: The objective of fighting is to kill without getting killed. Don't disburse your force; you can't punch with an open hand; clench your fist; keep your command together.
Fight when holding, advancing or retiring: always fight or be ready to fight.
Aim at surprise; see without being seen. If you meet a man in a dark room you jump; you should always be ready to make your enemy jump, either by day or by night. A jumping man can't hit.
Never remain halted without a lookout. Sentries must be posted no matter what troops are supposed to be in front of you. Guard your flanks and keep in touch with neighbouring units. Try to get at the enemy's flanks.
Send information back to your immediate Commander. Negative information is as important as positive.
State time and place of your message. You cannot expect assistance from your superiors unless you tell them where you are and how you are situated.
Hold what you have got and what you gain. Never withdraw from a position until told to do so.
1918: Presumably victory is our object. This war is a business proposition; it therefore requires ability. Nevertheless, our army is crawling with 'duds', though habitual offenders, they are tolerated because of the camaraderie of the old Regular Army: an army so small as to permit all of its higher members being personal friends. Good-fellowship ranks with us above efficiency: the result is a military trade union that does not pay a dividend. [Fuller was said to be one of the leading strategists of the Great War, and after, but some war historians consider his views on tank warfare dangerously misguided].
GREY, Sir Edward. British Foreign Secretary.
3rd August 1914: I ask the House [Parliament] from the point of view of British interests to consider what may be at stake. If France is beaten to her knees; if Belgium fell under the same dominating influence and then Holland and then Denmark; if in a crisis like this we run away from these obligations of honour and interests as regards the Belgian Treaty, I do not believe for a moment that, at the end of this war, even if we stood aside, we should be unable to undo what happened, in the course of the war, to prevent the whole of the West of Europe opposite us from falling under the domination of a single power. And we would, I believe, sacrifice our respect and good name and reputation before the world and should not escape the most serious and grave economic consequences.
3rd August 1914: A friend came to see me on one of the evenings of last week - he thinks it was on Monday August 3rd. We were standing at a window of my room in the Foreign Office. It was getting dark and the lamps were being lit in the space below on which we were looking. My friend recalled that I remarked on this with the words: 'The lamps are going out all over
Europe
; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime'.
GURNEY, Ivor. Poet/Composer. Lieutenant, Machine Gun Corps, British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
1917: In the mind of all the English soldiers is absolutely no hate for the Germans, but a kind of brotherly though contemptuous - as to men who are going through a bad time as well as ourselves.
HAIG, Earl Douglas. Field Marshal, Commander-in-Chief of the British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
1st June 1915: After lunch we went into the garden for coffee and I turned on the Surgeon General with his graphics, percentages etc. of sick and wounded to entertain the Premier [Herbert Henry Asquith].
1917: Oh God - let there be victory before the Americans arrive [in 1917].
11th April 1918: Every position must be held to the last man: there must be no retirement. With our backs to the wall, and believing in the justice of our cause, each one of us must fight on until the end. The safety of our Homes and the Freedom of mankind alike depend on the conduct of each one of us at this critical moment. [Against Ludendorff's German Friedensturm (Peace) Offensive].
HAMILTON, Sir Ian Standish Montieth.General, Commander-in-Chief, British Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (Gallipoli).
30th May 1917: There are poets and writers who see naught in war except carrion, filth, savagery and horror. They refuse war the credit of being the only exercise in devotion on the large scale existing in this world. The superb moral victory over death leaves them cold. Each one to his taste. To me this is no valley of death - it is a valley brim full of life at the highest power.
1917: In wartime no soldier is free to say what he thinks; after a war no one cares what a soldier thinks.
[
Hamilton
was replaced as C-in-C Mediterranean Expeditionary Force, on 15th October 1915. The Gallipoli Campaign continued until January 1916 when the entire Mediterranean Expeditionary Force was withdrawn by sea].
HEINEMANN, Fritz. Gefreiter [Private], 165th Infantry Regiment, German Army, Western Front.
26th September 1916: One of the enemy soldiers removed his water bottle and passed it around. I will never forget this gesture as long as I live. These troops occupying our positions I now found out to be Canadians. After being searched for documents and weapons we were led away. Passing through the enemy lines we saw an enormous number of artillery pieces, collected and lined up in unending rows. But at the same time we saw the evidence of the work of our own guns - dead Englishmen were lying everywhere. So marched into captivity all that was left of the 2nd Company of the 165th Infantry Regiment: two officers and 12 men.
HOFFMANN, Carl Adolf Maximilian. General, German Eastern Armies, Eastern Front.
9th September 1917: I have been awarded the Iron Cross for my modest share in the battle of Tannenburg. I had never thought that this finest of all military decorations would be won sitting at the end of a telephone line. However, I realise now that there must be someone there who keeps his nerve, and by brute determination and will to victory overcomes difficulties, panics and suchlike nonsense.
November1915: The incompetence of the authorities and of GHQ is greater on the other side than us; and that is saying a good deal.
[Hoffmann was Lundendorff's deputy and later German Commander on the Eastern Front].
JOFFRE, Joseph Jacques Césaire. Marshal of
France
/ French Commander-in- Chief, Western Front.
August 1914: [Then Marshal]. I cannot believe that the British Army will refuse to do its share in this supreme crisis. History would surely judge your absence. Monsieur le Maréchal [Field Marshal Sir John French], the honour of
England
is at stake.
September 1914: We are about to engage in a battle on which the fate of our country depends and it is important to remind all ranks that the moment has passed for looking to the rear; all our efforts must be directed towards driving back the enemy. Troops that can advance no farther must, at any price, hold onto the ground they have conquered and die on the spot rather than give way. Under the circumstances which face us, no act of weakness can be tolerated.
KIPLING, Joseph Rudyard. Author/ Poet/ Head, British War Propaganda Bureau (Later Ministry of Information).
June 1915: However, the world pretends to divide itself, there are only two divisions in the world today - human beings and Germans. [Quoted in the Morning Post Newspaper, 22nd June 1915. Kipling's only son, John, was killed/missing in action at
Loos
, in September 1915].
KITCHENER, Earl Herbert Horatio. Field Marshal, British Army/ British Secretary of State for War.
August 1917: You are ordered abroad as a soldier of your King to help our French comrades against the invasion of a common enemy. You have to perform a task which will need your courage, your energy, your patience. Remember that the honour of the British Army depends on your individual conduct. It will be your duty not only to set an example of discipline and steadiness under fire but also to maintain the most friendly relations with those whom you are helping in this struggle. In this new experience you may find temptations in both wine and women. You must entirely resist both temptations, and, while treating all women with perfect courtesy you should avoid any intimacy. Do your duty bravely. Fear God. Honour the King. [On the departure of the British Expeditionary Force for
France
].
18th December 1914: I don't mind being killed, but I object to your [The Prince of Wales] being captured.
[
was drowned when HMS Hampshire struck a mine in the off the
Orkney Islands
on 5th June 1916].
1915: If you are only ready to go when fetched, where is the merit in that? Are you only going to do your duty when the law says you must? Does the call to duty find no response to in you until reinforced, let us rather say, superseded, by the call of compulsion? [To potential recruits to
Kitchener
's Army of Volunteers].
LUDENDORFF, Erich von. General, First Quartermaster General, German Third Supreme Command.
8th August 1918: The black day of the German Army in the history of the war. [First day of the Battle of Amiens].
MATA HARI, (Margaretha Geertruida Zella). Dutch dancer, prostitute and spy.
1917: The officer is a being apart, a kind of artist breathing the grand air in the brilliant profession of arms, in a uniform that is always seductive. To me the officer is a separate race. [Mata Hari was executed as a German spy by a French firing squad on 15th October 1917].
McCRAE, John. Captain, Medical Officer, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
3rd May 1916: In Flanders fields the poppies blow/ Between the crosses, row on row,/That mark our place.
MONASH, Sir John. General, Commander, Australian Corps, British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
1918: The main thing is to always have a plan; if it is not the best plan, it is at least better than no plan at all.
[Monash was acknowledged as
's top general on the Western Front].
MORTIMORE, H. W. Captain, Royal Navy, British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
15th September 1916: I managed to get astride one of the German trenches and opened fire with Hotchkiss machine guns. There were some Germans in the dugouts and I shall never forget the look on their faces as they emerged. [It is to be assumed that Captain Mortimer was a member of the Royal (Naval) Division].
NEVILLE, Robert Georges. General, French Army Commander-in-Chief, Western Front
23rd June 1916: Ils ne passeront pas. [They shall not pass. Also attributed to Marshal Henri-Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain, Neville's predecessor at
Verdun
and successor as C-in-C French Armies].
OWEN, Wilfred Edward Salter. Lieutenant, British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
January 1917: [Le Serre Sector of the
Somme
battlefield]. No mans land under snow is like the face of the moon: chaotic, crater-ridden, uninhabitable, awful, the abode of madness.
1917: I you could hear at every jolt, the blood/ Come gargling from the froth corrupted lungs,/ My friend, you would not tell with such high zest/ To children ardent for some desperate glory,/ The old lie; Dulce et decorum est Pro Patria Mori.
PATTON, George Smith Jnr. General,
U.S.
Army, Western Front.
1918: I'd rather be a Second Lieutenant with a DSC [Distinguished Service Cross] than a General without it.
RICHTHOFEN, Manfred Freiherr von. Rittmeister [Cavalry Captain] German Army Air Service, Western Front.
21st April 1918: Don't you think I'll be back? [The day his famous red Fokker
triplane was shot down by ground fire behind the British lines, between Corbie and Bray in the Somme Sector. He was killed by a single 0.303-in round through the chest].
ROBERTSON, William Robert. Field Marshal, Chief of the British Imperial Staff.
May 1915: 'Orace [General Sir Horace Lockwood Smith-Dorrien] you're for 'ome'. {Robertson was onerously set the task by Field Marshal Sir John French, G-in-C BEF, of confirming the sacking, by telegram, of Smith-Dorrien].
ROMMEL, Erwin. Field Marshal, German Army, Western Front.
1914: [Then Lieutenant] Passing through Douclon Woods [
France
] we heard the moans of wounded men all around us. It was a gruesome sound. A low voice from a nearby bush called 'Kamerad, Kamerad!'th [German Infantry Regiment] lay with a breast wound on the cold stony ground. The poor lad sobbed as we stooped over him - he did not want to die. We wrapped him in his coat and shelter half, gave him some water, and made him as comfortable as possible. We heard the voices of wounded men on all sides now. One called in a heartbreaking way for his mother. Another prayed. Others were crying with pain and mingled with the voices we heard the sound of French: 'Des blessés, camarade!' It was terrible to listen to suffering and dying men. We helped friend and foe without distinction.
[Comrade]. A youngster from the 127 [We're wounded, comrade!]
SLIM, William Joseph. Field Marshal, British Army.
1916: [Then Lieutenant. Quoting Private Richard Chuck in the Mesopotamian Campaign]. ''Up
Warwicks
! Show the bastards yer-cap badges."
SPENGLER, Reinholf. Geifreter [Private], 1st Bavarian Infantry Regiment, German Army, Western Front.
1916: The brutality and inhumanity of war stood in great contrast to that I had heard and read about as a youth.
VAUGHAN, Edwin. Captain, Royal Warwickshire Regiment, British Expeditionary Force, Western Front.
27th August 1917: The cries of the wounded had much diminished now, and as we staggered down the road, the reason was only too apparent, for the water was right over the tops of the shell holes. [Probably during the Third
Battle
WILHELM II, Kaiser (King of Prussia and Emperor of
Germany
).
August 1914: You will be home before the leaves have fallen from the trees. [Addressing the German troops engaged in implementing the German Schlieffen Plan].
1st October 1914: It is my Royal and Imperial Command that you ? exterminate first the treacherous English, and ? walk over General French's contemptible little Army. [Kaiser's declaration to the German Army on the Western Front].
Acknowledgements
To assemble this personal selection of quotations, the author has gratefully consulted many reference sources. One the author found particularly useful, and likely to be on the shelves of the local public library and book shops, is: The Daily Telegraph Dictionary of Military Quotations, Edited by Peter G. Tsouras (2005), Greenhill Books/Lionel Leventhal Ltd. ISBN 1-85367-666-7. However, any errors and omissions herein are the sole responsibility of the author.
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What was the name of the Columbian-French politician who was rescued from FARC by Columbian security forces in July 2008? | Colombia Plucks Hostages From Rebels’ Grasp - The New York Times
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Ingrid Betancourt, right, a hostage of Colombian rebels, with her mother in Bogotá on Wednesday after she was freed. Credit Fernando Vergara/Associated Press
CARACAS, Venezuela — Colombian commandos in disguise spirited 15 hostages to freedom on Wednesday, including Ingrid Betancourt , a French-Colombian politician held for six years, and three American military contractors.
“I never expected to get out of there alive,” said Ms. Betancourt, 46, her voice sounding frail but charged with excitement, in comments broadcast on the radio.
On Colombian television, Ms. Betancourt wept and smiled as she recounted a chain of events that seemed scripted for film, complete with Colombian agents infiltrating guerrilla camps and borrowing Israeli tracking technology to zero in on their target.
The helicopters landed in the jungle at dawn, carrying personnel who she presumed were part of a humanitarian mission intended to transport the hostages elsewhere, according to Colombian press reports.
The captives were handcuffed and “humiliated,” then put on the helicopters accompanied by two guerrillas who were guarding them, Ms. Betancourt explained.
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But while boarding, when she saw crew members wearing T-shirts emblazoned with images of Che Guevara, she thought the hostages had been deceived. “I thought, this is FARC ,” she said on television, referring to the rebel group that held her.
Once the doors of the helicopter closed, the guerrillas were subdued, and Ms. Betancourt said her handcuffs were removed and the crew told the 15 captives they were free.
She said she looked down at one of the men who had been her captor. “I saw him on the floor,” she said. “I did not feel happiness, but what a shame.”
In Bogotá, after a joyful reunion with her mother, she thanked the military for an “impeccable operation.”
She looked healthy, especially in light of reports that she had been despondent recently and images showing her thin and distraught in a video captured from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.
Taken captive in 2002 while she campaigned quixotically for the presidency, Ms. Betancourt, over her years as a hostage, became a symbol of suffering, courage and endurance.
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Ingrid Betancourt, center, in dark clothing with hands clasped, prayed Wednesday next to her mother, Yolanda Pulecio, and other freed hostages in Bogotá. Credit Rodrigo Arangua/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The rescue was a major victory in Colombia ’s struggle with the FARC, a Marxist-inspired insurgency that has been trying to topple the Colombian government for more than four decades.
Colombia’s defense minister, Juan Manuel Santos, said the captives, who also included 11 former members of Colombia’s security forces, were removed from the jungle on Wednesday by an elite commando unit in Guaviare after Colombian intelligence operatives infiltrated the FARC’s seven-member secretariat.
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The United States was involved in the planning of the operation and provided “specific support,” the White House said. But officials there would not describe the nature of that support.
One American official who was briefed on the operation but spoke on the condition of anonymity confirmed the intelligence support to Colombia for the mission, but would not provide details.
The three Americans, Marc Gonsalves, Keith Stansell and Thomas Howes, were captured in 2003 while working for the Northrop Grumman Corporation after their surveillance plane went down on an antinarcotics mission for the Pentagon.
After they were freed they went on a military plane to San Antonio, to be taken to a military hospital at Fort Sam Houston.
Ms. Betancourt and the Americans were among more than 40 captives used by the FARC to bargain for political concessions. The rescue came during a period of fragmentation in the FARC after the killing and capture of several senior commanders in recent months.
The guerrillas are thought to hold hundreds of other abductees in jungle camps. The American ambassador to Colombia, William R. Brownfield, and the United States combatant commander in the region, Adm. James G. Stavridis, were “engaged in the planning stages,” according to Gordon D. Johndroe, the deputy White House press secretary.
“This was a Colombian-conceived and led operation; we supported the operation,” he said, adding, “This rescue was long in the planning, and we’ve been working with the Colombians for five years, since the hostages were taken, to free them from captivity.”
He said that President Bush was kept apprised of the planning and that he called after the rescue to congratulate President Álvaro Uribe, calling him “a strong leader.”
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Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, released a statement that said Mr. Uribe and Mr. Santos had briefed him about the operation on Tuesday night, during his visit to Colombia.
Late on Wednesday night, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, appeared on live television with Ms. Betancourt’s grown children and her sister.
“Ingrid is in good health,” Mr. Sarkozy said of Ms. Betancourt, who holds dual French and Colombian citizenship. “My first words would be to say how happy we are.”
He also asked the FARC “to stop this absurd and medieval conflict,” promising to take in all the FARC fighters who renounced violence.
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In France, numerous groups were founded by artists and public intellectuals to support Ms. Betancourt’s cause, and as her health appeared to worsen her release became a priority for Mr. Sarkozy and his new government.
Mr. Sarkozy had made various appeals for her freedom, and in April, offered to go to the border to personally accept her release. He tried to work through the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, and sent a French medical team by air to Colombia to wait for her.
In her years in Paris, Ms. Betancourt, the daughter of a diplomat and a beauty queen, lived a wealthy life, went to elite universities and married a career diplomat whom she had met when she was a student. But she returned to Bogotá in 1990 to start a political career after drug dealers assassinated a presidential candidate her mother knew. She divorced and later married a Colombian, Juan Carlos Lecompte.
Her two grown children took part in protests in Paris, where they lived with their father, her first husband. Ms. Betancourt’s 2001 autobiography, “Rage in the Heart,” was hailed in France as the story of a crusader against corruption and injustice.
In January, in a deal brokered by Mr. Chávez, the FARC freed Clara Rojas, 44, who was captured along with Ms. Betancourt, and Consuelo González de Perdomo, 57, a former Colombian lawmaker who was abducted in 2001.
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During captivity Ms. Rojas bore a child, who was found to be living in foster care in Bogotá shortly before her release, and not with the guerrillas, as they had claimed.
After the discovery of the 3-year-old boy, Emmanuel, Colombian officials said Wednesday, they sensed disarray within the FARC and stepped up efforts to rescue the other captives. Hopes for the hostages’ freedom had increased after the death or surrender of several top leaders in recent months. In late May, the FARC’s senior leader, the legendary guerrilla Manuel Marulanda, was reported to have died of natural causes.
Mr. Marulanda, whose real name was Pedro Antonio Marín, built a rebel army from the remnants of a rural guerrilla group. The FARC remains Latin America’s largest insurgency, with thousands of fighters.
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Ingrid Betancourt, a former presidential candidate, was one of the hostages rescued. Credit Rodrigo Arangua/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
Alfonso Cano, an urban intellectual from Bogotá, ascended to replace Mr. Marulanda, but the FARC has been weakened by the desertion or surrender of about 300 combatants a month, according to Colombian officials.
Although the guerrilla group retains substantial might from operations financed by cocaine exports and abductions, its apparent disintegration has drawn comparisons to that of the Shining Path, the once-fearsome Maoist insurgency in Peru that is now limited to several hundred combatants involved in drug trafficking in the Peruvian Amazon.
Last month, Colombian officials announced that the American contractors had been spotted in the jungle a few months earlier, but said that it had been impossible to attempt a rescue at the time. In the operation on Wednesday, Colombia’s military appears to have drawn inspiration from one of the FARC’s own most brazen actions, in which its combatants disguised themselves in 2002 as soldiers and abducted 13 lawmakers in Cali.
Six years later, Colombian agents infiltrated the FARC’s ranks and persuaded a guerrilla commander called Cesar to allow captives held in three groups to be united for a trip by helicopter to southern Colombia.
Ms. Betancourt suffered illnesses, pain and indignities during her captivity, but doggedly persisted in trying to escape. Toward the end of her six years as a hostage, Ms. Betancourt’s missives to the outside world showed signs of depression.
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“I am tired of suffering, of carrying it within me every day, of lying to myself and of seeing that every day is the same hell as the one before,” she wrote in a 2007 letter to her mother, Yolanda Pulecio. In the letter Ms. Betancourt said, “These almost six years of captivity have shown me that I’m not as resistant, nor as brave, nor as intelligent, nor as strong as I had thought.
“I have fought many battles, I have tried to escape on several opportunities, I have tried to maintain hope, as one does keeping head above water. But mamita, I have been defeated.”
The letter was taken from rebel emissaries last Nov. 29, part of a package intended to prove to captives’ families that they were still alive.
In the letter, she also wrote of the death of her father, Gabriel Betancourt, who was well known in Colombia for his work educating the poor. He died a month after her kidnapping, and in her letter, Ms. Betancourt said the she longed “to be with my papito, whose mourning I have not been able to complete, because every day, for the last four years, I have cried over his death.”
And she spent much time writing about her two children in France, Mélanie and Lorenzo, and of how much she missed seeing them grow.
“I feel like the life of my children is on standby, waiting for me to be free, and their daily suffering makes death seem like a sweet option,” she wrote.
She said she made them birthday cakes on their birthdays from her ration of rice and beans. “I look for them in my memories and I nourish myself in the images I guard in my memory of each of their different ages.”
She will soon see them, as she recuperates at a military base. France has sent them in a state plane to join their mother.
Reporting was contributed by Jenny Carolina González from Bogotá, Colombia; Steven Erlanger from Paris; and Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Thom Shanker from Washington.
A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Colombia Plucks Hostages From Rebels’ Grasp. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe
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Which body of water separates Sicily from mainland Italy? | Inside Colombia's Hostage War | Vanity Fair
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Colombian Army general Mario Montoya and Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos, who orchestrated the liberation of 15 farc hostages. Photograph by Jonas Karlsson., Photograph by Mark Schäfer (Orth).
This message comes to wake up the jungle.” On Sunday morning, July 20, in Paris, Ingrid Betancourt, the most famous kidnap victim since Patti Hearst, was broadcasting directly to hostages in Colombia’s vast rain forest, an area the size of Texas, where left-wing guerrillas of the farc (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) were still holding between 500 and 700 captives, including 25 political prisoners. Betancourt had been trapped in that jungle—so dense that the ground is completely invisible from the air—for more than six years. On July 2 she had been liberated in a daring rescue staged by the Colombian Army without a shot being fired, and her reunion with her family was carried live on TV. She has had very little time off camera since. Now she was speaking on Colombian Independence Day from a luxe Paris hotel room, dressed in white jeans, a white sweater, and black stacked-heeled mules, with a red chrysanthemum attached to the end of her long, dark braid. On her wrist was a rustic cord resembling a crown of thorns, which she had made from jungle vines for a rosary. Holding a cigarette in one hand, she was speaking on Voices of the Kidnapped, a weekly radio show in Bogotá that broadcasts directly to the hostages, many of whom have radios. “We’re taking your hands, we’re making a chain for you to get out,” she said in her soothing, cultured voice. “Have faith.”
Betancourt, who is 46, was a minor presidential candidate in Colombia when she was kidnapped in 2002. She was also the author of a best-selling autobiography in France, La Rage au Coeur, about her fight as a Colombian senator against corruption and the resulting threats on her life. She was known for attention-getting stunts; she once handed out condoms “for protection against corruption” on the streets of Bogotá. Luis Alberto Moreno, the former Colombian ambassador to Washington, told me, “Ingrid in Colombia was a little flaky, to be diplomatic about it.” Her editor, Bernard Fixot, had specifically marketed the memoir to make her out a heroine, “the new Joan of Arc,” telling her prophetically, “This book will prolong your life.” It was published in English as Until Death Do Us Part. Since regaining her freedom, she has become the object of intense curiosity worldwide, lionized by the French as a cross between Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi (the Nobel Peace Prize winner under house arrest in Myanmar) and referred to in the press by her first name only. What was her life like in the jungle?, everyone wants to know. Was she tortured, abused? In a storm of television attention, she intrigued audiences with her reluctance to reveal many details of her years in captivity. She cryptically told Larry King, for example, “Many things happened in the jungle that we have to leave in the jungle.” In France, where she carries dual Colombian and French citizenship and where she studied at the prestigious political-science university known as Sciences Po, she is being touted for the Nobel Peace Prize. On Bastille Day, July 14, President Nicolas Sarkozy awarded her the Légion d’Honneur.
Betancourt was at the hotel to meet Juanes, the Bono of Latin America, and the popular Spanish artist Miguel Bosé, the son of the great bullfighter Dominguín. They were all in Paris for a concert to aid the cause of the hostages and to petition the farc for peace. On the air, Ingrid addressed by name several colleagues still in the jungle. She also had words for the guerrillas: “I speak without rancor. Come back to liberty, come back to reality.” When Juanes sang his song “Sueños,” which opens every broadcast—“I dream of freedom for all who are kidnapped in the middle of the jungle”—Bosé could not control his tears. Ingrid, however, was energized. “We lived for this … summoning song,” she explained to us in the room. She even told how the guerrillas had separated the smokers from the nonsmokers. She seemed almost giddy in her new freedom, barely able to stop talking after years of enforced silence.
From the hotel, I rode with Ingrid in an S.U.V. driven by French Secret Service men to a reception in her honor at the Colombian Embassy, where her mother, Yolanda Pulecio, a former Colombian beauty queen and diplomat in Paris, and her sister, Astrid, who married the former French ambassador in Bogotá, were waiting for her. All three women are made for TV—attractive, camera-ready, media-savvy—as are Ingrid’s children, Melanie, 23, who studies film at New York University, and Lorenzo, 19, who is a pre-law student at the Sorbonne. Throughout Ingrid’s ordeal, top French media advisers donated their services to her family, who organized the Ingrid Betancourt Support Committee. During their 2007 presidential campaigns, Nicolas Sarkozy and his opponent Ségolène Royal both pledged that they would make Ingrid’s release a priority, and her picture hung in city halls throughout France. Meanwhile, her family criticized the Colombian government relentlessly for not doing enough to obtain Ingrid’s release, while adamantly opposing any military action that could bring her harm. Icy notes and protests passed between the Colombians and the French, and the Colombian government still believes that France inappropriately reached out to Colombia’s hostile leftist neighbors, Venezuela and Ecuador, not to mention the guerrillas themselves, in order to secure leverage with the farc.
In the spring of 2003, Dominique de Villepin, then the French foreign minister, acting on a tip from Colombian president Álvaro Uribe that the farc might be ready to release Ingrid, ordered a huge French transport plane to land secretly in Brazil near the Colombian border, where a very sick Ingrid was allegedly being held and where her sister, Astrid, was waiting to meet her. But de Villepin, who had been Ingrid’s professor at the Sciences Po and her rumored boyfriend, did not inform French president Jacques Chirac, or Sarkozy, who was then minister of the interior, or anyone in Colombia of what he was doing. When the plane’s cover was blown and Ingrid did not appear, Sarkozy was apparently furious. Some French officials believe that they were deliberately misled by the Colombians, but President Álvaro Uribe denied that when I asked him. As Pierre Vimont, the French ambassador to the U.S., told me, “Every time we’d come forward, the Colombians did everything to block it.” One Colombian diplomat countered dismissively, “We are frigid Brits compared to the French, [who are] a totally emotional country.” He added, “I have not seen another case where a single person exercised the kind of importance in international affairs that [Ingrid] did. For a kidnap victim to arrive in international politics is unbelievable.”
At the Colombian Embassy, where champagne flowed and roses flown in from Medellín floated in the garden pond, Ingrid was besieged. Melanie and Lorenzo and their father, Fabrice Delloye, a French foreign-service officer and Ingrid’s first husband, who had fought hard for her release, did not attend the reception. Ingrid’s second, Colombian husband, Juan Carlos Lecompte, had not been with her since her rescue. The children joined their mother halfway through the ensuing concert at the Place du Trocadéro, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, where Ingrid was honored onstage, this time by Sarkozy’s opponent Bertrand Delanoë, the Socialist mayor of Paris, who draped the Colombian flag over his shoulders as if to indicate that Sarkozy and his right-wing government could hardly love Ingrid more than the Socialists did. Sophisticated Colombians observing the scene, such as Roberto Pombo, the editor of El Tiempo, Colombia’s New York Times, and Fernan Martinez, Juanes’s manager, were highly amused by the sudden turnaround of Colombia’s image in France. “Nobody knew where Colombia was, or they thought we were all drug dealers,” Pombo said. Ingrid, in her speech, switched easily from flawless French to Spanish, and she and other speakers called again and again for liberty—libertad. Suddenly she stopped, as though she sensed that there really was no more to say. Gracefully thanking the mayor and his country—”Merci, Bertrand. Merci, la France“—she paused, turned toward the band, and ordered, “Music, maestro.”
A Hostage’s Memories
The ceremonies in Paris were a far cry from forced marches in the Colombian jungle, where Ingrid was chained to a tree for a year. At one point, she was so overcome by despair that she stopped eating. In a “proof of life” photo of her released by the farc last February, she looked so frail that people were shocked to see how healthy she appeared at the time of her release. It is now clear that she is a courageous and canny survivor, and that throughout her captivity she had male friends who protected her.
Luis Eladio Pérez, the 55-year-old former senator from the southern Colombian state of Nariño, a married father of two, became Ingrid’s closest confidant in captivity. A gentle man with pouches under his hazel eyes, he had been captured eight months before she was, in June 2001. His guards were not permitted to talk to him, and the stress of his solitude was so great the first year that his face began to freeze up for lack of speaking. He routinely slept during the day and stayed awake at night, listening to the racket the insects made during the early evening and then to the news on a small radio the guerrillas allowed prisoners to have in order to prevent suicide or insurrection. Hearing occasional messages from his family and knowing that his wife was fighting for him were the only things, he claims, that kept him from attempting suicide. “I have a terror of the dark,” he told me in Bogotá, where he now resides. Even today, he added, “around 6 or 6:30 p.m., when it starts to get dark, I get nervous.”
Video stills of the rescue show the helicopter landing (top), and Ingrid Betancourt being led to it (with hands bound). From Coronado/Gamma/Eyedea Presse (top); from Colombian Army/A.P. Images.
In August 2003, Pérez met Ingrid Betancourt and Clara Rojas, her campaign manager, who was two years her junior and who had been kidnapped with her. The two women were not getting along, he said, and eventually they had to be kept in separate tents. For months, however, they and Pérez and four other political prisoners shared a crude jail approximately 8 feet by 14 feet, with barbed wire on the walls. In October 2003, the Colombians were joined by three American employees of the defense contractor Northrop Grumman—Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalves, and Keith Stansell—who had been captured after their plane, from which they were inspecting the results of efforts to eradicate coca crops, crashed. The Americans, who spoke no Spanish, had only the clothes on their backs when they arrived, and they gave off a powerful body odor that the Colombians found repulsive. All 10 slept on wooden bunk beds with nothing but plastic sheets and mosquito netting. “Do you remember the Nazi jails from World War II?,” Pérez asked. “They were exactly the same.”
At least the structure had a crude shower and a toilet, Pérez said, with water pumped from the nearby river. At no other time in his nearly seven years of captivity, in various camps, was that the case. The prisoners’ diet of rice, broth, vegetables, and occasional meat was cooked by their guards. The food was delivered by convoys of vehicles that had crossed hundreds of miles of jungle on roads constructed of wooden planks and over makeshift bridges anchored by oil drums filled with cement. This immense area, which covers 51 percent of Colombia, is virtually uninhabited, with less than one person per square mile. For centuries the government made no serious effort to control this crucial “green lung” adjoining the Amazon. The farc move their troops and weapons with relative impunity over an intricate ad hoc highway system in the latest pickups and four-wheel drives (known as “motor rats”), the same vehicles they use to transport the coca-leaf harvest and the cocaine paste produced from it.
The drug traffic is destroying the eco-system as more and more areas have to be cleared because of fumigation, and as the rivers get more and more polluted from the chemicals used in the cocaine labs. The farc not only levy a tax on the farmers who grow the coca but also often set the price of the refined cocaine to distributors, and thus grow richer and richer. During President Andrés Pastrana’s term of office, beginning in 1998, the farc were ceded a territory the size of Switzerland as a demilitarized zone from which they could conduct negotiations with the government. In 2002, however, Pastrana, realizing that the farc had no intention of negotiating peacefully, revoked his decision, and the Colombian Army had to fight many battles to reclaim El Caguán, as the area was called. As a result, guerrillas guarding prisoners there were considered especially tough.
Daily life among the hostages often came down to petty resentments. “Ingrid Betancourt is someone who generates a lot of envy,” Pérez writes in his best-selling book, the title of which translates as “Seven Years Held Hostage by the farc.” “She told me that was part of her karma since she was in school.” Fellow prisoners were angered that most of the news was about her, “as if the rest of us did not exist.” Even her kidnapping was considered suspect. She had been warned repeatedly not to go into the area in southwestern Colombia where she was seized. Her bodyguards had been ordered not to take her there, because it was too dangerous. The army stopped her at several checkpoints to advise her to turn around, but still she persisted. A prevailing opinion among Colombians in the know is that she deliberately put herself in harm’s way to gain publicity for her campaign, never dreaming that she would be detained long. Ingrid says that she had an appointment she could not miss, with a mayor in a nearby town who supported her candidacy, and that she did not get a helicopter she had been promised. In Paris during her media circus in July, Alonso Salazar, the mayor of Medellín, told me, “Colombians greeted her with an extraordinary outpouring of support—she became the symbol for all hostages. But silently they blamed her for taking the risks she did in her political life—going into that area knowing the danger.”
Ingrid stood out in the jungle. Sophisticated and well traveled, she exercised vigorously to keep herself fit. She was clearly from a privileged background; her father had been the ambassador to unesco in Paris and a prominent educator. While the other prisoners played cards or talked among themselves, Ingrid gave classes in French. However, Pérez writes, “Her worldliness and store of knowledge generated more resentment than admiration.” She was soon in a class struggle, not only with the female guards, who were generally chunky and unattractive, but also with her fellow prisoners, which was ironic, since she had always considered herself a radical reformer. “So in the drama of being held hostage you had to add a very tense environment, which was not beneficial to anyone,” Pérez writes. “The monotony was as dangerous as the tigers,” he told me. Once, Pérez and another friend of Ingrid’s were physically attacked by other hostages for sticking up for her. Most of the time, however, Ingrid could take care of herself. Pérez and John Pinchao, another prisoner who escaped and wrote a book, both recount instances when men made unwanted advances toward Ingrid; she slapped a guerrilla across the face and kicked a fellow hostage in the testicles.
Like many men, Pérez was captivated by Ingrid. A Colombian official who had worked with her after she left her young children behind with their father in New Zealand and moved to Bogotá to enter politics told me, “Ingrid wore sexy miniskirts and used her good looks, which made the other women in the ministry very angry. She is a very attractive woman, and with her wit and audacity she can get a man who is a bit naïve to dance any way she wants.”
In 2005, Ingrid urged Pérez to join her in an escape attempt, which failed at the end of six days, when they ran out of food and Pérez—a diabetic, whose feet gave out—could go no farther. They were picked up only a short distance from where they started, and the guerrilla commander told them that, owing to Ingrid’s high profile, if they had succeeded in getting away, all the guerrillas guarding them would have been killed. For the next year, Ingrid and Pérez were chained to trees, and the chains around their necks were removed for only half an hour a day, so that they could bathe in the nearby river. They were also deprived of shoes, and jungle rot set in. Pérez managed to make plastic covers for Ingrid’s feet. Only today are his own toenails growing back.
They were allowed to speak for just one hour a day. Many of those hours they spent devising a 190-point program to address the social ills of Colombia—“the poverty, misery, lack of education, and despair that gave rise to the guerrillas in the first place,” Pérez told me. “We worked on it four or five years. What we thought should happen in Colombia to get peace.” They have plans to start a movement based on the program, he said, “after we have had time to recover a bit.”
In July 2007, Ingrid and Pérez were separated, and he was taken, along with several Colombian officers and the three Americans, to another part of the jungle. Pérez’s last six months before his release, last February (five months prior to Ingrid’s rescue), were the worst. He was chained by the neck to Thomas Howes, with only 15 inches of chain between them. “We had to walk together, go to the bathroom together, bathe together, eat together,” Pérez said. “I had to know everything—his snores, his odors.” They ended up good friends. “We had to help each other endure it; if not, we would have killed each other.” Pérez believes that Howes saved his life. “I had a heart attack, and he gave me the one aspirin he had saved,” he said. “Do you believe it helped?,” I asked. “I am here with you,” he answered, adding, “Do you remember the story in the Bible about the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes? Well, this was the multiplication of the aspirin!”
The Other Captive Women
Unlike Ingrid, who resisted the guerrillas’ advances, Clara Rojas, her campaign manager, slept with the enemy. Guards were strictly forbidden to have sex with prisoners; they were not even allowed to have children among themselves. If a farc woman got pregnant, she was supposed to abort. According to one account, after Rojas wrote to someone high up in the guerrilla forces and asked for permission to have sex, she received a box of contraceptives. Pérez suggests that Rojas felt her biological clock ticking and resolved to have a baby, at the same time figuring that giving birth might get her released sooner. When I spoke to Rojas in Bogotá in August, she said she had not had “any expectation” of being released early as a new mother. When I asked her, “Was it your decision to become pregnant in the jungle?,” she answered, “That is a difficult question. But, given the fact I had to assume responsibility, I wanted to save the life of my child. As we say, don’t cry over spilt milk.” With regard to the father of the baby, she said, “I don’t have information.” (Pérez in his book says a farc commander told him and others that a guerrilla had been executed for having relations with Rojas.) A number of Rojas’s fellow prisoners were highly critical of her, even to her face.
For the last couple of months before the birth of the baby, a boy named Emmanuel, in April 2004, Rojas stayed in a separate shelter. She requested a doctor and the Red Cross, but she was refused. The Cesarean birth turned into a nightmare. Rojas was attended by a male nurse and her principal jailer, the farc commander Martín Sombra, who is now in jail himself, in Bogotá. She was given anesthesia, she told me, but she woke up before the operation was completed. “It was horrible,” she said. The nurse had cut her open crudely and had broken the baby’s arm while trying to extract him. Since there was no plaster of Paris to set the bone, Rojas said, “they put a bandage on it, but it wasn’t enough.” For months Emmanuel howled in pain, and he was allegedly drugged to make him stop crying. Rojas suffered postpartum depression. “I was so weak,” she said. “To have your first child while kidnapped—what a disaster.” Her fellow hostages have reported that because she was not a natural mother—she gave the baby boiling-hot milk, for example—the farc turned him over to a female guerrilla, who let Rojas see him only through the barbed-wire fence. “They took the baby away,” Rojas told me. “I was not allowed to keep him permanently.”
In the fall of 2004, the farc told the prisoners that they were all being moved. They set off on a long march through the jungle, chained to one another and guarded by guerrillas on either side. They slept in hammocks in order to avoid contact with the dangerous snakes and insects on the wet ground. Ingrid, who had once had hepatitis and was suffering from a liver disease, had to be carried. There was concern that Emmanuel’s cries would alert Colombian soldiers patrolling the area, and when the march ended, in October 2004, the guerrillas handed the baby off. Rojas did not see him again for three and a half years. Upon her release, she was supposed to be re-united with Emmanuel, but the farc could not find him. Using intelligence sources, the Colombian government located the boy living under the auspices of a social agency in Bogotá. The villager to whom the farc entrusted the baby had passed him on.
There was also another grieving mother on that march, Gloria Polanco, the wife of a senator and former governor, who was kept with Ingrid, Rojas, Pérez, and the three Americans. She had no idea whether her two teenage sons, who had been kidnapped with her, were dead or alive. They had all been snatched from their beds in the middle of the night in 2001, when guerrillas dressed as policemen entered their apartment building and kidnapped 15 people, ranging in age from 15 to 60. Polanco’s husband, Jaime Lozada, was in Bogotá at the time. The farc separated the boys from their mother. “They took them into a truck and into the jungle,” Polanco told me. She did not see them again for almost seven years. After three years, their father paid a ransom, and the boys were released. Not long after that, Lozada was shot to death while driving with one son, who was wounded. Recently, a guerrilla in prison confessed to the murder but said he had meant to kill another man. He asked forgiveness of Polanco and her family, on Voices of the Kidnapped, and she gave it.
“Even though I was so abandoned, I felt the presence of God,” Polanco said, sitting in an outdoor restaurant in Bogotá, where she chain-smoked and stared at me with incredible sadness. She was elected to the Colombian Congress in absentia in 2002, and she credits her faith for keeping her sane. “I spoke to God a lot. I could feel His suffering,” she said. “You could see the difference between those who had faith and those who didn’t. Some prayed a lot, and some said that God didn’t hear them.” Polanco’s daily routine consisted of an hour and a half of calisthenics, beginning at five a.m., an hour and a half of prayer, a bath in the river in her underwear whenever possible, several hours for washing and mending clothes or playing poker—whatever she could do to keep occupied. Ingrid, who she said was a good friend, gave her French lessons. She told me that when she and Ingrid were together they never had problems with sexual harassment: “You could be strong and fight them off.” As for the farc guards, “We didn’t have any time with them—they were always far away.”
Polanco has no job and receives no help from the Colombian government other than bodyguards to protect her. Like some of the other released hostages, she has received death threats. “I have to be both father and mother. My sons lost three years of school,” she said. Try as she might to conceal her feelings, she showed traces of bitterness toward Ingrid. “Let’s not forget to be realists,” she said. “Let’s not make symbols and icons out of women who aren’t.” Putting her hand on mine, she said, “I was the one who suffered the most. I was almost totally destroyed.”
A Bloody History
Tirofijo—Sureshot—was the nickname given to the founder of the farc, Manuel Marulanda, who died last March at 78 of natural causes. The farc’s Ho Chi Minh, he fled to the mountains to found the rebel group about the same time in the 1960s that I, as a 21-year-old Peace Corps volunteer, moved into a poor barrio on the outskirts of Medellín. Che Guevara was still alive. Revolution was often discussed among the young, but only theoretically. Peace Corps members experienced firsthand the endemic social inequality in the country and the passivity of the poor, who were basically taught that their poverty was God’s will and that they would be rich in heaven. Colombia was very Catholic then, not yet tainted by the tremendous wealth and corruption cocaine would bring to it. Most of the elite in Medellín—which is still the business capital of the country—had gotten rich by working hard and building companies.
I had a Colombian boyfriend, Alfonso Ospina, a dashing, six-foot-four scion of a leading political dynasty and the son of a very rich cattle rancher. His self-made father, Bernardo, was the first cousin of his mother, Elena, who was the daughter of a Colombian president, Mariano Ospina. In his youth, Bernardo had gone on horseback into the jungle north of Medellín for a year at a time, to open up huge territories along the Magdalena River from Medellín to Monteria, a small city 175 miles away, which has since become notorious as the headquarters of the paramilitaries who rose up in response to the cattlemen asking for protection from various guerrilla bands, including the farc. In time, both the farc and the paras would evolve into little more than murderous, non-ideological drug traffickers.
I worked with a mountain community above my barrio—where coffee, flowers, and vegetables were grown—to build its first school. The National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia helped us with materials, and the community provided the labor. When we inaugurated the two-room schoolhouse for 35 children, in 1966, the community named it the Escuela Marina Orth. In 2004 the secretary of education in Medellín asked me to help make it the first bi-lingual public school in Colombia. I started two foundations to raise money, and today 350 students are enrolled. It is the first school in Colombia to have computers from the One Laptop per Child organization. For many years I was unable to visit the school because of the violence that had overtaken Medellín, starting with the attempt by the notorious narco-trafficker Pablo Escobar to control the area, which he almost succeeded in doing, killing more than 400 police officers and winning the support of many of the poor. Escobar hid out right near my school shortly before his death, in 1993. Then the area became favored by the paramilitaries, who also dealt drugs, kidnapped civilians, extorted money from businesses, and generally cowed the local population.
After leaving the Peace Corps, I remained close to people in my barrio, as well as to Alfonso, who went into politics. In the early 80s he was chief of staff to President Belisario Betancur, who reached an accord with the farc for a cease-fire and the creation of the Patriotic Union Party, which allowed leftists for the first time to play a role in government. So many of its candidates and members were murdered, however, by the paras and right-wing death squads that the whole process broke down irretrievably. I will never forget President Betancur telling me in an interview in Bogotá in 1981, before cocaine really took hold, “We would not have these problems if you [Americans] were not such excellent clients.”
In 1982 the farc made the formal decision to adopt the drug trade as a way to finance its activities. Cocaine is used by the farc to purchase weapons and feed its army. Colombia’s minister of defense, Juan Manuel Santos, told me, “Every time I go to Washington or New York or London or Madrid, I say, ‘With every snort you’re killing somebody, you’re committing ecocide.’ ” He echoed President Uribe, who said, “If not for illicit drugs we would have defeated these groups long ago.” The sad truth is that too many Americans are blithely indifferent to the connection between using cocaine recreationally and the bloodshed and environmental destruction its use causes in Latin America.
Ingrid Betancourt is welcomed by her children, Melanie and Lorenzo, in Bogotá the day after her rescue. By Rodrigo Arangua/AFP/Getty Images.
One of the ways for big narcos to launder drug money was to acquire land. Their fincas and haciendas became symbols of their wealth. In the late 80s, Alfonso Ospina refused to sell a large piece of his land to a leading paramilitary chief, who also wanted a percentage of his cattle business in return for providing him with “protection.” By then Alfonso was a senator from Medellín. He was kidnapped on his way to work one morning in 1988, and months later his family learned that he had been murdered. His kidnappers, hearing gunshots fired by one of their guards, had believed that Colombian soldiers were coming after them. They ordered Alfonso to run and shot him in the head. After paying a reward of $200,000 for his body, his family received a map showing where it was buried.
In 1990, one of the first terrorist bombings occurred in a public place in Medellín, at a popular restaurant owned by a friend of mine, which was a gathering spot for businessmen and politicians. In the 90s, the farc and other guerrilla bands took to stopping whole strings of cars on highways in order to pick out the people who would bring the largest ransom. Meanwhile, in the cities, drug dealers and their molls held sway to such an extent that, over the years in the poor comunas, the look of young men and women has changed from simple and modest to gangsta-rap tough, and so many women have undergone breast-enhancement procedures that Medellín is referred to as Silicone Valley. People commonly tell stories of escapes and near misses, of family members gone bad, that seem right out of a Gabriel García Márquez novel. “Everybody thinks that Márquez invented magical realism,” Jorge Mario Eastman, President Uribe’s communications adviser, told me, “but he just writes down what really happens here.”
No one goes unscathed. Juanes, the singer, has had a cousin kidnapped. President Uribe’s own father was kidnapped and killed. According to former Colombian ambassador Moreno, “He wants to liberate Colombia from the pain he felt about his father.” Colombians have experienced so much mayhem in the last 40 years that the city dwellers, especially, have almost become inured to violence. Annual murder rates in Bogotá and Medellín are now lower than in Washington, D.C., thanks to Uribe, who has aggressively pursued “democratic security” and has made the roads in most of the country safe to travel again. As a result, he has earned a 78 percent approval rating (it was 90 percent right after the hostages were liberated). If the dramatic rescue of Ingrid Betancourt, 11 soldiers and policemen, and three Americans by the Colombian military did one thing, it was to make Colombians not only proud of their country but also ready to fight back.
Bad Neighbors
When the big, white, Russian-made MI-17, the Hummer of helicopters, touched down on the savanna in Guaviare Province, in southeastern Colombia, on the morning of July 2, it looked just like the ones that Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez had sent to pick up Clara Rojas and congresswoman Consuelo González in January, and Luis Eladio Pérez, Gloria Polanco, and two other politicians in February.
Chávez, the fiery leftist autocrat who hates the United States and has designs on ruling the whole northern region of Latin America, has always been tight with the farc, which is officially designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. But just how closely Chávez and the farc were aligned was not clear until last March, when an amazing trove of intelligence came into the hands of the Colombian government. After the Colombian Army went one mile into Ecuador to raid the camp of senior farc commander Raúl Reyes, killing him and 33 other people and wounding 190 more, it seized three laptops, two hard drives, and two memory sticks, which together contained 8,736 Microsoft Word documents, 211 PowerPoint presentations, and 2,468 other documents. Manuel Marulanda, it turned out, had sent all messages to his farc commanders and fronts everywhere through Reyes, who served as the farc’s worldwide communications director. “Imagine a chief of staff who directly passes all the communications of the president to his ministers and to his embassies around the world and decides to keep a record. That’s going to be pretty rich,” said Assistant Defense Minister Sergio Jaramillo, who is in charge of the confiscated computer data, the authenticity of which has been verified by Interpol. “Reyes felt so safe in Ecuador he didn’t even bother to encrypt.” As a result, Jaramillo continued, “you understand their thought processes, where they are coming from.” He showed me sample documents, including pictures of the 19 people the farc had working for them abroad—one of them an American professor. Some of them have since been arrested.
The computer files revealed that Chávez had sent Amilcar Figueroa, one of his top-ranking officials, to China in November 2006 to buy arms for the farc, and had offered the farc up to $300 million worth of gasoline to sell along the Colombia-Venezuela border, where Venezuela tolerates farc encampments. Other documents showed that Marulanda, apparently in need of cash, had wanted to set up a farc fund of $230 million and that Chávez had pledged almost that exact amount. “That was one of the surprises,” said Jaramillo. “It looks like they need money.” The farc had made an offer of uranium to Chávez, presumably to be passed on to Iran, but it was not of good quality. These disclosures were sufficiently damning to cause Fidel Castro himself to step in and tell Chávez to clean up his act.
But Colombia is not able to count on its neighbors. According to the seized material, the leftist government of Ecuador, which, like Venezuela, is very anti-U.S. and anti-Uribe, was also “actively aiding and abetting” the farc. This past September, Chávez recalled his ambassador from Washington and ordered the U.S. ambassador to leave Caracas. Bolivian president Evo Morales, Chávez’s ally and former head of the coca growers’ union, booted the U.S. ambassador out of La Paz. The Bush administration, fueled by the Reyes files, promptly accused three top Venezuelan officials of supplying the farc with arms and helping them to traffic cocaine. Without question, the Reyes files and the hostage rescue have seriously damaged Chávez.
Fooling the farc
Operation Jaque (in English “check,” as in checkmate) was conceived by Colombian Army officers and members of military intelligence who had penetrated the highest command centers of the farc. After the death of Marulanda and the appointment of a new head commander, Alfonso Cano—who unlike his predecessor has a university background—the organization’s governing secretariat was experiencing internal tensions. Jaque was so secret and compartmentalized that only a few people knew all the details. The idea was to trick the farc into believing they were handing off Betancourt and the other prisoners to unarmed humanitarian workers, who would deliver them to Cano’s command headquarters and negotiate for a peaceful exchange of guerrilla prisoners.
For several months Colombian commandos had known that they were zeroing in on the hostages. On February 4 they had seen at close range the three captive Americans bathing in a river. These elite troops had been trained by American Green Berets, some of whom had patrolled the jungle with them. One American soldier told me that the jungle terrain was so hard to navigate that “I’m out there wishing I’m in Afghanistan.” There had been several previous attempts to rescue the hostages. In 2006, for example, a rescue mission had been mounted to get the Americans out, but they had not been where they were supposed to be. Moreover, President Uribe had promised President Bush that he would not put the Americans in harm’s way.
The farc secretariat does not speak directly to outlying commanders, but its orders are usually issued by the same radio operators, so intelligence agents in Colombia, according to Defense Minister Santos, “know by heart who’s speaking.” By the start of 2008, the Colombian Army had penetrated the farc’s communication system and broken their codes. “We had been listening for years,” one American told me, “but suddenly they started talking back.”
It was a strictly Colombian operation. The Americans contributed by supplying backup aircraft equipped with satellite communications and the latest tracking and eavesdropping equipment. Ironically, for years the U.S. had played no part in freeing hostages or capturing members of the farc, because American aid—administered principally through the controversial Plan Colombia, which has disbursed more than $5 billion in the last eight years—was committed exclusively to fighting the war on drugs. However, once the three American contractors were taken prisoner, in 2003, U.S. policy shifted and went after the farc.
The nine commandos and five pilots involved in Jaque had all taken acting lessons and had received scripts to memorize—not only so that they would be credible at the scene of the rescue, which was timed to last seven minutes, but also so that in the event of their capture they would have fictitious life stories to tell the farc. (A second helicopter, with pilots similarly equipped with fake life histories, was at the ready in case of an emergency.) American military personnel wired the Colombian pilots’ helmets so that they could broadcast their progress directly, using coded language, to the American aircraft hovering above, out of sight.
The plan had not been an easy sell. According to Santos, Colombia’s head of intelligence had declared, “This is absurd. It can’t be done.” But the officers persisted until they finally convinced Santos, in May. He said one of them told him, “ ‘Minister, you are very much aware of, and afraid for, the lives of the hostages, but this is virtually risk-free. If they catch [on to what we’re doing], they simply won’t be there. If they catch us during the operation, the ones at risk are us. They’ll probably shoot us on sight, but we are unarmed, so there is no reason for them whatsoever …’ I said, ‘My God, you’re right. Go ahead and give me the proof that the fish is on the hook.’ ”
The farc took the bait so readily that the operation had to be moved up 13 days. A group of guerrillas marched the three Americans from one locale, while others brought Ingrid Betancourt and Colombian Army corporal William Pérez—her latest protector, who had forced her to eat by spoon-feeding her—from another. A third group of hostages was made up of police officers and soldiers. They were all brought—some from as far away as 60 miles—to the designated gathering spot. Two guerrilla commanders were in charge, Gerardo Aguilar Ramírez, known as César, and Enrique Gafas. Without realizing it, César had been following the Colombian Army’s orders since the beginning of May. “If you have them on the hook, you have to reel them in quick,” Santos said. “Otherwise, they’d go away. The risk factor was time.”
Santos had to get approval from President Uribe, who said the minister would have to abide by his promise to President Bush not to use force. Santos had briefed the American ambassador and the C.I.A. station chief in Colombia a week earlier. “I had them come to my house,” Santos said. “They were stunned.” The C.I.A. chief told him, “My hat’s off to you.” The American ambassador, William Brownfield, said that he would have to brief the Pentagon and the White House. On Friday, June 27, National-Security Adviser Stephen Hadley was briefed, and on Sunday, June 29, Vice President Cheney had his briefing. It so happened that John McCain was on a visit to Colombia on Tuesday, the day before the rescue was set to take place, so he was also told about it, but he had nothing to do with the operation. According to someone close to the situation, Brownfield was grilled by Washington, especially about the planned role-playing, but he said he knew the officers involved and was convinced they were “sound.” The Americans signed off.
Santos told me he knew that “God was on our side for two reasons.” First, César asked to bring six additional guerrillas onto the helicopter, but the 9 fake humanitarian workers, 15 hostages, and César and Gafas added up to 26, which was the maximum number the helicopter could hold, so César was easily denied. The 38 guerrillas on the scene remained on the ground unharmed.
Second, that weekend Noël Saez and Jean-Pierre Gontard, the French and Swiss delegates, respectively, in touch with the farc, had coincidentally arrived in Colombia and asked for permission to go into the jungle to look for contacts with the farc in order to explore a humanitarian mission, an exchange of hostages for sick or wounded farc members, which Uribe had long resisted in his determination to defeat the guerrillas once and for all. Santos did more than just grant the delegates permission. “I leaked it to the press on Sunday, because that would confirm our story, our novel. The guerrillas would hear it on the radio, and we had told them that this was a transport to Cano, because we were going to start negotiations about humanitarian exchanges. The presence of these two guys was a gift from God.”
“Almost Perfect”
If anything went wrong, there was always Plan B. If the guerrillas fled altogether, there were 39 more aircraft hovering nearby, and between 400 and 500 Colombian soldiers, ready to form a cordon around “the places where these people could escape,” Santos said. “You would stay far enough away for these people not to feel attacked, but near enough not to let them escape. That was Plan B.”
On the morning of July 2, Santos called the bishop of Bogotá and asked him to pray “for something very special.” When the helicopter landed, the pilots were wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Che Guevara’s image. The first soldier out of the helicopter was wearing a Red Cross bib, which was against the rules of the Geneva Conventions. He later lied to his superiors, swearing on the life of his son that he had put it on at the last minute because he was scared. His alibi was blown when an unauthorized documentary of the whole operation—comprising insider video and still photographs—aired on Colombian TV. (CNN had been offered the documentary earlier, for $300,000.) Apart from that transgression, the operation—which took 22 minutes—was deemed “almost perfect” even by the farc’s lawyer, Rodolfo Rios. He told me that the farc also objected to the fact that two of the commandos had posed as journalists, wearing vests with Venezuela’s Telesur TV logo on them. While the hostages were being loaded onto the helicopter, those two distracted César by begging him for an interview. The commandos later threw César and Gafas—who were handcuffed, kicked, and given a sedative, according to their lawyer—into the front of the helicopter, and they took off. Once in the air, the fake reporters caught on film the jubilation expressed by Ingrid, the three Americans, and the other prisoners once they realized they were really free.
The farc are now into their third generation. The group was founded in the 1960s by the “historics,” peasants in the eastern cordillera of the country who adopted their Communist ideology from the Russians, casting it in the old Soviet mold, intensely bureaucratic and intransigent. They were succeeded by Marxist-Leninists who had little interest in winning over the general population, partly because they didn’t need to, since they could support their cause with drug money. Today, according to Alejandro Santos, the editor of Semana magazine, the Newsweek of Colombia, and a cousin of the defense minister, the farc are dominated by people who have grown accustomed to taking easy drug money for granted. “This war is like Frankenstein,” he told me. “It has a revolutionary beard, its pockets are stuffed like a drug dealer’s, and it has the soul of a terrorist.”
If you consider how geographically challenging Colombia is, with two oceans, three mountain ranges, and 200,000 square miles of jungle, you get some idea of why the farc are so hard to defeat. Dr. David Spencer, of the National Defense University, in Washington, D.C., is perhaps the leading expert on the farc outside Colombia. By the late 90s, he told me, “they controlled an area the size of France.” At the end of 2001, they had 16,000 men and women in arms, controlled 70 percent of the Colombian countryside, and were stealthily gaining a stranglehold around Bogotá.
During that time the farc became fixated on gaining “belligerent status,” an obscure term defined by the Geneva Conventions. “It means you have reached such a level in your war that, even though you are not a government, you are recognized to be able to import and export arms, open embassies, to act like a government,” Spencer explained. The only requirement for belligerent status that the farc did not fulfill was being capable of engaging in prisoner exchange. “So they captured 500 soldiers to raise the ante, to make it valuable enough to the Colombian government to give them belligerent status by forcing the government into a political corner,” Spencer said. When that did not work, “they started kidnapping politicians.” The country suffered from the violence, with 4,000 kidnappings in 2000 alone. Álvaro Uribe, according to Spencer, was “the man on the white horse,” elected in 2002 to change all that.
Man with a Mission
‘I am 56 years old,” President Uribe told me, “and during my generation, we have not lived a single day in peace. Therefore, for the coming generations we have the right to fight, to preserve for the future the new policies that produce good results for this country.” Uribe is a small, very intense man, a Harvard graduate who sleeps little and flies all over the country, micro-managing wherever he goes. He is so revered that when Ingrid Betancourt, after her release, ventured to remark in Paris that Colombia had adopted a “radical” view toward the guerrillas, her popularity “fell 20 percent in 24 hours,” according to Enrique Santos, the editorial-page editor of El Tiempo. One day in August, I flew in two helicopters and on the presidential plane with Uribe as he inspected two major tunnels under construction. He went five miles inside the second tunnel on a little train the miners use, and he took a group of us reporters along. Back on his plane, he disappeared. “Where did he go?,” I asked. “Oh, he’s probably doing his yoga,” one of his aides said.
Uribe’s platform of democratic security has been extremely successful in diminishing the farc’s numbers, now estimated at between 7,000 and 9,000. In 2002 the army mounted Plan Patriota, a campaign to beat back the guerrillas, first from around Bogotá and then, over time, in their stronghold in the southern part of the country. Many argue that the war on drugs, with its aerial fumigation and manual eradication, makes the campesinos who grow coca the natural allies of the farc. Many human-rights groups fault Uribe for failing to curb abuses in the army and for being too soft on the paramilitaries. Those same groups have prevailed upon the U.S. Congress to keep Colombia from receiving free-trade status—a very sore point with Colombians.
Uribe responds, “When Plan Colombia began, this country was almost a failed state. During these eight years Colombia has made significant progress.” He ticks off impressive gains made in the number of people covered by health care, the number of people in vocational training, and the number of university graduates. “In other Latin-American countries there were guerrillas against dictatorships. Here we have terrorists against a democratic state.” When I reminded him that Colombia is No. 3 in terms of social inequality in South America, behind Brazil and Argentina, he said, “To fund social policy you need resources, and without security you cannot get resources.”
A major issue of the moment is whether he will try to overturn the constitution and seek a third term, which many, despite their approval of him, feel would be very bad for the country. He refused to comment on that, but it seems clear that he is still unwilling to negotiate any sort of accommodation with the farc.
One night I went to the Voices of the Kidnapped radio show, which is now in its 14th year. A group of disabled former policemen who had been in fights with the farc appeared, in the process of wheeling themselves from one city to another for peace. Distraught relatives took turns before the microphones, sending two-minute messages to their loved ones: for example, “If you’re alive, please keep fighting, Papi.” Herbin Hoyos, the show’s creator and host, said that at its height, between 2000 and 2002, there was often a line around the block of people waiting to go on the air. Those who had spent 15 hours on buses from the Caribbean coast were given five minutes of airtime instead of the usual two. Hoyos has vowed to keep broadcasting until the last hostage is home. “The farc is like a snake you keep hitting with stones, but as long as you don’t get the head, it won’t die,” he said. “They have their fangs, they have their poison, they move, they hide. They’re wounded, but they’re there.”
At 1:25 a.m., Ingrid Betancourt phoned from the Seychelles, where she was vacationing. She greeted fellow hostages still being held in the jungle. “I want you all at my side,” she said. “You are in my heart. I am certain that soon we will all be together.” Many have speculated that her rescue has made life harder for them.
Neither side is ready to give up. As Hoyos told me, “There is nothing more dangerous than a rich guerrilla, and no one more arrogant than the commander of a rich guerrilla force. And there is no one more sure of winning the war than a president with an army that gives him victories. Both sides are convinced they can still win. No conflict has ever been solved until one of the parties doesn’t feel he’s a loser.”
Ingrid’s Moment
The one person who is definitely not a loser as a result of the horrors of captivity is Ingrid Betancourt, who has taken many opportunities to position herself as a kind of spiritual touchstone in the world as well as a go-between in the peace process with the farc. In September she had a private audience with the Pope, after which she called a press conference in Rome to say how her faith had sustained her in the jungle. She claimed that a promise she had made to God during her captivity resulted in a sign telling her she was about to be released. In an extended interview on Caracol Radio, on the most popular morning show in Colombia, she told the audience how much Benedict XVI loves their country. “He’s very informed about what is going on in Colombia,” she told them, adding that he has the names of all the hostages and that he prays for them. She said that she had once heard the Pope mention her name on the radio when she was resting after a long march, and she recalled her shock and joy: “Because in the jungle they refer to you as cargo—we are not human but something carried back and forth. To hear a person who is a symbol of peace and to know I existed to him—he pronounced my name—I was shaking and crying.” She also revealed that the Pope had complimented her on the way she spoke to God. For a country as Catholic as Colombia, revealing that level of intimacy with the pontiff carried great weight.
In these public statements, Betancourt expressed open disagreement with the stated policy of the Colombian government not to negotiate with the farc. She called instead for giving the farc an opportunity to show a “new face”—not of “narco-trafficking or taking hostages”—to come in from the heat of the jungle and somehow enter the mainstream of Colombian politics: “I insist on the point of allowing the farc to have a space within Colombia where we can receive them with respect.” Was that a gauntlet thrown down to Uribe for the forthcoming elections in 2010? Betancourt claimed not to be interested in politics as usual, because life as a politician in the jungle was so “humiliating and difficult to face.” She said, “The word ‘politician’ was considered so pejorative in the jungle [that] we were punished differently, kept in different conditions.” Nevertheless, she said, “I would like to be there for Colombia.”
Betancourt is now the second-most popular political figure in the country, after Uribe. Her plan seems to involve becoming a kind of higher being, a secular Dalai Lama of the Andes, who will fight to free the remaining hostages. As she explained, “Everyone would understand that is my obsession.” She is probably wise to stop there, considering that a showdown with Uribe at this moment in time would be unpleasant and its outcome uncertain. But many observers agree that Ingrid will not leave the political arena for long, if she leaves at all. Enrique Santos, of El Tiempo, said, “She can be a spiritual leader for a while, but essentially she’s a pol. For three or four years she can be a saint in Europe and then come into politics in Colombia.” Herbin Hoyos told me, “Ingrid’s going to come and be a politician here. She has to. She can negotiate when she has the power. When the country gets tired of Uribe and wants someone else, it will probably be Ingrid.”
Ingrid Betancourt has expressed to me that it is still “too painful” to look back, and she keeps her specific future plans ambiguous. Ironically, if Uribe does step down, many believe he will support Juan Manuel Santos, Ingrid’s liberator, who was also her first political mentor.
Maureen Orth is a Vanity Fair special correspondent and National Magazine Award winner.
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Making his debut for Southampton in 1998, who was the first Latvian footballer to play in the Premier League? | Southampton's greatest Premier League XI: Matt Le Tissier, Adam Lallana and Wayne Bridge make the cut but who else features? | Daily Mail Online
Southampton's greatest Premier League XI: Matt Le Tissier, Adam Lallana and Wayne Bridge make the cut but who else features?
Morgan Schneidelin and Jose Fonte are the only current Saints players
Matt Le Tissier lines up alongside Adam Lallana and Marian Pahars
James Beattie pips Rickie Lambert to the lone striker role
But who else features in Southampton's greatest Premier League XI?
On the back of the club's highest Premier League finish and points tally, there is an argument for naming Ronald Koeman's strongest 11 as Southampton's best of the modern era.
But three words put the kibosh on that fanciful theory: Matthew. Le. Tissier.
The team does, however, line up in Koeman’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation to get the best out of the ridiculously gifted Channel Islander.
So how many of the current crop get in? And is there a place for Agustin Delgado?
Matt Le Tissier celebrates scoring one of his 100 Premier League for Southampton against Newcastle
ANTTI NIEMI
Entering his first full season with the club in 2002, Gordon Strachan persuaded thrifty chairman Rupert Lowe to part with £2million to bring the Finn south of the border from Hearts. It was money well spent. Unflappable and bold, agile and alert, his command of the area and superb shot-stopping saw him quickly displace the popular Paul Jones. Fans warmed to Niemi's cool head at the back of a defence which was the bedrock of an eighth-placed finish - then the club's highest in the Premier League - and a trip to the FA Cup final in his first season. Manchester United were said to be suitors, but a spate of knee injuries meant he missed chunks of the 2004-05 season, a major factor in the club's first relegation for 27 years.
Antti Niemi joined Southampton from Hearts in 2002 and quickly endeared himself to the club's fans
JASON DODD
A swashbuckling right back in the mould of Nathaniel Clyne is all the rage nowadays, but let’s wait a while before throwing 16 years and 398 appearances onto the scrapheap. He was also a bargain, with Chris Nicholl paying non-League Bath City £15,000 in 1989. Reliable, committed and capable of playing at centre half, the dogged Dodd put his body on the line and was always a willing outlet on the right. He chipped in with the odd screamer too, and let's not forget the one scored directly from a corner against Portsmouth. Sebastian Schemmel didn't touch it.
Former Saints right back Jason Dodd clashes with former Chelsea midfielder Dennis Wise
MICHAEL SVENSSON
The heart says ‘Super Ken' Monkou but the head says Svensson, who, like Niemi, joined in 2002 and slotted in seamlessly. Affectionately known as ‘Killer’ for his no-nonsense approach, he forged an instant understanding with Claus Lundekvam after a £2m move from Troyes. An excellent reader of the game, he was strong on the ground, fierce in the air and a danger from set pieces too. But the Swedish international sustained a knee injury in the warm up against Portsmouth in 2004 and was never the same again. He missed the entire relegation season and boy did it show.
Michael Svensson, nicknamed Killer for his no-nonsense approach, challenges Ryan Giggs
JOSE FONTE
Another no-frills defender, the powerful Portuguese played his part in the rise through the divisions, and kept his place in the top flight under Nigel Adkins, Mauricio Pochettino and Koeman, who made him captain. Dependable and brave, he won the fans' player of the season award in 2014, and his song 'Jose Fonte, baby! Jose Fonte wooaaah!' regularly reverberates around St Mary's. He marshalled a defence - without the departed Dejan Lovren and Luke Shaw, remember - which conceded 33 goals last season, one more than the hallowed rearguard of Jose Mourinho’s champions. Composed and controlled, his recent form earned him a richly-deserved international call-up. Gets the nod ahead of Dean Richards and Lundekvam, who misses out by an underhit backpass.
Jose Fonte helped Southampton rise through the leagues and enjoyed a standout campaign this season
WAYNE BRIDGE
After making his debut aged 18, Southampton-born Bridge was converted from a left winger and made the left back berth his own. Consistent to a tee, he could do it all – defend, pass, attack, overlap and get back and forward quickly. He played 113 straight Premier League games, then a record by an outfield player and was called up to Sven Goran Eriksson’s England squad in 2002. Bridge sees off competition from £30m teen sensation Shaw and loveable legend Francis Vincent Benali.
Local lad Wayne Bridge made his debut at 18 and went on to represent England 36 times
CHRIS MARSEN (C)
February 6, 1999. Southampton were third bottom and two points from safety. The groans were audible from the away fans in the East Stand Lower as Dave Jones handed a 30-year-old lower league journeyman his debut at high-flying Chelsea. A 1-0 defeat did little to lighten the mood. But the Bald Beckenbauer quickly changed all that, becoming a key architect in the ‘great escape’ as Saints stayed up with 11 points from their last five games. An infectious character, Marsden's trademark scurry became a hallmark of Glenn Hoddle’s expansive Saints side and Strachan’s high-flyers too. Indeed, the Scot converted him into a left midfielder of some repute in the twilight years of his career. Although an international call-up eluded him at England’s time of need, CMFG (Chris Marsden Football Genius) led out the team at the Millennium Stadium and was capable of the odd wonder goal.
Chris Marsden rows with Wise as Frank Leboeuf tries to separate the pair during a Premier League clash
MORGAN SCHNEIDERLIN
Eyebrows were raised across Europe when Strasbourg’s coveted France Under 19 captain joined third tier Southampton in 2008. Aged 18 and lacking physical strength, trips to the likes of Huddersfield and Carlisle soon toughened Schneiderlin up and his crisp passing and the ability to do the basics well has been a foundation of Saints’ subsequent rise. A virtual ever-present despite being a box-to-box midfielder, the France international can shield the back four, isn't afraid to put the boot in (as his eight yellows and one red last season testify) and keeps it simple. He even added goals to his game, scoring five times last season. After a brief flirtation with Tottenham last summer, he may yet follow the likes of Danny Wallace and Shaw in swapping the south coast for Old Trafford. But let's hope not.
Morgan Schneiderlin looks set to leave Southampton this summer after seven years at the club
MARIAN PAHARS
A month after Marsden's arrival, Jones plundered Skonto Riga and heralded the arrival of the ‘Latvian Michael Owen’. Needing victory against Everton in the final game to guarantee safety, Pahars hit both goals in a 2-0 win to spark a jubilant pitch invasion at The Dell. He could do no wrong after that. The pacy Pahars showcased his jinking runs on the wing earlier in his career before his ability to find space in the box and an eye for goal saw him make the switch to striker. Hoddle put him back on the flank, which is where he plays in this team. Pahars, who stayed with Southampton until 2006, was another whose career was sadly hampered by injuries. He just pips Kevin Davies, who was magnificent during his first stint with the club.
Marian Pahars was dubbed the 'Latvian Michael Owen' but his time at Southampton was hampered by injuries
MATT LE TISSIER
Heretics questioned his work ethic; others sat back and marvelled. Many still do. The late, great Alan Ball’s attitude to the prodigiously gifted Guernseyman was simple: ‘Give the ball to Tiss,’ he said, instructing the lesser lights to do the donkey work. The tactic paid off. In the 18 months Ball was boss, Le Tissier scored 45 times in 64 games, a breathtaking return for a striker, let alone a midfielder in an unfancied side. As he watched Alan Shearer, Tim Flowers and Jeff Kenna join eventual title-winners Blackburn, Le God remained loyal to enhance his celestial reputation. A dead ball expert (he may raise a wry smile if you mention Mark Crossley), he became the first midfielder to score 100 Premier League goals. And what goals they are. Even fellow one-club man Xavi was a fan, with the Barcelona great dreamily watching his highlights reel from Spain. He gave The Dell the perfect send-off, scoring the last competitive goal to seal a 3-2 win against Arsenal on a sun-drenched May afternoon in 2001. Magic.
Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier became the first midfielder to score 100 Premier League goals
ADAM LALLANA
‘He has the skills of an Iniesta, Xavi or Cesc Fabregas. Adam is special. He is a very unique player,’ purred Pochettino of his skipper in 2012. Belying his dimunitive 5ft 6in frame, Lallana was an ever-present as the Saints finished 12th in their first season back in the top flight after a seven-year hiatus. A versatile two-footed winger who can create and score, he earned an England call-up and ensured there would be no second season syndrome, notching nine goals as the Saints climbed to eighth. Many thought he would end his career a Saint but he departed for Liverpool last summer under a lucre-lined, but nevertheless dark cloud.
Adam Lallana came through the Southampton academy before leaving for Liverpool last summer
JAMES BEATTIE
The Lancastrian joined in 1998 and after a tough first season there were spells when Beattie just couldn’t stop scoring. He reached double figures for four straight seasons from 2000-01, the highlight being the 23 he scored in 2002-03 - only Ruud van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry had more. He regularly tormented Chelsea, could hit the net from 40-yards out on the half-volley and earned an England call-up in 2003. It was tough to shun the Cinderella story of Rickie Lambert, who hit the ground running in the top flight, but Beattie's longevity wins it.
Former striker James Beattie completes Southampton's greatest Premier League XI as the lone striker
| Marians Pahars |
Which Biblical prophet was shown 'The Valley Of Dry Bones' in a vision sent by God? | The age of information is denying football fans the joy of the unknown | Football | The Guardian
Guardian Sport Network
The age of information is denying football fans the joy of the unknown
These days we tend to know all about new signings long before their debuts. That information is great, but it has taken away the excitement we felt when we turned up to a ground, watched them play and were surprised by everything
Marian Pahars, the Latvian forward who arrived at Southampton as an unknown quantity and left as a cult hero. Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Action Images
Felix Keith
Monday 7 December 2015 07.14 EST
Last modified on Monday 10 October 2016 04.56 EDT
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When Southampton signed Marian Pahars from the Latvian club Skonto FC in March 1999, their fans would have been forgiven for asking “who?” The little forward had not been unearthed by a scouting database. He had not been talked up by informed commenters on internet message boards. No one claimed to have much knowledge of the 23-year-old. Yes, he had scored 19 goals in 26 appearances for his club, but Latvia was not even on the periphery of English football.
In the old-school, word-of-mouth fashion, Pahars had been recommended to Southampton manager Dave Jones by Latvia boss Gary Johnson. He scored a hat-trick in a trial match and signed a contract straight after. An initial 20-minute substitute appearance against Coventry City gave little away, so when fans funnelled into the Dell on 17 April 1999, they had little idea what to expect. Unpredictability fosters a special kind of viewing in sport. Where would he play? Was he left or right footed? What would he offer?
With his side trailing 3-2 to Blackburn, Pahars took the field at the Dell for the first time. The commentator’s words indicate how much people knew about him: “The new man, from Skonto Riga, is known as ‘the Latvian Michael Owen’. Marian Pahars is a striker and, in the words of his manager, is a ‘big game player’.”
A couple of hastily prepared notes were all the viewer could glean. But when Pahars latched on to a James Beattie flick-on to head firmly into the net before celebrating with the crowd, an immediate cult hero was born. Players of the status of Matt Le Tissier and Mark Hughes were on the pitch in red and white stripes, but it was a 5ft 9in Latvian known only by a crude comparison to a well-known English player who scored the crucial equaliser. Joy would have been the end result regardless of the scorer, but unpredictability provides a different breed of excitement.
Pahars had made the perfect start to his Southampton career. He had come out of the blue to immediately endear himself to the fans. This was underlined when he scored twice in a final-day win over Everton to secure Southampton’s top-flight status. He recently reflected on his impact in England: “I didn’t know much about England, the Premier League, the club – even the language. I didn’t understand. But the emotion afterwards; if the people are happy around me, smiling, congratulating me, I knew I did my job.”
Dave Jones’ gamble had paid off: a tip-off from a contact, a punt based on a trial and gut instinct had ultimately ensured Premier League survival. Three months before Marian Pahars had been a name buried in the ether of European football, now he had stepped out of the unknown.
Fast forward 16 years and the English top flight is markedly different. No longer do managers rely only on word of mouth to source players. No longer do fans have the unbridled thrill of watching a complete unknown step on to the pitch for the first time. Top clubs access information easily. Never before has there been such a proliferation of sources – from the professional to the consumer sphere.
Scouting and analytics are in continual growth. An industry that was once reluctant to abandon its traditional roots is gradually being enveloped by modern methods. Extensive databases, analytical tools and prominent agents on top of traditional scouts mean that more information is available than ever before. In theory, this should mean that the best talent gets identified quicker, cherry-picked and given a chance in a top league. In reality, while striving to minimise risk and stay one step ahead of rivals, clubs now move at a rapid speed in the transfer market.
This globalisation of the world’s most popular sport is in full swing and the pull of the English top flight is arguably greater than ever. The net is cast further afield, scouting is more sophisticated and transfer fees are forever rising. At the beginning of the 2015-16 season, players from 64 different nationalities were active in the Premier League. In a scramble to find the next big thing, players are identified even younger and snapped up before they have been allowed to develop.
The weight of expectation is driven by social media hype, scouting reports, ProZone analysis and YouTube compilations. This was typified by the transfer of Martin Odegaard to Real Madrid , a true transfer of our time: a 16-year-old signed on the basis of just over 20 appearances in the Norwegian Tippeligaen and an array of YouTube videos. Ten years ago, Odegaard may never have made it, or more likely been made to wait for his break, but the modern era demands he be thrust into the spotlight post-haste.
Similarly, new South American wonderkids are proclaimed weekly. How many times have bright-faced prospects been dubbed the “new Messi”? Meanwhile, team goals from Ajax and Barcelona Under-9s make their way into the public sphere regularly. The scope and depth of information has helped push the transfer market into overdrive.
Football media has reached a high-water mark with topics widening, and the niche becoming the norm. With the global product of football growing relentlessly, there are bound to be new shoots of interest. We may think we are at the peak of knowledge, of understanding and sources, but it is only likely to increase. Interest in the wider picture of football is also greater. UK broadcasters are paying a combined £5.1bn for three seasons of Premier League matches and are forking out huge fees for the rights to show La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1 games. Highlights packages are not hard to find and illegal online streams are increasingly prevalent.
There is a clear desire to watch more and to know more. The average football follower of today knows more than they ever have before, whether through conscious effort or unavoidable osmosis. This obviously has had an effect on how we consume football. A match programme, a newspaper report and a short television segment used to form the core of extra information surrounding football – now a whole host of other formats exist.
This inundation, driven by supply and demand, has eroded the unknown and unpredictable. When was the last time a player arrived in the Premier League that you had never heard of? How low down the footballing pyramid do you have to go to find a footballer without a Wikipedia page? At the top level there are no longer any unknowns. If you want to know something – a statistic, or even a minor detail about a player – the information is likely out there somewhere. If you can find it, just think of the depth of information available in professional databases.
This evolution has had many consequences, most of which are positive. Most fans would want the Premier League to have the highest quality of player, but there is something missing, something harder to quantify. With the benefit of misty-eyed hindsight there was an undeniable alluring quality about unknown quantities. There was no opportunity for early judgement on a player who came from nowhere. No transfer scoop. No prior warning. No scouting report. No context. Just nervous energy: fans simply had to turn up, watch them play, wait, and form opinions.
The late 1990s was a period expansion for English football. The Premier League had established itself and with this stability came a wider, more ambitious reach in the transfer market. The league experienced an influx of more exotic players, with Scandinavians particularly prevalent. While the clubs were widening their gaze, journalists and fans were generally still focusing inwards. This created the ideal conditions for unheard of players to make a name for themselves.
Perhaps the prototype of such moves was Ole Gunnar Solskjær. The Norwegian went on to play for Manchester United for 11 years, score a winner in a Champions League final, contribute to a period of domestic dominance, and earn the reputation as a super sub, but in July 1996 he was merely a name, a £1.5m gamble.
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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in 2001. Photograph: David Davies/PA
There had been interest from other English clubs and across Europe after he scored 31 goals for Molde, but that hardly equalled recognition in Manchester. However, United fans did not have to wait long to see Solskjær’s qualities: six minutes into his debut he found the net, before going on to register 18 league goals in his first season on the way to winning the title. He finished the season as the joint third top scorer in the league, mixing it with Robbie Fowler, Ian Wright and Dwight Yorke. Here was a striker sourced from a lower-level foreign division taking the league by storm. His previous obscurity surely served to enhance the thrill; fans cannot have expected such an impact.
Solskjær’s example drove others to try and replicate his success. Among a wave of arrivals was Chelsea’s Tore André Flo, a £300,000 arrival from SK Brann in Norway, in 1997. Fifteen goals in his debut season and two in the Champions League against Barcelona two years later before a hefty £12m fee to Rangers tells of a shrewd investment.
Eidur Gudjohnsen joined Bolton from Reykjavik in 1999 and completed two strong seasons for the Trotters before moving on to Chelsea and embarking on a tour of European clubs. Djimi Traoré signed for Liverpool from second tier French club Laval in 1999. He went on to play in the famous 2005 Champions League final victory over Milan and become a cult hero.
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These signings were risks by their very nature and even the players who managed to slip through the net despite lacking the requisite skill had their allure. In an age of rigorous medicals, £10,000 training vests and simple internet checks, some of the most famous flops would have never have made it to the Premier League. Think how football nostalgia would suffer without the likes of Ali Dia, Eric Djemba-Djemba and Sean Dundee.
These characters have a very different qualities in nostalgic terms. Dia’s story of off-pitch tricks and on-pitch hilarity is oft-told, but his story would not be possible now. Similarly, it is hard to imagine how Djemba-Djemba and Dundee would make it today. How many other fan favourites were recruited from obscurity?
There are many positive things about the evolution of the top flight, but as time rolls on nostalgia will continue to envelope our memories. Those players who came from nowhere, whether to achieve greatness or flop provide heady recollections. They offered an aspect of football stripped back to its minimum – no commentator’s notes, no statistics, and no scouting report: a blank canvas on which to project opinions, emotions and memories. When a star player received the ball he was expected to produce; with no precedent, an unknown could give a different kind of thrill.
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But as the Premier League evolved, TV money ramped up and recruitment grew in importance, light was gradually shed on previously dark areas. There are few blind spots left in a highly competitive system. The industry and our knowledge will carry on expanding – that buzz of excitement from unpredictability is all but gone.
It is now a rare occasion when a player steps on to a Premier League pitch without an array of context behind him. We will know his backstory. We will know his attributes. We will know his game. There is little left to fill in. The age of information has killed the unknown.
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Which town in Hertfordshire was founded in 1903 as the world's first Garden City? | HertsInternet. Guide for Letchworth, Hertfordshire UK
Other Towns..
Letchworth has developed over the years after starting life as the worlds first Garden City, founded in 1903 and built on what was a greenfield site in northern Hertfordshire. Letchworth came about after the urban planning ideas of Ebenezer Howard's book Tomorrow: A peaceful path to real reform, which inspired the developers of the new garden city to build a city where the countryside and town became one, and offered people nice houses in a well planned area instead of the cramped housing situations of in the inner-cities such as London.
The city is quite small in size in comparison with a lot of cities, with a population of just over 30,000 but offers a relaxed way of life, with tree lined streets, and many open spaces providing pleasant green areas along side parades of shops selling a range of goods.
Letchworth is well situated for both road travel via the A1(M) and also fast trains to London via Hitchin, and is widely known as a leafy commuter location, with many of it's inhabitants travelling via train into London to go to work.
Books and maps about Letchworth... (listed by popularity)
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| Letchworth |
Who Directed the 2008 film 'Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull'? | Letchworth Garden City | Article about Letchworth Garden City by The Free Dictionary
Letchworth Garden City | Article about Letchworth Garden City by The Free Dictionary
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Letchworth+Garden+City
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Letchworth,
town (1991 pop. 31,146), Hertfordshire, E central England. It was the first garden city garden city,
an ideal, self-contained community of predetermined area and population surrounded by a greenbelt. As formulated by Sir Ebenezer Howard, the garden city was intended to bring together the economic and cultural advantages of both city and country living, with land
..... Click the link for more information. , founded in 1903 by Sir Ebenezer Howard Howard, Sir Ebenezer,
1850–1928, English town planner, principal founder of the English garden-city movement. His To-morrow: a Peaceful Path to Real Reform (1898), reissued as Garden Cities of To-morrow
..... Click the link for more information. . Industries focus on printing and the manufacture of printing machinery.
Letchworth
a town in SE England, in N Hertfordshire: the first garden city in Great Britain (founded in 1903). Pop.: 32 932 (2001)
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In the Bible, what was the name of the prisoner whom Pontius Pilate freed, instead of Jesus, at the Passover feast? | Barabbas
Barabbas
According to the gospels, it was customary for the Romans to release a Jewish prisoner during the Passover festival. The Roman governor Pontius Pilate tried to use this custom as an excuse to release Jesus. But a crowd in the courtyard demanded that a prisoner named Barabbas be freed instead, and Pilate eventually gave in to the pressure. Thus Barabbas was released, and Jesus was crucified.
In books and movies, Barabbas is usually depicted as an evil criminal. But he may have actually been a freedom fighter in the Jewish resistance to the Romans. Evidence for this can be found at Mark 15:7, which says that he was in prison because he had taken part in a recent uprising. In fact, some biblical scholars think that he was an important rebel leader. If so, this would explain why the crowd shouted for his release, because any leader in the fight against the hated Romans would be very popular with the common people.
But Jesus was also very popular with the common people. When he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, he was greeted by large excited crowds. Many people believed that he was the long-awaited Messiah, who with God's help would overthrow all oppressive rulers and establish a new eternal Kingdom of God.
But if Jesus and Barabbas were both very popular, why did the crowd call for Jesus to be crucified and Barabbas to be released? The likely explanation is that the crowd was dominated by employees of the Jewish religious authorities. Their servants and henchmen would have been in the courtyard, and probably composed a significant part of the gathering there. Also, because Jesus was arrested late at night and brought before Pilate early the next morning, most of his followers probably didn't know where he was, or what was happening to him. And his closest followers had apparently gone into hiding out of fear of arrest.
Thus the Jewish leaders could have told their servants and henchmen to shout for Barabbas to be released, and the rest of the crowd could have then joined in. This explanation is supported by Mark 15:11, which says that the "chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead." But why did the Jewish leaders want Jesus to die instead of Barabbas? The answer is that many of the common people believed that Jesus was the Messiah, and this made him a threat to their authority.
The Mystery of Barabbas
The so-called "mystery of Barabbas" refers to some puzzling similarities between the released prisoner and Jesus himself. The most striking similarity concerns their names. Some ancient Syriac copies of Matthew, and a few other ancient sources, call the freed prisoner "Jesus bar Abbas". The name Barabbas can be obtained from this by dropping the name "Jesus" and changing "bar Abbas" to "Barabbas". Furthermore, the phrase "bar Abbas" can be translated as "son of the Father", which could possibly be applied to Jesus himself, since he sometimes used the word "Abba" (father) in referring to God.
From this evidence, many scholars have concluded that Barabbas' original name was "Jesus bar Abbas". Other evidence indicates that this name was intentionally altered by later Christian writers. One well-documented case involves the scholar Origen, who reportedly promoted the change for reverential reasons, because he didn't want the name "Jesus" to be associated with a criminal.
Another similarity between the two men relates to their possible roles as rebel leaders. The gospel of Mark says that Barabbas had been imprisoned for taking part in a revolt, and his popularity with the crowd suggests that he had been one of its leaders. But from the viewpoint of the Romans, Jesus could have also appeared to be a rebel leader. Many people were calling him the Messiah, a title which implied that he would overthrow the existing government. He had a large number of followers, many of whom might be easily swayed into taking part in a revolt. In fact, his earlier attack on the temple merchants could be regarded as a "mini-revolt".
Thus, both men may have had the same name, and both of them could have appeared to be rebel leaders, at least from the Romans' viewpoint. These similarities are known as the "mystery of Barabbas". Some people think that the similarities are too close to be accidental and have looked for another way to explain them. According to one radical theory, in the original story Jesus himself was the imprisoned rebel leader, and Barabbas is an invented "fictional duplicate" inserted into the story to play that role instead. The motive for such a change would be to cover up the fact that Jesus had tried to organize a revolt against the Romans and was crucified as a result.
But this theory is mostly speculation, and its supporters have to resort to questionable arguments to explain the details. For these reasons, most scholars are unconvinced. In fact, Jesus was a common name in ancient Palestine, and uprisings against the Romans took place quite frequently. Therefore it shouldn't be surprising that a rebel leader with the same name as Jesus would happen to be in Roman custody on the day of the crucifixion.
Note: The gospels don't say what Barabbas did after he was released. But other ancient sources do preserve some traditions about him. According to one tradition, on the day he was released he went to Golgotha and watched Jesus die on the cross. Some sources also say that he was later killed while taking part in another revolt against the Romans.
| Barabbas |
The 'Stableford Scoring System' is used in which sport? | JESUS: the death sentence
Why did the crowd in Jerusalem choose Barabbas, not Jesus? Because Barabbas, a political terrorist and criminal, was the Sanhedrin's preferred candidate.
Pontius Pilate did not realize that the people of Jerusalem, who hated the Roman presence in Jerusalem and were fiercely loyal to their leaders, would never accept Pilate's choice.
The Passover amnesty
Apparently it was the custom to release a prisoner at Passover. Josephus, the Jewish historian, says that the Romans sometimes gave an amnesty to prisoners in Judaea for political reasons.
This practice is not mentioned outside the gospels, but that is no reason to doubt it. It may have been Pilate's invention, occurring only while he was governor. He was always looking for ways to mollify the people and gain popularity for himself. Jerusalem was a notoriously difficult posting for any governor.
Who was there?
On this particular morning a crowd had gathered outside Pilate's Jerusalem headquarters. It was early, but the city was swollen with Passover pilgrims from all over Israel.
A substantial crowd came from the lower city, the less affluent part, to the praetorium. They were there to support their preferred candidate for amnesty. Some may have been Galileans, but not many. The arrest and trial of Jesus had taken most of his supporters by surprise, and they probably did not know his whereabouts, let alone the danger he was in.
Most of the people there would have been supporters of
the Sanhedrin, the Temple authority that hoped Pilate would sentence Jesus to death, or
Barabbas, a man who led an uprising and committed murder, who many ordinary citizens of Jerusalem saw as a patriotic freedom fighter.
Because he had opposed the Romans, Barabbas would be a hero to many of the Jews; they would prefer him to Jesus, a religious reformer from remote Galilee.
Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), Antonio Ciseri, 1871
Pilate gives the crowd a choice
Pilate saw this as an opportune moment. He was convinced Jesus was innocent, and he clearly did not want to release Barabbas, who was more of a political threat to the Romans than Jesus was.
He wanted to play the crowd against their leaders, the Sanhedrin, and deflect its members from a choice he deemed madness - the murderer Barabbas. He believed the people would fall in line with his proposal, and free the comparatively harmless Jesus.
By doing so he showed himself to be out of touch with local sentiment.
The crowd chooses Barabbas - why?
Why was the Jewish Sanhedrin determined to get rid of Jesus?
Some of them were genuinely nervous of the crowds Jesus attracted. Jerusalem was always combustible, particularly at festival time, and as far as they were concerned, Jesus was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Some may have been jealous of his popularity and influence.
Most if not all of them resented Jesus' blistering attacks on the Temple priesthood, from which the Sanhedrin came
They, highly educated men, may have felt humiliated that a peasant from nowhere had made such an impression on the people, and was influencing them to ask questions about the established hierarchy; was this the Establishment versus a grassroots reform movement?
What was Pilate's position?
Both Philo (a philosopher) and Josephus (a Jewish historian) make it clear that Pilate detested the Jews. Whenever he had to deal with them he inevitably took the opposite position to what they wanted. He did this when the Sanhedrin brought Jesus to him.
But he was no fool. He saw that the Sanhedrin were using legal processes to get rid of someone who was causing them trouble.
What happened?
The crowd had to choose between two candidates, one proposed by Pilate, representative of Rome, and the other by the Sanhedrin, their leaders. It was no contest. Choosing Jesus would have been disloyal to their Jewish leaders. So Jesus became a victim of the political forces that swirled around Israel/Judah.
Pilate may have seen Barabbas as a terrorist but elements of the crowd, on that particular morning, in that particular place, saw him as a freedom-fighter. They clamoured for Jesus' execution - virtually a lynch mob. There was the unspoken assumption that if Pilate was a good governor, he would bow to their wishes, rather than provoke a revolt.
Pilate was clearly amazed by the people's choice of Barabbas. Although he was unhappy, he nevertheless went along with it. He knew Jesus had not violated any Roman law. Thus even though he might symbolically wash his hands and declare his own innocence, he was as guilty as anyone else, perhaps more so, because he had the responsibility of a leader. He sent an innocent man to a hideous death.
Read the red Gospel text at bottom of page
The death sentence
Given the choice between Jesus, a social/religious reformer, and a festival riot in Jerusalem, Pilate decided that one death was better than a possible revolt - and all the deaths that would cause. He succumbed to Jewish pressure.
He made his proclamation from the judgement seat of the praetorium. He did it reluctantly.
His wife - tradition calls her Procla - sent her husband an urgent message that she had had a dream, more like a nightmare, that he was not to condemn this innocent man. This might seem a trivial reason to a modern person, but Romans and Jews saw dreams as divine revelations, sent to guide humans, and Pilate would have ignored his wife's dream with great reluctance.
The sentence proclaimed was crucifixion, a death that was meant to terrify the general populace and deter them from committing a similar crime. Rebels against Rome were usually executed in this manner.
1 The Passover amnesty: Read the blue text
2 Pilate presents Jesus and Barabbas to the crowd: Read the green text
3 The crowd chooses: Barabbas Read the red text
4 The death sentence: Read the black text
Mark 15:6-15 6 Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. 7 And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barabbas. 8 And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he was wont to do for them. 9 And he answered them, "Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?" 10 For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barabbas instead. 12 And Pilate again said to them, "Then what shall I do with the man whom you call the King of the Jews?" 13 And they cried out again, "Crucify him." 14 And Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Crucify him." 15 So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barabbas.
Matthew 27:15-26 15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?" 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much over him today in a dream." 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the people to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said, "Barabbas." 22 Pilate said to them, "Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?" They all said, "Let him be crucified." 23 And he said, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified." 24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25 And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and delivered him to be crucified.
Luke 23:13-25 13 Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, 14 and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him; 15 neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Behold, nothing deserving death has been done by him; 16 I will therefore chastise him and release him." 17 [No text] 18 But they all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to us Barabbas"-- 19 a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city, and for murder. 20 Pilate addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus; 21 but they shouted out, "Crucify, crucify him!" 22 A third time he said to them, "Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no crime deserving death; I will therefore chastise him and release him." 23 But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate gave sentence that their demand should be granted. 25 He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, whom they asked for; but Jesus he delivered up to their will.
John 18:38-41, 19:1, 6-16 38 ... Pilate went out to the Jews again, and told them, "I find no crime in him. 39 But you have a custom that I should release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for you the King of the Jews?" 40 They cried out again, "Not this man, but Barabbas!" Now Barabbas was a robber.
5 Pilate said to them, "Behold the man!" (Jesus) 6 When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I find no crime in him." 7 The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself the Son of God." 8 When Pilate heard these words, he was the more afraid; 9 he entered the praetorium again and said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave no answer. 10 Pilate therefore said to him, "You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?" 11 Jesus answered him, "You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater sin." 12 Upon this Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend; every one who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar." 13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gab'batha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, "Behold your King!" 15 They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar." 16 Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
Bible Study Guide: Jesus Christ: Pontius Pilate offers Jesus of Nazareth or Barabbas; the crowd chooses Barabbas; the death sentence
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In which English castle was the 10th century King Edward The Martyr, murdered? | Edward the Martyr - OrthodoxWiki
Edward the Martyr
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St. Edward the Martyr
The holy and right-believing King Edward the Martyr (c. 962 – March 18 , 978/979) succeeded his father Edgar of England as King of England in 975, but was murdered after a reign of only a few years. As the murder was attributed to "irreligious" opponents, whereas Edward himself was considered a good Christian, he was glorified as Saint Edward the Martyr in 1001; he may also be considered a passion-bearer . His feast day is celebrated on March 18 , the uncovering of his relics is commemorated on February 13 , and the elevation of his relics on June 20 . The translation of his relics is commemorated on September 3 .
Contents
5 External links
Motive and details of his murder
Edward's accession to the throne was contested by a party headed by his stepmother, Queen Elfrida, who wished her son, Ethelred the Unready, to become king instead. However, Edward's claim had more support—including that of St. Dunstan , Archbishop of Canterbury —and was confirmed by the Witan.
King Edward "was a young man of great devotion and excellent conduct. He was completely Orthodox, good and of holy life. Moreover, he loved God and the Church above all things. He was generous to the poor, a haven to the good, a champion of the Faith of Christ, a vessel full of every virtuous grace ."
On King Edward's accession to the throne a great famine was raging through the land and violent attacks were stirred up against monasteries by prominent noblemen who coveted the lands that his father King Edgar had endowed to them. Many of these monasteries were destroyed, and the monks forced to flee. The king, however, stood firm together with Archbishop Dunstan in defense of the Church and the monasteries. For this, some of the nobles decided to remove him and replace him with his younger brother Ethelred.
On March 18 , 978, the king was hunting with dogs and horsemen near Wareham in Dorset. During the hunt the king decided to visit his younger brother Ethelred who was being brought up in the house of his mother Elfrida at Corfe Castle, near Wareham. Separating from his retinue, the King arrived alone at the castle. While still on his horse in the lower part of the castle Elfrida offered Edward a glass of mead. While he was drinking it, Edward was stabbed in the back by one of the queen's party. Ethelred himself was then only ten years old, and so was not implicated in the murder.
History of his relics
The stories of the relics of St. Edward began at the moment of his death (martyrdom). Immediately following the murder, the body of the murdered king slipped from the saddle of his horse and was dragged with one foot in the stirrup until the body fell into a stream at the base of the hill upon which Corfe Castle stands (the stream was found thereafter to have healing properties—particularly for the blind). The queen then ordered that body be hurriedly hidden in a hut nearby. Within the hut, however, lived a woman who was blind from birth, and whom the queen supported out of charity. During the night, a wonderful light appeared and filled the whole hut. Struck with awe, the woman cried out: "Lord, have mercy!" and suddenly received her sight. At this she discovered the dead body of the king. The church of St. Edward at Corfe Castle now stands on the site of this miracle . At dawn the queen learned of the miracle and was troubled. Again she ordered disposal of the body, this time by burying it in a marshy place near Wareham. A year after the murder, however, a pillar of fire was seen over the place where the body was hidden, lighting up the whole area. This was seen by some of the inhabitants of Wareham, who raised the body. Immediately, a clear spring of healing water sprang up in that place. Accompanied by what was now a huge crowd of mourners, the body was taken to the church of the Most Holy Mother of God in Wareham and buried at the east end of the church. This took place on February 13 , 980.
On the account of a series of subsequent miracles, the relics were translated to the abbey at Shaftesbury. When the relics were taken up from the grave, they were found to be whole and incorrupt . The translation of the relics occurred in great procession on February 13 , 981, and arrived at Shaftesbury seven days later. There the relics were received by the nuns of Shaftesbury Abbey and were buried with full royal honors on the north side of the altar . On the way from Wareham to Shaftesbury, a further miracle had taken place; two crippled men were brought close to the bier, and those carrying it lowered the body to their level, whereupon the cripples were immediately restored to full health. This procession and these events were re-enacted in 1000 years later in 1981. In 1001, the tomb in which the saint lay was observed to regularly rise from the ground. King Ethelred was filled with joy at this and instructed the bishops to raise his brother's tomb from the ground and place it into a more fitting place. As the tomb was opened a wonderful fragrance issued from it, such that all present "thought that they were standing in Paradise ". The bishops then bore away the sacred relics from the tomb and placed them in a casket in the holy place of the saints together with other holy relics. This elevation of the relics of St. Edward took place on June 20 , 1001.
St. Edward was officially glorified by the All-English Council of 1008, presided over by St. Alphege , Archbishop of Canterbury (who was later also martyred by the Danes in 1012). King Ethelred ordered that the saint's three feast days (March 18, February 13, and June 20) should be celebrated throughout England. Shaftesbury Abbey was rededicated to the Mother of God and St. Edward. Shaftesbury was apparently renamed "Edwardstowe," only reverting to its original name after the Reformation. Many miracles were recorded at the tomb of St. Edward including the healing of lepers and the blind.
During the sixteenth century, under King Henry VIII of England, monasteries were dissolved and many holy places were demolished, but St. Edward's remains were hidden so as to avoid desecration. In 1931, the relics were recovered by Mr. Wilson-Claridge during an archaelogical excavation; their identity was confirmed by Dr. T.E.A. Stowell, an osteologist. In about 1982, Mr. Wilson-Claridge donated the relics to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia , which placed them in a church in Brookwood Cemetery, in Woking, Surrey. The St. Edward Brotherhood of monks was organized there as well. The church is now named St. Edward the Martyr Orthodox Church.
See also
| Corfe Castle |
Which composer wrote the opera 'The Flying Dutchman'? | Corfe Castle - Site of a Saxon King's Murder? | DiscoverMiddleAges.co.uk
5.2 Read other related articles
Corfe Castle the Saxon Fort
The Saxons realised the site’s potential, and built the first wooden castle here. Under Alfred the Great , a Saxon hall was built during the 9th century, where the ruined Norman hall sits today. Fragments of Saxon pottery have been found behind the retaining wall of the Norman hall, along with wooden post holes beneath, showing the location of the old Saxon hall.
Corfe Castle and the Murder of King Edward the Martyr
In the west bailey of Corfe Castle, traces of a Saxon building have been found. There is a possibility that these are the remains of the Saxon royal house, where the teenage King Edward the Martyr would have visited his step-mother, Elfryda .
Edward was not his father’s (King Edgar the Peaceful’s) acknowledged heir. The claim to the throne was contested between Edward and his younger half-brother, Aethelred. Edward was eventually chosen as king over Aethelred, and crowned by his clerical supporters on 8 July 975.
However, Edward’s reign would not last very long. Three years later, on 18 March 978, young King Edward was murdered at Corfe Castle, and would become known as King Edward the Martyr. There is some confusion over his death, but it is generally accepted that while Edward visited his step-mother Elfryda and his half-brother Aelthelred at Corfe Castle, Elfryda arranged for his murder.
The motive behind the murder was a plot by Elfryda to place her son, Aethelred on the throne of England. To do so, she would have had to remove Edward. Aethelred did become the next king of England, and would become known as Aethelred the Unready.
The parish church in Corfe village is called St Edward’s Church. It is reported to be the site of a cottage where King Edward the Martyr’s body was taken after his murder.
Corfe Castle the Norman Fortress
After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William the Conqueror began fortifying England with castles. The old Saxon fort at Corfe Castle was upgraded with Norman stone around 1068, and was one of the first Norman stone castles in England.
Corfe Castle Reconstruction by Ciprian Selegean Image Source
Henry I continued to fortify Corfe Castle with a huge Purbeck stone keep, progressing at a rate of 3-4 metres per year, quarried from the local Purbeck quarries. Further stone walls, ramparts and earthworks were established to further increase the castle’s defensive abilities. This enabled Corfe Castle to withstand a siege by King Stephen during the civil war , known as the Anarchy.
During the reigns of King John and Henry III, Corfe Castle gained towers, halls and more walls. The Gloriet tower (costing £275) was used to keep Eleanor, Duchess of Brittany imprisoned in 1206, as she posed a threat to both the King’s claim to the throne. Eleanor became the longest imprisoned member of the royal family, with 39 years of captivity.
However, Eleanor was only held under house arrest, and was allowed to roam the halls and walls of the castle. She was also fed well and entertained guests. She did not spend all 39 years at Corfe Castle, as she spent some time in Gloucester castle amongst others.
King John spent over £1400 on Corfe Castle, which was a considerable amount, and Henry III a further £1000. It is noted that a reasonably strong castle of medium size would cost £2000 to build from scratch. In 1244, Henry III ordered the Corfe keep to be whitewashed, following the Tower of London , which was whitewashed four years before.
Corfe Castle after the Middle Ages
Corfe Castle remained a royal fortress well into the Tudor period. Queen Elizabeth I sold Corfe Castle to Sir Christopher Hatton, who’s steward drafted the oldest surviving survey of the castle.
Lady Bankes Image Source
During the civil war in 1643, Corfe Castle was used for the royal cause, despite the area being under Parliamentarian control. The castle came under siege from the Parliamentarians, but even with garrison numbers of around 80 or so, Corfe Castle was able to withstand the siege for six weeks. Finally, Royalist forces relieved the siege, much to the delight of the owner Lady Bankes.
However, in 1645, Corfe Castle came under another siege. Parliamentarians disguised as Royalists, managed to enter the castle before the second siege, by a traitor on the inside. Once the siege began, the Corfe Castle garrison was attacked from within the walls by the disguised troops. Lady Bankes and her garrison surrendered, and were later released. Parliament voted to damage the castle beyond practical use, and the ruin you see today is the result (with centuries of decay too).
Today, Corfe Castle is managed by the National Trust. It was given to the Trust by Ralph Bankes in the 1980s, along with the estate and village.
Corfe Castle Digital Reconstruction
Corfe Castle has been masterfully reconstructed digitally by Ciprian Selegean . Witness the amazing transformation as Corfe Castle returns to its former Norman glory.
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The 'Folketing' is the name of the parliament of which country? | IPU PARLINE database: DENMARK (Folketinget), Full text
10 multi-member constituencies corresponding to counties, subdivided into 92 nomination districts.
Voting system
Proportional: Proportional representation system according to a modified version of the St. Laguë method and Hare quota and using the method of greatest remainders. Each elector can cast either a "personal vote" for one of the candidates or a vote for one of the party lists. They can vote for any of the candidates or parties of their constituency, not being limited to those of their nomination district.
Of the 175 seats reserved for Denmark proper, 135 seats are distributed among the constituencies. In order to distribute these constituency seats among the political groups in contention, the total vote of each party in a constituency is divided by 1, 3, 5 and so on by odd numbers in order to arrive at the quotients on the basis of which seats are allocated). Utilization of this method ensures representation for smaller parties.
The 40 remaining, or compensatory, seats are then distributed among the parties which either have won at least one constituency seat; have obtained, in two electoral regions, at least as many votes as the average number of valid votes cast in the region, per constituency seat; or have obtained at least 2% of all valid votes cast in the country as a whole. Such distribution, based on votes obtained on the national scale, is aimed at redressing the imbalance caused through the distribution of the constituency seats.
When it has been decided which parties are entitled to a share of the compensatory seats, the number of seats which each party is proportionately entitled to of the 175 seats is calculated on the basis of the total number of votes cast for these parties in all parts of the country. From the number of seats thus arrived at for each party, the number of constituency seats already obtained by the party is deducted. The resulting figure is the number of compensatory seats due to the party.
The end result of this system is a distribution of seats in the Folketing that faithfully reflects the share of the popular votes received by the parties.
Candidates who have been nominated but not elected figure on a list of substitute members drawn up by the Ministry of Interior after each general election. These substitute members fill the seats which become vacant between general elections.
Voting is not compulsory.
Dates of election / renewal (from/to)
18 June 2015
Timing and scope of renewal
The Blue bloc, a four-party centre-right alliance, led by former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, won 90 of the 175 seats at stake in these earlier-than-scheduled elections. Eighty-five seats were won by the Red bloc, a five-party centre-left alliance (see note 1) led by Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt (see note 2). Although her Social Democratic Party remained the largest party with 47 seats, the Prime Minister conceded defeat and resigned as party leader after ten years in charge. The Danish People's Party led by Kristian Thulesen Dahl, became the second largest party, winning 37 seats compared to 22 in 2011.
On 28 June, Mr. Rasmussen formed a minority government, comprising only the members of his Liberal Party (Venstre). As Venstre won 34 out of 179 seats, it has formed the second smallest administration ever, after the one formed in 1973 by Poul Hartling (Venstre), which had 22 seats.
The elections were called four months early. Ms. Thorning-Schmidt said that the timing for an election was right and pointed to positive growth forecasts for the Danish economy. The major electoral issues included immigration, welfare spending, job creation and economic growth. In the run-up to polling day, the country's cradle-to-grave welfare system took centre-stage, with major parties debating the scope of unemployment benefits.
Note 1:
- The Blue bloc comprised the Liberal Party (Venstre), the Danish People's Party, the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People's Party.
- The Red bloc comprised the Social Democratic Party, the Social Liberal Party (RV), the Socialist People's Party, the Unity List-Red-Green Alliance and the Alternative (A).
Note 2:
Ms. Thorning-Schmidt's minority government, formed in October 2011, initially comprised her Social Democratic Party, the Social Liberal Party and the Socialist People's Party. The Socialist People's Party left the government in January 2014.
Date of previous elections: 15 September 2011
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 18 June 2015*
*The outgoing legislature was dissolved at 20:00 on 18 June 2015 in accordance with section 32 (4) of the Constitution which stipulates No seats shall be vacated until a new election has been held.
Timing of election: Early elections
Expected date of next elections: June 2019
Number of seats at stake: 179 (full renewal)
Number of candidates: 799 (549 men, 250 women)
Percentage of women candidates: 31.3%
Number of parties contesting the election: 10
Number of parties winning seats: 9
Alternation of power: Yes
Number of parties in government: 1
Names of parties in government: Liberal Party (Venstre)
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 2 July 2015 *
*In accordance with Section 35 (1) of the Constitution, the newly elected Folketing shall assemble at twelve oclock noon on the twelfth weekday after the day of election, unless the King has previously summoned a meeting of its members.
Name of the new Speaker: Ms. Pia Kjaersgaard (Danish People's Party)
STATISTICS
APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF OFFICE
Title
President of the Danish Parliament
Term
- duration: 1 year at the beginning of every sessional year (October), may be re-elected;
- reasons for interruption of the term: resignation, death
Appointment
- elected by the Members of the Folketing, at the opening of every session and when the Folketing meets for the first time after a general election
- after the approval of the validity of the general election
Eligibility
all Members are eligible, notified by parties
Voting system
- vote may be omitted if there is only one candidate and there are no objections to this candidate
- vote by public ballot, usually (may be secret if the Folketing so decides)
- if one of the Members nominated gets more than half of the votes cast, he/she is elected - if not, another free vote is held - if this does not result in the said majority of votes either, a third vote is held - the third vote is confined to the two candidates who received the largest number of votes during the second vote, and lots will be drawn in the event of a parity of votes.
Procedures / results
- the most senior Member presides over the Assembly during the voting, at the opening of a sessional year
- the tellers count the votes and notify the Speaker of the result
- the most senior Member announces the results without any delay
- 60 Members can request in writing and with at least 3 days' notice a new election for the Speakership
STATUS
Status
- ranks third in the hierarchy of State, after the Head of State and the Leader of the Government
- represents the Assembly with the public authorities
- is ex officio chairman of the Folketing committees
- in the absence of the Speaker, one of the Deputy-Speakers (and in their absence, one of the tellers) can assume his/her role and functions
Board
- the Presidium consists of the Speaker and the 4 Deputy Speakers:
- the Standing Orders Committee (SOC) consists 21 Members who are ex officio Members and whose chairman is the Speaker); the other 16 Members are elected on a pro rata basis, every year at Membersthe opening of the session and after a general election
- meets when necessary when convened by the Speaker
- the Speaker has the final say in most matters - in some matters, the SOC must be consulted
Material facilities
- special allowance equivalent to that for a Minister (DKK 380 703 per annum)
- right to a pension as a former Speaker
- official residence in the parliamentary building
- official car with a driver
- secretariat
- establishes and modifies the agenda
- organizes the debates and sets speaking time
- examines the admissibility of bills and amendments
- refers texts to a committee for study - the Folketing can, if it so desires, refers bills to other committees than those recommended by the Speaker (this very rarely occurs)
Chairing of public sittings
- can open, adjourn and close sittings
- ensures respect for provisions of the Constitution and Standing Orders
- makes announcements concerning the Assembly
- takes disciplinary measures in the event of disturbance, and lifts such measures
- establishes the list of speakers, gives and withdraws permission to speak
- establishes the order in which amendments are taken up
- calls for a vote, decides how it is to be carried out, verifies the voting procedure and cancels a vote in the event of irregularities
- checks the quorum after the vote
- authenticates the adopted texts and the records of debates
- interprets the rules or other regulations governing the life of the Assembly, according to precedents
Special powers
- the Presidium discusses proposals for the Folketing's budget and submits a recommendation to the SOC
- employs and dismisses civil servants and other employees in the administration
- employs and dismisses senior civil servants (including the Clerk) after discussion with the 4 Deputy Speakers and following approval by the SOC
- manages the organization of the internal affairs in consultation with the 4 Deputy Speakers
- is responsible for relations with foreign Parliaments
- is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Chamber
Speaking and voting rights, other functions
- can take the floor in legislative debates
- can cut off a debate which goes too far in relation to the bill which is being debated
- takes part in voting
- normally does not propose bills or amendments except in special cases such as bills which concerns parliamentary conditions
- intervenes in the parliamentary oversight procedure
- signs the laws together with one of the tellers and transmits them to the appropriate Ministry
· Free representation (S. 56 of the Constitution Act of 05.06.1953)
Start of the mandate
· On the election day, when the election has ended. Certain rights only accrue to MPs when their election has been approved and they have made the declaration of adherence to the Constitution Act (S. 32 (7) of the Constitution Act, SO 1 (8) and (9) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
· Procedure
Validation of mandates
· Validation by the Folketing on recommendation of a committee (S. 33 of the Constitution Act, SO 1 (2) to (7), and 7 (1) (2.) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing, S. 86 and 87 of the Parliamentary Election Act)
· Procedure
End of the mandate
· On the day of new elections (S. 32 (4) of the Constitution Act; the same applies in case of early dissolution, see S. 32 (2) and (3) of the Constitution Act)
Can MPs resign?
Yes
· Yes, of their own free will
· Procedure (SO 40 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing, S. 92 of the Parliamentary Election Act)
Can MPs lose their mandate ?
Yes
Definitive exclusion from Parliament by the latter:
- Loss of mandate for loss of eligibility (S. 29, 30, 32 (6), and 33 of the Constitution Act, and SO 7 (1) (2.) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Invalidation of election after approval by the Folketing (S. 33 of the Constitution Act, SO 1 (5) to (7), and SO 7 (1) (2.) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
STATUS OF MEMBERS
Indemnities, facilities and services
· Official passport. Certain MPs may apply for diplomatic passports.
· Basic salary (see also S. 58 of the Constitution Act): DKK 586,525 per year (as of 1 Oct. 2009)
+ Cost allowance: in accordance with residence
· Exemption from tax for the cost allowance. The basic salary is not exempted from tax.
· Pension scheme (Law on Election to the Danish Parliament, Lb. no. 271 of 13.05.1987, as amended by the laws no. 744 of 07.12.1988 and no. 245 of 19.04.1989)
· Other facilities:
(c) Free housing for the 5 Members of the Presidium in Christiansborg
(d) Postal and telephone services
(e) Travel and transport
Obligation to declare personal assets
No
Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary non-accountability
· The concept does exist (S. 57 of the Constitution Act).
· Parliamentary non-accountability applies to words spoken and written by MPs both within and outside Parliament, provided that they are pronounced in the exercise of the mandate.
· Derogations: consent of the Folketing; improper statements or offence (SO 29 (2) to (4) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing; see Discipline)
· Non-accountability takes effect on the day when the mandate begins and offers, after the expiry of the mandate, protection against prosecution for opinions expressed during the exercise of the mandate.
Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary inviolability
· The concept does exist (S. 57 of the Constitution Act).
· It applies to criminal and civil proceedings, covers all offences with the exception of minor offences (i.e. ticket fines), and protects MPs from arrest, from being held in preventive custody, and from the opening of judicial proceedings against them. It does not protect them from their homes being searched.
· Derogations: in the case of flagrante delicto, the consent of the Folketing is not necessary.
· Parliamentary inviolability does not prevent MPs from being called as witnesses before a judge or tribunal.
· Protection is provided from the start to the end of the mandate and also covers judicial proceedings instituted against MPs before their election.
· Parliamentary immunity (inviolability) can be lifted (S. 57 of the Constitution Act):
- Competent authority: the Folketing
In this case, MPs need not be heard. They do not have means of appeal.
· Parliament cannot subject the prosecution and/or detention to certain conditions.
· Parliament cannot suspend the prosecution and/or detention of one of its members.
· In the event of preventive custody or imprisonment, the MPs concerned cannot be authorised to attend sittings of Parliament.
EXERCISE OF THE MANDATE
Training
· There is a training/initiation process on parliamentary practices and procedures for MPs. It consists of introduction lectures and courses.
· It is provided by officials of Parliament.
· Handbooks of parliamentary procedure:
- The Standing Orders of the Folketing
- Guide for Members of Parliament
Participation in the work of the Parliament
· It is not compulsory for MPs to be present at plenary sittings, committee meetings, or other meetings (for leave of absence, see S. 41 of the Constitution Act).
· There are no penalties foreseen.
Discipline
· The rules governing discipline within Parliament are contained in SO 29 to 31 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing.
· Disciplinary measures foreseen :
- Order to sit down (SO 29 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Call to order (SO 29 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Order to discontinue the speech (SO 29 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Declining to call upon the Member to speak again (SO 29 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Suspension from Parliament (SO 29 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Adjournment or close of the sitting (SO 29 (4), and 30 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Closure of the debate (SO 31 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
· Specific cases:
- Improper statements or offence (SO 29 (2) to (4) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
· Competent body to judge such cases/to apply penalties:
- Order to sit down, call to order, order to discontinue the speech, declining to call upon the Member to speak again, adjournment or close of the sitting, improper statements or offence: the President
- Suspension from Parliament: the Standing Orders Committee
- Closure of the debate: the Folketing
· Procedure:
- Order to sit down (SO 29 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Call to order, order to discontinue the speech, declining to call upon the Member to speak again, suspension from Parliament (SO 29 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Adjournment or close of the sitting (SO 29 (4), and 30 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Closure of the debate (SO 31 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Improper statements or offence (SO 29 (2) to (4) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
Code (rules) of conduct
| Denmark |
Which composer wrote 'TheGoldberg Variations'? | IPU PARLINE database: DENMARK (Folketinget), Full text
10 multi-member constituencies corresponding to counties, subdivided into 92 nomination districts.
Voting system
Proportional: Proportional representation system according to a modified version of the St. Laguë method and Hare quota and using the method of greatest remainders. Each elector can cast either a "personal vote" for one of the candidates or a vote for one of the party lists. They can vote for any of the candidates or parties of their constituency, not being limited to those of their nomination district.
Of the 175 seats reserved for Denmark proper, 135 seats are distributed among the constituencies. In order to distribute these constituency seats among the political groups in contention, the total vote of each party in a constituency is divided by 1, 3, 5 and so on by odd numbers in order to arrive at the quotients on the basis of which seats are allocated). Utilization of this method ensures representation for smaller parties.
The 40 remaining, or compensatory, seats are then distributed among the parties which either have won at least one constituency seat; have obtained, in two electoral regions, at least as many votes as the average number of valid votes cast in the region, per constituency seat; or have obtained at least 2% of all valid votes cast in the country as a whole. Such distribution, based on votes obtained on the national scale, is aimed at redressing the imbalance caused through the distribution of the constituency seats.
When it has been decided which parties are entitled to a share of the compensatory seats, the number of seats which each party is proportionately entitled to of the 175 seats is calculated on the basis of the total number of votes cast for these parties in all parts of the country. From the number of seats thus arrived at for each party, the number of constituency seats already obtained by the party is deducted. The resulting figure is the number of compensatory seats due to the party.
The end result of this system is a distribution of seats in the Folketing that faithfully reflects the share of the popular votes received by the parties.
Candidates who have been nominated but not elected figure on a list of substitute members drawn up by the Ministry of Interior after each general election. These substitute members fill the seats which become vacant between general elections.
Voting is not compulsory.
Dates of election / renewal (from/to)
18 June 2015
Timing and scope of renewal
The Blue bloc, a four-party centre-right alliance, led by former Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, won 90 of the 175 seats at stake in these earlier-than-scheduled elections. Eighty-five seats were won by the Red bloc, a five-party centre-left alliance (see note 1) led by Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt (see note 2). Although her Social Democratic Party remained the largest party with 47 seats, the Prime Minister conceded defeat and resigned as party leader after ten years in charge. The Danish People's Party led by Kristian Thulesen Dahl, became the second largest party, winning 37 seats compared to 22 in 2011.
On 28 June, Mr. Rasmussen formed a minority government, comprising only the members of his Liberal Party (Venstre). As Venstre won 34 out of 179 seats, it has formed the second smallest administration ever, after the one formed in 1973 by Poul Hartling (Venstre), which had 22 seats.
The elections were called four months early. Ms. Thorning-Schmidt said that the timing for an election was right and pointed to positive growth forecasts for the Danish economy. The major electoral issues included immigration, welfare spending, job creation and economic growth. In the run-up to polling day, the country's cradle-to-grave welfare system took centre-stage, with major parties debating the scope of unemployment benefits.
Note 1:
- The Blue bloc comprised the Liberal Party (Venstre), the Danish People's Party, the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People's Party.
- The Red bloc comprised the Social Democratic Party, the Social Liberal Party (RV), the Socialist People's Party, the Unity List-Red-Green Alliance and the Alternative (A).
Note 2:
Ms. Thorning-Schmidt's minority government, formed in October 2011, initially comprised her Social Democratic Party, the Social Liberal Party and the Socialist People's Party. The Socialist People's Party left the government in January 2014.
Date of previous elections: 15 September 2011
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: 18 June 2015*
*The outgoing legislature was dissolved at 20:00 on 18 June 2015 in accordance with section 32 (4) of the Constitution which stipulates No seats shall be vacated until a new election has been held.
Timing of election: Early elections
Expected date of next elections: June 2019
Number of seats at stake: 179 (full renewal)
Number of candidates: 799 (549 men, 250 women)
Percentage of women candidates: 31.3%
Number of parties contesting the election: 10
Number of parties winning seats: 9
Alternation of power: Yes
Number of parties in government: 1
Names of parties in government: Liberal Party (Venstre)
Date of the first session of the new parliament: 2 July 2015 *
*In accordance with Section 35 (1) of the Constitution, the newly elected Folketing shall assemble at twelve oclock noon on the twelfth weekday after the day of election, unless the King has previously summoned a meeting of its members.
Name of the new Speaker: Ms. Pia Kjaersgaard (Danish People's Party)
STATISTICS
APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF OFFICE
Title
President of the Danish Parliament
Term
- duration: 1 year at the beginning of every sessional year (October), may be re-elected;
- reasons for interruption of the term: resignation, death
Appointment
- elected by the Members of the Folketing, at the opening of every session and when the Folketing meets for the first time after a general election
- after the approval of the validity of the general election
Eligibility
all Members are eligible, notified by parties
Voting system
- vote may be omitted if there is only one candidate and there are no objections to this candidate
- vote by public ballot, usually (may be secret if the Folketing so decides)
- if one of the Members nominated gets more than half of the votes cast, he/she is elected - if not, another free vote is held - if this does not result in the said majority of votes either, a third vote is held - the third vote is confined to the two candidates who received the largest number of votes during the second vote, and lots will be drawn in the event of a parity of votes.
Procedures / results
- the most senior Member presides over the Assembly during the voting, at the opening of a sessional year
- the tellers count the votes and notify the Speaker of the result
- the most senior Member announces the results without any delay
- 60 Members can request in writing and with at least 3 days' notice a new election for the Speakership
STATUS
Status
- ranks third in the hierarchy of State, after the Head of State and the Leader of the Government
- represents the Assembly with the public authorities
- is ex officio chairman of the Folketing committees
- in the absence of the Speaker, one of the Deputy-Speakers (and in their absence, one of the tellers) can assume his/her role and functions
Board
- the Presidium consists of the Speaker and the 4 Deputy Speakers:
- the Standing Orders Committee (SOC) consists 21 Members who are ex officio Members and whose chairman is the Speaker); the other 16 Members are elected on a pro rata basis, every year at Membersthe opening of the session and after a general election
- meets when necessary when convened by the Speaker
- the Speaker has the final say in most matters - in some matters, the SOC must be consulted
Material facilities
- special allowance equivalent to that for a Minister (DKK 380 703 per annum)
- right to a pension as a former Speaker
- official residence in the parliamentary building
- official car with a driver
- secretariat
- establishes and modifies the agenda
- organizes the debates and sets speaking time
- examines the admissibility of bills and amendments
- refers texts to a committee for study - the Folketing can, if it so desires, refers bills to other committees than those recommended by the Speaker (this very rarely occurs)
Chairing of public sittings
- can open, adjourn and close sittings
- ensures respect for provisions of the Constitution and Standing Orders
- makes announcements concerning the Assembly
- takes disciplinary measures in the event of disturbance, and lifts such measures
- establishes the list of speakers, gives and withdraws permission to speak
- establishes the order in which amendments are taken up
- calls for a vote, decides how it is to be carried out, verifies the voting procedure and cancels a vote in the event of irregularities
- checks the quorum after the vote
- authenticates the adopted texts and the records of debates
- interprets the rules or other regulations governing the life of the Assembly, according to precedents
Special powers
- the Presidium discusses proposals for the Folketing's budget and submits a recommendation to the SOC
- employs and dismisses civil servants and other employees in the administration
- employs and dismisses senior civil servants (including the Clerk) after discussion with the 4 Deputy Speakers and following approval by the SOC
- manages the organization of the internal affairs in consultation with the 4 Deputy Speakers
- is responsible for relations with foreign Parliaments
- is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Chamber
Speaking and voting rights, other functions
- can take the floor in legislative debates
- can cut off a debate which goes too far in relation to the bill which is being debated
- takes part in voting
- normally does not propose bills or amendments except in special cases such as bills which concerns parliamentary conditions
- intervenes in the parliamentary oversight procedure
- signs the laws together with one of the tellers and transmits them to the appropriate Ministry
· Free representation (S. 56 of the Constitution Act of 05.06.1953)
Start of the mandate
· On the election day, when the election has ended. Certain rights only accrue to MPs when their election has been approved and they have made the declaration of adherence to the Constitution Act (S. 32 (7) of the Constitution Act, SO 1 (8) and (9) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
· Procedure
Validation of mandates
· Validation by the Folketing on recommendation of a committee (S. 33 of the Constitution Act, SO 1 (2) to (7), and 7 (1) (2.) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing, S. 86 and 87 of the Parliamentary Election Act)
· Procedure
End of the mandate
· On the day of new elections (S. 32 (4) of the Constitution Act; the same applies in case of early dissolution, see S. 32 (2) and (3) of the Constitution Act)
Can MPs resign?
Yes
· Yes, of their own free will
· Procedure (SO 40 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing, S. 92 of the Parliamentary Election Act)
Can MPs lose their mandate ?
Yes
Definitive exclusion from Parliament by the latter:
- Loss of mandate for loss of eligibility (S. 29, 30, 32 (6), and 33 of the Constitution Act, and SO 7 (1) (2.) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Invalidation of election after approval by the Folketing (S. 33 of the Constitution Act, SO 1 (5) to (7), and SO 7 (1) (2.) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
STATUS OF MEMBERS
Indemnities, facilities and services
· Official passport. Certain MPs may apply for diplomatic passports.
· Basic salary (see also S. 58 of the Constitution Act): DKK 586,525 per year (as of 1 Oct. 2009)
+ Cost allowance: in accordance with residence
· Exemption from tax for the cost allowance. The basic salary is not exempted from tax.
· Pension scheme (Law on Election to the Danish Parliament, Lb. no. 271 of 13.05.1987, as amended by the laws no. 744 of 07.12.1988 and no. 245 of 19.04.1989)
· Other facilities:
(c) Free housing for the 5 Members of the Presidium in Christiansborg
(d) Postal and telephone services
(e) Travel and transport
Obligation to declare personal assets
No
Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary non-accountability
· The concept does exist (S. 57 of the Constitution Act).
· Parliamentary non-accountability applies to words spoken and written by MPs both within and outside Parliament, provided that they are pronounced in the exercise of the mandate.
· Derogations: consent of the Folketing; improper statements or offence (SO 29 (2) to (4) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing; see Discipline)
· Non-accountability takes effect on the day when the mandate begins and offers, after the expiry of the mandate, protection against prosecution for opinions expressed during the exercise of the mandate.
Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary inviolability
· The concept does exist (S. 57 of the Constitution Act).
· It applies to criminal and civil proceedings, covers all offences with the exception of minor offences (i.e. ticket fines), and protects MPs from arrest, from being held in preventive custody, and from the opening of judicial proceedings against them. It does not protect them from their homes being searched.
· Derogations: in the case of flagrante delicto, the consent of the Folketing is not necessary.
· Parliamentary inviolability does not prevent MPs from being called as witnesses before a judge or tribunal.
· Protection is provided from the start to the end of the mandate and also covers judicial proceedings instituted against MPs before their election.
· Parliamentary immunity (inviolability) can be lifted (S. 57 of the Constitution Act):
- Competent authority: the Folketing
In this case, MPs need not be heard. They do not have means of appeal.
· Parliament cannot subject the prosecution and/or detention to certain conditions.
· Parliament cannot suspend the prosecution and/or detention of one of its members.
· In the event of preventive custody or imprisonment, the MPs concerned cannot be authorised to attend sittings of Parliament.
EXERCISE OF THE MANDATE
Training
· There is a training/initiation process on parliamentary practices and procedures for MPs. It consists of introduction lectures and courses.
· It is provided by officials of Parliament.
· Handbooks of parliamentary procedure:
- The Standing Orders of the Folketing
- Guide for Members of Parliament
Participation in the work of the Parliament
· It is not compulsory for MPs to be present at plenary sittings, committee meetings, or other meetings (for leave of absence, see S. 41 of the Constitution Act).
· There are no penalties foreseen.
Discipline
· The rules governing discipline within Parliament are contained in SO 29 to 31 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing.
· Disciplinary measures foreseen :
- Order to sit down (SO 29 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Call to order (SO 29 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Order to discontinue the speech (SO 29 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Declining to call upon the Member to speak again (SO 29 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Suspension from Parliament (SO 29 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Adjournment or close of the sitting (SO 29 (4), and 30 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Closure of the debate (SO 31 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
· Specific cases:
- Improper statements or offence (SO 29 (2) to (4) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
· Competent body to judge such cases/to apply penalties:
- Order to sit down, call to order, order to discontinue the speech, declining to call upon the Member to speak again, adjournment or close of the sitting, improper statements or offence: the President
- Suspension from Parliament: the Standing Orders Committee
- Closure of the debate: the Folketing
· Procedure:
- Order to sit down (SO 29 (1) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Call to order, order to discontinue the speech, declining to call upon the Member to speak again, suspension from Parliament (SO 29 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Adjournment or close of the sitting (SO 29 (4), and 30 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Closure of the debate (SO 31 of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
- Improper statements or offence (SO 29 (2) to (4) of the Standing Orders of the Folketing)
Code (rules) of conduct
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Who wrote the novellas 'The Cricket On The Hearth' and 'The Battle Of Life'? | Christmas Books: A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life, The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain by Charles Dickens — Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists
About Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and sho Charles John Huffam Dickens (7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors' prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and other social reforms.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction. Dickens's creative genius has been praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K. Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterisations, and social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social conditions or comically repulsive characters.
On 8 June 1870, Dickens suffered another stroke at his home after a full day's work on Edwin Drood. He never regained consciousness, and the next day, five years to the day after the Staplehurst rail crash, he died at Gad's Hill Place. Contrary to his wish to be buried at Rochester Cathedral "in an inexpensive, unostentatious, and strictly private manner," he was laid to rest in the Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey. A printed epitaph circulated at the time of the funeral reads: "To the Memory of Charles Dickens (England's most popular author) who died at his residence, Higham, near Rochester, Kent, 9 June 1870, aged 58 years. He was a sympathiser with the poor, the suffering, and the oppressed; and by his death, one of England's greatest writers is lost to the world." His last words were: "On the ground", in response to his sister-in-law Georgina's request that he lie down.
| Charles Dickens |
Which is the only English city to have two separate cathedrals built in the 20th century? | The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home eBook by Charles Dickens - 9781508021254 | Kobo
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Dodo Collections brings you another classic from Charles Dickens, ‘The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home.’
Dickens gave his first formal expression to his Christmas thoughts in his series of small books, the first of which was the famous “Christmas Carol.” There followed four others: “The Chimes,” “The Cricket on the Hearth,” “The Battle of Life,” and “The Haunted Man.” The five are known today as the “Christmas Books.” Of them all the “Carol” is the best known and loved, and “The Cricket on the Hearth,” although third in the series, is perhaps next in popularity, and is especially familiar to Americans through Joseph Jefferson’s characterisation of Caleb Plummer.
The title creature is a sort of barometer of life at the home of John Peerybingle and his much younger wife Dot. When things go well, the cricket on the hearth chirps; it is silent when there is sorrow. Tackleton, a jealous old man, poisons John’s mind about Dot, but the cricket through its supernatural powers restores John’s confidence and all ends happily.
Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world’s best-known fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoyed unprecedented popularity during his lifetime, and by the twentieth century critics and scholars had recognised him as a literary genius. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school to work in a factory when his father was incarcerated in a debtors’ prison. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children’s rights, education, and other social reforms.
A prolific 19th Century author of short stories, plays, novellas, novels, fiction and non-fiction; during his lifetime Dickens became known the world over for his remarkable characters, his mastery of prose in the telling of their lives, and his depictions of the social classes, morals and values of his times. Some considered him the spokesman for the poor, for he definitely brought much awareness to their plight, the downtrodden and the have-nots. He had his share of critics, like Virginia Woolf and Henry James, but also many admirers, even into the 21st Century.
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Roland Gift was the lead singer of which English band of the 1980's and early 1990's? | The English Beat’s Biography — Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and photos at Last.fm
After the break-up of The Beat, Dave Wakeling (guitar, lead vocals) and Ranking Roger (vocals) went on to form General Public , while Andy Cox (guitar) and David Steele (bass guitar) formed Fine Young Cannibals with vocalist Roland Gift.
Members of the band often collaborated on stage with The Specials and performed together on tracks such as "Free Nelson Mandela". In the early 1990s, Roger joined members of The Specials to form the new band The Special Beat, which released two live albums.
Ranking Roger's son, Ranking Junior, has followed in his father's footsteps. In 2005, he appeared on The Ordinary Boys ' single "Boys Will Be Boys". In 2003, The Beat's original line-up, minus Cox and Steele but with the addition of Junior, played a sold-out one-off gig at the Royal Festival Hall. As of 2005, The Beat has reformed, counting Roger, Blockhead and Morton of the original line-up, with Ranking Junior also on vocals. The band is said to have the blessing of Cox, Steele and Saxa (of Desmond Dekker fame).
The Beat's lead singer Dave Wakeling also continues to tour as The English Beat, as he has done for the last three decades, with an amazing all-star ska backing band playing the hits of The English Beat, General Public, and his new songs.
| Fine Young Cannibals |
Which model of car did Henry Ford name after his son? | English Beat Tickets | Totally Tickets
English Beat Tickets
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There were two bands named The Beat, both active at the same time in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Both bands mutually decided to use different names while operating different parts of the world: 1) The English two-tone ska band The Beat were known as The English Beat in North America and The British Beat in Australia. 2) The American power-pop band became known as Paul Collins' Beat in Europe. 1. The Beat was a popular Two Tone ska and pop music group. Formed in the English city of Birmingham in 1978, The Beat disbanded in 1983, but has reformed in the early 2000s with some of the original line-up. One of the more popular and enduring groups of a short-lived trend, The Beat released three albums: “I Just Can’t Stop It” (1980), “Wha’ppen” (1981) and “Special Beat Service” (1982), and a string of excellent singles including “Mirror in the Bathroom”, the politically-charged “Stand Down Margaret” (which refers to controversial British PM Margaret Thatcher), “Save It For Later” and “I Confess”. Although the group’s main fan-base was in the UK, they were also popular in Australia thanks to regular exposure on the government-owned rock radio station Triple J and the nationally-broadcast TV pop show Countdown. They had a sizeable following in the U.S., and a strong presence on that country’s college radio. After the break-up of The Beat, Dave Wakeling (guitar, lead vocals) and Ranking Roger (vocals) went on to form General Public, while Andy Cox (guitar) and David Steele (bass guitar) formed Fine Young Cannibals with vocalist Roland Gift. Members of the band often collaborated on stage with The Specials and performed together on tracks such as “Free Nelson Mandela”. In the early 1990s, Roger joined members of The Specials to form the new band The Special Beat, which released two live albums. Ranking Roger’s son, Ranking Junior, has followed in his father’s footsteps. In 2005, he appeared on The Ordinary Boys’ single “Boys Will Be Boys”. In 2003, The Beat’s original line-up, minus Cox and Steele but with the addition of Junior, played a sold-out one-off gig at the Royal Festival Hall. As of 2005, The Beat has reformed, counting Roger, Blockhead and Morton of the original line-up, with Ranking Junior also on vocals. The band is said to have the blessing of Cox, Steele and Saxa (of Desmond Dekker fame). The Beat’s lead singer Dave Wakeling also continues to tour as The English Beat, as he has done for the last three decades, with an amazing all-star ska backing band playing the hits of The English Beat, General Public, and his new songs. 2. The Beat (known in Europe as The Paul Collins Beat or Paul Collins' Beat), were an American rock and power pop group from Los Angeles, California that formed in the late 1970s. The Beat resurfaced in the 1990s and continues to tour and record new material as Paul Collins' Beat. Frontman Paul Collins has released several projects with his alternative country group The Paul Collins Band, who play Americana music inspired by country rock and folk rock. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
English Beat Schedule
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Which New York born writer won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1936? | Eugene O'Neill - Biographical
Eugene O'Neill
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1936
Eugene O'Neill
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Eugene O'Neill - Biographical
Born October 16th, 1888, in New York City. Son of James O'Neill, the popular romantic actor. First seven years of my life spent mostly in hotels and railroad trains, my mother accompanying my father on his tours of the United States, although she never was an actress, disliked the theatre, and held aloof from its people.
From the age of seven to thirteen attended Catholic schools. Then four years at a non-sectarian preparatory school, followed by one year (1906-1907) at Princeton University.
After expulsion from Princeton I led a restless, wandering life for several years, working at various occupations. Was secretary of a small mail order house in New York for a while, then went on a gold prospecting expedition in the wilds of Spanish Honduras. Found no gold but contracted malarial fever. Returned to the United States and worked for a time as assistant manager of a theatrical company on tour. After this, a period in which I went to sea, and also worked in Buenos Aires for the Westinghouse Electrical Co., Swift Packing Co., and Singer Sewing Machine Co. Never held a job long. Was either fired quickly or left quickly. Finished my experience as a sailor as able-bodied seaman on the American Line of transatlantic liners. After this, was an actor in vaudeville for a short time, and reporter on a small town newspaper. At the end of 1912 my health broke down and I spent six months in a tuberculosis sanatorium.
Began to write plays in the Fall of 1913. Wrote the one-act Bound East for Cardiff in the Spring of 1914. This is the only one of the plays written in this period which has any merit.
In the Fall of 1914, I entered Harvard University to attend the course in dramatic technique given by Professor George Baker. I left after one year and did not complete the course.
The Fall of 1916 marked the first production of a play of mine in New York - Bound East for Cardiff - which was on the opening bill of the Provincetown Players. In the next few years this theatre put on nearly all of my short plays, but it was not until 1920 that a long play Beyond the Horizon was produced in New York. It was given on Broadway by a commercial managemeet - but, at first, only as a special matinee attraction with four afternoon performances a week. However, some of the critics praised the play and it was soon given a theatre for a regular run, and later on in the year was awarded the Pulitzer Prize. I received this prize again in 1922 for Anna Christie and for the third time in 1928 for Strange Interlude.
The following is a list of all my published and produced plays which are worth mentioning, with the year in which they were written:
Bound East for Cardiff (1914), Before Breakfast (1916), The Long Voyage Home (1917), In the Zone (1917), The Moon of the Carabbees (1917), Ile (1917), The Rope (1918), Beyond the Horizon (1918), The Dreamy Kid (1918), Where the Cross is Made (1918), The Straw (1919), Gold (1920), Anna Christie (1920}, The Emperor Jones (1920), Different (1920), The First Man (1921), The Fountain (1921-22), The Hairy Ape (1921 ), Welded (1922), All God's Chillun Got Wings (1923), Desire Under the Elms (1924), Marco Millions (1923-25), The Great God Brown (1925), Lazarus Laughed (1926), Strange Interlude (1926-27), Dynamo (1928 ), Mourning Becomes Electra (1929-31) , Ah, Wilderness (1932), Days Without End (1932-33).
Biographical note on Eugene O'Neill
After an active career of writing and supervising the New York productions of his own works, O'Neill (1888-1953) published only two new plays between 1934 and the time of his death. In The Iceman Cometh (1946), he exposed a «prophet's» battle against the last pipedreams of a group of derelicts as another pipedream and managed to infuse into the «Lower Depths» atmosphere a sense of the tragic. A Moon for the Misbegotten (1952) contains a strong autobiographical content, which it shares with Long Day's Journey into Night (posth. 1956), one of O'Neill's most important works. The latter play, written, according to O'Neill, «in tears and blood... with deep pity and understanding and forgiveness for all the four haunted Tyrones», had its premiere at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. Sweden grew into an O'Neill centre with the first productions of the one-act play Hughie (posth. 1959) as well as A Touch of the Poet (posth. 1958) and an adapted version of More Stately Mansions (posth. 1962 ) - both plays being parts of an unfinished cycle in which O'Neill returned to his earlier attempts at making psychological analysis dramatically effective.
From Nobel Lectures , Literature 1901-1967, Editor Horst Frenz, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1969
This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and first published in the book series Les Prix Nobel . It was later edited and republished in Nobel Lectures . To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.
Eugene O'Neill died on November 27, 1953.
| Eugene O'Neill |
Puccini's opera 'Madame butterfly' tells of the tragic relationship between the heroine, and which American naval officer? | Eugene O'Neill | Playwright
Eugene O'Neill
I am far from being a pessimist ... On the contrary,
in spite of my scars, I am tickled to death at life!
Eugene O'Neill
Eugene (Gladstone) O'Neill was born in a Broadway hotel room in New York City on October 16, 1888. O'Neill won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1936, and Pulitzer Prizes for four of his plays: Beyond the Horizon (1920); Anna Christie (1922); Strange Interlude (1928); and Long Day's Journey Into Night (1957). O'Neill is credited with raising American dramatic theater from its narrow origins to an art form respected around the world. He is regarded as America's premier playwright.
O'Neill's father, James O'Neill, was one of 19th Century America's most popular actors. Young Eugene spent much of his early years on national tours with his father. In 1906 he entered Princeton University but was soon expelled. In 1909 he married, had a son, and was divorced within three years. By 1912, O'Neill had worked as a gold prospector in Honduras, as a seaman, and had become a regular at New York City's flophouses and cheap saloons. That year he became ill with tuberculosis, and was inspired to become a playwright while reading during his recovery.
O'Neill's career as a playwright consisted of three periods. His early realist plays utilize his own experiences, especially as a seaman. In the 1920s he rejected realism in an effort to capture on the stage the forces behind human life. His expressionistic plays during this period were influenced by the ideas of philosopher Freidrich Nietzsche, psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, and Swedish playwright August Strindberg. During his final period O'Neill returned to realism. These later works, which most critics consider his best, depend on his life experiences for their story lines and themes.
O'Neill continued to write until 1944 when he was stricken with a debilitating neurodegenerative disease known as "cortical cerebellar atrophy" which prevented further work. Despite his illness, O'Neill lived his life to the fullest. As a young man of 35, he wrote in a letter to a friend, "I am far from being a pessimist ... On the contrary, in spite of my scars, I am tickled to death at life! I wouldn't 'go out' and miss the rest of the play for anything!" A revival of his work in 1956 lead to the first production of "Long Day's Journey Into Night," for which he won his final Pulizer Prize posthumously in 1957.
If you are aware of any Internet resources, books or movies about Eugene O'Neill or related subjects, or if you would like to submit comments please send us email:
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| i don't know |
'The New Yardbirds' and 'The Birmingham Water Buffalo Society' were former names of which famous pop group? | The Blues . The Songs & the Artists . Biographies . Alphabetic | PBS
Born: June 26, 1893, Scott, Mississippi
Died: August 15, 1958, Chicago, Illinois
Also known as: William Lee Conley Broonzy
As a young boy Big Bill Broonzy would return home from a day's fieldwork with cornstalks, which he'd rub together as a homemade fiddle while his many brothers and sisters 16 danced to the music he made. By the age of 14 he was performing as a professional fiddler, and after moving to Chicago as an adult he switched to guitar. He became a prolific songwriter as well as a performer and recording artist and was a foundational contributor to the pre-war Chicago blues scene. He was a clever lyricist with a flair for narrative, and is known for having one of the largest and most versatile repertoires on record, from a slick urban blues sound to his acoustic country blues roots as well as folk and traditional spirituals. Broonzy also acted as a mentor to younger musicians, helping many of them secure performing dates and recording sessions. When the Chicago blues sound was transformed by the emergence of the electric guitar, Broonzy kept performing as a more itinerant folk-blues act, paving the way for the future of blues in Europe and the U.K. As he aged he continued to perform, even as he suffered from throat cancer, to which he succumbed in 1958.
Essential listening: " When Will I Get to be Called a Man ," "Key to the Highway," "Big Bill Blues," "All by Myself"
Ruth Brown
Born: January 1, 1928, Portsmouth, Virginia
Ruth Brown's smooth vocals made the rhythm and blues charts regularly between 1949 and 1955, and helped a then-fledgling Atlantic Records establish itself as a formidable presence in the R&B world. Later in her long and versatile career she became known as a rock and roll and pop singer as well as a stage and film actress, winning a Tony award on Broadway. She has influenced many R&B and soul artists, and her enduring talent is evidenced by her recent solo recordings and guest appearances with artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland and B.B. King, as well as a Grammy win in the late 1980s. Brown continues to perform.
Essential listening: "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean," "Teardrops From My Eyes," "Don't Deceive Me," "Mambo Baby"
Willie Brown
Born: August 6, 1900, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Died: December 30, 1952, Tunica, Mississippi
Willie Brown was an outstanding guitarist as well as vocalist who had an enormous influence on the origination and development of Delta blues. Brown performed regularly with blues legends Charley Patton, Son House and Robert Johnson, and also backed Patton and House on recordings. He is known as an accompanist rather than a soloist, although he did record three extraordinary solo performances. Later in his career he primarily performed with Son House. Both Brown and House disappeared from the music scene during the 1940s, and, sadly, Brown died before the blues revival of the 1960s, when many of his contemporaries were rediscovered by blues scholars.
Essential listening: "M & O Blues," "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor," "Future Blues"
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Born: December 17, 1942, Chicago, Illinois
Died: May 3, 1987, Los Angeles, California
At the age of 16, harmonica player Paul Butterfield regularly sat in with blues legends Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Howlin' Wolf, among others, at Chicago clubs. Butterfield formed his own soon-to-be-legendary band in 1963 with guitarist Elvin Bishop and eventually drummer Sam Lay and bassist Jerome Arnold. This lineup was one of the first racially integrated blues bands in the city. Their 1965 self-titled release, featuring the additions of guitarist Mike Bloomfield and keyboardist Mark Naftalin, had a huge impact on the 1960s blues revival, and they also broke ground backing Bob Dylan's legendary performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival (the electric sound outraged many purist folk fans). Later the band changed personnel again, eventually including jazz great David Sanborn (in his early years) on saxophone. Their success began to wind down in the late sixties, although they did appear at Woodstock and released two final albums in 1968 and 1969. Paul Butterfield continued to perform throughout the seventies.
Essential listening: "I Got My Mojo Working," "Blues With a Feeling," "Born in Chicago," "Shake Your Money Maker," "Mellow Down Easy," "Two Trains Running"
Ray Charles
Born: September 23, 1930, Albany, Georgia
Died: June 10, 2004, Beverly Hills, California
Ray Charles is known for his innovative blend of genres his enormously popular body of work reflects inspiration from gospel, blues, jazz, pop, R&B, soul and country. As a vocalist he was originally inspired by Nat King Cole, and his early recordings reflect this smooth influence. Charles later came into his own with 1954's "I've Got a Woman," which marked a dramatic change in his style it reflected a heavy gospel influence integrated with pop and his vocals were suddenly uninhibited and raw. This trend in Charles's music would continue, culminating in his 1959 signature hit and timeless classic "What'd I Say." His ability to bring together many influences, infusing them all with a gospel core, has had a huge impact on both soul and rock and roll music, influencing Steve Winwood, Joe Cocker, Stevie Wonder, and others. Charles is often referred to as the Father of Soul. He is a legendary musical figure and continues to tour.
Essential listening: "Losing Hand," "I've Got a Woman," "Unchain My Heart', "What'd I Say," "Drown in My Own Tears," "Hit the Road Jack"
Sam Chatmon
Born: January 10, 1897, Boltmon, Mississippi
Died: February 2, 1983, Hollandale, Mississippi
Sam Chatmon was born into a highly musical family reportedly there were 11 sons, all of them musicians. As a boy Sam often played with the Chatmon Family String Band, and when three of his brothers formed the Mississippi Sheiks, who became very popular, he sometimes played with them as well. But Sam Chatmon was a multi-instrumentalist in his own right playing mandolin, bass, guitar and banjo and worked as a traveling musician with a wide repertoire that included blues until the early 1940s. He became a plantation worker until the 1960s blues revival, at which point, like many of his contemporaries, he embarked upon a second career as a musician, performing and recording until his death in 1983.
Essential listening: "My Little Woman," "Shake 'Em All Down," "God Don't Like Ugly," "Hollandale Blues," "Sitting on Top of the World"
Marshall Chess
Born: March 13, 1942, Chicago, Illinois
Marshall Chess is the son of Leonard Chess who, along with his brother Phil, co-founded the legendary Chicago blues label Chess Records. Chess released some of the greatest blues ever recorded by legends such as Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, and many others, and Chess box sets are among the finest collections of blues available today. Marshall Chess grew up, literally, with the blues, hanging out at the Chess offices to be near his father, surrounded by blues greats and learning the finer points of recording. He later dropped out of college to work for Chess. After many years as a producer he started his own label, Cadet Concept, for which he produced the departure release Electric Mud, which featured Muddy Waters in a more electric, psychedelic blues arena. Despite initially strong sales, the album was widely panned by critics. After his father's death in 1969, Chess co-founded Rolling Stones Records and served as executive producer on the group's releases from 1971 through 1976 (or Sticky Fingers through Black and Blue, to be more specific). He has also worked as a film producer. One of his most admirable qualities is his confidence and resilience as a producer in spite of its lukewarm reception, Chess still considers Electric Mud to be a great piece of work, and as he says in the film Godfathers and Sons, "I'm still not afraid to make the worst blues album ever made."
Essential listening: Electric Mud
Born: March 30, 1945, Ripley, England
Also known as: Eric Patrick Clapp
Eric Clapton's talent has graced some of the best bands in rock and blues history: the Yardbirds, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Cream and Blind Faith. He is a rock and blues star in his own right, maintaining a reputation for decades as one of Great Britain's finest guitarists. Clapton reportedly left the Yardbirds in order to immerse himself in blues with the Bluesbreakers ; his subsequent forays into blues-rock with Cream and Blind Faith did a lot to merge the two genres in popular music. He has moved between rock, blues and pop throughout his career, but his major influences include Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Robert Johnson, and his renditions of blues classics especially his cover of Johnson's "Crossroads" are among his best-known recordings. He is a master of painfully expressive guitar work, matched by his emotional vocal delivery. Although much of his work is outstanding, he is probably best known for the album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, which is commonly considered to be a masterpiece. Among other brilliant work, that album includes the rock classic "Layla."
Essential listening: "Have You Ever Loved A Woman," "Bell-Bottom Blues," "Crossroads" "Key to the Highway," "Layla"
Shemekia Copeland
Born: 1979, New York, New York
Shemekia Copeland began appearing on stage with her father, Texas bluesman Johnny Copeland, as a child, and as a teenager she toured with him as his opening act, stunning audiences with a confident stage presence which seemed to belie her youth. Her vocal prowess matches her charisma as a performer. At the age of 19, Copeland released her debut album, inspiring comparisons to blues legends Etta James and Koko Taylor. By 2002 Copeland had released two more albums to critical acclaim, and won three of the blues' prestigious W.C. Handy awards. She has worked with Ruth Brown, one of her original influences, as well as Dr. John and others.
Read an archived version of Shemekia Copeland's USAToday online chat .
Essential listening: " The Other Woman ," "I Always Get My Man," "Have Mercy," "Your Mama's Talking," "Not Tonight," "The Push I Need"
Ida Cox
Born: February 25, 1896, Toccoa, Georgia
Died: November 10, 1967, Knoxville, Tennessee
Also known as: Ida Prather
Ida Cox was one of the great 1920s blues singers. She began her career as a teenager, traveling throughout the south as a singer with tent and vaudeville shows. Cox was also a versatile businesswoman for a time she ran her own touring company, working as a producer and manager as well as performer. She was a prolific and popular recording artist throughout the 1920s who wrote many of her own songs, one of which is the well-known "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues." Cox tended to direct her shows toward black female audiences, with songs that examined various issues from a female perspective. Cox's career was active throughout the 1930s, when health problems reportedly forced her into retirement, although she did manage an additional recording session in the early 1960s.
Essential listening: "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues," "Last Mile Blues," "Pink Slip Blues," "Cemetery Blues"
Cream
Eric Clapton, born March 30, 1945, Ripley, England; Ginger Baker, born August 19, 1939, Lewisham, England; Jack Bruce, born May 14, 1943, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Cream combined the superb musicianship of bassist Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist Eric Clapton, and became a powerhouse of blues-rock that had an enormous influence on the future of rock and heavy metal. They were all groundbreaking musicians known for their innovative, aggressive styles, and when they played together as a band they inspired one another to new heights of brilliance. They brought to the blues a jazz-inspired flair for improvisation, and although they were sometimes criticized for their seemingly endless jam sessions, at their best their competitive instrumental assaults showcased their unique gifts. Eric Clapton raised the blues guitar solo to a high art form; Jack Bruce's fervent and often melodic bass playing could pass for a second lead guitar; and rock had never seen the likes of Ginger Baker's percussive mastery (and it's possible that no one has matched him to this day). The trio covered blues classics from legends such as Albert King, Skip James, and Willie Dixon in addition to original material, and in the process introduced the blues to a new audience and broke ground for subsequent heavy blues-rock bands such as Led Zeppelin. Cream formed in 1966 and broke up in 1968. All of their releases are classics.
Essential listening: "Sunshine of Your Love," "Crossroads," "Strange Brew," "Tales of Brave Ulysses"
Bo Diddley
Born: December 30, 1928, McComb, Mississippi
Also known as: Otha Ellas Bates McDaniels
Like many bluesmen, Bo Diddley has his deepest musical roots in gospel. He also studied classical music in his youth, but turned to blues after he was introduced to the music of John Lee Hooker. Reportedly it was Hooker's classic "Boogie Chillen" that had such a dramatic impact. Diddley's music is definitely blues-based, however he has had a more profound impact on rock and roll, especially through the beat he's known for, which became foundational in the genre. He influenced the Yardbirds, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, among many others, with his particularly lighthearted, rhythm-based brand of blues. Diddley grew up in Chicago and began his blues career playing on the street, eventually forming his own band which included harmonica master Billy Boy Arnold and signing with record label Chess. Many of his songs are blues and rock and roll classics. Diddley further influenced rock and roll with his design of a square guitar, one of his trademarks. He continues to tour and record.
Essential listening: "Who Do You Love," "You Can't Judge a Book by its Cover," "Mona," "I'm a Man"
Willie Dixon
Born: July 1, 1915, Vicksburg, Mississippi
Died: January 29, 1992, Burbank, California
Willie Dixon is best known for his songwriting prowess, although his influence on the blues includes his superb work as a producer, arranger, session musician and performer. Dixon began performing in Chicago in the late 1930s; his career was interrupted briefly in the early 1940s when he was jailed for refusing the draft as a conscientious objector. He later worked for the blues label Chess, where his songwriting gave a significant boost to the careers of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter and others. Howlin' Wolf had such success with his rendition of Dixon's tunes that for years they were his primary recording and performance efforts. As a mentor to vocalist Koko Taylor, Dixon had her record "Wang Dang Doodle," which became a huge hit and is still her signature classic. Later in his life Dixon had to fight to reap the financial rewards of his art and subsequently worked on behalf of other artists to assist them in securing publishing royalties. He influenced not only his contemporaries, but countless blues and rock and roll artists, including Led Zeppelin, the Doors and Cream. His body of work as a songwriter boasts many blues standards and rock and roll classics.
Essential listening: "Back Door Man," "I Can't Quit You Baby," "The Seventh Son," "You Shook Me," "The Little Red Rooster"
Fats Domino
Born: February 26, 1928, New Orleans, Louisiana
Also known as: Antoine Domino
Fats Domino began performing at the age of 14. His music combines classic "boogie woogie" piano with a New Orleans beat and flavor and R&B and jazz roots, expressed through his signature warm, easygoing vocals. Domino was enormously popular throughout the fifties and into the early sixties, hitting the R&B charts time after time with his original songs (often co-written with manager Dave Bartholomew) and eventually crossing over onto the pop charts. He made rhythm and blues music palatable to a wider audience, as his style represented the calmer edge of the spectrum, in contrast to incendiary rock artists such as Little Richard. As a performer his shy charm and warm grin reflected the mood of his music. Domino's wide popularity helped black music reach a white audience. Most of his numerous hits have become classics.
Essential listening: "Walkin' to New Orleans," ""Blueberry Hill," "Ain't It a Shame," "I'm Walkin'," "Blue Monday", "The Fat Man"
Dr. John
Born: November 21, 1940, New Orleans
Also known as: Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr.
Dr. John combines the roots of New Orleans blues with jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, pop and rock, infused with his sense of humor and particularly original and inventive artistic sensibility. He grew up in New Orleans and was exposed to the city's music early on his father owned a record store and repaired equipment in local nightclubs. Dr. John became a session musician, where he worked with such local legends as Allen Toussaint and Professor Longhair. He eventually moved to Los Angeles and continued doing session work. Legend has it he recorded his first album with excess studio time donated by Sonny & Cher. That first release, Gris Gris, along with a later release, Gumbo, are two examples of his finest work, although an even later album contained his 1973 chart hit "Right Place, Wrong Time." Dr. John is a charismatic performer who in his heyday outfitted himself in Mardi Gras regalia as a witch doctor of sorts to perform a show that was part theatric ritual. He has collaborated with many notable artists and is an accomplished producer and arranger. He continues to record, perform and work as a highly respected producer.
Essential listening: "Such A Night," "Right Place, Wrong Time," "Makin' Whoopee"
Rosco Gordon
Born: 1934, Memphis, Tennessee
Died: July 11, 2002, New York, New York
Rosco Gordon was an integral part of the Memphis Beale Street blues scene during the forties and fifties. He created a shuffle rhythm on piano known as "Rosco's rhythm" that influenced blues, and, in the opinion of some historians, also inspired the creation of the distinctive rhythm of Jamaican ska, itself a precursor of reggae. On Beale Street Gordon worked with Johnny Ace, Bobby Blue Bland and others, and in the early fifties his song "Booted" hit number one on the R&B charts. That same year he had another hit with "No More Doggin'." Throughout his career he never matched that early success, but he did continue to record and perform. Like many bluesmen he took an extended hiatus from music to earn an alternative living, but later in his life he began performing again, and continued to do so until his death in 2002.
Essential listening: "Booted," "I'm Gonna Shake It," "No More Doggin'," "She's My Baby"
Buddy Guy
Born: July 30, 1936, Lettsworth, Louisiana
Also known as: George Guy
Buddy Guy's name has become synonymous with Chicago blues. A dramatic, buoyantly joyful performer with a voice that can be at once smooth and gritty, Guy is also an esteemed guitarist. He has been idolized by the idols themselves for his superb musicianship Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Johnny Winter and even, reportedly, Jimi Hendrix have all acknowledged him as an inspiration. Guy's style of playing was heavily influenced by B.B. King, to whom he is often compared. Early in his career he worked with many of Chicago's blues legends as a session player for Chess records and teamed up with harmonica player Junior Wells; the two were a popular duo in the city for many years. Guy was more popular as a live act than as a recording artist until he teamed up with Eric Clapton in the early 1990s, which precipitated a successful and enduring comeback. In Chicago he is known as the King of the Blues. His talent and influence, his long history with the city's blues greats and his successful local blues club "Legends," contribute to his own legend.
Essential listening: "Broken Hearted Blues," "Stone Crazy," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Try to Quit You, Baby"
W.C. Handy
Born: November 16, 1873, Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Died: March 28, 1958, New York, New York
Also known as: William Christopher Handy
W.C. Handy is widely recognized by his self-proclaimed moniker, "Father of the Blues" due to his steadfast and pioneering efforts to document, write and publish blues music and his life-long support of the genre. Although much of his musical taste leaned toward a more sophisticated and polished sound, Handy was among the first to recognize the value of the blues, and Southern black music in general, as an important American legacy. Handy was an accomplished bandleader and songwriter who performed throughout the South before continuing his career in New York. He came across the Delta blues in the late 1890s, and his composition "Memphis Blues," published in 1912, was the first to include "blues" in the title. Some historians don't consider "Memphis Blues" to be an actual blues song, however it did influence the creation of other blues tunes, including the historic "Crazy Blues," which is commonly known as the first blues song to ever be recorded (by Mamie Smith in 1920). A Memphis park was named after Handy in recognition of his contribution to blues and the Blues Foundation recognizes the genre's achievements annually with the prestigious W.C. Handy award.
Essential listening: "St. Louis Blues," "Yellow Dog Blues," "Beale Street Blues"
Corey Harris
Born: February 21, 1969, Denver, Colorado
Corey Harris can play and sing like a classic bluesman his first album was a thorough exploration and interpretation of Delta blues. Since then he has incorporated the influence of rich musical traditions from New Orleans to Africa to the Caribbean, all while maintaining his reputation as a first-class performer and recording artist. Harris learned how to play the guitar when he was 12, and was originally inspired by Texas blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins. As a student he traveled to Africa and later moved to New Orleans where he performed on the streets before signing a recording contract. Each of Harris's albums has received critical acclaim, and he continues to draw from a wide range of influences, including hip hop, reggae, funk, jazz, blues, R&B and Latin music.
Essential listening: "Black Maria," "Feel Like Going Home," "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning," "Bound to Miss Me," "Capitaine"
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Born: March 2, 1963, Oakland, California
Alvin Youngblood Hart is a contemporary bluesman whose original music and cover interpretations are infused with a pure Delta blues influence. A native of California, Hart's family roots are in Mississippi, and he grew up visiting the area annually, falling in love with the rural lifestyle and hearing stories of blues patriarch Charley Patton. The influences of legendary bluesmen such as Bukka White, Son House, Howlin' Wolf, and Muddy Waters can be heard in Hart's many classic interpretations of blues standards as well as his original material. His additional influences include the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and B.B. King as well as formidable vocalists Jimmy Witherspoon and Jimmy Reed. While living in California as a teenager, Hart taught himself to play guitar and spent a lot of time immersed in the Delta blues and its history. Ironically, his performance career began when he just happened to be stationed in Natchez, Mississippi as a member of the Coast Guard. He eventually began playing gigs in California, and ended up with a record deal after a stint opening for Taj Mahal brought him wider visibility. In 1997 Youngblood won the W.C. Handy award for Best New Artist.
Essential listening: "Devil Got My Woman," "Things "Bout Coming My Way," "That Kate Adams Jive," "Jinx Blues," "Motherless Child"
Jimi Hendrix
Born: November 27, 1942, Seattle, Washington
Died: September 18, 1970, London, England
Seattle-born lead guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Jimi Hendrix created an amazing body of work during his short career, changing the face of music forever through his revolutionary guitar playing and recordings. Although he is often perceived as a rock and roll icon, his roots lie in the blues. As he once recalled: "The first guitarist I was aware of was Muddy Waters. I heard one of his old records when I was a little boy and it scared me to death, because I heard all of these sounds. Wow, what is that all about?" Picking up the guitar in his teens, Hendrix eventually spent four grueling years on the national R&B circuit as a sideman. Upon setting out on his own, he settled first in New York, then relocated to London. By late 1966 he was a sensation in Europe, and in the U.S. shortly thereafter, mesmerizing audiences with searing electric guitar work coupled with the flash of an R&B road band playing the guitar with his teeth, behind his neck, and between his legs. Hendrix became the Aquarian Age avatar of the no-holds-barred African-American showbiz tradition, and the blues were rarely far from the surface of his work. His career and creative trajectory took him to ever greater heights until his passing in 1970. Today, his legend continues to grow, and his example continues to inspire new generations of musicians.
Essential listening: "Devil Got My Woman," "Things "Bout Coming My Way," "That Kate Adams Jive," "Jinx Blues," "Motherless Child"
Text derived from the Jimi Hendrix Gallery at Experience Music Project, Seattle.
Billie Holiday
Born: April 7, 1915, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died: July 17, 1959, New York, New York
Also known as: Eleanora Fagan Gough
Billie Holiday was a legendary vocalist whose uncompromising artistry and highly original, personalized style which included an innovative sense of phrasing, rhythm and harmony has had a tremendous impact on generations of vocalists from all genres. Holiday's life was fraught with difficulty, which may be why she was able to sing the blues so convincingly. A huge part of her appeal was her ability to convey the meaning of the lyrics, giving the impression that she had lived her material. Holiday has acknowledged Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong as two of her primary influences, and during her career she worked with legends Artie Shaw, Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman. Among her many classic recordings are the disturbingly evocative "Strange Fruit," which controversially addressed the violence of racism, and her own composition "God Bless the Child."
Essential listening: "Lover Man," "God Bless the Child," "Strange Fruit," "Good Morning Heartache"
John Lee Hooker
Born: August 22, 1917, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Died: August 21, 2001, Los Altos, California
John Lee Hooker was a master of "boogie" with haunting, sensuously compelling signature vocals and the ability to create a whole world of sound from a single, repetitive chord. His unique, original style hugely influenced other blues artists and especially rock and roll. The Rolling Stones, the Animals, early Fleetwood Mac and Johnny Winter are just a few of Hooker's admirers. Early on he was influenced by gospel and Delta blues. He learned to play guitar from his stepfather, who reportedly knew blues legend Charley Patton. In 1943 he moved to Detroit, where his sound was a welcome and complete change from the slicker post-war blues. For the next four decades Hooker continued to work with his signature style, performing and recording, and his devotion to his craft never faded, even when his popularity did. The respect he'd long garnered from the blues and rock community was evident in his comeback 1989 release The Healer, which featured a roll call of prestigious names from both genres. As he aged he was known as a living blues legend, and he continued to perform, even when he had to be slowly escorted to the stage.
Essential listening: "Boogie Chillen," "I'm in the Mood," "Hoogie Boogie," "Boom Boom," "Baby Lee," "The Healer"
Lightnin' Hopkins
Born: March 15, 1912, Centerville, Texas
Died: January 30, 1982, Houston, Texas
Also known as: Sam Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins's influence on Texas blues is surpassed only by that of Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker. Like Walker, Hopkins met Jefferson when he was just a boy and was forever influenced by his exposure to the musician. Hopkins's original brand of blues was characterized by an unusual sense of rhythm and loose sense of structure. His many moods and personality nuances came through in his ever-changing performance and diverse repertoire. He was a talented songwriter, known for his ability to create lyrics on the spot, and he hardly ever played a song with the exact same lyrics twice. Hopkins played and recorded primarily in Texas throughout most of his career until, as one of the many blues greats who benefited from the blues revival of the 1960s, he was kept busy touring and performing at festivals. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, two years before his death.
Essential listening: "Tim Moore's Farm," "Coffee Blues," "Lightnin's Boogie," "Hopkins's Sky Hop"
Son House
Born: March 21, 1902, Riverton, Mississippi
Died: October 19, 1988, Detroit, Michigan
Also known as: Eddie James House, Jr.
Son House was originally a preacher, and he brought the fiery intensity of Baptist gospel to his interpretation of Delta blues. A powerfully emotional performer, his presence onstage was riveting and almost frightening in its ability to move the listener. He was influenced by and often played with blues greats Charley Patton and Willie Brown, yet his style remained distinctly his own. He is credited as the primary influence on blues legends Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters as well as Bonnie Raitt and many others. House disappeared from the blues scene from the early 1940s through the mid-1960s, until researchers tracked him down, whereupon he began a second career as a respected performer. His past association with Patton and Johnson, as well as his own legendary skill, made him particularly valuable and respected as a living record of blues history. As music critic Cub Koda put it, "Hailed as the greatest living Delta singer still actively performing, nobody dared call themselves the king of the blues as long as Son House was around." *
Essential listening: "Preachin' the Blues," "Death Letter," "John the Revelator," "Dry Spell Blues," "My Black Mama"
* www.allmusic.com
Born: June 10, 1910, West Point, Mississippi
Died: January 10, 1976, Hines, Illinois
Also known as: Chester Arthur Burnett
Howlin' Wolf was inspired by the passionate showmanship of legends Charley Patton and Tommy Johnson, but he took it to the next level. More than just a great showman, "the howler" was an almost transcendent performer, losing himself in the power of the music and letting it flow uninhibitedly through his voice. Wolf could whip the crowd into a frenzy like no other performer, and his stature at more than 6 feet tall and 300 or so pounds matched his formidable musical presence. His voice was truly original, a nasty sounding, expressively gritty growl that conveyed the meaning of the lyrics many of them penned by legendary songwriter Willie Dixon and his interpretation helped many songs become classics. The allure of Wolf's music was further enhanced by the superb guitarists who played with him Willie Johnson in the early years and Hubert Sumlin in later years as well as his own skill with guitar and harmonica, the latter of which he learned to play from master Sonny Boy Williamson. Wolf was a hero of many equally gritty rock and rollers, including the Rolling Stones. Like many Mississippi bluesmen, Wolf saw his career take off in Chicago, where to this day he is an enduring and beloved part of the city's history.
Essential listening: "Smokestack Lightnin'," "Moanin' at Midnight," "Evil," "Killing Floor," "Shake for Me"
Mississippi John Hurt
Born: July 3, 1893, Teoc, Mississippi
Died: November 2, 1966, Grenada, Mississippi
Also known as: John Smith Hurt
Mississippi John Hurt brought unprecedented warmth to the blues, characterized by his gentle, gracious presence as a performer and the tenderness and depth of his songwriting. Hurt mastered a form of finger picking on the guitar that significantly influenced generations of blues, folk and rock musicians. From the time he was 14, Hurt performed locally in and near his tiny hometown while making his living as a farm laborer. Like other Mississippi masters, he was tracked down later in life by a blues fan and scholar and introduced to the burgeoning blues revival of the mid-1960s. During the last three years of his life, to his surprise and delight, he was accepted with open arms by thousands of fans and subsequently made his living as a performer. He has influenced the musicianship and songwriting of blues, folk and rock and his musical descendants include Taj Mahal, Ben Harper, Bob Dylan and many others.
Essential listening: "Frankie," "Louis Collins," "Avalon Blues," " Stack O' Lee ," "Big Leg Blues"
Elmore James
Born: June 27, 1910, Richland, Mississippi
Died: May 24, 1963, Chicago, Illinois
Elmore James was a master of slide guitar, and has influenced just about everyone who has ever picked up a slide. His powerful vocals would naturally and dramatically crack and catch, giving authenticity to his sound. His on-and-off day job as a radio repairman complemented his art he experimented with sound distortion decades before it became a staple of modern rock. James began performing at the age of 14, and played with Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson and others. His style as a vocalist and guitarist were heavily influenced by Robert Johnson, and his reworking of Johnson's original "(I Believe I'll) Dust My Broom" became a signature hit for him (under the shortened title "Dust My Broom"). Like his contemporary Muddy Waters, James brought his version of Delta blues to Chicago, where his amazing band, the Broomdusters, added to the city's superb music scene. James has influenced blues and rock and roll musicians, from B.B. King and Eric Clapton to Johnny Winter and Duane Allman, as well as many others.
Essential listening: "Dust My Broom," "The Sky is Crying," "Hand in Hand," "Shake Your Money Maker"
Skip James
Born: June 21, 1902, Bentonia, Mississippi
Died: October 3, 1969, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Also known as: Nehemiah Curtis James
Skip James is known for his unique, haunting style of blues. He combined falsetto vocals with minor chords, complex finger picking, an idiosyncratic tuning, and a highly personal style of songwriting to create some of the genre's most original music. James was one of Robert Johnson's biggest influences; his original song "Devil Got My Woman" was reworked by Johnson and became the latter's signature hit "Hellhound on my Trail". Like many of his contemporaries of the early Delta blues scene, he turned to another means of livelihood, becoming a preacher at the age of 30 and turning his musical attention to gospel. By chance James was rediscovered during the early 1960s, and subsequently thrilled blues fans at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, thereby re-launching his career. It was obvious that his musical skills were still as sharp as ever and his unique style was intact. In 1966 the band Cream released a popular version of James's original "I'm So Glad."
Essential listening: "Devil Got My Woman," "I'm So Glad," "Sickbed Blues, " Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues "
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Born: July 1897, Couchman, Texas
Died: December, 1929, Chicago, Illinois
Also known as: Deacon L.J. Bates
Blind Lemon Jefferson was a groundbreaking artist on many levels, and is the undisputed father of Texas blues. His innovative guitar style probably partly influenced by Mexican flamenco guitarists featured a flair for arpeggios (playing each note of a chord separately rather than in unison), unconventional use of bass notes and unusual phrasing as well as jazz-inspired improvisation, all of which paved the way for the many brilliant Texas guitarists who would follow in his lineage, from T-Bone Walker to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Walker, in fact, knew Jefferson and was directly influenced by him. Even early in his career Jefferson's remarkable talent was evident. He built a fan base playing on the streets of Dallas, and was able to provide for his family on those earnings. He recorded close to 100 songs within only four years, and his commercial success broke ground for male blues singers in an era where the genre was dominated by women, such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. As a talented songwriter he shifted the common practice of blues vocalists primarily performing songs written by others. His original material includes many blues classics.
Essential listening: "See That My Grave is Kept Clean," "Jack of Diamonds," "Matchbox Blues"
Blind Willie Johnson
Born: 1902, Marlin, Texas
Died: 1947, Beaumont, Texas
Blind Willie Johnson was a deeply religious man who played gospel music, much of it blues-based, as a way to preach. His passionate performance style featured powerful, rough vocals designed to reach the masses from Texas street corners. Johnson was a talented songwriter as well as a superb slide guitarist. He would pick the melody while accompanying himself with a bass line he'd play with his thumb, and he reportedly played slide with a pocketknife rather than the customary bottleneck. During the 1930s Johnson did some recording for Columbia. A number of his songs became classics, and have been covered by many artists, including Eric Clapton, Peter, Paul and Mary and Ry Cooder.
Essential listening: "Motherless Children Have a Hard Time," "Let Your Light Shine on Me," "Dark Was the Night Cold Was the Ground," "If I Had My Way"
Robert Johnson
Born: May 8, 1911, Hazelhurst, Mississippi
Died: August 28, 1938, Greenwood, Mississippi
A young Robert Johnson hung around the Saturday night dances in the Delta watching Son House, Willie Brown and Charley Patton play and, to their amusement, trying to play guitar during the breaks. Years later Johnson ran into House and Brown, and Johnson's skill on the instrument stunned them. He had acquired his skill in such a short time that it inspired a rumor that became legend Johnson must have sold his soul to the devil. His tortured voice and emotional intensity seemed to give credence to the legend, although it is more likely that his own determination and inherent talent, as well as his exposure to the great Delta bluesmen, deserve the credit for his genius. In addition to being a gifted lyricist and composer and innovative guitarist, Johnson transferred "boogie woogie" from the piano to the guitar, playing the bottom guitar strings to accompany himself with a bass line, a technique that has become standard in blues composition. His influence on blues, from Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton to the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, is legendary.
Essential listening: "Walkin' Blues," "Love in Vain Blues," "Come on in My Kitchen" "Terraplane Blues," " Cross Road Blues "
Tommy Johnson
Born: 1896, Terry, Mississippi
Died: November 1, 1956, Crystal Springs, Mississippi
Tommy Johnson was a hell-raiser who could belt out the blues with a wide vocal range, from a low throaty snarl to a high falsetto. He had a dramatic flair in performance similar to his contemporary, Delta blues king Charley Patton, and in the early, pre-Robert Johnson days his influence on the genre was second only to that of Patton and Son House. He was not a virtuoso on the guitar, but had an original, evocative style, well-matched to his theatrical delivery. Johnson significantly influenced blues greats Muddy Waters, Robert Nighthawk and especially Howlin' Wolf, who would carry on and even outdo the Patton/Johnson tradition of incendiary, down-and-dirty showmanship. Johnson was also the quintessential blues bad boy, with a penchant for rampant womanizing and for alcohol, the latter of which led him to drastic extremes. He was known to down denatured alcohol, used for artificial heat, when the real thing wasn't available, a habit he documented in his original song "Canned Heat," from which the 1960s blues-rock group took its name. Johnson left behind a small but outstanding collection of recordings, almost all of which became classics.
Essential listening: "Maggie Campbell," "Big Road Blues," "Cool Drink of Water," "Canned Heat"
Tom Jones
Born: June 6, 1940, Pontypridd, South Wales
Tom Jones is a stunning vocalist with a powerful, emotionally expressive baritone-tenor range matched by a legendarily charismatic stage presence that has often been compared to that of Elvis Presley Presley, in fact, regarded him as one of the world's finest vocalists. Jones's first hit, "It's Not Unusual," reached number one in the U.K. and placed in the U.S. top 10 in 1965. He followed that up with a steady string of hits throughout the sixties, and eventually landed his own TV series. Jones's prolific recording career has encompassed everything from gospel to rockabilly to funk to electronic and dance music in the late eighties he collaborated with techno group Art of Noise, and had a big hit with a tongue-in-cheek cover of Prince's, "Kiss," a recording that showcased Jones's enduring talent and appeal as well as his sense of humor. Other milestones include a superb recording collaboration with the Chieftains and an acclaimed performance at the legendary Glastonbury Festival, both in the early nineties. Jones remains an esteemed performer worldwide, and continues to tour and record; his latest release, Mr. Jones, is a collaboration with acclaimed hip hop artist Wyclef Jean.
Essential listening: "Tennessee Waltz," "Kiss," "Green, Green Grass of Home," "She's a Lady," "I Who Have Nothing"
Albert King
Born: April 25, 1923, Indianola, Mississippi
Died: December 21, 1992
Also known as: Albert Nelson
As a child an enterprising Albert King reportedly built his own guitar out of a cigar box. A brilliant guitarist in his own right, King was originally inspired by Texas blues great Blind Lemon Jefferson. Like B.B. King, he was a master of single string solos and used the technique of "string bending" to great emotional effect. He was also left-handed, and instead of restringing the guitar, he just learned to play it upside down, which added an original tone to his style. His blues are infused with a Memphis soul sound; he became a rock and blues star after signing to the Memphis-based Stax label, which was responsible for some of the finest soul music ever recorded. King always managed to keep his sound fresh and original, and had a significant impact on blues and rock; he has influenced Eric Clapton, Robert Clay, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Otis Rush, among others. He had the honor of playing San Francisco's Fillmore West on opening night with John Mayall and Jimi Hendrix and often shared the bill with rock artists throughout his career. King continued to tour until his death in 1992.
Essential listening: "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong," "Crosscut Saw," "Born Under a Bad Sign," "I'll Play the Blues for You"
B.B. King
Born: September 16, 1925, Indianola, Mississippi
Also known as: Riley B. King
B.B. King's career has spanned five decades and taken him from the clubs of Memphis to the finest concert halls in the world. He's known as the King of the Blues, and for his enduring and successful efforts as a gracious, respected blues diplomat he deserves much of the credit for the genre's mainstream popularity and recognition. Early in his career King worked as a Memphis disc jockey, where he was known as the Beale Street Blues Boy, which was later shortened to B.B. Although King's roots are in Delta blues, his sound has always been more polished, probably due to his wide variety of influences, which include jazz, gospel and pop. King's highly influential style probably originally inspired by Texas blues greats Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker features "single string" guitar solos that are so well-integrated with his commanding vocals that it's sometimes hard to tell the two apart. He also "bends" the strings, which continues the sound in a way that enhances the music's emotion. He has influenced countless blues and rock artists, including Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck. King continues to record and perform as powerfully as ever.
Essential listening: " Three O'Clock Blues ," "How Blue Can You Get," "The Thrill is Gone," "Sweet Little Angel," "Paying the Cost to be the Boss"
Chris Thomas King
Born: October 14, 1963, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Also known as: Chris Thomas
The essence of Chris Thomas King's versatile, heavily blues-influenced music can perhaps best be hinted at with a quick sample of his album titles: his 1986 debut, The Beginning; 1995's 21st Century Blues�From da Hood; 2000's Me, My Guitar and the Blues; and 2002's Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues. King's early influences leaned toward soul, rock and reggae, specifically Prince, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, but it was inevitable that his blues birthright (as the son of Louisiana bluesman Tabby Thomas) would eventually wend its way into his work. King toured Europe with his father in 1983, and since then the blues have been an integral part of his work. Throughout his career he has fused the blues with hip hop, rap, funk and soul, and also has repeatedly returned to a more pure form of blues, exploring the soul and history of the music in a critically acclaimed, always-evolving body of work. King is most recently known for his appearance on the award-winning soundtrack from the film O Brother Where Art Thou , in which he also played a supporting role.
Read an archived version of King's Washington Post online chat .
Essential listening: "Soon This Morning Blues," "Mary Jane," "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues," " Da Thrill is Gone From Here ," "Revelations"
Sam Lay
Born: March 20, 1935, Birmingham, Alabama
Sam Lay is the quintessential blues drummer, and was a major figure on the Chicago blues scene in the 1960's. He played for years with legend Howlin' Wolf, and throughout his career has backed many other blues greats, including Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Willie Dixon. He eventually was hired away from Howlin' Wolf by the legendary Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Lay was part of Butterfield's band when they backed Bob Dylan at his infamous premier electric performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. He has played on many classic albums, including the 1965 release Paul Butterfield Blues Band, that significantly impacted the 1960s blues revival; Muddy Waters's Fathers and Sons; and Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited. Lay is famous for the "double shuffle" beat, which, like Bo Diddley's famous rock beat, was originally inspired by the clapping rhythms of gospel congregations. Lay has been nominated for several W.C. Handy awards.
Essential listening: "I'm Ready," "Standing Around Crying" (from Fathers and Sons, Chess); "Blues With a Feeling," "I Got My Mojo Working," "Shake Your Money Maker" (from Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Elektra)
Lead Belly
Born: January 20, 1888, Mooringsport, Louisiana
Died: December 6, 1949, New York, New York
Also known as: Huddie William Ledbetter
By all accounts Lead Belly was a captivating performer, and the story of his colorful life certainly gives credence to the reputation. His performance was enchanting enough to disarm even the heavy arm of Southern, white, law enforcement he twice was pardoned from long prison sentences as a result of his talent. Lead Belly was an itinerant musician, and a living catalogue of many musical traditions and influences, from folk to country blues to prison songs to ballads. His wide repertoire carried a rich sense of black history. He traveled and played for a time with Blind Lemon Jefferson, who was probably his primary blues influence and reportedly taught him how to play slide guitar. It was folklorist John Lomax who recognized Lead Belly as a national treasure and orchestrated his second prison release on those grounds, later recording him and organizing performances. Lead Belly later moved to New York and became an integral part of the city's folk scene. During his lifetime he never experienced the success and recognition he deserved, but his influence on American music is incalculable. He has inspired many songwriters, including Bob Dylan, and his recordings document a rich musical legacy that without him might have been forgotten.
Essential listening: "Goodnight Irene," "Bourgeois Blues," "Scottsboro Blues," "Rock Island Line"
J.B. Lenoir
Born: May 5, 1929, Monticello, Mississippi
Died: April 29, 1967, Urbana, Illinois
J.B. Lenoir probably picked up his solid "boogie woogie" influence in New Orleans, where he spent some time performing before he settled into Chicago's blues scene during the fifties and sixties. While in New Orleans he played with blues greats Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James. Once Lenoir made it to Chicago, Big Bill Broonzy helped introduce him to the local blues community, and he became an important part of the city's blues scene. He was a talented songwriter and bluesman with an obvious political awareness. Examples of his outspoken views can be found in "Korea Blues," and "Eisenhower Blues" the latter reportedly caused enough controversy that his record label forced him to remake the tune under the title "Tax Paying Blues." His penchant for social commentary and his high-pitched vocals distinguish him from other bluesmen of that time. Lenoir's recordings are also distinctive for their excellent saxophone arrangements and unconventional drumming (Alex Atkins and Ernest Cotton were often on sax with Al Gavin on drums). Lenoir had successfully toured Europe and was likely about to achieve greater fame when he died in 1966 due to complications from a car accident.
Essential listening: " Shot on James Meredith ," "Mama, Talk to Your Daughter," "Everybody Wants to Know," "Natural Man," "Eisenhower Blues," "Korea Blues," "Vietnam Blues"
Little Richard
Born: December 5, 1932, Macon, Georgia
Also known as: Richard Wayne Penniman
Little Richard was a crucial link between R&B and rock and roll, merging the two with passionate, gospel-inspired vocals and a truly incendiary presence that translated incredibly well onto recording tape. The true peak of his career only lasted three years (and included appearances in rock and roll films), but his many hits are absolute classics and he had an enormous influence on blues, rock, and pop music. Little Richard's recordings feature an overwhelming compilation of superb musicianship his ferocious vocals and relentlessly wild piano playing, strong baritone and tenor sax (often Alvin Tyler and Lee Alvin, respectively), and fabulous rhythm section (namely drummer Earl Palmer). Like other performers such as Son House and Blind Willie Johnson, the religious fervor Little Richard brought to his music was key to its riveting appeal. In 1957 he actually turned his back on his music career in favor of religious studies. He came back to music in the early 1960s, and later repeated the journey from music to religion and back again. Little Richard continues to perform on occasion.
Essential listening: "Lucille," "Good Golly Miss Molly," "Long Tall Sally," "Tutti Frutti"
Alan Lomax
Born: January 15, 1915, Austin, Texas
Died: July 19, 2002, Sarasota, Florida
Alan Lomax began his long career as a folklorist when he was still a teenager, traveling with his father, John, throughout the South to preserve the area's music legacy of folk, work songs and spirituals, among other music. During their travels to Southern prisons, the father and son team came upon William Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, recorded him for the first time and actually negotiated his release on the basis of the singer/songwriter's talent. Alan Lomax subsequently returned to the South on his own, where he recorded many Mississippi bluesmen, including Muddy Waters, Son House, and Mississippi Fred McDowell. He also recorded jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton. Lomax's life was dedicated to preserving the musical legacy of not only the United States, but other parts of the world as well, including Europe and the Caribbean. His blues recordings are classics, and in his award-winning memoir, The Land Where the Blues Began, he not only chronicled the history of the blues as seen through his field experiences, but also captured the bitter racism that was faced by the now-legendary artists he recorded. Lomax left behind an invaluable musical and historical legacy.
Essential listening: "Walking Blues," "Country Blues," "Life is Like That" (from The Land Where the Blues Began, 2002, Rounder)
Brownie McGhee
Born: November 30, 1915, Knoxville, Tennessee
Died: February 23, 1996, Oakland, California
Also known as: Walter McGhee
Brownie McGhee played blues guitar in a style that was heavily influenced by Blind Boy Fuller, a North Carolina native whose repertoire included a complicated finger picking style characteristic of a regional genre known as Piedmont blues. Early in his career, McGhee worked as a traveling performer. When he made it to North Carolina he met Blind Boy Fuller and his manager, J.B. Long, and it was Long who helped McGhee make his first recordings. McGhee later moved to New York where he teamed up with harmonica player Sonny Terry. With the help of legendary singer/songwriter Lead Belly, McGhee and Terry became an important part of the city's folk scene, working with such artists as Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. As a duo they were enormously popular performers and prolific recording artists for almost four decades. McGhee also opened a music school in Harlem where he offered guitar lessons. Both individually and in his partnership with Sonny Terry, McGhee had a lasting influence on both blues and folk. He was an accomplished and versatile guitarist and vocalist whose mastery as a musician included R&B, electric blues and vintage country blues, in addition to the Piedmont style he helped preserve.
Essential listening: "Workingman's Blues," "Death of Blind Boy Fuller," "Living With the Blues"
Magic Slim
Born: August 7, 1937, Grenada, Mississippi
Also known as: Morris Holt
A Magic Slim performance brings the history of Chicago blues to life he studied and played with the masters and he brings their styles together, infusing them with his own fiery skill. He might not be the King of the Blues in Chicago, but he's certainly one of the royal family. Slim grew up in Mississippi and knew blues great Magic Sam when the two were children it was Sam who gave him the nickname. Slim came to Chicago in the mid-fifties with the hopes of becoming a great bluesman, but didn't have the skill level to hold his own with the city's stars. He came back ten years later having honed his licks and formed a band with his brothers; the group soon became a powerful force on the city's South Side. Slim was particularly influenced by the guitar work of Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and his old buddy Magic Sam, and he was a devoted student. Decades (and personnel changes) later Slim and his band still maintain a reputation for blowing the room away with their powerful lead and rhythm guitar stylings and a truly amazing repertoire, including fine original material.
Essential listening: "Scuffling," "Love My Baby," "Help Yourself"
Taj Mahal
Born: May 17, 1942, New York, New York
Also known as: Henry St. Claire Fredericks
Taj Mahal is an extremely versatile songwriter, musician and performer who incorporates his lifelong study of blues and other genres, as well as the music of other cultures including Hawaiian, West African, reggae, zydeco, R&B, Latin, gospel, jazz and folk in his songwriting and performance. Mahal has mastered many instruments, including piano, bass, guitar, banjo and harmonica, and is an expressive vocalist. His deep respect for the true roots of all musical styles is evident in his performance. Stories of legendary and obscure artists from blues and other genres as well as various musical styles and influences are often interspersed between songs. Mahal began performing as a folk singer while he was still a teenager, and during college he became part of Boston's folk scene. He eventually moved to Los Angeles where for a short time he worked with guitar master Ry Cooder. Mahal's loyalty to blues can be found on most of the albums he has released in his prolific career, and is particularly evident in his early, critically-acclaimed releases. Taj Mahal continues to record and perform.
Essential listening: " Fishin' Blues ," "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," "Do I Love Her," "Satisfied and Tickled Too," "Strut," "Hard Way"
John Mayall
Born: November 29, 1933, Manchester, England
John Mayall's considerable talent as a composer and performer is often overshadowed by the influence of his ever-changing band, the Bluesbreakers, which has been in existence since the early 1960's, and early on gained a prestigious reputation that has endured to the present day. Mayall brought together a stunning array of talent in the groundbreaking group, which mined the annals of American blues history in addition to performing original music. The group was partly experimental, and as a result its sound was inconsistent, but much of it was outstanding. Many members of the Bluesbreakers subsequently became superstars. Even a short list of the band's veterans reads like a who's who in enduring sixties and seventies blues-rock: Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce, who left to form the supergroup Cream; guitarist Mick Taylor, who left to join the Rolling Stones; and guitarist Peter Green, bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood, who with others co-founded Fleetwood Mac (originally conceived as a pure blues band). Mayall continues to perform, often with longtime Bluesbreakers veterans and other blues legends.
Essential listening: "All Your Love," "Room to Move," "Ramblin' On My Mind," "Parchman Farm," "It Ain't Right"
Memphis Minnie
Born: June 3, 1897, Algiers, Louisiana
Died: August 6, 1973, Memphis, Tennessee
Also known as: Lizzie Douglas
Memphis Minnie was an accomplished guitarist, banjo player, vocalist and songwriter whose career was long and prolific, and she won the enduring respect of her contemporaries, male and female. Her talent had an impact on Memphis's famed Beale Street blues community as well as both the pre-war and post-war Chicago blues scene. She established herself on Beale Street during the 1920s, then moved to Chicago in 1930, where she reportedly regularly won guitar playing competitions, beating out the best of them, including Big Bill Broonzy, Tampa Red, and Muddy Waters. In addition to her superb musicianship, her performance featured rich vocals with a deep, full tone. Her songwriting, often conveying a purely female perspective, was as gutsy and suggestive as any of her male counterparts, and many of her originals have become classics. Among her many contributions to the blues, she was also known for her kindness and generosity toward up and coming blues musicians. In 1971 Led Zeppelin recorded its take on her original "When the Levee Breaks" a testament to the timeless appeal of her music.
Essential listening: "Bumble Bee," "I'd Rather See Him Dead," "Moaning the Blues," "When the Levee Breaks," "Hoodoo Lady"
Muddy Waters
Born: April 4, 1915, Rolling Forks, Mississippi
Died: April 30, 1983, Westmont, Illinois
Also known as: McKinley Morganfield
Muddy Waters grew up in the Mississippi Delta, singing as he worked in the cotton fields as a boy and playing near his favorite muddy creek thus the nickname. He picked up a guitar when he was 17. Influenced by the deeply emotional performer Son House as well as Robert Johnson, Waters became an accomplished bluesman himself. In the early 1940s he took the raw depth of the Delta blues to Chicago, and in a few years he had revolutionized the city's blues scene. His many contributions to Chicago blues include his skill with an electric guitar, his tough, powerful vocals, and his evocative, compelling songwriting. As a bandleader he established the ensemble sound and style of Chicago electric blues just about every great Chicago blues player of that time was in Waters's band at one point or another. British rockers the Rolling Stones took their name from a Waters's song a testament to Waters's extensive influence on both American and British rock and roll.
Essential listening: "Rolling Stone," "Honey Bee," "I Can't Be Satisfied," " Mannish Boy ," "Got My Mojo Working"
Willie Nix
Born: August 6, 1922, Memphis, Tennessee
Died: July 8, 1991, Leland, Mississippi
Willie Nix was an innovative drummer and gifted lyricist as well as vocalist, and was an integral part of Memphis's Beale Street blues community during the late forties and early fifties. Nix originally began performing as a tap-dancer when he was very young his creative sense of rhythm as a drummer likely had its roots in his instincts as a dancer. Nix recorded and played in both Memphis and Chicago, and worked with legendary bluesmen in both cities, among them Junior Parker, B.B. King, Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and Bobby Blue Bland. Nix eventually moved back to Memphis and continued to be a local fixture in the blues community. He performed on and off until his death in 1991.
Essential listening: "Truckin' Little Woman," "Nervous Wreck," "No More Love"
Junior Parker
Born: March 27, 1932, West Memphis, Arkansas
Died: November 18, 1971, Chicago, Illinois
Also known as: Herman Parker, Jr.
Junior Parker was known for his prowess as a vocalist, bandleader, songwriter and harmonica player, but it was his voice which music historians describe as "honeyed," "velvet-smooth" and "magic carpet" that brought him real fame. Parker was mentored in the subtleties of blues harp (harmonica) by the blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson II, and joined Howlin' Wolf's band when he was still a teenager. He was part of Memphis's famous Beale Street blues community. Reportedly one of talent scout Ike Turner's many discoveries, Parker recorded for Sun records in the early fifties; his rendition of the self-penned "Mystery Train" made it to number 5 on the R&B charts and was later covered by Elvis Presley. Parker's recordings would make the charts many more times throughout the decade and into the early sixties. During the late fifties Parker led a highly successful R&B revue, Blues Consolidated, which also featured fellow Beale Street vocalist Bobby Blue Bland. Though he never was able to sustain the fame he'd achieved during the fifties, Parker continued working as a recording artist and performer throughout the sixties.
Essential listening: "Mystery Train," "Next Time You See Me," "Barefoot Rock," "Feelin' Good," "Love My Baby"
Charley Patton
Born: 1891, Edwards, Mississippi
Died: April 28, 1934, Indianola, Mississippi
Charley Patton is the uncontested father of the Delta blues. His ferocious, high energy performance brought the house down on a regular basis with a gritty, raw vocal style and an ability to act as a one-man percussion section with his guitar, creating an innovative flow of rhythm and counter-rhythm. His uninhibited performances onstage were reflected in his lifestyle he was a match for any one of his musical descendants as a hard drinker and womanizer. Patton's legacy has inspired, directly and indirectly, generations of both blues and rock and roll musicians. The guitar gymnastics of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan are echoes of Patton's performance style, and his use of rhythm and "popping" bass notes presaged funk by decades. Patton influenced and played with blues greats Son House and Willie Brown, and also influenced Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Shines, John Lee Hooker, and Pop Staples, among many others.
Essential listening: "Pony Blues," "High Water Everywhere," "Oh Death," "High Sheriff Blues"
Sam Phillips
Born: January 1, 1923, Florence, Alabama
Died: July 31, 2003, Memphis, Tennessee
Sam Phillips has had an enormous impact on music, particularly blues, rock and roll and rockabilly. As an innovative producer and owner of Memphis's legendary Sun Studios, Phillips made his mark on music history by discovering and recording such legends as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and others. Slightly earlier in his career, however, Phillips recorded many blues legends, including Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Little Milton and Junior Parker. Sun Studios is often called "The Birthplace of Rock and Roll" in 1951 Phillips recorded the legendary single "Rocket 88," which is often referred to as the first rock and roll record. The song reached number one on R&B charts and helped put Memphis on the musical map. Phillip's obvious gift for bringing out the best in his recording artists is evident on early Sun recordings, which are also known for their live, vital sound. Sun Studios still exists in its original Memphis location.
Essential listening: "B.B. Blues," "My Baby Walked Off," "I Found a New Love," "Lookin' for My Baby" (from Blue Flames: A Sun Blues Collection, Rhino-Sun)
Professor Longhair
Born: December 19, 1918, Bogalusa, Louisiana
Died: January 30, 1980, New Orleans, Louisiana
Also known as: Henry Roeland "Roy" Byrd
Professor Longhair is known as the Father of New Orleans rhythm and blues. He was a vocalist and songwriter, and as a pianist his wildly innovative style combined zydeco, jazz, blues, calypso and ragtime influences with an amazing sense of rhythm. Longhair's infectious talent influenced New Orleans-based greats such as Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and Fats Domino, among others. He began performing when he was quite young, and later formed several bands, including Professor Longhair and his Blues Jumpers, with whom he recorded the single, "Baldhead," which eventually reached number 5 on the R&B charts. During most of his career he remained a local legend because of his lack of interest in touring, but many of his recordings became New Orleans classics, including "Tipitina," for which the legendary nightclub was named. Longhair's popularity subsided during the 1960's and he worked as a janitor until his performance career was revived in the early seventies. Thereafter he was a regular at New Orleans's Jazz & Heritage Festival, toured the U.S. and Europe and continued to record to critical acclaim.
Essential recordings: "Tipitina," "Baldhead," " Big Chief ," "Go to the Mardi Gras," "In the Night"
Gertrude "Ma" Rainey
Born: April 26, 1886, Columbus, Georgia
Died: December 22, 1939, Columbus, Georgia
Also known as: Gertrude Pridgett
Ma Rainey is commonly known as the Mother of the Blues because of her significant influence on the many female blues singers who succeeded her. She began performing in minstrel and vaudeville shows around the age of 14, and is widely considered to be one of the first female singers to perform blues in that setting. She was an important link between the rough vocals of country blues, then a male-dominated genre which her vocal delivery resembled, and the more polished sound of classic urban blues, a female-dominated genre which she ultimately influenced. In 1904 Rainey married William (known as Pa) Rainey, and the two of them performed together calling themselves "Assasinators of the Blues." Legend has it that during their travels Ma Rainey met Bessie Smith, and became somewhat of a mentor to the young singer. In addition to Rainey's vocal prowess, she was also a talented songwriter. After more than two decades of performing, Rainey began to record in 1923, and she left behind a prolific legacy that includes many classics.
Essential listening: "C.C. Rider," "Bo Weavil Blues," "Jelly Bean Blues," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
Bonnie Raitt
Born: November 8, 1949
An accomplished slide guitarist and blues singer/songwriter, Bonnie Raitt incongruously dropped out of an Ivy League college to work as an itinerant blues musician. Her considerable skill made an impression on Boston's blues scene, and she quickly won the respect of her peers, later playing with blues legends Howlin' Wolf, Son House, Muddy Waters, and others. Raitt began recording to critical acclaim in the early seventies, mixing blues with R&B, pop, jazz and New Orleans influences and garnering a loyal cult following. Like her female predecessors, her music often features a gender-specific spin on the blues; her original interpretation of Chris Smither's "Love Me Like a Man" contains a clever response to Muddy Waters's "Rock Me," and her rendition of Sippie Wallace's "Women Be Wise" likewise offers a refreshing female perspective. In the eighties Raitt's career slowed somewhat until the release of the aptly-titled Nick of Time in 1989, at which point, in the words of blues historian Robert Santelli, she "pulled off one of the greatest career turnarounds in modern pop history."* Raitt received six Grammy awards for the album, and followed it up with another Grammy-winner in 1992. She continues to record and tour.
Essential listening: "Love Me Like a Man," "Give It Up or Let Me Go," "Women Be Wise," "Walking Blues," "Feeling of Falling"
* Santelli, Robert. The Big Book of Blues. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.
Jimmy Reed
Born: September 9, 1925, Dunleith, Mississippi
Died: August 29, 1976, Oakland, California
Also known as: Mathias James Reed
Jimmy Reed's brand of blues was smooth, warm and even sweet quite a contrast to the rough, gritty sound which usually characterizes the genre. Reed and his guitarist Eddie Taylor were childhood friends in Mississippi, and they later settled in Chicago, where they would became a unique recording presence. Reed's easygoing style, built on a solid foundation of Delta blues, featured walking "boogie woogie" bass notes, catchy rhythmic hooks crafted by Taylor and fluid harmonica riffs. All this was delivered through Reed's expressive, irresistible vocals the combination was a contagiously compelling sound. Some of Reed's success was also due to his wife Mary Lee's considerable talent as a songwriter. Reed's recordings were hugely popular with both blues and pop audiences; he enjoyed a long series of hits from 1955 through 1961. Many of his songs have been covered by blues, rock and roll and pop artists, including the Rolling Stones, who along with Bob Dylan acknowledge him as a huge influence. Even the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, couldn't resist recording a Jimmy Reed song.
Essential listening: "Ain't That Loving You Baby," "Baby What Do You Want Me to Do," "Hush, Hush," "Shame, Shame, Shame," "You Don't Have to Go"
The Rolling Stones
Original and later band members: Mick Jagger, born July 26, 1943, Dartford, England; Keith Richards, born December 18, 1943, Dartford, England; Brian Jones, born February 28, 1942, Cheltenham, England, died July 3, 1969, London, England; Charlie Watts, born June 2, 1941, Islington, London, England; Bill Wyman, born October 24, 1936, London, England; Ron Wood, born June 1, 1947, Hillingdon, London, England
The Rolling Stones melded blues and R&B with classic rock and roll, and eventually lived up to their self-proclaimed moniker "the World's Greatest Rock and Roll band." As rock and roll's quintessential bad boys, in the beginning the Stones were the antithesis of the clean-cut Beatles, and their sound was a gritty, edgy departure from the sounds of the time. The band took their name from a Muddy Waters song, a testament to the fact that they were avid fans of classic blues. As a young man, outrageously charismatic front man and songwriter Mick Jagger was a regular mail-order customer of the Chicago blues label Chess Records (the band would later record there and work for years with the co-founder's son Marshall). Guitarists Brian Jones and Keith Richards (who formed a notoriously brilliant songwriting partnership with Jagger) were both heavily influenced by Delta blues; Jones idolized legendary blues slide guitarist Elmore James and Richards's highly influential playing made considerable use of the genre's open chord tunings. Drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman were a formidable rhythm section; Watts had previously played with one of Great Britain's esteemed blues band, Blues, Inc. Jones left the band just before his death 1969 and was replaced by Mick Taylor, a veteran of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Taylor left in 1975, and in 1976 was replaced by Ron Wood, who had played with the Jeff Beck Group as well as Small Faces. Wyman left the group in 1991, and was replaced in 1994 by Daryl Jones. The Rolling Stones, who continue to tour, are commonly regarded as one of the most influential bands in the history of music.
Essential listening: "Loving Cup," "Moonlight Mile," "Love in Vain," "I Just Want to Make Love to You"
Bobby Rush
Born: November 10, 1940, Homer, Louisiana
Bobby Rush began performing in Chicago as a teenager, and performed with blues greats Freddie King and Luther Allison. He saw some recording success during the 1970s, making the R&B charts with his hit "Chicken Heads," which is still one of his standards, and became a very popular performer and prolific recording artist after he moved to Mississippi in the early eighties. Rush is known for his high-energy performances, featuring lighthearted, funky, and often very suggestive blues, R&B, and soul. He has received several nominations for the prestigious W.C. Handy awards as well as other blues, R&B and soul awards.
Read an archived version of Bobby Rush's Washington Post online chat .
Essential listening: "A Man Can Give It (But He Can't Take It)," "Chicken Heads," "Mama Talk To Your Daughter," "Sue," "What's Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander"
Otis Rush
Born: April 29, 1934, Philadelphia, Mississippi
Otis Rush is a stunning vocalist, innovative guitarist and songwriter who has hugely influenced blues and rock artists, including Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan (whose band, Double Trouble, was named after Rush's song of the same name), Jeff Beck, and Carlos Santana. Rush was inspired to become a bluesman after he moved to Chicago in the late forties and saw Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf perform. Along with Buddy Guy and Magic Slim, Rush developed a playing style that would become known as the "West Side sound," an emotionally intense combination of guitar licks and expressive vocals, with an urban sound that signified a departure from classic Mississippi Delta blues. Willie Dixon recognized Rush's genius early on, and Rush's recording of Dixon's original, "I Can't Quit You, Baby," reached number 9 on the R&B charts in the mid-fifties. A songwriter in his own right, Rush's frequent use of minor keys provides his music with a subtle but unmistakably anguished tone and interesting moodiness. He is a left-handed guitarist, and like Albert King, one of his primary influences, he plays the guitar upside down rather than having it restrung. Rush continues to tour.
Essential listening: "I Can't Quit You, Baby," "Double Trouble," "So Many Roads, So Many Trains," "All Your Love"
Bessie Smith
Born: April 15, 1894, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Died: September 26, 1937, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Bessie Smith's talent as a vocalist is legendary and she has influenced generations of blues singers, from Billie Holiday to Janis Joplin. She was enormously successful throughout the twenties as a blues and sometimes jazz singer, and beyond that she was an inspiration to the black community, as she lived her life with confidence and uncompromising self-respect, on no one's terms but her own. This self-assurance was part of the appeal of her rich, expressive vocals. Smith sometimes wrote her own material, such as "Back Water Blues." Her career was impacted by the Depression, as were the careers of many artists, but she continued to perform. She was probably on the verge of a comeback, reportedly having been scheduled to play Carnegie Hall at John Hammond's legendary concert "From Spirituals to Swing," when she was killed in a car accident in 1937.
Essential recordings: " Lost Your Head Blues ," "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," "'Tain't Nobody's Business if I Do," "Back Water Blues," "Broken Hearted Blues"
Mamie Smith
Born: May 26, 1883, Cincinnati, Ohio
Died: October 30, 1946, New York, New York
Mamie Smith was primarily a cabaret and vaudeville singer, but she made blues history by being the first singer to record a blues song. "Crazy Blues," recorded in 1920, was a huge hit, selling more than one million copies within a year of its release. This success inspired the release of further blues recordings by female artists. So, although Mamie Smith technically wasn't a blues singer, she was a groundbreaking and influential artist for the genre. Her majestic stage presence and ornate costumes and jewelry also influenced other female blues singers of the twenties.
Essential listening: "Crazy Blues," "It's Right Here for You," "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down," "That Thing Called Love"
Victoria Spivey
Born: October 15, 1906, Houston, Texas
Died: October 3, 1976, New York, New York
Victoria Spivey's career lasted much longer than that of most other female blues singers of the 1920s. She was a clever songwriter who unflinchingly addressed diverse topics, and as a vocalist her delivery of the blues was sincere and convincing. Spivey started out as a performer in Houston, and is rumored to have played with Blind Lemon Jefferson. For a time she worked as a songwriter for the St. Louis Music Company, and later was based in New York, where she performed constantly. Spivey was artistically influenced by blues great Ida Cox, and she may have also been influenced by her on a more practical level both women are reputed to have had formidable business acumen. Spivey took a hiatus from music during the fifties, but managed a comeback in the early sixties, starting her own record company just in time for the mid-sixties blues revival to breathe new life into her career as a performer. She released predominantly classic blues on her record label, and continued to tour until her death in 1976.
Essential listening: "Dope Head Blues," "Black Snake Blues," TB Blues," "Organ Grinder Blues"
Koko Taylor
Born: September 28, 1935, Memphis, Tennessee
Also known as: Cora Walton
Koko Taylor is a living testament to blues history and can still belt out a song as powerfully and joyfully as ever. A warm, charismatic performer, she has been the undisputed Queen of Chicago Blues for decades, and her reign is still going strong. Taylor's career began after she and her husband moved from Memphis to Chicago, where they frequented the local blues clubs. Once she began sitting in with bands it quickly became obvious she could hold her own not only among female vocalists, but with any of the male heavy hitters, such as contemporaries Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. Among her fans was blues great Willie Dixon, who was instrumental in the advancement of her career. Her recording of his original song "Wang Dang Doodle" climbed the rhythm and blues charts, was a million-plus seller, and remains one of her classics. For almost 20 years running she garnered the pretigious W.C. Handy Award. A legend in her own right, she has been compared to blues greats Bessie Smith and Big Mama Thornton. In the late 1980s Taylor overcame health challenges and adversity to maintain her reputation as a performer and recording artist of passionate, soulful blues.
Essential listening: "I'm A Woman," "Wang Dang Doodle," "What Kind of Man is This," "I Got What it Takes"
Sonny Terry
Born: October 24, 1911, Greensboro, North Carolina
Died: March 12, 1986, New York, New York
Sonny Terry was a legendary harmonica player who hugely influenced both blues and folk music. Terry began his career playing on the streets of Raleigh Durham, North Carolina, where he met local blues guitarist and vocalist Blind Boy Fuller. The two began performing and recording as a duo. After Fuller's death Terry teamed up with guitarist Brownie McGhee, who had been heavily influenced by Fuller. The musical partnership of Terry and McGhee would last three decades. The two became an important part of New York's folk scene, playing with legends Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Lead Belly. They were a versatile and enormously popular duo who always maintained their signature style, Piedmont blues, which was specific to the southeast United States. As a team they recorded prolifically and kept a busy touring schedule. The partnership ended in the mid-seventies and Terry continued to record and perform on his own. He published a book, The Harp Styles of Sonny Terry, in 1975.
Essential listening: "Mountain Blues," "One Monkey Don't Stop the Show," "Sonny's Whoopin' the Doop," "I Think I Got the Blues"
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Born: March 20, 1921, Cotton Plant, Arkansas
Died: October 9, 1973, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sister Rosetta Tharpe mastered the guitar by the age of 6, and grew up singing gospel with her mother. Tharpe was a riveting performer with a flair for showmanship and a definite blues influence in her phrasing and musicianship. She signed a recording contract with Decca while still a teenager and her recordings were huge hits. Tharpe's talent and appeal were so outrageous and contagious that it was inevitable her talents would one day extend beyond the gospel community. Her later career embodied the early, ongoing battle between sacred music and a more secular sound a struggle that many black artists from the gospel tradition have had to face. Eventually Tharpe caused great controversy in the gospel community and lost much of her loyal audience when she recorded pure blues in the early 1950s (along with gospel artist Madame Marie Knight). It took about a decade before Tharpe made her way back to acceptance from the gospel community. She continued to tour until her death in 1973.
Essential listening: "Rock Me," "This Train," "Down by the Riverside," "Didn't it Rain," "Up Above My Head"
Big Mama Thornton
Born: December 11, 1926, Montgomery, Alabama
Died: July 25, 1984, Los Angeles, California
Also known as: Willie Mae Thornton
Big Mama Thornton was a great blues vocalist in the tradition of Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie and Ma Rainey, and was also a drummer and harmonica player. She had considerable success with her 1953 recording of "Hound Dog," which reached number 1 on the R&B charts and stayed there for seven weeks. (Three years later the song was immortalized by Elvis Presley.) Thornton began her professional singing career at the age of 14, touring the South with the Hot Harlem Revue. She later moved to Houston, Texas where she did some recording and worked with Johnny Otis and Junior Parker, among others. In the early sixties she settled in San Francisco, playing in local blues clubs as well as touring with blues festivals. Thornton continued to perform until her death in 1984. Among her recordings is "Ball 'n Chain," recorded in 1965, which Janis Joplin covered three years later.
Essential listening: "Hound Dog," "Ball and Chain," "Just Like a Dog," "I Smell a Rat," "Stop Hoppin' on Me"
Ali Farka Toure
Born: 1939, Gourmararusse, Mali
Ali Farka Toure is a multi-lingual West African vocalist, guitarist, drummer, and songwriter who, as music historian Richie Unterberger observed, has been "described as 'the African John Lee Hooker' so many times that it probably began to grate on both Toure's and Hooker's nerves."* The comparison is due to Toure's mesmerizing, stripped-down sound that features innovative rhythm and haunting, low vocals. His exceptional music is often described as uniting the sounds of the Mississippi Delta with those of West Africa, and he clearly adds more global influences, musically and instrumentally, to the mix. Toure has had an enormous influence on world music, and has worked with Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal and the Chieftains, among others.
Essential listening: "Ali's Here," "Saukare," "Bonde," "Amandrai," "Soukora"
* www.allmusic.com
Born: May 18, 1911, Kansas City, Missouri
Died: November 24, 1985, Inglewood, California
Big Joe Turner was an accomplished and uncommonly versatile vocalist. His career spanned half a century, during which he transitioned effortlessly from blues to R&B to rock and roll. Turner earned the nickname "Boss of the Blues" because of his powerhouse vocals and formidable stage presence. A Kansas City native, Turner started out playing in local nightclubs, mostly with pianist Pete Johnson, and sometimes with big bands, including that of Count Basie. Turner and Johnson became one of many acts noticed by legendary talent scout John Hammond. At Hammond's suggestion they moved to New York and were part of his "Spirituals to Swing" concert in 1938. The duo snared a regular gig at New York's Caf� Society, a prestigious jazz club, and their enormous popularity was partially responsible for the rise of "boogie woogie" music during the late thirties and early forties. Turner began to record and tour in the early forties, working with Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, and others. A decade later Turner transitioned to R&B, releasing years of solid hits between 1951 and 1956, and in the process becoming known as one of the founding fathers of rock and roll. Turner continued to perform and record until his death in 1985.
Essential listening: "Roll 'Em Pete," "Honey Hush," "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," "Corinna Corrina," "Chains of Love"
Ike Turner
Born: November 5, 1931, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Also known as: Izear Luster Turner, Jr.
Ike Turner has been an integral part of the history of blues, rock and R&B. As a pianist and guitarist he backed visiting bluesmen and performed with his own band, the Kings of Rhythm, while still in high school. He worked as a talent scout in Memphis and throughout the south, and as such he accelerated the careers of Howlin' Wolf, Little Milton and others; as a session musician he often backed up the talent he discovered. Turner's band recorded the song "Rocket 88" in 1951 (recorded under the name Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats), which hit number 1 on the R&B charts and is often called the "first rock and roll song." The band became very popular in St. Louis, and in the late fifties Turner added vocalist Annie Mae Bullock to the mix (who later changed her name to Tina Turner and married Ike). The band became the Ike & Tina Turner Review, and made R&B and rock history, charting singles, packing black nightclubs and touring with the Rolling Stones. Tina left the band and the marriage in 1974; subsequently Ike experienced some hard times, and his career faded. He later made a comeback, and continues to record and perform.
Essential listening: "Rocket 88," "Shake a Tail Feather," "Proud Mary," "Steel Guitar Rag," "I'm Lonesome Baby," "Tore Up," "Ike's Theme," "Catfish Blues"
Otha Turner
Born: June 2, 1907, Jackson, Mississippi
Died: February 26, 2003
Blues fife and drum musician Otha Turner grew up near the Mississippi Delta. Fife and drum music is a traditional genre that has its roots in the northern Mississippi hill country and is based on African-American work songs and spirituals. The fife is an instrument similar to the flute, often made out of bamboo. Turner worked as a farmer in Como, Mississippi, where he also led the Rising Star Fife and Drum band for sixty years. The band eventually made it to Chicago, where for years they opened the city's legendary Blues Festival. While in his nineties, Turner preserved his historically significant music with the recordings Everybody's Hollerin' Goat and Senegal to Senatobia.
Essential listening: "Shimmy She Wobble," "Granny Do Your Dog Bite," "Shake 'Em," "Boogie," "My Babe," "Senegal to Senatobia," "Sunu"
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Born: October 3, 1954, Dallas, Texas
Died: August 27, 1990, East Troy, Wisconsin
Stevie Ray Vaughan almost single-handedly created a blues revival during the 1980s for blues fans it was a refreshing, electrifying change from the predominant sound of that decade. He was assisted in this feat by contemporaries Albert Collins and Robert Cray. Vaughan was a stunning guitarist who mesmerized crowds and listeners with a signature sound and breathtaking skill, combining the influences of both Texas and Chicago blues. His guitar gymnastics echoed those of Jimi Hendrix, and that combined with his soulful, original style made his music irresistible to rock fans as well as blues aficionados. The Texas native dropped out of high school and made his way to Austin to play music; he formed a band that soon became well-known in the city. Eventually he and his band were signed to Epic and their first release, Texas Flood, made blues history. He had taken his rightful place alongside other blues legends when his life and career were cut short by tragedy. Vaughan died in a helicopter crash after a performance with Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton.
Essential listening: "Pride and Joy," "The Sky is Crying," "Texas Flood," "Couldn't Stand the Weather," "Little Wing"
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
Born: December 18, 1917, Houston, Texas
Died: July 2, 1988, Los Angeles, California
Eddie Vinson was an R&B saxophone player, bandleader, songwriter, and vocalist with a signature voice whose long and prolific career also encompassed jazz and blues. Vinson got his nickname, "Cleanhead," after an episode with a lye-based hair straightener left him bald. He was raised in a musical family and played saxophone in high school. Vinson's career from the mid-thirties through the mid-forties included stints in legendary bands, including Chester Boone's band in Houston, which at the time included genius blues guitarist T-Bone Walker; Milt Larkin's band, which boasted a superb saxophone section; and, after Vinson relocated to New York in 1941, the Cootie Williams Orchestra. Williams's recordings of "Somebody's Got to Go," and "Cherry Red", on which Vinson also appeared as a vocalist, were huge hits. In 1945 Vinson formed his own band, which reportedly for a time included John Coltrane. Vinson played at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1970. For the next two decades he toured and recorded in the U.S. and Europe, where he was particularly popular.
Essential listening: "Kidney Stew," "Cherry Red," "Somebody's Got to Go," "Cleanhead Blues," "Old Maid Boogie"
T-Bone Walker
Born: May 28, 1910, Linden, Texas
Died: March 16, 1975, Los Angeles, California
Also known as: Aaron Thibeaux Walker
Some music critics maintain that no one has ever matched T-Bone Walker's genius as an electric blues guitarist. His extraordinary talent influenced blues and rock greats, including Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Otis Rush and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others. Walker was born into a musical family, and Texas blues legend Blind Lemon Jefferson was a family friend. As a boy Walker reportedly acted as escort to Jefferson when the blind musician played on the streets of Dallas, and was definitely influenced by Jefferson musically. Walker began his career in Texas and later moved to Los Angeles. Walker's absolute authority with the instrument translated into precise, incendiary musicianship complemented by a confident, masterful stage presence. His ability as a vocalist was every bit as impressive, and he is the author of many blues classics, including "Stormy Monday," which has been covered endlessly and would probably appear in any top 10 list of the best blues ever written.
Essential listening: "Stormy Monday," "Strollin' With Bones," "T-Bone Shuffle," "T-Bone Blues," "I Walked Away," "Cold Cold Feeling"
Bukka White
Born: November 12, 1909, Houston, Mississippi*
Died: February 26, 1977, Memphis Tennessee
Also known as: Booker T. Washington White
Bukka White moved to the Mississippi Delta as an adolescent and was influenced by Charley Patton as a result he played a particularly pure form of Delta blues. White's devotion to the music was considerable; after a run-in with the law in Mississippi in 1937, he jumped bail in order to record in Chicago. He was apprehended and incarcerated at Mississippi's Parchman Farm, where he was popular as an entertainer, and where his gift for songwriting wasn't hampered like many of his originals, the song "Parchman Farm Blues" became a classic. White's real taste of fame came after Bob Dylan recorded White's original song "Fixin' to Die Blues" in the early 1960s. Curious about the song's original author, two young blues players found White by sending a general delivery letter to Aberdeen, Mississippi (tipped off by his blues song of the same title). These leaps in visibility led to White's fame in later life, as both a performer and a storyteller, as he embodied both the Delta blues and its rich history.
Essential Listening: "Shake 'Em on Down," " The Panama Limited ," "Aberdeen Mississippi Blues," "Fixin' to Die Blues," "Parchman Farm Blues"
Cassandra Wilson
Born: December 4, 1955, Jackson, Mississippi
Cassandra Wilson is primarily known as an accomplished jazz singer, although her stunning full, low voice and skill as a songwriter have encompassed other genres, and she has been heavily influenced by the musical traditions of the south, including the Delta blues. She cites the complexity of Robert Johnson's songwriting, guitar work and vocal delivery as one of her primary influences. Wilson is a prolific recording artist, and has followed up her 1985 debut with almost one album each year, and sometimes two. Her body of work includes acoustic blues, folk, jazz, and funk. Wilson's 1999 release, Traveling Miles, was a tribute to Miles Davis. She has toured with Wynton Marsalis. Her critically-acclaimed recent release, Belly of the Sun, was recorded in Mississippi with both her own band and local musicians and combines funk, pop and rock with a tribute to pure Delta blues.
Essential listening: "You Move Me," "Round Midnight," "Darkness on the Delta," "You Gotta Move," "Hot Tamales"
Sonny Boy Williamson
Born: March 30, 1914, Jackson, Tennessee
Died: June 1, 1948, Chicago, Illinois
Also known as: John Lee Williamson
Sonny Boy Williamson's innovative skill with the harmonica brought it to center stage as a lead instrument in Chicago blues. He also popularized the "call and response" performance technique with the instrument, delivering a vocal line, answering with his characteristically sharp harp riffs followed by another vocal delivery. Williamson acquired his nickname because of the young age at which he began performing; during those early years he traveled the South, sometimes in the company of his biggest influence, Sleepy John Estes, as well as Robert Nighthawk and others. In the late 1930s he moved to Chicago where he worked as a session player and became an influential and successful mainstay of the city's blues scene as a performer and recording artist. He is credited with composing many original songs that became blues standards, especially for the harmonica, and he influenced a long line of superb harmonica players, including Junior Wells, Little Walter and Rice Miller, who was also known as Sonny Boy Williamson II.
Essential listening: "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," "Early in the Morning," "Whiskey Headed Woman Blues," "Shake that Boogie"
Jimmy Witherspoon
Born: August 8, 1923, Gurdon, Arkansas
Died: September 18, 1997, Los Angeles, California
Jimmy Witherspoon was both a blues and jazz singer during the mid-forties, and hugely influential in his ability to merge the two genres with his deep, full vocals. He was originally influenced by Big Joe Turner, to whom he is often compared. Witherspoon realized he had talent after sitting in with brilliant jazz pianist Teddy Weatherford's big band while stationed overseas. Pianist and bandleader Jay McShann hired Witherspoon to take the place of lead vocalist Walter Brown in his band; during this stint Witherspoon developed his own vocal style. He began recording on his own in 1949, and had a big hit with his version of Bessie Smith's hit "Ain't Nobody's Business." The song not only reached number 1 on the R&B charts, but its stay on the charts was record-breaking. Witherspoon followed that up with a number 5 hit the same year, "In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down." As rock and roll's popularity increased, Witherspoon's career took a downturn, and he focused more on jazz, always infusing it with a blues sensibility. He continued to perform until the end of his life, although he never repeated his early success.
Essential listening: "Ain't Nobody's Business," "In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down," "Big Fine Girl," "No Rollin' Blues"
Peetie Wheatstraw
Born: December 21, 1902, Ripley, Tennessee
Died: December 21, 1941, East St. Louis, Illinois
Also known as: William Bunch
Peetie Wheatstraw began performing in 1929, the year of the Great Depression, and enjoyed enormous popularity in spite of the devastating economic conditions and lulls in the careers of other artists. He was a talented songwriter and commonly addressed rather dark themes the supernatural, death, sex and addiction yet his music was uplifting due to his witty lyrics and the wide range and expressive, buoyant quality of his vocal delivery. His juxtaposition of dark themes with a message to appreciate life is perhaps partly why his music was so surprisingly successful during such trying times. Wheatstraw was primarily a piano player and worked with excellent guitarists, including Kokomo Arnold and Lonnie Johnson; he and Johnson were a recording and performing team for 10 years. He reportedly took his name from an "evil twin" character from black folk tales, and during his career he was also nicknamed "The Devil's Son-in Law" and the "High Sheriff of Hell." Wheatstraw died while celebrating his 39th birthday when, reportedly, he and his buddies tried, and failed, to beat a speeding train.
Essential listening: "Suicide Blues," "You Can't Stop Me From Drinking," "The Devil's Son-in-Law" "Peetie Wheatstraw Stomp"
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Which Shakespeare play is set in Bohemia? | The Blues . The Songs & the Artists . Biographies . Alphabetic | PBS
Born: June 26, 1893, Scott, Mississippi
Died: August 15, 1958, Chicago, Illinois
Also known as: William Lee Conley Broonzy
As a young boy Big Bill Broonzy would return home from a day's fieldwork with cornstalks, which he'd rub together as a homemade fiddle while his many brothers and sisters 16 danced to the music he made. By the age of 14 he was performing as a professional fiddler, and after moving to Chicago as an adult he switched to guitar. He became a prolific songwriter as well as a performer and recording artist and was a foundational contributor to the pre-war Chicago blues scene. He was a clever lyricist with a flair for narrative, and is known for having one of the largest and most versatile repertoires on record, from a slick urban blues sound to his acoustic country blues roots as well as folk and traditional spirituals. Broonzy also acted as a mentor to younger musicians, helping many of them secure performing dates and recording sessions. When the Chicago blues sound was transformed by the emergence of the electric guitar, Broonzy kept performing as a more itinerant folk-blues act, paving the way for the future of blues in Europe and the U.K. As he aged he continued to perform, even as he suffered from throat cancer, to which he succumbed in 1958.
Essential listening: " When Will I Get to be Called a Man ," "Key to the Highway," "Big Bill Blues," "All by Myself"
Ruth Brown
Born: January 1, 1928, Portsmouth, Virginia
Ruth Brown's smooth vocals made the rhythm and blues charts regularly between 1949 and 1955, and helped a then-fledgling Atlantic Records establish itself as a formidable presence in the R&B world. Later in her long and versatile career she became known as a rock and roll and pop singer as well as a stage and film actress, winning a Tony award on Broadway. She has influenced many R&B and soul artists, and her enduring talent is evidenced by her recent solo recordings and guest appearances with artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Shemekia Copeland and B.B. King, as well as a Grammy win in the late 1980s. Brown continues to perform.
Essential listening: "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean," "Teardrops From My Eyes," "Don't Deceive Me," "Mambo Baby"
Willie Brown
Born: August 6, 1900, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Died: December 30, 1952, Tunica, Mississippi
Willie Brown was an outstanding guitarist as well as vocalist who had an enormous influence on the origination and development of Delta blues. Brown performed regularly with blues legends Charley Patton, Son House and Robert Johnson, and also backed Patton and House on recordings. He is known as an accompanist rather than a soloist, although he did record three extraordinary solo performances. Later in his career he primarily performed with Son House. Both Brown and House disappeared from the music scene during the 1940s, and, sadly, Brown died before the blues revival of the 1960s, when many of his contemporaries were rediscovered by blues scholars.
Essential listening: "M & O Blues," "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor," "Future Blues"
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
Born: December 17, 1942, Chicago, Illinois
Died: May 3, 1987, Los Angeles, California
At the age of 16, harmonica player Paul Butterfield regularly sat in with blues legends Otis Rush, Magic Sam, and Howlin' Wolf, among others, at Chicago clubs. Butterfield formed his own soon-to-be-legendary band in 1963 with guitarist Elvin Bishop and eventually drummer Sam Lay and bassist Jerome Arnold. This lineup was one of the first racially integrated blues bands in the city. Their 1965 self-titled release, featuring the additions of guitarist Mike Bloomfield and keyboardist Mark Naftalin, had a huge impact on the 1960s blues revival, and they also broke ground backing Bob Dylan's legendary performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival (the electric sound outraged many purist folk fans). Later the band changed personnel again, eventually including jazz great David Sanborn (in his early years) on saxophone. Their success began to wind down in the late sixties, although they did appear at Woodstock and released two final albums in 1968 and 1969. Paul Butterfield continued to perform throughout the seventies.
Essential listening: "I Got My Mojo Working," "Blues With a Feeling," "Born in Chicago," "Shake Your Money Maker," "Mellow Down Easy," "Two Trains Running"
Ray Charles
Born: September 23, 1930, Albany, Georgia
Died: June 10, 2004, Beverly Hills, California
Ray Charles is known for his innovative blend of genres his enormously popular body of work reflects inspiration from gospel, blues, jazz, pop, R&B, soul and country. As a vocalist he was originally inspired by Nat King Cole, and his early recordings reflect this smooth influence. Charles later came into his own with 1954's "I've Got a Woman," which marked a dramatic change in his style it reflected a heavy gospel influence integrated with pop and his vocals were suddenly uninhibited and raw. This trend in Charles's music would continue, culminating in his 1959 signature hit and timeless classic "What'd I Say." His ability to bring together many influences, infusing them all with a gospel core, has had a huge impact on both soul and rock and roll music, influencing Steve Winwood, Joe Cocker, Stevie Wonder, and others. Charles is often referred to as the Father of Soul. He is a legendary musical figure and continues to tour.
Essential listening: "Losing Hand," "I've Got a Woman," "Unchain My Heart', "What'd I Say," "Drown in My Own Tears," "Hit the Road Jack"
Sam Chatmon
Born: January 10, 1897, Boltmon, Mississippi
Died: February 2, 1983, Hollandale, Mississippi
Sam Chatmon was born into a highly musical family reportedly there were 11 sons, all of them musicians. As a boy Sam often played with the Chatmon Family String Band, and when three of his brothers formed the Mississippi Sheiks, who became very popular, he sometimes played with them as well. But Sam Chatmon was a multi-instrumentalist in his own right playing mandolin, bass, guitar and banjo and worked as a traveling musician with a wide repertoire that included blues until the early 1940s. He became a plantation worker until the 1960s blues revival, at which point, like many of his contemporaries, he embarked upon a second career as a musician, performing and recording until his death in 1983.
Essential listening: "My Little Woman," "Shake 'Em All Down," "God Don't Like Ugly," "Hollandale Blues," "Sitting on Top of the World"
Marshall Chess
Born: March 13, 1942, Chicago, Illinois
Marshall Chess is the son of Leonard Chess who, along with his brother Phil, co-founded the legendary Chicago blues label Chess Records. Chess released some of the greatest blues ever recorded by legends such as Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Koko Taylor, and many others, and Chess box sets are among the finest collections of blues available today. Marshall Chess grew up, literally, with the blues, hanging out at the Chess offices to be near his father, surrounded by blues greats and learning the finer points of recording. He later dropped out of college to work for Chess. After many years as a producer he started his own label, Cadet Concept, for which he produced the departure release Electric Mud, which featured Muddy Waters in a more electric, psychedelic blues arena. Despite initially strong sales, the album was widely panned by critics. After his father's death in 1969, Chess co-founded Rolling Stones Records and served as executive producer on the group's releases from 1971 through 1976 (or Sticky Fingers through Black and Blue, to be more specific). He has also worked as a film producer. One of his most admirable qualities is his confidence and resilience as a producer in spite of its lukewarm reception, Chess still considers Electric Mud to be a great piece of work, and as he says in the film Godfathers and Sons, "I'm still not afraid to make the worst blues album ever made."
Essential listening: Electric Mud
Born: March 30, 1945, Ripley, England
Also known as: Eric Patrick Clapp
Eric Clapton's talent has graced some of the best bands in rock and blues history: the Yardbirds, John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Cream and Blind Faith. He is a rock and blues star in his own right, maintaining a reputation for decades as one of Great Britain's finest guitarists. Clapton reportedly left the Yardbirds in order to immerse himself in blues with the Bluesbreakers ; his subsequent forays into blues-rock with Cream and Blind Faith did a lot to merge the two genres in popular music. He has moved between rock, blues and pop throughout his career, but his major influences include Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Robert Johnson, and his renditions of blues classics especially his cover of Johnson's "Crossroads" are among his best-known recordings. He is a master of painfully expressive guitar work, matched by his emotional vocal delivery. Although much of his work is outstanding, he is probably best known for the album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, which is commonly considered to be a masterpiece. Among other brilliant work, that album includes the rock classic "Layla."
Essential listening: "Have You Ever Loved A Woman," "Bell-Bottom Blues," "Crossroads" "Key to the Highway," "Layla"
Shemekia Copeland
Born: 1979, New York, New York
Shemekia Copeland began appearing on stage with her father, Texas bluesman Johnny Copeland, as a child, and as a teenager she toured with him as his opening act, stunning audiences with a confident stage presence which seemed to belie her youth. Her vocal prowess matches her charisma as a performer. At the age of 19, Copeland released her debut album, inspiring comparisons to blues legends Etta James and Koko Taylor. By 2002 Copeland had released two more albums to critical acclaim, and won three of the blues' prestigious W.C. Handy awards. She has worked with Ruth Brown, one of her original influences, as well as Dr. John and others.
Read an archived version of Shemekia Copeland's USAToday online chat .
Essential listening: " The Other Woman ," "I Always Get My Man," "Have Mercy," "Your Mama's Talking," "Not Tonight," "The Push I Need"
Ida Cox
Born: February 25, 1896, Toccoa, Georgia
Died: November 10, 1967, Knoxville, Tennessee
Also known as: Ida Prather
Ida Cox was one of the great 1920s blues singers. She began her career as a teenager, traveling throughout the south as a singer with tent and vaudeville shows. Cox was also a versatile businesswoman for a time she ran her own touring company, working as a producer and manager as well as performer. She was a prolific and popular recording artist throughout the 1920s who wrote many of her own songs, one of which is the well-known "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues." Cox tended to direct her shows toward black female audiences, with songs that examined various issues from a female perspective. Cox's career was active throughout the 1930s, when health problems reportedly forced her into retirement, although she did manage an additional recording session in the early 1960s.
Essential listening: "Wild Women Don't Have the Blues," "Last Mile Blues," "Pink Slip Blues," "Cemetery Blues"
Cream
Eric Clapton, born March 30, 1945, Ripley, England; Ginger Baker, born August 19, 1939, Lewisham, England; Jack Bruce, born May 14, 1943, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Cream combined the superb musicianship of bassist Jack Bruce, drummer Ginger Baker, and guitarist Eric Clapton, and became a powerhouse of blues-rock that had an enormous influence on the future of rock and heavy metal. They were all groundbreaking musicians known for their innovative, aggressive styles, and when they played together as a band they inspired one another to new heights of brilliance. They brought to the blues a jazz-inspired flair for improvisation, and although they were sometimes criticized for their seemingly endless jam sessions, at their best their competitive instrumental assaults showcased their unique gifts. Eric Clapton raised the blues guitar solo to a high art form; Jack Bruce's fervent and often melodic bass playing could pass for a second lead guitar; and rock had never seen the likes of Ginger Baker's percussive mastery (and it's possible that no one has matched him to this day). The trio covered blues classics from legends such as Albert King, Skip James, and Willie Dixon in addition to original material, and in the process introduced the blues to a new audience and broke ground for subsequent heavy blues-rock bands such as Led Zeppelin. Cream formed in 1966 and broke up in 1968. All of their releases are classics.
Essential listening: "Sunshine of Your Love," "Crossroads," "Strange Brew," "Tales of Brave Ulysses"
Bo Diddley
Born: December 30, 1928, McComb, Mississippi
Also known as: Otha Ellas Bates McDaniels
Like many bluesmen, Bo Diddley has his deepest musical roots in gospel. He also studied classical music in his youth, but turned to blues after he was introduced to the music of John Lee Hooker. Reportedly it was Hooker's classic "Boogie Chillen" that had such a dramatic impact. Diddley's music is definitely blues-based, however he has had a more profound impact on rock and roll, especially through the beat he's known for, which became foundational in the genre. He influenced the Yardbirds, the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, among many others, with his particularly lighthearted, rhythm-based brand of blues. Diddley grew up in Chicago and began his blues career playing on the street, eventually forming his own band which included harmonica master Billy Boy Arnold and signing with record label Chess. Many of his songs are blues and rock and roll classics. Diddley further influenced rock and roll with his design of a square guitar, one of his trademarks. He continues to tour and record.
Essential listening: "Who Do You Love," "You Can't Judge a Book by its Cover," "Mona," "I'm a Man"
Willie Dixon
Born: July 1, 1915, Vicksburg, Mississippi
Died: January 29, 1992, Burbank, California
Willie Dixon is best known for his songwriting prowess, although his influence on the blues includes his superb work as a producer, arranger, session musician and performer. Dixon began performing in Chicago in the late 1930s; his career was interrupted briefly in the early 1940s when he was jailed for refusing the draft as a conscientious objector. He later worked for the blues label Chess, where his songwriting gave a significant boost to the careers of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter and others. Howlin' Wolf had such success with his rendition of Dixon's tunes that for years they were his primary recording and performance efforts. As a mentor to vocalist Koko Taylor, Dixon had her record "Wang Dang Doodle," which became a huge hit and is still her signature classic. Later in his life Dixon had to fight to reap the financial rewards of his art and subsequently worked on behalf of other artists to assist them in securing publishing royalties. He influenced not only his contemporaries, but countless blues and rock and roll artists, including Led Zeppelin, the Doors and Cream. His body of work as a songwriter boasts many blues standards and rock and roll classics.
Essential listening: "Back Door Man," "I Can't Quit You Baby," "The Seventh Son," "You Shook Me," "The Little Red Rooster"
Fats Domino
Born: February 26, 1928, New Orleans, Louisiana
Also known as: Antoine Domino
Fats Domino began performing at the age of 14. His music combines classic "boogie woogie" piano with a New Orleans beat and flavor and R&B and jazz roots, expressed through his signature warm, easygoing vocals. Domino was enormously popular throughout the fifties and into the early sixties, hitting the R&B charts time after time with his original songs (often co-written with manager Dave Bartholomew) and eventually crossing over onto the pop charts. He made rhythm and blues music palatable to a wider audience, as his style represented the calmer edge of the spectrum, in contrast to incendiary rock artists such as Little Richard. As a performer his shy charm and warm grin reflected the mood of his music. Domino's wide popularity helped black music reach a white audience. Most of his numerous hits have become classics.
Essential listening: "Walkin' to New Orleans," ""Blueberry Hill," "Ain't It a Shame," "I'm Walkin'," "Blue Monday", "The Fat Man"
Dr. John
Born: November 21, 1940, New Orleans
Also known as: Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr.
Dr. John combines the roots of New Orleans blues with jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, pop and rock, infused with his sense of humor and particularly original and inventive artistic sensibility. He grew up in New Orleans and was exposed to the city's music early on his father owned a record store and repaired equipment in local nightclubs. Dr. John became a session musician, where he worked with such local legends as Allen Toussaint and Professor Longhair. He eventually moved to Los Angeles and continued doing session work. Legend has it he recorded his first album with excess studio time donated by Sonny & Cher. That first release, Gris Gris, along with a later release, Gumbo, are two examples of his finest work, although an even later album contained his 1973 chart hit "Right Place, Wrong Time." Dr. John is a charismatic performer who in his heyday outfitted himself in Mardi Gras regalia as a witch doctor of sorts to perform a show that was part theatric ritual. He has collaborated with many notable artists and is an accomplished producer and arranger. He continues to record, perform and work as a highly respected producer.
Essential listening: "Such A Night," "Right Place, Wrong Time," "Makin' Whoopee"
Rosco Gordon
Born: 1934, Memphis, Tennessee
Died: July 11, 2002, New York, New York
Rosco Gordon was an integral part of the Memphis Beale Street blues scene during the forties and fifties. He created a shuffle rhythm on piano known as "Rosco's rhythm" that influenced blues, and, in the opinion of some historians, also inspired the creation of the distinctive rhythm of Jamaican ska, itself a precursor of reggae. On Beale Street Gordon worked with Johnny Ace, Bobby Blue Bland and others, and in the early fifties his song "Booted" hit number one on the R&B charts. That same year he had another hit with "No More Doggin'." Throughout his career he never matched that early success, but he did continue to record and perform. Like many bluesmen he took an extended hiatus from music to earn an alternative living, but later in his life he began performing again, and continued to do so until his death in 2002.
Essential listening: "Booted," "I'm Gonna Shake It," "No More Doggin'," "She's My Baby"
Buddy Guy
Born: July 30, 1936, Lettsworth, Louisiana
Also known as: George Guy
Buddy Guy's name has become synonymous with Chicago blues. A dramatic, buoyantly joyful performer with a voice that can be at once smooth and gritty, Guy is also an esteemed guitarist. He has been idolized by the idols themselves for his superb musicianship Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, Johnny Winter and even, reportedly, Jimi Hendrix have all acknowledged him as an inspiration. Guy's style of playing was heavily influenced by B.B. King, to whom he is often compared. Early in his career he worked with many of Chicago's blues legends as a session player for Chess records and teamed up with harmonica player Junior Wells; the two were a popular duo in the city for many years. Guy was more popular as a live act than as a recording artist until he teamed up with Eric Clapton in the early 1990s, which precipitated a successful and enduring comeback. In Chicago he is known as the King of the Blues. His talent and influence, his long history with the city's blues greats and his successful local blues club "Legends," contribute to his own legend.
Essential listening: "Broken Hearted Blues," "Stone Crazy," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Try to Quit You, Baby"
W.C. Handy
Born: November 16, 1873, Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Died: March 28, 1958, New York, New York
Also known as: William Christopher Handy
W.C. Handy is widely recognized by his self-proclaimed moniker, "Father of the Blues" due to his steadfast and pioneering efforts to document, write and publish blues music and his life-long support of the genre. Although much of his musical taste leaned toward a more sophisticated and polished sound, Handy was among the first to recognize the value of the blues, and Southern black music in general, as an important American legacy. Handy was an accomplished bandleader and songwriter who performed throughout the South before continuing his career in New York. He came across the Delta blues in the late 1890s, and his composition "Memphis Blues," published in 1912, was the first to include "blues" in the title. Some historians don't consider "Memphis Blues" to be an actual blues song, however it did influence the creation of other blues tunes, including the historic "Crazy Blues," which is commonly known as the first blues song to ever be recorded (by Mamie Smith in 1920). A Memphis park was named after Handy in recognition of his contribution to blues and the Blues Foundation recognizes the genre's achievements annually with the prestigious W.C. Handy award.
Essential listening: "St. Louis Blues," "Yellow Dog Blues," "Beale Street Blues"
Corey Harris
Born: February 21, 1969, Denver, Colorado
Corey Harris can play and sing like a classic bluesman his first album was a thorough exploration and interpretation of Delta blues. Since then he has incorporated the influence of rich musical traditions from New Orleans to Africa to the Caribbean, all while maintaining his reputation as a first-class performer and recording artist. Harris learned how to play the guitar when he was 12, and was originally inspired by Texas blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins. As a student he traveled to Africa and later moved to New Orleans where he performed on the streets before signing a recording contract. Each of Harris's albums has received critical acclaim, and he continues to draw from a wide range of influences, including hip hop, reggae, funk, jazz, blues, R&B and Latin music.
Essential listening: "Black Maria," "Feel Like Going Home," "Keep Your Lamp Trimmed and Burning," "Bound to Miss Me," "Capitaine"
Alvin Youngblood Hart
Born: March 2, 1963, Oakland, California
Alvin Youngblood Hart is a contemporary bluesman whose original music and cover interpretations are infused with a pure Delta blues influence. A native of California, Hart's family roots are in Mississippi, and he grew up visiting the area annually, falling in love with the rural lifestyle and hearing stories of blues patriarch Charley Patton. The influences of legendary bluesmen such as Bukka White, Son House, Howlin' Wolf, and Muddy Waters can be heard in Hart's many classic interpretations of blues standards as well as his original material. His additional influences include the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and B.B. King as well as formidable vocalists Jimmy Witherspoon and Jimmy Reed. While living in California as a teenager, Hart taught himself to play guitar and spent a lot of time immersed in the Delta blues and its history. Ironically, his performance career began when he just happened to be stationed in Natchez, Mississippi as a member of the Coast Guard. He eventually began playing gigs in California, and ended up with a record deal after a stint opening for Taj Mahal brought him wider visibility. In 1997 Youngblood won the W.C. Handy award for Best New Artist.
Essential listening: "Devil Got My Woman," "Things "Bout Coming My Way," "That Kate Adams Jive," "Jinx Blues," "Motherless Child"
Jimi Hendrix
Born: November 27, 1942, Seattle, Washington
Died: September 18, 1970, London, England
Seattle-born lead guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Jimi Hendrix created an amazing body of work during his short career, changing the face of music forever through his revolutionary guitar playing and recordings. Although he is often perceived as a rock and roll icon, his roots lie in the blues. As he once recalled: "The first guitarist I was aware of was Muddy Waters. I heard one of his old records when I was a little boy and it scared me to death, because I heard all of these sounds. Wow, what is that all about?" Picking up the guitar in his teens, Hendrix eventually spent four grueling years on the national R&B circuit as a sideman. Upon setting out on his own, he settled first in New York, then relocated to London. By late 1966 he was a sensation in Europe, and in the U.S. shortly thereafter, mesmerizing audiences with searing electric guitar work coupled with the flash of an R&B road band playing the guitar with his teeth, behind his neck, and between his legs. Hendrix became the Aquarian Age avatar of the no-holds-barred African-American showbiz tradition, and the blues were rarely far from the surface of his work. His career and creative trajectory took him to ever greater heights until his passing in 1970. Today, his legend continues to grow, and his example continues to inspire new generations of musicians.
Essential listening: "Devil Got My Woman," "Things "Bout Coming My Way," "That Kate Adams Jive," "Jinx Blues," "Motherless Child"
Text derived from the Jimi Hendrix Gallery at Experience Music Project, Seattle.
Billie Holiday
Born: April 7, 1915, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Died: July 17, 1959, New York, New York
Also known as: Eleanora Fagan Gough
Billie Holiday was a legendary vocalist whose uncompromising artistry and highly original, personalized style which included an innovative sense of phrasing, rhythm and harmony has had a tremendous impact on generations of vocalists from all genres. Holiday's life was fraught with difficulty, which may be why she was able to sing the blues so convincingly. A huge part of her appeal was her ability to convey the meaning of the lyrics, giving the impression that she had lived her material. Holiday has acknowledged Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong as two of her primary influences, and during her career she worked with legends Artie Shaw, Cab Calloway and Benny Goodman. Among her many classic recordings are the disturbingly evocative "Strange Fruit," which controversially addressed the violence of racism, and her own composition "God Bless the Child."
Essential listening: "Lover Man," "God Bless the Child," "Strange Fruit," "Good Morning Heartache"
John Lee Hooker
Born: August 22, 1917, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Died: August 21, 2001, Los Altos, California
John Lee Hooker was a master of "boogie" with haunting, sensuously compelling signature vocals and the ability to create a whole world of sound from a single, repetitive chord. His unique, original style hugely influenced other blues artists and especially rock and roll. The Rolling Stones, the Animals, early Fleetwood Mac and Johnny Winter are just a few of Hooker's admirers. Early on he was influenced by gospel and Delta blues. He learned to play guitar from his stepfather, who reportedly knew blues legend Charley Patton. In 1943 he moved to Detroit, where his sound was a welcome and complete change from the slicker post-war blues. For the next four decades Hooker continued to work with his signature style, performing and recording, and his devotion to his craft never faded, even when his popularity did. The respect he'd long garnered from the blues and rock community was evident in his comeback 1989 release The Healer, which featured a roll call of prestigious names from both genres. As he aged he was known as a living blues legend, and he continued to perform, even when he had to be slowly escorted to the stage.
Essential listening: "Boogie Chillen," "I'm in the Mood," "Hoogie Boogie," "Boom Boom," "Baby Lee," "The Healer"
Lightnin' Hopkins
Born: March 15, 1912, Centerville, Texas
Died: January 30, 1982, Houston, Texas
Also known as: Sam Hopkins
Lightnin' Hopkins's influence on Texas blues is surpassed only by that of Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker. Like Walker, Hopkins met Jefferson when he was just a boy and was forever influenced by his exposure to the musician. Hopkins's original brand of blues was characterized by an unusual sense of rhythm and loose sense of structure. His many moods and personality nuances came through in his ever-changing performance and diverse repertoire. He was a talented songwriter, known for his ability to create lyrics on the spot, and he hardly ever played a song with the exact same lyrics twice. Hopkins played and recorded primarily in Texas throughout most of his career until, as one of the many blues greats who benefited from the blues revival of the 1960s, he was kept busy touring and performing at festivals. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1980, two years before his death.
Essential listening: "Tim Moore's Farm," "Coffee Blues," "Lightnin's Boogie," "Hopkins's Sky Hop"
Son House
Born: March 21, 1902, Riverton, Mississippi
Died: October 19, 1988, Detroit, Michigan
Also known as: Eddie James House, Jr.
Son House was originally a preacher, and he brought the fiery intensity of Baptist gospel to his interpretation of Delta blues. A powerfully emotional performer, his presence onstage was riveting and almost frightening in its ability to move the listener. He was influenced by and often played with blues greats Charley Patton and Willie Brown, yet his style remained distinctly his own. He is credited as the primary influence on blues legends Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters as well as Bonnie Raitt and many others. House disappeared from the blues scene from the early 1940s through the mid-1960s, until researchers tracked him down, whereupon he began a second career as a respected performer. His past association with Patton and Johnson, as well as his own legendary skill, made him particularly valuable and respected as a living record of blues history. As music critic Cub Koda put it, "Hailed as the greatest living Delta singer still actively performing, nobody dared call themselves the king of the blues as long as Son House was around." *
Essential listening: "Preachin' the Blues," "Death Letter," "John the Revelator," "Dry Spell Blues," "My Black Mama"
* www.allmusic.com
Born: June 10, 1910, West Point, Mississippi
Died: January 10, 1976, Hines, Illinois
Also known as: Chester Arthur Burnett
Howlin' Wolf was inspired by the passionate showmanship of legends Charley Patton and Tommy Johnson, but he took it to the next level. More than just a great showman, "the howler" was an almost transcendent performer, losing himself in the power of the music and letting it flow uninhibitedly through his voice. Wolf could whip the crowd into a frenzy like no other performer, and his stature at more than 6 feet tall and 300 or so pounds matched his formidable musical presence. His voice was truly original, a nasty sounding, expressively gritty growl that conveyed the meaning of the lyrics many of them penned by legendary songwriter Willie Dixon and his interpretation helped many songs become classics. The allure of Wolf's music was further enhanced by the superb guitarists who played with him Willie Johnson in the early years and Hubert Sumlin in later years as well as his own skill with guitar and harmonica, the latter of which he learned to play from master Sonny Boy Williamson. Wolf was a hero of many equally gritty rock and rollers, including the Rolling Stones. Like many Mississippi bluesmen, Wolf saw his career take off in Chicago, where to this day he is an enduring and beloved part of the city's history.
Essential listening: "Smokestack Lightnin'," "Moanin' at Midnight," "Evil," "Killing Floor," "Shake for Me"
Mississippi John Hurt
Born: July 3, 1893, Teoc, Mississippi
Died: November 2, 1966, Grenada, Mississippi
Also known as: John Smith Hurt
Mississippi John Hurt brought unprecedented warmth to the blues, characterized by his gentle, gracious presence as a performer and the tenderness and depth of his songwriting. Hurt mastered a form of finger picking on the guitar that significantly influenced generations of blues, folk and rock musicians. From the time he was 14, Hurt performed locally in and near his tiny hometown while making his living as a farm laborer. Like other Mississippi masters, he was tracked down later in life by a blues fan and scholar and introduced to the burgeoning blues revival of the mid-1960s. During the last three years of his life, to his surprise and delight, he was accepted with open arms by thousands of fans and subsequently made his living as a performer. He has influenced the musicianship and songwriting of blues, folk and rock and his musical descendants include Taj Mahal, Ben Harper, Bob Dylan and many others.
Essential listening: "Frankie," "Louis Collins," "Avalon Blues," " Stack O' Lee ," "Big Leg Blues"
Elmore James
Born: June 27, 1910, Richland, Mississippi
Died: May 24, 1963, Chicago, Illinois
Elmore James was a master of slide guitar, and has influenced just about everyone who has ever picked up a slide. His powerful vocals would naturally and dramatically crack and catch, giving authenticity to his sound. His on-and-off day job as a radio repairman complemented his art he experimented with sound distortion decades before it became a staple of modern rock. James began performing at the age of 14, and played with Robert Johnson, Howlin' Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson and others. His style as a vocalist and guitarist were heavily influenced by Robert Johnson, and his reworking of Johnson's original "(I Believe I'll) Dust My Broom" became a signature hit for him (under the shortened title "Dust My Broom"). Like his contemporary Muddy Waters, James brought his version of Delta blues to Chicago, where his amazing band, the Broomdusters, added to the city's superb music scene. James has influenced blues and rock and roll musicians, from B.B. King and Eric Clapton to Johnny Winter and Duane Allman, as well as many others.
Essential listening: "Dust My Broom," "The Sky is Crying," "Hand in Hand," "Shake Your Money Maker"
Skip James
Born: June 21, 1902, Bentonia, Mississippi
Died: October 3, 1969, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Also known as: Nehemiah Curtis James
Skip James is known for his unique, haunting style of blues. He combined falsetto vocals with minor chords, complex finger picking, an idiosyncratic tuning, and a highly personal style of songwriting to create some of the genre's most original music. James was one of Robert Johnson's biggest influences; his original song "Devil Got My Woman" was reworked by Johnson and became the latter's signature hit "Hellhound on my Trail". Like many of his contemporaries of the early Delta blues scene, he turned to another means of livelihood, becoming a preacher at the age of 30 and turning his musical attention to gospel. By chance James was rediscovered during the early 1960s, and subsequently thrilled blues fans at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, thereby re-launching his career. It was obvious that his musical skills were still as sharp as ever and his unique style was intact. In 1966 the band Cream released a popular version of James's original "I'm So Glad."
Essential listening: "Devil Got My Woman," "I'm So Glad," "Sickbed Blues, " Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues "
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Born: July 1897, Couchman, Texas
Died: December, 1929, Chicago, Illinois
Also known as: Deacon L.J. Bates
Blind Lemon Jefferson was a groundbreaking artist on many levels, and is the undisputed father of Texas blues. His innovative guitar style probably partly influenced by Mexican flamenco guitarists featured a flair for arpeggios (playing each note of a chord separately rather than in unison), unconventional use of bass notes and unusual phrasing as well as jazz-inspired improvisation, all of which paved the way for the many brilliant Texas guitarists who would follow in his lineage, from T-Bone Walker to Stevie Ray Vaughan. Walker, in fact, knew Jefferson and was directly influenced by him. Even early in his career Jefferson's remarkable talent was evident. He built a fan base playing on the streets of Dallas, and was able to provide for his family on those earnings. He recorded close to 100 songs within only four years, and his commercial success broke ground for male blues singers in an era where the genre was dominated by women, such as Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. As a talented songwriter he shifted the common practice of blues vocalists primarily performing songs written by others. His original material includes many blues classics.
Essential listening: "See That My Grave is Kept Clean," "Jack of Diamonds," "Matchbox Blues"
Blind Willie Johnson
Born: 1902, Marlin, Texas
Died: 1947, Beaumont, Texas
Blind Willie Johnson was a deeply religious man who played gospel music, much of it blues-based, as a way to preach. His passionate performance style featured powerful, rough vocals designed to reach the masses from Texas street corners. Johnson was a talented songwriter as well as a superb slide guitarist. He would pick the melody while accompanying himself with a bass line he'd play with his thumb, and he reportedly played slide with a pocketknife rather than the customary bottleneck. During the 1930s Johnson did some recording for Columbia. A number of his songs became classics, and have been covered by many artists, including Eric Clapton, Peter, Paul and Mary and Ry Cooder.
Essential listening: "Motherless Children Have a Hard Time," "Let Your Light Shine on Me," "Dark Was the Night Cold Was the Ground," "If I Had My Way"
Robert Johnson
Born: May 8, 1911, Hazelhurst, Mississippi
Died: August 28, 1938, Greenwood, Mississippi
A young Robert Johnson hung around the Saturday night dances in the Delta watching Son House, Willie Brown and Charley Patton play and, to their amusement, trying to play guitar during the breaks. Years later Johnson ran into House and Brown, and Johnson's skill on the instrument stunned them. He had acquired his skill in such a short time that it inspired a rumor that became legend Johnson must have sold his soul to the devil. His tortured voice and emotional intensity seemed to give credence to the legend, although it is more likely that his own determination and inherent talent, as well as his exposure to the great Delta bluesmen, deserve the credit for his genius. In addition to being a gifted lyricist and composer and innovative guitarist, Johnson transferred "boogie woogie" from the piano to the guitar, playing the bottom guitar strings to accompany himself with a bass line, a technique that has become standard in blues composition. His influence on blues, from Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton to the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, is legendary.
Essential listening: "Walkin' Blues," "Love in Vain Blues," "Come on in My Kitchen" "Terraplane Blues," " Cross Road Blues "
Tommy Johnson
Born: 1896, Terry, Mississippi
Died: November 1, 1956, Crystal Springs, Mississippi
Tommy Johnson was a hell-raiser who could belt out the blues with a wide vocal range, from a low throaty snarl to a high falsetto. He had a dramatic flair in performance similar to his contemporary, Delta blues king Charley Patton, and in the early, pre-Robert Johnson days his influence on the genre was second only to that of Patton and Son House. He was not a virtuoso on the guitar, but had an original, evocative style, well-matched to his theatrical delivery. Johnson significantly influenced blues greats Muddy Waters, Robert Nighthawk and especially Howlin' Wolf, who would carry on and even outdo the Patton/Johnson tradition of incendiary, down-and-dirty showmanship. Johnson was also the quintessential blues bad boy, with a penchant for rampant womanizing and for alcohol, the latter of which led him to drastic extremes. He was known to down denatured alcohol, used for artificial heat, when the real thing wasn't available, a habit he documented in his original song "Canned Heat," from which the 1960s blues-rock group took its name. Johnson left behind a small but outstanding collection of recordings, almost all of which became classics.
Essential listening: "Maggie Campbell," "Big Road Blues," "Cool Drink of Water," "Canned Heat"
Tom Jones
Born: June 6, 1940, Pontypridd, South Wales
Tom Jones is a stunning vocalist with a powerful, emotionally expressive baritone-tenor range matched by a legendarily charismatic stage presence that has often been compared to that of Elvis Presley Presley, in fact, regarded him as one of the world's finest vocalists. Jones's first hit, "It's Not Unusual," reached number one in the U.K. and placed in the U.S. top 10 in 1965. He followed that up with a steady string of hits throughout the sixties, and eventually landed his own TV series. Jones's prolific recording career has encompassed everything from gospel to rockabilly to funk to electronic and dance music in the late eighties he collaborated with techno group Art of Noise, and had a big hit with a tongue-in-cheek cover of Prince's, "Kiss," a recording that showcased Jones's enduring talent and appeal as well as his sense of humor. Other milestones include a superb recording collaboration with the Chieftains and an acclaimed performance at the legendary Glastonbury Festival, both in the early nineties. Jones remains an esteemed performer worldwide, and continues to tour and record; his latest release, Mr. Jones, is a collaboration with acclaimed hip hop artist Wyclef Jean.
Essential listening: "Tennessee Waltz," "Kiss," "Green, Green Grass of Home," "She's a Lady," "I Who Have Nothing"
Albert King
Born: April 25, 1923, Indianola, Mississippi
Died: December 21, 1992
Also known as: Albert Nelson
As a child an enterprising Albert King reportedly built his own guitar out of a cigar box. A brilliant guitarist in his own right, King was originally inspired by Texas blues great Blind Lemon Jefferson. Like B.B. King, he was a master of single string solos and used the technique of "string bending" to great emotional effect. He was also left-handed, and instead of restringing the guitar, he just learned to play it upside down, which added an original tone to his style. His blues are infused with a Memphis soul sound; he became a rock and blues star after signing to the Memphis-based Stax label, which was responsible for some of the finest soul music ever recorded. King always managed to keep his sound fresh and original, and had a significant impact on blues and rock; he has influenced Eric Clapton, Robert Clay, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Otis Rush, among others. He had the honor of playing San Francisco's Fillmore West on opening night with John Mayall and Jimi Hendrix and often shared the bill with rock artists throughout his career. King continued to tour until his death in 1992.
Essential listening: "Don't Throw Your Love on Me So Strong," "Crosscut Saw," "Born Under a Bad Sign," "I'll Play the Blues for You"
B.B. King
Born: September 16, 1925, Indianola, Mississippi
Also known as: Riley B. King
B.B. King's career has spanned five decades and taken him from the clubs of Memphis to the finest concert halls in the world. He's known as the King of the Blues, and for his enduring and successful efforts as a gracious, respected blues diplomat he deserves much of the credit for the genre's mainstream popularity and recognition. Early in his career King worked as a Memphis disc jockey, where he was known as the Beale Street Blues Boy, which was later shortened to B.B. Although King's roots are in Delta blues, his sound has always been more polished, probably due to his wide variety of influences, which include jazz, gospel and pop. King's highly influential style probably originally inspired by Texas blues greats Blind Lemon Jefferson and T-Bone Walker features "single string" guitar solos that are so well-integrated with his commanding vocals that it's sometimes hard to tell the two apart. He also "bends" the strings, which continues the sound in a way that enhances the music's emotion. He has influenced countless blues and rock artists, including Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Johnny Winter and Jeff Beck. King continues to record and perform as powerfully as ever.
Essential listening: " Three O'Clock Blues ," "How Blue Can You Get," "The Thrill is Gone," "Sweet Little Angel," "Paying the Cost to be the Boss"
Chris Thomas King
Born: October 14, 1963, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Also known as: Chris Thomas
The essence of Chris Thomas King's versatile, heavily blues-influenced music can perhaps best be hinted at with a quick sample of his album titles: his 1986 debut, The Beginning; 1995's 21st Century Blues�From da Hood; 2000's Me, My Guitar and the Blues; and 2002's Dirty South Hip-Hop Blues. King's early influences leaned toward soul, rock and reggae, specifically Prince, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, but it was inevitable that his blues birthright (as the son of Louisiana bluesman Tabby Thomas) would eventually wend its way into his work. King toured Europe with his father in 1983, and since then the blues have been an integral part of his work. Throughout his career he has fused the blues with hip hop, rap, funk and soul, and also has repeatedly returned to a more pure form of blues, exploring the soul and history of the music in a critically acclaimed, always-evolving body of work. King is most recently known for his appearance on the award-winning soundtrack from the film O Brother Where Art Thou , in which he also played a supporting role.
Read an archived version of King's Washington Post online chat .
Essential listening: "Soon This Morning Blues," "Mary Jane," "Hard Time Killing Floor Blues," " Da Thrill is Gone From Here ," "Revelations"
Sam Lay
Born: March 20, 1935, Birmingham, Alabama
Sam Lay is the quintessential blues drummer, and was a major figure on the Chicago blues scene in the 1960's. He played for years with legend Howlin' Wolf, and throughout his career has backed many other blues greats, including Jimmy Reed, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, and Willie Dixon. He eventually was hired away from Howlin' Wolf by the legendary Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Lay was part of Butterfield's band when they backed Bob Dylan at his infamous premier electric performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. He has played on many classic albums, including the 1965 release Paul Butterfield Blues Band, that significantly impacted the 1960s blues revival; Muddy Waters's Fathers and Sons; and Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited. Lay is famous for the "double shuffle" beat, which, like Bo Diddley's famous rock beat, was originally inspired by the clapping rhythms of gospel congregations. Lay has been nominated for several W.C. Handy awards.
Essential listening: "I'm Ready," "Standing Around Crying" (from Fathers and Sons, Chess); "Blues With a Feeling," "I Got My Mojo Working," "Shake Your Money Maker" (from Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Elektra)
Lead Belly
Born: January 20, 1888, Mooringsport, Louisiana
Died: December 6, 1949, New York, New York
Also known as: Huddie William Ledbetter
By all accounts Lead Belly was a captivating performer, and the story of his colorful life certainly gives credence to the reputation. His performance was enchanting enough to disarm even the heavy arm of Southern, white, law enforcement he twice was pardoned from long prison sentences as a result of his talent. Lead Belly was an itinerant musician, and a living catalogue of many musical traditions and influences, from folk to country blues to prison songs to ballads. His wide repertoire carried a rich sense of black history. He traveled and played for a time with Blind Lemon Jefferson, who was probably his primary blues influence and reportedly taught him how to play slide guitar. It was folklorist John Lomax who recognized Lead Belly as a national treasure and orchestrated his second prison release on those grounds, later recording him and organizing performances. Lead Belly later moved to New York and became an integral part of the city's folk scene. During his lifetime he never experienced the success and recognition he deserved, but his influence on American music is incalculable. He has inspired many songwriters, including Bob Dylan, and his recordings document a rich musical legacy that without him might have been forgotten.
Essential listening: "Goodnight Irene," "Bourgeois Blues," "Scottsboro Blues," "Rock Island Line"
J.B. Lenoir
Born: May 5, 1929, Monticello, Mississippi
Died: April 29, 1967, Urbana, Illinois
J.B. Lenoir probably picked up his solid "boogie woogie" influence in New Orleans, where he spent some time performing before he settled into Chicago's blues scene during the fifties and sixties. While in New Orleans he played with blues greats Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James. Once Lenoir made it to Chicago, Big Bill Broonzy helped introduce him to the local blues community, and he became an important part of the city's blues scene. He was a talented songwriter and bluesman with an obvious political awareness. Examples of his outspoken views can be found in "Korea Blues," and "Eisenhower Blues" the latter reportedly caused enough controversy that his record label forced him to remake the tune under the title "Tax Paying Blues." His penchant for social commentary and his high-pitched vocals distinguish him from other bluesmen of that time. Lenoir's recordings are also distinctive for their excellent saxophone arrangements and unconventional drumming (Alex Atkins and Ernest Cotton were often on sax with Al Gavin on drums). Lenoir had successfully toured Europe and was likely about to achieve greater fame when he died in 1966 due to complications from a car accident.
Essential listening: " Shot on James Meredith ," "Mama, Talk to Your Daughter," "Everybody Wants to Know," "Natural Man," "Eisenhower Blues," "Korea Blues," "Vietnam Blues"
Little Richard
Born: December 5, 1932, Macon, Georgia
Also known as: Richard Wayne Penniman
Little Richard was a crucial link between R&B and rock and roll, merging the two with passionate, gospel-inspired vocals and a truly incendiary presence that translated incredibly well onto recording tape. The true peak of his career only lasted three years (and included appearances in rock and roll films), but his many hits are absolute classics and he had an enormous influence on blues, rock, and pop music. Little Richard's recordings feature an overwhelming compilation of superb musicianship his ferocious vocals and relentlessly wild piano playing, strong baritone and tenor sax (often Alvin Tyler and Lee Alvin, respectively), and fabulous rhythm section (namely drummer Earl Palmer). Like other performers such as Son House and Blind Willie Johnson, the religious fervor Little Richard brought to his music was key to its riveting appeal. In 1957 he actually turned his back on his music career in favor of religious studies. He came back to music in the early 1960s, and later repeated the journey from music to religion and back again. Little Richard continues to perform on occasion.
Essential listening: "Lucille," "Good Golly Miss Molly," "Long Tall Sally," "Tutti Frutti"
Alan Lomax
Born: January 15, 1915, Austin, Texas
Died: July 19, 2002, Sarasota, Florida
Alan Lomax began his long career as a folklorist when he was still a teenager, traveling with his father, John, throughout the South to preserve the area's music legacy of folk, work songs and spirituals, among other music. During their travels to Southern prisons, the father and son team came upon William Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly, recorded him for the first time and actually negotiated his release on the basis of the singer/songwriter's talent. Alan Lomax subsequently returned to the South on his own, where he recorded many Mississippi bluesmen, including Muddy Waters, Son House, and Mississippi Fred McDowell. He also recorded jazz legend Jelly Roll Morton. Lomax's life was dedicated to preserving the musical legacy of not only the United States, but other parts of the world as well, including Europe and the Caribbean. His blues recordings are classics, and in his award-winning memoir, The Land Where the Blues Began, he not only chronicled the history of the blues as seen through his field experiences, but also captured the bitter racism that was faced by the now-legendary artists he recorded. Lomax left behind an invaluable musical and historical legacy.
Essential listening: "Walking Blues," "Country Blues," "Life is Like That" (from The Land Where the Blues Began, 2002, Rounder)
Brownie McGhee
Born: November 30, 1915, Knoxville, Tennessee
Died: February 23, 1996, Oakland, California
Also known as: Walter McGhee
Brownie McGhee played blues guitar in a style that was heavily influenced by Blind Boy Fuller, a North Carolina native whose repertoire included a complicated finger picking style characteristic of a regional genre known as Piedmont blues. Early in his career, McGhee worked as a traveling performer. When he made it to North Carolina he met Blind Boy Fuller and his manager, J.B. Long, and it was Long who helped McGhee make his first recordings. McGhee later moved to New York where he teamed up with harmonica player Sonny Terry. With the help of legendary singer/songwriter Lead Belly, McGhee and Terry became an important part of the city's folk scene, working with such artists as Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. As a duo they were enormously popular performers and prolific recording artists for almost four decades. McGhee also opened a music school in Harlem where he offered guitar lessons. Both individually and in his partnership with Sonny Terry, McGhee had a lasting influence on both blues and folk. He was an accomplished and versatile guitarist and vocalist whose mastery as a musician included R&B, electric blues and vintage country blues, in addition to the Piedmont style he helped preserve.
Essential listening: "Workingman's Blues," "Death of Blind Boy Fuller," "Living With the Blues"
Magic Slim
Born: August 7, 1937, Grenada, Mississippi
Also known as: Morris Holt
A Magic Slim performance brings the history of Chicago blues to life he studied and played with the masters and he brings their styles together, infusing them with his own fiery skill. He might not be the King of the Blues in Chicago, but he's certainly one of the royal family. Slim grew up in Mississippi and knew blues great Magic Sam when the two were children it was Sam who gave him the nickname. Slim came to Chicago in the mid-fifties with the hopes of becoming a great bluesman, but didn't have the skill level to hold his own with the city's stars. He came back ten years later having honed his licks and formed a band with his brothers; the group soon became a powerful force on the city's South Side. Slim was particularly influenced by the guitar work of Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and his old buddy Magic Sam, and he was a devoted student. Decades (and personnel changes) later Slim and his band still maintain a reputation for blowing the room away with their powerful lead and rhythm guitar stylings and a truly amazing repertoire, including fine original material.
Essential listening: "Scuffling," "Love My Baby," "Help Yourself"
Taj Mahal
Born: May 17, 1942, New York, New York
Also known as: Henry St. Claire Fredericks
Taj Mahal is an extremely versatile songwriter, musician and performer who incorporates his lifelong study of blues and other genres, as well as the music of other cultures including Hawaiian, West African, reggae, zydeco, R&B, Latin, gospel, jazz and folk in his songwriting and performance. Mahal has mastered many instruments, including piano, bass, guitar, banjo and harmonica, and is an expressive vocalist. His deep respect for the true roots of all musical styles is evident in his performance. Stories of legendary and obscure artists from blues and other genres as well as various musical styles and influences are often interspersed between songs. Mahal began performing as a folk singer while he was still a teenager, and during college he became part of Boston's folk scene. He eventually moved to Los Angeles where for a short time he worked with guitar master Ry Cooder. Mahal's loyalty to blues can be found on most of the albums he has released in his prolific career, and is particularly evident in his early, critically-acclaimed releases. Taj Mahal continues to record and perform.
Essential listening: " Fishin' Blues ," "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," "Do I Love Her," "Satisfied and Tickled Too," "Strut," "Hard Way"
John Mayall
Born: November 29, 1933, Manchester, England
John Mayall's considerable talent as a composer and performer is often overshadowed by the influence of his ever-changing band, the Bluesbreakers, which has been in existence since the early 1960's, and early on gained a prestigious reputation that has endured to the present day. Mayall brought together a stunning array of talent in the groundbreaking group, which mined the annals of American blues history in addition to performing original music. The group was partly experimental, and as a result its sound was inconsistent, but much of it was outstanding. Many members of the Bluesbreakers subsequently became superstars. Even a short list of the band's veterans reads like a who's who in enduring sixties and seventies blues-rock: Eric Clapton and bassist Jack Bruce, who left to form the supergroup Cream; guitarist Mick Taylor, who left to join the Rolling Stones; and guitarist Peter Green, bassist John McVie and drummer Mick Fleetwood, who with others co-founded Fleetwood Mac (originally conceived as a pure blues band). Mayall continues to perform, often with longtime Bluesbreakers veterans and other blues legends.
Essential listening: "All Your Love," "Room to Move," "Ramblin' On My Mind," "Parchman Farm," "It Ain't Right"
Memphis Minnie
Born: June 3, 1897, Algiers, Louisiana
Died: August 6, 1973, Memphis, Tennessee
Also known as: Lizzie Douglas
Memphis Minnie was an accomplished guitarist, banjo player, vocalist and songwriter whose career was long and prolific, and she won the enduring respect of her contemporaries, male and female. Her talent had an impact on Memphis's famed Beale Street blues community as well as both the pre-war and post-war Chicago blues scene. She established herself on Beale Street during the 1920s, then moved to Chicago in 1930, where she reportedly regularly won guitar playing competitions, beating out the best of them, including Big Bill Broonzy, Tampa Red, and Muddy Waters. In addition to her superb musicianship, her performance featured rich vocals with a deep, full tone. Her songwriting, often conveying a purely female perspective, was as gutsy and suggestive as any of her male counterparts, and many of her originals have become classics. Among her many contributions to the blues, she was also known for her kindness and generosity toward up and coming blues musicians. In 1971 Led Zeppelin recorded its take on her original "When the Levee Breaks" a testament to the timeless appeal of her music.
Essential listening: "Bumble Bee," "I'd Rather See Him Dead," "Moaning the Blues," "When the Levee Breaks," "Hoodoo Lady"
Muddy Waters
Born: April 4, 1915, Rolling Forks, Mississippi
Died: April 30, 1983, Westmont, Illinois
Also known as: McKinley Morganfield
Muddy Waters grew up in the Mississippi Delta, singing as he worked in the cotton fields as a boy and playing near his favorite muddy creek thus the nickname. He picked up a guitar when he was 17. Influenced by the deeply emotional performer Son House as well as Robert Johnson, Waters became an accomplished bluesman himself. In the early 1940s he took the raw depth of the Delta blues to Chicago, and in a few years he had revolutionized the city's blues scene. His many contributions to Chicago blues include his skill with an electric guitar, his tough, powerful vocals, and his evocative, compelling songwriting. As a bandleader he established the ensemble sound and style of Chicago electric blues just about every great Chicago blues player of that time was in Waters's band at one point or another. British rockers the Rolling Stones took their name from a Waters's song a testament to Waters's extensive influence on both American and British rock and roll.
Essential listening: "Rolling Stone," "Honey Bee," "I Can't Be Satisfied," " Mannish Boy ," "Got My Mojo Working"
Willie Nix
Born: August 6, 1922, Memphis, Tennessee
Died: July 8, 1991, Leland, Mississippi
Willie Nix was an innovative drummer and gifted lyricist as well as vocalist, and was an integral part of Memphis's Beale Street blues community during the late forties and early fifties. Nix originally began performing as a tap-dancer when he was very young his creative sense of rhythm as a drummer likely had its roots in his instincts as a dancer. Nix recorded and played in both Memphis and Chicago, and worked with legendary bluesmen in both cities, among them Junior Parker, B.B. King, Elmore James, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and Bobby Blue Bland. Nix eventually moved back to Memphis and continued to be a local fixture in the blues community. He performed on and off until his death in 1991.
Essential listening: "Truckin' Little Woman," "Nervous Wreck," "No More Love"
Junior Parker
Born: March 27, 1932, West Memphis, Arkansas
Died: November 18, 1971, Chicago, Illinois
Also known as: Herman Parker, Jr.
Junior Parker was known for his prowess as a vocalist, bandleader, songwriter and harmonica player, but it was his voice which music historians describe as "honeyed," "velvet-smooth" and "magic carpet" that brought him real fame. Parker was mentored in the subtleties of blues harp (harmonica) by the blues legend Sonny Boy Williamson II, and joined Howlin' Wolf's band when he was still a teenager. He was part of Memphis's famous Beale Street blues community. Reportedly one of talent scout Ike Turner's many discoveries, Parker recorded for Sun records in the early fifties; his rendition of the self-penned "Mystery Train" made it to number 5 on the R&B charts and was later covered by Elvis Presley. Parker's recordings would make the charts many more times throughout the decade and into the early sixties. During the late fifties Parker led a highly successful R&B revue, Blues Consolidated, which also featured fellow Beale Street vocalist Bobby Blue Bland. Though he never was able to sustain the fame he'd achieved during the fifties, Parker continued working as a recording artist and performer throughout the sixties.
Essential listening: "Mystery Train," "Next Time You See Me," "Barefoot Rock," "Feelin' Good," "Love My Baby"
Charley Patton
Born: 1891, Edwards, Mississippi
Died: April 28, 1934, Indianola, Mississippi
Charley Patton is the uncontested father of the Delta blues. His ferocious, high energy performance brought the house down on a regular basis with a gritty, raw vocal style and an ability to act as a one-man percussion section with his guitar, creating an innovative flow of rhythm and counter-rhythm. His uninhibited performances onstage were reflected in his lifestyle he was a match for any one of his musical descendants as a hard drinker and womanizer. Patton's legacy has inspired, directly and indirectly, generations of both blues and rock and roll musicians. The guitar gymnastics of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan are echoes of Patton's performance style, and his use of rhythm and "popping" bass notes presaged funk by decades. Patton influenced and played with blues greats Son House and Willie Brown, and also influenced Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Shines, John Lee Hooker, and Pop Staples, among many others.
Essential listening: "Pony Blues," "High Water Everywhere," "Oh Death," "High Sheriff Blues"
Sam Phillips
Born: January 1, 1923, Florence, Alabama
Died: July 31, 2003, Memphis, Tennessee
Sam Phillips has had an enormous impact on music, particularly blues, rock and roll and rockabilly. As an innovative producer and owner of Memphis's legendary Sun Studios, Phillips made his mark on music history by discovering and recording such legends as Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and others. Slightly earlier in his career, however, Phillips recorded many blues legends, including Howlin' Wolf, B.B. King, Little Milton and Junior Parker. Sun Studios is often called "The Birthplace of Rock and Roll" in 1951 Phillips recorded the legendary single "Rocket 88," which is often referred to as the first rock and roll record. The song reached number one on R&B charts and helped put Memphis on the musical map. Phillip's obvious gift for bringing out the best in his recording artists is evident on early Sun recordings, which are also known for their live, vital sound. Sun Studios still exists in its original Memphis location.
Essential listening: "B.B. Blues," "My Baby Walked Off," "I Found a New Love," "Lookin' for My Baby" (from Blue Flames: A Sun Blues Collection, Rhino-Sun)
Professor Longhair
Born: December 19, 1918, Bogalusa, Louisiana
Died: January 30, 1980, New Orleans, Louisiana
Also known as: Henry Roeland "Roy" Byrd
Professor Longhair is known as the Father of New Orleans rhythm and blues. He was a vocalist and songwriter, and as a pianist his wildly innovative style combined zydeco, jazz, blues, calypso and ragtime influences with an amazing sense of rhythm. Longhair's infectious talent influenced New Orleans-based greats such as Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, and Fats Domino, among others. He began performing when he was quite young, and later formed several bands, including Professor Longhair and his Blues Jumpers, with whom he recorded the single, "Baldhead," which eventually reached number 5 on the R&B charts. During most of his career he remained a local legend because of his lack of interest in touring, but many of his recordings became New Orleans classics, including "Tipitina," for which the legendary nightclub was named. Longhair's popularity subsided during the 1960's and he worked as a janitor until his performance career was revived in the early seventies. Thereafter he was a regular at New Orleans's Jazz & Heritage Festival, toured the U.S. and Europe and continued to record to critical acclaim.
Essential recordings: "Tipitina," "Baldhead," " Big Chief ," "Go to the Mardi Gras," "In the Night"
Gertrude "Ma" Rainey
Born: April 26, 1886, Columbus, Georgia
Died: December 22, 1939, Columbus, Georgia
Also known as: Gertrude Pridgett
Ma Rainey is commonly known as the Mother of the Blues because of her significant influence on the many female blues singers who succeeded her. She began performing in minstrel and vaudeville shows around the age of 14, and is widely considered to be one of the first female singers to perform blues in that setting. She was an important link between the rough vocals of country blues, then a male-dominated genre which her vocal delivery resembled, and the more polished sound of classic urban blues, a female-dominated genre which she ultimately influenced. In 1904 Rainey married William (known as Pa) Rainey, and the two of them performed together calling themselves "Assasinators of the Blues." Legend has it that during their travels Ma Rainey met Bessie Smith, and became somewhat of a mentor to the young singer. In addition to Rainey's vocal prowess, she was also a talented songwriter. After more than two decades of performing, Rainey began to record in 1923, and she left behind a prolific legacy that includes many classics.
Essential listening: "C.C. Rider," "Bo Weavil Blues," "Jelly Bean Blues," "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
Bonnie Raitt
Born: November 8, 1949
An accomplished slide guitarist and blues singer/songwriter, Bonnie Raitt incongruously dropped out of an Ivy League college to work as an itinerant blues musician. Her considerable skill made an impression on Boston's blues scene, and she quickly won the respect of her peers, later playing with blues legends Howlin' Wolf, Son House, Muddy Waters, and others. Raitt began recording to critical acclaim in the early seventies, mixing blues with R&B, pop, jazz and New Orleans influences and garnering a loyal cult following. Like her female predecessors, her music often features a gender-specific spin on the blues; her original interpretation of Chris Smither's "Love Me Like a Man" contains a clever response to Muddy Waters's "Rock Me," and her rendition of Sippie Wallace's "Women Be Wise" likewise offers a refreshing female perspective. In the eighties Raitt's career slowed somewhat until the release of the aptly-titled Nick of Time in 1989, at which point, in the words of blues historian Robert Santelli, she "pulled off one of the greatest career turnarounds in modern pop history."* Raitt received six Grammy awards for the album, and followed it up with another Grammy-winner in 1992. She continues to record and tour.
Essential listening: "Love Me Like a Man," "Give It Up or Let Me Go," "Women Be Wise," "Walking Blues," "Feeling of Falling"
* Santelli, Robert. The Big Book of Blues. New York: Penguin Books, 1993.
Jimmy Reed
Born: September 9, 1925, Dunleith, Mississippi
Died: August 29, 1976, Oakland, California
Also known as: Mathias James Reed
Jimmy Reed's brand of blues was smooth, warm and even sweet quite a contrast to the rough, gritty sound which usually characterizes the genre. Reed and his guitarist Eddie Taylor were childhood friends in Mississippi, and they later settled in Chicago, where they would became a unique recording presence. Reed's easygoing style, built on a solid foundation of Delta blues, featured walking "boogie woogie" bass notes, catchy rhythmic hooks crafted by Taylor and fluid harmonica riffs. All this was delivered through Reed's expressive, irresistible vocals the combination was a contagiously compelling sound. Some of Reed's success was also due to his wife Mary Lee's considerable talent as a songwriter. Reed's recordings were hugely popular with both blues and pop audiences; he enjoyed a long series of hits from 1955 through 1961. Many of his songs have been covered by blues, rock and roll and pop artists, including the Rolling Stones, who along with Bob Dylan acknowledge him as a huge influence. Even the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley, couldn't resist recording a Jimmy Reed song.
Essential listening: "Ain't That Loving You Baby," "Baby What Do You Want Me to Do," "Hush, Hush," "Shame, Shame, Shame," "You Don't Have to Go"
The Rolling Stones
Original and later band members: Mick Jagger, born July 26, 1943, Dartford, England; Keith Richards, born December 18, 1943, Dartford, England; Brian Jones, born February 28, 1942, Cheltenham, England, died July 3, 1969, London, England; Charlie Watts, born June 2, 1941, Islington, London, England; Bill Wyman, born October 24, 1936, London, England; Ron Wood, born June 1, 1947, Hillingdon, London, England
The Rolling Stones melded blues and R&B with classic rock and roll, and eventually lived up to their self-proclaimed moniker "the World's Greatest Rock and Roll band." As rock and roll's quintessential bad boys, in the beginning the Stones were the antithesis of the clean-cut Beatles, and their sound was a gritty, edgy departure from the sounds of the time. The band took their name from a Muddy Waters song, a testament to the fact that they were avid fans of classic blues. As a young man, outrageously charismatic front man and songwriter Mick Jagger was a regular mail-order customer of the Chicago blues label Chess Records (the band would later record there and work for years with the co-founder's son Marshall). Guitarists Brian Jones and Keith Richards (who formed a notoriously brilliant songwriting partnership with Jagger) were both heavily influenced by Delta blues; Jones idolized legendary blues slide guitarist Elmore James and Richards's highly influential playing made considerable use of the genre's open chord tunings. Drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman were a formidable rhythm section; Watts had previously played with one of Great Britain's esteemed blues band, Blues, Inc. Jones left the band just before his death 1969 and was replaced by Mick Taylor, a veteran of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers. Taylor left in 1975, and in 1976 was replaced by Ron Wood, who had played with the Jeff Beck Group as well as Small Faces. Wyman left the group in 1991, and was replaced in 1994 by Daryl Jones. The Rolling Stones, who continue to tour, are commonly regarded as one of the most influential bands in the history of music.
Essential listening: "Loving Cup," "Moonlight Mile," "Love in Vain," "I Just Want to Make Love to You"
Bobby Rush
Born: November 10, 1940, Homer, Louisiana
Bobby Rush began performing in Chicago as a teenager, and performed with blues greats Freddie King and Luther Allison. He saw some recording success during the 1970s, making the R&B charts with his hit "Chicken Heads," which is still one of his standards, and became a very popular performer and prolific recording artist after he moved to Mississippi in the early eighties. Rush is known for his high-energy performances, featuring lighthearted, funky, and often very suggestive blues, R&B, and soul. He has received several nominations for the prestigious W.C. Handy awards as well as other blues, R&B and soul awards.
Read an archived version of Bobby Rush's Washington Post online chat .
Essential listening: "A Man Can Give It (But He Can't Take It)," "Chicken Heads," "Mama Talk To Your Daughter," "Sue," "What's Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander"
Otis Rush
Born: April 29, 1934, Philadelphia, Mississippi
Otis Rush is a stunning vocalist, innovative guitarist and songwriter who has hugely influenced blues and rock artists, including Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan (whose band, Double Trouble, was named after Rush's song of the same name), Jeff Beck, and Carlos Santana. Rush was inspired to become a bluesman after he moved to Chicago in the late forties and saw Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf perform. Along with Buddy Guy and Magic Slim, Rush developed a playing style that would become known as the "West Side sound," an emotionally intense combination of guitar licks and expressive vocals, with an urban sound that signified a departure from classic Mississippi Delta blues. Willie Dixon recognized Rush's genius early on, and Rush's recording of Dixon's original, "I Can't Quit You, Baby," reached number 9 on the R&B charts in the mid-fifties. A songwriter in his own right, Rush's frequent use of minor keys provides his music with a subtle but unmistakably anguished tone and interesting moodiness. He is a left-handed guitarist, and like Albert King, one of his primary influences, he plays the guitar upside down rather than having it restrung. Rush continues to tour.
Essential listening: "I Can't Quit You, Baby," "Double Trouble," "So Many Roads, So Many Trains," "All Your Love"
Bessie Smith
Born: April 15, 1894, Chattanooga, Tennessee
Died: September 26, 1937, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Bessie Smith's talent as a vocalist is legendary and she has influenced generations of blues singers, from Billie Holiday to Janis Joplin. She was enormously successful throughout the twenties as a blues and sometimes jazz singer, and beyond that she was an inspiration to the black community, as she lived her life with confidence and uncompromising self-respect, on no one's terms but her own. This self-assurance was part of the appeal of her rich, expressive vocals. Smith sometimes wrote her own material, such as "Back Water Blues." Her career was impacted by the Depression, as were the careers of many artists, but she continued to perform. She was probably on the verge of a comeback, reportedly having been scheduled to play Carnegie Hall at John Hammond's legendary concert "From Spirituals to Swing," when she was killed in a car accident in 1937.
Essential recordings: " Lost Your Head Blues ," "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," "'Tain't Nobody's Business if I Do," "Back Water Blues," "Broken Hearted Blues"
Mamie Smith
Born: May 26, 1883, Cincinnati, Ohio
Died: October 30, 1946, New York, New York
Mamie Smith was primarily a cabaret and vaudeville singer, but she made blues history by being the first singer to record a blues song. "Crazy Blues," recorded in 1920, was a huge hit, selling more than one million copies within a year of its release. This success inspired the release of further blues recordings by female artists. So, although Mamie Smith technically wasn't a blues singer, she was a groundbreaking and influential artist for the genre. Her majestic stage presence and ornate costumes and jewelry also influenced other female blues singers of the twenties.
Essential listening: "Crazy Blues," "It's Right Here for You," "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down," "That Thing Called Love"
Victoria Spivey
Born: October 15, 1906, Houston, Texas
Died: October 3, 1976, New York, New York
Victoria Spivey's career lasted much longer than that of most other female blues singers of the 1920s. She was a clever songwriter who unflinchingly addressed diverse topics, and as a vocalist her delivery of the blues was sincere and convincing. Spivey started out as a performer in Houston, and is rumored to have played with Blind Lemon Jefferson. For a time she worked as a songwriter for the St. Louis Music Company, and later was based in New York, where she performed constantly. Spivey was artistically influenced by blues great Ida Cox, and she may have also been influenced by her on a more practical level both women are reputed to have had formidable business acumen. Spivey took a hiatus from music during the fifties, but managed a comeback in the early sixties, starting her own record company just in time for the mid-sixties blues revival to breathe new life into her career as a performer. She released predominantly classic blues on her record label, and continued to tour until her death in 1976.
Essential listening: "Dope Head Blues," "Black Snake Blues," TB Blues," "Organ Grinder Blues"
Koko Taylor
Born: September 28, 1935, Memphis, Tennessee
Also known as: Cora Walton
Koko Taylor is a living testament to blues history and can still belt out a song as powerfully and joyfully as ever. A warm, charismatic performer, she has been the undisputed Queen of Chicago Blues for decades, and her reign is still going strong. Taylor's career began after she and her husband moved from Memphis to Chicago, where they frequented the local blues clubs. Once she began sitting in with bands it quickly became obvious she could hold her own not only among female vocalists, but with any of the male heavy hitters, such as contemporaries Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. Among her fans was blues great Willie Dixon, who was instrumental in the advancement of her career. Her recording of his original song "Wang Dang Doodle" climbed the rhythm and blues charts, was a million-plus seller, and remains one of her classics. For almost 20 years running she garnered the pretigious W.C. Handy Award. A legend in her own right, she has been compared to blues greats Bessie Smith and Big Mama Thornton. In the late 1980s Taylor overcame health challenges and adversity to maintain her reputation as a performer and recording artist of passionate, soulful blues.
Essential listening: "I'm A Woman," "Wang Dang Doodle," "What Kind of Man is This," "I Got What it Takes"
Sonny Terry
Born: October 24, 1911, Greensboro, North Carolina
Died: March 12, 1986, New York, New York
Sonny Terry was a legendary harmonica player who hugely influenced both blues and folk music. Terry began his career playing on the streets of Raleigh Durham, North Carolina, where he met local blues guitarist and vocalist Blind Boy Fuller. The two began performing and recording as a duo. After Fuller's death Terry teamed up with guitarist Brownie McGhee, who had been heavily influenced by Fuller. The musical partnership of Terry and McGhee would last three decades. The two became an important part of New York's folk scene, playing with legends Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Lead Belly. They were a versatile and enormously popular duo who always maintained their signature style, Piedmont blues, which was specific to the southeast United States. As a team they recorded prolifically and kept a busy touring schedule. The partnership ended in the mid-seventies and Terry continued to record and perform on his own. He published a book, The Harp Styles of Sonny Terry, in 1975.
Essential listening: "Mountain Blues," "One Monkey Don't Stop the Show," "Sonny's Whoopin' the Doop," "I Think I Got the Blues"
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
Born: March 20, 1921, Cotton Plant, Arkansas
Died: October 9, 1973, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sister Rosetta Tharpe mastered the guitar by the age of 6, and grew up singing gospel with her mother. Tharpe was a riveting performer with a flair for showmanship and a definite blues influence in her phrasing and musicianship. She signed a recording contract with Decca while still a teenager and her recordings were huge hits. Tharpe's talent and appeal were so outrageous and contagious that it was inevitable her talents would one day extend beyond the gospel community. Her later career embodied the early, ongoing battle between sacred music and a more secular sound a struggle that many black artists from the gospel tradition have had to face. Eventually Tharpe caused great controversy in the gospel community and lost much of her loyal audience when she recorded pure blues in the early 1950s (along with gospel artist Madame Marie Knight). It took about a decade before Tharpe made her way back to acceptance from the gospel community. She continued to tour until her death in 1973.
Essential listening: "Rock Me," "This Train," "Down by the Riverside," "Didn't it Rain," "Up Above My Head"
Big Mama Thornton
Born: December 11, 1926, Montgomery, Alabama
Died: July 25, 1984, Los Angeles, California
Also known as: Willie Mae Thornton
Big Mama Thornton was a great blues vocalist in the tradition of Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie and Ma Rainey, and was also a drummer and harmonica player. She had considerable success with her 1953 recording of "Hound Dog," which reached number 1 on the R&B charts and stayed there for seven weeks. (Three years later the song was immortalized by Elvis Presley.) Thornton began her professional singing career at the age of 14, touring the South with the Hot Harlem Revue. She later moved to Houston, Texas where she did some recording and worked with Johnny Otis and Junior Parker, among others. In the early sixties she settled in San Francisco, playing in local blues clubs as well as touring with blues festivals. Thornton continued to perform until her death in 1984. Among her recordings is "Ball 'n Chain," recorded in 1965, which Janis Joplin covered three years later.
Essential listening: "Hound Dog," "Ball and Chain," "Just Like a Dog," "I Smell a Rat," "Stop Hoppin' on Me"
Ali Farka Toure
Born: 1939, Gourmararusse, Mali
Ali Farka Toure is a multi-lingual West African vocalist, guitarist, drummer, and songwriter who, as music historian Richie Unterberger observed, has been "described as 'the African John Lee Hooker' so many times that it probably began to grate on both Toure's and Hooker's nerves."* The comparison is due to Toure's mesmerizing, stripped-down sound that features innovative rhythm and haunting, low vocals. His exceptional music is often described as uniting the sounds of the Mississippi Delta with those of West Africa, and he clearly adds more global influences, musically and instrumentally, to the mix. Toure has had an enormous influence on world music, and has worked with Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal and the Chieftains, among others.
Essential listening: "Ali's Here," "Saukare," "Bonde," "Amandrai," "Soukora"
* www.allmusic.com
Born: May 18, 1911, Kansas City, Missouri
Died: November 24, 1985, Inglewood, California
Big Joe Turner was an accomplished and uncommonly versatile vocalist. His career spanned half a century, during which he transitioned effortlessly from blues to R&B to rock and roll. Turner earned the nickname "Boss of the Blues" because of his powerhouse vocals and formidable stage presence. A Kansas City native, Turner started out playing in local nightclubs, mostly with pianist Pete Johnson, and sometimes with big bands, including that of Count Basie. Turner and Johnson became one of many acts noticed by legendary talent scout John Hammond. At Hammond's suggestion they moved to New York and were part of his "Spirituals to Swing" concert in 1938. The duo snared a regular gig at New York's Caf� Society, a prestigious jazz club, and their enormous popularity was partially responsible for the rise of "boogie woogie" music during the late thirties and early forties. Turner began to record and tour in the early forties, working with Duke Ellington, Art Tatum, and others. A decade later Turner transitioned to R&B, releasing years of solid hits between 1951 and 1956, and in the process becoming known as one of the founding fathers of rock and roll. Turner continued to perform and record until his death in 1985.
Essential listening: "Roll 'Em Pete," "Honey Hush," "Shake, Rattle, and Roll," "Corinna Corrina," "Chains of Love"
Ike Turner
Born: November 5, 1931, Clarksdale, Mississippi
Also known as: Izear Luster Turner, Jr.
Ike Turner has been an integral part of the history of blues, rock and R&B. As a pianist and guitarist he backed visiting bluesmen and performed with his own band, the Kings of Rhythm, while still in high school. He worked as a talent scout in Memphis and throughout the south, and as such he accelerated the careers of Howlin' Wolf, Little Milton and others; as a session musician he often backed up the talent he discovered. Turner's band recorded the song "Rocket 88" in 1951 (recorded under the name Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats), which hit number 1 on the R&B charts and is often called the "first rock and roll song." The band became very popular in St. Louis, and in the late fifties Turner added vocalist Annie Mae Bullock to the mix (who later changed her name to Tina Turner and married Ike). The band became the Ike & Tina Turner Review, and made R&B and rock history, charting singles, packing black nightclubs and touring with the Rolling Stones. Tina left the band and the marriage in 1974; subsequently Ike experienced some hard times, and his career faded. He later made a comeback, and continues to record and perform.
Essential listening: "Rocket 88," "Shake a Tail Feather," "Proud Mary," "Steel Guitar Rag," "I'm Lonesome Baby," "Tore Up," "Ike's Theme," "Catfish Blues"
Otha Turner
Born: June 2, 1907, Jackson, Mississippi
Died: February 26, 2003
Blues fife and drum musician Otha Turner grew up near the Mississippi Delta. Fife and drum music is a traditional genre that has its roots in the northern Mississippi hill country and is based on African-American work songs and spirituals. The fife is an instrument similar to the flute, often made out of bamboo. Turner worked as a farmer in Como, Mississippi, where he also led the Rising Star Fife and Drum band for sixty years. The band eventually made it to Chicago, where for years they opened the city's legendary Blues Festival. While in his nineties, Turner preserved his historically significant music with the recordings Everybody's Hollerin' Goat and Senegal to Senatobia.
Essential listening: "Shimmy She Wobble," "Granny Do Your Dog Bite," "Shake 'Em," "Boogie," "My Babe," "Senegal to Senatobia," "Sunu"
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Born: October 3, 1954, Dallas, Texas
Died: August 27, 1990, East Troy, Wisconsin
Stevie Ray Vaughan almost single-handedly created a blues revival during the 1980s for blues fans it was a refreshing, electrifying change from the predominant sound of that decade. He was assisted in this feat by contemporaries Albert Collins and Robert Cray. Vaughan was a stunning guitarist who mesmerized crowds and listeners with a signature sound and breathtaking skill, combining the influences of both Texas and Chicago blues. His guitar gymnastics echoed those of Jimi Hendrix, and that combined with his soulful, original style made his music irresistible to rock fans as well as blues aficionados. The Texas native dropped out of high school and made his way to Austin to play music; he formed a band that soon became well-known in the city. Eventually he and his band were signed to Epic and their first release, Texas Flood, made blues history. He had taken his rightful place alongside other blues legends when his life and career were cut short by tragedy. Vaughan died in a helicopter crash after a performance with Buddy Guy and Eric Clapton.
Essential listening: "Pride and Joy," "The Sky is Crying," "Texas Flood," "Couldn't Stand the Weather," "Little Wing"
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson
Born: December 18, 1917, Houston, Texas
Died: July 2, 1988, Los Angeles, California
Eddie Vinson was an R&B saxophone player, bandleader, songwriter, and vocalist with a signature voice whose long and prolific career also encompassed jazz and blues. Vinson got his nickname, "Cleanhead," after an episode with a lye-based hair straightener left him bald. He was raised in a musical family and played saxophone in high school. Vinson's career from the mid-thirties through the mid-forties included stints in legendary bands, including Chester Boone's band in Houston, which at the time included genius blues guitarist T-Bone Walker; Milt Larkin's band, which boasted a superb saxophone section; and, after Vinson relocated to New York in 1941, the Cootie Williams Orchestra. Williams's recordings of "Somebody's Got to Go," and "Cherry Red", on which Vinson also appeared as a vocalist, were huge hits. In 1945 Vinson formed his own band, which reportedly for a time included John Coltrane. Vinson played at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1970. For the next two decades he toured and recorded in the U.S. and Europe, where he was particularly popular.
Essential listening: "Kidney Stew," "Cherry Red," "Somebody's Got to Go," "Cleanhead Blues," "Old Maid Boogie"
T-Bone Walker
Born: May 28, 1910, Linden, Texas
Died: March 16, 1975, Los Angeles, California
Also known as: Aaron Thibeaux Walker
Some music critics maintain that no one has ever matched T-Bone Walker's genius as an electric blues guitarist. His extraordinary talent influenced blues and rock greats, including Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Otis Rush and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among others. Walker was born into a musical family, and Texas blues legend Blind Lemon Jefferson was a family friend. As a boy Walker reportedly acted as escort to Jefferson when the blind musician played on the streets of Dallas, and was definitely influenced by Jefferson musically. Walker began his career in Texas and later moved to Los Angeles. Walker's absolute authority with the instrument translated into precise, incendiary musicianship complemented by a confident, masterful stage presence. His ability as a vocalist was every bit as impressive, and he is the author of many blues classics, including "Stormy Monday," which has been covered endlessly and would probably appear in any top 10 list of the best blues ever written.
Essential listening: "Stormy Monday," "Strollin' With Bones," "T-Bone Shuffle," "T-Bone Blues," "I Walked Away," "Cold Cold Feeling"
Bukka White
Born: November 12, 1909, Houston, Mississippi*
Died: February 26, 1977, Memphis Tennessee
Also known as: Booker T. Washington White
Bukka White moved to the Mississippi Delta as an adolescent and was influenced by Charley Patton as a result he played a particularly pure form of Delta blues. White's devotion to the music was considerable; after a run-in with the law in Mississippi in 1937, he jumped bail in order to record in Chicago. He was apprehended and incarcerated at Mississippi's Parchman Farm, where he was popular as an entertainer, and where his gift for songwriting wasn't hampered like many of his originals, the song "Parchman Farm Blues" became a classic. White's real taste of fame came after Bob Dylan recorded White's original song "Fixin' to Die Blues" in the early 1960s. Curious about the song's original author, two young blues players found White by sending a general delivery letter to Aberdeen, Mississippi (tipped off by his blues song of the same title). These leaps in visibility led to White's fame in later life, as both a performer and a storyteller, as he embodied both the Delta blues and its rich history.
Essential Listening: "Shake 'Em on Down," " The Panama Limited ," "Aberdeen Mississippi Blues," "Fixin' to Die Blues," "Parchman Farm Blues"
Cassandra Wilson
Born: December 4, 1955, Jackson, Mississippi
Cassandra Wilson is primarily known as an accomplished jazz singer, although her stunning full, low voice and skill as a songwriter have encompassed other genres, and she has been heavily influenced by the musical traditions of the south, including the Delta blues. She cites the complexity of Robert Johnson's songwriting, guitar work and vocal delivery as one of her primary influences. Wilson is a prolific recording artist, and has followed up her 1985 debut with almost one album each year, and sometimes two. Her body of work includes acoustic blues, folk, jazz, and funk. Wilson's 1999 release, Traveling Miles, was a tribute to Miles Davis. She has toured with Wynton Marsalis. Her critically-acclaimed recent release, Belly of the Sun, was recorded in Mississippi with both her own band and local musicians and combines funk, pop and rock with a tribute to pure Delta blues.
Essential listening: "You Move Me," "Round Midnight," "Darkness on the Delta," "You Gotta Move," "Hot Tamales"
Sonny Boy Williamson
Born: March 30, 1914, Jackson, Tennessee
Died: June 1, 1948, Chicago, Illinois
Also known as: John Lee Williamson
Sonny Boy Williamson's innovative skill with the harmonica brought it to center stage as a lead instrument in Chicago blues. He also popularized the "call and response" performance technique with the instrument, delivering a vocal line, answering with his characteristically sharp harp riffs followed by another vocal delivery. Williamson acquired his nickname because of the young age at which he began performing; during those early years he traveled the South, sometimes in the company of his biggest influence, Sleepy John Estes, as well as Robert Nighthawk and others. In the late 1930s he moved to Chicago where he worked as a session player and became an influential and successful mainstay of the city's blues scene as a performer and recording artist. He is credited with composing many original songs that became blues standards, especially for the harmonica, and he influenced a long line of superb harmonica players, including Junior Wells, Little Walter and Rice Miller, who was also known as Sonny Boy Williamson II.
Essential listening: "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," "Early in the Morning," "Whiskey Headed Woman Blues," "Shake that Boogie"
Jimmy Witherspoon
Born: August 8, 1923, Gurdon, Arkansas
Died: September 18, 1997, Los Angeles, California
Jimmy Witherspoon was both a blues and jazz singer during the mid-forties, and hugely influential in his ability to merge the two genres with his deep, full vocals. He was originally influenced by Big Joe Turner, to whom he is often compared. Witherspoon realized he had talent after sitting in with brilliant jazz pianist Teddy Weatherford's big band while stationed overseas. Pianist and bandleader Jay McShann hired Witherspoon to take the place of lead vocalist Walter Brown in his band; during this stint Witherspoon developed his own vocal style. He began recording on his own in 1949, and had a big hit with his version of Bessie Smith's hit "Ain't Nobody's Business." The song not only reached number 1 on the R&B charts, but its stay on the charts was record-breaking. Witherspoon followed that up with a number 5 hit the same year, "In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down." As rock and roll's popularity increased, Witherspoon's career took a downturn, and he focused more on jazz, always infusing it with a blues sensibility. He continued to perform until the end of his life, although he never repeated his early success.
Essential listening: "Ain't Nobody's Business," "In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down," "Big Fine Girl," "No Rollin' Blues"
Peetie Wheatstraw
Born: December 21, 1902, Ripley, Tennessee
Died: December 21, 1941, East St. Louis, Illinois
Also known as: William Bunch
Peetie Wheatstraw began performing in 1929, the year of the Great Depression, and enjoyed enormous popularity in spite of the devastating economic conditions and lulls in the careers of other artists. He was a talented songwriter and commonly addressed rather dark themes the supernatural, death, sex and addiction yet his music was uplifting due to his witty lyrics and the wide range and expressive, buoyant quality of his vocal delivery. His juxtaposition of dark themes with a message to appreciate life is perhaps partly why his music was so surprisingly successful during such trying times. Wheatstraw was primarily a piano player and worked with excellent guitarists, including Kokomo Arnold and Lonnie Johnson; he and Johnson were a recording and performing team for 10 years. He reportedly took his name from an "evil twin" character from black folk tales, and during his career he was also nicknamed "The Devil's Son-in Law" and the "High Sheriff of Hell." Wheatstraw died while celebrating his 39th birthday when, reportedly, he and his buddies tried, and failed, to beat a speeding train.
Essential listening: "Suicide Blues," "You Can't Stop Me From Drinking," "The Devil's Son-in-Law" "Peetie Wheatstraw Stomp"
| i don't know |
What is the common name for the herb Mentha piperita? | Peppermint Benefits & Information (Mentha × piperita)
Peppermint has several dietary uses and health benefits:
Coughs & Colds
Peppermint is a remedy for the common cold and for coughing symptoms that often accompany a cold. The oil from this plant has a soothing effect for coughing symptoms and can calm certain common cold ailments. It can also help build a stronger immune system and has both antimicrobial and antioxidant qualities. Liquid Peppermint oil can be inhaled as a vapor. This manner of peppermint use can create an effective at soothing cough and cold symptoms.
Mouth & Sinuses
Peppermint has been frequently used as an agent that reduces inflammation of the mouth or throat. Sinus inflammations and infections can be remedied by inhalation of the plant essential oil. Menthol is the main active ingredient in peppermint and is the reason for its ability to help clear congestion and help make breathing easier. . The herb can be used topically or in a tea to alleviate common respiratory symptoms such as congestion, coughing and difficulty breathing caused by obstructed or inflamed passages.
Digestive Issues
Peppermint can help with a number of painful digestive problems including gas, bloating and nausea, morning sickness and stomach cramps. Additionally, it can help ease the symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. One study showed that 75% of participants who took a capsule of Peppermint oil daily saw a significant decrease in their IBS symptoms, in comparison with 38% who took a placebo capsule.
Menstrual symptoms
Painful cramps and nausea caused by a woman’s natural cycle can be eased with the help of peppermint. Peppermint acts as a muscle relaxer and therefore reduces the pain caused by a woman’s cramps.
Pain Relief
Headaches, nerve pain, toothaches, inflammation of the joints, and general body aches and muscle pain are all thought to be relieved by the use of peppermint. The main ingredient in peppermint, menthol, creates a cooling sensation when applied to the skin. As a result it can temporarily reduce minor levels of pain associated with athletic injuries, overuse or muscle pain.
Headaches
Topical application of Peppermint oil can reduce certain types of minor headaches. Peppermint oil, diluted with another oil, can be applied directly to the forehead or upper sinus areas. In fact, a German study showed Peppermint to have the same power as 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen.
Skin
Peppermint oil diluted with water can be used as a wash capable of alleviating skin problems such as rashes and dry skin. Also, it can be used as a hair rinse to soothe both dry and oily scalp. Infections, itchiness, allergic rashes and bacterial infections have all been remedied with peppermint herbal supplements.
Energy
The scent of peppermint is energizing and inhaling its scent can result in heightened levels of energy. Drinking peppermint tea, as well as using peppermint oil in a diffuser or in a candle are ways of using peppermint as a stimulant.
Other Applications for Peppermint
There are additional applications for peppermint that are frequently used:
Foods and beverages are flavored with the peppermint extract oil in order to create a distinctive flavoring. Deserts and candies frequently use a peppermint flavoring.
Manufacturers often use the plant extract from the peppermint to produce a popular fragrance for soaps and cosmetics.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers use peppermint plant extract as a flavoring agent for several everyday over the counter medicines and other prescription medicines as it very effective at masking strong, unpleasant tastes.
How to Use Peppermint
Peppermint can be taken in many ways: The oil can be applied topically to the skin; a tea can be made of the dried and crushed leaves; the oil and/or dried plant material can be ingested in capsule form; peppermint liquid tincture is available; the oil can also be vaporized for inhalation.
Peppermint oil is usually the most potent way to gain the active ingredients and benefits, however lower levels of peppermint, such as those ingested through tea, are still very effective.
References
Iscan G, Kirimer N, Kurkcuoglu M, et al. Antimicrobial screening of Mentha Piperita essential oils. J Agric Food Chem 2002; 50:3943-6.
Nair B Find report on the safety assessment of Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf, and Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Water. Int J Toxicol 2001; 20: 61-73.
Tate S. Peppermint oil: a treatment for postoperative nausea. J Adv Nurs 1997; 26: 543-9.
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| Peppermint |
Which 1956 musical film featured the song 'When The Children Are Asleep'? | Peppermint Oil | NCCIH
Peppermint Oil
This fact sheet provides basic information about peppermint and peppermint oil—common names, usefulness and safety, and resources for more information.
Common Names: peppermint, peppermint oil
Latin Name:
Mentha x piperita
Background
The herb peppermint, a natural cross between two types of mint (water mint and spearmint), grows throughout Europe and North America. Both peppermint leaves and the essential oil from peppermint have been used for health purposes. (Essential oils are very concentrated oils containing substances that give a plant its characteristic odor or flavor.) Peppermint is a common flavoring agent in foods, and peppermint oil is used to create a pleasant fragrance in soaps and cosmetics.
Mint has been used for health purposes for several thousand years. It is mentioned in records from ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. However, peppermint was not recognized as a distinct kind of mint until the 1700s.
Today, peppermint is used as a dietary supplement for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), other digestive problems, the common cold, headaches, and other conditions. Peppermint oil is also used topically (applied to the skin) for headache, muscle aches, itching, and other problems. Peppermint leaf is available in teas, capsules, and as a liquid extract. Peppermint oil is available as liquid solutions and in capsules, including enteric-coated capsules.
How Much Do We Know?
A small amount of research has been conducted on peppermint oil, primarily focusing on IBS.
Very little research has been done on peppermint leaf.
What Have We Learned?
Peppermint oil has been studied most extensively for IBS. Results from several studies indicate that peppermint oil in enteric-coated capsules may improve IBS symptoms.
A few studies have indicated that peppermint oil, in combination with caraway oil, may help relieve indigestion, but this evidence is preliminary and the product that was tested is not available in the United States.
Peppermint oil has been used topically for tension headaches and a limited amount of evidence suggests that it might be helpful for this purpose.
There’s not enough evidence to allow any conclusions to be reached about whether peppermint oil is helpful for nausea, the common cold, or other conditions.
There’s not enough evidence to show whether peppermint leaf is helpful for any condition.
What Do We Know About Safety?
Peppermint oil appears to be safe when taken orally (by mouth) in the doses commonly used. Excessive doses of peppermint oil can be toxic.
Possible side effects of peppermint oil include allergic reactions and heartburn. Capsules containing peppermint oil are often enteric-coated to reduce the likelihood of heartburn. If enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules are taken at the same time as antacids, the coating can break down too quickly.
Like other essential oils, peppermint oil is highly concentrated. When the undiluted essential oil is used for health purposes, only a few drops are used.
Side effects of applying peppermint oil to the skin can include skin rashes and irritation. Peppermint oil should not be applied to the face or chest of infants or young children because serious side effects may occur if they inhale the menthol in the oil.
No harmful effects of peppermint leaf tea have been reported. However, the long-term safety of consuming large amounts of peppermint leaf is unknown.
Keep in Mind
Tell all your health care providers about any complementary or integrative health approaches you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.
For More Information
Peppermint. In: Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckmann J, eds. Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs. Newton, MA: Integrative Medicine Communications; 2000:297-303.
Peppermint. Natural Medicines Web site. Accessed at naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com on April 20, 2015. [Database subscription].
Ruepert L, Quartero AO, de Wit NJ, et al. Bulking agents, antispasmodics and antidepressants for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2011;(8):CD003460 [edited 2013]. Accessed at http://www.thecochranelibrary.com on April 20, 2015.
This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. Duplication is encouraged.
NCCIH has provided this material for your information. It is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your primary health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. The mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH.
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| i don't know |
In nautical terms, what is the process of binding the end of a rope to stop it fraying called? | Knots everyone should know
[ Glossary of Terms for knots ]
The Bowline
The Bowline Knot is one of the most used loop knots. This variant is most used in the world. Probably due to its simplicity, security, and its relationship with the Sheet bend.
Keep the cross point in step A between a finger and thumb and make a clock-wise turn with your wrist. Without the loop in between, it is the same knot.
If the loop is expected to be heavily loaded, the bowline is, in fact, not secure enough. There is a rule of thumb which states that the loose end should be as long as 12 times the circumference for the sake of safety.
The Bowline
"Lay the bight to make a hole
Then under the back and around the pole
Over the top and thru the eye
Cinch it tight and let it lie"
In the same way that a Left Handed Sheet bend is a Sheet bend that has the running end of the rope coming out of the wrong side of the knot, a cowboy bowline is a bowline that also has the running end of the rope coming out of the wrong side of the knot. It suffers the same problems as the left handed sheet bend.
Don't be afraid to use this knot to form a loop of any size in rope.
For added security, finish the knot with a stop knot such as a figure eight knot to remove any possibility of the Bowline slipping.
You can use this knot to put your hammock up.
Use it whenever a stable knot is needed to support your weight.
You should make sure that your bowline, when tied around a tree, is finished with a slip knot. Otherwise you will find great difficulty getting your hammock off the tree in the morning.
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To tie:
1. Make the overhand loop with the end held toward you, then pass end through loop.
2. Now pass end up behind the standing part, then down through the loop again.
3. Draw up tight.
A useful "STOP" knot to temporarily bulk out the end of a rope or cord
the finished knot looks like its name.
It is superior to using a Thumb Knot, because it does not jam so easily.
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The figure eight is useful to temporarily stop the ends of a rope fraying, before it is whipped.
To tie:
1. Make underhand loop, bringing end around and over the standing part.
2. Pass end under, then up through the loop.
3. Draw up tight.
(Angler's knot, English knot, Englishman's bend, Halibut knot, True Lover's bend, Waterman's knot)
The Fisherman's knot is used to tie two ropes
of EQUAL THICKNESS together.
In other cases, use a method of bending two ropes together, such as a Sheetbend , a Double Sheetbend
It is used by fishermen to join fishing line, and is very effective with small diameter strings and twines.
Tie a Thumb knot , in the running end of the first rope around the second rope. Then tie a thumb knot in the second rope, around the first rope. Note the Thumb knots are tied such they lie snugly against each other when the standing ends are pulled.
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When tying knots in monofilament line, moisten the line before pulling the knot tight. This helps to stop the line heating up with friction, which weakens it.
Lark's Head
(Cow Hitch, Lanyard Hitch)
The Lark's head knot is used to LOOSELY attach a rope to a pole or ring
The knot has two redeeming features, it is easy to tie, and it does not jam.
However, it will slip fairly easily along the pole, and may slip undone when tied using man made fibre ropes.
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Reef Knot
(Square Knot)
An excellent general purpose knot for tying two pieces of string or twine together, the reef knot is possibly the most commonly used knot for the job, and is easy to learn. However, it cannot be overly stressed that the Reef knot is not a long term or secure knot, and it should only be used to finish parcels or bindings. In other cases, use a more secure method of bending two ropes together, such as a Sheetbend , a Double Sheetbend , or a Fisherman's Knot .
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Unfortunately, the Reef knot can easily change into a slipping Lark's Head , so it should never be used where life or limb are at risk.
Holding one end of each rope in each hand, pass the left rope over the right, and tuck under. Then pass the same rope, now in the right hand, over the left rope, and tuck under.
A common to chant "Left over Right and Under, Right over Left and Under" when tying the knot. (This can also be performed as "Right over Left and Under, Left over Right and Under".)
The reef knot can easily be undone by gripping one loose end, and pulling it back over the knot, in the opposite direction, thus straightening the rope which is pulled.
The other rope forms a Lark's Head knot , and slips off the tugged rope.
The knot gets its name from its use on sailing ships, when the sails were "reefed" - rolled up and tied to the cross spar with a reef knot. To release the sail, the sailors would climb the rigging, and work their way along the cross spar, pulling the top end of the reef knot down. They only had to use one hand, holding on with the other. The weight of the sail would cause the reef knot to slip, and the sail would be released.
If you want to tie two ropes together of similar thickness then never use a Reef knot. Only use it with string and twine when tying parcels, whippings and bindings.
Never use this knot to join ropes of two different thicknesses.
Taut line Hitch or Rolling Hitch
(Magner's Hitch, Magnus Hitch)
This hitch is really just an adjustable loop used for non-critical applications where you need to adjust the size of a loop to apply tension to guy lines, like on your tent.
This hitch is used to attach one rope to a second, in such a manner that the first rope can be easily slid along the second.
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The knot can be considered a Clove hitch with an additional turn.
When tension is applied and the ropes form a straight line, the rolling hitch will lock onto the first rope. When the tension is released, the hitch can be loosened and slid along the first rope to a new location.
The tension must be applied on the side of the knot with the extra turn.
Use this knot if you have a guy rope with no adjuster.
Create a loop on the end of a second rope which is slipped over the peg. Use a rolling hitch to attach the second rope to the guyline. Alternatively, take the guyline around the peg and tie the Rolling hitch back onto the standing part of the guyline, above the peg, thus forming an adjustable loop.
Also known as the Tautline Hitch.
When adjustments are complete, lock the rolling hitch into place by using a stop knot such as a figure eight in the first rope, below the Rolling hitch, to stop it slipping.
Since it will only slide one way, the Taut-line hitch is often used on tent ropes. The taut-line hitch will hold firmly on a smooth pole. Place rope end around pole, make a turn below it, then bring rope up across the standing part around the pole and tuck through.
The knot must be drawn up very snugly to work, and may not work at all on especially stiff or slippery rope.
Don't expect too much from it. It's not a very secure loop.
If you tie down a load on the back of a truck with this, you're likely to find that your lines have gone slack after a few miles.
Round turn and two half hitches
Used to secure a rope to a pole, or to start or finish a lashing. Pass the running end of the rope over the pole twice. Then pass the running end over the standing part of rope, and tuck it back up and under itself, forming a half hitch. Repeat this for a second half hitch.
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This knot has a redeeming feature
it rarely jams!
Superior to a Clove hitch for starting and finishing a lashing as the half hitches prevent this knot from unrolling, as they have the effect of locking the knot. The Clove hitch looks neater but it has a tendency to unroll, and can be difficult to tie tightly when tying off.
Sheepshank
The Sheepshank is a shortening knot, which enables a rope to be shortened non-destructively.
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The knot is only really secure under tension, it will fall apart when slack.
Use up to five half hitches each end of the Sheepshank to make the knot more secure, and for fine tuning the shortening.
Try to refrain from cutting ropes to shorten them!
Always use a shortening knot such as the Sheepshank, or coil the excess.
Sheet Bend
(Flag Bend, Common Bend)
The Sheetbend is commonly used to tie two ropes of unequal thickness together. The thicker rope of the two is used to form a bight, and the thinner rope is passed up through the bight, around the back of the bight, and then tucked under itself.
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The knot should be tied with both ends coming off the same side of the bend, as illustrated here. However it can easily be accidentally tied with the ends coming off opposite sides of the bend, when it is known as the Left Handed Sheet Bend .
The Left Handed Sheet Bend is to be avoided as it is less secure.
If the ropes are of very unequal thickness, or placed under a lot of tension,
The Double Sheetbend is a more secure form of the Sheetbend .
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The thicker rope of the two is used to form a bight, and the thinner rope is passed up through the bight, around the back of the bight, around again before tucking under itself.
It is particularly useful when the thickness of the two ropes varies considerably, or when a more secure Sheetbend is required.
Left Handed Sheet Bend
This knot is a wrongly tied Sheetbend , a very easy mistake to make.
The ends of the ropes should both come off the same side of the knot, and NOT off opposite sides as shown here. The knot strength is severely reduced, and this knot should be avoided.
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Avoid this knot under all circumstances.
Always use a Sheetbend .
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| Whip (disambiguation) |
Which fruit has varieties 'Bon Chretien' and 'Doyeene'? | Maritime Terms and Definitions
Z
Abaft the beam: Said of the bearing of an object which bears between the beam and the stern (further back than the ship's middle).
Abaft: A relative term used to describe the location of one object in relation to another, in which the object described is farther aft than the other. Thus, the mainmast is abaft the foremast (in back of).
Abandon ship: Get away from the ship, as in an emergency.
Abeam: The bearing of an object 90 degrees from ahead (in a line with the middle of the ship).
Able bodied seaman: The next grade above the beginning grade of ordinary seaman in the deck crew.
Aboard: In the vessel (on the ship).
Aboveboard: Above decks; without concealment of deceit (out in the open).
Abreast: Abeam of (alongside of).
Accommodation ladder: The portable steps from the gangway down to the waterline.
Admiral: Comes from the Arabic "Emir" or "Amir" which means "First commander" and "Al-bahr which means "the sea". Emir-al-barh evolved into Admiral.
Adrift: Loose from the moorings (not tied or secured).
Afloat: Floating.
Aft: At, near, or toward the stern (back end).
Aground: Resting on the bottom.
Ahoy: A call used in hailing a vessel or boat (hey!).
Air tank: A metal air-tight tank built into a boat to insure flotation even when the boat is swamped.
Alee: To the leeward side (away from the wind).
Alive: Alert (pep it up!).
All hands: The entire crew.
All standing: To bring to a sudden stop.
Aloft: Above the upper deck (above).
Alongside: Side to side.
Amidships: In or towards the middle of a ship in regard to length or breadth (center of).
Anchor: A device or iron so shaped to grip the bottom and holds a vessel at anchor by the anchor chain.
Anchor bar: Wooden bar with an iron shod, wedge: shaped end, used in prying the anchor or working the anchor or working the anchor chain. Also used to engage or disengage the wild-cat.
Anchor chain: Heavy, linked chain secured to an anchor for mooring or anchoring.
Anchor lights: The riding lights required to be carried by vessels at anchor.
Anchor watch: The detail on deck at night, when at anchor, to safeguard the vessel (not necessarily at the anchor; a general watch).
Anchor's aweigh: Said of the anchor when just clear of the bottom (leaving or moving).
Anchorage: A place suitable for anchoring.
Ashore: On the shore (on land).
Astern: The bearing of an object 180 degrees from ahead (behind).
Athwartships: At right angles to the fore-and-aft line of the vessel (sideways-across).
Avast: An order to stop or cease hauling (stop action at once).
Awash: Level with the water (water ready to, or slightly covering decks).
Awning: A canvas canopy secured over the ship's deck as a protection from the weather (covering).
Aye, aye, sir: The reply to an officer's order signifying that he is understood and will be obeyed (I understand).
Bail: To throw water out of a boat; a yoke, as a ladder bail (rung).
Ballast tanks: Double bottoms for carrying water ballast and capable of being flooded or pumped out at will.
Ballast: Heavy weights packed in the bottom of a boat or ship to give her stability.
Batten down: To make watertight. Said of hatches and cargo (tie up or secure).
Beachcomber: A derelict seaman found unemployed on the waterfront, especially in a foreign country (seaman without a ship).
Beam wind: A wind at right angles to a vessel's course (wind blowing at the ship's side.)
Bear a hand: To assist or help.
Bear down: To approach (overtake or come up to).
Bearing: The direction of an object (with reference to you, your ship, another object).
Becalmed: A sailing vessel dead in the water due to lack of wind (not moving).
Becket: A rope eye for the hook of a block. A rope grommet used in place of a rowlock. Also, a small piece of rope with an eye in each end to hold the feet of a sprit to the mast. In general any small rope or strap used as a handle.
Belay: To make fast as to a pin or cleat. To rescind an order (tie up).
Belaying pin: A wooden or iron pin fitting into a rail upon which to secure ropes.
Bells: see Ships Time
Belly strap: A rope passed around (center) a boat or other object for hanging.
Below: Beneath the deck (under).
Bend: The twisting or turning of a rope so as to fasten it to some object, as a spar or ring.
Berth: A vessel's place at anchor or at a dock. Seaman's assignment.
Between decks: The space between decks. The name of the deck or decks between the ceiling and main deck.
Bight: Formed by bringing the end of a rope around, near to, or across its own part.
Bilge: The curved part of a ship's hull where the side and the flat bottom meet.
Binnacle: The stand, usually of brass or non-magnetic material in which the compass rests and which contains the compensating magnets (compass holder).
Bitter end: The last part of a rope or last link in an anchor chain.
Bitts: A pair of vertical wooden or iron heads on board ship, used for securing mooring or towing lines. Similar to dock bollards.
Black gang: Member of the engine-room force, which included the engineers, firemen, oilers, and wipers.
Block and block: Same as two blocks.
Block: An apparatus consisting of an outside shell and a sheave through which a rope may be passed (pulley).
Boat-fall: A purchase (block and tackle) for hoisting a boat to its davits.
Bollard: An upright, wooden or iron post to which hawsers or mooring lines may be secured.
Boom: A spar used for fore and aft sails.
Boom cradle: A rest for a cargo-boom when lowered for securing for sea.
Boot-topping: The anti-corrosive paint used on and above the waterline.
Bos'n: Shortening of the old term "boatswain," an unlicensed member of the crew who supervises the work of the deck men under direction of the first mate.
Bos'n's chair: The piece of board on which a man working aloft is swung.
Bos'n's chest: The deck chest in which the bos'n keeps his deck gear.
Bos'n's locker: The locker in which the bos'n keeps his deck gear.
Bow: The forward part of a vessel's sides (front).
Bowsprit: A spar extending forward from the stem.
Boxing the compass: Calling names of the points of the compass in order.
Break ground: Said of anchor when it lifts clear of the bottom.
Breaker: A small cask for fresh water carried in ship's boats. A sea (wave) with a curl on the crest.
Bridge: The raised platform extending athwartships, the part of the ship from which the ship is steered and navigated.
Bright work: Brass work, polished (also varnished wood work in yachts).
Bulkhead: Transverse or longitudinal partitions separating portions of the ship ("walls" in a ship).
Bunk: Built-in bed aboard ship.
Bunker: Compartment for the storage of oil or other fuel.
By the board: Overboard (over the side).
By the head: Deeper forward (front end deepest in water).
By the Run: To let go altogether.
Cabin: The captain's quarters. The enclosed space of decked-over small boat.
Cable-laid: The same as hawser-laid.
Cable-length: 100 fathoms or 600 feet (6 feet to a fathom).
Cable: A chain or line (rope) bent to the anchor.
Calm: A wind or force less than one knot (knot: 1 nautical mile per hour).
Camel: A wooden float placed between a vessel and a dock acting as a fender.
Capstan-bar: A wooden bar which may be shipped in the capstan head for heaving around by hand (to heave up anchor or heavy objects by manpower).
Capstan: The vertical barrel device used to heave in cable or lines.
Captain of the Head: A guy who gets Head (toilet) cleaning detail.
Cardinal points: The four principal points of the compass: North, East, South and West.
Cast off: To let go.
Caulk: To fill in the seams with cotton or oakum.
Chafe: To wear the surface of a rope by rubbing against a solid object.
Chafing gear: A guard of canvas or rope put around spars, mooring lines, or rigging to prevent them from wearing out by rubbing against something.
Chain locker: A compartment forward where the chain cable is stowed.
Charley Noble: The galley smoke-pipe (cook's stove pipe), named after The English sea captain who was noted for the scrupulous cleanliness and shine of the brass aboard his ship.
Check: To ease off gradually (go slower and move carefully).
Chief mate: Another term for first mate.
Chief: The crew's term for the chief engineer.
Chock: A heavy wooden or metal fitting secured on a deck or on a dock, with jaws, used for the lead or to guide lines or cables.
Choked: The falls foul in a block. The falls may be chocked or jammed intentionally for a temporary securing (holding).
Cleat: A fitting of wood or metal, with horns, used for securing lines (tying up).
Clipper bow: A stem curving up and forward in graceful line.
Coaming: The raised frame work around deck openings, and cockpit of open boats (hatch coaming).
Cockpit: The well of a sailing vessel, especially a small boat, for the wheel and steerman.
Colors: The national ensign.
Cofferdam: The space between two bulkheads set close together, especially between fuel tanks (two walls separated to use for drainage or safety).
Coil: To lay down rope in circular turns.
Coming around: To bring a sailing vessel into the wind and change to another tack. One who is influenced to a change of opinion.
Cork fenders: A fender made of granulated cork and covered with woven tarred stuff.
Cradle: A stowage rest for a ship's boat.
Crossing the line: Crossing the Equator.
Crow's nest: The platform or tub on the mast for the look-out.
Cut-water: The foremost part of the stem, cutting the water as the vessel forges ahead.
Davit: A curved metal spar for handling a boat or other heavy objects.
Dead ahead: Directly ahead on the extension of the ship's fore and aft line.
Dead light: Steel disc, that is dogged down over a porthole to secure against breakage of the glass and to prevent light from showing through.
Derelict: An abandoned vessel at sea (a danger to navigation).
Dip: A position of a flag when lowered part way in salute (method of salute between vessels, like planes dipping wings).
Displacement: The weight of the water displaced by a vessel.
Distress signal: A flag display or a sound, light, or radio signal calling for assistance.
Ditty-bag: A small bag used by seamen for stowing small articles.
Doldrums: The belt on each side of the Equator in which little or no wind ordinarily blows.
Dolphin: A cluster of piles for mooring.
Double up: To double a vessel's mooring lines.
Dowse: To take in, or lower a sail. To put out a light. To cover with water.
Draft: The distance from the surface of the water to the ship's keel (how deep the ship is into the water).
Drag: A sea anchor contrived to keep a vessel's head to the wind and sea.
Dressing ship: A display of national colors at all mastheads and the array of signal flags from bow to stern over the masthead (for special occasions and holidays).
Dry dock: A basin for receiving a vessel for repairs, capable of being pumped dry (to repair vessel and scrape marine growth from bottom).
Dungarees: Blue working overalls.
Easy: Carefully (watch what you're doing).
End-for-end: Reversing the position of an object or line.
End seizing: A round seizing at the end of a rope.
Ensign: (1) The national flag. (2) A junior officer.
Even keel: Floating level (no list).
Fake: A single turn of rope when a rope is coiled down.
Fake down: To fake line back and forth on deck.
Fantail: After deck over counter. The part of a rounded stern which extends past the rearmost perpendicular.
Fathom: Six feet. Comes from the Dutch word "fadom" which was the distance between fingertips of outstretched hands.
Fend off: To push off when making a landing.
Fender: Canvas, wood or rope used over the side to protect a vessel from chafing when alongside another vessel or a dock.
Fid: A tapered wooden pin used to separate the strands when splicing heavy rope.
Field day: A day for general ship cleaning.
Flemish down: To coil flat down on deck, each fake outside the other, beginning in the middle and all close together.
Fo'c'sle: A modem version of the old term "forecastle," or bow section of the ship, where the crew lived.
Fog horn: A sound signal device (not necessarily mechanically operated).
Fog-bound: Said of a vessel when forced to heave to or lie at anchor due to fog.
Fore peak: The part of the vessel below decks at the stem.
Forecastle: A compartment where the crew lives.
Forefoot: The heel of the stem where it connects to the keel.
Foul: Jammed, not clear.
Fouled hawse: Said of the anchor chain when moored and the chain does not lead clear of another chain.
Founder: To sink (out of control).
Freeboard: The distance from the surface of the water to the main deck or gunwale.
Freeing port: A port in the bulwark for the purpose of freeing the deck of water.
Freighter: A ship designed to carry all types of general cargo, or "dry cargo."
G.I.: Anything of Government Issue.
Gantline: A line rove through a single block secured aloft.
Garboard strake: The strake next to the keel (running fore and aft).
Gather way: To attain headway (to get going or pick up speed).
Gear: The general name for ropes, blocks and tackles, tools, etc. (things).
Gilguy (or gadget): A term used to designate an object for which the correct name has been forgotten.
Gipsey (gypsey): A drum of a windlass for heaving in line.
Glass: Term used by mariners for a barometer.
Glory hole: Steward's quarters.
Golden Slippers: Tan work shoes issued to U.S. Maritime Service trainees
Grapnel: A small anchor with several arms used for dragging purposes.
Grating: A wooden lattice-work covering a hatch or the bottom boards of a boat; similarly designed gratings of metal are frequently found on shipboard.
Graveyard watch: The middle watch.
Green sea: A large body of water taken aboard (ship a sea).
Ground tackle: A term used to cover all of the anchor gear.
Grounding: Running ashore (hitting the bottom).
Gunwale: The upper edge of a vessel or boat's side.
Hail: To address a vessel, to come from, as to hail from some port (call).
Half-mast: The position of a flag when lowered halfway down.
Halliards or halyards: Ropes used for hoisting gaffs and sails, and signal flags.
Hand lead: A lead of from 7 to 14 pounds used with the hand lead line for ascertaining the depth of water in entering or leaving a harbor. (Line marked to 20 fathoms.)
Hand rail: A steadying rail of a ladder (banister).
Hand rope: Same as "grab rope" (rope).
Hand taut: As tight as can be pulled by hand.
Hand: A member of the ship's company.
Handybilly: A watch tackle (small, handy block and tackle for general use).
Hang from the yards: Dangle a man from one of the yard arms, sometimes by the neck, if the man was to be killed, and sometimes by the toes, if he was merely to be tortured. A severe punishment used aboard sailing ships long ago. Today, a reprimand.
Hatch: An opening in a ship's deck for passageway or for handling cargo or stores.
Hawse buckler: An iron plate covering a hawse hole.
Hawse-pipes: A pipe lead-in for anchor chain through ship's bow.
Hawser: A rope used for towing or, mooring.
Hawser-laid: Left-handed rope of nine strands, in the form of three three-stranded, right-handed ropes.
Head: The ship's water closet (toilet or wash-room). The upper edge of a quadrilateral sail.
Head room: The height of the decks, below decks.
Heart: The inside center strand of rope.
Heave: To haul or pull on a line; to throw a heaving line.
Heave around: To revolve the drum of a capstan, winch or windlass. (Pulling with mechanical deck heaving gear).
Heave away: An order to haul away or to heave around a capstan (pull).
Heave in: To haul in.
Heave short: To heave in until the vessel is riding nearly over her anchor.
Heave taut: To haul in until the line has a strain upon it.
Heave the lead: The operation of taking a sounding with the hand lead (to find bottom).
Heave to: To bring vessel on a course on which she rides easily and hold her there by the use of the ship's engines (holding a position).
Heaving line: A small line thrown to an approaching vessel, or a dock as a messenger.
Hemp: Rope made of the fibers of the hemp plant and used for small stuff or less than 24 thread (1.75 inch circumference). (Rope is measured by circumference, wire by diameter.)
High, wide and handsome: Sailing ship with a favorable wind, sailing dry and easily. A person riding the crest of good fortune
Hoist away: An order to haul up.
Holiday: An imperfection, spots left unfinished in cleaning or painting.
Hold: The space below decks utilized for the stowage of cargo and stores.
Holy stone: The soft sandstone block sailors use to scrub the deck, so-called, because seamen were on their knees to use it.
Horse latitudes: The latitudes on the outer margins of the trades where the prevailing winds are light and variable.
House flag: Distinguishing flag of a merchant marine company flown from the mainmast of merchant ships.
House: To stow or secure in a safe place. A top-mast is housed by lowering it and securing it to a lowermast.
Hug: To keep close.
Hulk: A worn out vessel.
Hull down: Said of a vessel when, due to its distance on the horizon, only the masts are visible.
Hurricane: Force of wind over 65 knots.
Ice-bound: Caught in the ice.
Inboard: Towards the center line of a ship (towards the center).
Irish pennant: An untidy loose end of a rope (or rags).
Jack: The flag similar to the union of the national flag.
Jack Tar: Sailors were once called by their first names only, and Jack was their generic name. Tar came from seamen's custom of waterproofing clothing using tar.
Jacob's ladder: A ladder of rope with rungs, used over the side.
Jam: To wedge tight.
Jettison: To throw goods overboard.
Jetty: A landing wharf or pier; a dike at a river s mouth.
Jews harp: The ring bolted to the upper end of the shank of an anchor and to which the bending shackle secures.
Jolly Roger: A pirate's flag carrying the skull and cross-bones.
Jump ship: To leave a ship without authority (deserting).
Jury rig: Makeshift rig (emergency rig).
Keel: The timber or bar forming the backbone of the vessel and running from the stem to the stempost at the bottom of the ship.
Keel-haul: To tie a rope about a man and, after passing the rope under the ship and bringing it up on deck on the opposite side, haul away, dragging the man down and around the keel of the vessel. As the bottom of the ship was always covered with sharp barnacles, this was a severe punishment used aboard sailing ships long ago. Today, a reprimand.
Keep a sharp look-out: A look-out is stationed in a position to watch for danger ahead. To be on guard against sudden opposition or danger.
King-spoke: The upper spoke of a steering wheel when the rudder is amidships, usually marked in some fashion (top spoke of neutral steering wheel).
Kink: A twist in a rope.
Knock off: To stop, especially to stop work.
Knocked down: The situation of a vessel when listed over by the wind to such an extent that she does not recover.
Knot: Speed of 1 nautical mile per hour (1.7 land miles per hour).
Knot: A twisting, turning, tying, knitting, or entangling of ropes or parts of a rope so as to join two ropes together or make a finished end on a rope, for certain purpose.
Labor: A vessel is said to labor when she works heavily in a seaway (pounding, panting, hogging and sagging).
Ladder: A metal, wooden or rope stairway.
Lame duck: Term for disabled vessel that had to fall out of a convoy and thus became easy prey for submarines.
Landlubber: The seaman's term for one who does not go to sea.
Lanyard: A rope made fast to an article for securing it (knife lanyard, bucket lanyard, etc.), or for setting up rigging.
Lashing: A passing and repassing of a rope so as to confine or fasten together two or more objects; usuafly in the form of a bunch.
Launch: To place in the water.
Lay aloft: The order to go aloft (go up above).
Lazaretto: A low headroom space below decks used for provisions or spare parts, or miscellaneous storage.
Lee shore: The land to the leeward of the vessel (wind blows from the ship to the land).
Leeward: The direction away from the wind.
Liberty: Permission to be absent from the ship for a short period (authorized absence).
Life-line: A line secured along the deck to lay hold of in heavy weather; a line thrown on board a wreck by life-saving crew; a knotted line secured to the span between life-boat davits for the use of the crew when hoisting and lowering.
Line: A general term for light rope.
Logbook: A book containing the official record of a ship's activities together with remarks concerning the state of the weather, etc.
Longitudinal: A fore and aft strength member of a ship's structure.
Longshoreman: A laborer who works at loading and discharging cargo.
Lookout: The man stationed aloft or in the bows for observing and reporting objects seen.
Loom: The part of an oar between the blade and handle. The reflection of a light below the horizon due to certain atmospheric conditions.
Loose: To unfurl.
Lubber line: The black line parallel with ship's keel marked on the inner surface of the bowl of a compass, indicating the compass direction of the ship's head.
Lurch: The sudden heave of the ship.
Lyle gun: A gun used in the life-saving services to throw a life line to a ship in distress or from ship to shore and used when a boat cannot be launched.
Make colors: Hoisting the ensign at 8 a.m. and down at sunset.
Make the course good: Steering; keeping the ship on the course given (no lazy steering).
Make the land: Landfall. To reach shore.
Make water: To leak; take in water.
Man ropes: Ropes hung and used for assistance in ascending and descending.
Manhole: An opening into a tank or compartment designed to admit a man.
Manila: Rope made from the fibers of the abaca plant.
Marlinspike: Pointed iron implement used in separating the strands of rope in splicing, marling, etc.
Maroon: To put a person ashore with no means of returning.
Marry: To temporarily sew the ends of two ropes together for rendering through a block. Also to grip together parts of a fall to prevent running out. To marry strands to prepare for splicing.
Mast step: The frame on the keelson of boat (does not apply on ships) to which the heel of a mast is fitted.
Master: A term for the captain, a holdover from the days when the captain was literally, and legally, the "master" of the ship and crew. His word was law.
Masthead light: The white running light carried by steam vessel underway on the foremast or in the forepart of the vessel.
Masthead: The top part of the mast.
Mess gear: Equipment used for serving meals.
Messenger: A light line used for hauling over a heavier rope or cable.
Messman: A member of the steward's department who served meals to officers and crew.
Mole: A breakwater used as a landing pier.
Monkey fist: A knot worked into the end of a heaving line (for weight).
Monkey island: A flying bridge on top of a pilothouse or chart house.
Mooring: Securing to a dock or to a buoy, or anchoring with two anchors.
Mother Carey's chickens: Small birds that foretell bad weather and bad luck.
Mousing: Small stuff seized across a hook to prevent it from unshipping (once hooked, mousing keeps the hook on).
Mud scow: A large, flat: bottomed boat used to carry the mud from a dredge.
Mushroom anchor: An anchor without stock and shaped like a mushroom.
Nantucket sleigh ride: A term for what frequently happened to Nantucket whalers when they left the whaling ship in a small boat to go after a whale. If they harpooned the whale without mortally wounding it, the animal took off with the whaleboat in tow.
Neptune: The mythical god of the sea.
Net tonnage: The cubical space available for carrying cargo and passengers.
Netting: A rope network.
Not under command: Said of a vessel when unable to maneuver.
Not under control: Same as not under command.
Oakum: Material used for caulking the seams of vessels and made from the loose fibers of old hemp rope.
Off and on: Standing toward the land and off again alternately.
Officer of the watch: The officer in charge of the watch.
Oil bag: A bag filled with oil and triced over the side for making a slick in a rough sea (to keep seas from breaking).
Oilskin: Waterproof clothing.
Old man: The captain of the ship.
On report: In trouble.
On soundings: Said of a vessel when the depth of water can be measured by the lead (within the 100 fathom curve).
Ordinary seaman: The beginning grade for members of the deck department. The next step is able bodied seaman.
Out of trim: Not properly trimmed or ballasted (not on even keel; listing).
Outboard: Towards the sides of the vessel (with reference to the centerline).
Over-all: The extreme deck fore and aft measurement of a vessel.
Overhang: The projection of the stern beyond the sternpost and of the bow beyond the stem.
Overhaul: Get gear in condition for use; to separate the blocks of a tackle to lengthen the fall (ready for use again).
Overtaking: Said of a vessel when she is passing or overtaking another vessel.
Pad eye: A metal eye permanently secured to a deck or bulkhead (for mooring any blocks and tackle).
Painter: A short piece of rope secured in the bow of a small boat used for making her fast.
Palm and needle: A seaman's sewing outfit for heavy work.
Part: To break.
Pass a line: To reeve and secure a line.
Pass a stopper: To reeve and secure a stopper (hold a strain on a line while transferring it).
Pass down the line: Relay to all others in order (a signal repeated from one ship to the next astern in column).
Pass the word: To repeat an order for information to the crew.
Pay off: To turn the bow away from the wind; to pay the crew.
Pay out: To slack out a line made fast on board (let it out slowly).
Pay: To fill the seams of a vessel with pitch.
Pier head jump: Making a ship just as it is about to sail.
Pile: A pointed spar driven into the bottom and projecting above the water; when driven at the corners of a dock, they are termed fender piles.
Pilot boat: A power or sailing boat used by pilots (men who have local knowledge of navigation hazards of ports).
Pin: The metal axle of a block upon which the sheave revolves.
Pitch: A tar substance obtained from the pine tree and used in paying the seams of a vessel. Motion of vessel.
Pitting: Areas of corrosion.
Planking: Broad planks used to cover a wooden vessel's sides, or covering the deck beams.
Plait: To braid; used with small stuff.
Play: Freedom of movement.
Plimsoll mark: A figure marked on the side of merchant vessels to indicate allowed loading depths. Named after Samuel Plimsoll, English Member of Parliament and maritime reformer.
Plug: A wooden wedge fitting into a drainage hole in the bottom of a boat for the purpose of draining the boat when she is out of water.
Point: To taper the end of a rope; one of the 32 divisions of the compass card. To head close to the wind.
Poop deck: A partial deck at the stern above the main deck, derived from the Latin "puppio" for the sacred deck where the "pupi" or doll images of the deities were kept.
Pooped: An opening in a ship's side, such as an air port, or cargo port.
Port side: The left side of a vessel when looking forward.
Port: The left side of the ship.
Posh: elegant, luxurious. Originally an acronym for Port Over Starboard Home. Created by British travelers to India or Australia, describing the preferred accommodations aboard ship, which lessened effects of the tropical sun on the cabins during the voyage.
Pouring oil on troubled waters: Heavy-weather practice of pouring oil on the sea so as to form a film on the surface, thus preventing the seas from breaking. To smooth out some difficulty.
Pratique: A permit by the port doctor for an incoming vessel, being clear of contagious disease, to have the liberty of the port.
Preventer: A rope used for additional support or for additional securing, e.g., preventer stay.
Pricker: Small marlinespike.
Privileged vessel: One which has the right of way.
Prolonged blast: A blast of from 4 to 6 seconds' duration.
Prow: The part of the bow above the water.
Punt: A rectangular flat- bottomed boat used by vessels for painting the ship's side and general use around the ship's water: line, fitted with oar-locks on each side and usually propelled by sculling.
Purchase: A tackle (blocks and falls).
Put to sea: To leave port.
Quarantine: Restricted or prohibited intercourse due to contagious disease.
Quarter: That portion of a vessel's side near the stern.
Quartering sea: A sea on the quarter (coming from a side of the stern).
Quarters bill: A vessel's station bill showing duties of crew.
Quarters: Living compartments.
Quay: A cargo-discharging wharf.
Rake: The angle of a vessel's masts from the vertical.
Ratline: A short length of small rope "ratline stuff" running horizontally across shrouds, for a ladder step.
Reef: To reduce the area of a sail by making fast the reef points (used in rough weather).
Reeve: To pass the end of a rope through any lead such as a sheave or fair: lead.
Registry: The ship's certificate determining the ownership and nationality of the vessel. Relieving tackle: A tackle of double and single blocks rove with an endless line and used to relieve the strain on the steering engine in heavy weather or emergency.
Ride: To lie at anchor; to ride out; to safely weather a storm whether at anchor or underway.
Rig: A general description of a vessel's upper: works; to fit out.
Rigging: A term applied to ship’s ropes generally.
Right: To return to a normal position, as a vessel righting after heeling over.
Ringbolt: A bolt fitted with a ring through its eye, used for securing, running, rigging, etc.
Rips: A disturbance of surface water by conflicting current or by winds.
Rise and shine: A call to turn out of bunks.
Roaring forties: That geographical belt located approximately in 40 degrees south latitude in which are encountered the prevailing or stormy westerlies.
Rudder post: That part of a rudder by which it is pivoted to the sternpost.
Run down: To collide with a vessel head on.
Rustbucket: Sailors' term for an old ship that needed a lot of paint and repairs.
Sailing free: Sailing other than close; hauled or into the wind (wind astern).
Salty character: A nautical guy, often a negative connotation.
Salvage: To save a vessel or cargo from total loss after an accident; recompense for having saved a ship or cargo from danger.
Scale: To climb up. A formation of rust over iron or steel plating.
School: A large body of fish.
Scuppers: Openings in the side of a ship to carry off water from the waterways or from the drains.
Scuttle: To sink a vessel by boring holes in her bottom or by opening sea valves.
Scuttle butt: The container of fresh water for drinking purpose used by the crew; formerly it consisted of a cask.
Scuttle butt story: An unauthoritative story (a tall story).
Sea anchor: A drag (drogue) thrown over to keep a vessel to the wind and sea.
Sea chest: A sailor's trunk; the intake between the ship's side and a sea valve.
Sea dog: An old sailor.
Sea going: Capable of going to sea.
Sea lawyer: A seaman who is prone to argue, especially against recognized authority (big mouth).
Sea painter: A line leading from forward on the ship and secured to a forward inboard thwart of the boat in such a way as to permit quick release.
Seaworthy: Capable of putting to sea and able to meet sea conditions.
Secure for sea: Prepare for going to sea, extra lashing on all movable objects.
Secure: To make fast; safe; the completion of a drill or exercise on board ship.
Seize: To bind with small rope.
Semaphore: Flag signaling with the arms.
Set the course: To give the steersman the desired course to be steered.
Set up rigging: To take in the slack and secure the standing rigging.
Settle: To lower, sink deeper.
Shackle: A U-shaped piece of iron or steel with eyes in the end closed by a shackle pin.
Shaft alley: Covered tunnels within a ship through which the tail shafts pass.
Shake a leg: An order to make haste.
Shakedown cruise: A cruise of a new ship for the purpose of testing out all machinery, etc. Shank: The main piece of the anchor having the arms at the bottom and the Jew's harp at the top.
Shanghaied: The practice of obtaining a crew by means of force. Crews were hard to get for long voyages, and when the unwilling shipmate regained consciousness, he found himself bound for some remote port, such as Shanghai. One who is forced to do something against his will.
Shape a course: To ascertain the proper course to be steered to make the desired point or port. Shark's mouth: The opening in an awning around the mast.
Sheave: The wheel of the block over which the fall of the block is rove.
Sheer: A sudden change. The longitudinal dip of the vessel's main deck.
Sheet: The rope used to spread the clew of head sails and to control the boom of boom sails.
Shell: The casing of a block within which the sheave revolves.
Ship: To enlist; to send on board cargo; to put in place; to take on board.
Ships time: Ships time was counted by the half hour, starting at midnight. A half hour after twelve was one bell; one o'clock, two bells; and so on until four o'clock, which was eight bells. The counting then started over again, with 4:30 being one bell.
Short stay: When the scope of chain is slightly greater than the depth of water.
Shorthanded: Without sufficient crew.
Shot: A short length of chain, usually 15 fathoms (90 feet). (Method of measuring chain.)
Shove in your oar: To break into a conversation.
Shrouds: Side stays from the masthead to the rail..
Side lights: The red and green running lights, carried on the port and starboard sides respectively, of vessels under-way.
Sing out: To call out.
Sister hooks: Two iron flatsided hooks reversed to one another.
Skids: Beams sometimes fitted over the decks for the stowage of heavy boats or cargo.
Skipper: The captain.
Skylight: A covering, either permanent or removable, to admit air and light below decks.
Slack: The part of a rope hanging loose; the opposite of taut.
Slack water: The condition of the tide when there is no horizontal motion.
Slip: To let go by unshackling, as a cable.
Slop chest: Stock of merchandise, such as clothing, tobacco, etc., maintained aboard merchant ships for sale to the crew
Slush: White-lead and tallow used on standing rigging.
Smart: Snappy, seamanlike; a smart ship is an efficient one.
Smothering lines: Pipe lines to a compartment for smothering a fire by steam or by a chemical.
Snatch: block: A single block fitted so that the shell or hook hinges to permit the bight of a rope to be passed through.
Snub: To check suddenly.
Sny: A small toggle used on a flag.
Sound: To measure the depth of the water with a lead. Also said of a whale when it dives to the bottom.
Sound out a person: To obtain his reaction to something.
Southwester: An oil-skin hat with broad rear brim.
Span: A wire rope or line between davit heads.
Spanner: A tool for coupling hoses.
Sparks: The radio operator.
Speak: To communicate with a vessel in sight.
Spill: To empty the wind out of a sail.
Splice: The joining of two ends of a rope or ropes by so intertwining the strands, as but slightly to increase the diameter of the rope.
Spring line: Usually of the best wire hawsers; one of the first lines sent out in mooring. "Springs in and springs out" a vessel.
Squall: A sudden and violent gust of wind.
Squeegee: A deck dryer composed of a flat piece of wood shod with rubber, and a handle. Stanchions: Wooden or metal uprights used as supports (posts).
Stack: The ship's funnel or smokestack.
Stand by: A preparatory order (wait: be ready).
Standard compass: The magnetic compass used by the navigator as a standard.
Standing part: That part of a line or fall which is secured.
Standing rigging: That part of the ship's rigging which is permanently secured and not movable, such as stay, shrouds, etc.
Starboard The right side of the ship.
Station bill: The posted bill showing stations of the crew at maneuvers and emergency drills.
Staunch: Still, seaworthy, able.
Stay: A rope of hemp, wire or iron leading forward or aft for supporting a mast.
Steady: An order to hold a vessel on the course she is heading.
Steerage way: The slowest speed at which a vessel steers.
Steering wheel: The wheel operating the steering gear and by which the vessel is steered.
Stem the tide: Stemming the tide or sea means to head the vessel's bow directly into the current or waves. Overcome adverse circumstances.
Stem: The timber at the extreme forward part of a boat secured to the forward end of the keel.
Stern anchor: An anchor carried at the stern.
Stern board: Progress backwards.
Stern: The after part of the vessel (back of).
Stevedore: A professional cargo loader and unloader.
Stopper: A short length of rope secured at one end, and used in securing or checking a running rope, e.g., deck stopper, boat fall stopper, etc.
Storeroom: The space provided for stowage of provisions or other materials.
Storm warning: An announced warning of an approach of a storm.
Stove: Broken in.
Stow: To put in place.
Stowaway: A person illegally aboard and in hiding.
Strake: A continuous planking or plating fitted out to and from stem to stern of a vessel's side.
Strand: A number of yarns, twisted together and which in turn may be twisted into rope; a rope is stranded when a strain is broken; rope may be designated by the number of strands composing. Rope is commonly three-stranded. A vessel run ashore is said to be stranded.
Strap: A ring of rope made by splicing the ends, and used for slinging weights, holding the parts of a block together, etc. A rope, wire or iron binding, encircling a block and with a thimble seized into it for taking a hook. Small straps used to attach a handybilly to the hauling part of a line.
Strongback: A light spar set fore and aft on a boat, serving as a spread for the boat cover.
Surge: To ease a line to prevent it from parting or pulling, meanwhile holding the strain.
Swab: A mop.
Swamp: Sink by filling with water.
Swell: A large wave.
Swing ship: The evolution of swinging a ship's head through several headings to obtain compass errors for the purpose of making a deviation table.
Swinging over: Swing of the boom from one side of the ship to the other when the tack is changed.
Taffrail log: The log mounted on the taffrail and consisting of a rotator, a log line and recording device (to measure distance run through the water).
Tail shaft: The after section of the propeller shaft.
Take a turn: To pass a turn around a belaying pin or cleat.
Take in: To lower and furl the sails.
Taking on more than you can carry: Loaded with more cargo than a ship can safely navigate with. Drunk.
Tanker: A ship designed to carry various types of liquid cargo, from oil and gasoline to molasses, water, and vegetable oil.
Tarpaulin: Heavy canvas used as a covering.
Taut: With no slack; strict as to discipline.
That's high: An order to stop hoisting.
Thimble: An iron ring with a groove on the outside for a rope grommet or splice.
Three sheets to the wind: Sailing with three sheet ropes running free, thus making the ship barely able to keep headway and control. Drunk.
Throwing a Fish: Saluting
Thwart: The athwartships seats in a boat on which oars-men sit.
Thwartships: At right angles to the fore and aft line (across the ship).
Toggle: A small piece of wood or bar of iron inserted in a knot to render it more secure, or to make it more readily unfastened or slipped.
Top-heavy: Too heavy aloft.
Tow: To pull through water; vessels towed.
Track: The path of the vessel.
Trades: The practically steady winds blowing toward the equator, N.E. in the northern and SE. in the southern hemisphere.
Trice: To lash up.
Tricing line: A line used for suspending articles.
Trick: The period of time during which the wheelsman remains at the wheel.
Trim: The angle to the horizontal at which a vessel rides.
Trip: To let go.
Tripping line: A line used for capsizing the sea anchor and hauling it in.
Truck: The flat circular piece secured on the top of the mast.
Tug boat: A small vessel fitted for towing.
Turn in all standing: Go to bed without undressing.
Turn to: An order to commence ship's work.
Turn turtle: To capsize.
Turn-buckle: A metal appliance consisting of a thread and screw capable of being set up or slacked back and used for setting up on rigging.
Two blocks: When the two blocks of a tackle have been drawn as close together as possible.
Umbrella: The cone-shaped shield at the top of the smokestack.
Unbend: To untie.
Under below: A warning from aloft (heads up).
Undermanned: Insufficient number of crew; shorthanded.
Undertow: A subsurface current in a surf.
Underway: Said of a vessel when not at anchor, nor made fast to the shore, or aground.
Unship: To take apart or to remove from its place.
Unwatched: Said of a lighthouse not tended.
Up anchor: Hoist or haul in the anchor.
Vast: An order to cease (stop).
Veer: To slack off or move off; also said of a change of direction of wind, when the wind shifts to a different direction.
Ventilator cowl: The swiveled opening at the top of a ventilator.
Ventilator: A wooden or metal pipe used to supply or to exhaust air.
Waist: The portion of the deck between the forecastle and quarterdeck of a sailing vessel.
Wake: A vessel's track through the water.
Waste: Cotton yarn used for cleaning purposes.
Watch cap: A canvas cover secured over a funnel when not in use. Sailor's headwear, woolen type, capable of covering the ears in cold weather.
Watch officer: An officer taking his turn as officer of the watch.
Water breaker: A small cask carried in ship's boats for drinking purposes.
Water's edge: The surface of the water.
Water-logged: Filled with water but afloat.
Waterline: The line painted on the side of the vessel at the water's edge to indicate the proper trim.
Watertight: Capable of keeping out water.
Waterway: The gutter at the sides of a ship's deck to carry off water.
Weather eye: To keep a weather eye is to be on the alert (heads up).
Weather side: The windward side (from where the wind is blowing).
Weigh: Lift anchor off the bottom.
Well enough: An order meaning sufficient (enough).
Where away: A call requesting direction in answer to the report of a lookout that an object has been sighted.
Whipping: A method of preventing the ends of a line from unlaying or fraying by turns of small stuff, stout twine or seizing wire with the ends tucked.
White cap: The white froth on the crests of waves.
Wide berth: At a considerable distance.
Wildcat: A sprocket wheel on the windlass for taking links of the chain cable.
Winch: An engine for handling drafts of cargo secured on deck and fitted with drums on a horizontal axle.
Windlass: An anchor engine used for heaving in the chain cable and anchor.
Wiper: A general handyman in the engine room.
Yaw: To steer wildly or out of line of course.
Sources:
Heroes in Dungarees: The Story of the American Merchant Marine in World War II, John Bunker, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1995
Mast Magazine, January 1944
| i don't know |
Which US city is home to the football team 'The Browns'? | Cleveland Browns Team Page at NFL.com
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Hue Jackson was named the 16th full-time head coach in Cleveland Browns history by Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam on January 13, 2016. He brings 29 years of coaching experience, including the last 15 in the NFL. He has spent nine seasons coaching in the AFC North, during which time he helped his team advance to the postseason seven times. Jackson was head coach of the Oakland Raiders in 2011 and guided the team to an 8-8 record. He has also served as offensive coordinator in Washington (2003), Atlanta (2007), Oakland (2010) and Cincinnati (2014-15).
Jackson has spent the past four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals. During that time, he helped the Bengals to two division titles and a trip to the postseason all four years. In 2012, he served as secondary/assistant special teams coach before coaching the running backs in 2013. Jackson spent the past two seasons (2014-15) as offensive coordinator.
With Jackson as coordinator in 2015, the Bengals offense finished third in the AFC in yards per play (5.7) and points per game (26.2). He was voted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) as the Co-Assistant Coach of the Year as quarterback Andy Dalton set a career high and franchise record with a 106.3 rating, which led the AFC and was second in the NFL. After losing Dalton to injury in Week 14, Jackson guided quarterback A.J. McCarron to a 2-1 record in the final three games of the season as the Bengals clinched the AFC North title. The Cincinnati running game produced two 700-yard rushers in Jeremy Hill (794) and Giovani Bernard (730) for the first time since 1988. Tight end Tyler Eifert experienced a breakout season after hauling in 13 touchdown receptions, the most by a Bengals tight end in franchise history and the most by a Cincinnati player since 2001. Wide receiver A.J. Green added 10 receiving touchdowns on 86 receptions for 1,297 yards. Eifert, Green and left tackle Andrew Whitworth were selected to the Pro Bowl.
In Jackson’s first year as offensive coordinator for Cincinnati in 2014, the run game posted its highest yards per game average (134.1) since 2000. Dalton passed for 3,398 yards and Green totaled 1,041 receiving yards. Hill led all NFL rookies with 1,124 rushing yards, the second-most by a Bengals rookie in team history.
After spending the 2010 season as the Raiders offensive coordinator, Jackson was promoted to head coach in 2011. Oakland finished the year 8-8 and tied for first in the AFC West but missed the postseason via tiebreaker. The 8-8 mark was the best record by any Raiders team since 2002. The Raiders finished ninth in the NFL in total offense (379.5 yards per game) and seventh in rushing offense (131.9).
Before joining the Raiders, Jackson spent two seasons (2008-09) as quarterbacks coach for Baltimore, helping the Ravens advance to the playoffs both years. He was vital in the development of Joe Flacco, who was named NFL Rookie of the Year in 2008 and became the first rookie quarterback to win two playoff games as the Ravens advanced to the AFC Championship game.
From 2004-06, Jackson served as the Bengals wide receivers coach, helping develop one of the best wide receiver tandems in NFL history with Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. During that span, the two combined to average 173.3 catches, 2,363.3 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns per season. In 2005, Johnson led the AFC with 1,432 receiving yards. In 2006, Johnson and Houshmandzadeh became the first Bengals duo to each top 1,000 receiving yards in the same season.
Jackson gained his first fulltime NFL experience with Washington, where he served as the running backs coach from 2001-02, before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2003. Under Jackson’s tutelage, running back Stephen Davis led the NFC with 1,432 rushing yards in 2001.
Jackson spent 14 years coaching on the college level, going from a graduate assistant at Pacific all the way to offensive coordinator at Southern California. He spent four seasons (1997-2000) as USC’s offensive coordinator, where he also helped to recruit and develop players, including quarterback Carson Palmer, who went on to win the Heisman Trophy and be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL draft.
He was a minority coaching fellowship intern with the Los Angeles Rams in 1990, Arizona Cardinals in 1992 and Washington Redskins in 1995. He also served as the running backs/wide receivers/special teams coach for the London Monarchs of the World League in 1991.
Born Oct. 22, 1965, Jackson was a quarterback at Pacific from 1985-86 and threw for 2,544 yards and 19 touchdowns. The Los Angeles native also lettered in basketball and earned his degree in physical education.
Jackson and his wife, Michelle, have three daughters, Jordyn, Baylee and Haydyn.
Terrelle Pryor Sr. burns cornerback on double move for 43-yard reception
Published: Jan. 1, 2017 at 03:59 p.m.
Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor Sr. puts devastating move on Pittsburgh defense on 43-yard reception from QB Robert Griffin III.
00:30
Published: Jan. 1, 2017 at 03:52 p.m.
Cleveland Browns running back George Atkinson III pushes into end zone on 5-yard TD run.
00:27
Published: Jan. 1, 2017 at 03:48 p.m.
Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell weaves through Pittsburgh defense on 67-yard rush.
00:45
Robert Griffin III fires one on target to Gary Barnidge for 4-yard quick hit TD
Published: Jan. 1, 2017 at 01:53 p.m.
Cleveland Browns QB Robert Griffin III links up with tight end Gary Barnidge on 4-yard quick hit TD.
00:38
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What term is used in law to describe the state of those related through marriage? | Cleveland Browns | Team
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Which writer born in St. Louis won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948? | T.S. Eliot - Biographical
T.S. Eliot
The Nobel Prize in Literature 1948
T.S. Eliot
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T.S. Eliot - Biographical
Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965) was born in St. Louis, Missouri, of an old New England family. He was educated at Harvard and did graduate work in philosophy at the Sorbonne, Harvard, and Merton College, Oxford. He settled in England, where he was for a time a schoolmaster and a bank clerk, and eventually literary editor for the publishing house Faber & Faber, of which he later became a director. He founded and, during the seventeen years of its publication (1922-1939), edited the exclusive and influential literary journal Criterion. In 1927, Eliot became a British citizen and about the same time entered the Anglican Church.
Eliot has been one of the most daring innovators of twentieth-century poetry. Never compromising either with the public or indeed with language itself, he has followed his belief that poetry should aim at a representation of the complexities of modern civilization in language and that such representation necessarily leads to difficult poetry. Despite this difficulty his influence on modern poetic diction has been immense. Eliot's poetry from Prufrock (1917) to the Four Quartets (1943) reflects the development of a Christian writer: the early work, especially The Waste Land (1922), is essentially negative, the expression of that horror from which the search for a higher world arises. In Ash Wednesday (1930) and the Four Quartets this higher world becomes more visible; nonetheless Eliot has always taken care not to become a «religious poet». and often belittled the power of poetry as a religious force. However, his dramas Murder in the Cathedral (1935) and The Family Reunion (1939) are more openly Christian apologies. In his essays, especially the later ones, Eliot advocates a traditionalism in religion, society, and literature that seems at odds with his pioneer activity as a poet. But although the Eliot of Notes towards the Definition of Culture (1948) is an older man than the poet of The Waste Land, it should not be forgotten that for Eliot tradition is a living organism comprising past and present in constant mutual interaction. Eliot's plays Murder in the Cathedral (1935), The Family Reunion (1939), The Cocktail Party (1949), The Confidential Clerk (1954), and TheElderStatesman(1959) were published in one volume in 1962; Collected Poems 1909-62 appeared in 1963.
From Nobel Lectures , Literature 1901-1967, Editor Horst Frenz, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1969
This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and first published in the book series Les Prix Nobel . It was later edited and republished in Nobel Lectures . To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.
T.S. Eliot died on January 4, 1965.
| T. S. Eliot |
Who was the defeated Republican candidate in the 2008 US Presidential Election? | Defining English Literature: British Nobel Prize Winners
Defining English Literature: British Nobel Prize Winners
Thomas Storey
For centuries, English literature has occupied a disproportionately large place on the global stage, with iconic figures such as William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens endowing the English literary tradition with a lustre that it still retains. The British winners of the Nobel Prize for literature embody this, although they may offer surprises even for those well versed in the literary output of the United Kingdom .
The diverse list of winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature from the United Kingdom reveal the way in which the contours of English literature have shifted over the course of the 20th century and how it has become more inclusive and more varied. The list includes several writers who were born elsewhere but came to call England their home, and came to have a profound impact on English literature, as well as writers working in the fields of history, philosophy and drama along with poetry and fiction. What these writers have in common is that they all put forward their own definition of English literature, and by doing so demarcated their own idea of England.
Rudyard Kipling (1864-1936)
Kipling, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1907, was the first winner of the prize from the British Isles and was also the first English language writer to win. For many people, Kipling has become emblematic of a type of late-Victorian Englishness: something which is most apparent in his all-consuming zeal for the British Empire. Indeed Kipling was born in Bombay, then a major centre of the British Raj, and spent much of his life writing about the Empire. Works such as Mandalay (1890), Gunga Din (1890), The White Man’s Burden (1899) and If (1910) focused on Imperial exploits and the heroism of British forces in facing down indigenous foes. In subsequent decades he was dismissed as a propagandist for British Imperialism who cared little for the rights of the various peoples that populated the Empire, although the literary value of Kipling’s work has rarely been questioned. He is perhaps most fondly remembered for his children’s stories, such as The Jungle Book , which remains widely read.
John Galsworthy (1897-1933)
The next winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature from the United Kingdom was John Galsworthy, who won in 1932, a year before his death. In his time he was a highly successful novelist and playwright whose novel The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter , were immensely popular. This series of novels depicted the convoluted lives of an upper class British family who, despite their wealth, are beset by problems. The family is considered nouveaux riche, having come from a farming background, and the novels are partly an acutely observed satire of the complexities of the British class system. Whilst Galsworthy was immensely popular and was recognised for his literary achievements by the Nobel committee, he was also a divisive figure. The younger generation of modernist writers who came to prominence in the early 20th century dismissed him as an archaic relic of the Victorian era.
T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)
An American who spent most of his adult life in Britain and who eventually became a naturalised British citizen, T.S. Eliot is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in 20th century literature. Eliot was awarded the prize in 1948, by which time he had become a leading figure in the United Kingdom’s literary establishment and an icon for successive generations of young poets. Eliot was born in St Louis, Missouri, but immigrated to Europe in his early 20s, living first in Paris and then in London, where he met Ezra Pound. Together they would revolutionise 20th century literature, rejecting the staid realism of their predecessors in favour of a modernist stream-of-consciousness style that emphasised the ruptures of individual perspective. Eliot’s most famous works of his early period were The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock , a satire of modern ennui, and The Waste Land , an apocalyptic epic in which Eliot channelled the disillusionment of his generation and the horror of World War One. Eliot’s works, along with other modernist classics such as James Joyce’s Ulysses and Virginia Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway , changed the trajectory of English literature irrevocably.
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)
Bertrand Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950 for his writings in philosophy, rather than fiction. He was one of most influential philosophers of the early 20th century and through his work he developed a new method of philosophical inquiry which he called ‘analytic philosophy’. This placed more of an emphasis on rigorous argument and clarity, formal logic and linguistic analysis. Russell’s most famous philosophical works are On Denoting, which he released in 1905,and Principia Mathematica , written with A.N. Whitehead and published from 1910 to 1913. Alongside his philosophical career, Russell was involved in political and social activism and campaigned for pacifism and, in his later life, nuclear disarmament. He released A History of Western Philosophy in 1945, a hugely influential compendium of the course of Western philosophy, which was cited when he was awarded the Nobel Prize.
Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
A towering figure in British history, the former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is world-renowned for his wartime leadership of the United Kingdom. Alongside his political career Churchill was an avid historian and a prolific writer. Despite his official responsibilities as Prime Minister, he published several highly acclaimed works during his lifetime. These include Marlborough: His Life and Times , a biography of Churchill’s ancestor the Duke of Marlborough, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples , a four volume history of Britain from Roman times to the early 20th century, and The Second World War , an insider’s account of the British war effort. The latter work was cited when he won the Nobel Prize, although many have suggested that it is compromised by Churchill’s central role in the action. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1953 for, in the words of the Nobel Committee, ‘his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values’.
William Golding (1911-1993)
Golding was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1983, at which time he was considered one of the foremost English writers of the 20th century. He came to prominence in the early 1950s with the publication of his debut novel Lord of the Flies , a harrowing allegorical tale of shipwrecked children that was, at the time, shocking in its bleak depiction of human bestiality. This novel introduced Golding’s stylistic and thematic obsessions: his tendency to use allegory and his relentless pessimism about the nature of civilisation, which would thread its way throughout his work. Lord of the Flies was not a success initially, but was eventually acclaimed as one of the finest works of the 20th century and a perspicacious insight into post war society. Golding would follow it with several acclaimed works including The Inheritors (1955), The Spire (1964) and Rites of Passage (1980), which won the Man Booker Prize. Golding remains one of the most popular English authors, particularly since Lord of the Flies has become a mainstay of secondary school curricula in the UK and US.
Harold Pinter (1930-2008)
A dramatist who would come to dominate the world of English theatre over the latter half of the 20th century, Pinter has been credited with reviving British drama. His works were hailed for their psychological insight and their unsettling qualities, and the Nobel Prize committee commented upon awarding him the prize for literature in 2005, that ‘in his plays [he] uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression’s closed rooms’. Pinter’s works also revealed a deep political commitment which he also displayed in other areas of his life; most notably by refusing to do his National Service in the British military in the 1950s, but also by relentless political activism in his later years. He campaigned vigorously for free speech, an end to international conflict and was a fierce critic of the second Iraq war. Some of Pinter’s most prominent works include The Birthday Party (1957), The Homecoming (1964), and Betrayal (1978).
Doris Lessing (1919-2013)
Lessing was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2007 and at 88 was the oldest person to ever receive the prize. Although born in Iran and raised in Zimbabwe, which at the time was the British colony of Southern Rhodesia, she fled Africa to pursue a writing career, leaving behind her two small children. She moved to London, and in 1950 published her first novel, The Grass is Singing . Drawing from her childhood in Africa, this novel was considered a shocking sensation upon its release because of its frank depiction of race relations in the British colony. Its notoriety, however, would be eclipsed by Lessing’s third novel The Golden Notebook , which she released in 1962. This was a thematic breakthrough for Lessing and its depiction of female sexuality and the woman’s movement was profoundly radical for its time. Lessing would release several other highly acclaimed works throughout her career, including Memoirs of a Survivor (1974), The Good Terrorist (1985) and The Sweetest Dream (2001).
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Which US city is home to the football team 'The Bengals'? | New Football Jerseys Coming to Holy Cross Thanks to Bengals, NFL | The River City News
New Football Jerseys Coming to Holy Cross Thanks to Bengals, NFL
Sat, 03/19/2016 - 22:47 RCN Newsdesk
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The National Football Foundation and the Bengals this week presented a check for $7,500 to the athletic department of Holy Cross High School in Covington.
The grant is the latest in an ongoing program in which the National Football League and the Bengals have coordinated to distribute $836,000 in grants over the last three years. Grants have gone to 18 different schools in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, as well as to numerous other institutions, including the American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Clubs, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and the Salvation Army.
Grants currently pending for approval could soon raise the Greater Cincinnati total to more than $1 million for the three-year period.
The grant to Holy Cross will be used to purchase new home and away football jerseys for some 60 players. It was presented at a school assembly by Katie Blackburn, Bengals executive vice-president.
Former Bengals offensive lineman Bruce Kozerski, who is a math teacher and head football coach at Holy Cross, spearheaded the grant application and accepted it on behalf of the school. In Bengals history, only seven players have exceeded Kozerski’s tenure of 12 seasons (1984-95) with the team. He has been a math teacher at Holy Cross since 1999, and after serving as an assistant football coach, he took over as head coach in 2004 and won a state championship in 2011.
“Bruce contributed to our 1988 Super Bowl run as our starting center, and he has since contributed greatly to the Holy Cross community,” Blackburn said. “He has helped shape the lives of students in the classroom and in athletics. We are proud to have him continue to represent the Bengals in our community. His involvement has been a model for others to follow, and we are greatly pleased to be a part of assisting his efforts.”
“This is not the first grant we have gotten from the Bengals and the NFL, and I want to thank Katie and the team for all the great help they have given to our children at Holy Cross High School and the neighborhood in Covington,” Kozerski said.
From Bengals.com
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"Who said ""To err is human, to forgive, divine""?" | New Football Jerseys Coming to Holy Cross Thanks to Bengals, NFL | The River City News
New Football Jerseys Coming to Holy Cross Thanks to Bengals, NFL
Sat, 03/19/2016 - 22:47 RCN Newsdesk
Increase Text Size
The National Football Foundation and the Bengals this week presented a check for $7,500 to the athletic department of Holy Cross High School in Covington.
The grant is the latest in an ongoing program in which the National Football League and the Bengals have coordinated to distribute $836,000 in grants over the last three years. Grants have gone to 18 different schools in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, as well as to numerous other institutions, including the American Heart Association, Boys & Girls Clubs, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and the Salvation Army.
Grants currently pending for approval could soon raise the Greater Cincinnati total to more than $1 million for the three-year period.
The grant to Holy Cross will be used to purchase new home and away football jerseys for some 60 players. It was presented at a school assembly by Katie Blackburn, Bengals executive vice-president.
Former Bengals offensive lineman Bruce Kozerski, who is a math teacher and head football coach at Holy Cross, spearheaded the grant application and accepted it on behalf of the school. In Bengals history, only seven players have exceeded Kozerski’s tenure of 12 seasons (1984-95) with the team. He has been a math teacher at Holy Cross since 1999, and after serving as an assistant football coach, he took over as head coach in 2004 and won a state championship in 2011.
“Bruce contributed to our 1988 Super Bowl run as our starting center, and he has since contributed greatly to the Holy Cross community,” Blackburn said. “He has helped shape the lives of students in the classroom and in athletics. We are proud to have him continue to represent the Bengals in our community. His involvement has been a model for others to follow, and we are greatly pleased to be a part of assisting his efforts.”
“This is not the first grant we have gotten from the Bengals and the NFL, and I want to thank Katie and the team for all the great help they have given to our children at Holy Cross High School and the neighborhood in Covington,” Kozerski said.
From Bengals.com
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To which family of fish does the 'Char' belong? | char | fish | Britannica.com
Char
Salmo
Char, (Salvelinus), any of several freshwater food and game fishes distinguished from the similar trout by light, rather than black, spots and by a boat-shaped bone (vomer) that is toothed only in front, on the roof of the mouth. Chars are of the trout and salmon family, Salmonidae, and often have smaller scales than their relatives.
Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus)
W.S. Pitt/Erick Hosking
The Arctic char (S. alpinus), of North America and Europe, inhabits the Arctic and adjacent oceans and enters rivers and lakes to breed. Some populations are restricted to freshwater lakes, which they colonized in glacial times. Like the other chars, the Arctic char is a good food and sport fish . It may weigh 6.8 kg (15 pounds) or more. The brook trout , Dolly Varden trout , and lake trout are native North American chars.
Learn More in these related articles:
brook trout
(Salvelinus fontinalis), popular freshwater game fish, a variety of char, regarded for its flavour and its fighting qualities when hooked. The brook trout belongs to the salmon family, Salmonidae. A native of the northeastern United States and Canada, it has been transplanted to many parts of the...
Dolly Varden trout
(species Salvelinus malma), char of the family Salmonidae, found in northwestern North America and northeastern Asia. It has yellow spots on the back, reddish spots on the sides, and a white edge on the lower fins; it takes its name from that of a character in Charles Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge....
lake trout
(Salvelinus namaycush), large, voracious char, family Salmonidae, widely distributed from northern Canada and Alaska, U.S., south to New England and the Great Lakes basin. It is usually found in deep, cool lakes. The fish are greenish gray and covered with pale spots. In spring, lake trout of about...
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Date Published: May 27, 1999
URL: https://www.britannica.com/animal/char-fish
Access Date: January 18, 2017
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Which 'Oscar' winning actor's last film was 'The Naked Edge' in 1961? | Mammals
Bony Fish Class
The Bony Fish Class, also called "Ostheichthyes," is split into smaller groups, called Orders. Below is a list of some Bony Fish Orders:
Anguilliformes Order: Includes Freshwater Eels.
Salmoniformes Order: Includes Trout and Pike.
Cypriniformes Order: Includes Carp, Minnows, and Suckers.
Siluriformes Order: Includes Catfish.
Perciformes Order: Ray-finned fishes. Includes most fish species in the world. Includes: Bass, Perch, Sunfish, and Darters.
All of the Orders above have been split into smaller groups, called Families. Families are then split into Genera. Remember, as each group gets smaller, organisms in that group are more and more alike. Each Genus will contain individual Species.
Information on specific Families and Genera is not included on this website, but you can find out which groups a species belongs to by checking the Classification Box at the bottom of each Species Page. See the example of a Bluegill below:
Bluegill:
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Which tax, levied 1695, abolished 1851, reached its highest level in 1808 when the rate on certain houses was 8/- a year? | Useful dates in British history
First recorded sighting of Halley's comet
BC55
Aug 27: Caesar's first British expedition (second in BC54)
BC49
Jan 10 (of the Roman calendar): Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war
BC46
Caesar institutes the Julian calendar by adding 90 days to the end of this year (came into force in January BC45)
BC45
Jan 1: The Julian calendar takes effect for the first time
BC44
Mar 15: Caesar assassinated in Rome
BC27
Jan 16: The title Augustus bestowed upon Gaius Julius Caesar Octavian
BC/AD
Since the Romans had no zero, there was no year AD0 (see AD525 )
AD43
Roman Conquest of Britain begun by Emperor Claudius � Camulodunum (Colchester) captured and becomes first Roman Base in England
AD47
Jun: Great fire of Rome, lasted 9 days (Nero fiddles, etc!)
AD69
Year of the four emperors in Rome: Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian
AD79
Aug 24: (some say Oct 24) Mount Vesuvius erupts � the cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Stabiae are buried in volcanic ash
c80�85
Campaign of Agricola in southern Scotland
c85
Battle of Mons Graupius, massive defeat of Caledonians by Roman forces
115
Roman Empire reaches its greatest extent under Trajan
122
Sep: Building of Hadrian's Wall begins (completed AD126)
c140
Antonine Wall built in central Scotland (completed circa AD143)
c150
Around this time, the Christian churches decided to express their divergence from the Roman system by starting the year on a different date, 25th March (this being the 'date of conception' of Christ in order for his birth to have been on 25th December) � see also 1582
180
Beginning of the 'decline of the Roman Empire' (Gibbon) � Defeat of Romans in Caledonia � they retreat behind Hadrian's Wall
20711
Campaign of Severus in southern Scotland
247
1,000th anniversary of founding of Rome
304
St Alban first Christian martyr in Britain [Bede implies some date between 303 and 313]
321
Emperor Constantine I decrees a day of rest each week in the Roman Empire and calls it 'Sunday'
325
Council of Nicaea establishes basic Christian dogma
c350
St Ninian first to preach Christian religion in Scotland, arrives Solway Firth
367
Invasion of northern England by Picts and Scots
406/412
Probable end of Roman military occupation of Britain
418
'The Romans gathered all the gold-hords there were in Britain; some they hid in the earth so that no man might find them, and some they took with them to Gaul' � Anglo-Saxon Chronicles
c400 � c600
Migration and settlement of Angles, Jutes and Saxons
432
St Patrick begins mission to Ireland
449
Beginning of invasions by Jutes, Angles and Saxons � Hengist and Horsa invade
'The Angles were invited here by king Vortigern, and they came to Britain in three longships, landing at Ebbesfleet. [He] gave them territory in the southeast of this land on the condition that they fight the Picts. This they did, and had victory wherever they went. Then they sent to Angel and commanded more aid � they soon sent hither a greater host to help the others. Then came the men of three Germanic tribes: Old Saxons, Angles and Jutes. Of the Jutes come the people of Kent and the Isle of Wight; of the Old Saxons come the East-Saxons, South-Saxons and West-Saxons; of the Angles come the East Anglians, Middle Anglians, Mercians and all Northumbrians. Their war-leaders were two brothers, Hengist and Horsa � first of all they killed and drove away the king's enemies, then later they turned on the king and the British [mid-450s], destroying through fire and the sword's edge.' � Anglo-Saxon Chronicles
467
Chinese observe Halley's comet
c490
British check Anglo-Saxon advance at siege of Mount Badon (site unknown) date uncertain: other sources say 520 and/or c.495, or simply 'some time in the decade before or after 500'
c500
Irish "Scots" arrived in western Scotland
525 (some say in 526, 532 or 534)
'Dennis the Short' (Dionysius Exiguous) calculates the date of the birth of Christ concept of AD and BC dates begins
536
Beginning of a decade-long cold snap causing turmoil across the globe (some postulate a volcanic eruption plus a significant impact from space around this date)
537
Death of King Arthur (some say 542) [Note: He is not mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, and some think he never existed as a real person]
c541
Anglo-Saxon victory at Deorham marks resumption of their advance in England
597
Death of Columba, later sanctified
597/8
St Augustine lands in Kent � converts King Ethelbert � introduces Roman Christian Church to England � later becomes first Archbishop of Canterbury
c.600 and for some centuries (some say from AD 500 to AD 850)
The period of the 'Heptarchy': the seven kingdoms of Northumbria, Mercia, Wessex, Sussex, Essex, East Anglia and Kent the 'top king' at any one time was referred to 'Bretwalda' (overlord of the Britons)
601
Pope Gregory calls Ethelbert of Kent 'rex Anglorum'
604
St Paul's Cathedral in London founded
Death of St Augustine, and pope Gregory I
616
Feb 24: Death of Ethelbert of Kent � succeeded by his son Eadbald, who was not a Christian
617
Edwin becomes king of Northumbria (to 633) � possibly founds Edinburgh? � [He overcame all Britain save Kent alone � Anglo-Saxon Chronicles]
622
Muhammad's flight from Mecca marks the start of the Muslim calendar
642
Aug: Battle of Maserfield: Penda of Mercia defeats Oswald of Northumbria
c650
St Aidan dies
655
Nov: Battle of Winwaed (in present-day Yorkshire): Oswiu of Northumbria (brother of Oswald) defeats Penda of Mercia
664
Sep: Synod of Whitby: Divisions within the Northumbrian church led to the Synod of Whitby, where Oswiu agreed to settle the Easter controversy by adopting the Roman dating � Roman Christianity triumphs over Celtic
Plague hit England, according to Bede (writing c.730): "A sudden pestilence raging far and wide with fierce destruction.'
673
Birth of the Venerable Bede, first English historian (d. 735)
First synod of clergy in England (at Hertford) � Roman and Celtic churches came to an agreement on the date to celebrate Easter
6857
Cuthbert served as Bishop of Lindisfarne
c698
Norsemen plunder Iona
827
Egbert King of Wessex and Mercia effectively first king of England (d. 839), but see 937 see also general list of dates for Monarchs of England
838
Norse establish permanent base at Dublin
844
Kenneth I MacAlpin, king of Scots, becomes King of Picts � start of Scottish kingdom
865874
Danish army conquers north-eastern third of England
871
Jan 4: Battle of Reading � Ethelred of Wessex defeated by a Danish invasion army
Apr: Alfred (the Great) succeeds Ethelred; crowned king of Wessex
872
Curfew (couvre feu) introduced at Oxford by King Alfred to reduce fire risks (why a French term this early in English history?)
878
Battle of Chippenham: Alfred defeated by Danes (shortly after Christmas 877) but escapes and 'burns the cakes'; Battle of Egbert's Stone (Eddington?) in May: Alfred (56,000 troops) defeats Danes, who retreat and are besieged in Chippenham Danes/Vikings fail in attempt to conquer Wessex leader Guthram baptised as Athelstan and accepted by Alfred as his Godson
880
Treaty of Wedmore: England divided between Alfred the Great of Wessex (the south and west) and the 'Danelaw' under Guthram (the north and east)
Start of concept of 'Englishness' and growth of 'burghs' in England from this time
889
Donald II, first King of Picts & Scots (d. in battle 900)
891
Beginning of Anglo-Saxon Chronicle marks revival of learning in England
899
Oct 26: Death of King Alfred the Great (some say 901); succeeded by Edward (the Elder)
917921
Edward of Wessex conquers southern half of Danelaw with the help of his sister, Aethelflaed of Mercia
937
Athelstan of Wessex defeats Scots, north Welsh and Norse at Brunanburgh regarded by some as 'first king of all England' (but see 827 )
939
Oct 27: Edmund I succeeds Athelstan as King of England
c960
Edinburgh held by King of Alba
971
Jul 15: St Swithun's body moved from his outdoor grave to an indoor shrine in the the Old Minster in Winchester against his expressed wishes legend says this was accompanied by bad weather, from which the popular British weather lore proverb comes, that if it rains on Saint Swithun's day, 15 July, it will rain for 40 days and 40 nights
973
Edgar introduces a new coinage the royal portrait becomes a regular feature on coins
980
Vikings renew assault on England
987
Hugh Capet crowned King of France, first of the Capetian dynasty which ruled till the French Revolution
991
Aug 10: Battle of Maldon English, led by Bryhtnoth, defeated by a band of raiding Vikings near Maldon, Essex celebrated by a poem
1002
Nov 13: St Brice's Day massacre King Aethelred (Ethelred II, the 'Unready') orders killing of all Danes in England
1003
Sveyn I (Sweyn, Swein) of Denmark devastates England: Ethelred pays him 24,000 pounds of silver to stop
1004
Vikings explore the North American coast
1006
Apr 30: The brightest supernova in recorded history appears in the constellation Lupus
1007
King Ethelred pays Sveyn another 36,000 pounds of silver
1010
London Bridge torn down by Vikings with grappling irons � (Olaf II Haraldsson, later St Olaf, took part) � possibly the origin of "London Bridge is falling Down"
1012
Apr 19: Murder by Danes of Alphege, Archbishop of Canterbury, in Greenwich after refusing to be ransomed (canonised 1078 to St Alphege)
King Aethelred pays Sveyn another 48,000 pounds of silver; but next year Sveyn pushes him off the throne
1014
Brian Boru leads the Irish to victory over the Norse at Clontarf
1016
Canute (Knut, son of Sveyn) becomes king of Denmark, Norway and England (d. 1035)
1017
Canute divides England into four Earldoms: Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria and East Anglia
1018
Battle of Carham: Malcolm defeats the Northumbrians adding Lothian to Scotland
c1030
Guido of Arezzo introduces first practical form of musical notation, enabling melodies to be sung on sight
1034
Strathclyde annexed by King of Scots becomes part of Scottish Kingdom
1035
Death of Canute: the Danish empire splits up
1040
Aug 15: Macbeth (Mac Bethad mac Findl�ich) murders Duncan (Donnchad Mac Cr�n�in) and takes the throne of Scotland (d. 1057)
Lady Godiva, wife of earl of Mercia, rides naked through Coventry as a protest against taxes [Now why couldn't Shakespeare have written about that instead?]
1042
Edward the Confessor King of England (d. 1066)
First recorded use of moveable type, in China
10451050
Building of Westminster Abbey consecrated 28 Dec 1065, only a week before Edward the Confessor's death and subsequent funeral (rebuilt 12451517)
1054
Jul: Supernova observed by Arabian and Chinese astronomers becomes the Crab Nebula
The Great Schism, when Christianity divided into Western (Latin) and Eastern (Greek) branches
1066
Jan 6: Edward the Confessor dies � Harold II (Godwinson) reigned for 9 months
Sep 25: Battle of Stamford Bridge: Harold II defeats Norwegian invasion
Sep 28: Invasion of England by Duke William of Normandy
Oct 14: Battle of Hastings � Harold II dies
Dec 25: William crowned King of England at Westminster
1069
Northern earls and a Scandanavian army seize York � William replies with the 'Harrowing of the North' � "He made no effort to control his fury and he punished the innocent with the guilty. He ordered that crops and herds, tools and food should be burned to ashes. More than 100,000 people perished of hunger" [Orderic Vitalis]
King Malcolm Canmore of Scotland marries Margaret (later St Margaret)
1072
King Malcolm III of Scotland submitted to William the Conqueror
c1070
Reconstruction of Canterbury Cathedral begins: The Saxon cathedral burned in 1067. Lanfranc, first Norman Archbishop, restored and enlarged its buildings between 1067 and 1077. A new choir was consecrated in 1130 but burned in 1174, four years after Becket's murder. That was rebuilt by 1184, but the nave wasn't finished until 1405. [others say completed 1495]
1071
Norman conquest of England complete
1077
Possible completion of the Bayeux Tapestry
1079
Construction of Winchester Cathedral begins (consecrated in 1093 but not completed until 1404.)
1081
Building of Tower of London starts [others say 1067]
1086
May 9: Lincoln Cathedral consecrated
1095
Nov 27: Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont
1096
First crusade begins (to 1099)
1098
Jun 3: Antioch falls to the Crusaders
Expedition of Magnus Barelegs to Scottish coasts
1099
Jun 7: Siege of Jerusalem begins by the Crusaders
12th & 13th centuries
Climate: A medieval warm period called the 'Little Optimum'
1100
Aug 2: William II found dead in the New Forest with an arrow through his lung
Aug 5: Henry I crowned in Westminster Abbey
c1100
First record of football in England
1102
Synod of Westminster under Anselm forbids clergy to marry
1106
Sep 28: Battle of Tinchebray Henry I defeats his older brother Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy England and Normandy remain under a single ruler until 1204
1110
Introduction in England of Pipe Rolls, recording exchequer payments
1119
Military order of the Knights Templar founded
1120
Nov 25: The White Ship sinks in the English Channel, drowning William Adelin, the only legitimate son of Henry I of England his death caused a succession crisis, culminating in 'The Anarchy' or 'The Nineteen Year Winter' during the reign of Stephen (1135�1154)
1120s
First references in Scotland to Burghs and Sheriffs
1124
Apr 27: David I becomes King of Scotland
c1130
Great age of abbey building in England: Tintern (1131), Rievaulx (1131), Fountains (1132)
1135
Dec 1: Death of Henry I; Stephen seizes the throne of England amid a confusion of Matildas
1138
Aug 22: 'Battle of The Standard' near Northallerton English forces repelled a Scottish army
1139
Portugal becomes independent from Spain
c1140
Transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture in Europe (freeing walls from load-bearing functions, thus allowing larger windows); Linguistically, also regarded as the start of the Middle English period (until c.1500)
1141
Only year in which Matilda (or Maude, daughter of Henry I) was the undisputed ruler of England
1143
Jul 1: Battle of Wilton in Wiltshire
1144
Normandy comes under Angevin control under Geoffrey of Anjou
1145
Pope Eugene III calls for the Second Crusade (114749)
1148
Jul: Seige of Damascus by the Crusaders fails
1150
Sep 7: Geoffrey of Anjou dies, succeeded by his son Henry Plantagenet, aged 18
1152
May 18: Henry Plantagenet (to become King Henry II) marries Eleanor of Aquitaine
1153
May 27: Malcolm IV becomes King of Scotland
Treaty of Wallingford between Stephen and Matilda in which her son Henry Plantagenet would inherit the throne of England on Stephen's death
1154
Oct 25: Death of King Stephen; Henry II becomes King of England he already has Normandy, Anjou and Aquitaine, and is now the most powerful man in Europe
Dec 4: Nicholas Breakspear (Adrian IV) becomes only English pope (b. circa 1100 at St Albans, d. 1 Sep 1159 at Anagni and buried in the Vatican)
Dec 19: Henry II crowned in Westminster Abbey
1155
Papal bull issued by Adrian IV, the only Englishman to serve as Pope, gives the King of England lordship over Ireland
1157
Jul: Henry II of England invades Wales and is defeated at the Battle of Ewloe by Owain Gwynedd
1158
A new coinage introduced by Henry II (known as the Tealby penny) was struck from 92.5% silver (Sterling)
1159
Sep 7: Cardinals given the right to elect the Pope (prior to this the pope was elected by the clergy and congregation of the church) Pope Alexander III succeeds Pope Adrian IV as the 170th pope
1162
Jun 3: Thomas Becket consecrated as Archbishop of Canterbury Henry II thought he would be 'his' man, but things turned out differently (see 1174 )
1163
Letter of Prester John started spreading throughout Europe
1166
Establishment of trial by jury
1170
Dec 29: Murder of Thomas à Becket in Canterbury Cathedral
1172
Pope decrees that Henry II of England is feudal lord of Ireland
1173
Apr: Revolt begins against Henry II by his wife and sons
1174
Jul 12: Henry II did penance for the death of Thomas à Becket, murdered by his knights 3 years previously and already canonised; the following day in a 'seeming act of divine providence', the last supporters of the revolt against him were surprised and captured at Alnwick
1175
Treaty of Falaise signed � William the Lion surrenders Scottish crown to King Henry II of England
1176
London Bridge construction in stone started (from tax on wool) � completed 1209, replaced 1831
Dec 25: First Eisteddfod, at Cardigan Castle
1178
The Leaning Tower of Pisa begins to lean as the third level is completed
1187
Oct: Saladin recaptures Jerusalem � served as the catalyst for the Third Crusade (1187�1192)
1188
The original Newgate Prison built in London
'Saladin Tithe' levied in England � exemption for those who joined the Crusade
1189
Jul 6: Henry II dies at the castle of Chinon in Anjou; Richard I 'Lionheart' becomes king of England (d. 1199) � acknowledges the independence of Scotland
Sep 1: Legal Memory dates from accession of Richard I � before that is 'Time Immemorial', see 1275
1190
Mar: Jews of York massacred (150 in number)
Opening of the Third Crusade
'Early English' Gothic period in English architecture (till about 1280)
1192
Dec 20: Richard I held for ransom on his way back from the Crusade by Leopold V of Austria
1199
Apr 6: Richard I dies having spent most of his reign abroad succeeded by his brother John (to 1216)
1200
King John marries Isabella of Angouleme in Bordeaux Cathedral
1202
Pope Innocent III initiates the Fourth Crusade (1202�1204)
1204
Angers and Normandy are captured by Philip II of France
1207
Jul 15: King John expels Canterbury monks for supporting Archbishop Stephen Langton
1208
Winchester Pipe Rolls begin the financial accounts of the manors or estates belonging to the Bishopric of Winchester written in medieval Latin until 1599, after that in English see example of translated contents
1212
Jul: One of the early 'great fires of London' Chronicles of the Mayors & Sheriffs of London: "In this year was the Great Fire of Suthwerk; and it burned the Church of Saint Mary, as also the Bridge, with the Chapel there, and the greatest part of the City" ['Altogether it claimed 12,000 lives' Bill Bryson At Home]
1215
Jun 15: Magna Carta sealed at Runnymede by King John
Oct 28: First Lord Mayor's Show in London
Nov 11: Fourth Lateran Council defined the doctrine of transubstantiation
1217
Nov 6: 'Charter of the Forest' by Henry III established that all freemen owning land within the forest enjoyed the rights of agistment (grazing cattle) and pannage (grazing pigs)
Fifth Crusade (12171221)
1220
Start of building current York Minster: Archbishop Walter de Gray started its construction (with the transept) in 1220, working from the design of the Norman cathedral of 1070. Its towers were finally completed in 1472.
Salisbury Cathedral: started (replacing the Norman cathedral at Old Sarum) by Bishop Poore in 1220, consecrated in 1258, and its great spire finished in 1334
1222
Introduction of a poll tax in England
King Alexander II of Scotland conquers Argyll
1228
First recorded mention of the Royal Mint
Sixth Crusade (12281229)
Cambridge University organised and granted Royal Charter
1235
Statute of Merton considered to be the first English statute authorised manorial lords to enclose portions of commons and wastes provided that sufficient pasture remained for his tenants
1237
Treaty of York signed by Henry III of England and Alexander II of Scotland set the border between England and Scotland, which remains to this day except round Berwick
1247
Foundation of Bedlam (Bethlehem Hospital), London, by Simon Fitzmary
1248
Charter granted to Oxford University by Henry III
Aug 15: Foundation stone of Cologne cathedral laid � building not completed until 1880
Seventh Crusade (12481254)
Royal Proclamations by Henry III are first government documents issued in English
1256
Decreed in England that in leap years, the leap day and the day before are to be reckoned as one day for the purpose of calculating when a full year has passed
1258
'A strange time for weather globally' � incessant rains, terrible floods, severe cold and disasterous harvests that led to famine � now attributed to the eruption in the previous year of the volvano Samalas in what is now Indonesia.
1259
Dec 4: Treaty of Paris between Henry III and Louis IX of France Henry agreed to renounce control of Normandy (except for the Channel Islands), Maine, Anjou and Poitou, which had been lost under the reign of King John. He was able to keep Gascony and parts of Aquitaine but only as a vassal to Louis. In exchange, Louis withdrew his support for English rebels. Said to be one of the indirect causes of the Hundred Years War
1260
Chartres cathedral dedicated
1263
Oct 2: Battle of Largs, Ayrshire � King Alexander III said to have defeated Norwegian invaders under King Haakon IV
1264
First recorded reference to Justice of the Peace in England (but see 1285 )
May 12-14: Battle of Lewes: Henry III captured by Simon de Montfort
1265
Jan 20: First elected English parliament (De Montfort's Parliament) conducts its first meeting, in the Palace of Westminster
Aug 4: Battle of Evesham: Simon de Montfort killed (death of chivalry? � but this also claimed for Crécy, see 1346 )
1266
Western Isles acquired by Scotland
1270
Ninth (and last) crusade (1271�72)
1272
Nov 20: Edward I (who was away on the Crusade) declared king of England following the death of his father Henry III on Nov 16
1274
Aug 19: Edward I crowned on his return from the Crusades
1275
Apr 22: First Statute of Westminster passed by the English parliament fixed the reign of Richard I as the time limit for bringing certain types of action � see 'Time Immemorial' 1189 (others say there was also the concept of 'before the memory of man' being 113 years)
Scottish rule established on the Isle of Man
1277
Edward I embarks on the conquest of Wales
1279
A major re-coinage introduced new denominations. In addition to the penny, the halfpenny and farthing were minted, and also a fourpenny piece called a 'groat' (from the French 'gross')
1280
'Decorated' Gothic period in English architecture (till about 1370)
Climate: 1280�1311 peak of the medieval warm period
1282
Dec 10: Llewellyn, last native Prince of Wales, killed
1283
Annexation of Wales to England by Edward I � Statute of Rhuddlan, 3 March 1284, created early counties in Wales (see 1536 )
1285
Statute of Winchester and Second Statute of Westminster � first Justices of the Peace installed in England? (but some say they derive from 1361 , in the reign of Edward III) among other things, authorised manorial lords to enclose commons and wastes where the common rights belonged to tenants from other manors
1290
Oct: Death of the 'maid of Norway,' heiress to the Scottish crown led to the Wars of Scottish Independence 1296�1328
Jul 18: Jews expelled from England by Edward I
Dec: Death of Queen Eleanor, wife of Edward I he had 12 'Eleanor crosses' erected between Lincolnshire (where she died) and London (where she was buried in Westminster Abbey)
Statute of 'Quia Emptores' � prevented tenants from leasing their lands to others and allowed the sale of freehold
Spectacles introduced in Italy
1291-2
Competition for the Scottish Crown between some eleven "Competitors" (including John Baliol, John Comyn and Robert Bruce the elder) all claiming the right to succeed
1292
Nov 17: King Edward I awards Scottish crown to John Baliol ('Toom Tabard', or 'empty coat')
1295
Oct 23: Signing of the "Auld Alliance" in Paris between Scotland and France � one of the world's oldest mutual defence treaties
1296
Annexation of Scotland by England � Scotland's Coronation Stone the "Stone of Destiny" or "Stone of Scone" was removed to Westminster Abbey by the English King Edward I, temporarily 'returned' to Scotland in 1950, and permanently returned in 1996
Mar 30: Berwick-upon-Tweed sacked by Edward I
Apr 27: Battle of Dunbar: Scots defeated
Jul 10: John Baliol dethroned by Edward I
Beginning of uprising led by William Wallace (the Guardian of Scotland)
1297
Sep 11: Battle of Stirling Bridge, defeat of English Army
1298
Jul 22: Battle of Falkirk, Edward I defeats William Wallace early use of the long bow by the English
c1300
Earliest western reference to manufacture of gunpowder
1301
Feb 7: Son of Edward I created first Prince of Wales
1305
Trial of William Wallace in London, execution at Smithfield
1306
Mar 25: Robert the Bruce crowned King Robert I of Scots
Jun 19: Battle of Methven � a 'fortunate defeat' for Bruce
1307
Jul 7: Edward I dies � succeeded by his son, Edward II
Nov 18: According to legend, William Tell shoots an apple off of his son's head
1311
Ordinances laid on Edward II by the peerage and clergy of England to restrict his power � twenty-one signatories referred to as the Ordainers � Thomas of Lancaster their leader was executed in 1322
1312
Knights Templars suppressed in France
1313�1321
Climate: Sequence of cold and wet summers � harvests ruined
1314
Jun 24: Battle of Bannockburn � Scots under Robert the Bruce routed the English led by Edward II � resulted in Scottish independence
Edward II banned football in London (possibly to encourage people to practice their archery instead)
Great European famine � population of Britain had peaked at around 5 million before declining
c1320
Invention of escapement clocks, and first practical guns
1320
Declaration of Arbroath; a statement of Scottish independence
1326
First Scottish Parliament (at Cambuskenneth)
1327
Deposition and regicide of King Edward II of England (in an apparently unfortunate manner): Edward III rules for 50 years till 1377
1328
Jan 24: Edward III marries Philippa of Hainault
May 1: Treaty of Northampton, formalised peace between England and Scotland
1329
Jun 7: Death of Robert the Bruce; succeeded by infant David II of Scots
1332
Climatic catastrophe in eastern Asia � 7 million people drowned � black rats driven west (one theory says that this caused the Black Death in Europe but see note 1349 )
1338
Edward III asserts his claim to the French throne 'Hundred Years War' begins (to 1453)
1340
Jun 24: Edward III personally commands the English fleet in their victory over the French off Sluys (who were trying to blockade English export of wool to Flanders)
1346
Aug 26: Battle of Crecy (Crécy) � military supremacy of the English longbow established, and that of 'peasant' archers over knights on horseback
Oct 17: Battle of Neville's Cross; English capture King David II (held until 1357 )
1348
Jun 24: Order of the Garter founded by King Edward III of England � motto 'Honi soit qui mal y pense'
1349
Black Death ('The Pestilence') reaches England (entered Europe in 1346/7; lasted until 1351) � this was the first return of plague to Europe for almost 400 years, but it reappeared more than once during the next three centuries some estimate that where it struck, up to a quarter of the population perished theories that it was spread by rat fleas have been questioned, as it seems to have travelled too fast for that to have been the agent, and a bacterial disease possibly from Africa is now suspected � for an example of effect of the Black Death on architecture, see Winchester Cathedral
1350
Black Death first appears in Scotland
Aug 29: Battle of Winchelsea � English naval fleet under King Edward III defeats a Castilian fleet of 40 ships
1351
Statute of Labourers � attempt to regulate wages and prices at 1340 levels following labour shortages caused by the Black Death � it set a precedent that distinguished between labourers who were "able in body" to work and those who could not work for other reasons
1352
Corpus Christi College, Cambridge founded
1353
Giovanni Boccaccio The Decameron
1355
Feb 10: St Scholastica's Day riot, Oxford � armed clashes between locals and students (Town versus Gown)
1356
Sep 19: Battle of Poitiers: Black Prince (son of Edward III) captures the French king, John II (the Good)
1357
Oct: King David II of Scotland released by the English in return for a ransom
1360
May 8: Treaty of Br�tigny marked the end of the first phase of the Hundred Years' War (1337�1453) � ratified on Oct 24 at Calais � by this treaty Edward III and John II (still in captivity, though with many privileges) make peace, but it only lasted for 9 years
The French franc introduced by John II
1361
Edward, the Black Prince, marries his cousin Joan, the 'Fair Maid of Kent'
Edward III created the office of Justice of the Peace in every county in England � to meet four times a year in Quarter Sessions
Second severe outbreak of of the Black Death
1362
English becomes official language in English Parliament and Law Courts
Quarter Sessions established by statute
William Langland Vision of Piers Ploughman
1364
Charles V (the Wise) becomes King of France
1366
Statues of Kilkenny belatedly forbid intermarriage of English and Irish � Gaelic culture unsuccessfully suppressed
1369
Hundred Years War restarts
1370
'Perpendicular' Gothic period in English architecture (till about 1550) great East Window in Gloucester first example
1371
Feb: Accession of Robert II, the first Stewart king of Scots
1372
Naval battle off La Rochelle: Castilians defeat the English fleet tide begins to turn against the English in Aquitaine
1375
Truce in the Hundred Years War England lost most of her possessions in France
1377
Edward III dies, age 65: Richard II rules till deposed in 1399
May 22: Pope Gregory XI issues five papal bulls to denounce the doctrines of John Wycliffe
1378
Start of the Papal Schism (until 1417) when three men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope
1381
Jun 15: Wat Tyler killed at Smithfield, London, during Peasants' Revolt in protest against poll tax of 1380
1382
First translation of the Bible into English, by John Wycliffe
Winchester College founded by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester
May 21: Great earthquake in Kent [? can't find confirmation of this one] � see 1580
1383
Regular series of wills starts in Prerogative Court of Canterbury
1386
Treaty of Windsor between Britain and Portugal "The British have an alliance with Portugal unbroken since the year 1384, and which produced fruitful results at a critical moment in the recent war." Iron Curtain Speech by Winston Churchill, 1946
1387
Chaucer (d. 1400) begins writing The Canterbury Tales
1388
Aug 5: Battle of Otterburn, Northumberland (Chevy Chase)
1389
June 15: Battle of Kosovo; The Ottoman Empire defeats Serbs and Bosnians
1392
Wells Cathedral clock
1397
Apr: Geoffrey Chaucer tells the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II
Dick Whittington (d. 1423) first becomes Lord Mayor of London
1399
Sep: Deposition of King Richard II; Henry IV establishes Lancastrian dynasty
1400
Oct 25: Geoffrey Chaucer dies in London
Sep 16: Owen Glendower declared Prince of Wales start of rebellion of against Henry IV
Average life expectancy had dropped to 38 years (had been 48 years in 1300)
c.1400
This is the date at which the 'great vowel shift' (shortening of vowel sounds) in the English language is regarded as starting
1403
Jul 21: Battle of Shrewsbury: Henry IV defeats rebels
1405
Jun 8: Execution of Richard le Scrope, Archbishop of York and Thomas Mowbray, Earl of Norfolk for insurrection against Henry IV
1412
Foundation of the University of St Andrews
1413
Mar 21: Henry V to the throne
1415
Oct 25 (St Crispin's Day): Battle of Agincourt
1417
Jun 24: First recorded meeting of theTynwald in the Isle of Man
Jul 27: Antipope Benedict XIII deposed, bringing to an end the Great Western Schism
Aug 12: Henry V starts using English (rather than French) in his correspondence
1419
Jan 19: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England
1420
Dec 1: Henry V of England enters Paris
1422
Infant Henry VI (9 months old) on throne of England
1424
Winter: Much of Alnwick burnt by a Scottish raiding party (and again in later years)
1429
Feb 12: Battle of the Herrings just north of Orleans
1431
May 30: Death of Joan of Arc
Dec 16: Henry VI of England crowned King of France at Notre Dame in Paris
1432�1438
Climate: Britain snowbound for 6 of these 7 winters
1432
University of Caen founded by John of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Bedford
1435
Sep 21: Treaty of Arras between Charles VII of France and Philip III of Burgundy ends the English-Burgundy alliance
1437
Assassination of King James I of Scots at Perth
1440
Eton College founded by Henry VI
1450
May 8: Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen revolt against Henry VI
1451
End of Hundred Years' War (Battle of Castillon, Jul 17)
1455
Feb 23: Johannes Gutenberg starts printing the bible, using movable type [some say 1450, 1453 or 1454]
May 22: Battle of St Albans, first in Wars of the Roses (1455�87); Richard, Duke of York, defeats and captures Henry VI
Fall of the Black Douglases in Scotland
1456
Aug 24: Printing of Gutenberg Bible completed [some say 1454 or 1455]
1457
First recorded mention of golf in Scotland
1460
Aug 3: King James II of Scots killed by an exploding cannon at Kelso
1461
Mar 29 (Palm Sunday): Battle of Towton � probably the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil: Henry VI flees to Scotland; Edward, Duke of York, crowned as Edward IV on 1st Aug � see website
1465
Irish living near English settlements made to take English surnames
1468/69
Orkney and Shetland Islands acquired from Norway by Scotland (but Wikepedia says 20th Feb 1472)
1470
Oct 30: Henry VI (Lancastrian) restored to the throne
1471
Apr 14: Yorkists defeat the Lancastrians at Barnet; Edward IV resumes the throne
May 4: Battle of Tewkesbury � Edward IV defeats a Lancastrian Army and kills Edward, Prince of Wales
May 21: Henry VI murdered in the Tower of London
1472
St Andrews made a bishopric
1475
Aug 29: Treaty of Picquigny ends a brief war between France and England
1476
Caxton sets up a printing press in Westminster
1477
Edward IV bans cricket
1478
Feb 18: George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence executed in the Tower of London, by drowning in a butt of Malmsey wine?
1480
Spanish Inquisition begins (did nobody really expect it?)
1483
Murder of the princes (Edward V and his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury) in the Tower; their uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester becomes king (Richard III)
1484
Introduction of bail for defendants in legal courts
English first used for parliamentary statutes
1485
Aug 22: Battle of Bosworth Field; Richard III killed (see 2012 ) � end of the War of the Roses and beginning of the Tudor dynasty (Henry VII)
Formation of the Yeomen of the Guard
1486
Jan 18: Henry VII marries Elizabeth of York, daughter of Edward IV and sister of Edward V
Boke of St Albans printed � includes collective nouns for animals and people
1487
May 24: Imposter Lambert Simnel crowned as "King Edward VI" at Dublin
Jun 16: Battle of Stoke Field � Henry VII's final victory in War of the Roses
1489
A pound coin (the 'sovereign') minted for the first time. A shilling coin was minted for the first time a few years later
1492
Nov 9: Peace of Etaples between Henry VII and Charles VIII of France � improvement in relations continued until the end of Henry's reign
Dec 5: Christopher Columbus becomes the first European to set foot on the island of Hispaniola (West Indies)
Papermaking introduced to Britain John Tate opens a paper mill at Stevenage soon after this
Moors driven from Grenada
1494
June 7: Treaty of Tordesillas � Spain and Portugal divide the world between them (along the great diameter 51°W and 129°E longditude) � see 1529
1495
Foundation of the University of Aberdeen (as King's College)
1497
Jun 17: Battle of Deptford Bridge � end of the Cornish rebellion against Henry VII
Jul 8: Vasco da Gama sets sail on first direct European voyage to India.
Parish registers instituted in Spain by Cardinal Ximenes
Cabot reaches North America
Nov 16: Perkin Warbeck, pretender to the throne, executed
1503
May 28: Marriage of King James IV of Scots and Margaret Tudor
1503-5
Leonardo da Vinci paints Mona Lisa
1505-6
Royal College of Surgeons founded in Edinburgh
1506
Jan 22: First contingent of 150 Swiss Guards arrives at the Vatican
1507
First printing press in Scotland set up in Edinburgh by Andrew Myllar
Apr: Suggestion put forward that the New World be named America in honour of Amerigo Vespucci (on Martin Waldseem�ller's world map)
1509
Naturalisation papers start in England
Apr 22: Henry VIII becomes king of England (to 1547) at 17 years old
Jun 11: Henry VIII marries Catherine of Aragon
1512
Admiralty founded in London
The "Auld Alliance" treaty with France � all Scottish citizens became French and vice versa
Nov 1: Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, exhibited to the public for the first time
1513
Aug 16: Battle of the Spurs � English troops under Henry VIII defeat a French force at Guinegate
Sep 9: Battle of Flodden, defeat of Scottish Army � death of King James IV of Scots
Machiavelli writes The Prince
Recording of Testaments (wills) begins in Scotland
1515
Nov 15: Thomas Wolsley invested as Cardinal
1516
Thomas More writes Utopia
1517
Oct 31: Martin Luther fixes his 95 theses on church door at Wittenburg � regarded as start of the Reformation
1518
Treaty of London, a non-aggression pact between the major European nations: France, England, Holy Roman Empire, the Papacy, Spain, Burgundy and the Netherlands � sponsored by Cardinal Wolsey
1520
Cortes conquers Mexico
Nov: Three ships under the command of Ferdinand Magellan negotiate the Strait of Magellan, becoming the first Europeans to sail from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific
1521
Apr 17: Martin Luther speaks to the assembly at the Diet of Worms, refusing to recant his teachings
May 17: Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, executed for treason
May 25: Diet of Worms ends when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor issues the Edict of Worms, declaring Martin Luther an outlaw
1522
Sep 6: The Victoria, one of the surviving ships of Ferdinand Magellan's expedition, becomes the first ship known to circumnavigate the world
1525
New Testament translated into English by William Tyndale
1527
Bishop Vesey's Grammar School founded in Sutton Coldfield
1528
St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle completed
1529
Apr 22: Treaty of Zaragoza specified the anti-meridian of the Treaty of Tordesillas (see 1494 ) which stated that everything west of 46� 37' was given to Spain whereas everything east of 46� 37' was given to Portugal
Diet of Speyer: origin of the word Protestant
1531
Feb 11: Henry VIII recognised as Supreme Head of the Church of England
1532
Foundation of the Court of Session in Scotland
1533
Jan 25: Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn secretly, wife #2 (she was crowned as Queen on 1st June)
Mar 30: Thomas Cranmer becomes Archbishop of Canterbury
May 23: Henry VIII's marriage with Catherine of Aragon officially declared annulled
Jul 11: Henry VIII excommunicated by Pope Clement VII
Sep 17: Anne Boleyn gives birth to a daughter Elizabeth, to become Queen Elizabeth I
1534
Reformation of the Catholic Church in England church (Henry VIII)
1535
1536
Dissolution of monasteries starts in England (to 1540)
Wales and England legally united by the Laws in Wales Act of 1535 further Welsh counties established (see 1284 )
May 19: Anne Boleyn executed
May 30: Henry VIII marries Jane Seymour, wife #3 (she was crowned as Queen on 29th October)
Jul 18: The authority of the Pope is declared void in England
1537
Oct 24: Jane Seymour dies from complications in giving birth to a son, the future Edward VI
1538
English and Welsh parish registers start
Henry VIII issues English Bible
Dec 17: Henry VIII excommunicated by Pope Paul III
1540
Statute of Wills allows freehold land to be bequeathed
Jan 6: Henry VIII marries Anne of Cleves, the 'Flanders Mare', wife #4
Feb 9: First recorded horse racing event in Britain, at Chester
Jul 9: Henry VIII divorces Anne of Cleves
Jul 28: Thomas Cromwell executed; Henry VIII marries Catherine Howard the same day, wife #5
1541
Henry VIII proclaimed king (rather than feudal lord) of Ireland
1542
Feb 13: Catherine Howard executed
Nov 24: The Rout of Solway Moss
Dec 14: Death of King James V of Scots; his baby daughter Mary "Queen of Scots" succeeds him, just 6 days old
1543
Jul 12: Henry VIII marries Catherine Parr, wife #6, who survives him
Sep 9: Mary Stuart, at nine months old, is officially crowned "Queen of Scots" in Stirling (spelling of the royal house changes from Stewart to Stuart)
1544-5
Mary of Guise, Regent of Scotland
Henry's VIII's "Rough Wooing" of the Scottish Borders
1545
Jul 20: Mary Rose, flagship of Henry VIII, sinks in the Solent � raised in 1982
Dec 13: Start of the Council of Trent (Trento, Italy) � convened by the Catholic Church three times, ending 4 Dec 1563, as a response to the Protestant Reformation
1546
Trinity College, Cambridge founded by Henry VIII
1547
Jan 16: Ivan the Terrible crowned Tsar of Russia at age 16
Jan 28: Death of Henry VIII (succeeded by Edward VI, aged 9, to 1553)
Feb 20: Coronation of Edward VI in Westminster Abbey
English replaced Latin in church services in England and Wales
Sep 10: Battle of Pinkie Cleugh, said to be the first 'modern' battle to be fought in the British Isles
The injunction to keep parish registers is reiterated
Vagrants Act passed (able-bodied tramps can be detained as slaves)
1548
Priests in England allowed to marry (about a third then did so) � but see 1554
1549
Jun 9: First Book of Common Prayer sanctioned by English Parliament
Wedding ring finger changed from right to left hand
First Act of Uniformity in England made Catholic Mass illegal
English Parliament declares enclosures legal
1550�1700
Climate: Referred to as the 'Little Ice Age' � severe gales became more frequent
1550
Walloon Protestants arrive as refugees from the Low Countries
1551
Scotland: General Provincial Council orders each parish to keep a register of baptisms and banns of marriage
1552
Mar: An 'Act of Uniformity' imposes the Protestant prayerbook of 1552 in England
1553
Jul 6: Edward VI dies; Lady Jane Grey queen for a few days only
Jul 19: Mary Tudor ('Bloody Mary') comes to the throne
1554-1558
Brief Catholic restoration under Queen Mary Tudor married priests forced to separate at least 30 miles from their wives
1554
Feb 12: Lady Jane Grey beheaded
1555
Michel Nostradamus publishes his prophecies
1556
Mar 21: Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer burned at the stake in Oxford
1557
Dec: The First Covenant signed in Scotland (foundation of the Presbyterian Church)
Index librorum prohibitum (index of prohibited books) instituted by the Vatican repealed in 1966
1558
Chancery Proceedings Indexes begin
Jan 7: French take Calais, last English possession in France
Apr 24: Marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to Fran�ois the Dauphin of France in Paris
Nov 17: Queen Mary Tudor of England dies and is succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth � Protestantism restored in England
1558-1603
1559
Jan 15: Elizabeth crowned in Westminster Abbey by Owen Oglethorpe, the Bishop of Carlisle
Apr 29: Acts of Supremacy passed in Parliament, ending papal jurisdiction over England & Wales; established Church of England
John Knox returns from Continent � strengthens case for Presbyterianism in Scotland
Tobacco introduced to Europe
1560
Feb 27: Treaty of Berwick between Duc du Chatelherault (as governor of Scotland) and the English, agreeing to act jointly to expel the French from Scotland
Establishment of Protestantism in Scotland � commissary courts thrown into confusion � some records lost
1561
Spire of St Paul's, highest in England, destroyed by fire
The first coins produced by machinery (known as a 'mill') rather than by hand, but it was a slow process and did not replace hand struck coinage until new machinery was introduced in 1663
1562
Mar 1: Over 1,000 Huguenots massacred in Wassy-sur-Blaise � start of the First War of Religion in France (and see 1572 )
Earliest English slave-trading expedition, under John Hawkins � between Guinea and the West Indies
1563
Jul 28: The English surrender Le Havre to the French after a siege
Papal recusants heavily fined for non-attendance at Church
The Test Act excludes Roman Catholics from governmental office
1564
Apr 26: Shakespeare baptised � he is said to have been born on Apr 23, St George's Day; he certainly died on Apr 23, 1616
1565
Jul 29: Marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots to Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley, her first cousin
1566
Mar 9: Murder of David Riccio (or Rizzio) in Holyrood House
1567
Feb 10: Murder of Darnley outside Holyrood House in an explosion
May 15: Marriage of Mary Queen of Scots to James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell
Jul 24: Mary Queen of Scots deposed and replaced by her 1 year old son James VI
Earliest date in the French Protestant and Walloon registers
1568
May 13: Battle of Langside � Mary's flight to England and her imprisonment by Queen Elizabeth I
1569
Elizabeth I approved Sunday sports
Gerardus Mercator produced his world map (Mercator Projection) to aid sailors in their navigation
1570
Feb 25: Pope Pius V issued the papal bull 'Regnans in Excelsis' to excommunicate Elizabeth I and her followers in the Church of England
1571
Beginning of penal legislation against Catholics in England
Jan 23: Opening of the Royal Exchange in London, founded by Sir Thomas Gresham � this building destroyed in Great Fire of London 1666
Repeal of Act prohibiting lending of money on interest � gradual change from 'subsistence economy' to 'cash economy' resulted
1571-1572
Presbyterianism introduced into England by Thomas Cartwright
1572
Aug: Slaughter of Huguenots in Paris (massacre of St Bartholomew, started 24 Aug)
Nov: Tycho's Supernova observed in the constellation Cassiopeia, one of about eight supernovae visible to the naked eye in historical records.
1574
Colonial State Papers published � continued to 1738
1577
James Burbage opens first theatre in London
1579
Act of Uniformity in matters of religion enforced
1580
Apr 6: The 'Easter earthquake' or Dover Straits earthquake, largest in the recorded history of England, mentioned by Shakespeare [Nurse: "�Tis since the earthquake now eleven years
� (Romeo and Juliet, I.iii, line 22)] � dozens of ships sunk and a tsunami hit Calais; several London churches also damaged
Colonisation of Ireland
Congregational movement founded by Robert Browne about this time
1581
Jan 16: English Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism
Apr 4: Francis Drake knighted by Elizabeth I aboard the Golden Hind after circumnavigating the world (see 1967 )
English Levant Company founded
1582
Gregorian calendar introduced to replace Julian calendar in some countries: Spain and Portugal, France, Low Countries, part of Italy, Denmark. Pope Gregory suppressed 10 days by altering 5 Oct to 15 Oct, thus making the Spring equinox fall on 21 March 1583. Dates relating to the Julian calendar were then referred to as 'Old Style', and those relating to the Gregorian calendar as 'New Style'. See 1600 and 1751 for its adoption in Britain.
Nov 28: In Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway pay a �40 bond for their marriage licence
1583
Aug: Sir Humphrey Gilbert attempts to establish English authority at St John's, Newfoundland
Foundation of Cambridge University Press by Thomas Thomas
University of Edinburgh founded
1584
Jun 4: Sir Walter Raleigh establishes first English colony in the New World, on Roanoke Island, Virginia (now in North Carolina) � the so-called 'Lost Colony' [but see 1583 ].
1585
Foundation of Oxford University Press
Shakespeare started seriously to write about this time
1586
Camden Britannia, first topographical survey of England
1587
Feb 8: Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, at Fotheringay Castle, near Peterborough
Apr 19: Sir Francis Drake sinks the Spanish fleet in Cadiz harbour
Aug 11: Raleigh's second expedition to New World lands in North Carolina � first child born in the New World of English parents was Virginia Dare (Aug 18)
Introduction of potatoes to England
1588
Jul 19: Spanish Armada sighted off the Lizard (had set sail from Lisbon in late May)
Jul 29: Defeat of Spanish Armada off Gravelines
Invention of shorthand by Dr Timothy Bright
1591
1592
A Congregational (or Independent) Church formed in London
Scotland: Presbyterian Church formally established � all ministers equal � no bishops � secular commissaries appointed by the Crown
1593
British statute mile established by law
1594�1603
Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone, leads Irish rebellion against English rule
1597
Poor Law Act for erection of parish workhouses for the Poor � Poor Rate collection allowed
1598
Bishop's transcripts of English and Welsh parish registers start � parish records were to be kept in 'great decent books of parchment' and copies or 'Bishop's Transcripts' of new entries were to be sent each month to the diocesan centre
Edict of Nantes gives Huguenots toleration in France (but see 1685 )
1600
The early 1600s often known as the period of the 'Rebuilding of England'
Memoirs of Officers of the Royal Navy begin
Jan 1: Scotland adopts New Year beginning 1st January (previously 25th March) - see 1752
Dec 31: British East India Company founded
1601
Great English Poor Law Act passed
First use of fruit juice as a preventative for scurvy by James Lancaster
1602
Mar 20: Dutch East India Company founded
Nov 8: Bodleian Library at Oxford University opened to the public
1603
Mar 24: Death of Elizabeth I: union of Scottish and English crowns � under King James VI of Scots and I of England (d. 1625)
Jul 25: Coronation � James VI of Scotland is crowned first king of Great Britain
1604
Robert Cawdrey A Table Alphabeticall first English dictionary
Nov 1: Shakespeare: Othello first presented
James I repealed all of England's sumptuary restrictions
1605
Plantation of Ulster with English and Scottish colonists
Authorised (King James) Version of Bible in Britain
May 22: James VI & I created the title of baronet
Nov 1: Shakespeare: The Tempest first presented
1613
Jun 29: The Globe Theatre in London burns during a performance of Henry the Eighth (finally pulled down in 1644)
A copper farthing was produced, as a silver coin would be too small
1616
Saturday Apr 23 (Gregorian calendar): Death of Miguel de Cervantes (of Don Quixote fame) in Madrid
Tuesday Apr 23 (Julian calendar): Death of Shakespeare
Ben Jonson becomes first Poet Laureate
1617
Register of Sasines (land leases) established in Scotland � record of the transfer of land and property
1618
Sir Walter Raleigh beheaded for allegedly conspiring against James I
1619
Dec 4 (Nov 24 old style): Colonists from Berkeley Parish in England disembark in Virginia and give thanks to God (considered by many to be the first Thanksgiving in the Americas)
1620
Dec 21 (Dec 16 old style): The Mayflower reaches America � founds Plymouth, New England (had initially set sail from Southampton on Aug 5)
Manufacture of coke (the fuel, not the drink!) patented by Dud Dudley
1621
Chimneys to be made of brick and to be four and a half feet above the roof
Shakespeare's First Folio published
First English newspaper appeared Weekly News
1624
Edmund Gunter introduces the surveyor's chain ( measurement of length )
1625
The size of bricks standardised in England around this time
Mar 27: Death of King James VI & I
1625-1649
Carolean Age
1628
Mar 1: Writs issued by Charles I that every county in England (not just seaport towns) pay ship tax by this date
1629
Mar 10: Parliament dissolved by King Charles I � did not meet for another 11 years
1630-1750
Jun: Galileo summoned by Inquisition for publishing in favour of Copernican theory
1635
Letter Office of England & Scotland started
Flintlock small arms invented around this time (replaces matchlock)
L'Academie Française founded in France by Richelieu
1636
Hackney Carriages in use by now in London
1637
'Tulipomania' in Holland, leads to classic market collapse
1638
Charles regarded protests against the prayerbook as treason � forced Scots to choose between their church and the King � a "Covenant", swearing to resist these changes to the death, was signed in Greyfriars Church, Edinburgh and was accepted by hundreds of thousands of Scots (revival of Presbyterian Church)
1639
Act of Toleration in England established religious toleration
Dec 4 (Nov 24 old style): Jeremiah Horrocks makes the first observation of a transit of Venus
1640
Nov 3: Charles I forced to recall Parliament (the 'Long Parliament') due to Scottish invasion
1641
Charles I's policies cause insurrection in Ulster and Civil War in England
Oct 23: 50,000 Irish killed in an uprising in Ulster
Charles I and the English Parliament acknowledge the Prebyterian Church in Scotland
1642
The Civil War interrupted the keeping of parish registers
English theatres closed by Puritans (till 1660)
Aug 22: Charles I raises his standard at Nottingham � First Civil War in England (to 1649) first engagement at Edgehill (23 Oct) � Scottish Covenanters side with the English rebels who take power � the Earl of Montrose sided with King Charles, strife spilled into Scotland
Nov 13: Battle of Turnham Green � Royalist forces withdraw in face of the Parliamentarian army and fail to take London
Nov 24: Abel Janszoon Tasman discovers Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania)
Dec 18: Abel Janszoon Tasman first European to set foot in New Zealand
1643
Dec 13: Battle of Alton � victory for Parliamentarians � Sir Richard Bolle killed in St Lawrence's church
Solemn League and Covenant signed in Scotland
1644
Jun 29: Battle of Cropredy Bridge � Royalists beat the Parliamentarian forces
Jul 2: Battle of Marston Moor, near York � Parliamentarian forces beat the Royalists
Earliest Independent (Congregational) registers
Montrose's Venture (Montrose executed in 1650)
1645
Jun 14: Battle of Naseby: Parliament's New Model Army crushes the Royalist forces
Battle of Philiphaugh in Scotland
Inquisitions Post Mortem end
Scotland: Each county and burgh ordered to raise and maintain a number of foot soldiers, according to population, to serve as militia � population of Scotland estimated at 420,000
Plague made its last appearance in Scotland
1646
May 5: Charles I surrenders to the Scottish Army at Newark
Jun 20: Royalists sign articles of surrender at Oxford
1647
Earliest Baptist registers survive from this year
1648
Jan 30: Treaty of M�nster and Osnabr�ck signed, ending the Eighty Years' War between the Netherlands and Spain
Society of Friends (Quakers) founded by George Fox
First practical thermometers made
Jan 6: 'Rump' Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial
Jan 30: King Charles I executed (see 1660 for Regicides)
May 19: Commonwealth declared
Dec 20: Theatres banned by Cromwell
Christmas banned by Cromwell
King Charles II proclaimed King of Scots and England in Scotland
1649-1660
Commonwealth Period � Oliver Cromwell
1650
Term 'Quaker' first used for Society of Friends
Coffee brought to England about this time
1651-1652
The second English Civil War
Sep 3: Battle of Worcester see Oak-apple Day 1664
Scottish prisoners transported to the British settlements in America
1653
Apr 20: Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament
Dec 16: Oliver Cromwell becomes Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland
Under the Act of Settlement Cromwell's opponents stripped of land (in Ireland?)
Isaak Walton The Compleat Angler
1653-1660
Provincial probate courts abolished � probates granted only in London
1656
May 30: Formation of the Grenadier Guards, the most senior regiment of the Infantry in the British Army
1657
Post Office established by Act of Parliament [others say 1660]
A few Jews permitted to settle in England
1658
Sep 3: Death of Oliver Cromwell
Huygens pendulum clock
Richard Cromwell (son of Oliver) Lord Protector
1659
Feb 6: date of first known cheque to be drawn (some say 16th Feb)
Start of national meteorological Temperature records in the UK
1660s
Quaker-Scottish colony was established in East New Jersey
1660�
1660
Jan 1: Samuel Pepys starts his diary
May 29: Restoration of British monarchy (Charles II) � 'Oak Apple Day' � theatres reopened
Commonwealth registers ended, Parish Registers resumed
Provincial Probate Courts re-established
Oct 17: Ten Regicides are executed at Charing Cross or Tyburn: Thomas Harrison, John Jones, Adrian Scrope, John Carew, Thomas Scot and Gregory Clement, who had signed the death warrant; the preacher Hugh Peters; Francis Hacker and Daniel Axter, who commanded the soldiers at the trial and the execution of the king; and John Cook the solicitor who directed the prosecution [Encyclopedia Britannica]
Nov 28: Twelve men, including Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, John Wilkins, and Sir Robert Moray decide to found what is later known as the Royal Society
Dec 8: First actress plays in London (Margaret Hughes as Desdemona)
Clarendon code restricts Puritans' religious freedom
Composition of light discovered by Newton
Honourable East India Company founded by British
First British in Japan
Jan 30: Oliver Cromwell ritually 'executed', having been dead for over two years!
Persecution of Non-conformists in England
Restoration of Episcopacy in Scotland
Board of Trade founded in London
Hand-struck postage stamps first used
Corporation Act prevents non-Anglicans from holding municipal office
1662
Hearth Tax � until 1689 (1690 in Scotland)
Poor Relief Act or "Act of Settlement" � gave JPs the power to return any wandering poor to the parish of origin (repealed 1834 )
Aug 24: Act of Uniformity � Acceptance of Book of Common Prayer required � About 2,000 vicars and rectors driven from their parishes as nonconformists (Presbyterians and Independents) � Persecution of all non-conformists � Presbyterianism dis-established � Episcopalian Church of England restored
Tea introduced to Britain
The year in which highest number (402) of people were accused of witchcraft in Scotland � see details
1663
Earliest Roman Catholic registers
1664
May 29: Oak Apple Day the birthday of Charles II and the day when he entered London at the Restoration; commanded by Act of Parliament in 1664 to be observed as a day of thanksgiving. A special service (expunged in 1859) was inserted in the Book of Common Prayer and people wore sprigs of oak with gilded oak-apples on that day. It commemorates Charles II's concealment with Major Careless in the 'Royal Oak' at Boscobel, near Shifnal, Shropshire, after his defeat at Worcester on 3 Sept 1651.
Aug 27: Nieuw Amsterdam becomes New York as 300 English soldiers under Col. Mathias Nicolls take the town from the Dutch under orders from Charles II. The town is renamed after the King's brother James, Duke of York
1665
Great Plague of London (July-October) kills over 60,000
Nov 7: The London Gazette first published � one of the official journals of record of the United Kingdom government, and the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United Kingdom
Five-mile Act restricts non-conformist ministers in Britain
1666
Sep 2-6: Great Fire of London, after a drought beginning 27 June
Use of semaphore signalling pioneered by Lord Worcester
Act of Parliament � burials to be in woollen
Newton formulated Laws of Gravity
1666-1689
Considerable religious unrest on Scotland (The Covenanters) � Covenanters Rising at St John's Town of Dalry
1667
British East India Company obtains control of Bombay
Newton constructs reflecting telescope
May 31: Last entry in Pepys's diary (see 1825 for publication)
Earliest Lutheran registers survive from this year
1670
Earliest Synagogue registers � Bevis Marks
Dryden appointed Poet Laureate
May 2: Start of Hudson's Bay Company in Canada
May 26: King Charles II and King Louis XIV of France sign the Secret Treaty of Dover
1671
May 9: Thomas Blood caught stealing the Crown Jewels
1672
High Court of Justiciary established in Scotland
War with Holland (to 1674) � British Army increased to 10,000 men
1673
First Test Act deprives British Catholics and Non-conformists of Public Office
1674
Nov 8: John Milton dies in London
Nov 10: Treaty of Westminster � Netherlands cedes New Netherlands (on the eastern coast of North America) to Britain
1675
Beginning of Whig party under Shaftsbury
Mar 4: John Flamsteed appointed first Astronomer Royal of England
Aug 10: Building of Royal Greenwich Observatory started
Rebuilding of St Paul's started by Wren (completed 1710)
1676
Compton Census, named after its initiator Henry Compton, Bishop of London, was intended to discover the number of Anglican conformists, Roman Catholic recusants and Protestant dissenters in England and Wales from enquiries made in individual parishes
1677
Lee's "Collection of Names of Merchants in London" published
1678
Extension of Test Act to peers
1679
May 27: Habeas Corpus Act becomes law in England � (later repealed from time to time)
Jun 22: Battle of Bothwell Brig in Scotland � Covenanter rebels routed
Tories first so named
Burial in Woollen more strictly enforced
1680
William Dockwra(y) begins his London Penny Post
Dodo becomes extinct in Mauritius through over-hunting
1680-1770
Second Test Act (against non-conformists) passed by Westminster Parliament
Oil lighting first used in London streets
1682
Pennsylvania founded by William Penn
Library of Advocates founded in Edinburgh � later National Library of Scotland
Halley observes the comet which bears his name and predicted its return in 1759
1683
Jun 6: Ashmolean Museum opened at Oxford � first museum in Britain
Climate: Coldest 'Frost fair' in London
Wild boar become extinct in Britain
1684
Presbyterian settlement in Stuart's Town in South Carolina
Huguenot registers begin in London
1685
Earl of Argyll's Invasion of Scotland
James the Second (1685-1689, died 1701) � Monmouth rebellion and battle of Sedgemoor � British Army raised to 20,000 men
Judge Jeffreys and the Bloody Assizes � 320 executed, 800 transported
Oct 18: Revocation of the Edict of Nantes � drove thousands of Protestants (Huguenots) from France � many settled in England
1686
Release of all prisoners held for their religious beliefs
1687
Apr 4: James II issues the Declaration of Indulgence, suspending laws against Catholics and non-conformists
Jul 5: Newton published his Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica written in Latin
Sep 26: The Parthenon in Athens, used as a gunpowder magazine by the Ottomans, exploded during an attack by the Venetians
1688
Feb: Edward Lloyd's Coffee House opens � later became Lloyd's of London
Nov: The Glorious Revolution: James II abdicates � William of Orange lands at Torbay on 5 Nov � William III and Mary II, daughter of James II, jointly take the throne 13 Feb 1689 � (only William, however, has regal power)
British Army raised to 40,000
Bill of Rights limits the powers of the monarchy over parliament
Hearth Tax abolished
Mutiny Act
1689
Mar 12: Deposed James VII & II flees to Ireland � defeated at the Battle of the Boyne (1 Jul 1690)
May 24: Toleration Act passed for Protestant non-conformists
Jul 27: Battle of Killiecrankie in Scotland � Jacobites defeated Government troops but at high cost
Siege of Londonderry (began Dec 1688; ended 28 Jul 1689)
Dec 16: Bill of Rights passed by Parliament, ending King's divine right to raise taxes or wage war
Earliest Royal Dutch Chapel registers
Devonport naval dockyard established
Presbyterianism finally established in Scotland
May 20: England passes Act of Grace, forgiving Roman Catholic followers of James II
Jul 1 (New Style, 12 Jul): Battle of the Boyne � Jacobite forces defeated by William
Aug 24: Job Charnock established his East India Company headquarters in a location he called Calcutta
1691
Earliest date in known German Lutheran registers
1692
Feb 13: The massacre of Glencoe � Clan Campbell sides with King William and murders members of Clan McDonald
Land Tax introduced � originally designed as an annual tax on personal estate, public offices and land. For practical purposes, however, assessors tended to avoid assessing items of wealth other than landed property so that it became known as the Land Tax. Counties were assessed at a fixed sum and the parish quotas were rarely altered. No systematic revaluation of properties was ever made after 1698 so that assessments tended to reflect the initial late-seventeenth century values. Its records in detail are usually available between 1780 and 1831.
French intention to invade England came to naught
1693
Aug 4: Date traditionally ascribed to Dom Pierre P�rignon 's invention of Champagne
Some Thoughts Concerning Education published by John Locke
1693�1700
Climate: Oat harvest failed repeatedly in Scotland � widespread starvation
1694
National Debt came into effect in England
Stamp Duties introduced into Britain from Holland
Jul 27: Bank of England founded by William Paterson (a Scot)
Mary II death leaves William III as sole ruler
Triennial Act, new Parliamentary elections every three years
1694-1699
Scotland: Poll Tax imposed on all over sixteen, except the destitute and insane
1695
Freedom of Press in England
Bank of Scotland founded
Act of Parliament imposes a fine on all who fail to inform the parish minister of the birth of a child (repealed 1706, but see 1783 )
Start of "Dissenters" lists in parish registers � children born but not christened in the parish church � some were named "Papist" and others "Protestants"
Dec 31: Window Tax (replaced Hearth Tax; increased in 1747; abolished 1851 when it was replaced by House Duty)
1696
Act of Parliament establishes Workhouses
Education Act passed by Scottish Parliament
1697
Dec 2: Official opening of rebuilt St Paul's Cathedral
1698
Jan 4: Most of the Palace of Whitehall in London destroyed by fire
Invention of steam engine by Capt Thomas Savery
Darien Expedition: a disastrous attempt to establish a Scots settlement in Panama
Duties (taxes) on entries in parish registers � repealed after five years
Nov 14: Eddystone Lighthouse (Henry Winstanley's) first lit; completed 10 days earlier (but see 1703 )
1700
Population in England and Scotland approx 7.5 million
1701
Act of Settlement bars Catholics from the British throne
May 23: After being convicted of piracy and murdering William Moore, Captain William Kidd hanged in London
1702-1714
Queen Anne Period (Art & Antiques)
1702
Mar 8: Anne Stuart becomes Queen
Mar 11: First English daily newspaper The Daily Courant (till 1735)
War of Spanish Succession (1702-1713)
1703
Repeal of Duties on entries in Parish Registers
Nov 24�Dec 2: Climate: Most violent storms of the millennium cause vast damage across southern England � about a third of Britain's merchant fleet lost, and Eddystone lighthouse destroyed on 27 Nov (see 1755 ); it "produced so deep an impression upon the people of the period that it was familiarly spoken of as 'The Storm' throughout the whole of the eighteenth century"Grant Allen, in his notes to the 1900 edition of Gilbert White's 'Natural History of Selborne'
1704
Aug 4: British take Gibraltar
Aug 13: Battle of Blenheim
Penal Code enacted � Catholics barred from voting, education and the military
Newton Optics, his theories of light and colour written in English
1705
First workable steam pumping engine devised by Thomas Newcomen (some say c1710 or 1711)
Isaac Newton knighted (for his work at the Royal Mint)
1706
May 23: Battle of Ramillies
First evening newspaper The Evening Post issued in London
1707
Jan 16: Union with Scotland � Scots agree to send 16 peers and 45 MPs to English Parliament in return for full trading privileges � Scottish Parliament meets for the last time in March
May 1: English and Scottish Parliaments united by an Act of the English Parliament � The Kingdom of Great Britain established largest free-trade area in Europe at the time
Last use of veto by a British sovereign
1708
First Jacobite rising in Scotland
Earliest Artillery Muster Rolls
1709
Feb 2: Alexander Selkirk rescued from shipwreck on a desert island, inspiring the book Robinson Crusoe (published in 1719 ) by Daniel Defoe
Second Eddystone lighthouse completed (see 1755 )
First Copyright Act passed
Bad harvests throughout Europe bread riots in Britain
1710
Aug 11: First race meeting at Ascot
Incorporation of South Sea Company, in London
1712
Imposition of Soap Tax (abolished 1853)
Last trial for witchcraft in England (Jane Wenham)
Toleration Act passed � first relief to non-Anglicans
Patronage Act � patronage of ministers restored
1713
Apr 11: Treaty of Utrecht concludes the War of the Spanish Succession Newfoundland and Gibraltar ceded to Britain
By this year there are some 3,000 coffee houses in London
1714
Aug 1: Queen Anne Stuart dies � George I Hanover becomes king (1714-1727).
Chancery Proceedings filed under Six Clerks.
Longitude Act: prize of £20,000 offered to the inventor of a workable method of determining a ship's longitude (won by John Harrison in 1773 for his chronometer).
Schism Act, prevents Dissenters from being schoolmasters in England.
Landholders forced to take the Oath of Allegiance and renounce Roman Catholicism.
Quarter Sessions Records from this date often mention Protestant dissenters and Roman Catholic recusants.
Handel Water Music
Aug 1: Riot Act passed
Second Jacobite rebellion in Scotland, under the Old Pretender ('The Fifteen')
1716
The Septennial Act of Britain leads to greater electoral corruption � general elections now to be held once every 7 years instead of every 3 (until 1911)
Climate: Thames frozen so solid that a spring tide lifted the ice bodily 13ft without interrupting the frost fair
1717
First Masonic Lodge opens in London
Value of the golden guinea fixed at 21 shillings
1719
South Sea Bubble, a stock-market crash on Exchange Alley government assumes control of National Debt
Manufacturing towns start to increase in population � rise of new wealth
Wallpaper becomes fashionable in England
1721
Apr 2: Robert Walpole (Whig) becomes first Prime Minister (to 1742)
Bailey's Northern Directory
1722
Last trial for witchcraft in Scotland [but Wikipedia gives 1727 as last execution for witchcraft in Scotland]
Knatchbull's Act, poor laws
1723
Excise tax levied for coffee, tea, and chocolate
The Waltham Black Acts add 50 capital offences to the penal code � people could be sentenced to death for theft and poaching � repealed in 1827
The Workhouse Act or Test � to get relief, a poor person has to enter Workhouse
1724
Rapid growth of gin drinking in England
Longman's founded (Britain's oldest publishing house)
1725-1726
Treaty of Hanover: France, Prussia, Britain v. Spain, Austria
1726
First circulating library opened in Edinburgh
Invention of the chronometer by John Harrison
Swift Gulliver's Travels
Board of Manufacturers established in Scotland
Jun 11: George I dies � George II Hanover becomes king
1729
Methodists begin at Oxford
Nov 9: Treaty of Seville signed between Britain, France and Spain � Britain maintained control of Port Mahon and Gibraltar
Bach St Matthew Passion
Invention of seed drill by Jethro Tull [others say 1701]
Invention of sextant by John Hadley
1732
Jun 9: James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia
Dec 7: Covent Garden Opera House opens
Earliest Cavalry and Infantry Muster Rolls
1733
Feb 12: James Oglethorpe founds Savannah, Georgia
Excise crisis: Sir Robert Walpole wanted to add excise tax to tobacco and wine � Pulteney and Bolingbroke oppose the excise tax
Law forbidding the use of Latin in parish registers generally obeyed � some continued in Latin for a few years
John Kay invents the flying shuttle, revolutionised the weaving industry
1734
Kent's Directory
1737
Licensing Act restricts the number of London theatres and subjects plays to censorship of the Lord Chamberlain (till 1950s)
1738
May 24: John Wesley has his conversion experience
1739
Apr 7: Dick Turpin, highwayman, hanged at York
Oct 23: War of Jenkins' Ear starts: Robert Walpole reluctantly declares war on Spain: "They are ringing their bells, soon they will be wringing their hands"
Wesley and Whitefield commence great Methodist revival
1741
Benjamin Ingham founded the Moravian Methodists or Inghamites � Earliest Moravian registers
Earliest Scotch Church registers
Handel The Messiah (first performed in Dublin 13 Apr 1742)
1742
England goes to war with Spain � incited by William Pitt the Elder (Earl of Chatham) for the sake of trade
1743
Jun 16 (June 27 in Gregorian calendar): Battle of Dettingen � last time a British sovereign (George II) led troops in battle
1744
Church of Scotland split over taking of Burgess' Oath � Burghers and Anti-Burghers
First Methodist Conference
Tune God Save the King makes its appearance
1745
Jacobite rebellion in Scotland ('The Forty-five')
Aug 19: Bonnie Prince Charlie (The Young Pretender) lands in the western Highlands � raises support among Episcopalian and Catholic clans � The Pretender's army invades Perth, Edinburgh, and England as far as Derby
1746
Apr 16: Battle of Culloden � last battle fought in Britain � 5,000 Highlanders routed by the Duke of Cumberland and 9,000 loyalists Scots � Young Pretender Charles flees to Continent, ending Jacobite hopes forever � the wearing of the kilt prohibited
Glass Tax introduced � resulted in smaller windows � repealed in 1845
1747
Apr 9: Lord Lovat beheaded on Tower Hill aged 80, the last person to be executed in this manner
Abolition of Heritable Jurisdictions in Scotland
Act for Pacification of the Highlands
1748-1756
Countess of Huntington's (Calvinistic) Methodist Connexion founded
1749
Apr 27: First performance of Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks (in Green Park, London) � to celebrate the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle ending the War of the Austrian Succession
1750-1770
Gothic Revival Period (Art & Antiques)
1750-1805
Neo-Classical Period (Art & Antiques)
1750
Feb/Mar: Series of earthquakes in London and the Home Counties cause panic with predictions of an apocalypse
Nov 16: Original Westminster Bridge opened (replaced in 1862 due to subsidence)
1751
March: Chesterfield's Calendar Act passed royal assent to the bill was given on 22 May 1751 decision to adopt Gregorian Calendar in 1752: "In and throughout all his Majesty's Dominions and Countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and America, belonging or subject to the Crown of Great Britain, the said Supputation, according to which the Year of our Lord beginneth on the 25th Day of March, shall not be made use of from and after the last Day of December 1751; and that the first Day of January next following the said last Day of December shall be reckoned, taken, deemed and accounted to be the first Day of the Year of our Lord 1752" i.e. 1752 started on 1 January, so that 1751 was a short year.
Gin Act passed
1752
Jan 1: Beginning of the year 1752 [Scotland had adopted January as the start of the year in 1600, and some other countries in Europe had adopted the Gregorian calendar as early as 1582 ]
Sep 3: Julian Calendar dropped and Gregorian Calendar adopted in England and Scotland, making this Sep 14 � "Give us back our 11 days!"
Benjamin Franklin invents a lightning conductor
1753
Earliest Inghamite registers
May 1: Publication of Species Plantarum by Linnaeus, and the formal start date of plant taxonomy
Private collection of Sir Hans Sloane forms the basis of the British Museum
1754
Mar 25: Hardwicke Act (1753): Banns to be called, and Printed Marriage Register forms to be used � Quakers & Jews exempt
In the General Election, the Cow Inn at Haslemere, Surrey caused a national scandal by subdividing the freehold to create eight votes instead of one
First British troops not belonging to the East India Company despatched to India
First printed Annual Army Lists
1755
Apr 15: Publication of Dictionary of the English Language by Dr Samuel Johnson
Period of canal construction began in Britain (till 1827)
Nov 1: Earthquake and tsunami destroys Lisbon up to 90,000 dead
Dec 2: Second Eddystone Lighthouse destroyed by fire (see 1759 )
1756
May 15: The Seven Years War with France (Pitt's trade war) begins
Jun: Black Hole of Calcutta 146 Britons imprisoned, most die according to British sources
1757
Mar 14: Admiral Byng shot at Portsmouth for failing to relieve Minorca � or as the French put it: "Les anglais tuent de temps à temps un amiral pour encourager les autres"
India: The Nawab of Bengal tries to expel the British, but is defeated at the battle of Plassey (Palashi, June 23) � the East India Company forces are led by Robert Clive
The foundation laid for the Empire of India
1758
India stops being merely a commercial venture � England begins dominating it politically � The East India Company retains its monopoly although it ceased to trade
1759
Jan 15: British Museum opens to the public in London
Mar: First predicted return of Halley's comet
Sep 13: Gen James Woolfe killed at Quebec (Battle of the Plains of Abraham)
Oct 16: Third Eddystone Lighthouse (John Smeaton's) completed (see 1882 )
Wesley builds 356 Methodist chapels
Dec 31: Guinness starts being brewed
1760
Oct 25: George II dies � George III Hanover, his grandson, becomes king
The date conventionally marks the start of the so-called "first Industrial Revolution"
Carron Iron Works in operation in Scotland
May 5: First use of hangman's drop � last nobleman to be executed (Laurence, Earl Ferrers) at Tyburn
Beginning of intense Inclosure Acts in England
1761
Jan 16: British capture Pondicherry, India from the French
1762
France surrenders Canada and Florida
Cigars introduced into Britain from Cuba
Robert Lowth Short Introduction to English Grammar
1763
Treaty of Paris � gives back to France everything Pitt fought to obtain � (Newfoundland [fishing], Guadaloupe and Martininque [sugar], Dakar [gum]) � but English displaces French as the international language
1764
Lloyd's Register of shipping first prepared
Practice of numbering houses introduced to London
James Hargeaves invents the Spinning Jenny (but destroyed 1768)
Mozart produces his first symphony at age eight
1765
Mar 22: Stamp Act passed imposed a tax on publications and legal documents in the American colonies (repealed the following year)
The potato becomes the most popular food in Europe
1766
Start of 'composite' national records on rainfall in the UK
Dec 5: Christie's auction house founded in London by James Christie
1767
First iron railroads built for mines by John Wilkinson
Newcomen's steam pumping engine perfected by James Watt
1768
Jan 9: Philip Astley starts his circus in London
Dec 6: The first edition of the "Encyclopaedia Britannica" published in Edinburgh by William Smellie (see 2012 )
1769
Sep 6: David Garrick organises first Shakespeare festival at Stratford-upon-Avon
Arkwright invents water frame (textile production)
Capt James Cook maps the coast of New Zealand
1770
Apr 28: Capt James Cook lands in Australia (Botany Bay) Aug 21: formally claims Australia for Britain
Clyde Trust created to convert the River Clyde, then an insignificant river, into a major thoroughfare for maritime communications
1771
Right to report Parliamentary debates established in England
1772
May 14: Judge Mansfield rules that there is no legal basis for slavery in England
First Navy Lists published
First Travellers' Cheques issued by the London Credit Exchange Company
Morning Post first published (until 1937)
1773-1858
The East India Company governs Hindustan
1773
Government prize for accurate determination of Longitude (first offered in 1714) won by John Harrison for his chronometer
Dec 16: Boston Tea Party
Waltz becomes fashionable in Vienna
1774
First recorded cricket match (some say 1719, Londoners v Kentish Men Wikipedia disagrees with both!)
Sep 13: Cook arrives on Easter Island
1775
Apr 19: Battle of Lexington: first action in American War of Independence (17751783)
1776
Jul 4: American Declaration of Independence
Somerset House in London becomes the repository of records of population
Watt and Boulton produce their first commercial steam engine (see 1782 )
Sep 7: First attack�on a warship by a submarine David Bushnell's "Turtle" attacked HMS Eagle in New York harbour. The attack was perhaps spectacular (a charge did detonate beneath the ship), but was nevertheless unsuccessful. "Turtle" was a one man affair, man-powered [Les Moore] (see 1864 )
1777
Samuel Miller of Southampton patents the circular saw.
1779
Feb 14: Capt James Cook killed on Hawaii
Crompton's mule invented (textile production)
Marc Isambard Brunel opens the first steamdriven sawmill at Chatham Dockyard in Kent
First iron bridge built, over the Severn by John Wilkinson
First Spinning Mills operational in Scotland
Sep 23: Naval engagement between Britain and USA off Flamborough Head
1780
May 4: First Derby run at Epsom (some say 2nd June)
Jun 2�8: The Gordon Riots Parliament passes a Roman Catholic relief measure � for days, London is at the mercy of a mob and destruction is widespread
Earliest Wesleyan registers
Male Servants Tax
The English Reform Movement until now, only landowners and tenants (freeholders with 40 shillings per year or more) allowed to vote, and in open poll books
Circular saw and Fountain pen invented
About this time the word 'Quiz' entered the language, said to have been invented as a wager by Mr Daly, a Dublin theatre manager
1781
Mar 13: Sir William Herschel discovers Uranus
Oct 19: Lord Cornwallis's army surrenders to George Washington; ends the American War of Independence
1782
Gilbert's Act establishes outdoor poor relief the way of life of the poor beginning to alter due to industrialisation � New factories in rapidly expanding towns required a workforce that would adjust to new work patterns
James Watt patents his steam engine
1783
Duty made payable on Parish Register entries (3d per entry) led to a fall in entries! � it was repealed 1794
Jun 4: Montgolfier brothers launch first hot-air balloon (unmanned), at Annonay, France
Jul: Climate: hottest month on record until 1983; Gilbert White in his 'Natural History of Selborne' says: "The summer of 1783 was an amazing and portenteous one, and full of horrible phenomena; for, besides the alarming meteors and tremendous thunder storms that affrighted and distressed the different counties of this kingdom, the peculiar haze or smoky fog that prevailed for many weeks in this island and in every part of Europe, and even beyond its limits, was a most extraordinary appearance unlike anything known within the memory of man"he put it down to volcanic activity. Apparently it was caused by the eruption of Laki in Iceland which continued from 8th Jun 1783 to 7th February 1784
Sep 3: Treaty of Versailles (Britain/US)
Nov 3: Last public execution at Tyburn in London (John Austin, a highwayman)
Nov 21: First untethered hot-air balloon flight with humans aboard, in Paris
Blake Poetical Sketches
1784
Pitt's India Act � the Crown (as opposed to officers of the East India Company) has power to guide Indian politics
Wesley breaks with the Church of England
Aug 2: First mail coaches in England (4pm Bristol / 8am London)
First golf club founded at St Andrews
Invention of threshing machine by Andrew Meikle
1785
Jan 1: John Walter publishes first edition of The Times (called The Daily Universal Register for 3 years)
Jan 7: Blanchard & Jeffries make first balloon crossing of the English Channel, taking about 2� hours to travel from England to France
Sunday School Society founded to educate poor children (by 1851, enrols more than 2 million)
1786
Aug 8: Mont Blanc climbed for the first time
Mozart Marriage of Figaro
Earliest known Swedenborgian (Church of the New Jerusalem or Jerusalemite) registers
MCC (Marylebone Cricket Club) established at Thomas Lord's ground in London
1788
Jan 26: First convicts (and free settlers) arrive in New South Wales (left Portsmouth 13 May 1787) the 'First Fleet'; eleven ships commanded by Captain Arthur Phillip
First steamboat demonstrated in Scotland [but see 1802 ]
Law passed requiring that chimney sweepers be a minimum of 8 years old (not enforced)
First slave carrying act, the Dolben Act of 1788, regulates the slave trade � stipulates more humane conditions on slave ships
King George III's mental illness occasions the Regency Crisis � Edmund Burke and Charles James Fox attack ministry of William Pitt � trying to obtain full regal powers for the Prince of Wales
Gibbon completes Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
1789
Apr 28: Mutiny on HMS Bounty � Captain William Bligh and 18 sailors are set adrift and the rebel crew ends up on Pitcairn Island
Jul 14: The French Revolution begins � storming of the Bastille
Publication of Gilbert White's 'Natural History of Selborne '
1790
Forth and Clyde Canal opened in Scotland
1791
John Bell, printer, abandons the "long s" (the "s" that looks like an "f")
Establishment of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain
Dec 4: First publication of The Observer � world's oldest Sunday newspaper
`
Repression in Britain (restrictions on freedom of the press) � Fox gets Libel Act through Parliament, requiring a jury and not a judge to determine libel
Boyle's Street Directory published
Oct 1: Introduction of Money Orders in Britain
Coal-gas lighting invented by William Murdock, an Ayrshire Scot
Dec 1: King's Proclamation drawing out the British militia
1793
Feb 11: Britain declares war on France (1793-1802)
Execution of Louis XVI Reign of Terror starts in France
Apr 15: �5 notes first issued by the Bank of England
Jun 26: Gilbert White, naturalist, dies at Selborne , Hampshire
1794
Abolition of Parish Register duties
Mar 14: Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin (in America)
Jun 1: Battle of Glorious First of June
Oct 6: The prosecutor for Britain, Lord Justice Eyre, charges reformers with High Treason � he argued that, since reform of parliament would lead to revolution and revolution to executing the King, the desire for reform endangered the King's life and was therefore treasonous
Lindley Murray English Grammar
The Famine Year
Foundation of the Orange Order
Speenhamland Act proclaims that the Parish is responsible for bringing up the labourer's wage to subsistence level � towards the end of the eighteenth century, the number of poor and unemployed increased dramatically � price increases during the Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) far outstripped wage rises � many small farmers were bankrupted by the move towards enclosures and became landless labourers � their wages were often pitifully low
Pitt and Grenville introduce "The Gagging Acts" or "Two Bills" (the Seditious Meetings and Treasonable Practices Bills) � outlawed the mass meeting and the political lecture
Consumption of lime juice made compulsory in Royal Navy
France adopts the metric system
1796
May 14: Dr Edward Jenner gave first vaccination for smallpox in England
Holden's Triennial Directory published
Pitt's "Reign of Terror": More treason trials � leading radicals emigrate
Legacy Tax on sums over £20 excluding those to wives, children, parents and grandparents
1797
Feb 14: Battle of Cape St Vincent
Feb 22: French invade Fishguard, Wales; last time UK invaded; all captured 2 days later
England in Crisis, Bank of England suspends cash payments
Feb 26: First �1 (and £2) notes issued by Bank of England
Apr-Jun: Mutinies in the British Navy at Spithead and Nore
Oct 22: Possibly the first parachute jump (by Andr�-Jacques Garnerin above Paris)
Tax on newspapers (including cheap, topical journals) increased to repress radical publications
The first copper pennies were produced ('cartwheels') by application of steam power to the coining press
1798
Feb-Oct: The Irish Rebellion; 100,000 peasants revolt; approximately 25,000 die � Irish Parliament abolished
Aug 1: Battle of the Nile (won by Nelson)
First planned human experiment with vaccination, to test theories of Edward Jenner
Malthus Essay on Population
Jan 9: Pitt brings in 10% income tax, as a wartime financial measure
Jul 12: 'Combination Laws' in Britain against political associations and combinations
Foundation of Royal Military College Sandhurst by the Duke of York
Foundation of the Royal Institution of Great Britain
Post Office New Annual Directory
Jul 15: Rosetta Stone discovered in Egypt, made possible the deciphering (in 1822 ) of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
Perfect mammoth discovered preserved in ice in Siberia
1800
Jul 2: Parliamentary union of Great Britain and Ireland
Malta became a British Dominion
Electric light first produced by Sir Humphrey Davy
Use of high pressure steam pioneered by Richard Trevithick (1771-1833)
Earliest Bible Christian registers
Royal College of Surgeons founded
Herschel discovers infra-red light
Volta makes first electrical battery
British trade accounts for about 27% of world trade
1801
Jan 1: Union Jack official British flag � The Kingdom of Ireland merged with the Kingdom of Great Britain, adding St. Patrick's saltire to the Union Flag
Mar 10: First census puts the population of England and Wales at 9,168,000 � population of Britain nearly 11 million (75% rural)
Grand Union Canal opens in England
Surrey iron railway, on which horse-drawn trucks carry coal and farm produce
Richard Trevithick built the first self-propelled passenger carrying road loco and ran it on Christmas Eve 1801
Elgin Marbles brought from Athens to London
1802
Mar 25 ("4 Gerninal" on the French Revolutionary calendar): Treaty of Amiens signed by Britain, France, Spain, and the Netherlands � the "Peace of Amiens," as it was known, brought a temporary peace of 14 months during the Napoleonic Wars � one of its most important cultural effects was that travel and correspondence across the English Channel became possible again
Charlotte Dundas on Clyde, first practical steamship, built by William Symington
First British Factory Act
William Cobbett begins his weekly Political Register
Regular mail service started between England and India
1803
Invention of paper-making machine (Fourdrinier brothers) others say invented by Robert (another Frenchman) in 1798, and developed by the Fourdriniers
Apr 30: Louisiana Purchase: Napoleon sells French possessions in America to United States
May 12: Peace of Amiens ends � resumption of war with France � The Napoleonic Wars (1803-18l5)
William Cobbett began unofficial publication of Parliamentary reports (taken over by Hansard report in 1811)
First publication of Debrett's Peerage by John Debrett
Poaching made a Capital offence in England if capture resisted
Richard Trevithick built another steam carriage and ran it in London as the first self-propelled vehicle in the capital and the first London bus
Jul 26: First public railway opens (Surrey Iron Railway, 9 miles from Wandsworth to Croydon, horse-drawn)
Semaphore signalling perfected by Admiral Popham
Commissioners for Highland Roads and Bridges created in Scotland; Thomas Telford begins construction
1804
Feb 21: Richard Trevithick runs his railway engine on the Penydarren Railway (9.5 miles from Pen-y-Darren to Abercynon in South Wales) this hauled a train with 10 tons of iron and 70 passengers.� It was commemorated by the Royal Mint in 2004 in the form of a �2.00 coin. (See 1829)
Mar 3: John Wedgwood (eldest son of the potter Josiah Wedgwood) founds The Royal Horticultural Society
Mar 21: Code Napoleon adopted in France
Dec 2: Napoleon declares himself Emperor of the French
Dec 12: Spain declares war on Britain
Matthew Flinders recommends that the newly discovered country, New Holland, be renamed "Australia"
Blake Jerusalem (later set to music by Parry)
1805
Oct 21: Admiral Nelson's victory at Trafalgar
Nov 26: Official opening of Thomas Telford's Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Dec 2: Battle of Austerlitz; Napoleon defeats Austrians and Russians
London docks opened
Napoleon attempts European economic blockade of Britain
Dartmoor Prison opened (built by French prisoners)
Carbon paper invented by Ralph Wedgwood
1807
Mar 25: Parliament passes Act prohibiting slavery and the importation of slaves from 1808 � but does not prohibit colonial slavery
Jul 13: 'Hot Wednesday' � temperature of 101�F in the shade recorded in London
Gas lighting in London streets
1808
Peninsular War (1808-1814)
Fourdrinier brothers set up first paper-making machine in England (at St Neots)
Trevithick operated a 'Catch-me-who-Can' demonstration railway with carriages in London for which he charged fares of one shilling
Beginning of 'Luddite' troubles in England (see 1811 )
Dec 22: Beethoven premieres his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Fourth Piano Concerto and Choral Fantasy together in Vienna
1809
Jan 16: Peninsular War � Battle of La Coru�a � Sir John Moore killed: "Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note
"
Feb 12: Birth of Charles Darwin
Sep 18: Royal Opera House opens in London
John Dickinson introduces the Cylinder Machine for making paper boards
Gay-Lussac: Law of Volumes of Gases
1810
Bible Christians denomination formed by schism in Wesleyan Methodists
John McAdam begins road construction in England, giving his name to the process of road metalling (see 1845 )
1811
Feb 1: Light first lit on Robert Stephenson's Inchcape (Bell) Rock lighthouse off Scotland
Feb 5: Prince of Wales (future George IV) made Regent after George III deemed insane
May 27: Second census of England & Wales
Nov: Luddite uprisings (machine breaking) in the Midlands against weaving frames started � went on until 1815 � groups of workmen rebelled against the increased mechanisation of textile production by destroying the new machinery � government fears revolutionary conspiracy � damaging property or taking Luddite oaths become capital offences
Jane Austen Sense and Sensibility
1812
May 11: Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, assassinated � shot as he entered the House of Commons by a bankrupt Liverpool broker, John Bellingham, who was subsequently hanged
Jun 18: Start of American "War of 1812" (to 1814) against England and Canada
Aug 24: Peninsular War � coalition forces including British succeed in lifting the two-and-a-half-year-long Siege of C�diz
Oct�Dec: Napoleon retreats from Moscow with catastrophic losses
Comet steamship launched in Scotland, operated on the River Clyde
1813
'Policy for the Improvement of the Highlands' approved by British Parliament
May: Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth, lead an expedition westwards from Sydney
Ireland: First recorded "12th of July" sectarian riots in Belfast
Rose's Act (1812) established a printed format for baptism & burial registers
Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice
1814
"Year of the Burning" in Sutherland and Ross
Act of Burial in Woollen repealed
First Pigot's Commercial Directory printed
Jan 1: Invasion of France by Allies
Apr 6: Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba
Aug 13: Convention of London signed, a treaty between the UK and the Dutch
Aug 24: The British burn the White House
Nov 29: The Times first printed by a steam-powered 'mechanical apparatus' (at 1,100 sheets per hour)
Dec 2: Death of the Marquis de Sade, in an asylum
Dec 24: Treaty of Ghent signed ending the 1812 war between Britain and the US
Sugar prices reach record heights
1815
Mar 1: Napoleon escapes Elba; arrives in France
Jun 18: The Battle of Waterloo: Napoleon defeated and exiled to St. Helena
Corn Law passed with enormous benefit to landlords (see 1849 )
Trial by Jury established in Scotland
Davy develops the safety lamp for miners
Nash Brighton Pavilion
Economic depression - rise in wheat prices
Income tax abolished
Excise tax payable on paper production (start of papermaking Mill numbers) until 1861
For the first time British silver coins were produced with an intrinsic value substantially below their face value the first official 'token' coinage
Climate: the 'year without a summer' � followed a volcanic explosion of the mountain Tambora in Indonesia the previous year, the biggest volcanic explosion in 10,000 years
Cobbett's Register selling 40-60,000 copies per week
Large scale emigration to North America
Trans-Atlantic packet service begins
March of the Manchester Blanketeers; Habeas Corpus suspended
Constable Flatford Mill
1818
Manchester cotton spinners' strike
Oct 20: 'Convention of 1818' signed between the United States and the United Kingdom which, among other things, settled the US-Canada border on the 49th parallel for most of its length
Mary Shelley Frankenstein
1819
Feb 6: Stamford Raffles signs a treaty with Sultan Hussein Shah of Johor establishing Singapore as a new trading post for the British East India Company
May/Jun: Savannah first steamship to cross Atlantic, reaching Liverpool 20 June 1819 (26 days, mostly under sail)
Aug 16: Peterloo Massacre at Manchester � a large, orderly group of 60,000 meets at St. Peter's Fields, Manchester � demand Parliamentary Reform � mounted troops charge on the meeting, killing 11 people and and maiming many others
Dec: Six Acts passed against radical political Unions � prohibits assemblies similar to St. Peter's Fields and imposes press censorship
Primitive bicycle, the Dandy Horse, becomes popular (see 1839 )
Britain returns to gold standard
Keats Ode on a Grecian Urn
1820
Jan 29: Accession of George IV, previously Prince Regent
Cato Street Conspiracy plot to assissinate British cabinet
Aug 1: Regent's Canal in London opens
Aug 17: Trial of Queen Caroline to prove her infidelities so George IV can divorce her � George tries to secure a Bill of Pains and Penalties against her � Caroline is virtually acquitted because bill passed by such a small majority of Lords
Nov 20: Whaling ship Essex attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in the Pacific, leading to the story of Moby Dick
Cobbett's Rural Rides begin to appear in his Political Register (to 1830)
Abolition of the Spanish Inquisition
1821
May 5: Napoleon Bonaparte dies on St Helena
May 28: Third census of England & Wales
Faraday Principles of electro-magnetic rotation
Constable The Hay Wain
Populations: France 30.4M, German States 26M, Britain 20.8M, Italian States 18M, Austria 12M, the USA 9.6M
1822
Jun 14: Charles Babbage proposes a difference engine in a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society
Sep 27: Jean-Fran�ois Champollion announces he has deciphered the Rosetta stone
Caledonian canal opened
Carnot Puissance motrice du feu
Beethoven Ninth Symphony
1825
Horse-drawn buses in London (but see 1803 and 1829 )
Sep 27: Stockton to Darlington Railway opens � world's first service of locomotive-hauled passenger trains
Hobhouse makes amendments to Acts to protect Child Labour in cotton factories
Publication of Pepys Diary
1826
Jan 30: Telford's Menai Straits Bridge opened considered the world's first modern suspension bridge
Feb 11: University College, London established under the name "London University", as a secular alternative to the religious universities of Oxford and Cambridge
Scotland's first commercial railway was opened, Edinburgh to Dalkeith
White's first Commercial Directory � Hull
Royal Zoological Society established in London
Apr 1: Samuel Morey patents the internal combustion engine in America?
Ampere Electrodynamics
Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream, overture
1827
Apr 7: First recorded sale of matches, from the store of John Walker of Stockton-on-Tees under the name 'Sulphurata Hyper-Oxygenata Frict'
Hallam Constitutional History of England (one of the first historians to use original documents in his research)
Ohm Ohm's Law (physics)
1828
Apr 28: Repeal of Test and Corporation Acts � had kept non-Anglicans (Catholics and Dissenters) from holding public office and deprived them of other rights
Oct 25: St Katharine Docks in London opened (designed by Thomas Telford)
O'Connell barred from the House of Commons as a Roman Catholic
Noah Webster American Dictionary of the English Language
1829
Apr 4: Catholic Emancipation Act restores civil liberties to Roman Catholics
Earliest Irvingite registers
Jul 4: First London omnibuses (pulled by three horses) introduced by George Shillibeer (but see 1825 ) route between Paddington and Bank of England
London Metropolitan police force formed, nicknamed Bobbies after Sir Robert Peel
Jun 10: First Oxford/Cambridge Boat Race
Oct 6: George Stephenson's Rocket wins the Rainhill trials (it was the only one to complete the trial!) was to haul the first 'commercial' passenger train (but see 1804 )
Lucifer matches first manufactured
Louis Braille invents his sytem of finger-reading for the blind
Rossini William Tell, opera
1830
Jun 26: George IV dies � his brother, William IV, accedes to the throne
July: Revolution in France, fall of Charles X and the Bourbons Louis Philippe (the Citizen King) on the throne
Uprisings and agitation across Europe: the Netherlands are split into Holland and Belgium
Sep 15: George Stephenson's Liverpool & Manchester Railway opened by the Duke of Wellington � first mail carried by rail, and first death on the railway as William Huskisson, a leading politician, is run over!
Nov: Agricultural 'Swing' Riots in southern England, repressed with many transportations
Nov 22: Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, becomes Prime Minister
Beerhouse Act liberalized regulations on the brewing and sale of beer by individuals � By this act it was possible for any householder assessed to the poor rate to sell beer, ale and cider without a licence from local justices; in the six months following its enaction, nearly 25,000 such excise licenses were taken out � The 1869 Wine and Beerhouse Act re-introduced stricter controls
Royal Geographical Society established in London
Hector Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
First Reform Bill introduced by Lord George Russell
A list of all parish registers dating prior to 1813 compiled
May 30: Fourth census of England & Wales
British Association for the Advancement of Science founded
Jun 1: James Clark Ross discovers the North Magnetic Pole
Aug 1: 'New' London Bridge opens (see 1968 , replaced 1973 ) old bridge (which had existed for over 600 years) then demolished
Aug 29: Faraday demonstrates electro-magnetic induction (the dynamo)
Dec 27: Darwin sails on HMS Beagle to survey coral formations
1832
Jun 7: Reform Bill passed � Representation of the People Act � dramatic effects for grossly underrepresented places like Scotland (the number of Scottish people allowed to vote increased from 4,000 to 65,000 out of 2.5 million people) � changed voting from an aristocratic privilege to a middle class right, but by later standards not much was accomplished � approximately doubled the electorate to about 800,000 voters out of a total population in Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales of around 24 million (1831 census), and increasing by 1 million a year
Electoral Registers introduced
Electric telegraph invented by Morse
Tennyson Lady of Shalott
Jan: Britain invades the Falkland Islands
Aug 29: Factory Act forbids employment of children below age of 9
Education Grant Act grants to voluntary education societies in Britain
Real Property Limitation Act ends the device of using ficticious people in the sale of freehold property
1834
Poor Law amendment, tightening up relief
Mar 18: 'Tolpuddle Martyrs' transported (to Australia) for Trades Union activities
May 1: Slavery abolished in British possessions
Dec 17: Dublin and Kingstown Railway opens in Ireland
Dec 23: Hansom Cab patented by Joseph Hansom
Babbage invents forerunner of the computer
1835
Christmas becomes a national holiday
Earliest Universalist registers
Municipal Corporations Act major changes in England and Wales
Word 'socialism' first used
First surviving photograph taken by William Fox Talbot
First railway boom period starts in Britain construction of Great Western Railway
Jun 18: William Cobbett dies
Dec 1: Hans Christian Andersen publishes his first book of fairy tales
Melbourne, Australia founded
Darwin studies the Galapagos Islands
1836
First Potato famine in Ireland
Economic downturn that lasts until 1842
Tithe Commutation Act � tithe maps created as a by-product over the next 15 years or so
Newspaper tax reduced from 4 pence to one penny
Feb 25: Samuel Colt patented the 'revolver'
Mar 6: The Alamo falls to Mexican troops death of Davy Crockett
Jul: Inauguration of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
Dec 27: Avalanche in Lewes, Sussex buries 15 people, 8 died
1837
Mar 14: Wheatstone & Cooke send first British telegraph message (some say 25 Jul the electric telegraph was patented in May)
Jun 20: William IV dies � accession of Queen Victoria (to 1901)
Jul 1: Compulsory registration of Births, Marriages & Deaths in England & Wales Registration Districts were formed covering several parishes; initially they had the same boundaries as the Poor Law boundaries set up in 1834
Jul 13: Queen Victoria moves into the first Buckingham Palace
Jul 20: Euston Railway station opens � first in London
Pitman introduces his shorthand system
P&O Founded
1838
Jun 28: Coronation of Queen Victoria at Westminster Abbey
Chartists in Britain publish People's Charter demanding popular involvement in politics huge demonstrations (estimated 100.000 Glasgow, 200,000 Birmingham, 300,000 West Yorkshire)
First ocean steamers to the U.S. SS Great Western 14� days; SS Sirius 18 days
SS Archimedes launched first successful screw-driven ship
Daguerre produces photographs using silver salts
1838-1849
The Chartist Movement a working-class movement for the extension of the franchise 6-point charter: universal suffrage, secret ballot, annual elections, payment of Members, no property qualification for MPs, equal electoral districts
1839
Nov 4: The Newport Rising, to liberate Chartist prisoners the last large-scale armed rebellion against authority in mainland Britain
First Opium War between Britain and China (to 1842) Britain captures Hong Kong
Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan refines the primitive bicycle, adding a mechanical crank drive to the rear wheel, thus creating the first true "bicycle" in the modern sense (see 1819 )
Samuel Cunard establishes his Cunard Steamship Co.
John Herschel takes the first glass plate photograph
Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber
Daguerreotype photography process announced in France, developed by Louis Daguerre
First: Grand National, Henley Regatta, Royal Agricultural Show
1840
Jan 10: Uniform Penny Postage introduced nationally
Rowland Hill also introduces envelopes
Feb 6: Treaty of Waitangi signed � Maori chiefs in New Zealand recognise British sovereignty in return for tribes being guaranteed possession of their lands
Feb 10: Queen Victoria marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Last convicts landed in NSW (some say 1842 or 1849, but these probably landed elsewhere)
Chimney Sweeps Act in Britain
Population Act relating to taking of censuses in Britain
Britain has 24% of steam tonnage, and 24% of world trade
'Can-Can' becomes popular in France
1841
Feb 10: Penny Red replaces Penny Black postage stamp
June 6: Fifth census of England & Wales First full census in Britain in which all names were recorded
Population: Britain 18.5M, USA 17M, Ireland 8M
Whitworth standard screw threads proposed
Thomas Cook starts package tours
Jul 17: First issue of Punch
1842
Civil Registration in Channel Islands started
Second Chartist Petition presented to Parliament
Income Tax reintroduced in Britain
Government report 'The Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population'
Depression: 60% of Bolton cotton mill workers and 36% of Bolton ironworkers out of work
British Mines Act outlawing women and girls in the mines, and supervising boy labour
Copyright Act
Mar 30: Ether used as an anaesthetic for the first time (by Dr Crawford Long in America)
British massacred in Khyber Pass
Aug 29: Treaty of Nanking End of First Opium War Britain gains Hong Kong
Illustrated London News published
Start of Mudie's Lending Library, charging subscribers one guinea per year for the right to borrow one volume of a novel at a time
First chemical fertiliser, superphosphate of lime, manufactured by Bennet Lawes in Deptford, England
Tennyson Poems establishes his fame
Doppler Effect stated
Outdoor Relief Prohibition Order � parish relief received only in a workhouse
Companies Act in Britain companies must register
Bank Charter Act, to regulate money supply in relation to gold in Britain
Railways Act Gladstone's concept of the 'Parliamentary Train' brought rail travel to the masses
Factories Act 1844 working hours of women and children restricted
May 24: First Morse message transmitted in the USA (Baltimore to Washington)
Jun 6: YMCA founded in London by Sir George Williams
Jun 15: Charles Goodyear receives a patent for the vulcanization of rubber
Karl Marx and Engels begin their collaboration
Dumas The Three Musketeers
1845
Excise tax on glass production repealed
'The Hungry Forties': Potato famine in Ireland (to 1848) � generally accepted that 1 million people died and a further 1 million people had to emigrate during this period, leading to a population decline of around 20 to 25%
Temporary repeal of the Corn Laws
Mar 17: The rubber band patented by Stephen Perry
May 20: Franklin sets sail from London trying to find the Northwest passage
Kelly's Directories
Tarmac laid for first time (in Nottingham)
First voyage of 'Great Britain' � to America
Royal Naval Biographical Dictionary published
1846
May 17: The saxophone is patented by Adolphe Sax
Sep 10: The sewing machine is patented by Elias Howe
Edward Lear First Book of Nonsense
1847
Jan: An anaesthetic used for the first time in England (James Simpson used ether to numb the pain of labour)
United Succession becomes the United Presbyterian Church
Ten Hours Act shortens factory work day to ten hours for women and children
European crop failure
US Mormons make Salt Lake City their centre
Charlotte Bront� Jane Eyre
1848
Jan 24: Gold found at Sutter's Mill, California � starts the California gold rush
Jan 29: Greenwich Mean Time adopted in Scotland
Jul 11: Waterloo railway station in London opens
General revolutionary movement throughout the European Continent ('Year of Revolution')
Rotary press first introduced
First Public Health Act, establishes the Board of Health
Third Chartist Petition: mass arrests and failure of the movement
Lord Kelvin determines the temperature of absolute zero
First commercial production of chewing gum
Marx and Engels The Communist Manifesto
JS Mill Principles of Political Economy
Macaulay History of England
1849
Jan 31: Corn Laws abolished in UK (introduced by the Importation Act 1815, amended at various times and repealed by the Importation Act 1846)
Apr 10: Safety pin patented by American inventor Walter Hunt
Civil Registration of Births in Isle of Man started
Florin (2 shilling coin) introduced as the first step to decimalisation � which finally occurred in 1971 !
Dickens David Copperfield
Mar 18: American Express founded by Henry Wells & William Fargo
Sep 29: Catholic hierarchy restored on a regular pattern to England and Wales
Nov 19: Tennyson succeeds Wordsworth as Poet Laureate (and holds the position until his death in 1892 )
Dec 16: First immigrant ships arrived in New Zealand
Telegraph cable Dover to Calais [others say 1851]
Britain has 39.5% of world merchant shipping tonnage
Bunsen burner designed
1851
Mar 30: Second full British Census � improvements in data compared with the first
May 1: Great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations ("Crystal Palace" exhibition) opened in Hyde Park
Aug 22: First "America's Cup" (round the Isle of Wight) won by the yacht America (after which the trophy was subsequently named)
Window Tax replaced by House Duty
Photography is popularised by introduction of "wet collodion" process
Isaac Singer produces first practical sewing machine (in USA)
Gold discovered in Australia
Verdi Rigoletto; Herman Melville Moby-Dick
1852
Feb 15: Great Ormond St Hospital for Sick Children, London, admits its first patient
May: Victoria and Albert Museum, first known as The Museum of Manufactures, opens at Marlborough House transfers in September to Somerset House, then to South Kensington in 1857
Manchester has its first Free Library
Land Survey of Britain completed
First voyage of 'Great Britain' to Australia
Tasmania ceases to be a convict settlement
US Express Co., Wells Fargo established in USA
Roget's Thesaurus
Gladstone's first budget: wide range of duties abolished, and death duties introduced
Vaccination against smallpox made compulsory in Britain
Reuters founded
Mar 27: Britain declares war on Russia (Crimean War)
Jun: First Victoria Cross won during bombardment of Bomarsund in the Aland Islands
Sep 14: Allied armies land in Crimea
Sep 20: Battle of Alma: British and French troops defeat Russians in the Crimea
Oct 25: Battle of Balaklava in Crimea (charge of the Light Brigade)
Cigarettes introduced into Britain
The Times offers £1,000 for the discovery of an alternative raw material for paper (other than cotton and linen rags) wood not used in paper manufacture until 1880s
1855
Jan 1: Registration of births, marriages & deaths made compulsory in Scotland
First London pillar boxes
Stamp Duty abolished on newspapers ('tax on knowledge') many regional newspapers founded from this year onwards
Daily Telegraph founded, price 2d
London sewers modernised after fourth major outbreak of cholera
Florence Nightingale introduces hygiene into military hospitals in Crimea
Cellulose nitrate, first synthetic plastic material, invented by Alexander Parkes
Nov 17: Livingstone finds the Victoria Falls
Trollope The Warden
Longfellow The Song of Hiawatha
1856
Jan 29: Victoria Cross created by Royal Warrant, backdated to 1854 to recognise acts during the Crimean War (first award ceremony 26 June 1857)
Mar 30: Treaty of Paris signed, ending the Crimean War
Start of Second Opium War (to 1860)
Discovery of Neanderthal skull
Bessemer's converter revolutionises steel industry
Hughes Tom Brown's Schooldays
Transatlantic cable starts to be laid (see 1866 )
Oct 24: Sheffield FC founded claim to be the world's first football team
London postal districts introduced
European financial crisis also in America
Dec 31: Ottawa declared capital of Canada
'Golden age of crinolines' was 1857-1866 'by which point they were largely abandoned' [Bill Bryson At Home]
18578
Indian Mutiny (unrest started March 1857 peace treaty signed 8 July 1858)
1858
Jan: Legally proved Wills start to be entered into an index (Eng & W) � taken out of ecclesiastical jurisdiction
Jan 31: 'Great Eastern' launched
Feb 11: First of 18 apparitions of "a Lady" to Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes
East India Company dissolved
Summer: 'The great stink' smell of the River Thames forced Parliament to stop work
Royal Opera House opens in Covent Garden, London
Offenbach Orpheus in the Underworld
1859
Peaceful picketing legalised in Britain
Apr 25: Work started on building the Suez canal (opened 17 Nov 1869 )
May 4: Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge opened at Saltash giving rail link between Devon and Cornwall
Jun 30: Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope
Sep 1: Biggest solar flare ever recorded witnessed by English astronomer Richard Carrington an intense magnetic storm hit the Earth 18 hours later
Nov 24: Charles Darwin publishes The Origin of Species
First American oil well drilled (in Titusville, Pennsylvania)
Dickens A Tale of Two Cities
1860
Garibaldi's 'Red Shirts' conquer Sicily and Naples
Second Maori War in New Zealand (to 1870)
Aug 29: First tram service in Europe starts in Birkenhead
Sep: Prince of Wales (later Edward VII) visits United States
Oct 17: The Open Championship (golf) begins
Oct 18: Convention of Peking ends the Second Opium War
Linoleum patented in England by Frederick Walton (some say in Dec 1863)
Royal Navy adopts ironclads
1861
Feb 21: Spire of Chichester Cathedral collapses � rebuilt, a few feet taller, and completed in five years
May 25: American Civil War begins
Apr 7: Third full British Census
Dec 14: Prince Albert dies
First horse-drawn trams in London
Tax on newsprint abolished
Emancipation of serfs in Russia
Populations: Russia 76M, USA 32M, Italy 25M , Britain 23M
Mrs Beeton Book of Household Management
1862
Jan 30: USS Monitor launched, first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy
Mar 9: Battle of Hampton Roads, Virginia; first-ever naval battle between two ironclad warships � USS Monitor and CSS Virginia
Apr 20: First pasteurisation test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
Nov 4: Richard Gatling patents his machine gun
Dec 31: USS Monitor, one of the first ironclad warships, sank under tow in a gale
Lincoln issues first legal US paper money (Greenbacks)
Bismark becomes first minister in Prussia
Foucault measures the speed of light
Victor Hugo Les Miserables
Jan 10: First section of the London Underground Railway opens, between Paddington and Farringdon Street
Opening of state institution for criminally insane at Broadmoor, England
Jul 3: Battle of Gettysburg
Manufacture (by Wilbrand) of TNT
Kingsley The Water Babies
Civil Registration in Ireland starts
Civil Registration of marriages in Isle of Man starts
Mar 11: The Great Sheffield Flood � over 250 died when a new dam broke while it was being filled for the first time
Aug 22: Red Cross established � Twelve nations sign the First Geneva Convention
Dec 8: Clifton Suspension Bridge over the River Avon officially opened
A man-powered submarine "Hunley" and sank a Federal steam ship, USS Housatonic, at the entrance to Charleston harbour in 1864 � the first recorded successful attack by a submarine on a surface ship [Les Moore]
1865
Apr 14: End of American Civil War � slavery abolished in USA; Abraham Lincoln assassinated in Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth [do these two events really come together on this day??]
May 17: The International Telegraph Union established
Rockefeller forms Standard Oil (ESSO) in Ohio (some say 1870)
Jul 5: William Booth (1829-1912) founds Salvation Army, in London
Jul 14: First ascent of the Matterhorn by Edward Whymper and party, four of whom died on the descent
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917) becomes first woman doctor in England [she later became the first woman mayor in England, in Aldeburgh 1908]
First concrete roads built in Britain
Locomotive Act (the 'Red Flag' Act) � required all road locomotives to travel at a maximum of 4 mph in the country and 2 mph in towns and have a crew of three, one of whom should carry a red flag walking 60 yards ahead of each vehicle (repealed 1896 )
Mendel states his law of heredity
Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland
Tolstoy War and Peace
1866
May 11: London bank Overend, Gurney and Company collapses, precipitating a financial crisis
Jul 28: Atlantic cable first used five attempts had been made over a nine year period (in 1857, two in 1858, 1865, and 1866) before lasting connections finally achieved by the SS Great Eastern with the 1866 cable and the repaired 1865 cable
Oct 16: Girton College founded
Marquis of Queensbury rules accepted for boxing
Winchester repeating rifle comes into use in USA
1867
Mar 30: USA buys Alaska from Russia ("Seward's Folly") � formal transfer on 18 Oct
July 1: The British North America Act takes effect, creating the Canadian Confederation
Aug 24: Fanny Adams murdered in Alton
Nov 25: Alfred Nobel patents dynamite
Dec 2: Charles Dickens gives his first public reading in the USA (in New York)
The Second Reform Bill � vote given to town householders
Typewriter invented (but not commercially successful until 1873 )
Lister uses carbolic antiseptic
Last British election for which Poll Books available
Last convicts landed in Australia (Western Australia)
Impressionist movement begins to emerge in art
1869
Imprisonment for debt abolished in Britain
May 10: Transcontinental railway completed in America
Nov 17: Suez Canal opens
Nov 23: Cutty Sark launched in Dumbarton
HJ Heinz Company founded in USA, with its '57 Varieties'
Ballbearings, celluloid, margarine, washing machine all invented
1870
GPO takes over the privately-owned Telegraph Companies (nationalised)
Jun 1: Telegraph link to India first open for business
Sep: Unification of Italy completed
Oct 1: First British postcard � halfpenny post
Board Schools start attempting to impose consistent spelling (Forster's Act?)
Dr Thomas Barnardo opens his first home for destitute children
Water closets come into wide use
Diamonds discovered in Kimberley, South Africa (some say 1866)
Britain possesses 43% of world's merchant steam tonnage
1870-1900
Art & Crafts Period (Art & Antiques)
1871
Mar 27: First Rugby Football international, England v Scotland, played in Edinburgh
Mar 29: Opening of Royal Albert Hall
Apr 2: Fourth full British census
Jun 16: University Tests Act allows students to enter Oxford, Cambridge and Durham universities without religious tests
Jun 29: Trades Unions legalised in Britain, but picketing made illegal
Bank Holidays Act
Commissions in British armed forces no longer to be purchased
FA Cup introduced
Nov 10: Henry Morton Stanley finds Dr David Livingstone in Africa (in Ujiji near Lake Tanganyika)
Gilbert and Sullivan begin a 20 year collaboration
Verdi Aida
Mar 16: First FA Cup Wanderers FC beat Royal Engineers AFC 1-0 at the Oval
Jul 18: Secret Ballot introduced in Britain (no further Poll Books produced)
Nov 30: First international football match, at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow between Scotland and England nil-all draw
Dec 4: American ship Mary Celeste is found abandoned by the British brig Dei Gratia in the Atlantic Ocean the ship was unmanned but under full sail she was recovered and used again for another 12 years or so
Licensing hours introduced
Penalties introduced for failing to register births, marriages & deaths (Eng & Wales)
Penny-farthing bicycles in general use
Over 32,000 friendly societies in England
1873
Mar 1: Remington & Sons start to manufacture the new Scholes and Glidden typewriter (named Remington from 1876)
Glidden invents barbed wire
Jules Verne Around the World in 80 Days
1874
Disraeli and the Tories come to power in Britain pass 11 major Acts of social reform in next 2 years
First Trades Union MP is elected
Factory Act introduces 56-hour week
Apr 5: Birkenhead Park opened, said to be the first civic public park in the world features of it later copied in Central Park, New York
Hardy Far from the Madding Crowd
Verdi Requiem
1875
Jan 1: Midland Railway abolishes Second Class passenger facilities, leaving First Class and Third Class. Other British railway companies followed during the rest of the year. (Third Class was renamed Second Class in 1956 )
London's main sewage system completed
Aug 24: Captain Matthew Webb becomes first person to swim the English Channel (taking 21 hours 45 mins)
Artisan's Dwellings Act
Universal Postal Union established at Geneva
Britain takes 42% share in Suez Canal
Bizet Carmen
1876
Feb 14: Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray each file a patent for the telephone Bell awarded the rights
Feb 18: Direct telegraph link established between UK and New Zealand
Annual centralised list of Scottish Wills from now (and most from 1823 also)
Civil Registration of deaths in Isle of Man started
Plimsoll Line established for loading of ships
Dewey decimal classification for publishers introduced by Melvil Dewey
May 1: Victoria proclaimed Empress of India
Jun 25: Battle of Little Big Horn Custer's last stand; last major North American Indian victory
Tchaikovsky Swan Lake
1877
Mar 15: First cricket Test Match begins (between Australia and England in Melbourne) Australia won by 45 runs
First tennis championships at Wimbledon
Edison invents microphone and phonograph demonstrated first sound recording on 6th Dec
Schiaperelli observes 'canals' on Mars
1878
Feb 11: First weekly weather forecast published by the Meteorological Office
Edison & Swan invent electric lamp
Red Flag Act in Britain limits mechanical road vehicles to 4mph (see 1896 )
CID established at New Scotland Yard
Gilbert and Sullivan HMS Pinafore
1879
Jan 11: Start of Anglo-Zulu war
Jan 22: Battle of Rorke's Drift in the Anglo-Zulu Warr
Feb 27: Discovery of Saccharin announced (Fahlberg and Remsen)
Jun 1: First Tay Bridge completed (Thomas Bouch)
Sep 18: Blackpool illuminations switched on for first time
Dec 28 (Sunday): Tay Bridge Disaster � bridge collapsed in storm taking train with it � enquiry revealed corners had been cut during construction to reduce costs � replacement bridge constructed in 1887
First telephone exchanges opened in London & Manchester
Church of Christ Scientist established at Boston
Ibsen Doll's House
1880
Education Act: schooling compulsory for 5-10 year olds
The Burial Laws Amendment Act, 1880, Section 13 � To be buried under this Act normally means that the person buried was a non-conformist; the burial service was performed by a Non-Conformist minister, but in a Church of England church, as the burial was going to take place in the churchyard. Before that time, non-conformists could not be buried in parish churchyards.
Aug 2: Greenwich Mean Time adopted throughout UK
Britain possesses half world's merchant steam tonnage
Mosquito found to be the carrier of malaria
Rodin The Thinker
1881
Apr 3: Fifth full British Census
Sep: Godalming in Surrey became the first town in England to have a public electricity supply installed (but in 1884 it reverted to gas lighting until 1904)
Postal Orders introduced
First Boer War � Transvaal independence recognised
Flogging abolished in Army and Royal Navy
Oct 26: Gunfight at OK Corral
1882
May 6: Phoenix Park murders in Dublin
Aug 29: Australia defeat England by seven runs in a Test match at The Oval � Institution of 'the Ashes' in cricket
Standard Oil Co controls 95% of US oil refining capacity
Fourth Eddystone Lighthouse completed
TB bacillus discovered by Koch
Conan Doyle A Study in Scarlet, first appearance of Sherlock Holmes
Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture
May 24: Brooklyn Bridge, New York opens (crosses East River)
Aug 1: Parcel post starts in Britain
Oct 4: Foundation of the Boys' Brigade in Glasgow by William Smith
Foundation of the Primrose League, British Conservative organisation, by Lord Randolph Churchill
Married Women's Property Act of 1882 becomes law
Ekman opens a wood pulp mill in England, for manufacture of paper (he had opened one in Sweden in 1874)
Aug 27: Eruption of Krakatoa near Java � 30,000 killed by tidal wave
Statue of Liberty presented to USA by France
Robert Louis Stevenson Treasure Island
1884
Jan 29: Appearance of the first 'fascicle' [from 'A' to 'ant'] ofOxford English Dictionary (full Dictionary not completed until 1928 )
The Third Reform Bill � vote given to agricultural workers
May 31: John Harvey Kellogg patents corn flakes
Sep 22: Herman Hollerith patents his mechanical tabulating machine
Oct 13: Standard Meridian Conference � Greenwich made prime meridian of the world
Oct 14: George Eastman patents the first film in roll form to prove practicable; in 1888 he perfected the Kodak camera
Bateman's Great Landowners published (relates to land values in 1882)
Fabergé produces the first of his jewelled Easter eggs for the Tsar
1884-1918
Art Noveau Period (Art & Antiques)
1885
Jan 26: Fall of Khartoum, General Gordon killed
Mar: First UK cremation in modern times took place at Woking (see 1902 )
Mar 14: First performance of The Mikado
Jun 17: The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbour (in 350 pieces on board the French frigate Is�re)
Sep 5: The first train runs through the Severn Tunnel
Aug 29: Gottlieb Daimler patents the world's first motorcycle
Sep 29: First electric tramcar used at Blackpool (some say first in Britain ran March 1882 in East London)
Carl Benz builds the 'Motorwagen', a single-cylinder motor car
Secretary for Scotland appointed
1886
Gladstone's first Irish Home Rule Bill rejected, despite his famous three-hour speech
Crofters Holdings (Scotland) Act created legal definitions of crofting parish and crofter, granted security of tenure to crofters and produced the first Crofters Commission
Jan 9: Severn Rail Tunnel opened, but full service only started in December longest mainline railway tunnel within the UK until 2007
Jan 18: The Hockey Association formed in England
Jan 20: Mersey railway (under Mersey) opened by Prince of Wales
May: Pharmacist John Styth Pemberton invents a carbonated beverage later named "Coca-Cola"
May 29: Putney Bridge opens in London
Sep 9: Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works finalised
Hardy The Mayor of Casterbridge
Millais Bubbles
May 9: Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show opens in London
Jun 8: Herman Hollerith receives a patent for his punch card calculator
Jun 21: Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee
Jul 13: Second Tay Bridge opened
Jul 26: The Unua Libro (First Book) was published describing the international language Esperanto
Daimler produces a four-wheeled motor car
Kipling Plain Tales
Haggard She
1888
Mar 2: Convention of Constantinople guarantees free maritime passage through Suez Canal in war and peace
Mar 22: English Football League formed
Jack the Ripper active in east London during the latter half of the year
County Councils set up in Britain
Dunlop invents pneumatic tyre
First box camera George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak, and receives a patent for his camera which uses roll film
First successful adding machine patented by William Seward Burroughs in the USA
Dec 23: Vincent van Gogh cuts off the lower part of his left ear
First known recording of classical music � Handel's Israel in Egypt on wax cylinder
Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherezade
Mar 31: Eiffel Tower completed (to mark centenary of French Revolution)
May 14: Children's charity NSPCC launched in London
Jun 3: Canadian Pacific Railway completed from coast to coast
Jul 8: First issue of the Wall Street Journal published
Aug 14: London Dock Strike � docker's won their "Docker's Tanner", 6 old pennies
Sep 28: Length of a metre defined
Oct 6: Moulin Rouge cabaret opens in Paris
Celluloid film produced
Gilbert & Sullivan Gondoliers; Jerome K Jerome Three Men in a Boat
1890
Jan 25: Nellie Bly returns to New York having gone round the world in 72 days using steamships and existing railroad systems
Mar 4: Forth railway bridge opens � took six years to build
Nov 4: City & South London Railway opens � London's first deep-level tube railway and first major railway in the world to use electric traction
1891
Mar 18: First telephone link between London & Paris
Apr 5: Sixth full British Census
Primary education made free and compulsory
May 4: Fictional date when Sherlock Holmes throws Moriarty over Reichenbach Falls, then disappears for 3 years! (published in 1893)
Ordnance Survey maps Epoch 2 date range 1891-1912 (see 1904 )
Aug 24: Thomas Edison patents the motion picture camera
1892
Jan 1: Ellis Island immigration station opens in New York (closed in 1954 )
Electric oven invented
Shop Hours Act � limit 74 hours per week for under-18s
May 20: Last broad-gauge train leaves Paddington for Plymouth
Oct 6: Alfred Lord Tennyson dies, aged 83, at his house Aldworth, near Haslemere
Oct 31: Arthur Conan Doyle publishes the first Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Dec 18: First performance of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet (in St Petersburg)
1893
Keir Hardy founds Independent Labour Party
Henry Ford's first car
Feb 4: Official opening of Liverpool Overhead Railway by Marquis of Salisbury
Jun 7: Gandhi's first act of civil disobedience (in South Africa)
Oct 1893�Jan 1894: First Matabele War
Tchaikovsky 6th symphony (Path�tique), and suicide
1894
Jan 1: Manchester Ship Canal opens
Local Government Act passed (start of civil parish councils, etc)
Picture postcard introduced in Britain
Mar 1: Blackpool Tower opens
May 21: Queen Victoria opens Manchester Ship Canal
Jun 23: International Olympic Committee founded at the initiative of Baron Pierre de Coubertin
Jun 30: Tower Bridge first opens
Aug 2: Death duties first introduced in Britain
Dec 22: Alfred Dreyfus convicted of treason in France
Beatrice and Sidney Webb History of Trade Unionism
Kipling Jungle Book
Shaw Arms and the Man
Debussy L'Apres-midi d'un Faune
Jan 12: The National Trust founded in England
London School of Economics (LSE) established
Mar 22: First public showing of film on screen in Paris by Lumières
Gugliemo Marconi invents wireless telegraphy � message over a mile
Safety razor invented by King C Gillette
Jul 12: First recorded motor journey of any length (56 miles) in Britain
Oct 17: First people in Britain to be charged with motor offences � John Henry Knight and James Pullinger of Farnham, Surrey
May 24: Henry Irving becomes the first person from the theatre to be knighted
May 28: Oscar Wilde sent to prison
Nov: Röntgen discovers X-rays
Sir Henry Wood starts Promenade Concerts in London
HG Wells The Time Machine
Chekov The Seagull
Mar 31: Zip fastener patented by Whitcomb L Judson
Mar 1896�Oct 1897: Second Matabele War
Apr 6�15: First modern Olympic Games held in Athens
May 4: Daily Mail first published
Jun 2: Guglielmo Marconi receives a British patent (later disputed) for the radio
Aug: Start of Klondyke Gold Rush in the Yukon
Repeal of the 1878 Red Flag Act � removed the need for a crew of three, and increased the speed limit to 14 mph (first London to Brighton run on14 Nov in celebration, now an annual event)
Dec 14: Opening of the Underground Railway (the "shooglie") in Glasgow � remains the only underground in Scotland
Term psychoanalysis first comes into use
Puccini La Boheme
Richard Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra
1897
Flora Thompson leaves 'Candleford Green'
Oct: Arthur Conan Doyle and family move into Undershaw at Hindhead � it had cost him just over �6,000 to build � they threw a big fancy-dress party at Christmas to celebrate, with 160 guests (including Jean Leckie who later became his second wife)
Workmen's Compensation Act: employers liable for insurance of workforce
Thomas Edison patents the Kinetoscope, the first movie projector
Bram StokerDracula
First photograph using artificial light
Mar 17: USS Holland launched, the first practical submarine
Jun 27: The first solo circumnavigation of the globe completed at Rhode island by Joshua Slocum in Spray (started from Boston, Mass on Apr 24, 1895)
Zeppelin builds airship
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company founded
The Curies discover Radium
Oscar Wilde The Ballad of Reading Gaol
Henry James The Turn of the Screw
1899-1902
Oct 11: Start of Second Boer War
Nov 15: Winston Churchill captured by Boers
Board of Education established in Britain
Britain's first 'Garden City' laid out at Letchworth
Valdemar Poulsen invents the tape recorder
Johann Vaaler designs the paper clip
Mar 6: Aspirin first marketed by Bayer
Elgar Enigma Variations; Sibelius Finlandia
Sigmund Freud The Interpretation of Dreams
1900
Jan 24: Spion Kop reached by British; massive losses by Lancashire Regiment
Feb 9: Davis Cup tennis competition established
Feb 27: Labour Party formed
Feb 28: Relief of Ladysmith after a siege of 118 days
May 17: Relief of Mafeking
June/July: Boxer rising in Peking
School leaving age in Britain raised to 14 years
Central Line opens in London: underground is electrified
Dec 10: Nobel prizes first awarded
Dec 14: Max Planck publishes his book on Quantum Mechanics
Escalator shown at Paris exhibition
1901
Commonwealth of Australia founded
Jan 22: Queen Victoria dies � Edward VII king
Feb 2: Queen Victoria's funeral � interred beside Prince Albert in the Frogmore Mausoleum at Windsor Great Park.
Mar 31: Seventh full British Census (available for inspection Jan 2002 )
June: Denunciation of use of concentration camps by British in Boer War
Aug 30: Hubert Cecil Booth patents the vacuum cleaner
Oct 2: Britain's first submarine launched
Dec 12: First successful radio transmission across the Atlantic, by Marconi Morse code from Cornwall to Newfoundland
Ragtime introduced into American jazz
Trans-Siberian Railway opens
1902
Balfour's Education Act provides for secondary education
Cremation Act cremation can only take place at officially recognised establishments, and with two death certificates issued
May 24: Empire Day (later Commonwealth Day) first celebrated
May 31: Treaty of Vereeniging ends Second Boer War
Aug 9: Coronation of Edward VII, following the end of the Boer War
Oct 24: Arthur Conan Doyle reluctantly accepts a knighthood
Marie Curie discovers radioactivity
USA acquires perpetual control of Panama Canal (not yet completed, see 1913 )
Discovery by physicist Heaviside of atmospheric layer which aids conduction of radio waves
Times Literary Supplement appears for first time
1903
Workers' Education Association (WEA) formed in Britain
Women's Social and Political Union formed in Britain by Emmeline Pankhurst
Jul 19: First Tour de France cycle race finishes
Dec 14: First flight of Wilbur & Orville Wright (some say 17th Dec)
Henry Ford sets up his motor company
Bertrand Russell Principles of Mathematics
Shaw Man and Superman
Apr 8: France and UK sign the Entente Cordiale
May 4: America takes over construction of the Panama Canal from the French (completed 1914 )
Jul 16: 'Bloomsday' in Dublin the day James Joyce uses for his novel Ulysses
Dec: Metropolitan Line in London goes electric
First successful caterpillar track is made
Ordnance Survey maps Epoch 3 date range 1904-1939 (see 1919 )
Barrie Peter Pan (legend says he invented the name Wendy for this, but the name exists in census records as early as 1880)
Puccini Madame Butterfly
1905
The title 'Prime Minister' noted in a royal warrant for the first time placed the Prime Minister in order of precedence in Britain immediately after the Archbishop of York
Aliens Act in Britain: Home Office controls immigration
Germany lays down the first Dreadnought battleship
Apr 11: Einstein publishes Special Theory of Relativity (see 1916 )
Nov 28: Irish nationalist Arthur Griffith founds Sinn F�in
Dec 5: Part of the roof of Charing Cross station in London collapsed, killing 5 people the station remained closed until 19 March 1906
Dec 9: French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State
Picasso begins his 'Pink Period' in Paris
Lehar The Merry Widow
Free school meals for poor children
Feb 10: Launching of HMS Dreadnought, first turbine-driven battleship
Mar 15: Rolls-Royce Ltd registered
Apr 18: San Francisco earthquake and fire: Contemporary accounts reported that 498 people lost their lives, though modern estimates put the number in the several thousands. More than half the city's population of 400,000 were left homeless
May 26: Vauxhall Bridge opened in London
Sep 12: Newport transporter bridge opened
Sep 20: Launching of Cunard's RMS Mauretania on the Tyne
Dec 15: Opening of the Piccadilly Line in London
Freud and Jung begin their association
Amundsen traverses the north-west passage
HW Fowler The King's English
1907
School medical system begins
New Zealand becomes a Dominion
Jan 7: Selborne Memorandum, reviewing the situation in favour of a Union in South Africa (see 1910 )
Imperial College, London, is established
First airship flies over London
Jul: Leo Hendrik Baekeland patents Bakelite, the first plastic invented that held its shape after being heated
Aug 1-9: Baden-Powell leads the first Scout camp on Brownsea Island
Nov 9: The Cullinan Diamond presented to Edward VII on his birthday
Pavlov begins his studies on conditioned reflexes
Lumiere develops a process for colour photography
Diaghilev begins to popularise ballet
First 'Cubist' exhibition in Paris
Mahler Symphony No.8
Coal Mines Regulation Act in Britain limits men to an eight hour day
Separate courts for juveniles established in Britain
Lord Baden-Powell starts the Boy Scout movement
Jun 30: The Tunguska event occurs near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Siberia most likely caused by the air burst of a large meteoroid or comet fragment
Jul1: SOS became effective as an international signal of distress (see 1909 )
Aug 12: First 'Model T' Ford made
Grahame The Wind in the Willows
1909
Jan 1: Old Age Pensions Act came into force
Jan 16: Ernest Shackleton's expedition finds the magnetic South Pole
Mar 15: Selfridges department store opens in London
Jul 25: Bleriot flies across the Channel (36 minutes, Calais to Dover)
Aug 11: First SOS signal sent (some say June 10 by Cunard liner Slavonia)
Beveridge Report prompts creation of labour Exchanges
Peary reaches the north pole
First commercial manufacture of Bakelite start of the plastic age
1910
Railway strike and coal strikes in Britain
May 6: Edward VII dies � George V king
May 31: Union of South Africa formed Botha first Prime Minister
Dr Crippen caught by radio telegraphy; hanged 23 Nov at Pentonville
Madame Curie isolates radium
Tango becomes popular in North America and Europe
Stravinsky The Fire Bird
Parliament Act in Britain reduces the power of the House of Lords
British MPs receive a salary
Feb 18: First official flight with air mail takes place in Allahabad, British India
Apr 2 Census: Pop. E&W 36M, Scot 4.6M, NI 1.25M
May 15: Standard Oil in USA broken up into 33 companies
Jun 22: Coronation of George V
Jul 19: Opening of Royal Liver Building in Liverpool
Dec 12: Delhi replaces Calcutta as the capital of India
Dec 14: National Insurance in Britain
Dec 14: Amundsen reaches the south pole
First British Official Secrets Act
Rutherford: theory of atomic structures
GK Chesterton The Innocence of Father Brown
Irving Berlin Alexander's Rag-time Band
1911-1912
Strikes by seamen, dock and transport workers
1912
Irish Home Rule crisis grows in Britain
Jan 18: Captain Scott's last expedition he and his team reach the south pole on Jan 18th; all die on the way back, their bodies found in November; news reached London 10 Feb 1913
Mar 1: Albert Berry makes the first parachute jump from a moving airplane (in USA)
Apr 14: The 'unsinkable' Titanic sinks on maiden voyage loss of 1,513 lives
May 13: Royal Flying Corps (later the RAF) founded in Britain
Britain nationalises the telephone system
Daily Herald founded lasts until 1964
Discovery of the 'Piltdown Man' hoax, exposed in 1953
1913
Jan 30: Third Irish Home Rule Bill rejected by House of Lords threat of civil war in Ireland formation of Ulster Volunteers to oppose Home Rule
Suffragette demonstrations in London Apr 2: Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst sentenced to three years imprisonment
May 20: First Chelsea Flower Show held in London
Jun 4: Emily Davison, a suffragette, runs out in front of the king's horse, Anmer, at the Epsom Derby and dies
Trade Union Act in Britain establishes the right to use Union funds for political purposes
Aug: Invention of stainless steel by Harry Brearley of Sheffield
Oct 14: 439 miners die in the Senghenydd Colliery Disaster, Britain's worst pit disaster
Dec 21: Arthur Wynne's 'word-cross,' the first crossword puzzle, is published in the New York World
Geiger invents his counter to measure radioactivity
Stravinsky The Rite of Spring
DH Lawrence Sons and Lovers
Shaw Pygmalion
First World War (the "Great War")
1914
Chaplin and De Mille make their first films
Burroughs Tarzan of the Apes
Vaughan Williams London Symphony
Jan 19: First Zeppelin air raid on England, over East Anglia � four killed
Feb: Submarine blockade of Britain starts
Apr-May: Second Battle of Ypres poison gas used for first time
Apr 25: Gallipoli campaign starts (declared ANZAC Day in 1916)
May 7: RMS Lusitania sunk by German submarine off coast of Ireland � 1,198 died
May 16: First meeting of a British WI (Women's Institute) took place in Llanfairpwll (aka Llanfair PG), Anglesey
Junkers construct first fighter aeroplane
Coalition Government formed in Britain under Asquith
First automatic telephone exchange in Britain
Buchan The Thirty-nine Steps
1916
Feb-Dec: Battle of Verdun appalling losses on both sides, stalemate continues
Apr 24: Easter Rising in Ireland � after the leaders are executed, public opinion backs independence
May 21: First use of Daylight Saving Time in UK (although Sir Ernest Shackleton, on Endurance ice-bound in the Weddell Sea, advanced the expedition's time by one hour on Sunday 26th Sep 1915)
May 31-Jun 1: Battle of Jutland only major naval battle between the British and German fleets
Jun 5: Sinking of HMS Hampshire and death of Kitchener
Sep 15: First use of tanks in battle, but of limited effect (Battle of the Somme 1 July18 Nov: over 1 million casualties)
Aug 3: Sir Roger Casement hanged at Pentonville Prison for treason
Nov 19: Samuel Goldwyn and Edgar Selwyn establish Goldwyn Pictures
Dec 7: Lloyd-George becomes British Prime Minister of the coalition
Compulsory military service introduced in Britain
Einstein General Theory of Relativity
Kafka Metamorphosis
February revolution in Russia; Tsar Nicholas abdicates
USA declares war on Germany
Battle of Cambrai first use of massed tanks, but effect more psychological than actual
Apr 16: Lenin returns to Russia after exile
Apr 17: USA declares war on Germany
May 26: George V changes surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor (Royal proclamation on 17 July)
Jul-Nov: Battle of Passchendaele little gained by either side
Oct 17: Trans-Australian railway line completed
Nov 2: Balfour Declaration: Britain will support a Jewish state in Palestine
Nov 7: 'October' Revolution in Russia Bolsheviks overthrow provisional government; Lenin becomes Chief Commissar
Dec 6: Halifax (Nova Scotia) Explosion, one of the world's largest artificial non-nuclear explosions to date: a ship loaded with wartime explosives blew up after a collision, obliterating buildings and structures within two square kilometres of the explosion
Dec 9: British forces capture Jerusalem
Ministry of Labour is established in Britain
Daniel Jones English Pronouncing Dictionary
1918
Mar 8: Start of world-wide 'flu pandemic
Apr 1: Royal Air Force replaces The Royal Flying Corps
Jul-Aug: Second Battle of the Marne: last major German offensive
Oct 1: Arab forces under Lawrence of Arabia capture Damascus
Nov 11: Armistice signed
Vote for women over 30, men over 21 (except peers, lunatics and felons)
Dec: First woman elected to House of Commons, Countess Markiewicz as a Sinn F�in member refused to take her seat
War of Independence in Ireland
1918-1939
Art Deco Period (Art & Antiques)
1919
Britain adopts a 48-hour working week
Irish MPs meet as Dail Eirann
Jan 18: Bentley Motors founded
Jun 15: Alcock and Brown complete first nonstop flight across the Atlantic
Jun 28: Treaty of Versailles signed
Nov 28: First woman to sit in House of Commons (Viscountess Astor)
Sir Ernest Rutherford became the first person to transmute one element into another when he converted nitrogen into oxygen through nuclear reaction
Ordnance Survey maps Epoch 4 date range 1919-1943 (see 1945 )
Keynes The Economic Consequencies of War
Sassoon War Poems
HL Mencken The American Language
1920
Jan 16: Prohibition starts in USA (lasts until Dec 1933 )
Feb: First roadside petrol filling station in UK opened by the Automobile Association at Aldermaston on the Bath Road
Nov 15: First General Assembly of the League of Nations (in Geneva)
Regular cross-channel air service starts
Oxford University admits women to degrees
Marconi opens a radio broadcasting station in Britain
Thompson patents his machine gun (Tommy gun)
DH Lawrence Women in Love
1921
Jun 19 Census: Pop. E&W 37.9M, Scot 4.9M, NI 1.25M
Dec 6: Anglo-Irish Treaty signed in London, leading to the formation of the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland
Irish Regiments of British Army disbanded
Railway Act in Britain amalgamates companies only four remained
Insulin discovery announced
Chaplin The Kid, first full-length film
Prokofiev The Love for Three Oranges
1922
Law of Property Act the manorial system effectively ended
Jun 1: Royal Ulster Constabulary founded
Oct: BBC established as a monopoly, and begins transmissions in November (2LO in London on 14 Nov; 5IT in Birmingham and 2ZY in Manchester on 15 Nov)
Dec 6: Irish Free State comes into existence
Einstein General Theory of Relativity
TS Eliot The Waste Land
Joyce Ulysses published Feb 2 in Paris
1923
Jan 1: The majority of the railway companies in Great Britain grouped into four main companies, the Big Four: LNER, GWR, SR, LMSR lasted until nationalisation in 1948
Feb 16: Howard Carter unsealed the burial chamber of Tutankhamun
Mussolini becomes dictator of Italy
Apr 28: First Wembley cup final ( West Ham 0, Bolton 2) � "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles," popular song of the time, became the West Ham anthem
Jul 13: The Hollywood Sign is officially dedicated in the hills above Hollywood
Sep 28: First publication of Radio Times
Nov: Massive inflation in Germany leads to collapse of the currency
Roads in Great Britain classified with A and B numbers
Hubble shows there are galaxies beyond the Milky Way
First American broadcasts heard in Britain
Dec 31: Chimes of Big Ben broadcast on radio for the first time
Freud The Ego and the Id
PG Wodehouse The Inimitable Jeeves
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
Jan 4Nov 4: First Labour government in Britain, headed by Ramsay MacDonald
Jan 21: Death of Lenin; succeeded by Stalin
Jan 22: Ramsay MacDonald becomes the first Labour Prime Minister
Feb 5: Hourly Greenwich Time Signals from the Royal Greenwich Observatory (the 'pips') were first broadcast by the BBC
Mar 31: British Imperial Airways begins operations (formed by merger of four British airline companies became BOAC in 1940 )
Forster A Passage to India
1925
Britain returns to gold standard
Jul 18: Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf
Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby
Apr 21: Princess Elizabeth born
May 3: General Strike begins, lasted until May 12 (mine workers for 6 months more)
Oct 31: Death of Harry Houdini
First public demonstration of television (TV) by John Logie Baird
Electricity (Supply) Act authorised the creation of the National Grid in the UK (Initial grid completed 1933 , fully established in 1938 )
Adoption of children is legalised in Britain
May 9: Richard E Byrd claims to make a flight over north pole, later disputed (see 1929 )
Dec 28: Highest recorded cricket innings (1,107 runs by Victoria v NSW at Melbourne)
Kodak produces 16mm movie film
Walt Disney arrives in Hollywood
HW Fowler Dictionary of Modern English Usage
1927
Jan 7: First transatlantic telephone call New York City to London
Jan 22: First live broadcast in the world on radio of a football match (by BBC Arsenal v Sheffield United at Highbury)
May 9: Canberra becomes Federal Capital of Australia (Government moved in on this date; construction had begun in 1913)
May 1: First cooked meals on a scheduled flight introduced by Imperial Airways from London to Paris
May 20-21: Lindbergh makes solo flight across the Atlantic, in 33� hours
May 31: Last Ford Model T rolls off assembly line
Jul 24: The Menin Gate war memorial unveiled at Ypres
Parts of the Diocese of Winchester split off to create the two new Diocese of Guildford and Portsmouth
Release of the first 'talkie' film (The Jazz Singer)
1928
Women over 21 get vote in Britain � same qualification for both sexes
Apr 19: The 125th and final fascicle of the Oxford English Dictionary is published (see 1884 )
Apr 26: Madame Tussauds opens in London
Teleprinters start to be used
Jul 14: First pylon erected for the National Grid
Sep 15: Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally discovers penicillin (results published 1929)
Nov 1: Turkey adopts Roman alphabet
Nov 18: Walt Disney's 'Mickey Mouse' pictures begin
Dec 20: First chip shop opened in Guiseley by Harry Ramsden � Britain's longest established restaurant chain
DH Lawrence Lady Chatterley's Lover
Ravel Bolero
Brecht and Weill The Threepenny Opera
1929
Abolition of Poor Law system in Britain
Minimum age for a marriage in Britain (which had been 14 for a boy and 12 for a girl) now 16 for both sexes, with parental consent (or a licence) needed for anyone under 21
Feb 14: Screen debut of Mickey Mouse same day as St Valentine's Day massacre!
Oct 24: Wall Street crash on 'Black Thursday', followed on Oct 29 by 'Black Tuesday, regarded as the start of the Great Depression' � the Dow Jones Index didn't recover to its pre-crash level until 1954
BBC begins experimental TV transmissions
Nov 29: Richard E Byrd becomes the first person to fly over the South Pole
Einstein Unified Field Theory
Hemingway A Farewell to Arms
1930
Jan 31: 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape
Feb 1: The Times publishes its first crossword puzzle, compiled by Adrian Bell, aged 28
Mar 6: Clarence Birdseye first marketed frozen peas (Springfield, Mass)
First Nazis elected to the German Reichstag
Jul 30: Uruguay beats Argentina 4-2 to win the first Football World Cup
Oct 5: R101 airship disaster British abandons airship construction
Youth Hostel Association (YHA) founded in Britain
Nov 13: Discovery of dwarf planet Pluto by Tombaugh
Film All Quiet on the Western Front
1931
Apr 14: Highway Code first issued
Apr 26 Census: Pop. E&W 40M, Scot 4.8M, NI 1.24M (but details destroyed by fire during WW2)
May 1: Empire State Building completed in New York
Statute of Westminster: British Dominions become independent sovereign states
Oct 21: National Government formed to deal with economic crisis Britain comes off gold standard
Collapse of the German banking system; 3,000 banks there close
Unemployment in Germany reaches 5.66M
1932
Great Hunger March of unemployed to London
Moseley founds British Union of Fascists
Roosevelt elected President of USA
Slump grows worse in USA; 5,000 banks close, unemployment rises
Cockroft and Walton accelerate particles to disintegrate an atomic nucleus
Mar 19: Sydney Harbour Bridge opened
May 20/21: Amelia Earhart first solo nonstop flight across Atlantic by a female pilot
Jul 12: Lambeth Bridge in London opens
Oct 3: Iraq gains independence from Britain
Oct 3: The Times introduces Times New Roman typeface
Sir Thomas Beecham established the London Philharmonic Orchestra
Huxley Brave New World (see 1963 )
1933
Jan 30: Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany
Roosevelt launches his 'New Deal'
Oxford Union: "This House will in no circumstances fight for King and Country"
Jul 1: London Transport came into being
Sep: Last pylon of the initial National Grid erected
Nov 12: First known photos of the 'Loch Ness Monster' taken
Dec 5: Prohibition ends in USA
ICI scientists discover polythene
Only 6 pennies minted in Britain this year
1934
Hitler becoms Fuehrer of Germany
Mao Tse-tung's 'Long March' starts in China
Mar 26: Driving tests introduced in UK? (but see 1935 )
Apr 4: 'Cats eyes' first used in the road in UK
May 28: The Glyndebourne festival inaugurated
Jun 9: Cartoon character Donald Duck first appears
Jul 18: King George V opens Mersey Tunnel
Sep 26: RMS Queen Mary launched
Nov 30: First time a steam locomotive goes at 100 mph ('Flying Scotsman')
Graves I, Claudius
Flying Down to Rio first Rogers/Astaire film
1935
Feb 28: Nylon first produced by Gerard J. Berchet of Wallace Carothers' research group at DuPont (there is no evidence to the widely-supposed story that the name derives from New York-London)
Mar 12: Hore-Belisha introduces pedestrian crossings and speed limits for built-up areas in Britain
London adopts a 'Green Belt' scheme
Jun 1: Voluntary driving tests introduced in UK (others say Mar 13, but see also 1934 )
Jul 30: Penguin paperbacks launched
Sep 3: Land speed record of 301.13 mph by Malcolm Campbell on Bonneville Salt Flats
Oct 3: Italy invades Abyssinia
Dec 17: First flight of the Douglas DC-3 'Dakota' aircraft
Talking books started with the publication of Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd and Joseph Conrad's Typhoon
TS Eliot Murder in the Cathedral
1936
Jan 20: George V dies; Edward VIII king
May 5: First flight of a Spitfire
Jet engine first tested
May 27: RMS Queen Mary makes maiden voyage
Jesse Owens wins 4 gold medals at Berlin Olympic Games
Jul 18: Spanish Civil War starts
Jul 24: 'Speaking clock' service starts in UK
Oct: Jarrow march to London
Nov 2: British Broadcasting Corporation initiates the BBC Television Service, world's first public TV transmission
Nov 30: Crystal Palace destroyed by fire
Dec 5: Edward VIII abdicates (announced Dec 10) � popular carol that Christmas: "Hark the Herald Angels sing, Mrs Simpson's got our King"
Duke of York becomes George VI
Chaplin film Modern Times
Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf
1937
Apr 12: Frank Whittle ground-tests the first jet engine designed to power an aircraft
Apr 26: German planes bomb Guernica in Spain
Apr 27: Golden Gate Bridge opens in San Francisco
May 6: Zeppelin Hindenburg destroyed by fire in USA after lightning struck it at the landing tower
May 12: Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
May 28: The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco officially opened
May 28: Neville Chamberlain becomes Prime Minister policy of appeasement towards Hitler
Jun 3: Duke of Windsor marries Wallis Simpson
Jul 5: Spam introduced into the market by Hormel Foods Corporation
Jul 7: Japanese forces invade China
Dec 4: The Dandy first published
Dec 21: Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs opens first feature-length animated cartoon
Alan Turing publishes outline of his 'Turing Machine'
'999' emergency telephone call facility starts in London
Billy Butlin opens his first holiday camp
Steinbeck Of Mice and Men; JRR Tolkien The Hobbit
Carl Orff Carmina Burana
Mar 12: Germany invades and annexes Austria
Jul 3: 'Mallard' does 126 mph (203 km/h); still world record for a steam locomotive
Sep 27: Largest ocean liner ever built Queen Elizabeth launched on Clydebank
Sep 29: Chamberlain visits Hitler in Munich promises 'peace in our time'
Oct 30: Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of HG Wells's The War of the Worlds, causing panic in the USA
Principle of paid holidays established in Britain
HMS Rodney first ship to be equipped with radar
First practical ball-point pen produced by Hungarian journalist, Lajos Biro
1939-45
Second World War (the "Peoples War")
1939
Sep 1: Germany invades Poland
Sep 3: Britain and France declare war on Germany at 5pm
Sep 6: First air-raid on Britain
Sep 11: British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sent to France
Oct 14: HMS Royal Oak sunk in Scapa Flow with loss of 810 lives
Dec 7: 'First flight' of Canadian troops sail for Britain 7,400 men on 5 ships
Dec 17: Admiral Graf Spee scuttled outside Montevideo
Start of evacuation of women and children from London
Coldest winter in Britain since 1894, though this could not be publicised at the time
1940
Apr 1:BOAC starts operations, replacing Imperial and British Airways Ltd
May 11: National Government formed under Churchill
May 13: Germany invades France
May 15: Nylon stockings go on sale for the first time in the United States
May 27-Jun 4: Evacuation of British Army at Dunkirk
Jun 25: Fall of France
Aug 21: Trotsky assassinated in Mexico on Stalin's orders
Sep 7: Germany launches bombing blitz on Britain, the first of 57 consecutive nights of bombing
Sep 12: Prehistoric wall paintings found at Lascaux Caves in France
Sep 15: Battle of Britain: massive waves of German air attacks decisively repulsed by the RAF Hitler postpones invasion of Britain
Nov 7: Tacoma Narrows suspension bridge collapses in USA four months after its completion (famously filmed)
Nov 14: Coventry heavily bombed and the Cathedral almost completely destroyed
First successful helicopter flight?? (probably earlier)
Films: Fantasia, The Great Dictator
Hemingway For Whom the Bell Tolls
1941
No census � total British population estimated at 48.2M
May 10: Rudolf Hess flies to Scotland (to offer peace?)
May 27: 'Bismark' sunk
July 1: First Canadian armoured regiments arrive in Britain
Sep 27: First Liberty ship (SS Patrick Henry) launched in Baltimore
Oct 31: Sculptures (George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln) on Mount Rushmore completed � started in 1927
Sunday Dec 7: Japan attackes US fleet at Pearl Harbour
Dec 8: USA enters the War
Dec: Canadian forces given operation role in defending south coast of England
Dec 24: Hong Kong falls to the Japanese
Manhattan Project of nuclear research begins in America
Britain introduces severe rationing
First British jet aircraft flies, based on work of Whittle
Bailey invents his portable military bridge
First use of antibiotics
May 30: Over 1,000 bombers raid Cologne
Jun 4: Battle of Midway
Aug 19: Abortive raid on Dieppe, largely by Canadian troops
Oct 3: First successful launch of V2 rocket in Germany first man-made object to reach space
Oct 3: The world was blessed with me !
Oct 23-Nov 4: Battle of El Alamein Montgomery defeats Rommel
Nov 19: Battle of Stalingrad � in Operation Uranus, Soviet Union forces turn the tide of the German invasion of the USSR
Dec 2: Manhattan Project a team led by Enrico Fermi initiates the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction
Invention of world's first programmable computer by Alan Turing in co-operation with Max Neumann � used to crack German codes
Beveridge Report Social Security and National Insurance
Gilbert Murray founds Oxfam
May 16: 'Dam Buster' raids on Ruhr dams by RAF
Allies invade Italy Benito Mussolini resigns as Italian Dictator, 24 July
Round-the-clock bombing of Germany begins
Nov 30: Tehran Conference Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin meet
Antibiotic Streptomycin isolated by Waksman
1944
Apr 6: PAYE income tax begins
Jun 4: Allies enter Rome
Jun 6: D-Day invasion of Normandy
Jun 12: First V1 flying bombs hit London
Sep 8: First V2 rocket bombs hit London
Sep 11: Allies enter Germany
Dec 16: Battle of the Bulge: German counter-offensive
Butler Education Act: Britain to provide secondary education for all children
1945
Feb 4: Yalta Conference between Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin
Mar 29: Last V1 flying bomb attack
Apr 25: Berlin surrounded by Russian troops
Apr 30: Hitler commits suicide
May 8: VE Day
May 9: Channel Islands liberated
Jun 26: UN Charter signed, in San Francisco
Jul 16: First ever atomic bomb exploded in a test in New Mexico (although there were other forms of atomic device before that, such as the Pile at Stagg Field, first critical on 2nd Dec 1942)
Jul 26: Labour win UK General Election Churchill out of office
Jul 29: BBC Light Programme starts
Aug 6: Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima
Aug 9: Atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki
Aug 15: VJ Day
Sep 2: Japanese surrender was signed aboard USS Missouri
Oct 24: United Nations Organisation comes into existence (charter ratified by the five permanent members of the Security Council Republic of China, France, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and United States and by a majority of the other 46 signatories)
Nov 4: UNESCO founded
Nov 29: The Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia is declared
Dec 5: Loss of 'Flight 19' on a training exercise starts the Bermuda Triangle legend
Dec 27: World Bank established
Ordnance Survey maps Epoch 5 dates range from 1945
Orwell Animal Farm
Flora Thompson Lark Rise to Candleford
1946
Jan 1: First civil flight from Heathrow Airport
Mar 1: Bank of England nationalised
Mar 5: Churchill uses the term 'Iron Curtain' in a speech in Missouri
Transition to National Health Service starts in Britain (came into being 5th July 1948)
Jul 25: US starts nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll hence the name adopted for the garment which 'reveals the most potent forces of nature'!
Sep: First Cannes Film Festival held
Oct 7: Start of Dick Barton, Special Agent on BBC radio until March 1951
Oct 23: First session of new United Nations Organisation held, in Flushing Meadow, New York
Alistair Cooke starts his regularLetter from America on BBC radio until 2004
Russell History of Western Philosophy
O'Neill The Iceman Cometh
1947
Most severe winter in Britain for 53 years at start of the year heavy snow and much flooding later
Jan 1: Coal Mines nationalised
Feb 7: First Dead Sea Scrolls found (discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves)
Feb 23: International Organization for Standardization (ISO) founded
Mar 1: International Monetary Fund begins financial operations
Apr 1: School leaving age raised to 15 in Britain
Aug 14/15: India gains independence: sub-continent partitioned to form India (Secular, Hindu majority) and Pakistan (Islamic)
First British nuclear reactor developed
Oct 14: Chuck Yeager first to break the sound barrier
Oct 26: British military occupation ends in Iraq
Nov 20: Marriage of Princess Elizabeth (later Elizabeth II) and Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey
Tennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire
1948
Jan 1: British Railways nationalised
UN sanctions the creation of the State of Israel first Israel/Arab war
Jan 30: Gandhi assassinated in Delhi
Apr 3: Marshall Plan signed by President Truman for rebuilding the allied countries of Europe (aid had started in 1947 and ended in 1951)
Policy of apartheid starts in South Africa
Jul 1: Berlin airlift starts (to 30 Sep 1949)
Jul 5: National Health Service (NHS) begins in Britain
Jul 29: London Olympics begin
Oct 12: First Morris Minor produced
British Citizenship Act : all Commonwealth citizens qualify for British passports
Transistor radio invented
Long-playing record (LP) invented by Goldmark
Kinsey Report in USA Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male
World Health Organisation (WHO) established as part of UN
200 inch reflecting telescope completed at Mount Palomar, California (construction started in 1936)
'Steady State' theory of the Universe proposed by Bondi and Gold
Mailer The Naked and the Dead
1949
Mar 15: Clothes rationing ends in Britain
Apr 4: Twelve nations sign The North Atlantic Treaty creating NATO
Apr 20: First Badminton Horse Trials held
May 12: Russians lift the Berlin blockade
Aug 29: Russians explode their first atomic bomb
Sep 30: Berlin airlift ends
De Haviland produces the Comet first jet airliner (see 1952 )
Maiden flight of the Bristol Brabazon (broken up in 1953 for scrap)
Orwell 1984, (written in 1948, for which the title in an anagram)
Arthur Miller Death of a Salesman
Film The Third Man
Mar 8: McCarthy begins Inquiry into Un-American Activities (Tydings Committee)
May 19: Points rationing ends in Britain
May 26: Petrol rationing ends in Britain
Jun 25: Korean War starts (to 27 Jul 1953)
Jun 28: England beaten 1-0 at soccer by the USA in the World Cup
Jul 11: Andy Pandy first seen on BBC TV
Sep 9: Soap rationing ends in Britain
Oct 7: China invades Tibet
Dec 28: The Peak District becomes the Britain's first National Park
UN Building completed in New York (opened 9 Jan 1951)
1951
Census: Pop. E&W 43.7M, Scot 5M. NI 1.37M
Jan 1: First episode of The Archers broadcast
May 3: Festival of Britain and Royal Festival Hall open on South Bank, London
May 28: First Goon Show broadcast
Oct 31: Zebra crossings introduced into law in Britain
Dec 20: Electricity first produced by nuclear power, from Experimental Breeder Reactor I in Idaho (see 1962 )
Salinger Catcher in the Rye
Britten Billy Budd
Feb 1: First TV detector van commissioned in Britain
Feb 6: George VI dies; Elizabeth II queen, returns from Kenya
Feb 21: Identity Cards abolished in Britain
Mar 17: Utility furniture and clothing scheme ends
Apr: Kingsway tram tunnel in London closes
May 2: First commercial jet airliner service launched, by BOAC Comet between London and Johannesburg
Jul 5: Last tram runs in London (Woolwich to New Cross)
Aug 16: Lynmouth flood disaster
Sep 6: DH110 crashes at Farnborough Air Show, 26 killed
Sep 29: John Cobb killed in attempt on world water speed record on Loch Ness
Oct 5: End of tea rationing in Britain
Oct 3: Britain explodes her first atomic bomb, in Monte Bello Islands, Australia
Oct 8: Harrow & Wealdstone rail crash, 112 killed
Nov 1: The first H-bomb ever ('Mike') was exploded by the USA � the mushroom cloud was 8 miles across and 27 miles high. The canopy was 100 miles wide. Radioactive mud fell out of the sky followed by heavy rain. 80 million tons of earth was vaporised.
Nov 5: Eisenhower sweeps to power as US President
Nov 14: First regular UK singles chart published by the New Musical Express
Nov 25: Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap opens in London
Dec 4: Great smog hits London
Dec 18: Flower Pot Men first broadcast on TV
Contraceptive pill invented (see 1961 )
Radioactive carbon used for dating prehistoric objects
Bonn Convention: Britain, France and USA end their occupation of West Germany
Becket Waiting for Godot
Hemingway The Old Man and the Sea
Steinbeck East of Eden
1953
Jan 31/Feb 2: Said to be the biggest civil catastrophe in Britain in the 20th century � severe storm and high tides caused the loss of hundreds of lives �- effects travelled from the west coast of Scotland round to the south-east coast of England [The Netherlands were even worse affected with over a thousand deaths]
Feb 5: Sweet rationing ends in Britain
Mar 5: Death of Stalin
Mar 26: Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine
Apr 13: Casino Royale published � first James Bond book by Ian Fleming
Apr 24: Winston Churchill knighted
Apr 25: Francis Crick and James D Watson publish the double helix structure of DNA (see 1962 )
May 29: Everest conquered by Hillary and Tensing
Jun 2: Coronation of Elizabeth II
Jul 27: End of the Korean War
Aug 12: USSR explodes Hydrogen Bomb
Sep 26: Sugar rationing ends in Britain (after nearly 14 years)
Nov 21: Piltdown Man skull declared a hoax by the Natural History Museum
Nov 25: Hungary becomes the first football team outside the British Isles to beat England at home, winning 6-3 at Wembley Stadium
Dec 1: Playboy magazine first published � Marilyn Monroe as centrefold
Dec 10: Pilkington Brothers patent the float glass process
The Quatermass Experiment on TV
Arthur Miller The Crucible
1954
Apr 11: 'The most boring day in history' since 1900? � according to a survey by by True Knowledge, apparently nothing happened worthy of report!
May 6: First sub 4 minute mile (Roger Bannister, 3 mins 59.4 secs)
May 10: Bill Haley and the Comets release Rock Around the Clock
May 29: First sub 5 minute mile by a woman (Diane Leather, 4 mins 59.6 secs)
Jul 3: Food rationing officially ends in Britain
Jul 5: BBC broadcasts its first television news bulletin
Sep 30: First atomic powered sumbmarine USS Nautilus commissioned
First comprehensive school opens in London (Kidbrooke School in the London Borough of Greenwich)
Routemaster bus starts operating in London [or was it 1956?] (see also 2005 )
Nov: First transistor radios sold
Dylan Thomas Under Milk Wood
Golding Lord of the Flies
Tennessee Williams Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
British Top 20 begins first No.1 was Hold My Hand by Don Cornell
1955
Royal Commission on Common Land started � led to 1965 Common Land Registration Act
Jan 16: The Sooty Show first on TV
Apr 7: Anthony Eden becomes Prime Minister
Apr 12: Anti-polio vaccine developed by Jonas Salk declared safe and effective to use (available to public 1 May 1956)
Jul 27: Allied occupation of Austria (after WW2) ends
Sep 22: Commercial TV starts in Britain first advert was for Gibbs SR toothpaste BBC Radio kills off Grace Archer in retaliation
Sep 30: James Dean killed in a car crash
Dec 12: Christopher Cockerell patents the hovercraft
'Mole' self-grip wrench patented by Thomas Coughtrie of Mole & Sons
Nabokov Lolita
Pop music: Bill Haley Rock Around the Clock
1956
Mar 1: Radiotelephony spelling alphabet introduced (Alpha, Bravo, etc)
Apr 17: Premium Bonds first launched � first prizes drawn on 1 Jun 1957
Apr 18: Grace Kelly marries Prince Rainier of Monaco
May 24: The first Eurovision Song Contest is held in Lugano, Switzerland � won by the host nation
Jun 3: 3rd class travel abolished on British Railways (renamed 'Third Class' as 'Second Class', which had been abolished in 1875 leaving just First and Third Class)
Sep 25: Submarine telephone cable under the Atlantic becomes operational
Oct 23: Hungarians protest against Soviet occupation (protest crushed on 4 Nov)
Oct 31: Britain and France invade Suez
Nov 16: Suez canal blocked for a few months (see also 1957 & 1967 )
Britain constructs world's first large-scale nuclear power station in Cumberland
Emergence of the Angry Young Men in English literature
Pop music: Elvis Presley Heartbreak Hotel
1957
Jan 11: Harold Macmillan becomes Prime Minister
Feb 16: BBC TV started to broadcast Six-Five Special, breaking the 'Toddlers' Truce' of no broadcasting 6-7pm
Mar 8: Suez canal reopened by the Egyptians (see 1956 )
Mar 25: Treaty of Rome to create European Economic Community (EEC) of six countries: France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg became operational Jan 1958
Apr 26: First Sky at Night broadcast by BBC � presented by Patrick Moore
May 14: Post-Suez petrol rationing ends
May 15: Britain explodes her first hydrogen bomb, at Christmas Island
Jun 1: Premium Bonds first prizes drawn
June: Frisbee named
Sep 26: West Side Story opens in New York
Jodrell Bank radio telescope became operational just in time for
Oct 4: Sputnik I launched by Soviet Union � first artificial satellite
Nov 3: Sputnik 2 launched by Soviet Union � carried a dog ('Laika')
Dec 4: Lewisham rail disaster 90 killed as two trains collide in thick fog and a viaduct collapses on top of them
Queen's first Christmas TV broadcast
Helvetica typeface developed (in Switzerland)
Which? magazine published in UK
Pop music: Elvis Presley All Shook Up
1958
Jan 31: Launch of Explorer 1 first American satellite
Van Allen radiation belt round the earth confirmed by Explorer 1
Feb 6: Munich air disaster Manchester United team members killed
Feb 25: CND launched
Mar 17: USA launches its first satellite (Vanguard 1) space race with the USSR begins
Easter: First anti-nuclear protest march to Aldermaston (emergence of CND)
May 13: Velcro trade mark registered
Jul 10: Britain's first parking meters installed, Mayfair, London
Jul 26: Charles created Prince of Wales
First life peerages awarded
Race riots in Britain, at Notting Hill and in Nottingham
Aug 3: USS Nautilus travels under the polar ice cap
USA begins to produce Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs)
Electronic computers begin to be used in research, industry and commerce
Stereophonic records come into use
Oct 4: First jet-powered trans-Atlantic service starts (BOAC Comet 4)
Oct 5: Charles de Gaulle establishes Fifth Republic in France and is elected President on 21 Dec
Oct 13: Michael Bond publishes the first Paddington Bear story
Oct 16: Blue Peter first broadcast on TV
Oct 26: First commercial flight of Boeing 707 (NY to Paris)
Dec 5: Inauguration of Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) in Britain (completed in 1979)
Dec 5: Preston by-pass opens UK's first stretch of motorway
The Beatles pop group formed
Radio: Beyond Our Ken starts
Beckett Krapp's Last Tape
Pasternak Dr Zhivago
Pop music: Jerry Lee Lewis Great Balls of Fire; Everly Brothers All I Have to do is Dream
1959
Jan 3: Alaska became the 49th state of the USA
Feb 3: 'The Day The Music Died' plane crash kills Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper
Feb 17: Vanguard 2 satellite launched first to measure cloud-cover distribution
Apr 25: St Lawrence Seaway opens
May 24: Empire Day becomes Commonwealth Day
Aug: BMC Mini car launched
Aug 21: Hawaii becomes 50th State of the USA
Sep 14: USSR crash-lands unmanned Lunik on the moon
Oct 3: Postcodes introduced in Britain
Nov 1: First section of M1 motorway opened
Charles de Gaulle becomes French President
European Free Trade Association (EFTA) established as an alternative to the EEC
Leakey discovers 600,000 year-old human remains in Tanganyika
Films Some Like it Hot and La Dolce Vita
Anouilh Becket
Pop music: Buddy Holly It Doesn't Matter Any More; Cliff Richard Living Doll; Adam Faith What Do You Want
'The Year that changed Jazz': Miles Davis Kind of Blue; Charles Mingus Mingus Ah Um; Dave Brubeck Time Out; Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come
1960
Feb 3: Macmillan 'wind of change' speech in South Africa
Seventeen African colonies become independent this year
Sharpeville Massacre in South Africa
Mar 17: New �1 notes issued by Bank of England
Mar 18: Last steam locomotive of British Railways named
Jul 21: Francis Chichester arrives in New York aboard Gypsy Moth II (took 40 days), winning the first single-handed transatlantic yacht race which he co-founded (see 1967 )
Aug 12: Echo I, the first (passive) communications satellite, launched
Aug: Russian Sputnik 5 orbits carrying two dogs, 40 mice, 2 rats and a variety of plants on board all returned safely
Sep 12: MoT tests on motor vehicles introduced
Sep 29: Nikita Khrushchev disrupts the United Nations General Assembly with a number of angry outbursts
Oct 1: HMS Dreadnought nuclear submarine launched
Nov 2: Penguin Books found not guilty of obscenity in the Lady Chatterley's Lover case
Nov 19: First vertical flight of a Harrier jump-jet, at Dunsfold
Dec 9: First episode of Coronation Street broadcast on 17 Sept 2010 became the world's longest-running TV soap opera currently in production
Dec 31: National Service ended
First lasers demonstrated
International Agreement to reserve Antarctica for scientific research (came into force 23 June 1961)
Pinter The Caretaker
Film: Hitchcock Psycho
Pop music: Eddie Cochran Three Steps to Heaven; Shadows Apache; Beatles first album Please Please Me
1961
Jan 1: Farthing ceases to be legal tender in UK
Jan 20: John F Kennedy becomes US President
Mar 8: First US Polaris submarines arrive at Holy Loch
Mar 13: Black & White �5 notes cease to be legal tender
Mar 14: New English Bible (New Testament) published
Apr 12: Yuri Gagarin first man in space followed shortly afterwards by Alan Shepard on 5th May
Apr 23: Census: Pop. E&W 46M, Scot 5.1M, NI 1.4M
May 1: Betting shops legal in Britain
May 25: John F Kennedy announces his goal to put a "man on the moon" before the end of the decade
Aug 13: Berlin Wall construction starts (wall existed until Nov 1989 )
Oct 10: Volcanic eruption on Tristan da Cunha � whole population evacuated to Britain
Oral contraceptive launched
Private Eye first published in UK
Joseph Heller Catch-22
Pop music: Helen Shapiro Walking Back to Happiness
1962
Feb 20: John Glenn first American in orbit (3 circuits in Friendship 7)
Apr 26: US Ranger 4 crashes on the far side of the Moon without returning any scientific data
May 25: Consecration of new Coventry Cathedral (old destroyed in WW2 blitz) Britten War Requiem
Jun 15: First nuclear generated electricity to supplied National Grid (from Berkeley, Glos)
Jul 10: First TV transmission between US and Europe (Telstar) first live broadcast on 23 Jul
Jul 20: First passenger-carrying hovercraft enters service, along the North Wales Coast from Moreton to Rhyl � but ends Sep 14.
Aug 5: Marilyn Monroe found dead
Aug 5: Nelson Mandela jailed
Aug 6: Jamaica gains full independence from the United Kingdom
Oct 5: First James Bond film Dr No released in UK
Oct 24: Cuba missile crisis � brink of nuclear war
Nov 24: That Was The Week That Was first broadcast on BBC TV
Nov 28: Britain and France agree to construct Concorde (see 1969 )
Dec 22: No frost-free nights in Britain till 5 Mar 1963
Britain passes Commonwealth Immigrants Act to control immigration
Nobel Prize awarded to Watson, Crick, and Wilkins for discovery of molecular structure of DNA (see 1953 )
Thalidomide withdrawn after it causes deformities in babies
Film Jules et Jim
Solzhenitsyn A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Pop music: Beatles Love Me Do
1963
Jan: Cold weather forces cancellation of most football matches (only 4 English First Division matches in the month) the first 'pools panel' created
Mar 27: Beeching Report on British Railways (the 'Beeching Axe')
Jun 5: Secretary of State for War John Profumo resigns in a sex scandal
Jun 16: Valentina Tereshkova first woman in space
Jun 20: The "red telephone" link established between Soviet Union and United States following the Cuban Missile Crisis
Aug 1: Minimum prison age raised to 17
Aug 8: 'Great Train Robbery' on Glasgow to London mail train
Aug 28: Martin Luther King gives his I have a dream speech
Sep 17: Fylingdales (Yorks) early warning system operational
Sep 25: Denning Report on Profumo affair
Nov 18: Dartford Tunnel opens
Nov 22: President Kennedy assassinated in Dallas, Texas; Aldous Huxley died the same day
Nov 23: First episode of Dr Who on BBC TV
France vetoes Britain's entry into EEC
Pop music: Beatles achieve international fame release of Please Please Me, From Me to You, She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand
Rachel Carson Silent Spring, on the effects of chemical pesticides on the environment
Film The Birds
Jan 1: First 'Top of the Pops' on BBC TV
Feb 7: The Beatles arrive on their first visit to the United States
Feb 25: Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) beats Sonny Liston
Mar 28: Pirate radio ship Radio Caroline starts broadcasting
Apr 9: First Greater London Council (GLC) election
Apr 21: BBC2 TV starts
Jul 31: US Ranger 7 sends back 4,000 photos from the moon before impact
Aug 22: Match of the Day starts on BBC2
Sep 4: Forth road bridge opens
Sep 15: The Sun newspaper founded in Britain, replacing the Daily Herald
Oct 16: Harold Wilson becomes Prime Minister
Oct 16: China explodes an atomic bomb
CP Snow Corridors of Power
Films Dr Strangelove and A Fistful of Dollars
Pop music: Beatles Can't Buy Me Love, A Hard Day's Night, I Feel Fine; Rolling Stones It's All Over Now, Little Red Rooster; Animals House of the Rising Sun; Chuck Berry No Particular Place to Go
1965
Jan 24: Winston Churchill dies age 90
Feb 7: First US raids against North Vietnam
Feb 25: I'll Never Find Another You by The Seekers No.1 in UK
Mar 18: Cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov becomes the first man to 'walk' in space
Apr 6: Launch of Early Bird commercial communications satellite
Jul 16: Mont Blanc road tunnel opens (begun in 1957 )
Aug 1: TV ban on cigarette advertising in Britain
Aug 5: Common Land Registration Act � people who thought they still held common rights had to register them
Aug 15: The Beatles play at Shea Stadium in New York City
Sep 21: Oil strike by BP in North Sea (or natural gas?)
Oct 8: Post Office Tower operational in London
Oct 28: Death penalty for murder suspended in Britain for five-year trial period, then abolished 18 Dec 1969
Nov 11: Declaration of UDI in Rhodesia
Dec 22: 70mph speed limit on British roads
Britain enacts first Race Relations Act
Pop music: Beatles Ticket to Ride, Help!, Day Tripper; Rolling Stones The Last Time; Kinks Tired of Waiting for You; Byrds Mr Tambourine Man; Bob Dylan Like a Rolling Stone
1966
Feb 3: Soft landing on moon by unmanned Luna 9 followed by Surveyor 1
Feb 14: Australia converts from £ to $
Mar 23: Archbishop of Canterbury meets Pope in Rome
May 3: The Times begins to print news on its front page in place of classified advertisements
May 16: Seamen's strike begins (ended 1 Jul)
Jul 30: World Cup won by England at Wembley (4-2 in extra time v West Germany)
Sep 8: First Severn road bridge opens
Oct 21: Aberfan disaster � slag heap slip kills 144, incl. 116 children
Dec 1: First Christmas stamps issued in Britain
Eighteen new universities were created in Britain between 1961�1966
Pop music: Sinatra Strangers in the Night; Beach Boys Good Vibrations
1967
Jan 4: Donald Campbell dies attempting to break his world water speed record on Conniston Water his body and Bluebird recovered in 2002
Jan 27: Three US astronauts killed in fire during Apollo launch pad test
Mar 18: Torrey Canyon oil tanker runs aground off Lands End � first major oil spill
May 25: Celtic become the first British team to win the European Cup
May 28: Francis Chichester arrives in Plymouth after solo circumnavigation in Gipsy Moth IV (he was knighted 7th July at Greenwich by the queen using the sword with which Elizabeth I had knighted Sir Francis Drake four centuries earlier see 1581 )
Jun 5-10: Six Day War in Middle East closes Suez Canal for 8 years (until 1975 )
Jun 27: First withdrawal from a cash dispenser (ATM) in Britain at Enfield branch of Barclays
Jul 1: First colour TV in Britain
Jul 13: Public Record Act � records now closed for only 30 years (but the census is still closed for 100 years)
Jul 18: Withdrawal from East of Suez by mid-70s announced
Aug 14: Offshore pirate radio stations declared illegal by the UK
Sep 3: Sweden changes rule of road to drive on right
Sep 20: QE2 launched on Clydebank
Sep 27: Queen Mary arrives Southampton at end of her last transatlantic voyage
Sep 30: BBC Radios 1, 2, 3 & 4 open � first record played on Radio 1 was the controversial Flowers in the Rain by 'The Move'
Oct 5: Introduction of majority verdicts in English courts
Oct 9: Che Guevara killed in Bolivia becomes a cult hero
Oct 18: Russian spacecraft Venus IV became first successful probe to perform in-place analysis of the environment of another planet
Dec 3: First human heart transplant (in South Africa by Christiaan Barnard)
Richard Leakey discovers ancient human fossil remains in the Omo River valley in Ethiopia
McLuhan The Medium is the Message
Film The Graduate
Stoppard Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
Pop music: Monkees I'm a Believer; Beatles All You Need is Love, Sgt Pepper; Procul Harem A Whiter Shade of Pale
1968
Jan 30: Tet Offensive begins in Vietnam
Feb 18: British Standard Time introduced Summer Time became permanent [which I remember thinking was a great idea!], but contrary arguments prevailed and we reverted to GMT in October 1971 :(
Apr 18: London Bridge sold (and eventually moved to Arizona) modern London Bridge, built around it as it was demolished, was opened in Mar 1973
Apr 20: Enoch Powell 'Rivers of Blood' speech on immigration
Apr 23: Issue of 5p and 10p decimal coins in Britain
May 10: Student riots in Paris
May 29: Manchester United first English club to win the European Cup
Jun 5: Robert F Kennedy shot dies next day
Jul 29: Pope encyclical condemns all artificial forms of birth control
Aug 11: Last steam passenger train service ran in Britain (CarlisleLiverpool)
Aug: Soviets crush freedom movement in Czechoslovakia
Sep 15: Severe flooding in England
Sep 16: Two-tier postal rate starts in Britain
Sep 27: Hair opens in London
Oct 5: Beginning of disturbances in N Ireland
Commenwealth Immigration Act further restricts immigrants
Martin Luther King (Apr 4) and Robert Kennedy (Jun 6) both assassinated in USA
Christmas: Apollo 8 orbits the moon with a crew of 3 and returns to Earth safely
The term Pulsar first used for radio stars emitting regular pulses of energy
Film 2001
Pop music: Rolling Stones Jumping Jack Flash; Beatles Hey Jude; Status Quo Pictures of Matchstick Men
1969
Jan 30: The Beatles' last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London
Mar 2: Maiden flight of Concorde, at Toulouse
Mar 7: Victoria Line tube opens in London
Mar: B&Q (first DIY superstore) founded in Southampton by Richard Block and David Quayle
Apr 17: Voting age lowered from 21 to 18
May 2: Maiden voyage of liner Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2)
Jul 1: Investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle
Jul 20/21: Apollo 11 First men land on the moon (Neil Armstrong & Buzz Aldrin)
Jul 31: Halfpenny ceases to be legal tender in Britain
Aug 8: Iconic photograph taken of The Beatles crossing the zebra crossing on Abbey Road, London
Aug 14: Civil disturbances in Ulster Britain sends troops to support civil authorities
Aug 15-18: Woodstock Music Festival in NY State attracts 300,000 fans
Sep 7: First episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus recorded
Oct 14: 50p coin introduced in Britain (reduced in size 1998)
Nov 19: Apollo 12 second manned landing on the moon (Charles Conrad & Alan Bean)
Dec 18: Death penalty for murder abolished in Britain (had already been suspended since Oct 1965)
Open University established in Britain, teaching via radio and TV (first students started Jan 1971)
Labour Government issues White Paper In Place of Strife attempts to reform the Trades Union movement
Roth Portnoy's Complaint
Films Easy Rider and Midnight Cowboy
Pop music: Marvin Gaye I Heard it on the Grapevine; Beatles Abbey Road
1970
Mar 16: Publication of complete New English Bible
Apr 11: Apollo 13 launched oxygen tank explosion aborted the moon landing mission two days later successfully returned to Earth on 17 Apr
Jun 17: Decimal postage stamps first issued for sale in Britain
Jun 19: Edward Heath becomes Prime Minister
Jul 30: Damages awarded to Thalidomide victims
Sep 19: First Glastonbury Festival held
Nov 20: Ten shilling note (50p after decimalisation) goes out of circulation in Britain
Boeing 747 (Jumbo jet) goes into service
Film MASH
Pop music: Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water
1971
Jan 1: Divorce Reform Act (1969) comes into force
Jan 3: Open University starts
Feb 15: Decimalisation of coinage in UK and Republic of Ireland
Aug 9: Internment without trial introduced in N Ireland
Aug 10: First of the 'Mr Men' books by Roger Hargreaves published
Oct 28: Parliament votes to join Common Market (joined 1973)
Oct 28: UK launches its first (and for many years only) satellite, Prospero
Nov 13: Mariner 9, becomes the first spacecraft to orbit another planet (Mars)
Banking and Financial Dealings Act replaced the Bank Holidays Act of 1871
Sunday becomes the seventh day in the week as UK adopts decision of the International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) to call Monday the first day
'Greenpeace' founded
Pop music: Led Zeppelin Stairway to Heaven recorded in Headley Grange
1972
Jan 30: 'Bloody Sunday' in Derry, Northern Ireland
Feb 9: Power workers crisis
Mar 2: Pioneer 10 launches, carrying a plaque featuring the nude figures of a human male and female along with several symbols that are designed to provide information about the origin of the spacecraft
May 22: Ceylon changes its name to Sri Lanka
May 28: Duke of Windsor (ex-King Edward VIII) dies in Paris
Oct 5: United Reformed Church founded out of Congregational and Presbyterian Churches in E&W
Oct 10: John Betjeman becomes Poet Laureate
Dec 7: Last manned moon mission, Apollo 17, launched crew take the ' Blue marble ' photograph of earth
Britain imposes direct rule in Northern Ireland
Strict anti-hijack measures introduced internationally, especially at airports
1973
Jan 1: Britain enters EEC Common Market (with Ireland and Denmark)
Jan 27: Vietnam ceasefire agreement signed
Mar 17: Modern London Bridge opened by the Queen
Apr 1: VAT introduced in Britain
Apr 3: First call made (in New York) on a portable cellular phone
May 14: Skylab launched
Sep 26: Concorde makes its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record-breaking time
Oct 6: Yom Kippur War precipitates world oil crisis
Oct 22: Sydney Opera House opens
Oct 14: Marriage of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips in Westminster Abbey
Dec 31: Miners strike and oil crisis precipitate 'three-day week' (till 9 Mar 1974) to conserve power
Pop music: Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon
1974
Jun1: Flixborough disaster: explosion at chemical plant kills 28 people
Jun 26: First scanning of a barcoded product (a 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit gum at Marsh's Supermarket in Troy, Ohio)
Aug 8: President Nixon resigns over Watergate scandal
Nov 7: Lord Lucan disappears
Nov 21: Birmingham pub bombings by the IRA
Dec 5: Last episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus broadcast on BBC
Several new 'counties' formed in Britain
US Mariner satellite transmits detailed pictures of Venus and Mercury
India becomes the sixth nation to explode a nuclear device
1975
Jan: First personal computer (Altair 8800) introduced (others say the Apple II in 1977) [see 1981 ]
Feb 11: Margaret Thatcher becomes leader of Conservative party (in opposition)
Feb 28: Moorgate tube crash in London over 43 deaths, greatest loss of life on the Underground in peacetime. The cause of the incident was never conclusively determined
Mar 4: Charlie Chaplin knighted
Apr 30: End of Vietnam war
Jun 5: Suez canal reopens (after 8 years closure)
Jun 5: UK votes in a referendum to stay in the European Community
Jul 5: Arthur Ashe wins Wimbledon singles title
Jul 17: American Apollo and Soviet Soyuz spacecraft dock in orbit
Oct 29: 'Yorkshire Ripper' commits his first murder
Nov 3: First North Sea oil comes ashore
Nov 20: General Franco dies in Spain; Juan Carlos declared King
Nov 29: The name 'Micro-soft' coined by Bill Gates (Microsoft' became a Trademark the following year)
Dec 27: Equal Pay Act and Sex Discrimination Act come into force
Unemployment in Britain rises above 1M for first time since before WW2
Dutch Elm disease devastates trees across UK
Domestic video cassette recorders introduced
West Indies win the first cricket World Cup
Film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Pop music: Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here; Queen Night at the Opera
1976
Jan 21: Concorde enters supersonic passenger service [see 2000 ]
Jan 31: Mamma Mia by Abba No.1 in UK
Aug 6: Drought Act 1976 comes into force the long, hot summer
'Cod War' between Britain and Iceland
Deaths exceeded live births in E&W for first time since records began in 1837
James Callaghan becomes Prime Minister
Death of Mao Tse-tung
Apr 1: Apple Computer formed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
Viking 1 & Viking 2 landed on Mars
National Theatre opens in London
1977
Apr 2: Red Rum wins a third Grand National
May 25: George Lucas' film Star Wars released
Jun 1: Road speed limits: 70mph dual roads; 60mph single
Jun 5: Apple II, the first practical personal computer, goes on sale
Jun 7: Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in London
Jun 30: Virginia Wade wins the Ladies Singles title at Wimbledon
Aug 16: Elvis Presley dies
Astronomers observe rings round Uranus
Oct 26: Eradication of smallpox world-wide declared by WHO (certified in 1979)
Nov 22: Regular supersonic Concorde service betweeen London and NY inaugurated
Pop music: Wings Mull of Kintyre; rise of Punk bands such as 'The Sex Pistols'
1978
Apr 8: Regular broadcast of proceedings in Parliament starts
May 1: First May Day holiday in Britain
Jul 25: World's first 'test tube' baby, Louise Browne born in Oldham
Oct 15: Pope John Paul II elected a Pole, and first non-Italian for 450 years died 2 Apr 2005
Nov 30: Publication of The Times suspended � industrial relations problems (until 13 Nov 1979)
Film The Deer Hunter
Pop music: Fleetwood Mac Rumours
1979
Jan 6: YMCA by Village People reached No.1 in UK
Feb 1: Ayatollah Khomeini returns to Iran
Mar 1: 32.5% of Scots vote in favour of devolution (40% needed) � Welsh vote overwhelmingly against
Mar 30: Airey Neave killed by a car bomb at Westminster
Mar 31: Withdrawal of Royal Navy from Malta
Apr 30: Jubilee Line opens on London Underground system
May 4: Margaret Thatcher becomes first woman UK Prime Minister
Jul 1: Sony introduces the Walkman
Aug 27: Lord Mountbatten and 3 others killed in bomb blast off coast of Sligo, Ireland
Sep 18: ILEA votes to abolish corporal punishment in its schools
Oct: VisiCalc spreadsheet released in USA
Nov 13: The Times returns to circulation
Dec 1: Lancaster House agreement to give Southern Rhodesia independence (became Zimbabwe on 18 Apr 1980)
Dec 18: Sound barrier exceeded on land for first time
1980
May 4: Death of President Tito of Yugoslavia
May 5: SAS storm Iranian Embassy in London to free hostages
Dec 8: John Lennon assassinated in New York
'Solidarity' formed by unions in Poland
'Stealth' bomber developed by USA
Film The Elephant Man
Jan 10: Imagine by John Lennon No.1 in UK
Jan 25: Launch of SDP by 'Gang of Four' in Britain
Mar 29: First London marathon run
Apr 5: Census day in Britain
Apr 11: Brixton riots in South London 30 other British cities also experience riots
Apr 12: First US Space Shuttle (Columbia) launched see 2011 for last Space Shuttle flight
Apr 25: Worst April blizzards this century in Britain
Apr 27: First use of computer mouse (by Xerox PARC system)
June: First cases of AIDS recognised in California
Jul 17: Queen opens the Humber Estuary Bridge
Jul 29: Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (divorced 28 Aug 1996 )
Aug 12: IBM launches its PC starts the general use of personal computers
Film Chariots of Fire
Jan 26: Unemployment reached 3 million in Britain (1 in 8 of working population)
Feb 5: Laker Airways collapses
Feb 19: DeLorean Car factory in Belfast goes into receivership
Mar 18: Argentinians raised flag in South Georgia
Apr 2: Argentina invades Falkland (Malvinas) Islands
Apr 5: Royal Navy fleet sails from Portsmouth for Falklands
May 2: British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror sinks Argentine cruiser General Belgrano
May 28: First land battle in Falklands (Goose Green)
May 29: Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope pray together in Canterbury Cathedral
Jun 14: Ceasefire in Falklands
Jun 21: Birth of Prince William of Wales
Jul 20: IRA bombings in London (Hyde Park and Regents Park)
Sep 19: Smiley emoticon :-) said to have been used for the first time
Oct 11: Mary Rose raised in the Solent (sank in 1545 )
Oct 31: Thames Barrier raised for first time (some say first public demonstration Nov 7)
Nov 2: Channel 4 TV station launched first programme 'Countdown'
Nov 4: Lorries up to 38 tonnes allowed on Britain's roads
Dec 12: Women's peace protest at Greenham Common (Cruise missiles arrived 14 Nov 1983)
First permanent artificial heart fitted in Salt Lake City
Film ET
Jan 17: Start of breakfast TV in Britain
Jan 25: Spreadsheet Lotus 1-2-3 released
Jan 31: Seat belt law comes into force
Apr 21: �1 coin into circulation in Britain
Oct 7: Plans to abolish GLC announced
Nov 26: Brinks Mat robbery: 6,800 gold bars worth nearly �26 million are stolen from a vault at Heathrow Airport
First female Lord Mayor of London elected (Dame Mary Donaldson)
Pop music: Michael Jackson Thriller
1984
Jan 9: FTSE index exceeded 800
Jan 24: Apple Macintosh computer introduced in USA
Mar 6: Miners strike begins
Apr 17: Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher killed by gunfire from the Libyan Embassy in London
Jun 22: Inaugural flight of Virgin Atlantic
Jul 9: York Minster struck by lightning � the resulting fire damaged much of the building but the "Rose Window" not affected
Oct 12: IRA bomb explodes at Tory conference hotel in Brighton � 4 killed
Oct 24: Miners' strike High Court orders sequestration of NUM assets
Oct 31: Indira Gandhi assassinated
Dec 3: British Telecom privatised � shares make massive gains on first day's trading
Dec 3: Bhopal disaster in India
Dec 15: Pop Music: Band Aid Do they know it's Christmas? reaches No.1
Dec 20: Summit Tunnel Fire near Todmorton
George Orwell got it wrong? (in his book '1984', written in 1948)
1985
Mar 3: Miners agree to call off strike
Mar 11: Al Fayed buys Harrods
Mar 18: First episode of Neighbours in Australia
May 29: Heysel Stadium disaster in Brussels
Jun 14: Schengen Agreement on abolition of border controls agreed between Belgium, France, West Germany, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands � not implemented until 26 Mar 1995 when it also included Spain & Portugal � by 2007 there are 30 states included
Jul 13: Live Aid pop concert raises over �50M for famine relief
Sep 1: Wreck of Titanic found (sank 1912)
1986
Mar 31: GLC and 6 metropolitan councils abolished
Apr 26: Chernobyl nuclear accident � radiation reached Britain on 2 May
May 7: Mannie Shinwell, veteran politician, dies aged 101
May 26: The European Community adopts the European flag
Jul 23: Prince Andrew, Duke of York marries Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey
Oct 27: 'Big Bang' (deregulation) of the London Stock Market
Oct 29: M25 ring round London completed with the section between J22 and J23 (London Colney and South Mimms)
Dec 23: Safe landing of first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling (took 9 days, 3 minutes and 44 seconds)
1987
Feb 2: Terry Waite kidnapped in Beirut (released 17 Nov 1991)
Mar 6: Car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes off Zeebrugge � 188 die
Jul 1: Excavation begins on the Channel Tunnel (see 1990 & 1994 )
Aug 19: Hungerford Massacre � Michael Ryan kills sixteen people with a rifle
Oct 16: The 'Hurricane' sweeps southern England
Oct 19: 'Black Monday' in the City of London � Stock Market crash
Nov 8: Enniskillen bombing at a Remembrance Day ceremony
Nov 18: King's Cross fire in London � 31 people die
World population crossed the 5 billion mark
1988
Feb 5: First 'Red Nose Day' in UK, raising money for charity
Mar 11: Bank of England £1 notes cease to be legal tender
Jul 6: Piper Alpha disaster � North Sea oil platform destroyed by explosion and fire killing 167 men
Nov 15: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act � reformulated the statutory basis of copyright law (including performing rights) in the UK
Dec 12: Clapham Junction rail crash kills 35 and injures hundreds after two collisions of three commuter trains
Dec 21: Lockerbie disaster � Pan Am flight 103 explodes over Scotland
Order of the Garter opened to women
1989
Jan 8: Kegworth air disaster � a British Midland flight crashes into the M1 motorway
Feb 14: Fatwa issued against Salman Rushdie for The Satanic Verses
Feb 14: The first of 24 satellites of the Global Positioning System is placed into orbit
Mar 2: EU decision to ban production of all chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) by the end of the century
Poll Tax implemented in Scotland
Jun 5: Tanks stopped in Tiananmen Square, Peking by unknown protester
Nov 9: Berlin Wall torn down
Nov 21: Proceedings of House of Commons first televised live
Second edition of Oxford English Dictionary published
1990
Feb 11: Nelson Mandela released in South Africa
Mar 31: Riots in London against Poll Tax which had been implemented in England & Wales
Apr 25: Hubble space telescope launched
Aug 2: Iraq invades Kuwait
Oct 3: German reunification
Nov 22: Margaret Thatcher resigns as Conservative party leader (and Prime Minister) John Major elected
Dec 1: Channel Tunnel excavation teams meet in the middle
1991
Poll Tax replaced (by Council Tax)
May 18: Helen Sharman is first British Astronaut in Space
Aug: Collapse of the Soviet Union
Sep 6: Leningrad renamed St Petersburg
Nov 5: Robert Maxwell drowns at sea
Internet begins
Feb 7: European Union formed by The Maastricht Treaty [see 1993 ]
Apr 22: Betty Boothroyd elected as first female Speaker of the House of Commons
Aug 15: Football Premier League kicks off in England
Sep 16: 'Black Wednesday' as Pound leaves the ERM
Nov 20: Fire breaks out in Windsor Castle causing over �50 million worth of damage
Nov 24: The Queen describes this year as an Annus Horribilis
1993
Jul: Ratification of Maastricht Treaty, established the European Union (EU)
Betty Boothroyd first woman Speaker of the House of Commons (to 2000)
Elizabeth II becomes first British Monarch to pay Income Tax
1994
Mar 12: Church of England ordains its first female priests
May 6: Channel Tunnel open to traffic
Nov 19: National Lottery starts
15 million people connected to the Internet by now
1995
Feb 26: Nick Leeson brings down Barings
Jul 15: First item sold on Amazon.com
Nov 16: The Queen Mother has a hip replacement operation at 95 years old
Nov 22: Toy Story released first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery
Dec 7: Galileo spacecraft arrives at Jupiter (launched from shuttle 18 Oct 1989)
1996
Feb 9: IRA bomb explodes in London Docklands ends 17 month ceasefire
Mar 13: Dunblane massacre
Jun 15: IRA bomb explodes in Manchester
Jul 5: Scientists in Scotland clone a sheep (Dolly)
Aug 28: Charles, Prince of Wales and Diana, Princess of Wales are divorced
BSE beef scare in UK
1997
Mar 30: Channel 5 TV begins in UK (launched by the Spice Girls)
Apr 1: Hale-Bopp comet at its brightest
May 1: 'New' Labour landslide victory in Britain (Tony Blair replaces John Major as Prime Minister)
May 6: Announcement that Bank of England to be made independent of Government control
May 11: First time a computer beats a master at chess (IBM's Deep Blue v Garry Kasparov)
Jun 30: Publication of first Harry Potter novel Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Jul 1: Hong Kong returned to China
Jul 4: Landing by American 'Pathfinder Rover' on Mars
Jul 19: IRA declares a ceasefire
Aug 31: Diana, Princess of Wales killed in car crash in Paris
Sep 25: Land speed record breaks sound barrier for first time Wing Commander Andy Green in Thrust SSC at Black Rock Desert, USA
1998
Apr 10: Good Friday peace agreement in Northern Ireland � effectively implemented in May 2007
Aug 14: Car bomb explodes in Omagh killing 29 people
Sep 27: Google search engine founded
Nov 20: First module of the International Space Station launched
Dec 19: US President Bill Clinton is impeached over Monica Lewinsky scandal
Film Titanic wins 11 Oscars
1999
Jan 1: European Monetary Union begins � UK opts out � by the end of the year the Euro has approximately the same value as the US Dollar
Mar: First circumnavigation of the earth in a hot-air balloon (Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones)
Jul 1: The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth � powers are officially transferred from the Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh
Aug 11: Total eclipse of the sun visible in Devon and Cornwall
Nov 11: Hereditary Peers no longer have right to sit in House of Lords
Dec: Separate parliaments created for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (but not for England)
World population reaches 6 billion (estimate)
2000
Jan 1: Millennium celebrations postponed due to widespread computer failures! � only joking!! � The year in Britain started with a 'flu bug rather than a millennium bug
Millennium Dome at Greenwich got off to a bad start when Press and celebratories were left queuing for tickets in the rain, and they never forgave it the project was dogged by problems all year and became the butt of jokes
Mar: London Eye opens, late but popular
Apr 22: The Big Number Change takes place in the UK � new telephone dialling codes assigned to Cardiff, Coventry, London, Northern Ireland, Portsmouth and Southampton
May 4: Ken Livingstone elected first Mayor of London (not to be confused with Lord Mayor of London!)
Jun 10: Millennium footbridge over the Thames opens, but wobbles and is quickly declared dangerous and closed finally reopened Feb 2002
Jul 25: A chartered Air France Concorde crashes on take-off at Paris with loss of all lives debris on the runway blamed for causing fuel to escape and catch fire, and all Concordes grounded until 7 November 2001
Sep: 'People Power' emerged suddenly as protestors against high Road Fuel Tax used mobile phones and the Internet to co-ordinate blockades on fuel depots resulted in nationwide panic buying of fuel and service stations running out across the country
Oct 17: Derailment at speed on the main London-North eastern line at Hatfield caused by a broken rail Railtrack put restrictions on the rest of the network while all other suspect locations were checked
Oct/Nov/Dec: Heavy rains cause worst flooding since records began (1850s) in many parts of Britain
Nov 2: First crew arrive at the International Space Station.
Nov 14: New Prayer Book introduced in Anglican Church the way this year's going, we need it!
Dec: US Presidential election goes to a penalty shoot out!
World population crossed the 6 billion mark
2001
Jan 1: Real millennium celebrations begin!! ;-)
Jan 15: Wikipedia goes on-line
Feb: Outbreak of Foot & Mouth disease in UK lasted until October caused postponement of local and general elections from May to June
Feb 15: First draft of the complete human genome published in Nature
Mar 23: Mir space station successfully ditched in the Pacific
Apr 29: UK Census Day
May 12: FA Cup Final played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff first time away from Wembley since 1922
June 7: General Election Labour returned again with a large majority, the first time they had succeeded in gaining a second term but turnout lowest since 1918
Sep 1: New-style number plates on road vehicles in UK [eg. AB 51 ABC]
Sep 11: Terrorist attack on the United States commercial planes hi-jacked and crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Centre (destroying it) and one section of the Pentagon
Oct 23: iPod launched by Apple
Nov 7: Concorde flights resume after modifications to tyres and fuel tanks (see 2003 )
Nov: I publish my first book by 'Print on Demand' method - see tips on self-publishing
Dec 15: The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years, still leaning
UK Christmas stamps self-adhesive for the first time (self-adhesive 1st & 2nd class definitives already on sale)
2002
Jan 1: Twelve major countries in Europe (Austria, Belgium, Holland, Irish Republic, Italy, Luxembourg, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Portugal) and their dependents start using the Euro instead of their old national currencies; the UK stays out the Euro worth 62�p at this time
Jan 2: UK 1901 census details available
Feb 22: Millennium Bridge over the Thames in London finally opens
Mar 30: The Queen Mother dies, aged 101 years
Jun 3&4: Two Bank Holidays declared in UK to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee
Jul 2: Steve Fossett becomes the first person to fly solo around the world nonstop in a balloon
2003
Feb 1: Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrates during re-entry, killing all seven astronauts aboard
Feb 17: Start of Congestion Charge for traffic entering central London
Aug 10: Temperatures reach record high of 101 F (38.3 C) in Kent
Oct 24: Last commercial flight of Concorde
Nov 22: England wins Rugby World Cup in nail-biting final in Australia first northern hemisphere team to do this
Dec 13: Saddam Hussein captured near his home town of Tikrit (executed 30 Dec 2006 )
Dec 26: Queen Mary 2 arrives in Southampton from the builder's yard in France
2004
Mar 29: Alistair Cooke dies at the age of 95 until four weeks previously, and since 1946 , he had broadcast his regular 'Letter from America' on BBC radio
Mar 29: Ireland becomes first country in the world to ban smoking in public places
May 1: Enlargement of the European Union to include 25 members by the entry of 10 new states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus.
2005
Feb 16: Kyoto Protocol on climate change came into force
Feb 18: Ban on hunting with dogs came into force in England & Wales (had already been a similar law for about two years in Scotland)
Apr 2: Death of Pope John Paul II, first non-Italian Pope for 450 years when elected in 1978
Apr 19: Pope Benedict XVI elected first German Pope for about 1,000 years
Jul 6: London chosen as venue for the 2012 Olympic Games
Jul 7: Suicide bombers attack London for the first time
Jul 28: IRA declare an end to their 'armed struggle'
Sep 12: England regain the 'Ashes' after a gripping Test series (but are whitewashed 5-0 in the return series in Australia 2007)
Nov 22: Angela Merkel becomes first female Chancellor of Germany
Nov 30: John Sentamu becomes Archbishop of York; the first black archbishop in the Church of England
Dec 9: Last Routemaster bus runs on regular service in London (see 1954 )
Dec 11: Explosions at the Buncefield Oil Depot in Hemel Hempstead
Dec 21: Same-sex civil partnerships begin famously, on this day, between Elton John and David Furnish
2006
Mar 1: Welsh Assembly Building opened by the Queen
Mar 26: Prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places in Scotland
Apr 21: 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II
Aug 21: UK postage rates start to be measured by size as well as by weight
Aug 24: Redefinition of the word 'planet' excludes Pluto
Dec 30: Saddam Hussein executed
2007
Jan 1: Further enlargement of the European Union to include Bulgaria and Romania
Feb 19: Extension of Congestion Charge zone for London, westwards
May 8: A Northern Ireland Executive formed under the leadership of Ian Paisley (DUP) and Martin McGuinness (Sinn Fein)
Jun 27: Tony Blair resigns as Prime Minister after 10 years replaced by Gordon Brown
Jul 1: Prohibition of smoking in enclosed public places in England (thus completing cover of the entire UK)
Jul 21: Seventh and final Harry Potter book released
Oct 25: First commercial flight of Airbus A380 (Singapore to Sydney)
Nov 14: First rail service direct from St Pancras to France (replacing that from Waterloo)
2008
Jan 21: Stock markets around the world plunge fueled by the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis
Feb 22: Northern Rock the first bank in Europe to be taken into state control
Apr 22: Surgeons at London's Moorfields Eye Hospital perform the first operations using bionic eyes, implanting them into two blind patients
Sep 19: Large Hadron Collider operations halted after 8 days due to a serious fault between two superconducting bending magnets
Nov 4: Barack Obama elected the 44th President of the United States
Nov 11: RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 departs on her last voyage from Southampton to Dubai to become a floating hotel
Dec 10: Sark holds its first fully democratic elections
Dec: Woolworths close all their UK stores
2009
Jan 12: UK 1911 census details released early with one column of information hidden from view. The full data was not released until 2012
Feb 2: During this week the heaviest snowfall in 18 years disrupts air and road traffic and closes schools across much of the UK
Mar 5: Bank of England reduces interest rate to a record low of 0.5% (but see 2016 )
Jul 21: England beat Australia in a cricket Test Match at Lord's for the first time in 75 years
Oct 1: Supreme Court replaces the Law Lords in Parliament as the last court of appeal in UK in all matters other than criminal cases in Scotland
Dec 13: Circle Line on the London Underground system to include the spur to Hammersmith; regular 'Javelin' high speed train service starts between St Pancras and Ashford, Kent
Dec 19: Eurostar rail service through the Channel tunnel disrupted for some days due to the wrong sort of snow in France!
2010
Apr 15: Eyjafjallaj�kull eruption in Iceland closes airspace over north-western Europe for 6 days it was very peaceful!
May 11: Coalition Government formed in UK (Conservative & Lib-Dem)
Oct 13: In a blaze of publicity 33 miners successfully rescued from a deep copper mine in Chile
2011
Jan 4: Start of the 'Arab spring' riots
Jan 7: England win the Ashes in Australia
Jan 18: Last roll of Kodachrome processed
Mar 11: Tsunami hits Japan causing an emergency at the Fukushima nuclear power station
Mar 27: UK Census Day
Apr 29: The wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Kate Middleton takes place in London
May 2: Osama bin Laden killed in Pakistan by American forces
Jul 10: Last edition of the News of the World (No. 8,674) printed paper closed down due to 'phone hacking' scandal (see 1843 )
Jul 21: Last Space Shuttle mission touches down
2012
Mar 13: After 244 years since its first publication, the Encyclopaedia Britannica discontinues its print edition (see 1768 )
Jun 4&5: Two Bank Holidays declared in UK to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
Jul 4: Discovery of the Higgs boson confirmed at the Large Hadron Collider
Jul 27-Aug 12: London hosts the Olympic Games
Aug 6: Curiosity rover successfully lands on Mars
Aug 29-Sep 9: London hosts the Paralympic Games
Sep 12: Skeleton found under a car park in Leicester declared to be that of of King Richard III (1452- 1485 )
Oct 14: Felix Baumgartner becomes the first person to break the sound barrier without any machine assistance during a space dive from a balloon 24 miles high
Nov 29: Findings of the Leveson Inquiry into the British media announced
Despite beginning with drought in some areas, 2012 was the second wettest year on record in the UK and the wettest ever in England
2013
Feb 15: A meteor explodes over the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, injuring 1,491 people and damaging over 4,300 buildings. It is the most powerful meteor observed to strike Earth's atmosphere in over a century
Feb 28: Pope Benedict XVI resigns, becoming the first pope to do so since Gregory XII in 1415, and the first to do so voluntarily since Celestine V in 1294
Dec 14: Chinese spacecraft Chang'e 3, carrying the Yutu rover, becomes the first spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon since 1976
2014
Feb 26: Russia annexes Crimea from Ukraine
Mar 8: Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 disappears with 239 people on board � presumed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean
Jul 17: Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 crashes in Ukraine, after being shot down by a missile, killing 298 people
Nov 12: Philae lands on comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko
2015
Mar 6: Spacecraft Dawn put into orbit round Ceres
Mar 26: Richard III reburied in Leicester Cathedral over 500 years after his death
Jul 14: Fly-by of Pluto by New Horizons
2016
May 2: Leicester City FC win the English Premier League � 5,000-1 outsiders at the start of the season
Jun 23: UK Referendum results in a small majority in favour of leaving the European Union
Jun 27: England knocked out of the Euro 2016 football competition by Iceland, who play no domestic professional football
Aug 5: Bank of England reduces interest rate to another record low of 0.25% (see 2009 )
Sep: Bank of England introduces the plastic £5 note
Sep 30: The Rosetta probe makes its final landing on comet 67P/Churyumov�Gerasimenko
| Window tax |
John Gay's musical play, 'The Beggar's Opera' features a highwayman, who is known by which surname? | Holly | Durham Records Online Library | Page 6
Durham Records Online Library
Available Parish Registers at Durham Record Office
St. Mary the Virgin, (Old) Seaham, Baptisms 1646-1861
St. Mary the Virgin, (Old) Seaham, Marriages 1652-1967
St. Mary the Virgin, (Old) Seaham, Burials 1653-1966
Events (baptisms, banns, marriages and burials) at St. Mary’s are very rare today. The baptismal register begun in 1861 has still not been filled and sent to Durham Record Office for transfer to microfilm.
Population changes in the 19th century:
1801
5285
All of the census records for 1841-1911 are transcribed and available on this site.
The undoubtedly ancient place of worship at Old Seaham was originally dedicated to St. Andrew and then rededicated to St. Mary at some point after 1066. Although St. Mary’s is classified as an Anglican church today it should be remembered that for hundreds of years before the Reformation it was a Roman Catholic place of worship when they were no such things as Protestants. County Durham became Protestant late in the reign of Elizabeth (1558-1603) and we must assume that St. Mary’s converted at much the same time. Renovation work in 1913 revealed herring-bone masonry associated with Saxon structures so it is probable that the church is far older than the mid 11th Century usually attributed to it. There is evidence that the original (wooden) edifice may have burnt down (possibly by Vikings) and been built over by a Norman structure at some point after the Conquest.
The ancient parish of Seaham comprised the tiny village of that name as well as the hamlets of Seaton and Slingley and outlying farms such as Cherry Knowle. It was bounded on the north by the townships of Ryhope and Burdon, on the west and south-west by Warden Law and Eppleton, on the south by Dalton-le-Dale, and on the east by the German Ocean or North Sea. Seaham was included in a grant of land to the shrine of St. Cuthbert by Athelstan, first King of All England, early in the 10th. century. The estate or manor was eventually sold off to a private individual and by the 13th. Century it had descended from him to two heiresses, the sisters Matilda and Hawysia. The former married a man called Yeland, and the latter married a Hadham, between whose descendants some disputes respecting the division of the property seem to have existed, but which were terminated in 1295 by a solemn deed executed in the parish church.
At some point before 1408 the Yeland share of Seaham and Seaton became vested in the family of nearby Dalden estate. Later that share passed successively, sometimes by marriage, other times by purchase, to the Bromeflete, Bowes, Collingwood and Milbanke families. The latter sold out to the Londonderrys in 1821. The Hadham share of Seaham and Seaton continued in that family until the failure of male issue early in the 16th. Century, when it passed by marriage to first the Bamford and then the Blakeston families. The share was then acquired by the Swinburnes of Nafferton in Northumberland who passed part of this on to the Milbankes who in turn sold on to the Londonderrys. The remaining part ended up with the Gregson, Pearcey and Brough families.
The advowson (ownership and power to appont new parish priests or vicars) of St. Mary’s church appears always to have been attatched to the ownership of the manor of Seaham and to have been held alternatively in the Middle Ages by the families of Hadham and Yeland. Inside the church is a very ancient stone coffin, bearing the inscription ” hic jacet Ricardus Miles de Ilehand [Yeland] “, one of the early lords of the manor. The first rector recorded was John de Yeland in 1279. In 1475 the rectory was annexed to the Abbey of Coverham in Yorkshire. After the Dissolution in the reign of Henry VIII the patronage became invested in the Crown.
The tiny church is a very plain structure, consisting of nave and chancel, with a square tower, and contains a maximum of about 150 seats. Some of the pews are still decorated with the brass plaques of previous well-to-do worshippers, including the Londonderry family. The leading features of the church are Transitional in character from the early Norman era. The two windows at the east end are of this style, being splayed on the inside. The nave is of later date, but the windows, with one exception are comparatively modern. The old roof, considered to be too heavy for the walls, was replaced at the beginning of the 20th. Century. On the front of the porch is a sundial, dated 1773, above which is the following inscription:
I am natural clockwork by the mighty One
Wound up at first, and ever since has gone
Its pin (‘) drops out, its wheels and springs hold good;
It speaks its Maker’s praise, though once it stood,
But that was by the order of the workman’s power,
And when it stands again it goes no more.
Until well into the present century there was a parish charity called Martin’s & Bryce’s, being the interest of £10 left to the poor. According to the Parliamentary returns for 1786 one William Martin bequeathed £5 in 1696 and a Thomas Brice left £5 in 1762. The £10 yielded 10 shillings interest annually (5%). It is not clear whether this charity still exists at the time of writing (1998), still yielding 50p annually. The parish burial registers reveal that the William Martin concerned was probably the ‘widower of Seaham’ interred on February 2 1695. In the Old Style Calendar then existent the old year ended on March 24 and the new year began on March 25 so a date of 1696 for the bequest is likely to be accurate given a gap between the death and the completion of legal formalities. Less likely candidates are the William Martin (‘son of Richard of Seaton’) buried on December 7 1696 and the William Martin (‘son of Thomas and Elizabeth of Seaton’) buried on November 21 1698, who were both probably children. For Thomas Brice there is just one candidate – the gentleman (‘of Seaham’) interred on September 25 1762, whose family had long been resident in the village.
The baptismal registers for St. Mary the Virgin began in August 1646 in the middle of the Civil War and with a Scots army occupying most of the county. Many of the early entries relate to the then lords of the manor the Collingwood family. These sold out the twin estates of Seaham and Dalden to the Milbankes in c. 1678. A later Milbanke, Sir Ralph, married a sister of Viscount Wentworth. This couple demolished Seaham Cottage in 1792 and replaced it with Seaham Hall. Their only daughter Anne Isabella married the poet George Gordon, Lord Byron, at Seaham Hall on January 1 1815. Byron’s signature is in St. Mary’s marriage register. The marriage lasted just long enough to produce a daughter and then the couple parted. Sir Ralph’s wife Judith inherited her childless brother’s money not long after and it was decided to move to her ancestral headquarters at Wentworth in Leicestershire. The estates of Seaham and Dalden were sold at auction to the Londonderrys in 1821.
The population of Seaham village in the 1801 census was just 115. As late as 1841 there were only 153 residents. The Londonderry family, new lords of the manor, then swept away the hamlet to make way for a lawned area around Seaham Hall. The vicarage was replaced with a new structure but otherwise only the church survived from what had been a thriving community for centuries, perhaps millenia.
With the sinking of Seaton Colliery (1844-52) and Seaham Colliery (1849-52) and the creation of a pit village at what is now called New Seaham, St. Mary the Virgin church entered the busiest period in its history. By the time of the 1851 census, when the pits had yet to start producing, the population of ‘Seaham’ (Old and New) had risen to 729. By 1861 it was 2591. The old church and especially its graveyard could not cope with such numbers and something had to be done to relieve the pressure. In 1857 therefore a new church was constructed near the colliery village and a separate parish was established for New Seaham in 1864 but that rough and tough mining community was still lumped together with sedate Old Seaham for census purposes. By 1891 New & Old Seaham together had 4798 souls. The early records for Seaham Colliery village can be found in the St. Mary the Virgin registers. Since 1864 St. Mary’s has served only Seaton and outlying farms and ‘events’ are very rare. The baptismal register book begun in 1861 still has not been filled.
— by Tony Whitehead
New Seaham (Seaham Colliery)
Christ Church, New Seaham
In September 1828, the town and port of Seaham Harbour were founded. As this was part of the parish of Dalton-le-Dale, most of the baptisms, marriages and burials from the new community were recorded at St. Andrew’s in Dalton village. St. Mary the Virgin continued to serve only [Old] Seaham village, Seaton-with-Slingley and outlying farms. In 1845, St. John’s at Seaham Harbour opened its doors after a new parish was created and detached from St. Andrew’s. Henceforth most of the events of Seaham Harbour were recorded at St. John’s.
1838 – Sinking of Murton Colliery began. Events from this new community were recorded at St. Andrew’s.
1844 – Sinking of Seaton Colliery commenced. Events from this new community were recorded at St. Mary’s.
1849 – Sinking of Seaham Colliery began. Events from this new community were recorded at St. Mary’s.
New Seaham colliery village was constructed from 1844 onwards. The new community was within the parish of St. Mary the Virgin at (Old) Seaham until the building of New Seaham Christ Church in 1857 and the creation of a new parish in 1864. It was lumped with Old Seaham for census purposes until relatively recently.
Available Parish Registers at Durham Record Office
St. Mary the Virgin, (Old) Seaham, Baptisms 1646-1861
St. Mary the Virgin, (Old) Seaham, Marriages 1652-1967
St. Mary the Virgin, (Old) Seaham, Burials 1653-1966
Christ Church, New Seaham, Baptisms 1857-1967
Christ Church, New Seaham, Marriages 1861-1970
Christ Church, New Seaham, Burials 1860-1954
Wesleyan Methodist, New Seaham Cornish St., Baptisms 1870-1946
Also incorporated this site are the following records which are not currently available at Durham Record Office.
St. Cuthbert Roman Catholic, New Seaham, Baptisms 1934-1999
St. Cuthbert Roman Catholic, New Seaham, Marriages 1934-1999
St. Cuthbert Roman Catholic, New Seaham, Burials 1934-1999
Clergymen of New Seaham Christ Church
Edward F. Every, 1894-99
Viceroy Street (61)
History of Seaham Colliery
The sinking of Seaton Colliery (the High Pit) by the North Hetton and Grange Colliery Company began in 1844 and production of coal commenced in March 1852 after a long and desperate struggle against flooding. The sinking of Seaham Colliery (the Low Pit) by the 3rd. Marquess of Londonderry commenced in 1849 and it began production not long after Seaton though the actual date is not recorded. The two pits were amalgamated as Seaham Colliery under the control of the Londonderry family in November 1864. There were no less than seven known explosions at the pits, before and after amalgamation. There were three in one year at Seaton in 1852, the first year of production, with six men and boys killed in the last of these. One of the casualties was an 8 year old boy. Another explosion at Seaton in 1862 burnt to death two more workers. The massive explosion in October 1871 miraculously killed only 26. Even more miraculously none died in the huge 1872 blast. Finally 164 men and boys were killed in the calamity of September 1880. Though there were no further explosions there were many single or multiple fatalities at Seaham Colliery after 1880 – Seaham’s graveyards are littered with decaying headstones which testify to that grim truth.
Seaham Colliery Pit Village (New Seaham) was constructed from the mid 1840s onwards and was virtually complete by the time of the 1880 disaster. Another street was built betweeen 1881 and 1891, called Viceroy Street in honour of the office held by the 6th.Marquess of Londonderry from 1886 to 1889. A final small row, Stewart Street (the family name of the Londonderrys), appeared between 1891 and 1895.
By the 1930s much of the housing at Seaham Colliery, cheap and cheerless to begin with, was well past its best and the village was earmarked for wholesale demolition under the Slum Clearance Act. Parkside estate was constructed at the end of that decade and most of the inhabitants transferred en masse to there in 1939/40. Knowing that Westlea and Eastlea council estates were planned to arise on the ruins of their village a few of the inhabitants decided to stay put and wait for the new houses. When war came they were joined by those made homeless in Seaham Harbour by German bombing. The Germans also managed to hit the colliery village, scoring a direct hit on the Seaton Colliery Inn after hours one night in October 1941 and killing the landlady and her friend (this author’s great aunt). Eventually the aptly-named Phoenix was constructed on the site.
The old pit village was finally swept away between 1945 and 1960 but there are still a few remnants left in 1995 (The Miner’s Hall building, High Colliery School, the row of houses on Station Road which incorporates the New Seaham Inn, now called The Kestrel). The village and most of its inhabitants were gone by 1960 but Seaham Colliery itself survived until the late 1980s. It was nationalised in 1947 after a century of ownership by the Londonderry family. In 1987 Seaham was ‘amalgamated’ with Vane Tempest Colliery and the old pit was relegated to the role of being third and fourth shafts for the newer concern. No more coal was produced at Seaham Colliery. The Seaham/Vane Tempest ‘combine’ was closed by British Coal in 1994 and both sites were cleared. Now there is a great open space where Seaham Colliery stood for 150 years.
History of New Seaham
The preparatory working for the sinking of Seaton Colliery or the High Pit began on July 31 1844. The actual sinking of the shaft commenced on August 12 1845. The mine was developed not by the landowner Lord Londonderry but by the North Hetton and Grange Colliery Company, on a site chosen because of its proximity to the Rainton and Seaham waggonway. The main shareholder of this concern was Lord Lambton, 2nd.Earl of Durham, an individual with many other inland pits and who was the second largest producer of coal in County Durham behind Londonderry himself.
The North Hetton and Grange Colliery Company was licensed to exploit only the coal under Londonderry’s land between Seaton and Warden Law, but that canny lord reserved any and all seaward coal for himself. The Marquess it seems was still very nervous about the expense of sinking a new and very deep colliery and preferred others to risk their money in what might yet prove to be a fruitless undertaking. Also, as usual, he was short of cash despite the fact that business was booming. Before very long he had his proof when the North Hetton and Grange Colliery Company discovered deep but rich seams of coal.
Sir Ralph Milbanke, he who had sold the estates of Seaham and Dalden to the Irishman for a song a quarter of a century before, must have turned in his grave. Even before this development Lord Londonderry was probably on paper the richest man in the county of Durham. His numerous pits at Penshaw and in the Rainton and Pittington districts and elsewhere in Durham were at their peak and the demand was such that he could usually sell every ton that he produced. Now, almost by accident, he had secured his family’s future for the next century.
The nearby Mill Inn was known as the ‘Nicky Nack’ and its landlord was dubbed ‘Tommy Nicky-Nack Chilton’ and so Seaton Colliery soon acquired the nickname. Little is known about these early years but a letter survives in the Londonderry Papers at the Durham Record Office which informs us that on January 27 1845 a party of guests travelled from Lord Londonderry’s mansion at Wynyard (near Stockton, now owned by John Hall) to Seaham Harbour to observe the opening ceremony for a new extension to the docks. On the way they passed the digging at Seaton, where a depth of 40 fathoms had been achieved of an anticipated 240 fathoms. At the request of the ladies present two of the ‘sinkers’ ascended from the bottom of the shaft in a large kibble or bucket. They resembled drowned rats more than men but they maintained their dignity and flatly refused to ‘run about and show themselves’ to the spectators.
The pit later made much slower progress due to the water problem. After coal was reached but before it could be exploited a second colliery was begun nearby by the lord of the manor. The reaction of the North Hetton and Grange Colliery Company directors to this development has not been preserved but they cannot have been very amused. Nearly thirty years after the first tapping of the concealed coalfield at Hetton the 3rd. Marquess of Londonderry, now 71, at last took the plunge and sank his first deep coal mine. The sinking of Seaham Colliery or the ‘Low Pit’ commenced on April 13 1849. The Low Pit shaft was 1797 feet deep and the High Pit shaft was 1819 feet deep. Both were 14 feet in diameter. The new mines were the second and third deepest in the country (behind Pemberton Main at Monkwearmouth). The first coal from Seaton was only drawn on March 17 1852, after almost seven years of battles against flooding and quicksand. Seaham began producing a little later after a much shorter battle, but the precise date is unknown.
In the first weeks after coming on stream there were three explosions at Seaton, the last of which, on Wednesday June 16 1852, killed six men and boys and injured several others. Among the dead was a 10 year old boy, Charles Halliday or Holliday. The inquest was held at the Mill Inn with Mr.Morton, Agent of the Earl of Durham, present. It was revealed that naked lights (candles) had been used in the pit, nearly four decades after the invention of the safety lamp. The jury recorded a verdict of accidental death.
To justify their huge outlay of money the Londonderrys’ new Seaham pit needed to be a giant in production terms compared to its predecessors inland and this soon proved to be the case. By 1854 (when it had barely begun production and would soon employ far more) 269 hands were employed, making it as large as any of the Rainton and Penshaw pits owned by Lord Londonderry. By the mid-1870s Seaham/Seaton was producing as much coal as all of the other Londonderry pits at Rainton, Pittington and Penshaw combined. By 1880 the mine employed 1500 men and boys and had an output of half a million tons of coal per year. By the time of the census of 1881 some 3,000 people lived in the village of New Seaham.
Charles Stewart, 3rd.Marquess of Londonderry and 1st.Viscount Seaham, died at his home, Holdernesse House in London’s Park Lane, in March 1854. A new place of worship, Christ Church, was built at New Seaham in 1855 by Lady Frances Anne as a memorial to her husband. It is virtually the only monument to the old tyrant that still stands in the town he created. The church received free heating and lighting courtesy of underground pipes from the colliery 200 yards away. Christ Church also included a graveyard which was to become the last resting place for generations of New Seaham inhabitants. Previously the dead had been interred at either the ancient St.Andrew’s at Dalton-le-Dale or the even older St.Mary’s at Old Seaham or the new graveyard at St.John’s in Seaham Harbour.
Like her late husband the Marchioness was infamous for her parsimony and yet on March 1 1856 this complex character entertained between three and four thousand of her pitmen at Chilton Moor. In 1857 she spent over £1000 to entertain 3,930 of her pitmen, dockers, quarrymen and railwaymen at Seaham Hall, in the presence of the Bishop of Durham and numerous friends. Her friend and protege Benjamin Disraeli recognised in his writings after her death that Frances Anne was a tyrant in her way but it would be fairer to describe her as a benevolent despot. As Durham mine owners went the Londonderrys were actually among the best and the miners of the day preferred to work for them than most others. Bad as they were living conditions at New Seaham were far better than most older mining villages in the county. In the 1850s the Marchioness built Londonderry schools at the Raintons, Kelloe, Old Durham, Penshaw and New Seaham (which still stands) and later her son Henry constructed another at Silksworth. She personally paid the teacher’s salaries and all other expenses and allowed the children of non-employees to attend.
The 1850s saw the building of several streets in the vicinity of the two pits and the creation of a tight-knit community. Window tax was abolished in 1851 and mechanised brick production (with machine-pressed bricks) was developed in 1856, both of which made the process cheaper and easier. The typical ‘through terrace house’ at Seaton/Seaham Colliery had one room downstairs and one upstairs (often divided into two by a partition to provide separate sleeping accomodation for boys and girls). The downstairs room served for cooking, bathing, meals, general living and as sleeping space for parents. The back yard had a dry closet privy (a netty) and a coal shed. Social life centred on the back alley. Some of the streets were built and owned by the North Hetton and Grange Colliery Company, proprietors of Seaton Colliery. The rest were constructed and owned by the Londonderry family, owners of Seaham Colliery. At this distance in time it is difficult to tell who owned what. The first streets, all of which were mentioned in the 1861 census, were:
West Row: which was later called School Row and later still became Vane Terrace.
School Row: which is not to be confused with School Street (see the below Double Row).
Infant Row: Very small. Only six dwellings.
California Row: 1849 saw the California Gold Rush.
Mount Pleasant : which may have been named after a place in northern Ireland near the Londonderry mansion at Mount Stewart or simply because it occupied a good vantage down to the sea.
Australia Row: Australia was a principal destination for British emigrants in this period, especially miners from the northeast of England. Many of them promptly commemorated their roots by naming their new communities after the ones they had left behind. A Newcastle, a Sunderland, a Murton, a Ryhope and yes even a Seaham, were created in New South Wales and survive to this day.
Office Row: which was later called William Street.
Butcher’s Row: Butcher may have been a director/official of the North Hetton and Grange Colliery Company
German Row: later called Doctor’s Street, which in the direction of Sunderland had a fine view of the North Sea (The German Ocean.).
Bownden Row: later called Daker’s Row and later still renamed Post Office Street. Bownden may have been a director/official of the North Hetton and Grange Colliery Company.
Church Row: which faced the new Christ Church
Double Row: later called School Street
Single Row: later called Railway Row, later still renamed Bank Head Street
Model Row: Presumably the builders and owners were proud of this street and gave it a magnificent title.Or maybe they had just run out of names!
Seaton and Seaham Collieries (New Seaham) and Seaham Harbour remained quite separate communities, divided by fields, and connected only by the Rainton & Seaham Railway and a dirt track and the fact of shared ownership by the Londonderrys. In 1863 a Local Board of Health was created to conduct Greater Seaham’s affairs. It was led from 1873-94 by J.B.Eminson, chief financial agent for the Londonderrys in Seaham from 1869-96. The Board became Seaham Harbour Urban District Council by the Local Government Act of 1894. Eminson also led the new body from 1895-96. During his 27 years service he filled the leading position in the town. He was also Chairman of Seaham Magistrates and a member of the Easington Guardians (Work House). Despite the semblance of a kind of democracy after 1863 Greater Seaham was still a family fiefdom.
The Danger of the Mines
At Hartley Colliery in Northumberland in January 1862 over 200 men and boys died of suffocation when the only shaft was blocked by falling machinery. Shortly after this disaster, the greatest single loss of life in the Great Northern Coalfield, the Seaton High Pit and Seaham Low Pit were joined by an underground link. Within weeks, on March 29, a cage rope broke at the Low Pit and the shaft was blocked by stone. Over 400 men and boys and 70 ponies escaped via the High Pit. They would have shared the fate of the Hartley colliers and perished within hours without the connection. The Northumberland and Durham Miner’s Permanent Relief Fund had its origin in the widespread need which followed the Hartley Disaster. Before Hartley it was the individual worker’s resposibility to subscribe to a ‘club’ to cover ‘private’ medical expenses. There were discretionary payments from the mineowners, at a level below that of wages, for some workers who suffered an accident, with the limited objective of retaining the services of skilled workmen temporarily disabled. For those permanently crippled or worse there was nothing and before long they and/or their widows and children were given their marching orders from their colliery houses. The Employer’s Liability Act was still 20 years in the future.
Another explosion on April 6 1864 at Seaton Colliery severely burnt two men, Tristram Heppell and William Fairley. Both died in agony in their homes some days later. Heppell’s father, a master sinker of pits, had been a contemporary and friend of George Stephenson at Killingworth Colliery in Northumberland. Heppell was a member of the Seaham Volunteers and so was given a military funeral at St. Mary’s. Reverend Angus Bethune conducted the service. We shall come across this individual again later in this narrative.
When an Act of Parliament prohibited the working of coal-mines without two outlets from each seam Lady Frances Anne decided that the simplest way to comply with this legislation in the case of Seaham Colliery was to buy Seaton Colliery from the North Hetton and Grange Colliery Company and amalgamate it with Seaham. This was done in November 1864, and was virtually the last business deal she completed for she was dying by then. She died at Seaham Hall on January 20 1865, three days after her 65th.birthday. Her collieries passed to her son Henry, Earl Vane, who succeeded his half-brother Frederick as Marquess of Londonderry in 1872.
Colliery Life
‘Observer’, who wrote ‘Gleanings from the Pit Villages’ in 1866, gave Seaham Colliery high praise in contrast to older Durham pit villages. He commended its roomy dwellings, good gardens and wide streets. The usual outdoor meeting place for men at Seaham Colliery in dispute with the management was the ball alley. This was also used for gambling, fist-fights and games of hand-ball against teams from neighbouring collieries. The surface of the wall eventually deteriorated and it was abandoned to nesting birds in the 1920s.
As the North Hetton and Grange Colliery Company no longer had an interest in the Seaton part of Seaham Colliery or its housing stock any trace of that concern in the street names of the village was now removed by the Londonderrys. Uncharacteristically they did not bestow their own names as had happened at Seaham Harbour and other places, at least not yet: West Row became School Row and only later became Vane Terrace; Infant Row became Reading Room Row; Bownden Row became Daker’s (the new manager of Seaham Colliery) Row; Single Row became Railway Row. One new street appeared, predictably being called New Row. By the time of the 1881 census it had become Cornish Row in honour of the wave of immigrants coming in from that county.
All of the Easington district collieries began to receive a steady stream of Cornishmen and Devonians and their families in the mid-1860s. A street would be eventually be named in honour of the Cornish at Seaham Colliery and a whole district of Murton was taken over by these refugees from the dying lead and tin industries and nicknamed O’Cornwall. Wingate Grange Colliery also received a very large contingent. Seaham Colliery also absorbed Scots, Irish and Welsh and also a group from Norfolk. Wood Dalling and neighbouring villages must have been stripped bare of their agricultural labourers, lured north by the prospect of higher and consistent wages by the agents of the Marquess of Londonderry and other coalowners. Most of these people would retain their accents for the rest of their lives but their children and grandchildren were completely assimilated into the host community and became Geordies. Seaham Colliery must have been a very cosmopolitan place in these early days and it cannot have been unusual to hear a dozen accents during a day’s work at the pit.
The mother and stepfather of the alleged mass murderess Mary Ann Cotton moved to New Seaham from South Hetton in the early 1860s. George and Margaret Stott took up residence in California Street at an unknown number and in the summer of 1865 took in Mary Ann’s only surviving child, Isabella Mowbray, aged 6. Mary Ann had lost her husband William Mowbray to typhus in Hendon at the start of the year and her other daughter Margaret Jane had succumbed to the same disease at Seaham Harbour in May. Now Mary Ann needed time to sort herself out and farmed her child out to its grandmother and step-grandfather. She moved to Sunderland and got a job as a nurse at the Infirmary. There she met a patient, George Ward, and married him before the year was out. Mysteriously he was dead within months of a disease which apparently baffled his doctors. At the end of 1866, within weeks of being widowed a second time, she took a job at Pallion as housekeeper to a well-to-do shipyard official James Robinson, who had just lost his own wife and badly needed female help with his five children. The youngest of these, a sickly infant boy, died within days of her arrival.
A few weeks later, in the spring of 1867 Mary Ann, a “nurse” remember, was summoned back to New Seaham to look after her mother who was dying of the liver disease hepatitis. Margaret Stott expired within a week and was buried at New Seaham Christ Church. Mary Ann then quarrelled with her stepfather over a few sheets she claimed had been hers. He had never liked her much and now told her what he thought of her and ordered her to leave his house and take her child with her. George Stott already had eyes on a comely widow, Hannah Paley, who lived in the same street, and he didn’t want the little girl around cramping his style. He married Hannah Paley not long after but Mary Ann was not invited to the wedding and in fact never came to Seaham again. Within weeks of Mary Ann’s return to Pallion, Isabella Mowbray was dead, two more of Robinson’s children also, and the “housekeeper” was pregnant by her employer. George Stott did see his stepdaughter one more time. He was her last visitor in the condemned cell at Durham Gaol in March 1873 a few days before she was hanged for the murder of yet another child, a son of her fourth (bigamous) husband Frederick Cotton. Her mother Margaret Stott and her daughter Isabella Mowbray are included among the 21 people that Mary Ann Cotton has been accused of murdering either for the insurance money or because they were somehow in her way.
The first mass meeeting of the lodges of the new union, the DMA (Durham Miners’ Association), took place at Wharton Park in the city of Durham in July 1871. Just three months later on Wednesday October 25 1871 26 men and boys were killed in another explosion at Seaham Colliery. On the day before the tragedy a mass meeting of young men and boys had determined to ask for some alteration in their bonds – in particular a reduction in their hours of labour. For many below the rank of hewer the working day lasted from their rising at 3am until they returned home filthy at about 6.15pm. There was barely time for any relaxation before going to bed. A deputation was sent to see the manager Dakers but he refused to give them an answer until the next conclusion of the bond in April 1872. Dakers refused even to see a second delegation.In consequence a mass meeting of all the men and boys was called for the Thursday night with a view to laying the pit idle. The disaster intervened.
The explosion of Wednesday October 25 1871 occurred at 11.30 pm, otherwise the death-toll would have been much higher – by now the colliery was employing 1100 men and boys. The shock was felt at Seaham Harbour.John Clark, aged 9, sitting on the surface in a cabin near the pit shaft, was blown 10 yards by the explosion. The force of the blast was such that many ponies were killed in their underground stables 1.5 miles away from the epicentre. Two men named Hutchinson, father and son, working as ‘marrows’ (marras), fired the shot which triggered the blast. The father, Thomas senior, survived the explosion but was badly injured. For days he hovered between life and death and medical opinion concluded that he could not survive. But survive he did – for he was destined to be killed in the 1880 explosion. Thomas Hutchinson junior left a pregnant widow and two children. Manager Dakers and Head Viewer Vincent Corbett went down the pit to assess the situation and made a decision which to some seemed harsh and to others seemed like murder. The ‘stoppings’ were rushed up to starve the fire of oxygen and save the mine irrespective of the men thereby entombed. The explosion occurred on Wednesday – by Sunday the furnace was re-lighted at the shaft bottom for ventilation. The men were somehow persuaded to return to work while the bodies of their colleagues lay entombed for several weeks in nearby workings. Religious decency then laid much greater emphasis on proper burial of a body in consecrated ground.Four of the bodies were brought out immediately after the explosion but the remaining 22 were not recovered until December 20. The appeal fund produced just over £2,000. The inquest was held at the New Seaham Inn (now called the Kestrel). Verdict – Accidental death. Just as the village began to recover from the tragedy it was struck another mortal blow with an outbreak of smallpox. There was another explosion in 1872 but there was no loss of life or injury.
Manager Dakers either retired, died or moved on at the start of 1874. He was replaced by a 21 year old, Mr.Thomas Henry Marshall Stratton, who was fated to be in charge when the 1880 disaster occurred. By then he was still only 28 and due to move on from Seaham Colliery to his next post. The man had no luck. There was another county-wide coal strike in 1879, the first major confrontation since the the Great Strike of 1844 and, as usual, the miners were defeated. Before the village of Seaham Colliery could properly recover from this ruinous episode an even greater disaster struck in the following year. The death of one collier started a train of events which led to an immense tragedy. A man called Robert Guy was run over and killed by a set of tubs on the Maudlin engine-plane at Seaham Colliery on August 7 1880. Adverse and critical remarks made at the inquest a few days later obliged manager Stratton to have refuge holes from the rolling tubs made larger and more frequent to prevent a recurrence of the tragedy. This work went on for several weeks and it may well have been a shot fired in the course of it which triggered the great explosion.
In that hot August of 1880 the Seaham Volunteer Artillery Brigade distinguished itself in the big gun shooting of the National Artillery Competition at Shoeburyness, picking up a beautiful trophy and over £200 in prize money, a very handsome sum in those days. The team members were welcomed back to Seaham as heroes and their crackshot Corporal Hindson was carried shoulder-high through the town. The next big event in the town’s social calendar was Seaham’s Annual Flower Show, to be held in the grounds of Seaham Hall from Thursday September 9 to Sunday the 11th. The 5th.Marquess himself, a rather shy and unassuming man, was to make one of his rare visits in order to present the prizes. Indeed he was to honour the town his parents had founded with his presence for an entire week. As it turned out he was to stay for a good deal longer than he anticipated. Many of the miners at Seaham Colliery had entries in the show and some of these men swapped shifts with those disinterested in horticultural affairs in order that they might attend. It was to prove a fateful decision for those who should have been working on the Tuesday/Wednesday night and for those who ended up working when ordinarily they would have been at home sound asleep.
At Seaham Colliery there were three shifts per day for hewers (everyone else worked much longer hours) of 7 hours each, covering the period from 4 am to 11.30 pm. The shifts were: 1) Fore Shift, 4 am to 11.30 am 2) Back Shift, 10 am to 5.30 pm 3) Night Shift, 4 pm to 11.30 pm. Each shift involved some 500 men and boys and at the overlap of the shifts there could be over 1,000 men in the pit. From 10 pm to 6 am, when the colliery was comparatively quiet, was the maintenance shift, which employed far fewer workers. Fortuitously the 1880 explosion took place at 2.20 am during one such maintenance shift, 100 minutes before the start of the Fore shift, which is why only 231 men and boys were below ground.The tragedy could have been much much worse, eclipsing the disasters at Hartley and West Stanley.
— by Tony Whitehead
Hugh Wright, of Durham, Esq
Common Council Men:
Thomas Atkinson; Adam Burdon; William Caldwell; Robert Collingwood; Christopher Dickenson; William Dossey; William Freeman; John Hardcastle; Humphrey Harrison; John Harrison; George Humble; William Huntley; John Husband; Thomas Lacie; Edward Lee, of Monkwearmouth, Gent; Clement Oldcorn; Thomas Palmer; William Potts; Thomas Scarborough, William Thompson; William Wycliffe of Offerton, Gent; William Watt and Robert Young.
In 1641 a resolution of Parliament requested all males aged over 18 to take an oath in support of the Crown, Parliament and the Protestant religion, to oppose the “plots and conspiracies of priests and Jesuits” that were allegedly subverting the kingdom. Lists of those taking the oath in each parish were sent to Parliament in 1642. Most men took the oath and those who refused to sign (mostly Catholics) were sometimes also listed. The Protestation Return’ for Monkwearmouth taken on 24 February, 1641 are set out below:
Addison, John
The names of persons refusing to take the protestation, and those at sea:
Melcher Hickes, at sea
John Hilton, Jun, absent
Papists: George Simpson, Cuthbert Wilkinson, John Coleson, Henry Dickinson, and Ralph Grainger, who is absent.
Minister: Richard Hickes** Baptized at Whitburn 9 Nov 1604, son of John Hickes, rector of Whitburn, by his wife Alice Blakiston, of University College, Oxford. Licensed to the Perpetual Curacy of Monkwearmouth 13 Sept 1638. First marriage to Dorothy Heath on 15 Dec 1631. Second wife Alicia buried in Washington on 6 May 1673. Resigned in 1662, died in 1669.
Churchwardens: Thomas Collyer, Thomas Rockwood
Constables: Christopher Shepherdson, Robert Rockwood, John Young, Thomas Wake
Overseers (for the poor): John Fawcet, Michael Symy
The Protestation Returns’ for Bishopwearmouth are also available but have not yet been transcribed.
By mid-August 1642, all hope had faded of King Charles I and Parliament mending their differences, and the end of August saw the outbreak of the English Civil War. During this unhappy contest between king and Parliament, many of the leading families within the County of Durham supported the king; whilst the middling and lower orders, for obvious reasons, warmly espoused the cause of Parliament. In 1642 the manor of Monkwearmouth had become the property of the parliamentarian Colonel George Fenwick of Brinkburn in Northumberland. His youngest daughter Dorothea (later became the Dame Dorothy after whom the street was named), married Sir Thomas Williamson. The Williamson’s came from East Markham near Nottingham and had been penalised for their support of the Royalist cause in the Civil War. Throughout the conflict, the borough of Sunderland remained entirely devoted to parliamentary interest; a circumstance which may be attributed to the commanding influence of the Lilburne family who possessed a far greater share of both property and interest than any other private family within the borough. The first of the Lilburne family who settled in Sunderland was George Lilburne. During the civil wars he acted as the only civil magistrate within the limits of the borough.
In May 1660 sees the formal restoration of the monarchy in England when Charles II is proclaimed King at the age of 30. However, for decades long before the restoration of Charles II, there were many who objected to the national church, and imbibed the principles of dissenters. From the passing of the act of uniformity in 1662, until the revolution in 1688, as many as refused to conform to the established worship, were denominated Nonconformists. Among these were about 2,000 clergy men who left the church on St Bartholomew’s day in 1662.
By the mid 1660’s, the export of coals from Sunderland had greatly increased, much to the jealousy of Newcastle men. With an intention of balancing the trade of the two ports, a fee of one shilling per chaldron (approx 1.4 tons) was imposed on all coals exported from Sunderland. In the year 1665, during the plague of London the disease was imported to Sunderland by shipping. An entry in a local parish register states:
“Jeremy Read, Billingham in Kent, bringer of the plague, of which died about thirty persons out of Sunderland in three months – July 5th, 1665”.
No attempt was made to organize proper harbour facilities on the Wear until the mid 17th Century, and the river’s edges were untidy-looking, especially the north bank. Before the first piers were built, the shore at Monkwearmouth was wide open to the sea, scoured by every tide, silted-up and then washed down again. Year after year, coal went out in the collier brigs and thousands of tons of sand came in. Navigation through the sand banks and mud banks was apparently not the only hazard, for it is recorded that in June 1667 “a fleet of 100 light colliers coming from Southward and in sight of Sunderland were struck by a storm with at least one half of them lost”.
In matters of religion, the country witnessed many turbulent years. Some years after Charles II secretly agreed to declare his conversion to Catholicism and subsequently to restore it to Britain, he issued his Declaration of Indulgence (March, 1672) permitting freedom of worship and assumed the right to cancel all penal legislation against both Protestants and Catholics.
Against the background of intermittent wars with Holland and France, a number of parliaments of Charles II were began and dissolved; plots of his assassinations discovered, culminating in his death in 1685. He was succeeded by his brother as James II of England and VII of Scotland. In 1688, James II issued his Declaration of Liberty of Conscience which, although professing toleration for all religions, clearly favoured Catholics. The ‘Glorious Revolution’ began when a son, James Stuart was born to James II, opening up the prospect of a succession of Catholic Kings. To counter this, Tory leaders invited the King’s son-in-law, William III of Orange, to save Britain from Catholicism. He accepted and Parliament subsequently offered the Crown to William and his wife Mary as joint sovereigns. On their accession in 1689, the name of Nonconformist was changed to that of Protestant Dissenter.
In the year 1689, Dame Dorothy, wife of Baronet Thomas Williamson bought the Monkwearmouth estates from her nephew. Upon her death in 1699, she gave the following charities, yearly, to the poor of the towns of : North Weremouth Town – 1 Pound; North Weremouth Shore – 3 Pounds; Sunderland – 2 pounds
Monkwearmouth burials, 1683-1706
An article entitled ‘Monkwearmouth Registers, 1683-1706’ appeared in the Wearmouth Magazine for December 1882. It was written by Edward J. Taylor F.S.A. who was lent a copy of the burials from the original register by W.H.D Longstaffe, Esq F.S.A. of Gateshead. The list contains 333 burial entries over a 24-year period (an average of 14 burials per annum!), indicating the small population of the five townships.
March 26 – March 24
18
By the close of the seventeenth century, the export of coals from Sunderland had been greatly increased, despite the numerous tax impositions by parliament on coal exports. In 1695, five shillings per chaldron (thirty six bushels, Winchester measure) were ordered by parliament to be levied on coals. In the following years, a petition for the owners of ships were brought into parliament against this imposition; and at the same time set forth that, by a late storm, they had lost nearly two hundred sail of ships, worth upwards of two hundred thousand pounds.
Between 1704 to 1710, the average exportation of coals from Sunderland annually was 65,760 chaldrons (approx. 92,000 tons). It is interesting to compare this to the 11,648 tons a century earlier.
The River Wear Commissioners were established in 1717 to ensure that the Wear was navigable from the mouth as far as Biddick; finance for this was provided by a duty on coal and cinders (coke) loaded onto vessels on the river. The first engineer in the employment of the Commissioners was a Mr James Fawcett who, in 1719, prepared a plan of the mouth of the River Wear. This plan showed the hazards for ships entering the river to collect their cargoes of coal, lime, salt and glass. The Commissioners began construction of the South Pier in 1723; additions and alterations continued throughout the 18th century.
In 1727, the coal-owners in the county of Durham signed a seven year agreement not to sell coals to any fitter for less than eleven shillings and sixpence per chaldron. In 1738, a petition was presented to the House of Commons by the glass makers, brewers etc., of London, protesting against the excessive price of coals. On this occasion, counter petitions were sent from the coal-owners of Durham, Sunderland and Newcastle, and the fitters of these places. A rapid increase appears to have taken place in the export of coals from Sunderland between the years 1710 and 1748; the number of chaldrons shipped in the latter year amounting to 147,403 (approx. 206,000 tons). It is estimated that by 1750, there were between 500-600 keelmen on the Wear.
As previously stated, the parish of Monkwearmouth is divided into five townships viz Monkwearmouth, Monkwearmouth-shore, Fulwell, Southwick and Hilton. The township of Monkwearmouth is of great antiquity and has been universally held under lease from the Dean and Chapter of Durham. Sir Hedworth Williamson was lord of the manor and proprietor of majority of the buildings which were erected under lease from him. He died in 1789, aged about 65. Monkwearmouth-shore is comparatavily of modern date, and owes its consequence to the extensive shipbuilding yards which during the Napoleonic war were established there. Nothing remarkable is recorded in history regarding the township of Fulwell, other than the discovery in 1759 of a gigantic human skeleton measuring nine feet six inches in length, and some Roman coins, on what was called Fulwell Hills. The township of Southwick, situated about one mile from Monkwearmouth, was an extremely pleasant village commanding fine views of the surrounding country. The township of Hilton is situated about three miles from Monkwearmouth. Hilton Manor, with the castle, was the possession of the family of the Hiltons before the Norman Conquest, and continued over seven hundred years, to the time of John Hilton Esq., the last male heir who died there in 1746.
The Fire
The Revd. Thomas Gooday (son of Bartholomew Goodday of Penrith) was Perpetual Curate of Monkwearmouth St. Peter’s church from 1742 to 1768. He was an admirer and close friend of John Wesley the evangelist and founder of the Methodist Movement, who preached a number of times in Monkwearmouth church. The Revd. Goodday died in January, 1768 and was succeeded by the Revd. Jonathan Ivison who also welcomed Wesley. Jonathan Ivison had previously been the curate at Whitburn under Edward Hinton, rector, since 1753. In August 1774, aged 57, he married Isabella, aged 17, the youngest daughter of Mr Edward Watson, surgeon. They had several children, most of whom died in infancy. Notwithstanding the demands of his earlier years in the curacy, none could have been so torturous as 1790 when, during the early hours of a April morning, it is believed that a candle knocked over by him had started a fire in his homely residence in Monkwearmouth Hall. The matter weighed heavily on him and possibly contributed to his death in 1792, aged 75.
The following statement appears in the inside cover of a church book entitled ‘Copy Birth Register, 1702-1790’.
Parish of Monkwearmout
County and in the Diocese of Durham
Be it known unto all Persons concerned that on the Twelfth day of April in the Year of our Lord One Thousand seven hundred and ninety, a terrible fire broke out in the Dwelling house of the Reverend Jonathan Ivison, Minister of Monkwearmouth in the said County which entirely destroyed the same, together with all the Household Furniture therewith belonging, and amongst other Articles, the Registers of Marriages, Christnings, and Burials belonging the said Parish (being of great Antiquity) were totally consumed, Except the Registers of marriages from the Sixteenth day of October in the Year of our Lord One Thousand seven hundred and eighty five, the Registers of Christnings from the Second day of September One Thousand seven hundred and Seventy nine, and the Registers of Burials from the First day of January One Thousand seven hundred and sixty eight, down to the time when the above fatal Accident happened.
And Whereas at a meeting of the Principal Inhabitants of the said Parish held at the Vestry on the Fourth day of January One Thousand seven hundred and ninety one it was deem’d necessary to take the Opinion of a Learned Council in the Law, together with the Opinion of the Arch Deacon of the Diocese, what Mode was to be adopted to replace such Registers so Destroyed by the Fire, when they propos’d an Advertizement to be inserted in the Newcastle Newspapers for every person concern’d to fetch Copies of such Private Registers as they had in their Possession to the Vestry where Attendance was given by the Church Wardens and several of the Principal Inhabitants of the said Parish every Tuesday for the Purpose of Entering the same in this Book.
We the Minister; Church Wardens and Principal Inhabitants whose names are hereunder Subscribed do upon Oath testify to the Truth of the Premises as Witness our Hands the Eighteenth day of February in the Year of our Lord One Thousand seven hundred and ninety one. Sworn at Sunderland the 18th day of February One Thousand seven hundred & ninety one. Before us:
(signed) Chrisr. Hull
Joseph Yellowly (Church-Wardens); Geo. Longstaff, Thomas Burn,
Wm. Robinson
Thos Cole, John Davison, Jos. Tulip Parish Clerk – parishioners
So it was that a register of births was started in January 1791, each of the churchwardens entering birth and/or baptismal information as received. Two separate registers were started, one on 25 January, the other on 8 February, 1791. Both ran concurrently throughout 1791. All the entries were made by either one of the churchwardens or by the curate Jonathan Ivison, and later by his successor, Thomas Gibson who married Jonathan’s widow Isabella.
As one would expect, the replacement entries are incomplete – after all, only a tiny minority of the population would read the Newcastle papers of the day; family Bibles might be few or memories short and, of course, as in any age, many people would simply not bother to come forward. A few notations had been inserted by the church wardens Matthew Brod(e)rick and John Avery as late as 1797.
The front cover of the register book measuring 23.5 x 15cm has a label boldly marked ‘Copy of Registers for Births’ and within it a faint notation: ‘By witnesses after fire’. The “first” register begins on page 5, the previous four being blank. An example of the format showing signatures in the attested entries, is shown below:
Register of Births, Page 5
1775 Ambrose son of Edwd. & Mary Kipling of Monkwth Shore
Feb 5 Cordwainer Born Feby 5th 1775.
1777 Robt. son of the above Born July 5th 1777.
July 5
The above taken from a copy in my possession Jany 25th 1791 –
Witness my hand (signed) Edward Kipling
——————————————
1765 Anna Sophia Abbs daughter of the Revd. Cooper and Ann Abbs
Dec 1 of Monkwearmouth Born Dec 1st 1765.
1769 George Cooper Abbs son of the above
Jun 23 Born June 23rd 1769
1771 Bryan Abbs son of the above
Apr 23 Born April 23rd 1771
The above taken from a copy in my possession Jany 25th 1791 –
Witness my hand (signed) Cooper Abbs
——————————————
1767 Forster the son of George & Hannah Spurs of Monkwearmouth
Oct 13 Shore, mariner Born Oct 13th 1767
——————————————
The baptism entries for Monkwearmouth St. Peter’s that are available on the Durham Records Online web site are a combination of entries in the surviving baptismal registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, and the various birth registers started after the 1790 fire in an attempt to recapture the earlier births.
6514
The above census records for 1841-1901 are transcribed and available on this site.
Historically Murton was one of the four constabularies of the parish of St. Andrew at Dalton-le-Dale. A hamlet of half a dozen houses and farmsteads on the road from Dalton-le-Dale to Durham until 1838, it was also known as East Morton or Morton-in-the-Whins. Morton or Murton is a very common English place name, being a corruption of Moor-town. The village was known as East Morton to differentiate it from several others in the county and especially from Morton, near Fencehouses, which also had a colliery, called Morton Grange.
Centuries of rural tranquility came to an abrupt end for Murton in 1831 when the Sunderland Dock Company pushed through a passenger and freight line in the direction of Durham, with a branch line to the new pit at South Hetton and the projected new colliery at Haswell. This passed just west of Murton which was given its own station, Murton Junction. Completed by 1835 the directors of the new line were unconvinced by the early locomotives produced by George Stephenson and others and instead opted for fixed engines which could manage steep gradients far better. Later locomotives had the power to cope with gradients but by then it was too late and the company was stuck with the archaic method of transport until it was taken over by the giant North Eastern Railway in 1854.
The advantage of fixed engines was that they overcame the necessity for much of the excavation work required to make a railway line as level as possible. Consequently, for reasons of economy, the Sunderland to Durham (Shincliffe) & Haswell ended up with some of the steepest gradients in the British railway network and was later used to test the power and brakes on new models of locomotives. From Ryhope to Haswell via Seaton, Murton Junction and South Hetton was a continuous upslope. One night in the 1890s the brakes on a downtrack loco failed at Murton and the runaway train raced past Seaton before derailing itself on the curve ahead. Several people were killed.
The disadvantage to fixed engines was that they made a journey tortuous in the extreme due to the need to change haulage equipment for each leg of a journey. From Sunderland to Ryhope, which was flat, the trains were hauled by a locomotive. There the loco was replaced by a chain connected to the fixed engine house at Murton Junction. The coaches were than pulled uphill, stopping at Seaton on the way. At Murton the chain was changed for another one connected to Haswell fixed engine house. To get to Durham was even more complicated. It was necessary to change trains at Murton Junction and gravity brought the coaches (still connected by a chain) downhill to Hetton. From there to Durham (Shincliffe) via Pittington, Broomside and Sherburn House was comparatively flat but there were several more fixed engines to attatch to en route. It was barely quicker than walking but this method of transport was still being used some 20 years after the development of powerful locos which could do the entire journey on their own regardless of the gradients.
From 1835 onwards therefore, a very early date in railway history, Murton was directly connected to the outside world. Sunderland was now just 30 minutes away and London could be reached within a day. The busiest day of the year after 1871 was always the Durham Miners Gala when tens of thousands of East Durham mining folk would travel on the line to the county town. Murton miners and their bands would march in procession to the Junction station to board the special trains provided. Though hundreds of thousands of people must have used Murton station in its heyday few photos of it are known to have survived.
The first attempt by Colonel Thomas Braddyll’s South Hetton Coal Company to sink a new colliery at East Morton or Murton took place in 1838 but this collapsed after just a few months due to serious flooding problems. Sinking began again at another site in 1840 but coal was not finally drawn until 1843. It was the most expensive coal sinking yet to have taken place in Great Britain. The effort and money involved finished its owner as a major player in the Durham coalfield. The pit, originally called Dalton New Winning, was linked up to the South Hetton (Braddyll) Railway and the new port and town of Seaham Harbour. Braddyll, principal shareholder of the South Hetton Coal Company, went bankrupt in 1846 and his stock went to, among others, the Pemberton family of The Barnes, Sunderland, later owners of Hawthorn Towers, who had almost ruined themselves in the sinking of Monkwearmouth Colliery (originally called Pemberton Main).
The census of June 6 1841, the first to record any personal details, was taken about half way through the sinking phase, so only ‘sinkers’ were mentioned, not proper coal miners. The real miners did not arrive until the pit was ready for production in 1843. Everything was described by the enumerator of 1841 as ‘Murton (or Morton) New Winning’ so we have few clues as to which were the first streets.
One of the residents, an 8 year old girl, a certain Mary Ann Robson, was destined to become known nationwide when she was in her 40th. year. She probably arrived with her parents Michael and Margaret (nee Lonsdale) Robson and her brother Robert from Hazard Pit at East Rainton in c. 1838 when she was about 5 and so to her Murton would always have seemed like her home village. History knows her best as Mary Ann Cotton (her fourth, last and bigamous husband was Frederick Cotton), allegedly Great Britain’s most prolific murderer, who was accused of as many as 21 murders but was convicted of only one, that of her stepson, one of the three Cotton boys she may have disposed of. Her usual motivation it seems was insurance money but some of her victims may simply have gotten in her way. She was hanged at Durham Gaol in March 1873. Her father Michael Robson declared himself to be a ‘sinker’ in the 1841 census. The family probably lived in the Durham Place area of Murton, demolished in the 1950s. Michael Robson succeeded in falling down one of the (still shallow, a mere 300 feet or so) pits of the projected mine in 1842 and his mangled body was brought to his home on a wheelbarrow inside a sack enscribed with the legend ‘Property of the South Hetton Coal Company’. Inside a year his widow, who otherwise would have had to give up the colliery house, married another miner and fellow Methodist, George Stott, who hailed from nearby South Hetton. He would later claim to have raised Mary Ann and her brother. The Robson/Stott clan were present in Murton throughout the troublesome 1840s and were recorded again there in the 1851 census.
Hardly had coal-drawing begun at ‘Dalton New Winning’ in 1843 when a total strike commenced across the Great Northern Coalfield on April 5 1844. A few days later the first general meeting of miners took place at Shadon Hill on Gateshead Fell. Over 40,000 people attended. It was rumoured beforehand that the men from the new super-pit at Dalton/Murton had declined to join their brothers in industrial action. When it was announced to the great crowd that the Murton men were indeed present the whole mass rose to their feet and cheered till they were exhausted. The Murton men joined the uprising but this could not prevent the eventual crushing of the miners and their union. Even the workhouses were closed to the strikers. Magistrates and clergymen alike gave their sanction and protection to this policy. Shopkeepers were threatened with ruin by the coalowners and authorities if they helped the miners with credit. At least 72 collieries in Northumberland & Durham were affected by this costly dispute. The strike collapsed after 20 weeks.
On the morning of Tuesday August 15 1848 fourteen men and boys were killed by an explosion at Murton Colliery. Twelve of these actually lived in South Hetton, sister colliery and community to Murton. These were:
Matthew Besom, 16 (No Trace in 1841 census of SH (South Hetton) & M (Murton)
John Dickenson, 12 (No Tace at SH & M 1841)
Edward Noble, 23 (Resident at South Hetton 1841)
Edward Haddick or Haddock (No Trace at SH & M in 1841)
William Raffell or Raffle, 32 (Family present at South Hetton 1851)
Christopher Raffell or Raffle, 10 (Family present at SH in 1851)
William Baldwin, 25 (No trace at SH & M)
James Hall, 40 (Resident at South Hetton 1841)
Thomas Stubbs, 27 (Resident at South Hetton 1841)
Joseph Tones, 66 (No Trace at SH & M)
Richard Bloomfield, 20 (His family were at South Hetton in 1841 ?)
David Rumley, 12 (Resident at South Hetton in 1841)
John Robson, a boy (Age not specified in newspapers) (Resident at South Hetton 1841)
Thomas Lawson senior, 41 (Resident at South Hetton 1841)
Thomas Lawson junior, 14, was badly burnt and for days he hovered between life and death at his home in South Hetton. At last he pulled through.
The Durham Chronicle covered the inquest at which the following were called as witnesses:
Henry Pace, Overman (Resident at South Hetton 1841)
Anthony Gray (Resident at South Hetton 1841)
John Robinson (At least four men and boys with this name were resident at South Hetton & Murton in 1841)
John Teasdale (Resident at South Hetton in 1841)
James Dixon, a boy (Resident at South Hetton 1841)
William Armstrong, Viewer at Wingate Grange Colliery
Thomas Jones of Murton (Not present at South Hetton or Murton in 1841 & 1851)
Thomas Graydon of Murton (Resident at Murton 1841)
Edward Potter, Viewer of Murton Colliery (Resident at South Hetton as manager of that concern in 1841).
The verdict of the jury was ‘Accidental Death. No blame attributable to anyone’ So none of the dependents could claim a penny from the South Hetton Coal Company. The Employers’ Liability Act was far in the future.
As had happened in 1841, the 1851 census enumerator for the embryonic community described all of the streets as ‘Murton Colliery’ so we are once more deprived priceless clues about the township’s early development. The Victoria, Colliery Inn and Travellers Rest pubs were all mentioned so at least we have something to chew on. Mary Ann Robson (Cotton), now 18, was mentioned again. She was still living with her mother, stepfather and brother, probably still in the Durham Place area. By the summer of the following year she was pregnant by a newcomer to Murton, a young miner called William Mowbray, and was quietly married to him at Newcastle Register Office. They went from there to Cornwall where he had landed a job as a storeman with a railway construction company. They returned with a child to the northeast in 1857. They can be found in the census at South Hetton in 1861. Mary’s Ann’s ‘career’ may have started with the child she brought back from Cornwall or even with some of the other children she had and ‘lost’ there. Some authorities credit her with as many as 21 murders but the evidence for any of them before 1865 is very weak or non-existent. She was hanged for one she definitely did do at Durham Gaol in March 1873.
At last in 1861 the census enumerator gave some clues as to the streets of early Murton. He repeated the errors of the 1841 and 1851 enumerators and described the first large section of housing he dealt with as simply ‘Murton Colliery’. But for the next section of his stint he mentioned: Surgery Row (not mentioned in later censuses), Coke Row (which became East Street), New House Row or Sinkers Row (which later became part of Durham Place), North Plantation Row (which became Shipperdson Street), South Plantation Row (which later became South Street), Cross Row (not mentioned in later censuses), Tile Row (which later became Railway Street), Chapel Row (which later became another part of Durham Place), Cottage Row and Sandgate Row (which later merged and became Owen Street), Double Row (which later became Lancaster Street), Smokey Row (which later merged with Front Row to become Green Street) & Back Houses (which were not mentioned in later censuses). In fact, though the names of many streets would change, the village was now almost complete apart from the area which would become known as ‘Cornwall’.
Mentioned in the 1861 census of Murton were a few Irish and Welsh families but not one from Devon or Cornwall. The Cornish and Devonian tin and copper industry collapsed in the early 1860s in the face of overseas competition and many of the workers migrated to the northeast and other coalmining areas. By the time of the 1871 census there were some 25 families all living in the same part of Murton, a brand new block of 12 rows which had not existed ten years earlier. This was the origin of the name ‘Cornwall’ for that area, officially known as ‘Greenhill’. There is still a Cornwall Estate in Murton today, a council estate, but ‘Old Cornwall’ is long gone, demolished in the 1950s and 1960s.
The first of these migrants were merely the scouts, the vanguard, of far more who would appear in time for the censuses of 1881 and 1891. The same phenomenon can be observed in the rest of Easington District in the censuses of 1861-91 inclusive, especially at New Seaham and Wingate Grange collieries. A row was named Cornish Street at New Seaham, an entire district at Murton. The immigrants came from such places as Collumpton, Horrabridge, Egbuckland, Beerferris, Tavistock, Whitechurch, Walkhampton, Oakhampton, Mary Tavy and Inwardleigh in Devon and Calstock, Beeralstone, Callington, Liskeard, Stoke Climsland, St. Germans, Northill, St. Ives and St. Just in Cornwall. The following southwestern surnames appeared in Murton and Easington District for the first time in the 1860s and are still present today:
Blackmore, Newcombe, Tremaine, Colville, Bolt, Cornish, Hampton, Milford, Nancarrow, Peardon, Main, Pascoe, Trewicke, Tilley, Hemphill, Bray, Spry, Lavis, Dashper, Beer, Henwood, Hocking, Vine, Blackwell, Pine and Jane.
The 12 rows of ‘Cornwall’ may all have been completed by the time of the 1871 census but the enumerator of that year mentioned only 4th. and 5th. rows specifically. He gave the other rows different names which proved to be shortlasting, like Back Road, High Row and Mechanics Row. Also in 1871 Hart Bushes Row (later called Johnsons Row and then Murton Street) and Wood Row appeared (later called Villiers Street). In 1875 Murton at last received its own Anglican church, Holy Trinity. The Miners’ Hall was erected in the same year. In 1879 Murton, like many other Durham mining villages, was ruined by the 6 week county-wide strike from April 5 to May 16, the first serious confrontation between men and ‘Masters’ since 1844.
In the 1881 census Woods Terrace, Church Street, Back Church Street and Church Road all appeared for the first time. Fortunately for posterity and local historians the enumerators of that year thoughtfully explained the changes in street names which had occurred since the last census:
Wood Row became Villiers Street
High Row + High Tile Row + Overmans Row became Church Street
1st. & 2nd. Rows at Greenhill became Pilgrim Street
3rd. Row at Greenhill became Model Street
4th. & 5th. Rows at Greenhill became Albion Street
6th. Row at Greenhill now became one side of Princess Street
7th. Row at Greenhill now became the other side of Princess Street
8th. & 9th. Rows at Greenhill became Silver Street
10th. & 11th. Rows at Greenhill became Alfred Street
12th. Row at Greenhill became Talbot Street
Part of Sinkers Row + All of Chapel Row became Durham Place
Tile Row became Railway Street
Front Row + Smokey Row became Green Street
Double Row became Lancaster Street
Cottage Row + Sandgate Row became Owen Street
Johnsons Row became Murton Street
North Plantation Row became Shipperdson Street
Coke Row + Coke House became East Street
South Plantation Row became South Street
NB: North Street and New Albion Street were constructed between 1881and 1891 to complete ‘Cornwall’ (Greenhill).
Murton was complete by the time of the 1897 map. Council housing arrived only in the 1920s. A further colliery estate, with just four rows, nicknamed ‘Wembley’, opened on the same day as the Empire Stadium in north London in 1923. Four men were killed in an explosion at Murton on December 21 1937. Thirteen died in an explosion on June 26 1942 during World War Two. Since the war much of old Murton, including ‘Cornwall’ has been demolished to make way for council housing. Murton Colliery and Hawthorn Shaft combine were closed and demolished in 1991. Now a great empty site stands in its place and the nearest coalmine is over a hundred miles away.
In the 1950s passenger services ended on the old Sunderland to Durham & Hartlepool (via Haswell) line. The track stayed in place between South Hetton (and the projected Hawthorn Shaft which would raise coal from Eppleton, Elemore and Murton collieries) and the coast railway at Ryhope. Thus coal could still be transported from the few surviving collieries to Sunderland for export. In 1991 Murton and Hawthorn were closed and the last section of line was dismantled. One unlucky driver, travelling on the Seaham to Houghton road at Seaton, was dazzled by the morning sunshine and failed to see the warning lights flashing at the railway crossing. He was killed by one of the last trains to pass through, whose job was to take up the railway behind it. The entire trackbed of this beautiful old railway from Ryhope (A19 Flyover) to the former Hart Station (some 11 miles) has now been turned into a continuous walkway which parallels the western border of Easington District and passes the sites of several defunct collieries.
Murton Colliery Strikes
1883 (August 20-25), both Murton and South Hetton collieries struck on behalf of two sacked hewers.
1891 (June 13 to August 17), ‘Lowes’ strike (local)
1892 (January 10 to March 12), 3 month County strike
1910 (January 1 to April 5), the ‘8 Hours’ strike (The Pea-Heap Strike, see below)
1912 (March 1 to April 6), ‘Minimum Wage’ strike (first national mining strike)
1920 (October 18 to November 3) 2 week strike
1921 (April 1 to July 1), National Lockout
1926 (May 1 to November 30), General Strike, then miners on their own.
1973-74, National strike, which effectively brought down the Tory government.
1985-85, Last, longest and most bitter of all. Miners led by Arthur Scargill. Resulted in the destruction of the rump Durham Coalfield.
Etched deep in Murton’s memory is the ‘8 Hours’ strike of 1910, known locally as the ‘Pea-Heap Strike’. In that bitterly cold winter Murtonians rapidly ran out of coal and were obliged to pillage the colliery ‘Pea-Heap’, a mountain of pea-sized pieces of coal considered unsuitable for sale and unwanted by anyone except as ballast or as the nucleus for railway embankments. It would burn however and there was nothing else. Eventually the rate of pilfering became so bad that the South Hetton Coal Company called in security men. These were soon intimidated by the local people, especially the women. They breed them tough in Murton. Then police were introduced, not only from other parts of the kingdom but also and especially from Ireland. The usual British Empire trick of divide and conquer. Local police would have turned a blind eye but the Irish constabulary relished the opportuunity of being given free licence to beat up English people, any English people. Ancient racial scores could be settled and no questions asked. The situation eventually deteriorated into a cat and mouse game for the police could not guard all of the vast colliery complex at the same time. On one occasion a pitched battle was fought between the two sides, with the Murtonians almost succeeding in outflanking the Irish police with a cunning pincer movement. Fortunately for all sides the thaw came and the strike petered out. Murton soon got back to normality, which meant the production of coal for a country about to go to war.
Some Murton Street & Building Names
Cornwall House: Built about 1879, possibly for manager Bailes
Lady Adeline Terrace (1899): After Ethel Adeline Pottinger (later Baroness Knaresborough), granddaughter of Reverend E.H. Shipperdson (Shipperdson Street), owner of most of Murton. Her son Claude (Claude Terrace) Henry (Henry Street), born in 1887, was killed in the Great War.
J.H.B. Forster (Forster Avenue) was chairman of the South Heton Coal Company in 1923 when ‘Wembley’ was constructed.
Ada and Ellen streets were named after the daughters of the constructors of the streets, Benjamin & Temple. Lancaster Street was named after Joseph Lancaster, founder of the schools ‘Monitorial’ system. Owen Street was named after Robert Owen, the pioneer of infant schools and the cooperative movement. Villiers Street was named after Charles Pelham Villiers, M.P., ardent advocate for free trade and Poor Law reform.
— by Tony Whitehead
Monkwearmouth Hearth Tax Returns
by Ken Coleman
A hearth tax was levied in England and Wales from 1662 to 1689. It was a tax of two shillings each year on each fireplace, hearth or stove. Some people, such as paupers, were exempt from paying the tax. The law also exempted householders for whom the local incumbent or parish officers provided a certificate that their houses were worth less than a rent of twenty shillings (one pound) per year and who owned goods or chattels worth less than ten pounds. Most charitable institutions, such as hospitals and almshouses, were also exempt as were industrial hearths (except smiths’ forges and bakers’ ovens).
Each year’s tax was payable in two equal installments, on Lady Day (25 March) and Michaelmas (29 September). Tax was payable by the occupier of a property or, if a building was empty, by the owner. After May 1664 landlords had to pay the tax for tenanted property if the occupier was exempt. Furthermore, anyone with more than two hearths became liable to pay the tax even if they otherwise have been exempt. The tax was unpopular and widespread evasion resulted in many names being omitted from the records. Although paupers and some other people were not chargeable, the law required them to be listed from 1663.
The hearth tax assessments are arranged by county, then by hundred and (within each hundred) by parish. Originals of hearth tax returns for Monkwearmouth and environs are to be found within Chester Ward East. Commencing in 1663, there are various enrolled returns and schedules through to 1674. Many of the entries are illegible. However, those for 1666 and 1674 have been indexed alphabetically and are set out below.
Hearth Tax Returns – 1666 (Lady Day Assessment)
Hearth owner
3819
1302
The above census figures relate to the sub-district of Monk Hesleden, which included the below Castle Eden Colliery, and not to the tiny village of Monk Hesleden.
The name Hesleden probably meant ‘Hazel Dene’. The ancient Norman church, built on Saxon foundations and already in ruins, was somehow and inexplicably demolished by the Council in 1968. The graveyard remains. It seems as if it was abandoned some time after 1910, the last known date on any gravestone. The parish registers began in 1578 in the reign of Elizabeth I. The last burial entry was in 1908, the last marriage in 1925 and the last baptism in 1948.
Monk Hesleden village never had any connection with coalmining. The sub-district of ‘Monk Hesleden’ contained three collieries – Castle Eden (c. 1840-93), Hutton Henry (c.1869-97) and South Wingate (c. 1840-57), also known as Rodridge or Hart Bushes. As all three of these closed in the 19th. century the sub-district has long since lost any coalmining connection. Monk Hesleden today is a pleasant village just off the road from Castle Eden to Blackhall.
Horden
Available Parish Registers at Durham Record Office
…parish registers of St. Mary, Monk Hesleden, as listed above, plus…
St. Mary, Horden (1913 St. Hilda, Horden Colliery), Baptisms 1904-56
St. Mary, Horden (1913 St. Hilda, Horden Coll), Marriages 1904-57
St. Mary, Horden (1913 St. Hilda, Horden Colliery), Burials, None
Census returns for the period 1841-91 mention only the two or three farmhouses which then existed in the area. The sinking of the colliery, which took its name from one of the farms, began in 1900. In 1903 the Company constructed 24 houses. By 1905 138 were up and by 1913 Horden was a community with over 1700 pitmens’ homes. The rows were unimaginatively named First to Thirteenth Streets.
In 1910 there was a riot during the ‘Eight Hours’ national strike. The police were called and shots were fired. Horden ‘Big Club’ was looted and burnt down. The modern parish church of St. Hilda was constructed in 1913, replacing an earlier temporary structure, St. Mary’s (1904). The parish registers date from 1904. In the inter-war period the village expanded southwards and westwards into new council housing estates. The population grew to a peak of about 15,000 in 1951. Since then much of the original colliery stock has been demolished and the town has lost population to nearby Peterlee. By 1987 the population had fallen to 8,500. Horden Colliery at one time employed over 6,000 men and boys. It closed in February 1987. The nearest coalmine now is over a hundred miles away.
Blackhall
Available Parish Registers at Durham Record Office
…parish registers of St. Mary, Monk Hesleden, as listed above, plus…
St. Andrew, Blackhall, Banns 1925-68
Blackhall Colliery, named after a local farm which had occupied the lonely site for centuries, did not appear until well into the 20th. century. It had the same owners, the Horden Coal Company (effectively Pease & Partners), as Horden. The first coal was drawn in 1913. Initially the only road in to Blackhall Colliery village was from Hesleden and Castle Eden. The coast road from Hartlepool to Easington came much later. The sinkers and their families had to live in huts and even caves on the beach. Like Horden the streets of the new community were called First, Second, Third Streets, etc. The officials lived in East Street. The first (tin) church was erected in 1911. It was replaced by the present structure in 1930. The coast road, connecting Blackhall to Horden and Blackhall to the north and Hartlepool to the south, was constructed in 1923. Blackhall Colliery closed in 1981. Now the nearest colliery is over one hundred miles away.
— by Tony Whitehead
Lest we Forget – The Miners’ Bond
courtesy:sulfa
For those of us Northeasterners with coal mining ancestors, there is another little-known tool available to pinpoint their movements beyond certificates, the census returns, and parish registers – the existence of the Miners Bond. To use this tool, you need not visit any distant record repository or consult any learned tome or index. All you need is a basic knowledge of the history of local mining and the application of four important dates.
The main source for the following notes was: “The Miners of Northumberland & Durham”, by Richard Fynes, 1873.
Until 1872 all of the miners of Northumberland, Cumberland and Durham were employed under the hated Bond system whereby they contracted their lives away each year (or each month from 1844 to 1864) to a ‘Master’ in return for a ‘bounty’ and little else of substance. By the terms of the bond, under pain of a substantial penalty, they were obliged to submit to various fines and conditions and to work continuously at one colliery for a whole year. The system was a kind of legalised temporary serfdom. The colliery owner on his part gave no undertaking to furnish continuous employment or indeed any employment at all. After 1809 the annual Bond was usually entered into on/about April 5 when a colliery official read out the rate of pay and the conditions available at the pit to the assembled workers and would-be workers. Those who signed up were given a ‘bounty’ of 2s. 6d. (12.5 pence) to start work. The first few to sign up were given extra money which was usually enough incentive to cause a stampede among the poverty-stricken workforce to ‘make their mark’.
If anyone broke the bond he was liable to arrest, trial and imprisonment. If he struck in an attempt to improve conditions, the law was largely against him. If he stood on a picket line, and even looked at a blackleg, it could be construed as attempted coercion. If he attempted to unionise he was intimidated or dismissed and put on a county-wide black list. If he still gave trouble to the authorities he was liable for transportation to the colonies. For the truly unreformable there was always the ultimate sanction in an age when over 200 crimes theoretically carried the death penalty.
A foreign visitor to Tyneside at the end of the 18th. century was struck by the number of notices placed in local newspapers by the ‘Masters’ offering rewards for knowledge of the whereabouts of runaway miners and threatening to prosecute whoever might employ them. In the years 1839/40 for example 66 pitmen in the county of Durham were jailed for short periods as ‘vagrants’; that is, for leaving their usual places of work. In the same period a further 106 were committed for ‘disobedience of orders, and other matters subject to summary jurisdiction’. The annual termination of one bonding and the start of the next enabled the ‘Masters’ to pick and choose from their former and would-be employees (except when there was a shortage of labour), discarding any known or suspected troublemakers or shirkers in the process. The bonding was also the only point in the year when a miner and his family could lawfully uproot themselves from one wretched pit village and trek to another where the wages were slightly higher, the conditions or housing slightly better, or where the grass was or was believed to be greener.
We have all played the game of ‘Musical Chairs’ in our childhood. The music starts, all of the participants walk round in a circle whilst one chair is removed, and then everyone makes a dash for the remaining chairs when the music stops, the individual without a place to park his or her backside being eliminated. Every year the annual bonding triggered a gigantic game of ‘Musical Houses’ and even ‘Musical Villages’ across the Great Northern Coalfield. The old bond expired, the music began and anything up to a quarter of the mining population of the three counties went on the march to a new start, a new life, elsewhere. Sometimes spies had been sent on ahead to ascertain conditions but usually the ‘Masters’ sent agents round the coalfield to recruit/steal workers from each other. Thousands of families took to the road every April from 1809-1844 and 1864-72 with all of their humble belongings on a hired flat-cart, with or without a pony. Then the music stopped, the new bond was ‘signed’ (usually with a cross) by the working members of the family and the new life began. Many clans moved from pit village to pit village every year or whenever the urge struck them. That is why it is so difficult to keep track of the movements of one’s mining ancestors. The great hope of amateur genealogists is to find some of their ancestors who actually stayed put for twenty years or more and who are therefore mentioned in successive censuses in one place.
Eventually conditions for coalminers became so intolerable that the workers were driven to unite. Most, but not all, of the Northumberland and Durham miners went on strike in 1810. It took the ‘Masters’ seven weeks to starve them into submission. The ringleaders were arrested and their families evicted by bailiffs guarded by troops. Over the following two decades appeals to reason and justice went unheeded and discontent kept boiling up in strikes. An attempt was made at the new (and giant) Hetton Colliery in the early 1820s to create a union but it was crushed by the owners and its leader compelled to emigrate to America.
In 1830 Northumberland and Durham miners united in Hepburn’s Union, named after its founder Thomas Hepburn, another Hetton Colliery man, though originally from Pelton. In 1831 both counties came out on strike for more wages and shorter hours. The annual bond terminated on April 5 and its expiry was the signal to down tools. Hepburn himself advocated non-violence but he was unable to control some of the rowdier elements of his membership. A mob of some 1500 miners caused damage at Blyth, Bedlington, Cowpen and Jesmond Dene collieries. Large bodies of violent and lawless men wandered the country causing mischief and the frightened authorities felt obliged to call out the military and swear in a large body of special constables. Hetton was occupied by troops.
On May 5 1830 a large meeting took place at Black Fell, where the miners were met by none other than that great coalowner General the Marquess of Londonderry, accompanied by a military escort. Londonderry asked the miners to disperse and promised to meet their delegates, to which the men agreed. At that meeting however nothing was achieved and the situation continued to deteriorate. On May 17 a large body of men descended on Hebburn Colliery and threw machinery down the shafts to the terror of the blacklegs working below. Only the arrival of a magistrate and marines saved the situation from becoming extremely ugly. In the middle of the following month the owners suddenlycapitulated, the first unmistakeable victory the miners had ever achieved. One of the fruits of their triumph was the establishment of a working day of 12 hours for boys, instead of one almost without limit. They did not long enjoy their unprecedented success.
At the end of that same year of 1831 another stoppage took place at Waldridge Colliery, near Chester-le-Street. On Christmas Eve over 1,000 working men below the ground were placed in some danger by strikers who threw machinery down the shaft. The government promptly offered a reward of 250 guineas and a free pardon to accomplices in return for information about the ringleaders. Six men were betrayed and received prison sentences of up to 15 months for their part. These punishments and the owners plan to deny work to any union member were to be the catalysts for a second strike across the Great Northern Coalfield.
The miners strike of 1832 also began in April, to coincide with the Bond, and within a few days all of the collieries in Northumberland and Durham were again at a standstill. This time however the coalowners had an effective strategy – they brought in blacklegs from all over the kingdom and began evictions of strikers and their families to make way for the newcomers. Soon thousands of strikers and their families were living in fields whilst their villages were full of alien policemen and soldiers.
The terror had its intended effect and the strike eventually petered out. So many strangers had been introduced to the region that the supply of labour was overstocked and the owners could pick who they liked from their former servants. The position of the former strikers was desperate but fortunately for them the demand for coal soon picked up and most of them eventually found employment. Not so the leaders and Thomas Hepburn in particular. He was ultimately reduced to selling tea in the colliery villages but even then the mining folk were too intimidated by the owners, led by Lord Londonderry, to dare buy anything from him. He was driven to starvation and had to beg at Felling Colliery for work. He was forced to consent to have nothing further to do with the union before he was taken back on. Thomas Hepburn kept his word to the ‘Masters’and died in abject poverty on Tyneside in 1864. For the time being at least the miners of the northern counties were leaderless and without any effective union or hope. Twelve years would pass before the next serious unrest.
Before 1809 the time of binding was in October. From 1809 to 1844 the binding took place on/about April 5. After 1809 the time when the contract should be renewed was made changeable and uncertain – sometimes a month or 6 weeks before the old contract ceased. This was of course entirely beneficial to the owners.
In 1843 the men of Thornley Colliery came out on strike in protest at the harshness of their Bond conditions. On November 23 the owners caused arrest warrants to be issued against 68 men for absenting themselves from their employment. All of these informed the court that tried them that they would prefer to go to jail rather than work under the Bond. The magistrates duly obliged and sentenced all 68 to 6 weeks imprisonment. Immediately afterwards however their lawyer Mr. Roberts obtained a writ of habeas corpus and the imprisoned men were removed to the Court of Queens Bench in London where, upon an informality (a techicality), they were acquitted. They all returned to County Durham as heroes but the Bond remained.
The following year saw the ‘Great Strike of 1844’. Once more the miners were crushed and their union destroyed. As part of the punishment a monthly bond was introduced which remained in place for the next 18 years. The intention was to enable the owners to discard troublemakers as soon as they were detected but eventually it was concluded that the new arrangement benefited the miners by giving them undue freedom of movement. The owners could no longer guarantee a stable working force with the mining clans moving on every month without notice. At the end of 1863 the owners collectively advised their workforces that the annual bond would be reintroduced with effect from the following April 5. Disunited and without a union the miners were obliged to accept. The Bond survived for 8 more years until 1872. The prospect of its abolition was the catalyst for the creation of the Durham Miners Mutual Association (D.M.A.) in 1869.
How can all this help amateur genealogists with their research ? Simply apply logic and the known dates to the following fictitious example of a census return at Seaham Colliery in 1871:
23 California Row, Seaham Colliery, 1871 (April) Census
James Hogarth, head of household, married, 48, Coal Miner, born in Long Benton, Northumberland
Sarah H, wife, married, 40, Haswell
James H, son, 4, Haswell Colliery
John H, son, 3, Seaham Colliery
From this we can see that the family moved from Haswell to Seaham at some point between the birth of James junior at Haswell Colliery in 1867 and the birth of his brother John at Seaham Colliery in 1868. The certificates for these births will give us two precise dates (let us say Feb 2 1867 and Jan 17 1868). Applying our knowledge that the Bond was usually signed on /about April 5 in this period we can conclude that James Hogarth senior must have signed the Bond at Haswell in April 1866 and at Seaham in April 1867. Therefore the family must have moved from Haswell to Seaham in April 1867. The same logic can be applied to parish registers in the period before registration of births, marriages and deaths began in 1837.The crucial dates for the Bond are:
Before 1809 the Bond was signed in October.
Between 1809 and 1844 the Bond was signed in on/about April 5.
Between 1844 and 1864 there was a monthly Bond.
The Bond was finally abolished in 1872.
© Tony Whitehead 1997
Hutton Henry, Sheraton, Hulam & Nesbitt
Parish Church, Hutton Henry
Available Parish Registers at Durham Record Office
St. Mary, Monk Hesleden, Baptisms 1578-1948
St. Mary, Monk Hesleden, Marriages 1578-1925
St. Mary, Monk Hesleden, Baptisms 1578-1908
St. Francis, Hutton Henry, Marriages 1926-54
Hutton House RC, Hutton Henry, Baptisms 1808-39
Hutton Henry Wesleyan Chapel, Baptisms 1878-1935
In the distant past, Hutton Henry was far too small ever to have its own church or even a chapel. It was in the parish of Monk Hesleden so look there for the ancient records. Now, despite its size, it has its own Anglican church, RC church and Methodist chapel.
Population changes in the 19th. Century were:
1801
3151
2578
The above returns are for ‘Greater Hutton Henry’ which included the village of that name, outlying farms and Hutton Henry Colliery (c. 1869-97) which area eventually came to be known as Station Town. The above census records for 1841-1901 are transcribed and available on this site.
The name Hutton Henry is of Scandinavian origin. Hutton means ‘high farm’. Henry derives from Henry de Eshe, who was the lord of the manor and local landowner in the 14th. Century. The community layout is typical of those Durham villages laid out in the 12th. and 13th. centuries – a main street bordered on both sides by extensive grassed areas; with dwellings lying together some distance from the road.
The Anglican church of St. Francis was built in 1867 to serve the village and the nearby settlements of Sheraton and Hulam. There is also a Methodist chapel and St. Peter and St. Paul’s RC church. The presbytery of this RC church is known as Hutton House. The current Catholic church was constructed in 1895 on the site of a former place of worship (1825). Hutton Henry today has just one pub, the ancient Plough, scene of many an inquest in times gone by.
Conventional wisdom has it that Hutton Henry Colliery began in 1869. There is no trace of sinkers or coalminers in the 1871 census however. There was definitely a colliery by 1881 but it was some way from the old village, almost a mile to the northeast. The community that built up around it became known as Station Town. There were just 6 households at what would become Station Town in 1871. Also the old mining village at South Wingate Colliery (closed c. 1857) was used to house other Hutton Henry Colliery workers. There were a few miners billeted in Hutton Henry village as well but it remained primarily an agricultural community.
Station Town had 153 households by 1881. Hutton Henry had couple of dozen miners as well in that year for the first time. There were far more in 1891. There were 396 households at Station Town by 1891. The 1891 enumerator listed the following there: Station Lane, Gladstone Street, Wingate Station, ‘Station Town’, Collwill Building, Front Street, East Terrace, ‘Acclom’ (Acklam ?) Street, Vane Street, Rodridge Street, Gargen Street, Millbank (or Milbanke) Terrace, East View and ‘Hutton Henry Colliery’.
Hutton Henry Colliery, never very profitable, closed in 1897. This spelt doom for the village of South Wingate but Station Town eventually grew and linked up with Wingate. Hutton Henry village lost all of its coalminers and reverted to its agricultural traditions. Today the nearest coalmine is over a hundred miles away.
Sheraton
Sheraton was far too small ever to have its own church or even a chapel. It was in the parish of Monk Hesleden so look there for the ancient records. Now it is in the parish of Hutton Henry so it may also be worthwhile checking those records.
Population changes in the 19th. Century were:
1801
173
158
Sheraton never had a coal mine of its own. The nearest were South Wingate (c. 1840-57), Castle Eden (1840-93) and Hutton Henry (c. 1869-97). Sheraton was one of the few communities in Easington District to be completely unaffected by the exploitation of coal reserves. There were never any resident miners according to the census returns 1841-91 inclusive. As the above three collieries all closed in the 19th. Century Sheraton has been distant from coalmining for generations. The above census figures for 1881-1901 inclusive include the returns for the tiny hamlet of Hulam.
Hulam
Hulam was far too small ever to have its own church or even a chapel. It was in the parish of Monk Hesleden so look there for the ancient records. Now it is in the parish of Hutton Henry so it may also be worthwhile checking those records.
Population changes in the 19th. Century were:
1801
with
Sher’n
Hulam never had a coal mine. The nearest were South Wingate (c. 1840-57), Castle Eden (1840-93) and Hutton Henry (c. 1869-97). Hulam was one of the few communities in Easington District to be completely unaffected by the exploitation of coal reserves. There were never any resident miners. As the above three collieries all closed in the 19th. century Hulam has been distant from coalmining for generations. From 1881-1901 inclusive the census returns for the tiny hamlet were included in those for Sheraton.
Nesbitt
Nesbitt was far too small ever to have its own church or even a chapel. It was and is in the parish of Hart (which is outside Easington District) so look there for the ancient records for Nesbitt. An alternative might be Monk Hesleden whose church is about the same distance away from Nesbitt but with a dene in between.
Available Parish Registers at Durham Record Office
…those listed above for Hutton Henry, plus…
Hart Parish Registers 1577-1979
Population changes in the 19th. Century were:
1801
513
The above census records for 1841-1901 are transcribed and available on this site.
It is strange that there should only be one village in England which has adopted the name of such a beautiful tree, the ‘Mayflower’ itself, the very symbol of summertime. Seatons (towns by the sea) and Murtons (Moortowns) are two a penny and there are several of each in County Durham alone. There is however only one Seaham and one Hawthorn.
Situated near the old Sunderland to Stockton turnpike road Hawthorn is and has always been a working agricultural village. The Hawthorn Shaft coal combine (which raised coal from Eppleton, Elemore and Murton collieries from 1959 to 1991) was some three miles away and was much nearer to South Hetton and Murton than to the village from which it took its name. The only connection that Hawthorn village had with coalmining was that it occasionally absorbed a small overspill of population from the surrounding collieries of Haswell, South Hetton, Murton and Seaham. Coalminers and ‘sinkers’ from these pits can be found in all of the censuses of Hawthorn taken in the late 19th. Century. The Pembertons, past owners of Hawthorn Towers and Hawthorn Dene, were coalowners with interests first in Monkwearmouth Colliery (originally called Pemberton Main) at Sunderland (now the site of Sunderland AFC’s Stadium of Light) and later in South Hetton & Murton pits which stock they took over from the bankrupt Colonel Thomas Braddyll in 1846. Several members of the Pemberton family are buried in the graveyard of St. Michael & All Angels in Hawthorn village. The church registers date from 1862.
Hawthorn village and particularly its Dene, now a serene and exquisite beauty spot, home of deer and badger, wild garlic and the Mayflower, very nearly did have a direct connection with coalmining. In the late 1820s Colonel Thomas Braddyll planned to sink a new colliery at ‘South Hetton’ and connect it by a waggonway to a new coaling port at Hawthorn Hive or Hythe, Port Braddyll. This, combined with the limestone quarrying already in progress, would have obliterated Hawthorn Dene in its tracks. A very narrow escape indeed. Braddyll was eventually persuaded to abandon his own impractical scheme and built a waggonway to Lord Londonderry’s new town and port at Seaham Harbour via Cold Hesledon from 1831-33 instead.
A structure known as Sailor’s Hall was constructed on the edge of the north side of Hawthorn Dene near the sea in 1787 by Admiral Milbanke, relative of Sir Ralph Milbanke of Seaham Hall (father-in-law of Lord Byron), as a summer retreat. The Admiral died in 1805 and the building fell into ruin. Later a Major George Anderson of Newcastle bought the land and erected a Gothic-style 30 room mansion called Hawthorn Cottage. He also built the two-storey look-out house on Kinley Hill which bears the name ‘Anderson’s Folly’. This mock mediaeval tower was inhabited until well into the 20th. Century.
Major Anderson died in 1831 but his widow Lucy lived on for many more years with a large retinue of servants. When she died in the late 1850s the estate was bought by the Pemberton family, who were first mentioned in the 1861 census. It was then renamed Hawthorn Towers. The Pembertons were in residence until about 1910 and then made way for Malcolm Dillon (‘Mr. Seaham’), the new Supreme Londonderry Lackey (Chief Colliery Agent) in Seaham, as a tenant. He later moved to Dene House in Seaham and the Towers tenancy was taken over by Mr. & Mrs. Henegan of South Hetton (Mr. Henegan was also a Colliery Agent ?). In 1930 the Newcastle Battallion of the Boys’ Brigade rented the Towers for week-end camps. During World War II it was used by the military and the Home Guard. After the war the Pemberton family returned once more but only briefly. It was bought in c.1949 by a South Shields man and, decrepit by then, changed hands several times over the next few years. Its last owner was a Mr. Kenneth Wilson of Hart who bought it in the late 1950s. Sadly, vandals set fire to it three times, destroying much of the structure. He was obliged to demolish the rest in 1969 after part collapsed and killed a man. Today the site of the Towers is very beautiful and a quiet sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of life, especially in termtime. It was not always so. Find below the census returns for the old mansion from the 19th. century.
Hawthorn Cottage – 1841
Lucy Anderson, 55, Independent Means, N
======================
Elizabeth Croft (?), 20, Independent Means
Ann Oldry, 25, Female Servant,N
Ann Bland, 20, Female Servant, N
Mary Greham (Graham ?), 20, Farm Servant, N
Francois Marien, 45, Male Servant, N(F)
Edward Brough, 40, Male Servant
Hawthorn Cottage – 1851
Lucy Ann Anderson, h, wid, 78, Annuitant, York
Francois Marien, Servant, 59, Butler, Belgium
Edward Brough, Servant, wid, 53, Coachman, Hawthorn
Mary Noble, Servant, 31, Lady’s maid, Netherton, Lincs.
Mary Penrose, Servant, 29, Cook, Yorks.
Jane Dudding, Servant, 23, Housemaid, Newport, Yks.
Hawthorn Towers – 1861
Richard Lawrence Pemberton, h, m, 29, High Sheriff for County Durham, Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant, Bishopwearm.
Jane Emma P, w, m, 28, St. Saviour’s, Jersey
Ellen P, d, 3, Bp. Wearmouth
Mary Lawrence P, d, 1, ditto
John Stapylton Gray P, s, 3 months, ditto
Susan Mary Stapylton Roper (wife’s sister), Visitor, 23, Balbro’, Derbyshire
Lucy Martina Bree, Visitor, 23, Myton, Yorks.
Adela Bertha Bree, Visitor, 17, ditto
Ann Horwood, Servant, 43, Housekeeper, Bampton, Oxfordshire
Charlotte Simmons, Servant, 33, Nurse, Barlbro’, Derbyshire
Patience Denny, Servant, 29, Ladies Maid, Suffolk
Mary Gibson, Servant, 60, Monthly Nurse, Gateshead
Henrietta Ashley, Servant, 21, Housemaid, Hodnet, Shropshire
Sarah Smith, Servant, 20, Under Housemaid, Newcastle
Rachel Stones, Servant, 18, Under Nurse, Barlbro’, Derbys,
Ann Askew, Servant, 13, Kitchenmaid, Kirkhaugh, Northumberland
Thomas Weallens, Servant, m, 28, Coachman, Ellingham, Northumberland
George Hutton, Servant, 28, Footman, Shincliffe
Thomas Horwood, Servant, m, 33, Labourer and helper in stables, Headington, Oxfordshire
NB: Here we have the explanation for the name of Hawthorn’s only modern-day pub, the Stapylton Arms. Clearly the maiden name of Richard L. Pemberton’s wife was Stapylton. The Pembertons themselves were coal owners who spent a fortune on their new colliery at Monkwearmouth at the end of the 1820s, which was originally called Pemberton Main and was destined to be the last coal mine in the county of Durham. The deepest mine in the country at the time, the family had to spend yet more money in a twenty year battle against flooding and quicksands. Eventually they were almost bankrupted and had to sell out at the end of the 1840s. They then bought a shareholding in the estate of the bankrupt Colonel Thomas Braddyll whose portfolio had included Murton and South Hetton collieries. By the look of things the Pemberton family moved into Hawthorn Towers not long before this census. You will notice that their children were born in Bishopwearmouth and not at the Towers. Another (?) family called Pemberton owned Belmont Hall on the eastern approaches to Durham City (which is now called Ramside Hall) and they may have been related to Richard Pemberton.
Gardener’s Cottage – 1861
Joseph Ellis, h, m, 28, Gardener, Knaresborough (?)
Emma E, w, m, 32, Shipston-on-Stour, Worcs.
Evelyn Clara E, d, 1, Easington
Mary Isabella E, d, 4 months, ditto
NB: The above dwelling is the renamed Sailor’s Hall mentioned earlier
Hawthorn Towers – 1871
John Merrell or Merrill (??), h, m, 70, Gardener, Yorks.
Rachel Johnstone (???), d, wid, 40, Myton, Yorks.
Annie J, Granddaughter, 19, Derbyshire
NB: Looks as though the Pembertons and almost their entire retinue were absent when the enumerator called in the spring of 1871.
Garden House 1871 – uninhabited
Richard L. Pemberton, h, m, 49, J.P., Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Durham,
Bishopwearmouth
Elizabeth J. P, w, m, 40, Mendham, Norfolk
Ellen P, d, 23, Bishopwearm.
Mary L. P, d, 21, ditto
John S. G. P, s, 20, Undergraduate of New College, Oxford, ditto
Jane E. S. P, d, 15, Scholar, ditto
Isabel P, d, 10, Scholar, ditto
Margaret P, d, 6, Scholar, ditto
Michael W. S. P, s, 4, Scholar, Hawthorn
Gerard W. S. P, s, 3, ditto
Anne Schwande, Lodger, 30, Governess, Hamburg, Germany
Mary J. Peasce, Servant, wid, 39, Housekeeper, Penrith, Cumberland
Elizabeth Pearson, Servant, 45, Head Ladies Maid, Norfolk
Angelina Allen, Servant, 46, Head Nurse, Wells, Somerset
Anne Kirkner, Servant, 20, Under Ladies Maid, Hamburg, Germany
Augusta M. Self, Servant, 28, Under Nurse, Port Louis, Mauritius
Silias D. Montague, Servant, 18, Nursemaid, Isle of Wight
Helen Scott, Servant, 38, Head Housemaid, Fifeshire
Primrose McDermid, Servant, 19, Under Housemaid, Lanarks,
Johanna McDonald, Servant, 23, Kitchenmaid, Carmarthenshire
Johanna Sutherland, Servant, 22, Scullerymaid, Sutherlandshire
John G. Froggatt, Servant, 38, Butler, Bristol
William Hunter, Servant, 31, Groom, London
William (Surname Blank), Servant, 22, Footman, Manton, Oxfordshire
Charles Elliott, Servant, 16, Page, Suffolk
NB: Twenty five people resident at Hawthorn Towers on census night 1881. Strange to go there now and feel the quietude and atmosphere of the site. It must have been quite a place in its day as old photos testify. The ruins stood until the 1960s when part of them collapsed on top of a man and killed him. The owner demolished the Towers shortly after. The author played in the ruins and former gardens many times as a child.
Tower Bothey (??) – 1881
David Martin, h, m, 31, Gardener, Scotland
Isabella M, w, m, 25, ditto
Marion M, d, 1, ditto
John M, s, 3 months, Hawthorn
Henry Hindmarsh, Lodger, 17, Gardener, Shillefield, Northumberland
Lodge Gates – 1881
Thomas Askew, h, m, 36, Gamekeeper, Kirkhaugh, Northumberland
Margaret A, w, m, 28, Alston, Cumberland
Margaret A, d, 6, Scholar, Hawthorn
John Armstrong, Visitor, 25, Joiner, Herrington
Hawthorn Tower – 1891
Richard Lawrence Pemberton, h, m, 59, Magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant of the County, Bishopwearmouth
Elizabeth Jane P, w, m, 50, Meudham, Norfolk
Bertram R. S. P, s, 25, Teacher (B.A. New College, Oxford), Bishopwearmouth
Isabel P, d, 20, ditto
Margaret P, d, 16, ditto
Michael W. S. P, s, 14, ditto
John Lowis, Servant, 56, Butler, Skirwith, Cumberland
Leonard Musgrave, Servant, 22, Footman, Crake Hall, Bedale, Yorks.
Albert Palmer, Servant, 14, Page, Wortwell Harburton, Norfolk
George Railton, Servant, 25, Groom, Alnwick, N’ld.
William Watt, Servant, 28, Under Gardener, Ahvely Bridge (??), Durham
Jane Pearce, Servant, wid, 47, Housekeeper, Penrith
Mary Bickerton, Servant, 40, Ladies Maid, Longhoughton, Northumberland
Agnes Blaydon, Servant, 27, Ladies Maid, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk
Catherine McColl, Servant, 39, Housemaid, Argyll, Scotland
Maggie Foubister, Servant, 21, 2nd. Housemaid, Kirkwall, Orkney
Annie Stockgill, Servant, 18, 3rd. Housemaid, Seaton Carew
Harriet Davies, Servant, 23, Kitchen Maid, Glamorgan, Wales
Mary Ferguson, Servant, 17, Scullery Maid, Alloa, Scotland
======================
William Husbands, h, m, 57, Head Gardener, Wollaton, Notts.
Dorothy Harker H, w, m, 56, Groby, Leics.
William Keane Garbutt, Lodger, 19, Under Gardener, Cottingley, Yorks.
======================
Thomas Haythorne, h, m, 32, Forester, Conisthorpe, Yorks.
Amelia H, w, m, 30, Byland Abbey, Yorks.
Ann Elizabeth H, d, 1, Hawthorn
Tom Luke, Brother-in-law, 22, Byland Abbey, Yorks.
NB: Twenty eight people at Hawthorn Towers in this census. Almost a village on its own. Now deserted, flattened and eerie in the moonlight. Hawthorn Tower was finally demolished in 1969. Rest in Peace.
— by Tony Whitehead
| i don't know |
Who was the Chancellor of the Exchequer in Clement Attlee's government from 1947 to 1950? | Conflicting Views of the Attlee Governments
by Professor Kevin Jeffreys. University of Plymouth
new perspective. Volume 3. Number 3. March 1998
Summary: Labour won a resounding election victory in 1945, but from 1947 its popularity began to ebb, with economic, financial and foreign policy problems, and it went out of office in 1951. In the meantime it instituted substantial reforms, including the creation of the welfare state and the nationalisation of important industries. How should the party's achievements be judged? Did Labour under Attlee miss a golden opportunity to introduce socialism, or did his governments attempt too much and over-stretch the economy? Kevin Jefferys accepts neither of these alternatives. Instead he praises Labour for making Britain a better place in which to live.
Introduction: Attlee becomes Prime Minister
WINSTON CHURCHILL'S WIFE was said to have remarked that electoral defeat in 1945 was a blessing in disguise. If so, Churchill said, the blessing was extremely well disguised. In spite of his reputation as Britain's saviour during the Second World War, the Conservatives were decisively rejected at the polls. At the last pre-war election, Labour trailed the Tory-dominated National Government by over 200 parliamentary seats. But as victory against Hitler came into sight during 1943-44, Churchill and other leading Conservatives misjudged the mood of the nation. By championing the wishes of millions who hoped to see a 'New Jerusalem' emerging out of the ashes of war, Labour swept into office in 1945 with one of the biggest landslide victories in modern politics. As Churchill licked his wounds, the enigmatic figure of Clement Attlee entered No. 10 Downing Street, at the head of the first-ever Labour government with a clear majority over all other parties combined.
Attlee was much under-rated at the time. He clearly lacked certain qualities. On the 'equivalent of the Richter scale for oratory', Peter Hennessy has written, 'the needle scarcely flickered'. Yet Attlee was a leader with considerable self-belief, and his shrewd common sense and skilful handling of colleagues enabled him to remain at the helm for six gruelling years. He was confronted by desperate economic hardships and found his parliamentary majority greatly reduced in 1950. Yet by the time his second, short-lived administration came to an end in 1951, Attlee could reflect with pride on what had been achieved. The face of domestic politics had been transformed by a new 'post-war settlement': this included a mixed economy containing many nationalised industries; the maintenance of high wartime levels of employment; and the introduction of what became known as the welfare state.
Historians, social scientists, journalists and politicians have debated long and hard about the type of society Britain became in the immediate post-war years. Before assessing some of the conflicting interpretations, we mightfirst set the scene by outlining four broad stages in the history of the Attlee governments.
Full Speed Ahead 1945-46
Britain had lost a quarter of its national wealth in defeating Hitler; without urgent attempts to recover lost exports markets, the government faced a 'financial Dunkirk'. Yet fortified by the negotiation of a controversial American loan, ministers forged ahead with an extensive reform programme, as promised in Labour's election manifesto. The pace of change in the early days was encouraged by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Hugh Dalton, whose economic policy was designed to favour ordinary working-class families, most of whom were still suffering from the privations associated with war. Food subsidies were retained in order to keep down living costs; progressive rates of taxation were kept in place; and regional development was pursued vigorously, so helping to avoid any return to mass unemployment in pre-war industrial blackspots. Under the watchful guidance of Herbert Morrison, Labour's organisational supremo, several major industries were taken into public ownership. In later years the development of a mixed economy was to falter, but in the aftermath of war nationalisation provided a popular means of seeking to redeem industries such as coal mining that had been inefficient and unprofitable in private hands.
Concern about 'our people' - the working classes - also underpinned the rapid introduction of welfare reform. In 1942 the Beveridge Report publicised the need for an overhaul of social security provision. Labour's National Insurance Act of 1946 provided for the first time a comprehensive safety net by bringing together benefits to insure against sickness, unemployment and old age. In housing, Labour faced the task of fitting a population enlarged by a million into properties reduced in number by 700,000 owing to bomb damage. After a slow start, one million new homes were built. Eighty per cent were council houses (rather than being built for private sale) - a clear reversal of Tory priorities in the 1930s. But the jewel in Labour's welfare crown was the National Health Service (NHS), which introduced free access to a wide range of hospital and general practitioner services. The Conservatives voted against the 1946 NHS Act, though opposition dwindled as the popularity of free medical care became obvious, especially among working-class women hitherto unable to insure themselves against ill-health. Labour charges that the Tories would dismantle the welfare state had to be strongly denied. In the words of one Tory MP, 'No one shoots Santa Claus'.
The Crises of 1947
The government's honeymoon period came to an abrupt halt in 1947. In February ministers struggled to cope with the 'winter crisis': fuel shortages compounded by the coldest weather in living memory. As much of industry ground to a temporary halt, the Minister of Fuel and Power, Manny Shinwell, came under attack. 'Shiver with Shinwell' became a potent Tory slogan. In the summer fresh turmoil was created when it became clear that the American loan came with strings attached: the so-called 'convertibility clause' intensified Britain's balance-of-payments problem in trading with the affluent USA and brought sterling under intense pressure on the foreign exchanges. Dalton as Chancellor was forced into a rapid tightening of economic policy - a humiliation from which his reputation never recovered. In November, after controversy over the delivery of his emergency budget, Dalton resigned. In the wake of these recurrent economic difficulties, ministers were faced with a gradual erosion of public confidence. By the autumn the Tories were ahead in the opinion polls for the first time since Attlee came to power. In domestic politics, 1947 thus marked an important point of transition: from the confidence of the early months in power to a less buoyant phase in which ministers spoke of 'consolidating' advances already made.
Stafford Cripps and 'Austerity' 1948-50
The period between 1948 and the general election in 1950 became indelibly associated in the public mind with drabness and petty restrictions. This 'age of austerity' was closely identified with the persona of Dalton's successor, Sir Stafford Cripps, a vegetarian teetotaller noted for cold baths at four in the morning and a prodigious work rate that included three hours at his desk before breakfast. Hoping for similar self-discipline from the nation, Cripps continued with a wartime-style 'fair shares' policy of food rationing. This was in spite of growing resentment among middle-class women over ever-lengthening queues to obtain food of dubious quality, such as the infamous South African fish snoek, which tasted so unappetising that the whole bulk consignment had to be sold off for reprocessing as cat food.
Under Cripps, Labour's domestic policy became more pragmatic. Welfare expenditure was tightened, talk of 'socialist planning' was downplayed, and sterling was devalued in order to make British exports more competitive overseas, above all in American markets. Churchill depicted devaluation as a national humiliation, and the opposition recovered further ground by claiming that scarcities in the shops were entirely the product of government mismanagement. This proved a telling theme at the general election in February 1950, which saw a swing against Labour of 2.9 per cent (compared with 12 per cent against the Conservatives in 1945), so leaving Labour in office but as Dalton said 'without authority or power'. Whereas many working-class areas remained loyal to Labour, the party fared badly in middle-class districts in southern England, where austerity proved to be a prime cause of voter disaffection. Attlee remained in Downing Street, but this time - unlike 1945 - there were no joyous celebrations in the streets.
The Second Attlee Government 1950-1
For several months, the reconstituted government locked capable of confounding those who felt Labour could not survive another full term. But in the summer of 1950 the outbreak of the Korean War proved divisive and contentious. Several Labour MPs felt that the decision to send British troops to combat Communist forces in North Korea smacked of subservience to American wishes. More seriously, the decision to further increase an already large defence budget precipitated the first major split in party ranks since 1945. Nye Bevan as the architect of the NHS refused to accept the case made by Hugh Gaitskell - Chancellor after Cripps resigned on medical grounds - that rearmament required spending cutbacks on the home front. Bevan's resignation over the breaching of the principle of a free health service symbolised an emerging division over future strategy that was to bedevil Labour for years to come. 'The End Is Nye' claimed Tory propagandists, and this proved the case for Attlee when a further small swing was sufficient to bring the Tories back to power at the election of October 1951. Churchill, having spent six fairly leisurely years recuperating from his wartime exploits, could at last leave behind the humiliation of defeat in 1945. Perhaps his wife had been right after all.
Interpreting the Attlee Years
How then have observers and commentators summed up Attlee's legacy? Among the majority of historians, Labour has received a fair trial. The counsel for the defence has included distinguished writers such as Kenneth Morgan, Henry Pelling, Alec Cairncross and Peter Hennessy (see Further Reading below). The Attlee era, so the argument goes, constituted Labour's finest hour. This was a period that went some way towards satisfying wartime demands for a New Jerusalem: the economy recovered from the ravages of war while avoiding a return to mass unemployment, and simultaneously ministers never wavered in their determination to fulfil the Beveridge promise of social protection 'from the cradle to the grave'.
Other historians have been less impressed. For left-wing critics, the immediate post-war years were marked by a betrayal of socialist idealism and by wasted opportunities. Instead of using public backing as evident in 1945 to introduce wholesale socialist change, Labour instead opted for cautious reformism: for example failing to break down entrenched class barriers. In Jim Fyrth's recent collection of fifteen essays the left-wing case for the prosecution receives its most extended treatment yet. The tone for the volume is set by John Saville's introduction, which claims that the Attlee government 'disillusioned its own militants' by achieving only modest reform, so providing a 'springboard for the rich totake off into the profiteers' paradise of the 1950s'.
Correlli Barnett and Industrial Decline
From an alternative critical perspective, Correlli Barnett has attacked Labour for introducing too much rather than too little socialism. In his concern to explain Britain's post-war 'industrial decline', Barnett is highly critical of wartime evangelists of a 'Brave New World', such as Beveridge, who were allowed to prevail over those aware of the 'Cruel Real World' of lost exports and vanished overseas investment. The folly of giving priority to welfare reform over economic regeneration was compounded by Attlee after 1945, with the result that Britain missed a unique chance to remake itself industrially while her rivals were crippled by defeat and occupation. In this line of thinking, the newly imposed 'burden' of a welfare state was unsustainable in the longer-term.
This forceful critique was taken up by Conservative politicians seeking to 'roll back' the frontiers of the state in the 1980s, though it has found little support among academics. Economic historians point out that Labour was remarkably successful at boosting industrial production, manufacturing output and the volume of exports (the latter up by 73.1 per cent between 1945 and 1951). The priority given to social needs was hardly surprising given the nation's verdict in 1945: voters promised jam tomorrow were adamant that 'never again' should there be a return to the misery associated with inter-war Britain. If there was a failure to modernise infrastructure, then this was not considered necessary: the swift rise of European competition in the 1950s was not something that could be predicted in advance. Nor was there anything incompatible about aiming for both economic regeneration and social reform. Far from imposing crippling costs, the British version of the welfare state consumed quite limited resources, especially when seen as a positive contributor to the economy and not simply as a burden upon the taxpayer.
Barnett has also been taken to task for failing to acknowledge the 'fair-shares' ethos left by the searing experience of war. Recent studies have been keen to stress that Labour ministers hoped to turn people into better citizens; values such as duty and responsibility were frequently extolled, and the needs of the community were always to come before the wishes of the individual. There was, in other words, a desire for moral as well as economic change, an unusual combination of what Peter Hennessy calls 'hope and public purpose'. Indeed one cause of Labour's demise in 1950-51 has been identified as the party's mistaken view that voters fully shared its ethical vision. Measures to sustain a wartime sense of community, instead of transforming people into active citizens, foundered in the face of apathy. But the effort had been made. 'There were many more responsible than the Labour Party', conclude the authors of 'England Arise', for ensuring that the high ideals of the 1940s were never achieved.
Conclusion
Several critiques, in the view of this writer, mistakenly judge the Attlee years against inappropriate yardsticks. Criticism has often been unduly influenced by later developments in politics and society. Britain's 'industrial disease' became a matter of widespread concern from the 1960s onwards. Yet Correlli Barnett's talk of decline finds little echo in the debates of the late 1940s, when much of the nation took pride in having survived and recovered from war. Labour governments in the 1960s and 1970s proved gravely disappointing to activists hoping for fundamental change, and left-wing historians have read back from this a willingness on the part of Attlee's ministers to oppose radical solutions. But at the time very few Labour MPs or party workers had clear ideas about what 'more socialism' might amount to in domestic policy. Indeed for most of the Labour movement, from the leadership down to the rank-and-file, the Attlee years were soon regarded as something of a golden age.
One reason for this sense of shared pride was that Labour stalwarts remembered what came before. When judged against pre-1945 standards, Britain for most of its citizens had become a more tolerable place in which to live. Austerity, the inevitable by-product of war, grated among the middle classes especially, and ministers were increasingly forced on the defensive by opposition exploitation of public weariness with the ethos of fair shares. But in 1951, while the Tories won more seats, Labour secured the highest ever number of total votes, based on massive support in industrial strongholds. For the working classes who made up the majority of the population, job security was on a level unknown in the 1930s, fresh opportunities were opening up for the young in education, and pensions approximated as never before to a living income. Affordable, decent housing came within the reach of thousands of lower income families, and the NHS treated millions of patients in its early years of operation. One woman recalled how, on the evening before the health service was formally launched in July 1948, she was delivered of a baby shortly before midnight. The next morning she received a bill from the doctor; had the baby been born fifteen minutes later, there would have been no charge. This was what Attlee meant when he spoke of having achieved a 'revolution without tears'.
Words and concepts to note
financial Dunkirk: British troops were forced to make a hasty exit from the Continent by advancing German forces at Dunkirk in 1940; five years later the British economy faced humiliating ruin unless remedies were found.
mixed economy: an economy containing a mixture of both state-controlled and privately owned industries.
welfare state: social and economic policies designed to provide security against want and ill-health, e.g. social security, health service etc.
enigmatic: puzzling, hard to understand.
recurrent: occurring again and again.
ethos: distinctive character or atmosphere.
demise: death, ending.
What were the reasons for the decline in Labour's popularity after 1945?
w
What were the main achievements of the 1945-51 Labour governments?
w
'Attlee's Labour governments were too timid to grasp the nettle of socialism.' Discuss this view.
w
Why, and with what justification, has it been argued that the 1945-51Labour governments saddled the British economy with an insupportable welfare state?
Further Reading
: Correlli Barnett, The Lost Victory. British Dreams, British Realities 1945-50, Macmillan, 1995; Stephen Brooke (ed.), Reform and Reconstruction. Britain after the War 1945-51, Manchester University Press, 1995; Alec Cairncross, Years of Recovery: British Economic Policy 1945-51, Methuen, 1985; Jim Fyrth (ed.), Labour's High Noon. The Government and the Economy 1945-51, Lawrence and Wishart, 1993; Peter Hennessy, Never Again: Britain 1945-51, Jonathan Cape, 1992; Kevin Jefferys, The Attlee Governments 1945-51, Longman, 1992; Kenneth Morgan, Labour In Power 1945-51, Oxford University Press, 1984; Henry Pelling, The Labour Governments 1945-51, Macmillan, 1984; John Saville, The Labour Movement in Britain, Faber and Faber, 1988; Nick Tiratsoo (ed.), The Attlee Years, Pinter, 1991; Steve Fielding, Peter Thompson and Nick Tiratsoo, 'England Arise!' The Labour Party and Popular Politics In 1940s Britain, Manchester University Press 1995.
Rebuilding Post-war Britain: Conflicting Views of the Attlee Governments, 1945-51 by Kevin Jeffreys � new perspective 1998
Kevin Jefferys is Reader in Contemporary History at Plymouth University. He is general editor of the Manchester University Press series 'Documents in Contemporary History', and his publications include The Labour Party since 1945, Macmillan, 1993 and The Churchill Coalition and Wartime Politics, MUP, 1995.
| Stafford Cripps |
Who is the present Vice-President of the USA? | Clement Attlee
C
Clement Attlee
Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS (3 January 1883 – 8 October 1967) was a British Labour politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951, and as Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. He was Deputy Prime Minister under Winston Churchill in the wartime coalition government, before leading the Labour Party to a landslide election victory over Churchill's Conservative Party at the 1945 general election. He was the first Labour Prime Minister to serve a full Parliamentary term and the first to have a majority in Parliament.
The government he led put in place the post-war consensus, based upon the assumption that full employment would be maintained by Keynesian policies, and that a greatly enlarged system of social services would be created – aspirations that had been outlined in the wartime Beveridge Report. Within this context, his government undertook the nationalisation of major industries and public utilities as well as the creation of the National Health Service. After initial Conservative opposition to Keynesian fiscal policy, this settlement was broadly accepted by all parties until Margaret Thatcher became leader of the Conservative Party in the 1970s and neoliberalism became mainstream.
His government also presided over the decolonisation of a large part of the British Empire when India , Pakistan , Burma , Sri Lanka , Jordan , and Palestine obtained their independence.
In 2004, he was voted the greatest British prime minister of the 20th century in a poll of 139 professors organised by MORI.
Early life and family
He was born in Putney, London, into a middle-class family, the seventh of eight children. His father was Henry Attlee (1841–1908), a solicitor, and his mother was Ellen Bravery Watson (1847–1920). He was educated at Northaw School, Haileybury and University College, Oxford, where he graduated with a Second Class Honours BA in Modern History in 1904. Attlee then trained as a lawyer, and was called to the Bar in 1906.
From 1906 to 1909, Attlee worked as manager of Haileybury House, a club for working-class boys in Limehouse in the East End of London run by his old school. Prior to this, his political views had been Conservative. However, he was shocked by the poverty and deprivation he saw while working with slum children. He came to the view that that private charity would never be sufficient to alleviate poverty, and only massive action and income redistribution by the state would have any serious effect. This caused him to convert to socialism . He joined the Independent Labour Party in 1908, and became active in London local politics.
In 1909 he worked briefly as secretary for Beatrice Webb , and from 1909 to 1910 he worked as secretary for Toynbee Hall. In 1911 he took up a government job as an 'official explainer', touring the country to explain David Lloyd George's National Insurance Act. He spent the summer of that year touring Essex and Somerset on a bicycle, explaining the Act at public meetings.
Attlee became a lecturer at the London School of Economics in 1912, but promptly applied for a Commission in August 1914 for World War I .
Military service during World War I
During World War I, Attlee was given the rank of captain and served with the South Lancashire Regiment in the Gallipoli Campaign in Turkey . After a period of fighting in the heat, sand, and flies he became ill with dysentery and was sent to hospital in Malta to recover. This may have saved his life, as while he was in hospital he missed the Battle of Sari Bair in which many of his comrades were killed.
Attlee had gained a reputation among his superiors as a competent leader. When he returned to the front, he was informed that his company had been chosen to hold the final lines when Gallipoli was evacuated. He was the last-but-one man to be evacuated from Suvla Bay (the last being General F.S. Maude).
The Gallipoli campaign had been masterminded by Winston Churchill. Attlee believed that it was a bold strategy, which could have been successful if it had been better implemented. This gave him an admiration for Churchill as a military strategist, which improved their working relationship in later years.
He later served in the Mesopotamian Campaign in Iraq , where he was badly wounded at El Hannah after being hit in the leg by shrapnel from an exploding shell while taking enemy trenches. He was sent back to England to recover, and spent most of 1917 training soldiers. He was sent to France in June 1918 to serve on the Western Front for the last months of the war.
In 1917 he had been promoted to the rank of Major, and continued to be known as "Major Attlee" for much of the inter-war period.
His decision to fight in the war caused a rift between him and his older brother Tom Attlee, who as a pacifist and a conscientious objector spent much of the war in prison. After the war, he returned to teaching at the London School of Economics until 1923.
Marriage and children
Attlee met Violet Millar on a trip to Italy in 1921. Within a few weeks of their return they became engaged and were married at Christ Church, Hampstead on 10 January 1922. Theirs would be a devoted marriage until her death in 1964. Their four children were Lady Janet Helen (b. 1923), Lady Felicity Ann (1925–2007), Martin Richard (1927–91) and Lady Alison Elizabeth (b. 1930).
Early political career
Local politics
Attlee returned to local politics in the immediate post-war period, becoming mayor of the Metropolitan Borough of Stepney in 1919, one of London's poorest inner-city boroughs. During his time as mayor, the council undertook action to tackle slum landlords who charged high rents but refused to spend money on keeping their property in habitable condition. The council served and enforced legal orders on house-owners to repair their property. It also appointed health visitors and sanitary inspectors, and reduced the infant mortality rate.
In 1920, while mayor, he wrote his first book, "The Social Worker", which set out many of the principles which informed his political philosophy and were to underpin the actions of his government in latter years. The book attacked the idea that looking after the poor could be left to voluntary action. He wrote:
'Charity is a cold grey loveless thing. If a rich man wants to help the poor, he should pay his taxes gladly, not dole out money at a whim'.
He went on to write:
'In a civilised community, although it may be composed of self-reliant individuals, there will be some persons who will be unable at some period of their lives to look after themselves, and the question of what is to happen to them may be solved in three ways - they may be neglected, they may be cared for by the organised community as of right, or they may be left to the goodwill of individuals in the community. The first way is intolerable, and as for the third: Charity is only possible without loss of dignity between equals. A right established by law, such as that to an old age pension, is less galling than an allowance made by a rich man to a poor one, dependent on his view of the recipient’s character, and terminable at his caprice'.
He strongly supported the Poplar Rates Rebellion led by George Lansbury in 1921. This put him into conflict with many of the leaders of the London Labour Party, including Herbert Morrison.
Member of Parliament
At the 1922 general election, Attlee became the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Limehouse in Stepney. He helped Ramsay MacDonald, whom at the time he admired, get elected as Labour Party leader at the 1922 Labour leadership election, a decision which he later regretted. He served as Ramsay MacDonald's parliamentary private secretary for the brief 1922 parliament.
His first taste of ministerial office came in 1924, when he served as Under-Secretary of State for War in the short-lived first Labour government, led by MacDonald.
Attlee opposed the 1926 General Strike, believing that strike action should not be used as a political weapon. However, when it happened he did not attempt to undermine it. At the time of the strike he was chairman of the Stepney Borough Electricity Committee. He negotiated a deal with the Electrical Trade Union that they would continue to supply power to hospitals, but would end supplies to factories. One firm, Scammell and Nephew Ltd, took a civil action against Attlee and the other Labour members of the committee (although not against the Conservative members who had also supported this). The court found against Attlee and his fellow councillors and they were ordered to pay £300 damages. The decision was later reversed on appeal, but the financial problems caused by the episode almost forced Attlee out of politics.
In 1927 he was appointed a member of the multi-party Simon Commission, a Royal Commission set up to examine the possibility of granting self-rule to India. As a result of the time he needed to devote to the commission, and contrary to a promise made to Attlee by MacDonald to induce him to serve on the commission, he was not initially offered a ministerial post in the Second Labour Government. However, his unsought service on the Commission was to equip Attlee (who was later to have to decide the future of India as Prime Minister) with a thorough exposure to India and many of its political leaders.
In 1930, Labour MP Oswald Mosley left the party after its rejection of his proposals for solving the unemployment problem. Attlee was given Mosley's post of Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He was Postmaster-General at the time of the 1931 crisis, during which most of the party's leaders lost their seats. During the course of the second Labour government, Attlee had become increasingly disillusioned by Ramsay MacDonald, whom he came to regard as vain and incompetent, and later wrote scathingly of him in his autobiography.
Opposition during the 1930s
Deputy Leader of the Labour Party
After the downfall of the second Labour government, the 1931 General Election was held. The election was a disaster for the Labour Party, which lost over 200 seats; most of the party's senior figures lost their seats, including Arthur Henderson the party leader. George Lansbury and Attlee were among the few surviving Labour MPs who had served in government. Accordingly, Lansbury became leader of the party and Attlee became deputy leader.
Attlee served as acting leader for nine months from December 1933, after Lansbury fractured his thigh in an accident. This raised his public profile. During this period, financial problems again almost forced Attlee to quit politics, as his wife was ill, and there was then no separate salary for the Leader of the Opposition. He was persuaded to stay on, however, by Stafford Cripps, a wealthy socialist who agreed to pay him an additional salary.
Leader of the Opposition
George Lansbury, a convinced pacifist, resigned as leader at the 1935 Labour Party conference, after the party voted in favour of sanctions against Italy for its aggression against Abyssinia , a policy which Lansbury strongly opposed. With a general election looming, the Parliamentary Labour Party then appointed Attlee as interim leader, on the understanding that a leadership election would be held after the general election.
Attlee led Labour through the 1935 general election, which saw the party stage a partial recovery from its disastrous performance in 1931, gaining over one hundred seats. In the post-election leadership contest held in November 1935, Attlee was opposed by Herbert Morrison and Arthur Greenwood. Morrison was seen as the favourite by many, but was distrusted by many sections of the party, especially the left. Arthur Greenwood's leadership bid was hampered by his alcohol problem . Attlee came first in both the first and second ballots, and subsequently retained the leadership, a post which he would retain until 1955.
Throughout the 1920s and most of the 1930s , the Labour Party's official policy, supported by Attlee, was to oppose rearmament, and support collective security under the League of Nations . However, with the rising threat from Nazi Germany , and the ineffectiveness of the League of Nations, this policy lost credibility. By 1937, Labour had jettisoned its pacifist position and came to support rearmament and oppose Neville Chamberlain 's policy of appeasement .
In 1937 Attlee visited Spain and visited the British Battalion of the International Brigades fighting in the Spanish Civil War . One of the companies was named the 'Major Attlee Company' in his honour.
Deputy Prime Minister
Attlee remained opposition leader when war broke out in September 1939. The disastrous Norwegian campaign resulted in a motion of no confidence in the government. Although Chamberlain survived this, the reputation of his administration was so badly damaged that it was clear that a coalition government was necessary. The crisis coincided with the Labour Party Conference. Even if Attlee had been prepared to serve under Chamberlain (in a "national emergency government"), he would not have been able to carry the party with him. Consequently, Chamberlain tendered his resignation, and Labour and the Liberals entered a coalition government led by Winston Churchill.
In the World War II coalition government, three interconnected committees ran the war. Churchill chaired the War Cabinet and the Defence Committee. Attlee was his regular deputy in these committees, and answered for the government in parliament when Churchill was absent. Attlee chaired the third body, the Lord President's Committee, which ran the civil side of the war. As Churchill was most concerned with executing the war, the arrangement suited both men.
Only he and Churchill remained in the war cabinet from the formation of the Government of National Unity to the 1945 election. Attlee was Lord Privy Seal (1940–42), Deputy Prime Minister (1942–45), Dominions Secretary (1942–43), and Lord President of the Council (1943–45). Attlee supported Churchill in his continuation of Britain's resistance after the French capitulation in 1940, and proved a loyal ally to Churchill throughout the conflict.
1945 general election
Following the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, Attlee and Churchill wanted the coalition government to last until Japan had been defeated. However, Herbert Morrison argued that the party would not accept this, and the Labour National Executive Committee agreed with him. Churchill responded by resigning as coalition Prime Minister and decided to call an election at once.
The war set in motion profound social changes within Britain, and led to a popular desire for social reform . This mood was epitomised in the Beveridge Report. The report assumed that the maintenance of full employment would be the aim of postwar governments, and that this would provide the basis for the welfare state. All major parties were committed to this aim, but perhaps Attlee and Labour were seen by the electorate as the best candidates to follow it through.
Labour campaigned on the theme of "[http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/man/lab45.htm Let Us Face the Future]" and positioned themselves as the party best placed to rebuild Britain after the war, while the Conservatives campaign centred around Churchill. With the hero status of Churchill, few expected a Labour victory. However Churchill made some errors during the campaign: His suggestion during a radio broadcast, that a Labour government would require "some form of gestapo " to implement their socialist policies, was widely seen as being in bad taste, and backfired.
The results of the election when they were announced on 26 July, came as a surprise to almost everyone, including Attlee: Labour had been swept to power on a landslide, winning just under 50% of the vote, to the Conservatives' 36%. Labour won 393 seats, giving them a majority of 147.
The story goes that when Attlee visited King George VI at Buckingham Palace to kiss hands, the notoriously laconic Attlee and the notoriously tongue-tied George VI stood for some minutes in silence, before Attlee finally volunteered the remark "I've won the election." The King replied "I know. I heard it on the Six O'Clock News."
Prime Minister
Now Prime Minister, Attlee appointed Ernest Bevin as Foreign Secretary; Hugh Dalton was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer (it had widely been expected to be the other way around). Stafford Cripps became President of the Board of Trade, while Herbert Morrison was given the post of Deputy Prime Minister and given overall control of Labour's nationalisation programme. Aneurin Bevan became Minister of Health, whilst Ellen Wilkinson, the only woman to serve in Attlee's government, became Minister of Education.
Domestic policy
Health and Welfare reforms
In domestic policy , the party had clear aims. Attlee's first Health Secretary, Aneurin Bevan, fought against the general disapproval of the medical establishment in creating the British National Health Service. Although there are often disputes about its organisation and funding, British parties to this day must still voice their general support for the NHS in order to remain electable.
The government set about implementing William Beveridge's plans for the creation of a 'cradle to grave' welfare state, and set in place an entirely new system of social security. Among the most important pieces of legislation was the National Insurance Act 1946, in which, people in work paid a flat rate of national insurance . In return, they (and the wives of male contributors) were eligible for flat-rate pensions, sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, and funeral benefit. Various other pieces of legislation provided for child benefit and support for people with no other source of income.
Nationalisation
Attlee's government also carried out their manifesto commitment for nationalisation of basic industries and public utillities. The Bank of England and civil aviation were nationalised in 1946. Coal mining, the railways, road haulage, canals and cable and wireless were nationalised in 1947, electricity and gas followed in 1948. The steel industry was finally nationalised in 1951. By 1951 about 20% of the British economy had been taken into public ownership. Other changes included the creation of a National Parks system, the introduction of the Town and Country Planning system, and the repeal of the Trades Disputes Act 1927.
The Economy
Nevertheless, the most significant problem remained the economy; the war effort had left Britain nearly bankrupt. The war had cost Britain about a quarter of its national wealth. Overseas investments had been wound up to pay for the war. The transition to a peacetime economy, and the maintaining of strategic military commitments abroad led to continuous and severe problems with the balance of trade . This meant that strict rationing of food and other essential goods were continued in the post war period, to force a reduction in consumption in an effort to limit imports, boost exports and stabilise the Pound Sterling so that Britain could trade its way out of its crisis.
The abrupt ending of the American Lend-Lease program in August 1945 almost caused a crisis. This was mitigated by the Anglo-American loan negotiated in December 1945 by John Maynard Keynes , which provided some respite. The conditions attached to the loan included making the pound fully convertible to the dollar. When this was introduced in July 1947, it led to a currency crisis and convertibility had to be suspended after just five weeks. Britain benefited from the American Marshall Aid program from 1948, and the economic situation improved significantly. However another balance of payments crisis in 1949 forced Chancellor of the Exchequer Stafford Cripps into devaluation of the pound.
Despite these problems, one of the main achievements of Attlee's government was the maintenance of near full employment. The government maintained most of the wartime controls over the economy, including control over the allocation of materials and manpower, and unemployment rarely rose above 500,000, or 3% of the total workforce. In fact labour shortages proved to be more of a problem. One area where the government was not quite as successful was in housing, which was also the responsibility of Aneurin Bevan. The government had a target to build 400,000 new houses a year to replace those which had been destroyed in the war, but shortages of materials and manpower meant that less than half this number were built.
1947 crisis
1947 proved to be a particularly difficult year for the government; an exceptionally cold winter that year caused coal mines to freeze and cease production, creating widespread power cuts and food shortages. The crisis led to an unsuccessful plot by Hugh Dalton to replace Attlee as Prime Minister with Ernest Bevin. Later that year Stafford Cripps tried to persuade Attlee to stand aside for Bevin. However these plots petered out after Bevin refused to co-operate. Later that year, Hugh Dalton resigned as Chancellor after inadvertently leaking details of the budget to a journalist, he was replaced by Cripps.
Relations with the Press and Royal Family
Attlee's government faced constant hostility from Conservative supporting sections of society, including the Conservative supporting press. The Sunday Times journalist James Margach, wrote of the Attlee years; "I have never known the Press so consistently and irresponsibly political, slanted and prejudiced". As early as 1946 the Attorney-General Sir Hartley Shawcross attacked "the campaign of calumny and misrepresentation which the Tory Party and the Tory stooge press has directed at the Labour government. Freedom of the press does not mean freedom to tell lies". In 1946 the government set up a Royal Commission on the press which eventually led to the setting up of the Press Council in 1953.
Relations with the Royal Family were also strained. A letter from Queen Elizabeth (later the Queen Mother), dated 17 May 1947, showed "her decided lack of enthusiasm for the socialist government" and describes the British electorate as "poor people, so many half-educated and bemused" for electing Attlee over Winston Churchill, whom she saw as a war hero. That said, according to Lord Wyatt, this was to be expected as the Queen Mother was "the most right-wing member of the Royal Family."
Foreign policy
Postwar Europe and the Cold War
In foreign affairs, Attlee's cabinet was concerned with four issues: postwar Europe, the onset of the cold war , the establishment of the United Nations , and decolonisation. The first two were closely related, and Attlee was assisted in these matters by Ernest Bevin. Attlee attended the later stages of the Potsdam Conference in the company of Truman and Stalin .
In the immediate aftermath of the war, the Government faced the challenge of managing relations with Britain's former war-time ally, Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union . Attlee's Foreign Secretary, the former trade union leader Ernest Bevin, was passionately anti-communist, based largely on his experience of fighting communist influence in the trades union movement. Bevin's initial approach to the USSR as Foreign Secretary has been described by historian Kenneth O. Morgan as "wary and suspicious, but not automatically hostile".
In an early "good-will" gesture that has been criticised more recently, the Attlee government allowed the Soviets access, under the terms of a 1946 UK-USSR Trade Agreement, to several Rolls-Royce Nene jet engines . The Soviets, who at the time were well behind the West in jet technology, reverse-engineered the Nene, and installed their own version in the MiG-15 interceptor, used to good effect against US-UK forces in the subsequent Korean War, as well as in several later MiG models.
After Stalin took political control of most of Eastern Europe and began to subvert other governments in the Balkans, Attlee's and Bevin's worst fears of Soviet intentions were borne out. The Attlee government then became instrumental in the creation of the successful NATO defence alliance to protect Western Europe against any Soviet aggression. In a crucial contribution to the economic stability of post-War Europe, Attlee's cabinet was instrumental in promoting the American Marshall Plan for the economic recovery of Europe.
A group of left wing Labour MPs organised under the banner of "Keep Left", urged the government to steer a middle way between the two emerging superpowers, and advocated the creation of 'third force' of European powers to stand between the USA and USSR. However, deteriorating relations between Britain and the USSR, and Britain's economic reliance on America, steered policy towards supporting America.
Fear of Soviet and American intentions led, in January 1947, to a secret meeting of senior cabinet ministers, where it was decided to press ahead with the development of Britain's independent nuclear deterrent, an issue which later caused a split in the Labour Party, although the first successful test did not occur until 1952, after Attlee had left office.
In 1950 American president Harry S. Truman said that atomic weapons may be used in the Korean War. Attlee became concerned with the power America possessed and therefore called a meeting of some foreign affairs ministers in order to discuss the issue that had evolved.
Decolonisation
Attlee's government was responsible for the first significant decolonisation of part of the British Empire -- India. Attlee appointed Lord Louis Mountbatten Viceroy of India, and agreed to Mountbatten's request for plenipotentiary powers for negotiating Indian independence. In view of implacable demands by the political leadership of the Islamic community in British India for a Muslim homeland, Mountbatten conceded the partition of India between a Hindu-majority India and a predominantly Muslim Pakistan (which at the time incorporated East Pakistan , now Bangladesh ). Partition was accomplished only at the cost of large-scale population movements and heavy communal bloodshed on both sides. The independence of Burma and Ceylon was also negotiated around this time. Some of the new countries became British Dominions , the genesis of the modern Commonwealth of Nations .
One of the most urgent problems concerned the future of the Palestine Mandate. This was a very unpopular commitment and the evacuation of British troops and subsequent handing over of the issue to the UN was widely supported by the public.
The government's policies with regard to the other colonies, however, particularly those in Africa, were very different. A major military base was built in Kenya, and the African colonies came under an unprecedented degree of direct control from London, as development schemes were implemented with a view to helping solve Britain's desperate post-war balance of payments crisis, and raising African living standards . This 'new colonialism' was, however, generally a failure: in some cases, such as a then-infamous Tanganyika groundnut scheme, spectacularly so.
Demise of Attlee's government
The Labour Party was returned to power in the general election of 1950 with a much reduced parliamentary majority under the first-past-the-post voting system , despite an increase in the popular vote. It was at this time that a degree of Conservative opposition recovered at the expense of the declining Liberal Party.
By 1951, the Attlee government was looking increasingly exhausted, with several of its most important ministers having died or ailing. The party split in 1951 over the austerity budget brought in by Hugh Gaitskell to pay for the cost of Britain's participation in the Korean War : Aneurin Bevan, architect of the National Health Service (NHS), resigned to protest against the new charges for "teeth and spectacles" introduced by the budget, and was joined in this action by the later prime minister, Harold Wilson.
Labour lost the general election of 1951 to Churchill's renewed Conservatives, despite polling more votes than in the 1945 election and more votes nationwide than the Conservative party, and, indeed, the most votes Labour had ever won.
His short list of Resignation Honours announced in November 1951 included an Earldom for William Jowitt, Lord Chancellor.
Return to opposition and retirement
Following the defeat in 1951, Attlee continued to lead the party in opposition. His last four years as leader are widely seen as one of the Labour Party's weaker periods. The party became split between its right wing led by Hugh Gaitskell and its left led by Aneurin Bevan. One of his main reasons for staying on as leader was to frustrate the leadership ambitions of Herbert Morrison, whom Attlee disliked for political and personal reasons. Attlee had reportedly at one time favoured Bevan to succeed him as leader, but this became problematic after the latter split the party.
Attlee, now aged 72, contested the 1955 general election against Anthony Eden, which saw the Conservative majority increase. He retired as leader on 7 December 1955, having led the party for over twenty years, and was succeeded by Hugh Gaitskell.
He retired from the Commons and was elevated to the peerage to take his seat in the House of Lords as Earl Attlee and Viscount Prestwood on 16 December 1955. In 1958 he was, along with Bertrand Russell, one of a group of notables to establish the Homosexual Law Reform Society, which campaigned for the decriminalization of homosexual acts in private by consenting adults,a reform which was voted through parliament nine years later.
He attended Churchill's funeral in January 1965 - elderly and frail by then, he had to remain seated in the freezing cold as the coffin was carried, having tired himself out by standing at the rehearsal the previous day.
He lived to see Labour return to power under Harold Wilson in 1964, but also to see his old constituency of Walthamstow West fall to the Conservatives in a by-election in September 1967. Clement Attlee died of pneumonia at the age of 84 at Westminster Hospital on 8 October 1967.
On his death, the title passed to his son Martin Richard Attlee, 2nd Earl Attlee (1927–91). It is now held by Clement Attlee's grandson John Richard Attlee, 3rd Earl Attlee. The third earl (a member of the Conservative Party) retained his seat in the Lords as one of the hereditary peers to remain under an amendment to Labour's 1999 House of Lords Act.
When Attlee died, his estate was sworn for probate purposes at a value of £7,295, a relatively modest sum for so prominent a figure.
His ashes are buried in the nave of Westminster Abbey , close to those of Lord Passfield and Ernest Bevin.
Legacy
"A modest man, but then he has so much to be modest about", is a quote about Attlee that is very commonly ascribed to Churchill (although Churchill in fact respected Attlee's service in the War Cabinet). Attlee's modesty and quiet manner hid a great deal that has only come to light with historical reappraisal. In terms of the machinery of government, he was one of the most businesslike and effective of all the British prime ministers. Indeed he is widely praised by his successors, both Labour and Conservative.
His leadership style of consensual government, acting as a chairman rather than a president, won him much praise from historians and politicians alike. Even Thatcherites confess to admiring him. Christopher Soames, a Cabinet Minister under Thatcher, remarked that "Mrs Thatcher was not really running a team. Every time you have a Prime Minister who wants to make all the decisions, it mainly leads to bad results. Attlee didn't. That's why he was so damn good." Even Thatcher herself wrote in her 1995 memoirs, which charted her beginnings in Grantham to her victory in the 1979 General Election, that she admired Attlee saying: "Of Clement Attlee, however, I was an admirer. He was a serious man and a patriot. Quite contrary to the general tendency of politicians in the 1990s, he was all substance and no show".
His administration presided over the successful transition from a wartime economy to peacetime, tackling problems of demobilisation, shortages of foreign currency, and adverse deficits in trade balances and government expenditure. Further domestic policies that he brought about included the establishment of the National Health Service and post-war Welfare State , which became key to the reconstruction of post-war Britain.
In foreign affairs, he did much to assist with the post-war economic recovery of Europe, though this did not lead to a realisation that this was where Britain's future might lie. He proved a loyal ally of America at the onset of the cold war. Because of his style of leadership it was not he but Ernest Bevin who masterminded foreign policy.
It was Attlee's government that decided Britain should have an independent atomic weapons programme, and work began on it in 1947. Bevin, Attlee's Foreign Secretary, famously stated that "We've got to have it and it's got to have a bloody Union Jack on it." However, the first operational British A Bomb was not detonated until October 1952, about one year after Attlee had left office.
Though a socialist, Attlee still believed in the British Empire of his youth, an institution that, on the whole, he thought was a power for good in the world. Nevertheless, he saw that a large part of it needed to be self-governing. Using the Dominions of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand as a model, he began the transformation of the Empire into the Commonwealth.
His greatest achievement, surpassing many of these, was, perhaps, the establishment of a political and economic consensus about the governance of Britain that all parties, whether Labour, Conservative or Liberal subscribed to for three decades, fixing the arena of political discourse until the later 1970s.
Image
Although possessed of a genial personality, Clement Attlee was notably taciturn in his relations with the Press, sometimes offering only monosyllabic answers to reporters' questions. He was seldom referred to by his forenames; usually he was referred to as "C. R. Attlee" or "Mr. Attlee."
Appearance in popular culture
Art
Attlee's portrait hangs in the dining hall of University College, Oxford in recognition of his services to Britain.
Literature
Attlee composed this limerick about himself to demonstrate how he was often underestimated: :
Few thought he was even a starter.
There were many who thought themselves smarter.
But he finished PM,
An earl and a Knight of the Garter.
Source: Jones, B., Barry Jones' Dictionary of World Biography, 1998
An alternative version also exists, which may reflect Attlee's use of English more closely:-
There were few who thought him a starter,
Many who thought themselves smarter.
But he ended PM,
an Earl and a Knight of the Garter.
Source: Kenneth Harris, "Attlee" (Weidenfeld and Nicholson, London, 1982)
Music
Lord Beginner's song "General Election" was inspired by Attlee's victory in the 1950 British general election.
Sport
In 1981, Attlee again entered British popular culture as one of the famous English people taunted by name in Bjørge Lillelien's legendary commentary immediately after Norway defeated England in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.
Drama
Played by Patrick Troughton in ''Edward & Mrs. Simpson.
Appeared as a character in the play ''Tom and Clem'', by Stephen Churchett. In the original production in 1997, Alec McCowen played Attlee, and Michael Gambon played Tom Driberg.
Played by Alan David in the final episode of the BBC sitcom ''Goodnight Sweetheart'',
The main character in the BBC Radio 4 Saturday Play ''That Man Attlee''. Broadcast on 15 September 2007, it was written by Robin Glendinning, with Bill Wallis playing Attlee.
Played by Richard Attlee, his grandson, in Jerome Vincent’s 'Stuffing Their Mouths with Gold'; the story of how the National Health Service came to be. Broadcast on Radio 4 on 4 July 2008, the day before the 60th anniversary of the founding of the NHS.
Attlee's cabinet 1945–50
Herbert Morrison: Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Arthur Greenwood: Lord Privy Seal
Hugh Dalton: Chancellor of the Exchequer
Ernest Bevin: Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
George Henry Hall: Secretary of State for the Colonies
Lord Addison: Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs and Leader of the House of Lords
Lord Pethick-Lawrence: Secretary of State for India and Burma
A. V. Alexander: First Lord of the Admiralty
Jack Lawson: Secretary of State for War
William Wedgwood Benn, Lord Stansgate: Secretary of State for Air
Ellen Wilkinson: Minister of Education
Joseph Westwood: Secretary of State for Scotland
Tom Williams: Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
George Isaacs: Minister of Labour and National Service
Aneurin Bevan: Minister of Health
Sir Stafford Cripps: President of the Board of Trade
Emanuel Shinwell: Minister of Fuel and Power
Changes
July 1946 - Arthur Greenwood becomes Paymaster-General as well as Lord Privy Seal.
October 1946 - The three service ministers (Secretary of State for War, Secretary of State for Air, and First Lord of the Admiralty) cease to be cabinet positions. A. V. Alexander remains in the cabinet as Minister without Portfolio. George Hall replaces A. V. Alexander as First Lord of the Admiralty, outside the cabinet. Arthur Creech Jones succeeds Hall as Secretary of State for the Colonies.
December 1946 - A. V. Alexander succeeds Attlee as Minister of Defence.
February 1947 - George Tomlinson succeeds Ellen Wilkinson as Minister of Education upon her death.
March 1947 - Arthur Greenwood ceases to be Paymaster-General, remaining Lord Privy Seal. His successor as Paymaster-General is not in the cabinet.
April 1947 - Arthur Greenwood becomes Minister without Portfolio. Lord Inman succeeds Arthur Greenwood as Lord Privy Seal. William Francis Hare, Lord Listowel succeeds Lord Pethick-Lawrence as Secretary of State for India and Burma.
July 1947 - The Dominion Affairs Office becomes the Office of Commonwealth Relations. Addison remains at the head.
August 1947 - The India and Burma Office becomes the Burma office with India's independence. Lord Listowel remains in office.
September 1947 - Sir Stafford Cripps becomes Minister of Economic Affairs. Harold Wilson succeeds Cripps as President of the Board of Trade. Arthur Greenwood retires from the Front Bench.
October 1947 - Lord Addison succeeds Lord Inman as Lord Privy Seal, remaining also Leader of the House of Lords. Philip Noel-Baker succeeds Lord Addison as Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations. Arthur Woodburn succeeds Joseph Westwood as Secretary of State for Scotland. The Minister of Fuel and Power, Emanuel Shinwell, leaves the Cabinet.
November 1947 - Sir Stafford Cripps succeeds Hugh Dalton as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
January 1948 - The Burma Office is abolished with Burma's independence.
May 1948: Hugh Dalton re-enters the Cabinet as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Lord Pakenham enters the Cabinet as Minister of Civil Aviation.
July 1948: Lord Addison becomes Paymaster-General.
April 1949: Lord Addison ceases to be Paymaster-General, remaining Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords. His successor as Paymaster-General is not in the Cabinet.
Attlee's cabinet 1950–51
In February 1950, a substantial reshuffle took place following the General Election: Clement Attlee: Prime Minister
Lord Jowitt: Lord Chancellor
Herbert Morrison: Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Lord Addison: Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords
Sir Stafford Cripps: Chancellor of the Exchequer
Ernest Bevin: Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs
James Chuter Ede: Secretary of State for the Home Department
Jim Griffiths: Secretary of State for the Colonies
Patrick Gordon Walker: Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations
Harold Wilson: President of the Board of Trade
Lord Alexander of Hillsborough: Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
George Tomlinson: Minister of Education
Hector McNeil: Secretary of State for Scotland
Tom Williams: Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
George Isaacs: Minister of Labour and National Service
Aneurin Bevan: Minister of Health
Emanuel Shinwell: Minister of Defence
Hugh Dalton: Minister of Town and Country Planning
Changes
October 1950: Hugh Gaitskell succeeds Sir Stafford Cripps as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
January 1951: Aneurin Bevan succeeds George Isaacs as Minister of Labour and National Service . Bevan's successor as Minister of Health is not in the cabinet. Hugh Dalton's post is renamed Minister of Local Government and Planning.
March 1951: Herbert Morrison succeeds Ernest Bevin as Foreign Secretary. Lord Addison succeeds Morrison as Lord President. Bevin succeeds Addison as Lord Privy Seal. James Chuter Ede succeeds Morrison as Leader of the House of Commons whilst remaining Home Secretary.
April 1951: Richard Stokes succeeds Ernest Bevin as Lord Privy Seal. Alf Robens succeeds Aneurin Bevan (resigned) as Minister of Labour and National Service. Sir Hartley Shawcross succeeds Harold Wilson (resigned) as President of the Board of Trade. (Wikipedia)
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Who painted 'Girl Balancing On A Ball, With Bare Feet' and 'Three Dancers'? | Picasso Exhibition - British Pathé
British Pathé
Item title reads - Picasso Exhibition.
Tate Gallery, London.
M/S interior Tate Gallery where exhibition is being held. C/U exhibition organiser Mr Penrose looking at painting. 'Girl with Bare Feet' which Pablo Picasso painted in 1895. C/U painting 'Pipes of Pan', from 1923. C/U man going cross-eyed, camera turns man's head onto its side. C/U one of the Picasso modern paintings as it turns round. C/U of another painting. M/S 'Still Life with Bull's Skull' painted in 1958 being hung by two workmen. C/U pan up painting 'Three Dancers' from 1925, another modern painting. L/S man walking along line of paintings.
C/U Picasso's modern interpretation of the 'Crucifixion' painted in 1930. C/U man looking at one of the paintings and biting his lip. C/U pan up another modern painting 'Head' from 1929. M/S paintings in the exhibition. C/U painting 'Dutch Girl' from 1905 which was recently sold for a great deal of money. M/S man looking at painting. L/S painting 'Drop Curtain For Parade', from 1917 one of the biggest paintings in the show measuring 11 x 18 yards, cleaners scrub floor in foreground.
Tags
| PICASSO |
In English county cricket, which trophy is awarded to the player who scores the season's fastest hundred? | Picasso Exhibition - British Pathé
British Pathé
Item title reads - Picasso Exhibition.
Tate Gallery, London.
M/S interior Tate Gallery where exhibition is being held. C/U exhibition organiser Mr Penrose looking at painting. 'Girl with Bare Feet' which Pablo Picasso painted in 1895. C/U painting 'Pipes of Pan', from 1923. C/U man going cross-eyed, camera turns man's head onto its side. C/U one of the Picasso modern paintings as it turns round. C/U of another painting. M/S 'Still Life with Bull's Skull' painted in 1958 being hung by two workmen. C/U pan up painting 'Three Dancers' from 1925, another modern painting. L/S man walking along line of paintings.
C/U Picasso's modern interpretation of the 'Crucifixion' painted in 1930. C/U man looking at one of the paintings and biting his lip. C/U pan up another modern painting 'Head' from 1929. M/S paintings in the exhibition. C/U painting 'Dutch Girl' from 1905 which was recently sold for a great deal of money. M/S man looking at painting. L/S painting 'Drop Curtain For Parade', from 1917 one of the biggest paintings in the show measuring 11 x 18 yards, cleaners scrub floor in foreground.
Tags
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Which Act of 1765 (repealed 1766) levied duties on American colonies? | Stamp Act - American Revolution - HISTORY.com
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Raising Revenue
The Seven Years’ War (1756-63) ended the long rivalry between France and Britain for control of North America, leaving Britain in possession of Canada and France without a footing on the continent. Victory in the war, however, had saddled the British Empire with a tremendous debt. Since the war benefited the American colonists (who had suffered 80 years of intermittent warfare with their French neighbors) as much as anyone else in the British Empire, the British government decided that those colonists should shoulder part of the war’s cost.Britain had long regulated colonial trade through a system of restrictions and duties on imports and exports. In the first half of the 18th century, however, British enforcement of this system had been lax. Starting with the Sugar Act of 1764, which imposed new duties on sugar and other goods, the British government began to tighten its reins on the colonies. Shortly thereafter, George Grenville (1712-70), the British first lord of the treasury and prime minister, proposed the Stamp Act; Parliament passed the act without debate in 1765.
Did You Know?
Stamp Act opponent Patrick Henry is known for his "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech, delivered before a meeting of Virginia's colonial leaders in 1775 in an effort to mobilize a militia against a possible attack by the British. He later served as Virginia's governor (1776-79, 1884-86).
Instead of levying a duty on trade goods, the Stamp Act imposed a direct tax on the colonists. Specifically, the act required that, starting in the fall of 1765, legal documents and printed materials must bear a tax stamp provided by commissioned distributors who would collect the tax in exchange for the stamp. The law applied to wills, deeds, newspapers, pamphlets and even playing cards and dice. Part of the revenue from the Stamp Act would be used to maintain several regiments of British soldiers in North America to maintain peace between Native Americans and the colonists. Moreover, since colonial juries had proven notoriously reluctant to find smugglers guilty of their crimes, violators of the Stamp Act could be tried and convicted without juries in the vice-admiralty courts.
The Roots of Colonial Resistance
Coming in the midst of economic hardship in the colonies, the Stamp Act aroused vehement resistance. Although most colonists continued to accept Parliament’s authority to regulate their trade, they insisted that only their representative assemblies could levy direct, internal taxes, such as the one imposed by the Stamp Act. They rejected the British government’s argument that all British subjects enjoyed virtual representation in Parliament, even if they could not vote for members of Parliament.
The colonists also took exception with the provision denying offenders trials by jury. A vocal minority hinted at dark designs behind the Stamp Act. These radical voices warned that the tax was part of a gradual plot to deprive the colonists of their freedoms and to enslave them beneath a tyrannical regime. Playing off traditional fears of peacetime armies, they wondered aloud why Parliament saw fit to garrison troops in North America only after the threat from the French had been removed. These concerns provided an ideological basis that intensified colonial resistance.
Uproar in the Colonies
Parliament pushed forward with the Stamp Act in spite of the colonists’ objections. Colonial resistance to the act mounted slowly at first, but gained momentum as the planned date of its implementation drew near. In Virginia , Patrick Henry (1736-99), whose fiery orations against British tyranny would soon make him famous, submitted a series of resolutions to his colony’s assembly, the House of Burgesses. These resolutions denied Parliament’s right to tax the colonies and called on the colonists to resist the Stamp Act. Newspapers throughout the colonies reprinted the resolutions, spreading their radical message to a broad audience. The resolutions provided the tenor for the proclamations of the Stamp Act Congress, an extralegal convention composed of delegates from nine colonies that met in October 1765. The Stamp Act Congress wrote petitions to the king affirming both their loyalty and the conviction that only the colonial assemblies had the constitutional authority to tax the colonists.
While the Congress and the colonial assemblies passed resolutions and issued petitions against the Stamp Act, the colonists took matters into their own hands. The most famous popular resistance took place in Boston, where opponents of the Stamp Act, calling themselves the Sons of Liberty, enlisted the rabble of Boston in opposition to the new law. This mob paraded through the streets with an effigy of Andrew Oliver, Boston’s stamp distributor, which they hanged from the Liberty Tree and beheaded before ransacking Oliver’s home. Oliver agreed to resign his commission as stamp distributor.
Similar events transpired in other colonial towns, as crowds mobbed the stamp distributors and threatened their physical well-being and their property. By the beginning of 1766, most of the stamp distributors had resigned their commissions, many of them under duress. Mobs in seaport towns turned away ships carrying the stamp papers from England without allowing them to discharge their cargoes. Determined colonial resistance made it impossible for the British government to bring the Stamp Act into effect. In 1766, Parliament repealed it.
Unresolved Issues
The end of the Stamp Act did not end Parliament’s conviction that it had the authority to impose taxes on the colonists. The British government coupled the repeal of the Stamp Act with the Declaratory Act, a reaffirmation of its power to pass any laws over the colonists that it saw fit. However, the colonists held firm to their view that Parliament could not tax them. The issues raised by the Stamp Act festered for 10 years before giving rise to the Revolutionary War and, ultimately, American independence.
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Which artist was born in 1746, died in 1828, and produced a series of satirical paintings entitled 'The Disasters Of War'? | The Stamp Act, 1765 | The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
View this item in the Collection.
On March 22, 1765, the British Parliament passed the “Stamp Act” to help pay for British troops stationed in the colonies during the Seven Years’ War. The act required the colonists to pay a tax, represented by a stamp, on various forms of papers, documents, and playing cards. It was a direct tax imposed by the British government, without the approval of the colonial legislatures and was payable in hard-to-obtain British sterling, rather than colonial currency. Further, those accused of violating the Stamp Act could be prosecuted in Vice-Admiralty Courts, which had no juries and could be held anywhere in the British Empire.
Important dates in the Stamp Act Crisis
March 22, 1765: British Parliament passes the “Stamp Act.”
October 1765: Delegates from nine colonies meet in New York City in what has become known as the Stamp Act Congress, the first united action by the colonies; the congress acknowledges that while Parliament has a right to regulate colonial trade, it does not have the power to tax the colonies since they were unrepresented in Parliament.
November 1, 1765: the Stamp Act goes into effect in the colonies
March 1766: Colonial resistance to the Stamp Act and pressure from London merchants prompts Parliament to abolish the Stamp Act.
March 1766: Parliament issues the Declaratory Act, which states that the king and Parliament have full legislative power over the colonies.
Excerpts
King George III, An Act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, 1765
An act for granting and applying certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such parts of the several acts of parliament relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies and plantations, as direct the manner of determining and recovering the penalties and forfeitures therein mentioned.
WHEREAS by an act made in the last session of parliament, several duties were granted, continued, and appropriated, towards defraying the expences of defending, protecting, and securing, the British colonies and plantations in America: and whereas it is just and necessary, that provision be made for raising a further revenue within your Majesty’s dominions in America, towards defraying the said expences: we, your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the commons of Great Britain in parliament assembled, have therefore resolved to give and grant unto your Majesty the several rates and duties herein after mentioned; and do most humbly beseech your Majesty that it may be enacted, and be it enacted by the King’s most excellent majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, in this present parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That from and after the first day of November, one thousand seven hundred and sixty five, there shall be raised, levied, collected, and paid unto his Majesty, his heirs, and successors, throughout the colonies and plantations in America which now are, or hereafter may be, under the dominion of his Majesty, his heirs and successors,
For every skin or piece of vellum or parchment, or sheet or piece of paper, on which shall be ingrossed, written, or printed, any licence, appointment, or admission of any counsellor, solicitor, attorney, advocate, or proctor, to practice in any court, or of any notary within the said colonies and plantations, a stamp duty of ten pounds.
For every skin or piece of vellum or parchment, or sheet or piece of paper, on which shall be ingrossed, written, or printed, any note or bill of lading, which shall be signed for any kind of goods, wares, or merchandize, to be exported from . . . within the said colonies and plantations, a stamp duty of four pence.
For every skin or piece of vellum or parchment, or sheet or piece of paper, on which shall be ingrossed, written, or printed, any licence for retailing of wine, to be granted to any person who shall take out a licence for retailing of spirituous liquors, within the said colonies and plantations, a stamp duty of three pounds,
For every skin or piece of vellum or parchment, or sheet or piece of paper, on which shall be ingrossed, written, or printed, any notarial act, bond, deed, letter, of attorney, procuration, mortgage, release, or other obligatory instrument, not herein before charged, within the said colonies and plantations, a stamp duty of two shillings and three pence.
And for and upon every pack of playing cards, and all dice, which shall be sold or used within the said colonies and plantations, the several stamp duties following (that is to say)
For every pack of such cards, the sum of one shilling.
And for every pair of such dice, the sum of ten shillings.
And for and upon every paper, commonly called a pamphlet, and upon every newspaper, containing publick news, intelligence, or occurrences, which shall be printed, dispersed, and made publick, within any of the said colonies and plantations, and for and upon such advertisements as are herein after mentioned, the respective duties following (that is to say)
For every other almanack or calendar for any one particular year, which shall be written or printed within the said colonies or plantations, a stamp duty of four pence. . . .
A copy of the excerpts is available.
Questions for Discussion
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'High Numbers' was the former name of which pop group? | History - The Who Official Website
History
THE STORY OF THE WHO 1944-2016
Roger Harry Daltrey born in Shepherds Bush, London.
John Alec Entwistle born in Chiswick, London.
1945
19 May
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend born in Chiswick, London. His father, Cliff, is a professional saxophonist and his mother, Betty, is a singer.
Keith John Moon born in Wembley, Middlesex.
1959
Pete and John form The Confederates, a trad jazz outfit, while at Acton County School. Pete plays the banjo and John the French horn. Roger attends the same school, a year ahead of them.
1961
September
Pete enrolls at Ealing Art School; art college being the classic training ground for British rock stars of the Sixties, while John works for the Acton tax office. Roger becomes a sheet metal worker, building his own guitars. His group, The Detours, originally a skiffle group, formed at Acton County School, recruits John on bass guitar.
1962
Pete is added on guitar at John’s suggestion. Behind the drums is Doug Sandom and Colin Dawson is the up-front vocalist.
Keith, unknown to Pete, Roger and John at this point, starts the first of what he estimates to have been “23 jobs in two years”. He also plays drums with the group, Mark Twain & The Strangers.
1963
Rogers assumes the role of lead singer in The Detours after kicking out Colin Dawson. They become a hard working semi-pro rock’n’roll/R&B quartet on the west London circuit of pubs, clubs and ballrooms.
1964
February
The Detours change their name to The Who at the suggestion of Pete’s art school friend Richard Barnes. The Who acquire the managerial services of Helmut Gorden, a doorknob manufacturer from Shepherd’s Bush.
April
After an impromptu audition at the Oldfield Hotel in Greenford, west London, Keith Moon, who had been drumming for the past year in local Wembley group, Clyde Burns & The Beachcombers, joins The Who. The group had been using session drummer Dave Golding following the departure of Doug Sandom.
That same month, mod fanatic Peter Meaden becomes the group’s publicist, changes their name to The High Numbers and moulds them into a mod band.
3 July
‘I’m The Face/’Zoot Suit’ by The High Numbers is released by Fontana Records. It fails to chart.
August
Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp oust Meaden as The High Numbers’ management after Lambert sees them performing at the Railway Hotel, Harrow, the previous month.
August/September
The High Numbers are bottom of the bill during a series of Sunday concerts throughout Britain, promoted by Arthur Howes. On the bill in Blackpool on 16 August are The Kinks and headliners, The Beatles. The High Numbers also make their TV début on BBC-TV’s The Beat Room, broadcast 24 August.
September
Pete smashes his first guitar – by accident – at the Railway Hotel in Harrow. In his frustration he deliberately reduces it to splinters, thereby igniting the most exciting live act pop has ever seen. A week later at the same venue, Keith smashes his drum-kit to demonstrate solidarity.
October
The group audition for EMI Records at London’s Abbey Road Studios. They request more original material so Lambert and Stamp urge Pete to write his own songs.
The group sign with independent producer Shel Talmy’s recording company, Orbit Music.
The High Numbers become The Who again.
24 November
The group starts a 16-week residency at London’s Marquee Club. The shows soon become sell-outs, but the equipment smashing takes its toll on the group’s finances.
1965
15 January
‘I Can’t Explain’, produced by Shel Talmy, is released on Brunswick in the UK. After a struggle it reaches number eight in the UK charts.
29 January
The Who appear on the classic British TV show Ready Steady Go! for the first time.
The Who’s first BBC radio session on The Joe Loss Pop Show.
21 May
‘Anyway Anyhow Anywhere’ is released on Brunswick. Featuring uncontrolled feedback, it is a deliberate attempt to translate the group’s stage show to record. The Who promote it on the TV show Ready Steady Go! which later adopts it as their theme tune for a spell. The record reaches number 10 in the charts.
The Who play the Richmond Jazz Festival.
September/October
The Who tour Holland and Scandinavia for the first time. Roger is fired from the band by the other three for his dictatorial attitude. It will not be the first time that tensions within The Who, principally between Pete and Roger, cause disruption of group activities.
29 October
‘My Generation’ released and reaches number two in the UK, the nearest – along with ‘I’m A Boy’ in 1966 – The Who will ever get to the top spot in the British charts. Roger is quickly reinstated, and for the time being he adopts a more conciliatory attitude.
December
The Who’s first LP My Generation is released. It reaches number five in the UK LP charts.
Pete admits drug use on the BBC TV show A Whole Scene Going.
January
The Who are seen on US TV in a pre-recorded segment from London playing ‘I Can’t Explain’ and ‘My Generation’, on the last edition of Shindig!
4 March
The first of three versions of ‘Substitute’ is released. The song eventually reaches number five in the charts but Shel Talmy and The Who end up fighting in court over Talmy’s right to produce the group. Although ousted as the band’s producer, Talmy is awarded a substantial royalty on The Who’s recordings for the next five years, a crucial factor in the way The Who’s career will develop since in order to sustain themselves they must play live virtually all the time. Practice makes them perfect.
Keith marries model Kim Kerrigan.
Ready Steady Who EP released.
9 December
A Quick One, The Who’s second album, is released, reaching number four in the UK LP charts. It contains songs by all four members of the group and features Pete’s first ‘mini-opera’. ‘Happy Jack’ reaches number three in the UK charts.
1967
29 January
The Who perform two shows before London’s rock cognoscenti at London’s Savile Theatre. Support act is the Jimi Hendrix Experience.
25 March
The Who make their US début at Murray The K’s shows at the Brooklyn Fox Theatre, playing for ten consecutive days. ‘Happy Jack’ becomes their first US chart single, reaching number 24.
21 April
‘Pictures Of Lily’ is released on Lambert and Stamp’s newly formed Track Records label. It reaches number four.
June 18
The Who’s US concert schedule includes a definitive – and timely – performance at the Monterey Festival in California. On the return flight home Pete experiences a deeply unpleasant drug trip – and vows never to touch psychedelics again. Soon afterwards Pete becomes attracted by the teachings of Meher Baba, an Indian Perfect Spiritual Master, which will profoundly influence his life and writing.
John marries childhood sweetheart Alison Wise.
The Who support Herman’s Hermits on The Who’s first lengthy US tour.
Keith’s 21st birthday celebrations end in chaos at the Holiday Inn, Flint, Michigan.
18 September
‘I Can See For Miles’ released in the US. It reaches number nine – the Who’s highest single chart placing In America – and 10 in the UK, a big disappointment for Pete. “To me that was the ultimate Who record yet it didn’t sell,” said Pete at the time. “I spat on the British record buyer.”
October/November
UK tour followed by brief US visit. The Who Sell Out, their third LP, released. It reaches number 13 in the UK LP charts. It fails to chart in the US.
1968
January
Accompanied by The Small Faces, The Who tour Australia and New Zealand. After a run-in with officialdom Pete vows never to return.
The Who undertake their first headlining US tour.
Pete marries long time girlfriend Karen Astley, daughter of classical arranger Edwin ‘Ted’ Astley.
14 June
’Dogs’ is released and becomes the Who’s first serious flop on the singles chart. Their chart aspirations – and their finances – reach a low ebb. Only their growing reputation as a live band in America keeps them afloat financially, and under a constant ‘play live or die’ threat they become a top live attraction.
June/August
Back to the US for another headlining tour, during which Pete talks about his deaf, dumb and blind boy concept for the first time.
The Who play at the New York Singer Bowl with The Doors.
September
In the US, MCA release Magic Bus, The Who On Tour, a poorly conceived compilation album which becomes their first US Top 40 LP chart entry, reaching number 39.
The Who begin recording Tommy at IBC Studios in London.
20 November
At Liverpool’s Empire Theatre, at the conclusion of a short UK package tour, Keith and Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones play together on ‘Magic Bus’, The Who’s encore.
The Who continue recording Tommy at IBC Studios.
7 March
‘Pinball Wizard’ is released. It reaches number four in the UK and number five in the US.
1 May
Critics rave over Tommy after it is previewed live before the UK press at Ronnie Scott’s Club in London.
23 May
The Tommy LP is released, reaching number four in the US, staying on the charts for 47 weeks, and number two in the UK.
May/June
The Who play Tommy to ecstatic audiences across America. Its success turns the group’s finances around within a year and almost overnight they become, along with The Rolling Stones, the UK’s hottest live rock ticket.
June
‘Something In The Air’, by Thunderclap Newman, produced by Pete, reaches number one in the UK charts.
July 5
The Who close out a week of Pop Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
17 August
The Who perform at Woodstock. “Fucking awful,” is Pete’s retrospective opinion, but their performance seals their reputation as a the world’s most exciting live rock band.
Back in the UK, The Who appear at the second Isle Of Wight Festival.
Back to America for a lap of honour.
The Who’s tour of European Opera Houses opens at the London Coliseum.
1970
4 January
Keith’s chauffeur is killed in a tragic accident as the drummer leaves a discotheque at Hatfield, north of London.
The Who perform at Leeds University, recording the show for a live album.
‘The Seeker’ released. It reaches number 19 in the UK charts.
May
Live At Leeds released in a plain buff sleeve as an antidote to the elaborate packaging of Tommy. Still widely regarded as one of the finest ever live rock albums, it reaches number three in the UK and number four in the US.
7 June
The Who play two shows of Tommy at the New York Metropolitan Opera House. The long US tour that follows visits sports arenas for the first time.
The Who appear at the third Isle Of Wight Festival.
UK tour with The James Gang.
December 20
The Who perform Tommy in its entirety for the final time (apart from the reunion tour of 1989) at London’s Roundhouse, dedicating it to their support act, a newcomer called Elton John.
1971
January/March
The Who appear intermittently at London’s Young Vic Theatre during preparations for Pete’s aborted Lifehouse project.
March
The Who record the Lifehouse songs in New York with Kit Lambert, but the sessions are abandoned, along with the Lifehouse concept. Deeply frustrated, desperately overworked and at odds with Lambert, Pete suffers his first nervous breakdown.
April 26
Final Lifehouse concert which is recorded on the Rolling Stones Mobile and later released (in part) on the Deluxe Edition of Who’s Next in 2001.
May/June
The Who re-record most of the Lifehouse songs at Olympic Studios in Barnes with Glyn Johns producing. The songs will now make up an album to be titled Who’s Next and at seven unpublicised UK college gigs The Who preview material from the forthcoming LP.
25 June
‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ released. It reaches number nine in the UK charts and number 10 in the US.
Roger marries long standing girlfriend Heather Taylor.
August
Who’s Next released to rave reviews. It becomes the only Who album ever to reach number one in the UK, but stalls at four in the US. Despite the circumstances under which it was recorded, Who’s Next is now widely regarded as one of the greatest rock albums ever made.
29 July
The Who open their biggest US tour to date with two shows at the New York Forest Hills Tennis stadium. With no little justification, they are now unofficially dubbed ‘The World’s Greatest Live Rock’n’Roll Band’.
18 September
The Who top the bill at London’s Oval Cricket Ground in front of 35,000 fans, at a day- long concert to raise funds for Bangla Desh.
The Who tour the UK.
The Who play three nights at the newly opened London Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park.
Yet another long US arena tour.
Pete makes a pilgrimage to the tomb of Meher Baba in India.
16 June
‘Join Together’ released. It reaches number nine in the UK charts and number 17 in the US.
11 August
16-date European tour opens in Frankfurt, The Who’s only live appearances of the year and their last until October 1973.
9 September
The Who perform in Paris at the Fete de l’Humanite before 400,000 fans, their biggest ever audience.
25 November
‘Relay’, the third Who single in succession not to have been lifted from an album is released. It reaches number 21 in the UK and 39 in America.
December
Producer Lou Reizner’s orchestral version of Tommy released. Members of The Who join an all-star cast for a live performance of Reizner’s Tommy at the Rainbow Theatre in London.
1973
13 January
Pete masterminds Eric Clapton’s return to public performance with two shows at the Rainbow Theatre.
The Who record Quadrophenia at their own Ramport Studios in London.
‘5.15’ released. It reaches number 20 in the UK.
October/November
A ten-date tour introduces Quadrophenia to UK audiences. The Who perform with extensive backing tapes that do not always function properly.
Quadrophenia LP released in America.
20 November
Keith collapses during the opening concert of US tour in San Francisco. A member of the audience, Scott Halpin, takes over.
The Who and entourage spend seven hours in jail after wrecking a Montreal hotel suite.
The eventful 12-concert US Quadrophenia tour closes in Largo, Maryland.
The Who perform four London shows at the Edmonton Sundown.
1974
February
Following a seven-date French tour the troublesome Quadrophenia tapes are packed away for good. The work is not performed again in its entirety until 1996.
22 April
Filming of Tommy begins. The onerous task of producing the complex, synthesizer dominated soundtrack drives Pete to another nervous breakdown.
The Who play at Charlton football ground, south east London.
10-14 June
The Who play four less than satisfactory shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden which lead to Pete’s decision not to tour again in the foreseeable future. They do not perform live again until October 1975.
Odds And Sods, a collection of mostly previously unavailable Who tracks, is released.
31 May
‘The Who Put The Boot In’, The Who’s second concert at Charlton football ground earns them an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the ‘world’s loudest pop group’, with a 120-decibel reading at 50 metres. This is followed by shows at football grounds in Glasgow and Swansea.
A four-date US tour of outdoor stadiums closes at Miami on August 9.
October
A ten-date US and Canadian tour closes at Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens on October 21, the last occasion when Keith will play drums for The Who before a paying audience.
1977
20 January
After a day of business meetings and a drunken night out that culminates in him meeting Sex Pistols Steve Jones and Paul Cook, Pete writes ‘Who Are You’.
July
The Who rehearse sequences for the bio-pic The Kids Are Alright at Shepperton Film Studios which they have purchased.
Rehearsals commence at Ramport Studios prior to recording Who Are You.
15 December
The Who play one show at Kilburn State Theatre which is filmed for The Kids Are Alright.
1978
25 May
The Who perform their last show with Keith before an invited audience at Shepperton Studios. It is filmed for inclusion in The Kids Are Alright.
14 July
‘Who Are You’ single released. It reaches number 18 in the UK charts and number 14 in the US.
Former Who publicist Peter Meaden found dead.
1 August
Who fans ‘Irish’ Jack Lyon, Steve Margo and Peter Johns organise a Who memorabilia exhibition at the ICA in The Mall, London, that is attended by Pete and Keith.
Who Are You LP released.
7 September
Keith dies in his rented Mayfair flat from an accidental overdose of pills he had been taking to combat alcoholism. An open verdict is recorded. The rock world mourns one of its favourite sons.
The Who vow to continue.
Production of the Quadrophenia film commences.
1979
January
It is announced that ex-Faces and Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones will replace Keith Moon as The Who’s drummer.
2 May
The Who return to the stage at London’s Rainbow with Kenney Jones and John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick on keyboards.
The Kids Are Alright LP and film released.
The film of Quadrophenia, starring Phil Daniels, is released.
The Who headline their own show at Wembley Stadium, their biggest ever UK appearance.
The Who play five straight nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
The start of a US tour for the new look Who.
3 December
Eleven fans die at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum during a fan stampede when the doors are opened before a Who concert.
The Who appear at Hammersmith Odeon during the Concerts for Kampuchea.
The Who undertake their longest ever UK tour.
5 March
The Who make a rare appearance on Top Of The Pops to promote their new single ‘You Better You Bet’, which reaches number nine in the UK and number 10 in the US.
Face Dances, The Who’s first LP without Keith Moon, released in UK.
The Who’s concert at Essen Grughalle is televised throughout Europe.
7 April
Kit Lambert, The Who’s original co-manager, dies at his London home. From the mid-seventies The Who have been managed by Bill Curbishley.
1 May
Phases – a boxed set package of nine Who albums from My Generation to Who Are You – is released.
The Who reform to perform without distinction at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium.
1988
8 February
The Who receive a BPI Lifetime Achievement award during a live TV broadcast from London’s Royal Albert Hall. They perform live but are faded out in mid-number because the show overruns. This is the last time Kenney Jones will perform with The Who.
1989
June
The Who reform for a 25th anniversary tour, performing 43 dates throughout the USA starting 21 June, and continuing through July, August and September. Pete, Roger and John are augmented by numerous extra musicians and the dates include special performances of Tommy in New York and Los Angeles with guest artists.
6 October
The Who bring the same show to the UK for 10 shows including two special Tommy shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 31 October and 2 November, also with guest artists.
1990
18 January
The Who are inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. Keith is represented by his daughter Mandy.
1993
March
A musical production of Tommy opens to wild acclaim on Broadway in New York. Pete, as musical director, accepts numerous awards with laconic pride.
1994
March
The Who release a four-CD box set, Thirty Years of Maximum R&B. Q magazine in the UK describe it as the best box set ever assembled by any artist.
1995
February
Live At Leeds, remixed, remastered and containing extra tracks, becomes the first Who back catalogue LP to be re-released as a Deluxe Edition.
Deluxe remastered editions of A Quick One and The Who Sell Out are released.
September
Roger and John perform together with extra musicians during the first UK Who Fan Convention in Shepherd’s Bush, London.
Who’s Next is reissued as a remastered edition with extra tracks.
1996
March
Tommy opens as a stage production in London. Pete and Roger are photographed together at the opening night party. A Deluxe remastered edition of the Who’s original Tommy LP is released.
29 June
Pete, Roger and John reunite with extra musicians to perform Quadrophenia at an open air show in London’s Hyde Park. Also featuring Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, the event is in aid of The Pricne’s Trust charity. A remastered edition of The Who’s original Quadrophenia LP is released.
Five consecutive nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
13 October
The Quadrophenia show hits the road in America, visiting 21 American and Canadian cities over a six week period. The Who By Numbers and Who Are You reissued as remastered Deluxe editions with extra tracks and 24 page booklets.
6-7 December
Pete, Roger and John, together with the extra musicians, perform Quadrophenia before sell out audiences at London’s Earls Court Arena and at the Nynex Arena in Manchester on 11 December.
1997
April/May
The Quadrophenia tour visits 13 cities in continental Europe with the final show being held on 18 May at Wembley Arena, London.
The Quadrophenia tour visits 20 US cities.
1999
October/November
The Who perform five US concerts, including a charity event at the House of Blues in Chicago.
Two shows at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London.
2000
1 February
The Who BBC Sessions CD released, containing 26 recordings by The Who made for BBC radio shows between 1965 and 1975.
June/July/August/September/October
A two-leg US tour, the second of which climaxes with four shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
October/November
An 11-date British tour winds up at London’s Royal Albert Hall on November 27 with an all-star Teenage Cancer Trust charity gig featuring Nigel Kennedy, Paul Weller, Eddie Vedder, Bryan Adams, Noel Gallagher and Kelly Jones alongside The Who.
2001
21 February
The Who receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award at a ceremony at the Staples Center, Los Angeles.
20 October
The Who steal the show at The Concert For New York in aid of the victims of the September 11 Twin Towers tragedy, at Madison Square Garden. Jon Carin played keyboards in place of John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick. Pete, Roger and others join Paul McCartney to sing ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Freedom’ during the finale of the concert.
2002
January
The Who plays two shows in Portsmouth and one in Watford as warm-ups for two charity concerts at the Royal Albert Hall on 7 & 8 February. The shows, which are filmed, will be John’s last appearances with The Who.
10 June
The five members of the 21st Century Who gather at Pete’s Eel Pie Studio in Twickenham to rehearse for the upcoming American tour.
27 June
On the eve of the Who’s US tour, John Entwistle dies from a heart attack in his hotel room in Las Vegas. Two shows are immediately cancelled.
1 July
Despite John’s death The Who elect to continue with the remainder of their tour, opening at the Hollywood Bowl with Pino Palladino on bass alongside Roger, Peter, Zak Starkey on drums, John Bundrick on keyboards and Simon Townshend, Pete’s younger brother, on second guitar.
The six-piece Who undertake a further 26 US concerts.
2004
March
The Who play three shows at London’s Forum and one at London’s RAH, their first UK concerts with Pino Palladino on bass.
April
The first Who singles box set is released, containing 12 CD singles from ‘I Can’t Explain’ to ‘Real Good Looking Boy’/’Old Red Wine’, which is released simultaneously this same month, all packaged in rare picture sleeves and including a 16-page booklet.
The Who perform in the grounds of Knebworth House in the UK.
17 June
The Who return to Leeds University to play a concert in the Refectory, the same venue they performed on February 14, 1970, at which the legendary Live At Leeds LP was recorded. Pete and Roger unveil a plaque in the group’s honour.
June/July
The Who perform a series of concert throughout the UK and continental Europe, several of them at major outdoor festivals.
17 July
The Wire And Glass EP is released, containing six new Who recordings as a taster for the forthcoming Endless Wire album.
September/October –
The Who perform 18 concerts throughout the US and Canada including two at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
30 October
Endless Wire, the first album of new material to be released by The Who since It’s Hard in 1982, is released. It was recorded at Pete Townshend’s home studio and Eel Pie Oceanic between autumn 2002 and summer 2006.
November
A 20-city US and Canadian tour opens with two concerts at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
The Who play a 14-city North American tour.
Teenage Cancer Trust show at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
May/June/July
A 28-city UK & European tour of festivals and arena concerts includes The Who’s first appearance at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival on June 24. The Who headline on the Sunday evening, the traditional spot for legendary bands, and though torrential rain pours down during their set it fails to dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm.
The summer touring concludes in Helsinki.
8 October
To mark the 60th anniversary of the VW minibus, The Who perform in Hanover to 40,000 VW owners. The set includes ‘Magic Bus’.
5 November
Pete and Roger attend the premiere of the movie (2 x DVD set) Amazing Journey: The Story Of The Who at the Odeon Cinema in Kensington High Street. The Who’s first official website ( www.thewho.com ) is launched.
19 December
Roger makes a surprise appearance in New York with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra at the Nassau Coliseum and Izod Arena, performing ‘Behind Blue Eyes’, ‘Pinball Wizard’ and ‘See Me, Feel Me’/’Listening To You’.
2008
14 April
Pete and Roger play a rare six-song acoustic set to close Teenage Cancer Trust week at the Royal Albert Hall, London.
Pete Townshend scoops three BMI Awards for his music for the CSI TV series.
12 July
The VH1 Rock Honors Tribute 2008 celebrates The Who with a concert on the campus of UCLA. The Foo Fighters, Flaming Lips and Incubus perform Who songs and Pearl Jam steal the first part of the show with their impassioned performances of ‘Love Reign O’er Me’ and ‘The Real Me’. The second part of the show features a performance by The Who.
The Who play nine US concerts
The Who play five shows in Japan, including two nights at the Tokyo Budakan.
14, 15 & 17 December
The Who round off the year’s touring with three shows at the Indigo 02 in London.
Pete and Roger are awarded Kennedy Centre Honours in Washington from President George W. Bush.
2009
21 March – 4 April
The Who play one show in New Zealand and six in Australia – their first full tour ‘down under’ for over 40 years – including a show at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
21 May
Pete and Roger reprise their short acoustic set at a Teenage Cancer Trust benefit at the Emirates Stadium
The Who headline the Jingle Bell Ball ast The )s Arena in London.
2010
7 February
The Who perform the half time Superbowl show at the Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida, playing a mash-up style set of ‘Pinball Wizard’, ‘Baba O’Riley’, ‘Who Are You’, See Me Feel Me’ and ’Won’t Get Fooled Again’.
30 March
The Who perform Quadrophenia with guest vocalists Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Kasabian’s Tom Meighan at a Teenage Cancer Trust show at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Roger’s tour heads to the Far East.
17 April
The 40 Anniversary Super De Luxe Collectors Edition of Live At Leeds is released, including two additional CDs of The Who’s performance at Hull City Hall the day after the famed Leeds concert.
12 August
The Who perform a three-song set during the closing ceremony at the Olympic Games in London: ‘Baba O’Riley’, ‘See Me Feel Me’ and ‘My Generation’ which climaxes with a spectacular firework display while the group play on amid dancers and athletes.
Who I Am, Pete’s long awaited biography published.
The Who open a 22-concert US Quadrophenia And More tour at Sunrise in Florida.
24 November
Chris Stamp, who co-managed The Who with Kit Lambert during their formative years, dies in New York.
2013
28 January
The US Quadrophenia And More tour continues, opening at Anaheim in California and continuing until 28 February at Madison Square Garden in New York.
8 June
The UK ‘Quadrophenia And More tour opens at Dublin and will continue until 8 July at Wembley Arena, also taking in shows at Paris and Amsterdam.
11 November
The Super De Luxe Edition of Tommy is released as a 4-CD collection contained in an 80-page hardback book with an extensive essay by Richard Barnes, enclosed in a hard slipcase.
2014
30 June
Pete and Roger announce The Who Hits 50! tour during a brief lunchtime appearance at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London. “This is the beginning of the long goodbye,” Roger is quoted as saying.
25 September
‘Be Lucky’, the Who’s first new single since ‘Real Good Looking Boy’ on 2004, is released.
23 November
The opening show at The Who Hits 50! tour takes place at the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix in the United Arab Emirates.
30 November – 15 December
The Who play eight UK cities on their The Who Hits 50! tour but shows in London have to be postponed due to Roger’s health. For this tour three additional keyboard players, Loren Gold, Frank Simes and John Corey, augment Pete and Roger and their now regular touring band of Zak Starkey, Pino Palladino and Simon Townshend.
2015
22 & 23 March
Two London shows at the O2 Arena rescheduled due to Roger’s illness, followed on 26 March by a Teenage Cancer Trust benefit show at the Royal Albert Hall.
6 April
The Brunswick Singles Box 1965-1966 consisting of eight replica 7” vinyl singles from ‘I Can’t Explain’ to ‘La La Lies’ (including also ‘I’m The Face’/’Zoot Suit’) released.
15 April
The Who Hits 50! tour opens in US in Tampa, the first of 21 shows, closing at Forest Hills in New York on 30 May.
Shows at Belfast, Dublin and in London’s Hyde Park.
28 June
The Who play the Sunday night at the Glastonbury Festival for the second time.
Isolated UK shows during the rest of the year include the V Festival and the O2 Arena.
5 July
Pete debuts his Classic Quadrophenia at the Royal Albert Hall, London with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Robert Ziegler with the London Oriana Choir and featuring Alfie Boe, Billy Idol and Phil Daniels.
14 August
The Reaction Singles Box 1966 consisting of 15 replica 7” vinyl singles from ‘Pictures Of Lily’ to ‘5.15’ is released.
The Who: The Official History book by Pete and Roger with Ben Marshall published.
30 October
The Track Singles Box 1967-1973 consisting of 15 replica 7” vinyl singles from ‘Pictures Of Lily’ to ‘5.15’ is released.
2016
13 February
The Who Hits 50! Tour kicks off 2016 with a one-off gig at Wembley Arena, London.
27 February
The Who Hits 50! tour resumes in the USA having been postponed due to Roger’s illness, opening in Detroit and continuing, with a break in April, through until the end of May.
17 June
The Polydor Singles Box 1975-2015 consisting of 15 replica 7” vinyl Who singles from 1975 to 2015 released.
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Where are the administrative HQ of Essex? | - rock band name origins - classicbands.com_
Here's how some of your favorite artists
came up with their stage names
ABBA - ClassicBands.com
An acronym for the first names of the band members: Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Anderson and Anni-Frid (Frida) Lyngstad.
AC/DC - ClassicBands.com
A band member saw AC/DC on a sewing machine. It stood for 'Alternating Current / Direct Current'. The band didn't realize it was also slang for bi-sexual, which caused a few misunderstandings in their early days.
AEROSMITH - ClassicBands.com
Drummer, Joey Kramer used to write "aerosmith" on his high school notebooks because he thought it sounded cool. When he proposed the name to the group, the rest of them said "What? Like that book they make you read in high school?" (the 1925 book, 'Arrowsmith' by Sinclair Lewis) Kramer responded "No. A-e-r-o smith..."
AIR SUPPLY - ClassicBands.com
According to Russell Hitchcock, while trying to come up with a name for their new group, his bandmate Graham Russell said he had a dream where he saw a billboard surrounded in lights with just the name Air Supply on it.
ALICE COOPER - ClassicBands.com
Although it has been rumored for years that the band took its name after consulting a Ouija board, vocalist Vincent Furnier said in an interview with the VH1 TV series Behind The Music "I remember we were sitting around talking about band names. I was eating Doritos and just said the first name that came to mind. Which was Alice Cooper."
AMBOY DUKES - ClassicBands.com
Guitarist, Ted Nugent took the name from a Detroit group who had just broken up and started using it for his new Chicago band. 'The Amboy Dukes' was actually the name of a novel about gang members and their lifestyle. In later interviews, Nugent said that although many people have given him a copy of the book, he has never actually read it.
AMBROSIA - ClassicBands.com
Bassist and vocalist Joe Puerta said in a 1980 interview that he got the name from a World Book Encyclopedia. Ambrosia was the Nectar of the Gods from Greek mythology.
THE ASSOCIATION - ClassicBands.com
After breaking away from a thirteen member band called "The Men", someone suggested a name for their new group, "The Aristocrats". Singer-songwriter Terry Kirkman's wife went to the dictionary to look up the word for them and found a better name on the very same page...The Association.
AVERAGE WHITE BAND - ClassicBands.com
Although this Scottish group's first four Billboard hits were credited to AWB, the group acknowledged that the letters stood for what they felt they were, an average, white band.
BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE - ClassicBands.com
After leaving The Guess Who, Randy Bachman formed Brave Belt and changed that name to Bachman / Turner under record company pressure after vocalist Chad Allen left. Promoters booked them as if they were a Soft Rock duo in the vein of Seals And Crofts or Brewer And Shipley and the band found themselves playing all the wrong venues. Crossing the Windsor / Detroit border one night, Bachman spotted a trucker's magazine called Overdrive and their new moniker was born.
BAD COMPANY - ClassicBands.com
The group did not take their name from the Jeff Bridges film Bad Company as is often quoted. Rodgers himself has said that he took the moniker from a book of Victorian morals that showed a picture of an innocent child looking up at an unsavory character leaning against a lamppost. The caption read "beware of bad company."
BADFINGER - ClassicBands.com
The working title of the Beatles song "A Little Help From My Friends".
THE BAY CITY ROLLERS - ClassicBands.com
While searching for a name, they blindly stuck a pin on a map. It landed on Bay City, Michigan.
THE BEACH BOYS - ClassicBands.com
A California band called The Pendletones recorded a song for Hite Morgan's Candix Records called "Surfin'". After the records were pressed, it was discovered that a young promotions worker named Russ Regan had changed the band's name to more obviously tie the group in with other surf bands. Although the group was furious, the limited budget meant the labels could not be reprinted and the name stuck.
THE BEATLES - ClassicBands.com
Original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe came up with the Beetles in 1960, which was a play on Buddy Holly's Crickets. John Lennon later altered the spelling to Beatals before meeting 19-year-old poet Royston Ellis who suggested B-E-A-T-L-E-S as a double play on both beat poetry and beat music.
BEAU BRUMMELS - ClassicBands.com
The San Francisco area group took the name Beau Brummels in deference to their love of British beat music. Beau (George Bryan) Brummel was a dashing young Englishman who lived from 1778-1840 and was known for his wit and fancy clothes. He once claimed that it took him five hours to dress.
BEE GEES - ClassicBands.com
Although the press often refers to them as the 'Brothers Gibb', the band said that they took their name from two friends that helped them out in their early days... Bill Goode and a disc jockey named Bill Gates.
BLACK SABBATH - ClassicBands.com
Named after a 1963 horror movie starring Boris Karloff.
CILLA BLACK - ClassicBands.com
British singer Cilla Black, best remembered for her number one U.K hit "Anyone Who Had a Heart", had her stage name changed by accident. A reporter for the local paper remembered the wrong color as her surname while writing a favorable review. Her real name is Cilla White.
BLIND FAITH - ClassicBands.com
The story goes that photographer Bob Seidemann was hired to take a photo for the cover of a recently formed rock band's first album. Seidemann had the idea of using a young girl for the picture but did not have any particular model in mind. While riding the London subway, he saw a girl who would be perfect and asked her if she'd like to be on an album cover. He went to her house to ask her parents' permission for her to pose topless. They agreed, but the girl backed out. The girl's younger sister then spoke up and begged her parents to let her pose instead. They agreed and the younger sister ended up sitting for the photo which Seidemann dubbed "Blind Faith". Eric Clapton liked the title so much, he chose it for the name of the group.
BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS - ClassicBands.com
Founder, Al Kooper came up with the name when he was on the phone with a promoter, while gazing at a Johnny Cash album cover. The album was called, "Blood Sweat & Tears". The inspiration for the band name did not come from Winston Churchill's quote, "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat", as was widely reported when the band first started to gain attention in 1967.
BLUE CHEER - ClassicBands.com
Blue Cheer was a 60's nickname for high-quality LSD.
BLUE OYSTER CULT - ClassicBands.com
A combination of a recipe that the band's manager read in a book and the band's fascination with the occult.
BLONDIE - ClassicBands.com
Deborah Harry and Chris Stein, both former members of The Stillettos, named their new band after a comment that a motorist called out to Deborah.
GARY U.S. BONDS - ClassicBands.com
For his first hit, "New Orleans", attention was brought to the record by having promotional copies sent to radio stations in sleeves inscribed "Buy U.S. Bonds" - hence at age 19, Gary Anderson became Gary U.S. Bonds.
BONO - ClassicBands.com
U2's lead singer, Paul Hewson was inspired by a hearing aid store in Dublin, Ireland called 'Bono Vox'.
BOOKER T. & THE M.G.'S - ClassicBands.com
Keyboard player Booker T. Jones led the band. M.G. stands for Memphis Group.
THE BOOMTOWN RATS - ClassicBands.com
The Nightlife Thugs adapted the name of a gang in Woody Guthrie's 1943 autobiography, Bound For Glory.
THE BIG BOPPER - ClassicBands.com
Disc Jockey, Jiles Perry Richardson took the name 'The Big Bopper' in reference to his 240 pound frame. In the 1950s, a bopper was someone who was really into rock and roll.
DAVID BOWIE - ClassicBands.com
David took his last name from the Bowie knife ("that big old bear killin' knife"). His given name is 'David Jones', but he didn't want to be confused with Davy Jones of the Monkees.
THE BOX TOPS - ClassicBands.com
After recording a song called "The Letter", a Memphis, Tennessee group called The DeVilles were in need of a name change. One band member suggested, "Let's have a contest and everybody can send in 50 cents and a box top."
THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE - ClassicBands.com
When Johnny Maestro (former lead singer of the Crests) put together an 11-piece band by combining two groups, The Rhythm Method and The Del-Satins, his managers complained that it would be easier to sell the Brooklyn Bridge than to promote such a large ensemble. The name stuck and the band went on to reach #3 in 1969 with "The Worst That Could Happen".
THE BUCKINGHAMS - ClassicBands.com
After The Pulsations won an audition for a variety show called All Time Hits, Chicago radio station WGN decided that they wanted a more British sounding name for the band. A security guard for the show, John Opager, came up with a few name suggestions, including the one that was liked best, The Buckinghams.
BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD - ClassicBands.com
The band took their name from a brand of heavy asphalt roller that they saw parked on the street.
THE BYRDS - ClassicBands.com
A band called the Beefeaters was having Thanksgiving dinner when they tried coming up with a new name. Singer, Gene Clark offered "The Birdsies." Nobody liked that name and producer Jim Dickson said, "How about the Birds"? "Birds" was slang in England for girls and the band didn't want to be called "the Girls". Guitarist, Roger McGuinn came up with the B-Y-R-D-S spelling, and it stuck.
CANNED HEAT - ClassicBands.com
According to original Canned Heat drummer Fito de la Parra, the band got the inspiration for the name while sitting around Bob Hite's house, listening to an old Tommy Johnson record called "Canned Heat Mama".
RAY CHARLES - ClassicBands.com
His real name is Ray Charles Robinson, but he did not want to be confused with boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.
CANNIBAL AND THE HEADHUNTERS - ClassicBands.com
Around 1964, a Los Angeles group called Bobby And The Classics brought in a new lead singer named Frankie Garcia who had earned the nickname "Cannibal" after he had bitten someone during a street fight in his younger days. After changing their name to Cannibal And The Headhunters, the group would go on to score a US Top 30 hit with "Land Of 1000 Dances".
CHEAP TRICK - ClassicBands.com
They claim they asked a Ouija board what they should call their band.
CHUBBY CHECKER - ClassicBands.com
During a recording session, the wife of producer Dick Clark asked Ernest Evans what his name was. "Well", he replied, "my friends call me Chubby". As he had just completed a Fats Domino impression, she smiled and said, "As in Checker?" That little play on words got an instant laugh and from then on, Ernest Evans would use the name "Chubby Checker".
CHICAGO - ClassicBands.com
Starting out as The Big Thing, the band was renamed Chicago Transit Authority by manager / producer James Guercio in honor of the bus line he used to ride to school. After the city of Chicago threatened to sue, the name was shortened to simply Chicago.
CLASH - ClassicBands.com
Taken from a newspaper headline describing 'A Clash With Police'
COMMANDER CODY AND HIS LOST PLANET AIRMEN - ClassicBands.com
George Frayne, who called himself Commander Cody, lead the group who gave us the 1972 Billboard Top Ten hit, "Hot Rod Lincoln". The band took its name from a 1952 movie about a scientist who wore a jet pack to battle a madman.
COMMODORES - ClassicBands.com
In 1967, at Alabama's Tuskegee Institute, six students decided to merge two local bands, The Mystics and The Jays. Legend has it, that one of the group members tossed a dictionary into the air, and when it landed, pointed to a random word on the page it opened to. The word was "Commodores".
ELVIS COSTELLO - ClassicBands.com
A combination of Elvis Presley and Dekland Mcmanus' (lead vocals, guitar) Mother's maiden name, Costello
CRAZY HORSE - ClassicBands.com
Neil Young's long-time backup band took their name in homage to the Oglala Lakota Indian chief who fought to keep Europeans from settling in what would become the Western United States.
CREEDANCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL - ClassicBands.com
Originally called The Golliwogs, unconfirmed reports say the band took their new name from Norvel Creedence, a friend of band leader John Fogerty. John's favorite beer was called Clearwater, which, after it disappeared from the market for a time, was re-introduced by another brewery. The result: Creedence Clearwater Revival.
THE CREW-CUTS - ClassicBands.com
This vocal group, who are most often remembered for their 1955 hit, "Earth Angel", named themselves after noticing their similar hair cuts.
THE CRICKETS - ClassicBands.com
After learning that he was unable to re-record "That'll Be The Day" because of earlier contract obligations with Decca Records, producer Norman Petty wanted Bubby Holly to come up with a name for his three piece group. They hoped that Decca wouldn't recognize the singer's voice as one that they once had under contract. Inspired by one of Buddy's favorite groups, The Spiders, Holly, Jerry Allison and Niki Sullivan got out an encyclopedia and started looking at insects. Grasshopper was dismissed immediately, but they did give some consideration to beetles. Finally, it was Allison who suggested crickets, noting that "they make music by rubbing their legs together."
CROSBY, STILLS AND NASH - ClassicBands.com
While still trying to decide on a name for the new group, the trio considered calling themselves The Frozen Noses as a vague reference to their growing cocaine habit. They also came close to including their drummer, Dallas Taylor, but decided that drummers were expendable.
THE CRYSTALS - ClassicBands.com
According to original Crystals member Dee Dee Kennibrew, The Crystals were named after the daughter of Leroy Bates, the co-writer of their first hit "There's No Other Like My Baby".
THE CYRCLE - ClassicBands.com
In 1963, a band called the Rhondells was brought to the attention of Beatles' manager Brian Epstein. Rumor has it that it was John Lennon who suggested the new name and attention getting spelling of "The Cyrkle".
DAWN - ClassicBands.com
The origin of the group name led by Tony Orlando is the source of some controversy. The first story says that the trio was named after the daughter of Bell Records founder, Wes Farrell - "Dawn". A second version says the name came from Bell Record executive Steve Wax's daughter, Lisa Dawn Wax. Both of our sources insist that they are right.
DEEP PURPLE - ClassicBands.com
Guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's grandmother liked the Bing Crosby song "Deep Purple".
DEF LEPPARD - ClassicBands.com
Inspired by a drawing Joe Elliot made of a leopard with no ears, a 'Deaf Leopard'.
JOHN DENVER - ClassicBands.com
John Henry Deutschendorf adopted the stage surname "Denver" in tribute to the Rocky Mountain area he so cherished.
DEPECHE MODE - ClassicBands.com
A Techno-Pop group from Basildon, Essex, England, they took their name from a French fashion magazine.
DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS - ClassicBands.com
This Birmingham, England band, who scored a UK and US #1 hit in 1983 with "Come On Eileen", took their name from the amphetamine Dexedrine, commonly known as Dexys. The group's name is improperly spelled when a hyphen is used between the Y and the S. Despite their moniker, the group says that they dedicated themselves to making good music and stayed away from drugs and alcohol.
DION AND THE BELMONTS - ClassicBands.com
Dion DiMucci and his friends named their group The Belmonts after a street in their Bronx, New York neighborhood, where they would hang out and sing street corner harmonies.
DIRE STRAITS - ClassicBands.com
Their name describes the financial situation they were in when forming the band.
FATS DOMINO - ClassicBands.com
Antoine "Fats" Domino came by his nickname because he stood 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighed 225 lb.
DOOBIE BROTHERS - ClassicBands.com
Tom Johnston says that the band, originally known as Pud, were sitting around a breakfast table when a friend who was not part of the band said "why don't you call yourselves the doobie brothers". The guy was just kidding, but later on someone said "Hey, that's not such a bad idea" and the name stuck.
DOORS - ClassicBands.com
The band took their name from the title of a book by Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception, which was in turn borrowed from a line in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, a poem by the 18th century artist and poet William Blake: "If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is: infinite".
DOVELLS - ClassicBands.com
In December, 1960, a vocal group called The Brooktones signed with Cameo / Parkway Records, who suggested they change their name to the Deauvilles (after the Deuville Hotel in Miami Beach). The boys didn't object to the new name, but thought it was too hard to spell and changed it to the Dovells.
DUPREES - ClassicBands.com
The New Jersey quintet that scored a #7 hit in 1962 with "You Belong To Me" were earlier known as The Parisians. According to original member Tom Bialoglow, they hollered out a car window to ask a man standing on a street corner if he knew where they could find any singers in the neighborhood. After they were directed to a local barber shop, group member Joe Santollo said, "Hey man, thanks a lot. What's your name?" The man said, "Dupree, baby, what's yours?" Santollo later remarked, "That would be a good name for a group, The Duprees."
BOB DYLAN - ClassicBands.com
Robert Zimmerman was a big fan of poet Dylan Thomas.
THE EAGLES - ClassicBands.com
Their name was inspired by the Byrds, who were a big influence on the Eagles. They started out as the Teen Kings and later, the Emergencies. Don Henley recalled "We wanted something simple and we wanted something American and we wanted something that was easy to remember and something with a little spiritual value. (Eagles) sounded very American football teams and street gangs."
EARTH, WIND AND FIRE - ClassicBands.com
Originally called the Salty Peppers, the group recorded for Capitol for a couple of years without drawing much notice. In 1971 they signed with Warner Brothers and renamed themselves Earth, Wind and Fire after the elements in the astrological chart.
EDISON LIGHTHOUSE - ClassicBands.com
The UK Pop group most often remembered for their 1970 hit "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes" was named after the Eddystone Lighthouse, a lighthouse off the coast of Cornwall, England.
EDWARD BEAR - ClassicBands.com
This Toronto, Canada band, who reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973 with "Last Song", started out as The Edward Bear Review, before adapting the proper name of A.A. Milne's character, Winnie The Pooh.
ELTON JOHN - ClassicBands.com
Reginald Dwight took his stage name from two other British musicians, Elton Dean and Long John Baldry.
ENGLAND DAN and JOHN FORD COLEY - ClassicBands.com
John Colley and Dan Seals originally billed themselves as Colley And Wayland, (Seals' middle name). That didn't quite work and it was Dan's brother, Jim Seals, who suggested they incorporate Dan's childhood nickname, "England Dan". It was a reference to the fact that, as a youngster, Dan had fixated on the Beatles and briefly affected an English accent.
EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL - ClassicBands.com
This band took their name from a secondhand furniture store in Kingston upon Hull, England.
THE FIFTH DIMENSION - ClassicBands.com
After a failed audition at Motown Records as The Versatiles, producer Marc Gordon brought the group to the attention of Johnny Rivers, who had just started his own label, Soul City Records. According to group member Florence La Rue, Rivers wanted them to have a name that was more "hip" and the name The Fifth Dimension was chosen.
THE FIFTH ESTATE - ClassicBands.com
The band who reached Billboard's #11 spot in 1967 with "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead", first formed in 1963 as The Decadents and later became known as The D-Men. They changed their name to The Fifth Estate after an underground magazine they discovered while in Chicago on a Blues club tour. The magazine preached anarchy in the USA and what basically amounted to free sex for the masses.
FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS - ClassicBands.com
A Birmingham, England trio who scored two Billboard number one hits in 1989 with "She Drives Me Crazy" and "Good Thing", they took their name from All The Fine Young Cannibals, a 1960 film loosely based on the life of trumpeter Chet Baker.
FIVE AMERICANS - ClassicBands.com
With the onslaught of the British Invasion by bands with strange sounding names, the group decided that they were not bugs or beasts of any kind, they were simply, Five Americans.
FIVE MAN ELECTRICAL BAND - ClassicBands.com
Originally called The Staccatos, the band changed their name to the title of their third album. They would go on to reach #3 on the Billboard chart with "Signs" and #26 with "Absolutely Right".
FIVE STAIRSTEPS - ClassicBands.com
The Chicago R&B band comprised of four brothers and their sister, who scored a Billboard #8 hit in 1970 with "O-o-o Child", owe their name to their mother, who said that they looked like stair steps when they stood beside each other in order of age.
THE FIXX - ClassicBands.com
Lead singer Cy Curnin told interviewer Gary James that while trying to come up with a name, their manager convinced the band that they had to "show your direction, what you fix your sites on, what your point of view is." Drawing suggestions out of a hat, The Fix was agreed on, but their record company was concerned that name sounded like it had drug connections and suggested adding a second "x", to which the group agreed.
JAMES BROWN AND THE FAMOUS FLAMES - ClassicBands.com
When James Brown's early band The Ever Readys started to fracture, the group wondered if they needed a more dynamic name. Someone suggested The Torches before another shouted "The Flames!" Brown loved it and the name eventually evolved into The Famous Flames.
THE FLEETWOODS - ClassicBands.com
The trio that topped the American charts in April, 1959 with "Come Softly To Me" entered the studio as Two Girls And A Guy before producer Bob Reisdorff noticed that the three members of the group had the same telephone exchange, FLeetwood, and suggested the new name.
FLEETWOOD MAC - ClassicBands.com
A combination of the last names of drummer Mick Fleetwood and bassist John McVie.
FOGHAT - ClassicBands.com
When interviewer Gary James asked drummer Roger Earl: "Is there a significance to the band's name?" Earl had this to say: "No real significance. Lonesome Dave (Peverett) threw out the name when he was like twelve or thirteen. He was playing like kind of a scrabble game with his brother and Dave came up with a name and insisted it was a name. Dave eventually was right. We were on our way into the studio to do the artwork for the first album and we didn't have a title for the band. So, we had to decide. ©
FOREIGNER - ClassicBands.com
British guitarist Mick Jones started the band in New York. Since he was a foreigner, he chose that for the name.
THE FOUNDATIONS - ClassicBands.com
Before they brought us "Baby, Now That I've Found You" and "Build Me Up Buttercup", the band selected the name The Foundations based on their surroundings, a rehearsal space in the basement of a coffee shop in Bayswater, England.
FOUR SEASONS - ClassicBands.com
A band called the Varietones auditioned to appear at a local bowling alley, but were turned down flat. Instead of just walking away, they adopted the name of the place and became The Four Seasons.
THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR - ClassicBands.com
In a 2016 interview with Gary James, drummer DeWayne Quirico explained how the band got its name: The name The Bobby Fuller Four came about because of a record, our very first record. We were called Bobby Fuller and The Fanatics. When we did this record, "Those Memories Of You", Dick Dale recorded it also. And it was a pretty cool little song. Randy and I came walking in the studio one day and a box of records was sitting on Millie's desk, his secretary. Randy said, "The record's here. Let's look at 'em." We were all excited, just me and Randy. We opened up the box, take out the record and it says "Those Memories Of You" - Bobby Fuller And The Group. Randy went nuts! He walked around the corner, kicked Bob Keane's big ol' from-ceiling-to-wall door open with his foot. Just kicked it open like a cop would kick a door open. He had that record in his hand and he swung it at Bob Keane like a frisbee and said, "What the fuck is that?" (laughs) He jumped out of his chair, all freaked out 'cause he was always afraid of Randy. He said, "What's the problem?" He said, "I'll tell you what the problem is. What's this Bobby Fuller And The Group shit? Bobby ain't the only one who did this Buddy!" He said, "What should we do about it?" Well, it ended up, I believe Jeannie, who was the head of the fan club, we all got together later after this incident and came up and somebody said, "What about the four of you? Just say Bobby Fuller Four." And that's how it came to be.
THE GAP BAND - ClassicBands.com
Brothers Charlie, Ronnie and Robert Wilson named their group The Greenwood, Archer and Pine Streets Band in their hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma before shortening that lengthy title to the Gap Band in 1973.
GENESIS - ClassicBands.com
The first book in the Bible. The name was part of their first album title 'From Genesis to Revelation', which was suggested by their original manager, Jonathan King.
BOBBIE GENTRY - ClassicBands.com
Born Roberta Lee Streeter, the singer who brought us "Ode To Billy Joe" in 1967 started using her stage name after seeing a 1952 movie called Ruby Gentry, starring Charlton Heston and Jennifer Jones.
GRATEFUL DEAD - ClassicBands.com
Refers to a series of Old English folk tales with the same basic theme. A traveler enters a village and finds the villagers desecrating, or refusing to bury the body of a dead man because he died owing creditors money. The traveler pays the dead man's debts and sees to a decent burial. Later in his travels, the man is saved by a mysterious event, which is credited to the dead man's grateful spirit. Hence, the Grateful Dead. The band was originally the Warlocks, and picked Grateful Dead out of a dictionary after realizing there was another band called the Warlocks.
GRAND FUNK RAILROAD - ClassicBands.com
The band named themselves Grand Funk Railroad after a Michigan landmark, The Grand Trunk Railroad.
GUESS WHO - ClassicBands.com
When George Struth of Quality Records heard the band's version of "Shakin' All Over", he feared that the effort would be lost in the flood of British records and came up with a plan to garner some interest by radio program directors. A number of promotional copies were pressed with just a plain white label, the song tile and the words 'Guess Who?', implying that the disc may have been the product of someone more famous.
BILL HALEY AND HIS COMETS - ClassicBands.com
Known as The Saddlemen until 1952, WPWA radio station program director Bob Johnson suggested Haley (rhymes with Bailey) take advantage of the common mispronunciation of Halley's (rhymes with Sally) Comet.
HERMAN'S HERMITS - ClassicBands.com
In 1963, Peter Noone joined a Manchester beat group called The Heartbeats, after their vocalist failed to show for a gig. On stage, Peter used the name Peter Kovak. The change to Herman came after the band remarked on his resemblance to the character Sherman in the TV cartoon 'The Bullwinkle Show', although he misheard the name as Herman. Soon after, the band changed their name to Herman and The Hermits, although it soon became abbreviated to Herman's Hermits.
THE HOLLIES - ClassicBands.com
According to those close to the band, they chose the name from some Christmas holly decorating Graham Nash's house - not in homage to Buddy Holly, as a long time rumor has it.
THE HONEYCOMBS - ClassicBands.com
Just after a band originally called The Sheratons recorded their first and biggest hit, "Have I The Right", Louis Benjamin of Pye Records renamed The Honeycombs as a pun on drummer Honey Lantree's name and her job as a hairdresser's assistant.
HOOTIE AND THE BLOWFISH - ClassicBands.com
Although many think that vocalist Darius Rucker is Hootie and the band is called The Blowfish, neither is correct. Rucker had two college friends, one with a round, owl-like face he called Hootie and another who had puffy cheeks he nicknamed Blowfish.
THE HUES CORPORATION - ClassicBands.com
According to group member Bernard St. Clair Lee, the band wanted a name that would make people think of money and when you think of Howard Hughes, you think of money. When their manager Wally Holmes went to a lawyer, he said 'You can't spell it that way. You have to come up with a different spelling.' So Holmes came up with "Hues", which means the color hue.
HUMBLE PIE - ClassicBands.com
When Peter Frampton, formerly of The Herd and ex-Small Faces member Steve Marriott got together, they chose the name Humble Pie because they did not want the press to call them a Supergroup.
ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK - ClassicBands.com
Gordon Mills was a clever manager and promoter who knew that a performer had to call attention to himself in any way possible. His idea for singer Gerry Dorsey, was to change his name to something that people would remember. He convinced Gerry that an audience would never forget the name Englebert Humperdinck, the name of the Austrian composer who wrote Hansel and Gretel.
JANIS IAN - ClassicBands.com
Rather than using her real name, Janis Eddy Fink, she uses her brother's middle name, Ian.
IRON MAIDEN - ClassicBands.com
Named after a medieval torture device. It was a box big enough to admit a man, with folding-doors which were studded with sharp iron spikes. When the doors were closed, these spikes were forced into the body of the victim, who was left there to die in horrible torture.
THE JAGGERZ - ClassicBands.com
The band that gave us "The Rapper" in 1970 did not take their name from The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger, as some have reported. The band thought up their name while on location for a photo shoot in the woods. They noticed that little briars were sticking to their clothing and in the Pittsburgh area these little burrs are known as "jaggerz". After someone suggested the name, they wrote it out a couple of times and agreed to use it as their new moniker.
JAY AND THE AMERICANS - ClassicBands.com
The group auditioned for songwriters Leiber and Stoller, who wanted to call them Binky Jones And The Americans, but lead singer John Traynor didn't want to be known as Binky Jones his whole career. He instead suggested "Jay", his family nickname, and everyone agreed.
JEFFERSON AIRPLANE - ClassicBands.com
Inspired by the blues player Blind Lemon Jefferson and the name of a friend's dog, jefferson airplane is also slang for a used paper match, split open to hold a marijuana joint that has been smoked too short to hold without burning the hands, an improvised roach clip.
THE JETS - ClassicBands.com
The eight-piece family band from Minneapolis, Minnesota was originally called Quazar until their manager was inspired to change their name after hearing Elton John's "Bennie And The Jets" on the radio.
JETHRO TULL - ClassicBands.com
In December, 1967, flautist / guitarist Ian Anderson, bassist Glenn Cornick, guitarist / singer Mick Abrahams and drummer Clive Bunker formed a new band. They began playing two shows a week, trying out different names, including Navy Blue and Bag of Blues. Their manager suggested Jethro Tull, the name of a British barrister and farmer who, in the mid-1700s, invented a device called the seed drill, which could sew three rows of seeds simultaneously. Ian Anderson strongly disliked the name, but it became popular and memorable, and it stuck.
TOM JONES - ClassicBands.com
After Gordon Mills became Thomas Jones Woodward's manager, he took advantage of the free publicity generated by a hit movie that was in theatres at the time, and changed his stage name to Tom Jones.
JUDAS PRIEST - ClassicBands.com
Taken from the Bob Dylan tune "The ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest".
KC AND THE SUNSHINE BAND - ClassicBands.com
These Disco kings took their name from lead vocalist Harry Wayne Casey's last name ("KC") and the "Sunshine Band" from KC's home state of Florida ('The Sunshine State'). They were originally called KC And The Sunshine Junkanoo Band, as some of the members came from a band called the Miami Junkanoo Band.
KING CRIMSON - ClassicBands.com
Their original lyricist, Peter Sinfield, thought of it as a synonym for Beelzebub, which is Hebrew for 'Lord of the Flies'. Beelzebub was Satan's chief lieutenant among the fallen angels.
THE KINGSTON TRIO - ClassicBands.com
The band started out as a Calypso group and since Kingston, Jamaica was a hot spot for Calypso music, they took the name. In an interesting side-bar, in a 2007 interview, band member Bob Shane revealed that even after all these years, not one of them had ever been to Jamaica.
KISS - ClassicBands.com
According to Paul Stanley, Kiss was a momentary inspiration that sounded dangerous and sexy at the same time. Band members deny the rumor that the name stands for 'Knights In Satan's Service'.
THE KNICKERBOCKERS - ClassicBands.com
The New Jersey quintet who gave us the Beatles-sound-alike hit "Lies" in 1966, took their unusual name from Knickerbocker Avenue in their home town.
GARY LEWIS AND THE PLAYBOYS - ClassicBands.com
Two of the members of the band where late for a rehearsal one day and when they finally showed up, Gary Lewis said "Where have you Playboys been?" The others said "Hey, that's a good name."
LED ZEPPELIN - ClassicBands.com
The Yardbirds were just wrapping up their final US tour before splitting up. Guitarist Jimmy Page was determined to keep the act going, renaming a new line-up The New Yardbirds. Keith Moon of The Who is rumored to have said "...it'll probably go over like a led zeppelin", thus inspiring the final name change. The 'Led' spelling was to make sure people pronounced the name right.
LITTLE EVA - ClassicBands.com
Eva Boyd, who gave us "The Loco-Motion" in 1962, explained how she got her stage name: "I had an aunt called Eva, so she was Big Eva and I was Little Eva".
LITTLE RICHARD - ClassicBands.com
When Richard Penniman was asked how he came by his stage name, he said that in his childhood neighborhood there were only two nicknames used, 'lil and bro. That's when he became Little Richard. At the time of his birth he was supposed to have been named Ricardo, but a hospital error resulted in Richard instead.
LOBO - ClassicBands.com
Roland Kent LaVoie recorded a song called "Me and You and a Dog Named Boo" in 1971. Sensing the song's hit potential, but also wary of succumbing to one-hit-wonder novelty status, Lavoie adopted the name "Lobo", which means Wolf in Spanish.
LOVIN' SPOONFUL - ClassicBands.com
The band's name was inspired by some lines in a song by Mississippi John Hurt called the "Coffee Blues". The song is a tribute to Maxwell House Coffee, which is described as being two or three times stronger than any other brand, therefore, he only needs one spoonful to make him feel alright, what he describes as "my lovin' spoonful" in the song.
LULU - ClassicBands.com
Marie McDonald McLaughlin was about to enroll in hairdressing school when she met and joined a six-piece band called The Gleneagles. As their spunky lead singer, she quickly became the focal point of the group. Their manager took to referring to her as "a lulu of a kid", and eventually that stuck as a more distinctive stage name.
LYNYRD SKYNYRD - ClassicBands.com
Named after Robert E. Lee High school gym coach, Leonard Skinner, who punished founding members Gary Rossington and Bob Burns several times for breaking the school's strict dress code, which did not allow boys to have long hair touching the collar or sideburns below the ears. Earlier band names were Noble Five and One Percent.
THE MAMAS AND PAPAS - ClassicBands.com
After trying unsuccessfully to agree on a name for their new vocal group, Cass Elliot, Michelle Phillips, Denny Doherty and John Phillips were watching a TV documentary about The Hell's Angels, where a biker referred to his girlfriend as his Mama. "We want to be Mamas too!" said Cass and Michelle. The guys agreed that they would be the Papas.
THE MC5 - ClassicBands.com
An acronym for the Detroit band, 'Motor City Five'.
COUNTRY JOE MCDONALD AND THE FISH - ClassicBands.com
From Country Joe's interview with Gary James: "It was suggested that the group be called Country Mao And The Fish because Mao Tso-tung said that the revolutionaries move like fish through the sea and I said that was stupid. It was suggested that we call it Country Joe And The Fish after Joseph Stalin."
THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND - ClassicBands.com
The band's name does not refer to a band member, but rather a Spartanburg-area piano tuner. While the band was discussing possible names one evening in an old warehouse they had rented for rehearsal space, someone noticed that the warehouse's door key had the name "Marshall Tucker" inscribed on it, and suggested they called themselves the The Marshall Tucker Band, not realizing it referred to an actual person. It later came to light that Marshall Tucker, the blind piano tuner, had rented the space before the band, and the landlord had yet to change the inscription on the key.
MEATLOAF - ClassicBands.com
The man with one of the most colorful stage names in show business was born Marvin Lee Aday. Over the years, he has given several different stories on how he got his nickname. The most common one is that he stepped on the foot of his high school football coach, who, instead of cursing, shouted 'Get off my foot you hunk of meatloaf!'.
MEN WITHOUT HATS - ClassicBands.com
This Montreal based quartet started out playing in bars and clubs as Men With Hats. At the end of each show, they would throw their hats into the audience, eventually inspiring the name change.
METALLICA - ClassicBands.com
Drummer Lars Ulrich was helping a friend think of a name for a Metal fan magazine. The publication chose 'Metal Mania' and Lars kept Metallica, which was one of the suggestions.
WAYNE FONTANA And THE MINDBENDERS - ClassicBands.com
Glyn Geoffrey Ellis re-christened himself Wayne Fontana after Elvis Presley's drummer, DJ Fontana. The band took its name from Dirk Boarded's 1962 British horror movie, The Mindbenders.
GUY MITCHELL - ClassicBands.com
When Albert George Cernik was signed to Columbia records, label boss Mitch Miller supposedly told him "my name is 'Mitchell' and you seem like a nice 'guy', so we'll call you Guy Mitchell." The young singer would go on to achieve record sales in excess of 44 million units and topped the Billboard chart with "Singing the Blues" in 1956 and "Heartaches By the Number" in 1959.
MOBY GRAPE - ClassicBands.com
Although they never had a Top 40 single, this California group gained a large following on the strength of their 1966 debut album. The band name was chosen by bassist Bob Mosley and drummer Skip Spence from the punch line of the joke "What's big and purple and lives in the ocean?"
MOLLY HATCHET - ClassicBands.com
This American Southern Rock band, who are most often remembered for their 1979 hit "Flirtin' with Disaster", took their unusual name from from a prostitute who allegedly murdered and decapitated her clients.
THE MONKEES - ClassicBands.com
The made-for-TV band was given an animal name to sound like so many other mid-60s groups. The moniker was supposed to reflect the group's mischievous on-screen behavior.
MOODY BLUES - ClassicBands.com
The band originally called themselves the M&B 5, because they wanted to perform in a Birmingham brewery called Mitchell's Bottlery. The building had a big 'MB' sign. When that didn't work, they changed names, using one member's favorite song, Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo".
THE MOTELS - ClassicBands.com
Looking for name change from The Warfield Foxes, the band briefly considered The Angels Of Mercy, but lead singer Martha Davis objected to that. As they drove through the motel district of Santa Monica Boulevard someone suggested The Motels, a name which Martha was happy with.
MOTHERS OF INVENTION - ClassicBands.com
Originally just called the Mothers (short for Motherfuckers). Their record label persuaded them to add 'of Invention'.
MOTLEY CRUE - ClassicBands.com
The band took their name after a friend remarked, "What a motley looking crew." The inspiration to add the two sets of umlauts supposedly came from the German beer the members were drinking at the time.
MOUNTAIN - ClassicBands.com
Popular rumor says that the name is an allusion to guitarist Lesley West's large size.
MUNGO JERRY - ClassicBands.com
Lead singer Ray Dorset told ClassicBands.com - "We couldn't agree on a name. (Producer) Barry (Murray) pulled a name out of a hat, that happened to be Mungo Jerrie, which comes from T.S. Elliot's book, Old Possums Book Of Practical Cats. The spelling that we have is incorrect, because in the book, the Jerry part is spelled Jerrie. And that was it."
THE NEW COLONY SIX - ClassicBands.com
The Chicago based group who reached the Billboard Top 40 with "I Will Always Think Of You" and "Things I'd Like To Say" were inspired by the British Invasion to show that they were not from England, but from the colonies.
1910 FRUITGUM COMPANY - ClassicBands.com
Original guitarist Frank Jeckell says the name of the group came from an old gum wrapper that he found in a jacket pocket while he was looking for some retro clothes to wear. He tried a suit on and found a gum wrapper in the pocket and that inspired the name.
NAZARETH - ClassicBands.com
The group who gave us "Love Hurts" in 1976 took their name from the first line of The Band's classic song "The Weight" ("I pulled into Nazareth / Was feelin' 'bout half past dead.")
THE NEW CHRISTY MINSTRELS - ClassicBands.com
The New Christy Minstrels took their name from Christy's Minstrels, a performing group founded by Edwin Pearce Christy (1815 - 1862). In the 1840s, Christy, a Philadelphia-born showman, organized an ensemble of white performers in blackface that sang Negro spirituals and contemporary popular songs with great success all over the United States and England.
NIRVANA - ClassicBands.com
Kurt Cobain wanted a name that was kind of beautiful or nice and pretty, instead of a mean, raunchy, punk-rock name. The band chose Nirvana, meaning a state of perfect inner stillness and peace.
THE O'JAYS - ClassicBands.com
The O'Jays were given their name by Sid Nathan of King Records, who wanted them to change their moniker from The Mascots. He originally called them O'Jays' Boys after their manager Eddie O'Jay, but when their first single came out, the name had transitioned into The O'Jays. After they parted ways, Eddie launched an unsuccessful lawsuit over the name.
GILBERT O'SULLIVAN - ClassicBands.com
Just as he had done for Tom Jones and Englebert Humperdinck, manager Gordon Mills saw the need for a clever name for his newfound talent. Playing off Ray O'Sullivan's last name and the playwriting team of Gilbert and Sullivan, the name Gilbert O'Sullivan seemed a natural choice. Ray hated it, but agreed that when it came to marketing, Mills knew best.
OUTSIDERS - ClassicBands.com
After auditioning a song called "Time Won't Let Me", a Cleveland area group called The Starfires was signed by Capitol Records, but the label insisted that the band take a new name. Guitarist Tom King had been forced to abandon Pama Records, the label for which the Starfires had cut a dozen tunes and was owned by his uncle, who then accused his nephew of being an "outsider" to the family.
OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS - ClassicBands.com
This band's unusual name was derived from "Cosmic Corn Cob and His Amazing Ozark Mountain Daredevils", a name that guitarist John Dillon came up with at a naming party. There were known as Family Tree until finding out that another band was already using that name. They shortened Dillon's suggestion because they didn't want to be called "Cosmic Corn Cob" and did not want their name to sound similar to The Amazing Rhythm Aces.
PAPER LACE - ClassicBands.com
The Nottingham, England group who reached the top of the Billboard Pop chart in 1974 with "The Night Chicago Died" took their name from lace products created from a special grade of high quality paper manufactured in their hometown.
COLONEL TOM PARKER - ClassicBands.com
Andreas Cornelius van Kujik changed his name to Thomas Andrew Parker after he came to the United States from Holland in 1927. In the late 1940s he began a successful career as a music promoter and persuaded an aide to Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis to have him made an honorary Louisiana Colonel.
PEARL JAM - ClassicBands.com
According to lead singer Eddie Vedder, "The name is in reference to the pearl itself... and the natural process from which a pearl comes from. Basically, taking excrement or waste and turning it into something beautiful."
PET SHOP BOYS - ClassicBands.com
Having friends who worked in a pet shop, the duo of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe thought the name sounded like a polite English Rap group.
PINK FLOYD - ClassicBands.com
This British band used various names, including The Meggadeaths, The T-Set and The Screaming Abdabs, before settling on The Pink Floyd Sound, inspired by American blues artists, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council. The name was later shortened to just Pink Floyd.
THE PIPS - ClassicBands.com
It was at a family birthday party that Gladys Knight, her brother Merald, their sister Brenda, and two cousins, William and Elenor Guest, first sang together as a quintet. Another cousin present, James 'Pip' Woods, suggested they sing together professionally. Taking his advice, they hired him as their manager and called themselves The Pips in his honor. (later on, it was said to stand for "Perfection In Performance").
THE PLATTERS - ClassicBands.com
The group began as an all male quartet in 1953, calling themselves The Platters after the nickname used in those days for vinyl records.
IGGY POP - ClassicBands.com
In his biography, Gimme Danger, Iggy says the name came from one of his early bands, the Iguanas. When he formed The Stooges, their management billed him as Iggy Stooge, but Iggy wasn't too keen on it and changed it to Iggy Pop, reasoning that Pop has a kind of energy to it.
POCO - ClassicBands.com
After building up an local following as Pogo, (with a "g") they were forced to change their moniker, which they had openly pilfered from Walt Kelly's comic strip of the same name, when Kelly filed suit. They settled on Poco because it sounded like the original name that fans had come to know.
THE POLICE - ClassicBands.com
Drummer Stewart Copeland, whose father worked for the CIA, named his band before Gordon "Sting" Sumner and Andy Summers joined.
P.J. PROBY - ClassicBands.com
Songwriter Sharon Sheeley gave James Marcus Smith his stage name by combining the name of an old boyfriend, Proby, with a night club on Santa Monica Blvd. in Hollywood, P.J.'s.
PROCOL HARUM - ClassicBands.com
Originally called The Paramounts, their manager wanted a name change and came up with Procul Harun, which was the Pedigree name of a cat of a friend of his. In Latin, it means 'beyond these things'. The band mis-heard the name over the phone and spelled it Procol Harum.
THE POZO-SECO SINGERS - ClassicBands.com
The trio who had hits with songs like "Time" and "I Can Make It With You" took their unusual name from a suggestion by a geologist that singer Susan Taylor was dating when the band was first forming. A pozo seco is a Spanish phrase used by oil field workers that means dry well. The band liked the sound of it and the name stuck.
QUEEN - ClassicBands.com
Freddie Mercury liked the name for the transvestite connotation and the glamorous image of Queens in royalty.
QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS - ClassicBands.com
Bassist Larry Borjas came up with the name after watching a Japanese sci-fi movie on television. The film, The Mysterians is about invaders who try to take over Earth after their own planet has been destroyed.
QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE - ClassicBands.com
Gary Duncan of Quicksilver Messenger Service explained: "We had a bunch of different names and finally settled on Quicksilver Messenger Service because we're all the same birth sign. We're all Virgo, which is ruled by Mercury. Me and the drummer had the same birth date. David Freiberg and John Cipollina had the same birth date. So, between the four of us, there were only two birthdays. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, which is Quicksilver. Quicksilver is the winged messenger and Virgo is the sign of the selfless servant. So, that's where the name Quicksilver Messenger Service name came from. It's astrological."
PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS - ClassicBands.com
Bassist Phil 'Fang' Volk told Classicbands.com interviewer Gary James: "When his (Paul Revere's) record label, Gardena, wanted to change the name of the band because it was called The Downbeats way back when he got his record deal in the early '60s, they said "Why don't you use your real name, Paul Revere? That's a good gimmick." He said, "Well, what do you think?" I said, "How about Paul Revere And The Midnight Riders?" Paul said, "That doesn't sound sexy enough. That doesn't sound raunchy enough." So he thought the Raiders are the bad boys of football, the Oakland Raiders. Why not call it Paul Revere And The Raiders and we'll be the bad boys of Rock? And that's how it came about."
RAMONES - ClassicBands.com
In honor of Paul McCartney, who, early in his career, used to call himself Paul Ramone. The members of the band all used the last name Ramone, even though it's not their given name.
RARE EARTH - ClassicBands.com
After years of playing in local clubs and releasing unspectacular records on MGM, Hercules, Golden World and Verve, a band called the Sunliners caught the ear of session-man Dennis Coffey, who recommended them to his bosses at Motown Records. The group signed with the label in 1969 and in a brilliant marketing move by Motown executives, it was decided to match the band's name with their new record label: "Rare Earth".
THE RASPBERRIES - ClassicBands.com
According to Eric Carmen, the band took the name from an expression used by the Little Rascals character Froggy, who, when frustrated would often say "Aw raspberries."
R.E.M - ClassicBands.com
'Rapid Eye Movement' is a state of sleep.
REO SPEEDWAGON - ClassicBands.com
Reo Speedwagon was a model name for a line of trucks built by REO Motors Corporation of Lansing Michigan. REO is derived from the initials of Ransom Ely Olds, who left Oldsmobile, the company he founded, to form REO in 1905.
CLIFF RICHARD - ClassicBands.com
British singer Harry Webb changed his stage name to Cliff Richard in the early 1950s. "Cliff" sounded like the face of a cliff, which suggested Rock. "Richard" was chosen to honor his musical hero, Little Richard.
RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS - ClassicBands.com
While still known as the Paramours, Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield were trying to come up with a new name for their act when they remembered the night they sang in front of a group of U.S. Marines. After their set, one of the Marines shouted out, "That's righteous brothers!" and the name stuck.
ROLLING STONES - ClassicBands.com
From the Muddy Waters song "Rolling Stone". The name was suggested by guitarist, Brian Jones.
AXL ROSE - ClassicBands.com
The lead singer for Guns N' Roses was born William Bruce Rose Jr. to William and Sharon Rose. William Sr. left the family when his son was two years old. His mother eventually remarried and changed her son's name to William Bailey, using the last name of her new husband, L. Stephen Bailey. At age seventeen, the boy learned of his biological father's existence and readopted his birth name, William Rose, but referred to himself as "W. Rose" as he did not want to share a name with his biological father. He eventually adopted the name W. Axl Rose, with 'Axl' coming from a band in which he once played.
ROYAL GUARDSMEN - ClassicBands.com
When asked how the group came by their name, guitarist Barry Winslow had this to say: "Bill Balough and John Burdette were kind of like the founding members of a group called Posmen. The rest of us kind of auditioned for it within a couple weeks period. When I came into the band, I had bought a Vox amp and auditioned as a singer / rhythm guitar player and I guess they liked it. They wanted to keep me. Then they said we need an English name. And so they look over to my amp and I said "Vox?" They said "No idiot, Royal Guardsmen". I had the Royal Guardsmen amp that Vox made. I said "Boy, that's a mouthful guys." They said "Well, we like it."
RUSH - ClassicBands.com
They were rushing to think up a name before their first gig, and John Rustey's older brother yelled, "Why don't you call your band Rush?".
BOBBY RYDELL - ClassicBands.com
Bobby Rydell got his stage name from Philadelphia TV show host, Paul Whiteman, who wanted to have Bobby on his show, but had trouble pronouncing his real name, Robert Ridarelli.
MITCH RIDER - ClassicBands.com
William Levise Jr. was using the stage name, Billy Lee, with a band called the Rivieras. As they started to play bigger and better venues, the group realized their name was in conflict with The Rivieras who recorded "California Sun". While the band became The Detroit Wheels, Levise flipped through the Manhattan phone directory and came across the name Mitch Ryder, and took the name that he has used ever since.
SAM THE SHAM AND THE PHARAOHS - ClassicBands.com
In the early sixties, Domingo Samudio was playing in a band called "Andy And The Night Riders". When leader Andy Anderson left the group a short time later, Domingo took control of the band, and decided to re-name it. "By that time, everyone was calling me 'Sam', short for Samudio," said Domingo, "and what I was doing, fronting the band and cutting up was called 'shamming'. We got the rest of the name from the movie 'The Ten Commandments'. Old Ramses, the King of Egypt, looked pretty cool, so we decided to become The Pharaohs."
BOZ SCAGGS - ClassicBands.com
While attending St. Mark's academy in Dallas, William Royce Scaggs picked up the nickname "Bosley" by someone who kept addressing him that way. As time passed, William became known simply as Boz.
THE SEARCHERS - ClassicBands.com
This popular English band was the second group from Liverpool after the Beatles to have a hit in America when "Needles And Pins" charted during the first week of March, 1964. They took their name from the classic 1956 John Wayne western, The Searchers.
BOB SEGER AND THE SILVER BULLET BAND - ClassicBands.com
When Bob Seger appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman on December 15th, 2014, he told the host, "We were all arguing about what our band name should be, and I was kind of letting the band pick it themselves, and they just kept arguing and arguing". Finally, our manager sent us our paychecks with 'Bob Seger And The Silver Bullet Band' on it. He got tired of waiting for us so he made it up himself."
SEX PISTOLS - ClassicBands.com
Manager Malcolm Mclaren came up with the name. It was inspired by his punk clothing shop called 'Sex'.
SHADOWS OF KNIGHT - ClassicBands.com
A rock band called The Shadows, whose members attended Chicago's Prospect High School, had just made their first recordings when record company executives advised them that they would need to change their name to avoid being confused with Cliff Richards' back-up band. The company suggested The Tyme, which the band hated and refused to use because they had already built up a large local following as The Shadows. Just before the record label was printed, singer Jimy Sohns suggested The Shadows of Knight because it sounded British. He would later say that it never dawned on him that the Prospect High School teams were called The Knights.
DEL SHANNON - ClassicBands.com
While working a day job as a carpet salesman, Charles Westover managed to join a Country / Rock band at the Hi-Lo Club in Battle Creek, Michigan. A club regular had dreams of becoming a famous wrestler as Mark Shannon. Liking the name Shannon, Westover borrowed the surname and derived Del from his favorite make of car, the Cadillac Coupe DeVille. "DeVille, Del, that's where I got it from," Shannon explained to Dick Clark, "Could you imagine myself walking on stage and being introduced: 'Ladies and gentlemen, Charles Westover!' It had no ammunition."
THE SHONDELLS - ClassicBands.com
After meeting a singer named Troy Shondell, twelve year old Tommy James named his band The Shondells. When asked about it years later, he said "It just sounded like the right name. I found out later it meant some kind of airplane maneuver or something."
THE SHIRELLES - ClassicBands.com
After signing with Tiara Records, a vocal quartet known as The Poquellos realized they needed a name that was easier to pronounce. At first they chose The Honeytones, then in a vague reference to their lead singer, Shirley Owens, settled on The Shirelles.
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE - ClassicBands.com
According to his official web site, Sylvester Stewart came by the nickname Sly around the time he was in the fifth grade. During a school spelling bee, one of his classmates accidentally inverted the "y" and the "l" and Syl became Sly. The kids teased and the name stuck. The Family Stone came from the fact that Sly, his sister Rosie and brother Freddie all adopted the stage name Stone when they formed their new band.
PHOEBE SNOW - ClassicBands.com
Born Phoebe Ann Laub, she chose her stage name after a freight train that ran through her hometown of Teaneck, New Jersey, The Phoebe Snow.
THE S.O.S. BAND - ClassicBands.com
The Atlanta, Georgia based group who had the best selling tune in America in August, 1980, with "Take Your Time (Do It Right)", used an acronym which stood for Sounds of Success.
SPANDAU BALLET - ClassicBands.com
Originally called The Makers, the band changed their name after a visit to Berlin where one of their roadies saw some graffiti referring to Spandau Prison. Supposedly, there were many hangings there, in which the victims would twitch and jump at the end of a rope...hence, doing the "Spandau Ballet."
THE SPANIELS - ClassicBands.com
The Gary, Indiana sextet who took "Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite" to #2 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1954, took their name after the wife of one of the band members said that their singing sounded like "a pack of dogs".
SPANKY AND OUR GANG - ClassicBands.com
Lead singer Elaine McFarlane came by the nickname "Spanky" because band members noticed her resemblance to George "Spanky" McFarland of the Little Rascals / Our Gang comedy series. They originally took the name as a joke, but as their popularity grew, it stuck.
THE SPINNERS - ClassicBands.com
Although some fans wondered if spinning dance steps were the inspiration for the group's name, vocalist Bobbie Smith says he came up with the name when they wanted a change from their old moniker, The Domingoes. Spinners was hot rod talk in the 1950s for big, chrome, Cadillac hubcaps.
SPIRAL STARECASE - ClassicBands.com
The Sacramento, California quintet who reached #12 in the US in 1969 with "More Today Than Yesterday", was named after the 1946 movie The Spiral Staircase, starring Dorothy McGuire, George Brent and Ethel Barrymore. The mis-spelling of staircase was deliberate, to attract attention.
THE STANDELLS - ClassicBands.com
This L.A. based band, who scored a mid-sixties hit with "Dirty Water", say their name was derived from standing around agents' offices, pleading for work.
STEELY DAN - ClassicBands.com
Named after a dildo in the William Burroughs novel Naked Lunch. According to Burroughs, the Steely Dan was a metal dildo that an evil German bulldyke prostitute crushed using her nether regions.
STEPPENWOLF - ClassicBands.com
The band was originally called Sparrow, until lead singer John Kay came up the new name after being inspired by a novel by cult author Herman Hesse.
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS - ClassicBands.com
They began as Mighty Joe Young until they learned a Blues musician was already using that name. Fascinated by the logo for the motor oil additive STP, they started calling themselves Shirley Temple's Pussy until they found they couldn't get gigs using that name. More acronyms followed, like Stereo Temple Pirates, until they finally settled on Stone Temple Pilots.
STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK - ClassicBands.com
According to bassist George Bunnell, this most unusual name came about when the band was sitting around trying to think of a new name. They wanted to include the word Strawberry, which was inspired by the Beatle's tune, "Strawberry Fields Forever". The band was rehearsing in the guest house that belonged to the parents of keyboard player Mark Weitz. When everything was real quiet, after they thought of a bunch of names and they were all thrown out, everybody was kind of silently thinking. "The only thing you could hear was that alarm clock making some kind of whacky noise 'cause it was semi-broken. And they all looked at it at the same time really, and that's where it came about."
STYX - ClassicBands.com
Starting out in 1961 as The Tradewinds, the band finally outgrew that name and chose Styx after the mythical river that people cross over to go into Hell.
SUPERTRAMP - ClassicBands.com
Named after a book called Autobiography Of A Supertramp, written by R.E. Davies in 1910.
10cc - ClassicBands.com
For years a story has circulated that the band chose the name because the average man ejaculates 9cc of sperm, making 10cc even better. But it was actually the group's manager, Jonathan King, who came up with the unusual name after he dreamed that a band he managed called 10cc had the number one album and single simultaneously in America. In reality, the average man ejaculates 3cc of sperm.
TAVARES - ClassicBands.com
Originally named Chubby And The Turnpikes, the group started using the last name of the band members, Ralph, Arthur, Antone, Feliciano and Perry Tavares as The Tavares Brothers before shorting the name.
THE TEDDY BEARS - ClassicBands.com
Bass vocalist Harvey Goldstein suggested the name because Elvis Presley's "Teddy Bear" was a big hit at the time the L.A. teens were forming. Unfortunately for him, Goldstein was away with the US Army reserve when the band recorded their only hit, "To Know Him Is To Love Him" and was later eased out of the group. He wisely contacted an attorney, claiming a 25% ownership of the name and was granted royalties for "To Know Him..." for the next ten years.
TEEGARDEN AND VAN WINKLE - ClassicBands.com
While trying to figure out the best way to market a duo consisting of organist Skip Knape and drummer David Teegarden, their manager, Jim Casley, started calling Knape "Skip Van Winkle", a play on words referring to literary character Rip Van Winkle. The name stuck and in 1970 the pair reached #22 in America with "God, Love And Rock And Roll".
THREE DOG NIGHT - ClassicBands.com
While trying to think of a name that would show that the band had three lead singers, they nearly settled on Tricycle until singer Danny Hutton's girlfriend came up with a suggestion. She had read a magazine article about the Australian aborigines, who on cold nights, would sleep beside their dogs for warmth. The very coldest weather was called a "three dog night".
THEM - ClassicBands.com
Formed by Van Morrison, the group had the original hit version of "Gloria", later covered by The Shadows Of Knight. The band took their name from a 1954 horror film, Them.
THIN LIZZY - ClassicBands.com
There are at least three versions of the origin of the name Thin Lizzy. Since no interviews with members of the band confirm any of them, they will remain as speculation. The most obvious yet least likely is that the band's name was taken from the nickname of a Ford Model T. (Tin Lizzy) Another story comes from Jim Fitzpatrick, who as a producer of artwork for the band and a friend of Phil Lynott, suggests that Lynott was inspired to name the band after a girl he met, whose name was Liz Igoe, and that he added the Tin because it "scanned better". The most popular story describes how the band's original lead guitarist, Eric Bell, who was a fan of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, bought a copy of a Dandy comic after seeing Eric Clapton depicted reading a copy of its sister publication The Beano on the cover of the 1966 album "Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton". Bell suggested Tin Lizzie, the name of a robot character from the comic, which evolved into Thin Lizzy, a sly nod to the Dublin accent in which "thin" is pronounced "tin".
TOMMY TUTONE - ClassicBands.com
The band who gave us "867-5309 / Jenny" took its name from the nickname of lead singer, Tommy Heath. They were originally known as Tommy And The Two-Tones.
TRAFFIC - ClassicBands.com
Drummer Jim Capaldi is said to have thought up the name after watching cars go by.
THE TRAMMPS - ClassicBands.com
Growing up in Philadelphia, this group, who would go on to have a #11 hit in 1978 with "Disco Inferno", would sing on street corners and passers by would say "All you guys will ever be is tramps." It turns out, those people were right.
THE TRASHMEN - ClassicBands.com
The Trashmen's Tony Andreason told interviewer Gary James: "We were rehearsing one afternoon 'cause we were in a play at a school over in Brooklyn Center. It was a dance and we didn't have a name for the band. There was an artist here in town, his name was Tony Kyray, and he recorded a song called "The Trashmen's Blues". We were listening to it and (drummer) Steve (Wahrer) said 'That's what we should call ourselves - The Trashmen.' We were laughing, you know? He showed up Saturday night at the school with The Trashmen painted on his drum head. That's how it started. Obviously it stuck."
THE TREMELOES - ClassicBands.com
Drummer Dave Munden of The Tremeloes explains: "We got our name actually from; you plugged into one of the amplifiers and it gave you the vibrato sound on the guitars. It was what we called a tremelo unit. And that's where we got the name of the band from."
THE TROGGS - ClassicBands.com
According to the band's lead singer, Reg Presley, they wanted an "earthy name" like The Stones. Troggs is an abbreviation of the word troglodyte, a mythical cave dweller.
THE TURTLES - ClassicBands.com
In 1965, a Los Angeles group called The Crossfires changed their name to The Tyrtles as an unveiled homage to The Byrds, but soon amended the spelling.
U2 - ClassicBands.com
Although the U2 is a type of spy plane that was used by the United States, Bono explained that U2 grew out of thoughts of interactivity with the audience.... as in 'you too.'
UB40 - ClassicBands.com
The band got their name from the British Unemployment Benefit Form UB40 that you fill out to go "on the dole."
URIAH HEEP - ClassicBands.com
After using several names during their developing years, manager Gerry Bron suggested Uriah Heep, based on the 'horrible little character from Charles Dickens' novel, David Copperfield.
VELVET UNDERGROUND - ClassicBands.com
The Velvet Underground was a paperback by Michael Leigh about the secret sexual subculture of the early 1960s that band member John Cale's friend Tony Conrad showed the group. Drummer Angus MacLise made a suggestion to adopt the title as the band's name, which they did in November, 1965.
VILLAGE PEOPLE - ClassicBands.com
As all of the group members had been recruited from Greenwich Village, their manager, Jacques Morali, decided to call them Village People. He also noted that they are never to be referred to as The Village People.
THE VOGUES - ClassicBands.com
After a small town Pennsylvania group called The Val-Airs recorded some demo tracks for the tiny Co & Ce label, they returned to lay down a Petula Clark album tune called "You're The One". To their surprise, one day they heard the song on the radio, credited to The Vogues. It seems the record company had released the single without telling them and their manager changed their name, taking the moniker from a supper club he used to own, The Vogue Terrace.
DIONNE WARWICK - ClassicBands.com
Born Marie Dionne Warrick, her last name was mis-spelled as Warwick by Scepter Records on her debut single "Don't Make Me Over", after which she began using the new spelling both professionally and personally.
WHAM! - ClassicBands.com
After meeting in a band called Executive, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley said they named their duo Wham! because wanted to make a loud impact in the music business.
THE WHO - ClassicBands.com
While taking suggestions for a new name, someone noticed that the band members were already so hard of hearing that they kept saying, "The who?"
WILD CHERRY - ClassicBands.com
This Ohio band, who scored a Billboard #1 hit in 1976 with "Play That Funky Music", took their name from a box of cough drops used by vocalist / guitarist Rob Parissi while he was recuperating from a brief hospital stay. Rob told Gary James in 2012, "Somebody said 'What are we going to call ourselves?' I had been so frustrated at that point in getting it together that I took a box of cough drops and said I don't even care if we call ourselves Wild Cherry." The rest of the band loved it and Parissi said "We'll call it that for this gig, but we'll change it after that 'cause we're not gonna have that name." It turned out that the crowd they were playing for loved it. Parissi later recalled "I was always trying to change it. I never thought it was good."
WINGS - ClassicBands.com
Paul McCartney thought of the name while waiting in a hospital wing for Linda to give birth to one of their children.
THE YARDBIRDS - ClassicBands.com
From a list of names proposed by vocalist Keith Relf, the band chose the one that was slang for rail yard hobos. In a 2010 interview with Classicbands.com, Yardbirds' guitarist Chris Dreja said: "We thought that was not only a very original sort of sounding name for a sort of Beat group as you like, but it kind of matched what we were doing. I'm glad we chose it."
YES - ClassicBands.com
While the group members searched for an appropriate name, guitarist Peter Banks suggested they called the group Yes, a very short and positive word. The others agreed that the name was not meant to be permanent, but just a temporary solution.
THE YOUNGBLOODS - ClassicBands.com
Jesse Colin Young got his start as a solo act on the Folk circuits of Boston and New York, and had already cut a couple of unsuccessful albums before deciding to form a band with guitarist Jerry Corbitt. As they evolved into a quartet, they took the name Youngbloods from Young's second solo album.
THE YOUNG RASCALS - ClassicBands.com
The group's name was inspired by the 1920's Our Gang films, known later on television as The Little Rascals.
THE ZOMBIES - ClassicBands.com
As a high school band they were briefly called The Mustangs and The Sundowners before bassist Paul Arnold suggested name The Zombies in an effort to have a different name than any other group.
ZZ TOP - ClassicBands.com
According to guitarist Billy Gibbons, their odd name came from one or more of the following: two brands of cigarette rolling paper, Zig-Zag and Top, - a tribute to blues legend Z.Z. Hill - or Gibbons seeing the two words running together on a dilapidated billboard.
ClassicBands.com
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Which fruit has varieties, 'Morello' and 'Merton Glory'? | Cherry Merton Glory Colt Fruit Trees For Sale
All orders are despatched in one delivery. If your order contains both bare root and container grown plants then we can only despatch when all plants are ready.
Any Bare Root fruit trees - Availability means available for supply from Nov to April.
Any Container grown fruit trees - Availability means available for supply now.
Fruit trees are grafted onto rootstocks. Rootstocks come in 5 sizes (2 for Cherries) see the chart below, all of our trees are labelled using these codes.
Click to enlarge
Until quite recently there was no point in trying to grow a sweet cherry in an average sized garden. The introduction of colt rootstock in the late 70's enables trees to be maintained at 4 metres.
If you require a smaller tree then look for the rootstock Gisela 5 which reaches around 3 metres when mature and only the varieties Regina, Stella, Sunburst and Morello are grown on this rootstock.
Bare Root = Field grown trees that have been freshly lifted and supplied with no soil around the roots. Only available during the dormant period November-April
10 Litre = Container grown and can be planted all year round. The size refers to the number of litres of compost that the container holds.
1 Year Maiden = A one year old tree and the size depends on the variety but in general they will be 125cm in height and will have some side branches.
2 Year Bush = A two year old tree that has been pruned back in the first winter to form a bush shape. Generally trees will be 150-175cm in height with multiple side branches.
| Cherry (Yui song) |
Which 1944 musical film featured the song 'Have Yourselves A Merry Little Christmas'? | Not just a spring display: how to grow edible cherries - Telegraph
Not just a spring display: how to grow edible cherries
12:03AM BST 27 Apr 2007
Comments
Edible cherries have been grown for thousands of years. Henry VIII planted 100 acres of them in Kent in 1533 and today these luscious fruits are as popular as ever.
If you only have room for a single tree it should be self-fertile; otherwise another cherry will be needed for pollination. Both varieties should be in flower at the same time. The type of rootstock on which the variety is grafted will decide the ultimate size and vigour of the tree. A dwarfing rootstock is desirable in a small town garden. Most trees are purchased shaped as pyramids or fans.
Planting
Buy container-grown plants rather than those that have been potted up to ensure a good root system that will hold the ball of compost.
Place in fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.5-7.5.
Sour cherries are tolerant of shade; sweet cherries require a sheltered and sunny site.
Dig a generous planting hole. Add plenty of well-rotted manure and compost. Plant at the same depth as in the container. Tease out and spread the roots making sure the graft union is above soil level. Use a stake to support the tree for the first few years. Drive it into the hole before planting.
Water well after planting. Apply a deep surface mulch and a high-nitrogen liquid fertiliser in spring.
Pruning and Training
06 Oct 2009
Avoid pruning in winter to prevent fungus invading the cuts.
Prune newly planted trees in March. Buying a partially trained fan-shaped tree is a good start.
Shorten the side shoots to six leaves in summer and further reduce the shoots in autumn.
Prune mature trees in summer.
Water on a regular basis to prevent the ripening fruit splitting.
Cover the tree with a fine net to stop birds eating the fruit buds in late winter and spring and the fruit itself in summer.
Sweet varieties
'Lapins' is better known as 'Cherokee' - a black skinned, early fruiting, self-fertile variety.
'Sunburst' has dark skin and large fruit with a good flavour. Self-fertile.
'Stella' has deep red or black skin; juicy with an excellent flavour and grows large. Self-fertile.
Compact Stella' Similar to 'Stella' but of a more compact habit.
Merton Glory' is sweet-flavoured, yellow-skinned and early fruiting but needs a partner such as 'Morello' as a pollinator.
Intermediate
'May Duke' is probably the only 'Duke' variety readily available in garden centres. The large fruits have deep red skins and a sharp but not unpleasant flavour. Partially self-fertile.
Sour varieties
'Morello' is the best known of the acid cherries. If its fruit is picked when the skin is dark red it is very sour and only good for cooking. If the cherries are allowed to remain on the tree until late August, when they are almost black, they become bitter-sweet. It is a fairly compact grower and self-fertile.
'Nabella' is similar in growth habit and is self-fertile. The medium-sized fruit is almost black; it ripens in August.
Colt rootstock will produce a tree suitable for most gardens. It's not quite dwarf but any cherry grafted on to it will always be a more manageable size. The Belgian rootstock coded G.M.9 is a good dwarf rootstock. Acid cherries fruit on last year's wood and annual pruning is necessary to encourage new growth.
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Which 'Oscar' winning actress's last film was 'Ship Of Fools' in 1965? | 1965 Academy Awards® Winners and History
A Thousand Clowns (1965)
Actor:
LEE MARVIN in "Cat Ballou", Richard Burton in "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold", Laurence Olivier in "Othello", Rod Steiger in "The Pawnbroker", Oskar Werner in "Ship of Fools"
Actress:
JULIE CHRISTIE in "Darling", Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music" , Samantha Eggar in "The Collector", Elizabeth Hartman in "A Patch of Blue", Simone Signoret in "Ship of Fools"
Supporting Actor:
MARTIN BALSAM in "A Thousand Clowns", Ian Bannen in "The Flight of the Phoenix", Tom Courtenay in "Doctor Zhivago", Michael Dunn in "Ship of Fools", Frank Finlay in "Othello"
Supporting Actress:
SHELLEY WINTERS in "A Patch of Blue", Ruth Gordon in "Inside Daisy Clover", Joyce Redman in "Othello", Maggie Smith in "Othello", Peggy Wood in "The Sound of Music"
Director:
ROBERT WISE for "The Sound of Music" , David Lean for "Doctor Zhivago", John Schlesinger for "Darling", Hiroshi Teshigahara for "Woman in the Dunes", William Wyler for "The Collector"
This would be the first year that the awards ceremony (on April 18, 1966) would be broadcast in color on television.
The two top films in the Best Picture Oscars race in 1965, The Sound of Music and Doctor Zhivago, each had the same number of nominations (ten), and equally divided the same number of Oscars (five):
The top winner was 20th Century Fox's and Robert Wise's The Sound of Music , Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway musical of the same name brought to the screen. It was the real-life story of unsuited postulant Maria (Julie Andrews) who left Austria's Nonnberg Abbey, became governess to seven motherless Von Trapp children, and helped lead the singing family out of Nazi-occupied Austria to Switzerland (and then to America).
The Sound of Music won Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Wise), Best Musical Score, Best Editing, and Best Sound. [This win gave the musical genre consecutive Best Picture wins - My Fair Lady (1964) had won the previous year.] The Sound of Music also topped
Gone With The Wind (1939) as the most commercially-successful, money-grossing film to date - thereby saving its studio 20th Century Fox from bankruptcy. Best Director and Best Picture winner Robert Wise had won the same two awards four years earlier (for
West Side Story (1961) ), but now he didn't have to share his Best Director award with Jerome Robbins.
The swoon-inducing romantic epic and spectacle, Doctor Zhivago, was British director David Lean's follow-up to
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) - a Russian epic and a colorful film adaptation of Boris Pasternak's novel. Doctor Zhivago won five Oscars: Best Adapted Screenplay (Robert Bolt), Best Color Cinematography (Freddie Young), Best Art Direction, Best Original Musical Score (Maurice Jarre), and Best Costume Design (Phyllis Dalton).
The other three Best Picture nominees included:
Stanley Kramer's direction of Katherine Anne Porter's adapted novel, Ship of Fools (with eight nominations and two wins - Best B/W Cinematography and Best B/W Art Direction/Set Decoration) - it featured a star-studded cast as a group of passengers sailing to Germany in the 1930s (with Vivien Leigh in her final film role).
the satirical British film about the shallowness of the fashion model scene and the empty life of an amoral model in director John Schlesinger's film, Darling (with five nominations and three wins - Best Actress, Best Story and Screenplay, and Best B/W Costume Design)
the low-budget comedy/drama by director Fred Coe (with his debut film), A Thousand Clowns (with four nominations and one win - Best Supporting Actor), written by Herb Gardner and based upon his Broadway play about a non-conformist, drop-out Manhattan writer
Only three of the directors of the Best Picture nominees were Best Director nominees. Two additional nominees were Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara (with his second feature film) for his allegorical drama about a scientist studying insects in Japanese sand dunes, Woman in the Dunes, and William Wyler (with the last of his record twelve nominations as director) for the un-nerving drama The Collector (with three nominations and no wins) - an adaptation of John Fowles' novel about a psychotic butterfly collector who kidnaps a girl for his collection. [Teshigahara was the first Japanese director to receive a Best Director nomination and the first non-white director ever nominated.]
[William Wyler's previous directorial nominations and three awards in a distinguished career included: Dodsworth (1936) (nom),
Ben-Hur (1959) (win).]
Neither of the two major films of the year, The Sound of Music or Doctor Zhivago, received any Best Actor nominations. Even more astonishing is the fact that the other prominent nominees in the Best Actor category were defeated by Lee Marvin (with his sole career nomination - and Oscar win) who won the award for his eccentric dual role as cold-eyed, ruthlessly evil desperado Tim Strawn (with an artificial silver nose) and Strawn's aging, once-famous, drunken and whiskey-soaked twin gunman Kid Shelleen in the amusing, small-budget western spoof 'sleeper' film directed by Elliot Silverstein, Cat Ballou (with five nominations and one win - Best Actor). It was one of the rare and unusual times that the Academy rewarded and recognized a comedy performance in a sleeper film. [Previous Best Actor winners for a comic performance include: Clark Gable for
The Philadelphia Story (1940) .]
The other nominees in the Best Actor category included:
Richard Burton (with his fourth of seven unsuccessful nominations) as Alec Leamas - an unglamorous, disillusioned British spy in director Martin Ritt's film adaptation of John Le Carre's novel, The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (with two nominations and no wins)
Laurence Olivier (with his seventh nomination) in blackface! in the title role of the Moor in director Oliver Parker's film of Shakespeare's Othello (with four nominations and no wins)
Oskar Werner (with his sole nomination in his first English-language film role) as Dr. Schumann - the on-board, dying doctor and lover of Oscar-nominated Simone Signoret in Ship of Fools
the heavily-favored Rod Steiger (with his second of three career nominations) as Sol Nazerman, a psychologically-scarred Nazi concentration camp survivor in a Harlem pawn shop in Sidney Lumet's The Pawnbroker (the film's sole nomination). Two years later, Steiger finally won an Oscar for his role as a Southern sheriff in In the Heat of the Night (1967) . [Oskar Werner was defeated by Ship of Fools co-star Marvin - Werner also co-starred with Burton in The Spy Who Came In From the Cold as an E. German agent.]
In the Best Actress category, only one of the nominees was American - Elizabeth Hartman. Three of the nominees were British (Christie, Andrews, and Eggar), and one was French (Signoret).
The winner in the Best Actress category was twenty-four year-old Julie Christie (with her first of three career nominations - and her sole Oscar win) for her role as Diana Scott - an ambitious, vain, irresponsible, ruthless, promiscuous, and selfish hip, mini-skirted London model who tempts a serious journalist (Dirk Bogarde) to leave his wife and family, then tires and becomes a decadent, international celebrity/swinger, and finally ends up living a meaningless life as a disillusioned, bored wife of an Italian prince in Darling. It was notable as the first Oscar-winning performance for a nude scene. (Note: Christie also appeared in one of the year's biggest pictures - Doctor Zhivago, but was un-nominated for that role. Christie would be nominated three more times in her career for her role as Mrs. Miller, madam of a brothel in Robert Altman's McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), as Phyllis Mann in Afterglow (1997), and as afflicted Alzheimer's patient Fiona Andersson in Away From Her (2007).)
The other Best Actress nominees included:
Simone Signoret (with her second and last career nomination) as La Condesa - Oskar Werner's drug-addicted countess/mistress in Ship of Fools
Samantha Eggar (with her sole nomination) as Miranda Gray - the stalked art student/victim of butterfly collector Terence Stamp in William Wyler's The Collector
Elizabeth Hartman (with her sole nomination in her film debut) as Selina D'Arcey - a blind white girl involved in a racial romance (with Sidney Poitier) in director Guy Green's A Patch of Blue (with five nominations and one win - Best Supporting Actress)
the other 'Julie': Julie Andrews (with her second of three career nominations) as the postulant nun Maria turned cheerful governess to seven Von Trapp children in Austria in The Sound of Music . [In the previous year, Andrews had received a Best Actress win for Mary Poppins (1964).]
Among the Best Supporting nominees, there were three from Othello - it was the 3rd film in Academy history to receive four acting nominations without a Best Picture nomination (this also occurred in 1936, 1948, and 2008):
Frank Finlay (with his sole nomination) as the villainous, scheming Iago
Joyce Redman (with her second of two unsuccessful career nominations) as Iago's wife Emilia
Maggie Smith (with her first nomination) as the tragic Desdemona, Othello's innocent wife
The Best Supporting Actor winner was Martin Balsam (with his sole Oscar nomination - and win) as Arnold Burns, the agent brother of the oddball non-conformist and unemployed kiddie-show writer Jason Robards, Jr. - they both try to avoid social workers who threaten the guardianship of their 12 year old nephew in the comedy-drama A Thousand Clowns.
The other supporting actor nominees were:
Tom Courtenay (with his first of two unsuccessful career nominations) for his role as Russian revolutionary Pasha/Strelnikoff in Doctor Zhivago
Michael Dunn (with his sole nomination) for his role as compassionate, philosophizing dwarf Glocken in Ship of Fools
Ian Bannen (with his sole nomination) for his role as Crow in Robert Aldrich's survival-adventure film The Flight of the Phoenix (with two nominations and no wins), about a downed plane in the Sahara desert
The Best Supporting Actress winner was Shelley Winters (with her third of four career nominations) as Rose-Ann D'arcy - the over-bearing, slatternly, amoral, shrewish mother of blind girl Elizabeth Hartman (who befriends and falls in love with a young black man - unaware of his skin color) in A Patch of Blue. [This was Winters' second Best Supporting Actress award, six years after her first win in the same category for The Diary of Anne Frank (1959). She became the first actress to win two Oscars in the category. She was the only actress to be twice honored in the "supporting" category, a record that she held until 1994 when Dianne Wiest won her second "supporting" award.]
The remaining Best Supporting Actress nominees were:
Peggy Wood (with her sole nomination) as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music
Ruth Gordon (with her first of two career nominations) as 'the Dealer' (co-star Natalie Wood's mother) in director Robert Mulligan's story of a rising teen star titled Inside Daisy Clover (with three nominations and no wins)
Oscar Snubs and Omissions:
One of the best films of the year was entirely overlooked: Polish director Roman Polanski's first film in English - the British-made, suspenseful character study Repulsion, with Catherine Deneuve as an unstable young French manicurist repulsed by sex. Ivan Dixon was bypassed for his role as Alabama black laborer Duff Anderson in Nothing But A Man. Tony Richardson's farce about the funeral parlor business The Loved One, which included another acting performance by Rod Steiger as Mr. Joyboy, was nomination-less.
Sean Connery, better known for the increasingly-popular James Bond films, was un-nominated for his role as Trooper Roberts, a prisoner in a British desert prison camp, in Sidney Lumet's The Hill. [Connery finally won an Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for his work in The Untouchables (1987) - his sole nomination, despite great performances in The Man Who Would Be King (1975), Robin and Marian (1976) and The Hunt for Red October (1990) .]
Inexplicably, writer/producer/director George Stevens' four hour New Testament epic disaster The Greatest Story Ever Told, received five nominations: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Score, and Best Visual Effects - nominations taken from other deserving films.
Although Julie Christie was nominated - and won - for her role in Darling, she was not nominated for her equally great performance as blonde-haired Lara in David Lean's Russian epic Doctor Zhivago. Rod Steiger, who was nominated as Best Actor for a different film this year, wasn't nominated for one of the best roles of his career in Doctor Zhivago as the nefarious Victor Komarovsky. And two major stars of the year's two film rivals, Christopher Plummer (as aristocratic widower Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music ) and Omar Sharif (as Yuri Zhivago in Doctor Zhivago) were not nominated for Best Actor.
A more memorable performance than the one of Best Supporting Actor winner Martin Balsam was Gene Saks' un-nominated portrayal of the grotesque, obnoxious kiddie-show star "Chuckles the Chipmunk" in A Thousand Clowns.
None of the memorable songs (performed as early music videos) in the Beatles' Help! were nominated, including Help!, Yesterday, It's Only Love, You're Going to Lose that Girl, and Ticket to Ride.
| Vivien Leigh |
"Who said ""Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind""?" | View All Photos (10)
Movie Info
The first person the audience sees in Ship of Fools is dwarf Michael Dunn, who speaks to viewers directly and acts as a Greek chorus throughout the film. It begins on the deck of an ocean liner travelling from Vera Cruz to Bremerhaven. The time is the 1930s, so close and yet so far from war. The cross-section of humanity on board includes ship's doctor Oscar Werner, Spanish political activist Simone Signoret, aging coquette Vivien Leigh, hedonistic baseball player Lee Marvin, philosophical Jew Heinz Ruhmann, a smattering of pro- and anti-Hitlerites (Jose Ferrer plays the nastiest and most vocal "pro") and young lovers George Segal and Elizabeth Ashley. Yes, it's Grand Hotel at sea, a feast for stargazers and an endurance test for those who aren't comfortable with non-stop speechmaking. Despite such lines as "What can the Nazis do? Kill all six million of us?," Ship of Fools manages to stay afloat throughout its 148 minutes. Michael Dunn was nominated for an Academy Award for his interlocutory characterization; the rest of the performances range from brilliant to merely filling up the room. Other Oscars were presented to cinematographer Ernest Lazslo and to the art-direction staff. Ship of Fools was adapted by Abby Mann from the novel by Katharine Ann Porter.
Rating:
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Sometimes called 'Nucleons', give either of the subatomic particles in the atomic nucleus? | Sub-Atomic Particles - Chemistry LibreTexts
Sub-Atomic Particles
Contributors
A typical atom consists of three subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons (as seen in the helium atom below). Other particles exist as well, such as alpha and beta particles (which are discussed below). The Bohr model shows the three basic subatomic particles in a simple manner. Most of an atom's mass is in the nucleus—a small, dense area at the center of every atom, composed of nucleons. Nucleons include protons and neutrons. All the positive charge of an atom is contained in the nucleus, and originates from the protons. Neutrons are neutrally-charged. Electrons, which are negatively-charged, are located outside of the nucleus.
Introduction
The Bohr model is outdated, but it depicts the three basic subatomic particles in a comprehensible way. Electron clouds are more accurate representations of where electrons are found. Darker areas represent where the electrons are more likely to be found, and lighter areas represent where they are less likely to be found.
1/2
Au is the SI symbol for atomic mass unit.
The positive charge of protons cancels the negative charge of the electrons. Neutrons have no charge.
With regard to mass, protons and neutrons are very similar, and have a much greater mass than electrons. Compared with neutrons and protons, the mass of an electron is usually negligible.
Spin is associated with the rotation of a particle. Protons, neutrons, and electrons each have a total spin of 1/2.
Protons
Protons were discovered by Ernest Rutherford in the year 1919, when he performed his gold foil experiment. He projected alpha particles (helium nuclei) at gold foil, and the positive alpha particles were deflected. He concluded that protons exist in a nucleus and have a positive nuclear charge. The atomic number or proton number is the number of protons present in an atom. The atomic number determines an element (e.g., the element of atomic number 6 is carbon).
Electrons
Electrons were discovered by Sir John Joseph Thomson in 1897. After many experiments involving cathode rays, J.J. Thomson demonstrated the ratio of mass to electric charge of cathode rays. He confirmed that cathode rays are fundamental particles that are negatively-charged; these cathode rays became known as electrons. Robert Millikan, through oil drop experiments, found the value of the electronic charge.
Electrons are located in an electron cloud, which is the area surrounding the nucleus of the atom. There is usually a higher probability of finding an electron closer to to the nucleus of an atom. Electrons can abbreviated as e-. Electrons have a negative charge that is equal in magnitude to the positive charge of the protons. However, their mass is considerably less than that of a proton or neutron (and as such is usually considered insignificant). Unequal amounts of protons and electrons create ions: positive cations or negative anions.
Neutrons
Neutrons were discovered by James Chadwick in 1932, when he demonstrated that penetrating radiation incorporated beams of neutral particles. Neutrons are located in the nucleus with the protons. Along with protons, they make up almost all of the mass of the atom. The number of neutrons is called the neutron number and can be found by subtracting the proton number from the atomic mass number. The neutrons in an element determine the isotope of an atom, and often its stability. The number of neutrons is not necessarily equal to the number of protons.
Identification
Both of the following are appropriate ways of representing the composition of a particular atom:
Often the proton number is not indicated because the elemental symbol conveys the same information.
Example
Consider a neutral atom of carbon: 126C. The atomic mass number of Carbon is 12 amu, the proton number is 6, and it has no charge. In neutral atoms, the charge is omitted.
Above is the atomic symbol for helium from the periodic table, with the atomic number, elemental symbol, and mass indicated.
Every element has a specific number of protons, so the proton number is not always written (as in the second method above).
# Neutrons = Atomic Mass Number - Proton Number
Atomic mass number is abbreviated as A.
Proton number(or atomic number) is abbreviated Z.
# Protons = Proton Number or Atomic Number
In neutral atoms, # Electrons = # Protons
In ions, # Electrons = # Protons - (Charge)
Charge is written with the number before the positive or negative sign
Example, 1+
Note: The atomic mass number is not the same as the atomic mass seen on the periodic table. Click here for more information.
Other Basic Atomic Particles
Many of these particles (explained in detail below) are emitted through radioactive decay. Click here for more information. Also note that many forms of radioactive decay emit gamma rays, which are not particles.
Alpha Particles
Alpha particles can be denoted by He2+,α2+, or just α. They are helium nuclei, which consist of two protons and two neutrons. The net spin on an alpha particle is zero. They result from large, unstable atoms through a process called alpha decay . Alpha decay is the process by which an atom emits an alpha particle, thereby becoming a new element. This only occurs in elements with large, radioactive nuclei. The smallest noted element that emits alpha particles is element 52, tellurium. Alpha particles are generally not harmful. They can be easily stopped by a single sheet of paper or by one's skin. However, they can cause considerable damage to the insides of one's body. Alpha decay is used as a safe power source for radioisotope generators used in artificial heart pacemakers and space probes.
What are Sub-Atomic Particles?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXcOqjCQzh8
Atomic Number and Mass Number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDo78hPTlgk
References
Petrucci, Ralph, William Harwood, Geoffrey Herring, and Jeffry Madura.General Chemistry. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentince Hall, 2007.
Haskin, Larry A. The Atomic Nucleus and Chemistry; D. C. Heath and Company: Lexington, MA, 1972; pp. 3-4, 43-53.
Petrucci, Ralph, F. Geoffrey Herring, Jeffrey D. Madura, and Carey Bissonnette. General Chemistry. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2011.
Problems
1. Identify the number of protons, electrons, and neutrons in the following atom.
2. Identify the subatomic particles (protons, electrons, neutrons, and positrons) present in the following:
\(\ce{^{14}_6C}\)
\(\ce{^{40}Ar}\)
\(^1_0n\)
3. Given the following, identify the subatomic particles present. (The periodic table is required to solve these problems)
Charge +1, 3 protons, mass number 6.
Charge -2, 7 neutrons, mass number 17.
26 protons, 20 neutrons.
28 protons, mass number 62.
5 electrons, mass number 10.
Charge -1, 18 electrons, mass number 36.
4. Arrange the following elements in order of increasing (a) number of protons; (b) number of neutrons; (c) mass.
27Co, when A=59; 56Fe, when Z=26; 11Na, when A=23; 80Br, when Z=35; 29Cu, when A=30; 55Mn, when Z=25
5. Fill in the rest of the table:
Atomic Number
Solutions and Explanations
1. There are 4 protons, 5 neutrons, and 4 electrons. This is a neutral beryllium atom.
2. Identify the subatomic particles present in the following:
146C
6 protons, 8 neutrons, 6 electrons
There are 6 protons in accordance with the proton number in the subscript. There are 6 electrons because the atom is neutral. There are 8 neutrons because 14-6=8. 14 is the atomic mass number in the superscript.
α
2 protons, 2 neutrons, 0 electrons
This is an alpha particle which can also be written as 4He2+. There are two protons because the element is helium. There are no electrons because 2-2 = 0. There are 2 neutrons because 4-2=2.
35Cl-
17 protons, 18 neutrons, 18 electrons
This is a chloride ion. According to the periodic table, there are 17 protons because the element is chlorine. There are 18 electrons due to the negative charge: 17-(-1) = 18. There are 18 neutrons because 35-17=18.
β+
0 protons, 0 neutrons, 0 electrons, 1 positron
This is a beta+ particle. It can also be written as e+. "e" represents an electron, but when it has as positive charge it is a positron.
β-
0 protons, 0 neutrons, 1 electron
This is a beta- particle, and can also be written as e-. This is a standard electron.
24Mg2+
12 protons, 12 neutrons, 10 electrons
This is a magnesium Ion. There are 12 protons from the magnesium atom. There are 10 electrons because 12-2 = 10. There are 12 neutrons because 24-12 = 12.
>60Co
27 protons, 33 neutrons, 27 electrons
The cobalt atom has 27 protons as seen in the periodic table. There are also 27 electrons because the charge is 0. There are 33 neutrons because 60-27 = 33.
3H
1 protons, 2 neutrons, 1 electrons
There is 1 proton because the element is hydrogen. There is 1 electron because the atom is neutral. There are 2 neutrons because 3-1 = 2.
40Ar
18 protons, 22 neutrons, 18 electrons
There are 18 protons from the argon element. There 18 electrons because it is neutral, and 22 neutrons because 40 - 18 = 22.
n
0 protons, 1 neutrons, 0 electrons
This is a free neutron denoted by the lower case n.
3. Given the following, identify the subatomic particles present. (The periodic table is required to solve these problems)
Charge +1, 3 protons, mass number 6.
3 protons, 3 neutrons, 2 electrons
Charge -2, 8 neutrons, mass number 17.
9 protons, 8 neutrons, 7 electrons
26 protons, 20 neutrons.
26 protons, 20 neutrons, 26 electrons
28 protons, mass number 62.
28 protons, 34 neutrons, 28 electrons
5 electrons, mass number 10.
5 protons, 5 neutrons, 5 electrons
Charge -1, 18 electrons, mass number 36.
17 protons, 19 neutrons, 18 electrons
4. Arrange the following lements in order of increasing (a) number of protons; (b) number of neutrons; (c) atomic mass.
a) Na, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Br
Z=#protons;
Na: z=11; Mn: Z=25, given; Fe: Z=26, given; Co: Z=27; Cu: Z=29; Br: Z=35, given
b) Na, Cu, Fe, Mn, Co, Br
A=#protons+#neutrons, so #n=A-#protons(Z);
Na: #n=23-11=12; Cu: #n=59-29=30; Fe: #n=56-26=30; Mn: #n=55-25=30; Co: #n=59-27=32; Br: #n=80-35=45
Note: Cu, Fe, Mn are all equal in their number of neutrons, which is 30.
c) Na, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Br
Na: 22.9898 amu; Mn: 54.9380 amu; Fe: 55.845 amu; Co: 58.9332 amu; Cu: 63.546 amu; Br: 79.904
Note: This is the same order as the number of protons, because as Atomic Number(Z) increases so does Atomic Mass.
5. Fill in the rest of the table:
Atomic Number
| proton or neutron |
Who was the Indian cricket captain who was banned for life for his part in match fixing in 2000? | Sub-Atomic Particles - Chemistry LibreTexts
Sub-Atomic Particles
Contributors
A typical atom consists of three subatomic particles: protons, neutrons, and electrons (as seen in the helium atom below). Other particles exist as well, such as alpha and beta particles (which are discussed below). The Bohr model shows the three basic subatomic particles in a simple manner. Most of an atom's mass is in the nucleus—a small, dense area at the center of every atom, composed of nucleons. Nucleons include protons and neutrons. All the positive charge of an atom is contained in the nucleus, and originates from the protons. Neutrons are neutrally-charged. Electrons, which are negatively-charged, are located outside of the nucleus.
Introduction
The Bohr model is outdated, but it depicts the three basic subatomic particles in a comprehensible way. Electron clouds are more accurate representations of where electrons are found. Darker areas represent where the electrons are more likely to be found, and lighter areas represent where they are less likely to be found.
1/2
Au is the SI symbol for atomic mass unit.
The positive charge of protons cancels the negative charge of the electrons. Neutrons have no charge.
With regard to mass, protons and neutrons are very similar, and have a much greater mass than electrons. Compared with neutrons and protons, the mass of an electron is usually negligible.
Spin is associated with the rotation of a particle. Protons, neutrons, and electrons each have a total spin of 1/2.
Protons
Protons were discovered by Ernest Rutherford in the year 1919, when he performed his gold foil experiment. He projected alpha particles (helium nuclei) at gold foil, and the positive alpha particles were deflected. He concluded that protons exist in a nucleus and have a positive nuclear charge. The atomic number or proton number is the number of protons present in an atom. The atomic number determines an element (e.g., the element of atomic number 6 is carbon).
Electrons
Electrons were discovered by Sir John Joseph Thomson in 1897. After many experiments involving cathode rays, J.J. Thomson demonstrated the ratio of mass to electric charge of cathode rays. He confirmed that cathode rays are fundamental particles that are negatively-charged; these cathode rays became known as electrons. Robert Millikan, through oil drop experiments, found the value of the electronic charge.
Electrons are located in an electron cloud, which is the area surrounding the nucleus of the atom. There is usually a higher probability of finding an electron closer to to the nucleus of an atom. Electrons can abbreviated as e-. Electrons have a negative charge that is equal in magnitude to the positive charge of the protons. However, their mass is considerably less than that of a proton or neutron (and as such is usually considered insignificant). Unequal amounts of protons and electrons create ions: positive cations or negative anions.
Neutrons
Neutrons were discovered by James Chadwick in 1932, when he demonstrated that penetrating radiation incorporated beams of neutral particles. Neutrons are located in the nucleus with the protons. Along with protons, they make up almost all of the mass of the atom. The number of neutrons is called the neutron number and can be found by subtracting the proton number from the atomic mass number. The neutrons in an element determine the isotope of an atom, and often its stability. The number of neutrons is not necessarily equal to the number of protons.
Identification
Both of the following are appropriate ways of representing the composition of a particular atom:
Often the proton number is not indicated because the elemental symbol conveys the same information.
Example
Consider a neutral atom of carbon: 126C. The atomic mass number of Carbon is 12 amu, the proton number is 6, and it has no charge. In neutral atoms, the charge is omitted.
Above is the atomic symbol for helium from the periodic table, with the atomic number, elemental symbol, and mass indicated.
Every element has a specific number of protons, so the proton number is not always written (as in the second method above).
# Neutrons = Atomic Mass Number - Proton Number
Atomic mass number is abbreviated as A.
Proton number(or atomic number) is abbreviated Z.
# Protons = Proton Number or Atomic Number
In neutral atoms, # Electrons = # Protons
In ions, # Electrons = # Protons - (Charge)
Charge is written with the number before the positive or negative sign
Example, 1+
Note: The atomic mass number is not the same as the atomic mass seen on the periodic table. Click here for more information.
Other Basic Atomic Particles
Many of these particles (explained in detail below) are emitted through radioactive decay. Click here for more information. Also note that many forms of radioactive decay emit gamma rays, which are not particles.
Alpha Particles
Alpha particles can be denoted by He2+,α2+, or just α. They are helium nuclei, which consist of two protons and two neutrons. The net spin on an alpha particle is zero. They result from large, unstable atoms through a process called alpha decay . Alpha decay is the process by which an atom emits an alpha particle, thereby becoming a new element. This only occurs in elements with large, radioactive nuclei. The smallest noted element that emits alpha particles is element 52, tellurium. Alpha particles are generally not harmful. They can be easily stopped by a single sheet of paper or by one's skin. However, they can cause considerable damage to the insides of one's body. Alpha decay is used as a safe power source for radioisotope generators used in artificial heart pacemakers and space probes.
What are Sub-Atomic Particles?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXcOqjCQzh8
Atomic Number and Mass Number: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDo78hPTlgk
References
Petrucci, Ralph, William Harwood, Geoffrey Herring, and Jeffry Madura.General Chemistry. 9th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentince Hall, 2007.
Haskin, Larry A. The Atomic Nucleus and Chemistry; D. C. Heath and Company: Lexington, MA, 1972; pp. 3-4, 43-53.
Petrucci, Ralph, F. Geoffrey Herring, Jeffrey D. Madura, and Carey Bissonnette. General Chemistry. 10th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2011.
Problems
1. Identify the number of protons, electrons, and neutrons in the following atom.
2. Identify the subatomic particles (protons, electrons, neutrons, and positrons) present in the following:
\(\ce{^{14}_6C}\)
\(\ce{^{40}Ar}\)
\(^1_0n\)
3. Given the following, identify the subatomic particles present. (The periodic table is required to solve these problems)
Charge +1, 3 protons, mass number 6.
Charge -2, 7 neutrons, mass number 17.
26 protons, 20 neutrons.
28 protons, mass number 62.
5 electrons, mass number 10.
Charge -1, 18 electrons, mass number 36.
4. Arrange the following elements in order of increasing (a) number of protons; (b) number of neutrons; (c) mass.
27Co, when A=59; 56Fe, when Z=26; 11Na, when A=23; 80Br, when Z=35; 29Cu, when A=30; 55Mn, when Z=25
5. Fill in the rest of the table:
Atomic Number
Solutions and Explanations
1. There are 4 protons, 5 neutrons, and 4 electrons. This is a neutral beryllium atom.
2. Identify the subatomic particles present in the following:
146C
6 protons, 8 neutrons, 6 electrons
There are 6 protons in accordance with the proton number in the subscript. There are 6 electrons because the atom is neutral. There are 8 neutrons because 14-6=8. 14 is the atomic mass number in the superscript.
α
2 protons, 2 neutrons, 0 electrons
This is an alpha particle which can also be written as 4He2+. There are two protons because the element is helium. There are no electrons because 2-2 = 0. There are 2 neutrons because 4-2=2.
35Cl-
17 protons, 18 neutrons, 18 electrons
This is a chloride ion. According to the periodic table, there are 17 protons because the element is chlorine. There are 18 electrons due to the negative charge: 17-(-1) = 18. There are 18 neutrons because 35-17=18.
β+
0 protons, 0 neutrons, 0 electrons, 1 positron
This is a beta+ particle. It can also be written as e+. "e" represents an electron, but when it has as positive charge it is a positron.
β-
0 protons, 0 neutrons, 1 electron
This is a beta- particle, and can also be written as e-. This is a standard electron.
24Mg2+
12 protons, 12 neutrons, 10 electrons
This is a magnesium Ion. There are 12 protons from the magnesium atom. There are 10 electrons because 12-2 = 10. There are 12 neutrons because 24-12 = 12.
>60Co
27 protons, 33 neutrons, 27 electrons
The cobalt atom has 27 protons as seen in the periodic table. There are also 27 electrons because the charge is 0. There are 33 neutrons because 60-27 = 33.
3H
1 protons, 2 neutrons, 1 electrons
There is 1 proton because the element is hydrogen. There is 1 electron because the atom is neutral. There are 2 neutrons because 3-1 = 2.
40Ar
18 protons, 22 neutrons, 18 electrons
There are 18 protons from the argon element. There 18 electrons because it is neutral, and 22 neutrons because 40 - 18 = 22.
n
0 protons, 1 neutrons, 0 electrons
This is a free neutron denoted by the lower case n.
3. Given the following, identify the subatomic particles present. (The periodic table is required to solve these problems)
Charge +1, 3 protons, mass number 6.
3 protons, 3 neutrons, 2 electrons
Charge -2, 8 neutrons, mass number 17.
9 protons, 8 neutrons, 7 electrons
26 protons, 20 neutrons.
26 protons, 20 neutrons, 26 electrons
28 protons, mass number 62.
28 protons, 34 neutrons, 28 electrons
5 electrons, mass number 10.
5 protons, 5 neutrons, 5 electrons
Charge -1, 18 electrons, mass number 36.
17 protons, 19 neutrons, 18 electrons
4. Arrange the following lements in order of increasing (a) number of protons; (b) number of neutrons; (c) atomic mass.
a) Na, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Br
Z=#protons;
Na: z=11; Mn: Z=25, given; Fe: Z=26, given; Co: Z=27; Cu: Z=29; Br: Z=35, given
b) Na, Cu, Fe, Mn, Co, Br
A=#protons+#neutrons, so #n=A-#protons(Z);
Na: #n=23-11=12; Cu: #n=59-29=30; Fe: #n=56-26=30; Mn: #n=55-25=30; Co: #n=59-27=32; Br: #n=80-35=45
Note: Cu, Fe, Mn are all equal in their number of neutrons, which is 30.
c) Na, Mn, Fe, Co, Cu, Br
Na: 22.9898 amu; Mn: 54.9380 amu; Fe: 55.845 amu; Co: 58.9332 amu; Cu: 63.546 amu; Br: 79.904
Note: This is the same order as the number of protons, because as Atomic Number(Z) increases so does Atomic Mass.
5. Fill in the rest of the table:
Atomic Number
| i don't know |
If a dish is described as 'a la forestiere', what must it contain? | Chicken Forestiere Recipe
Mikka Wee Words
A French classic, the term a la forestiere means “of the forest”, wherein a certain kind of meat is accompanied by earthy and hearty flavors, which usually come from mushrooms. And if you’re an occasional diner at the Old Swiss Inn, you’ll find that Chicken Forestiere is one of this European restaurant’s bestselling dishes.
And a creamy mushroom sauce, more often than not, is a tricky sauce to work with since too much can be quite overbearing to the palette. So we thinned it out in this recipe by using a splash of fine Madeira wine.
Buttered Linguini is the chosen partner carbohydrate for this meal, but you can also opt to substitute it with some mashed potatoes or a basic risotto. But personally, I believe the Buttered Linguini goes perfect with this since the simplicity of the side dish makes an excellent pairing for the sophisticatedly-dressed poultry. Bon appetit!
Chicken Forestiere with Buttered Linguini
Total Time: 40 minutes / Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients for the Chicken
Procedure for the Buttered Linguini
Prepare buttered linguini by melting butter in a pan.
Toss in cooked linguini and season with salt and pepper.
Turn off fire and toss in parsley.
Keep warm and set aside.
Procedure for the Chicken
Cut chicken breast into thin slices. Season with salt and pepper.
Dredge in all-purpose flour and place in a plate.
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan and pan fry chicken pieces for 1-2 minutes on each side or until browned. Be careful not to overcook.
Remove chicken pieces from pan and transfer to a plate, set aside.
Procedure for the Madeira Mushroom Sauce
In the same pan, add in butter and melt.
Sauté garlic and shallots for 1-2 minutes.
Add in mushroom slices and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add in Madeira wine and season with salt and pepper.
Add in water and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until alcohol evaporates. Add more water if it gets too dry.
Return the chicken into the pan and simmer for 2 minutes.
Add in cream and parsley.
Turn off fire and mix.
Serve with a side of the buttered linguini.
Notes
Paillard is an older French culinary term referring to a quick-cooking, thinly sliced or pounded piece of meat. In France, the word “escalope” has largely replaced it. The cut is known as “scallop” in the USA, not to be confused with the shellfish scallop.
Mikka Wee Mikka Wee Mikka Wee’s goal is to travel the world with a backpack stuffed with her books and not much of an itinerary. With an appetite thrice the size of her 5-foot frame, waffles are the one thing that makes her weak in the knees. She also likes to torture herself with sci-fi movie marathons until her brain turns into goop. Her list of not-so-secret culinary crushes includes David Chang, Ivan Orkin, Rene Redzepi, and Anthony Bourdain. Alexander Supertramp is her hero. FOLLOW
| Mushroom |
What is Bulgaria's unit of currency? | French Culinary Terms | Sauce | Cheese
French Culinary Terms
: "white;" cooked, but not browned
à la Alsacienne
: in the manner of Alsace, usually refers to German-influenced braised meat and charcuteriedishes containing choucroute and/or potatoes
à la Amoricaine
: seafood cooked with olive oil, onions, tomatoes and wine (typically, lobster)
à la ancienne
: old style, usually refers to braised beef
à la Andalouse
: in the manner of Andalusia, in southern Spain, usually refers to dishes containing redpeppers, tomatoes and sausage or rice (e.g.,
sauce Andalouse
, mayonnaise flavored and colored with tomatoesand red peppers)
à la Anglaise
: English style, usually refers to poached or boiled dishes, but also fried foods (especially fish)that have been rolled in breadcrumbs
à la Argenteuil
, asparagus
à la bonne femme
: cooked in a simple, home-style manner; usually refers to poached fish, often sauced withlemon juice and white wine
à la Bordelaise
: in the style of Bordeaux (e.g.,
sauce Bordelaise
, reduced wine and stock, herbs, shallots, and agarnish of marrow)
à la broche
, like shish kabob, cooked on a skewer)
à la carte
: a style of meal selection in which the guests compose their own meals by selecting from the menuwhere each item is separately priced, or a menu of this type. (opposite of
prix fixe
: applied to dishes garnished either with peas or with pea-sized potato balls
à la Conti
: applied to dishes garnished with lentil purée, and, occasionally, with bacon
à la Crécy
: applied to dishes garnished or prepared with carrots
à la diable
: in the style of the devil, that is, spicy (
sauce Espagnole
, shallots, wine, vinegar and pepper--eitherblack or cayenne)
à la Dubarry
: applied to dishes garnished or prepared with cauliflower (e.g.,
créme Dubarry
: in the style of Spain (refers to dishes containing garlic, onions, tomatoes and sweet redpeppers)
à la Flamande
: in the Flemish style (refers to braised dishes containing cabbage, carrots, potatoes andturnips)
à la Florentine
: in the style of Florence (refers to dishes served on a bed of spinach)
à la Forestiére
: of the forest (usually refers to dishes garnished with wild mushrooms)
à la Grecque
: in the style of Greece (refers to cold appetizers cooked with lemon juice, olive oil and herbs--such as oregano and thyme)
à la impériatrice
: as the empress likes it, sweetened or enriched with cream or custard (e.g.,
riz à laimpériatrice
: in the Indian style, refers to dishes containing curry powder, accompanied by rice
à la Lyonnaise
: in the style of Lyons, refers to dishes garnished with fried onions (e.g.,
sauce Lyonnaise
, demi-glace and reduced white wine, flavored with sautèed onions)
à la Madrilène
: in the style of Madrid, refers to dishes cooked with tomatoes (e.g.,
Madrilène
, consommècolored and flavored with fresh tomato juice)
à la Marengo
: a dish created, supposedly, for Napoleon after the battle of Marengo-- chicken or veal,browned in olive oil, then braised with garlic, olives, onions, tomatoes and wine (sometimes brandy)
à la marinière
: in the style of mariners, refers to shellfish dishes made with herbs and white wine
à la meunière
: in the style of the miller's wife, refers to dishes of fish lightly floured and sautéed in butter(e.g.,
beurre meunière
, a simple sauce of beurre noisette, lemon and parsley)
à la Milanaise
: in the style of Milan, pasta coated with butter and Parmesan cheese, then sauced withtomatoes, ham, mushrooms, tongue and truffles
à la minute
: cooked at the moment, prepared to order
à la mode
: in the manner of some person[s] or place (e.g.,
boeuf à la mode
, beef, marinated in red wine, thenbraised;
tripes à la mode de Caen
, braised tripe dish from Normandy)
à la Montmorency
: in the style of Montmorency, a suburb of Paris, refers to dishes made, or garnished, withsour cherries
à la Niçoise
: in the style of Nice, refers to dishes made with anchovies, garlic, olives and tomatoes (e.g.,
salade Niçoise
| i don't know |
In which west of England city is 'Severn Sound FM' radio station located? | radio-now.co.uk | station identification | old station names | historical station IDs
The Bay 96.9 FM (Lancaster); The Bay
Radio Borders (Scottish Borders)
Beacon FM (Wolverhampton/Shropshire); New Beacon FM; Beacon Radio; Beacon Radio 303
(BBC) Radio 1 (national); 97-99FM Radio 1; 1 FM; Radio 1
(BBC) Radio 2 (national); 88-91FM Radio 2; BBC Radio 2
(BBC) Radio 3 (national)
BBC Five Live (national); (BBC) Radio Five Live; Radio 5 Live; Radio 5
BBC Asian Network (Birmingham/Leicester); BBC WM/Radio Leicester
BBC Radio Bristol
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire; BBC Radio Cambridge and Peterborough
BBC Radio Cleveland; BBC Radio Teeside
BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Cumbria; (BBC Radio Furness); BBC Radio Carlisle
BBC Radio Derby
BBC Radio Devon (BBC Solent for Dorset; BBC Dorset FM)
BBC Radio Durham [discontinued]
96.4 BRMB FM (Birmingham); BRMB; 96.4FM BRMB; BRMB FM; BRMB
Broadland 102 (Norfolk); Broadland FM; Radio Broadland
The Buzz 97.1 (Wirral); MFM 97.1; Marcher Sound
C
95.8 Capital FM (London); Capital FM; Capital Radio 194
Capital Disney (regional digital radio); Cube; Fun Radio (working title)
Capital Gold (Birmingham); 1152 Xtra AM; Xtra AM; BRMB
Capital Gold (Brighton); South Coast Radio; Southern Sound;
Capital Gold (Kent); Invicta SuperGold; Coast Classics; Coast AM; Invicta Sound; East Kent Radio/Northdown Radio
Capital Gold (London); Capital Radio
Capital Gold (Manchester); Big 1548 AM; Lite AM; Fortune 1548
Capital Gold (Portsmouth and Southampton); South Coast Radio; The Gold AM; Oceansound
Capital Gold (South Wales); Touch Radio; Touch AM; Red Dragon Radio; CBC 221/GB Radio 230
Central FM (Stirling/Falkirk); Centre Sound
Centre FM (Staffordshire)
105.4 Century FM (North-West England); Century 105
106 Century FM (East Midlands); Century 106; Radio 106
100-102 Century FM (North-East England); 100-102FM Century Radio
CFM (West Cumbria)
Channel Travel Radio [discontinued] (Kent)
Channel 103.7FM (Jersey, CI); Channel 103FM
96.9 Chiltern FM (Bedford); B97 Chiltern FM; B97; B97 Chiltern FM; Chiltern Radio - the hot fm; Chiltern Radio
97.6 Chiltern FM (Herts, Beds, Bucks); The New 97.6 Chiltern FM; Chiltern Radio - the hot fm; Chiltern Radio
96.9 Choice FM (South London)
107.1 Choice FM (North London)
Clan FM (North Lanarckshire)
Classic Gold Amber (Norfolk); Amber Radio; SGR; Radio Orwell
Classic Gold Amber (Suffolk); Amber Radio; SGR; Saxon Radio
Classic Gold Breeze (Essex); Breeze 1359 and 1431; The Breeze; Essex Radio
Classic Gold Breeze (Surrey); Breeze 1521; Fame 1521; Mercury Xtra; Extra AM; Radio Mercury
Classic Gold 666 and 954 (Devon); Westward Radio ; Gemini AM; Devonair Radio
Classic Gold 774 (Gloucester); Severn Sound Classic Gold; Severn Sound SuperGold; Three Counties SuperGold; Three Counties Radio; Severn Sound
Classic Gold 828 (Hants); 2CR Classic Gold; 2CR; Two Counties Radio
Classic Gold 828 and 792 (Herts); Chiltern Radio SuperGold; Chiltern Radio
Classic Gold 936 and 1161 (Wilts); Brunel Radio; Brunel Classic Gold; GWR; Wiltshire Radio
Classic Hits 954 & 1530AM (Hereford and Worcester); Classic Gold 954 and 1530/Classic Gold Radio (Hereford and Worcester); Wyvern AM; Radio Wyvern
Classic Gold 1152 (Plymouth); 1152 Plymouth Sound AM; Plymouth Sound AM; Plymouth Sound
Classic Gold 1260 (Bristol); Brunel Classic Gold; Brunel Radio; GWR; Radio West
Classic Gold 1332 (Peterborough); WGMS (World's Greatest Music Station); Hereward Radio
Classic Gold 1359 (Coventry); Mercia Classic Gold; Xtra AM; Mercia Sound
Classic Gold 1431 (Reading); 210 Classic Gold Radio; Radio 210; Thames Valley Broadcasting/Radio Kennet (pre-launch names)
Classic Gold 1485 (Henley-on-Thames)
Classic Gold 1557 (Northants); Northants Radio SuperGold; Hereward Radio 1557
Classic Gold GEM (Notts); GEM AM; GEM 945/999; Radio Trent
Classic Gold Pulse (West Yorkshire); West Yorkshire's Classic Gold (West Yorkshire); Big AM; Classic Gold 1278 and 1530; West Yorkshire's Classic Gold; Great Yorkshire Gold; Great Yorkshire Radio; Classic Gold; Pennine Radio
Classic Gold WABC (Wolverhamton); WABC; Nice 'n' Easy WABC; Beacon Radio 303
Club Asia (London); 963/972 Liberty Radio; Liberty for London; 963 Liberty; Viva 963
Clyde 1 (Glasgow); Clyde FM; Radio Clyde
Clyde 2 (Glasgow); Clyde AM; Radio Clyde
Connect FM 97.2 (Northants)
Connect FM 107.4 (Kettering/Corby); 107.4 KCBC; KCBC 1548 AM; KCBC; KNBC
96.3 Coast FM (Rhyl); Marcher Coast 96.3; Marcher Coast FM;
Core (national digital)
County Sound 1566AM (Guildford); County Sound 1476AM; Radio Mercury; First Gold Radio AM 1476; County Sound Radio
D
Delta FM 97.1 (Haselmere); Delta Radio; Mercury FM; Delta Radio;
Delta FM 102 (Alton); Wey Valley Radio
Dream 100 (Tendring); Mellow 1557; Tendring Radio
Dream 107 (Chelmsford); 107.7 Chelmer FM
107.9 Dune FM (Southport)
96.4 The Eagle (Guildford); County Sound Radio; Mercury FM; The Eagle; Radio Mercury
East End Radio [discontinued] (Easterhouse, Glasgow)
Easy Radio 1035AM (London); Mean Country 1035AM; Ritz Radio 1035AM; Ritz 1035; Ritz Country 1035; Country 1035; RTL Country 1035; Country 1035
Essex FM; Essex Radio
Fen Radio 107.5 (Ely); Star 107.5; XCel FM
FM107.6 The Fire (Bournemouth); 107.6 The NRG
107.9 Fosseway Radio (Notts)
Forth 1 (Edinburgh); Forth FM; Radio Forth FM; Radio Forth
Forth 2 (Edinburgh); Forth AM; Max AM; Radio Forth
Fox FM (Oxford)
Fresh AM (North Yorkshire); Yorkshire Dales Radio (YDR)
Fusion Radio 107.3FM (South London); FLR 107.3
G
Galaxy 102 (Manchester); Kiss 102; Sunset Radio
Galaxy 102.2 (Birmingham); Choice 102.2; Buzz FM
Galaxy 105 and 106 (North East England)
Galaxy 105 (Yorkshire); Kiss 105
Gemini FM (Devon); Devonair FM; The New Devonair FM; Devonair Radio/South West 103 (opt-out); Devonair Radio
» DevonAir Radio Fantastic site about the predecessor to Gemini FM.
» DevonAir FM tribute site Remembering the presenters and sound of DevonAir FM.
GWR FM/96.3 GWR FM (Bristol and Wilts); GWR FM; GWR Radio FM; GWR; Radio West
» Radio West A set of personal impressions and information about Bristol's first radio station,
with presenter photos, logos and sound clips.
H
Hallam FM (Sheffield); The New Hallam FM; Radio Hallam
106.9 HertBeat FM (Hertford)
Kix 96.2FM (Coventry); Kix 96; Radio Harmony
KLFM 96.7 (Kings Lynn)
KM FM 106 (Canterbury); 106 CTFM; 106 CTFM Radio; CTFM
KM FM (Medway); Mercury FM ; Medway FM
KM FM (Tonbridge); Mercury FM ; KFM
KM FM (Thanet); TLR FM
KM FM (Dover); Neptune Radio; The Sound (RSL)
L
Lantern FM (North Devon); Lantern Radio
LBC News 1152 AM (London); LBC 1152 AM; LBC 1152 ; London News Talk 1152AM; London Extra; LBC Talkback; London Talkback Radio; London Talkback AM; LBC News Radio; LBC Radio; 261 LBC News
» John Allen's site Nostalgia and information about several London radio stations,
including London Talkback and Radio London.
105.4 Leicester Sound; 105.4 Leicester Sound FM; 103 Leicester Sound; The New 103 Leicester Sound; Leicester Sound FM; Sound FM; Leicester Sound; Centre Radio
» Centre Radio and Leicester Sound A history of commercial radio in Leicestershire, with presenter info, jingles and information Life (national digital);
Lincs FM (Lincolnshire)
London Turkish Radio (LTR); Turkish Radio; WNK Radio
M
Magic 828 (Leeds); Radio Aire; Radio Aire 362
Magic 999 (Lancs); Red Rose 999; Red Rose Gold; Red Rose Radio
Magic 105.4 (London); Magic 105.4 Melody FM; Melody FM
Magic 1152 (Manchester); Piccadilly Magic 1152; Piccadilly 1152; Piccadilly Gold; Piccadilly Radio
Magic 1152 (Newcastle); Great North Radio (GNR); Metro Radio; Metropolitan Broadcasting
Magic 1161 (Hull); Great Yorkshire Gold; Great Yorkshire Radio; Classic Gold; Viking Gold; Viking Radio
Magic 1170 (Teeside); Great North Radio (GNR); TFM Radio; Radio Tees; Tees 257
Magic 1548 (Liverpool); Radio City 1548; Radio City Gold; City Talk; City Gold; 194 Radio City
Magic AM (South Yorkshire); Great Yorkshire Gold; Great Yorkshire Radio; Classic Gold; Radio Hallam
Mansfield 103.2; Radio Mansfield
Manx Radio (Isle of Man)
Marcher Gold (Wrexham); Marcher Sound;
Mercia FM (Coventry); The All New Mercia FM; Mercia FM (?); Mercia Sound
96.6 Mercury FM (St Albans/Watford); 96.6 Oasis FM; 96.6 FM; Classic Hits The New 96.6 FM; Oasis Radio
102.7 Mercury FM (Surrey); Mercury FM
Metro Radio (Newcastle); Metro FM; Metro Radio
MFM 103.4 (Wrexham); Marcher Sound
Minster FM (York); Minster Radio
Mix 96 (Aylesbury)
MFR & MFR 1170 AM (Inverness); Moray Firth; Moray Firth Radio
MusicMann (Isle of Man)
NECR (Inverurie)
Nevis Radio (Highland)
News Direct 97.3FM (London); London News 97.3FM; London First; LBC 97.3 Newstalk; Crown FM; LBC Crown FM; LBC News Radio; LBC Radio; 261 LBC Radio
Northants 96.6 (Northampton) ;Northants 96; Northants FM; The New 96.6 Northants FM; Northants Radio - the hot fm; Northants 96; Hereward Radio
NorthSound One (Aberdeen); NorthSound Radio; North of Scotland Radio
NorthSound Two (Aberdeen); NorthSound Radio; North of Scotland Radio
O
Passion 107.9 (Oxford); Fusion Radio 107.9FM; Oxygen 107.9FM; Oxygen 107
Peak 107 FM (Derbs)
Pirate FM 102 (Cornwall); Pirate Radio (?)
Planet Rock (national digital)
97 FM Plymouth Sound; Plymouth Sound FM; Radio in Tavistock (opt-out); Plymouth Sound
103.2 Power FM (Southampton); Power FM; The Power FM 103.2; Oceansound; Radio Victory
Premier Christian Radio (London); Premier Radio
Primetime Radio
The Pulse (West Yorkshire); The Pulse of West Yorkshire; Pennine FM; Pennine Radio
Q
96.3 QFM (Glasgow); Q96.3 FM; 96.3 QFM; Q96
Q103 (Cambridge); Q103 FM; Q103; CNFM 103; CNFM
102.4 Quay West Radio (West Somerset)
The Quay 107.4 (Portsmouth); Victory 107.4; Radio Victory (1999)
R
Radio City 96.7 (Liverpool); City FM; Radio City
Radio Maldwyn - The Magic 756 (Powys);
Radio Pembrokeshire; Haven FM (working title)
Radio Tay (Dundee); Tay AM; Radio Tay
Radio XL 1296AM (Birmingham); Supa AM (working title)
Radio Victory (1975-86) [discontinued] (Portsmouth)
102.8 Ram FM (Derbs); Trent FM; Radio Trent
100-101FM Real Radio (Central Scotland); Scot FM
Red Dragon FM (Cardiff); Red Dragon Radio; CBC 221/GB Radio 230
Ridings FM (Wakefield)
Rock FM (Lancs); 97.4 Rock FM; Red Rose Rock FM; Red Rose Radio
96.2FM The Revolution (Manchester)
RNA FM (Arbroath); Radio North Angus
Rutland Radio
Sabras Radio (Leicester); Sabras; Sabras Sound; Sunrise East Midlands; GEM AM; Leicester Sound; Centre Radio
107.8 The Saint (Southampton); 107.8 SouthCity FM
Severn Sound (Gloucester); Severn Sound FM; The New 102.4 Severn Sound FM; Severn Sound - the hot fm; Severn Sound/103 Stroud FM; Severn Sound
SGR Colchester
SGR FM (Suffolk); SGR; SGR Bury; Saxon Radio
SIBC (Shetland Isles)
Signal 1 (Cheshire/Staffs); Signal Stafford (opt-out)/Signal Cheshire; Echo 96 9 (opt-out)/Signal Cheshire; Signal Sound
Signal 2 (Cheshire/Staffs); Big AM; Signal 2; Signal Gold; Signal Sound
106.9 Silk FM; (Macclesfield); Silk FM
100.4 Smooth FM (North-East England); Jazz FM 100.4
Jazz FM 102.2; JFM; Jazz FM (London)
Soul City 107.5 (Romford); Active 107.5 FM
South Hams Radio (Devon)
Southern FM (Sussex); Southern Sound
» This is ILR A look back at the start of Independent Local Radio in South East England.
107.5FM Sovereign Radio (Eastbourne); Sovereign 107.5; Sovereign Radio
Spectrum International Radio (London); Spectrum Radio; Spectrum 558
Spire FM (Salisbury)
Star 106.6 (Maidenhead); 106.6 Star FM; Star FM 106.6; Star FM 101.6
Star 107.3/9 (Stroud); Star 107 (Stroud); 107 The Falcon; Easy FM (working name)
Star 107.1 (Ely); X-Cel FM
Star 107.2 (Bristol); Star 107.3; 107.3 The Eagle; Kute FM (RSL)
Star 107.5 (Cheltenham); 107.5 Cat FM; Cheltenham Radio; Boss 603; 603 Radio; CD603
Star 107.7 (Weston-super-Mare); 107.7 WFM; Breeze 107 (working name)
Star 107.9 (Cambridge); 107.9 The Eagle (Cambridgeshire); Red Radio 107.9FM; Cambridge Red 107.9FM; Cambridge Cafe Radio 107.9FM; Cambridge Community Radio (RSL)
97.2 Stray FM (Harrogate); Stray FM
Sun FM (Sunderland); Sun City 103.4; Wear FM
Sunrise FM (Bradford); BCR; Bradford City Radio
Sunrise Radio (London)
Sunshine 855 (Ludlow); Sunshine 819 (pirate)
Swan FM (High Wycombe); Elevenseventy; Elevenseventy AM; Radio Wye
Station invents new name in transition from AM to FM waveband.
Swansea Sound
2CR FM (Hants); 2CR; Two Counties Radio
2Ten FM (Reading); Radio 210
TalkSPORT (national); Talk Radio; Talk Radio UK
Tay FM (Dundee)
TeamTalk 252 LW [discontinued] (National AM radio); New Atlantic 252; Atlantic 252; Long Wave Radio Atlantic 252
Station moves from chart pop, to dance and r&b (Atlantic), then to sports talk (TeamTalk).
Time 106.8FM (South London); Millennium 106.8FM; Millennium Radio; RTM (Radio Thamesmead)
107.4 Telford FM (Wrekin)
Ten17 (Harlow); 101.7 Mercury FM; Ten17
107.8 Thames FM (South London); Thames 107.8; 107.8FM Thames Radio; 107.8 Thames FM; Palace FM (working title); Kingston FM (RSL)
TFM 96.6 (Teeside); TFM Radio; Radio Tees; Tees 257
107.4 Tower FM (Bolton and Bury)
Trax FM (Doncaster)
96 Trent FM (Notts); The New 96 Trent FM; Trent FM; Radio Trent
U
Urban Choice (local digital radio); Urban Flava (working title)
V
97.4 Vale FM (Shaftesbury); 97.4 Gold FM; Gold Radio
Valleys Radio (Ebbw Vale); Valleys Sound
Sometimes the presenter refers to this station as, simply, Valleys.
Vibe FM (East of England)
Vibe 101 (Bristol and Cardiff); Galaxy 101; Galaxy Radio - the hotter mix; (97.2 only: Galaxy Radio - the hot fm); FTP (For The People) Radio 97.2
96.9 Viking FM (Hull); Viking Radio
Virgin Radio (national); Virgin 1215
Virgin Radio (London); FM105.8 Virgin
W
96.4FM The Wave (Swansea); Sound Wave; Swansea Sound
Radiowave 96.5 (Preston and Blackpool); The Wave 96.5 ; Radio Wave
The Wave 102 (Dundee); Discovery 102
Wave 105; Wave 105.2 (Solent)
Station now makes use of the fact it also broadcasts on 105.8.
Waves Radio Peterhead (Peterhead)
Wessex FM (Dorchester)
Radio West Lothian [discontinued] (West Lothian); RWL 1368
West FM, (Ayr) West Sound FM; West Sound Radio; West Sound; WestSound Ayr; WestSound North; WestSound FM)
South Westsound FM (Dumfries); WestSound FM; South WestSound; WestSound South; WestSound Dumfries
WestSound (Ayr); WestSound Ayr; WestSound AM; WestSound North; WestSound 1035; West Sound Radio; West Sound)
Win 107.2 (Winchester)
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� � � � � � � � � �� �� / h & A d v a n c e d u s e r s C u s t o m P o p u p 1 6 8 3 4 9 6 8 � C u s t o m P o p u p 2 0 9 4 8 0 3 1 � � 3 � A & W o r d �* � 3 � A & P r e s e n t a t i o n � � C u s t o m P o p u p 1 6 8 3 4 9 6 8 � � 3 � A & I n p u t a s s u m p t i o n !O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ I n p u t _ p a r a m e t e r �� ( � ��� � � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !"!"! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !"!"! p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� � 3 � A I n & p u t d a t a O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ I n p u t _ d a t a �� ( � ��� � � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !"!"! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !"!"! p ( ��� ������ �� �� �� � 3 � A & C h e c k s u m O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ C h e c k s u m �� ( ��� ��� �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !""!!!!!!"!!"!" p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ��������������� 3 � A & N o t e O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ N o t e �� ( � ��� �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !!!""!!!! p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �������������� � 3 � A & S o u r c e O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ S o u r c e �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� "!!!!""!!!!!!!"!!!"!!"!!!!!!!"!!""" p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �������������� � 3 � A & R a n g e n a m e O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ N a m e �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ��������������� 3 � A H e a d i n g & 1 O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ H 1 �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � � � �� ��� �� p� p ( ��� ��� ��� � � � � � � � � � � � � ��������G � 3 � A H e a d i n g & 2 O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ H 2 �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � � � �� ��� ����� � � � � � q ����� p ( ��� ��� ��� � � � � � � � � � � � � ��� ����H � 3 � A H e a d i n g & 3 O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ H 3 �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � � � �� ��� ����� ��� � p p q ����� p ( ��� �����?�� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ����������I � 3 � A H e a d i n g & 4 O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ H 4 �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � � � �� ��� ����� ����� p� p �� �����p ( ��� ��� ��� � � � � � � � � � � � � ��� ��� J � C u s t o m P o p u p 1 6 4 4 1 2 8 1 � � 3 � A & I n p u t !O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ I n p u t _ p a r a m e t e r �� ( � ��� � � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !"!"! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !"!"! p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� � 3 � A & O u t p u t O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ O u t p u t �� ( �� ��� � ��� � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� 0000000000 " " 0# # #00 0# # #00 " " 000000000 p ( ��� ������ �� �� �� � 3 � A & H i g h l i g h t O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ H i g h l i g h t �� ( �� ��� �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� " " " " p ( ��� ������ �� �� �� � 3 � A & N o t e o r S o u r c e O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ N o t e �� ( � ��� �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !!!""!!!! p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �������������� � 3 � A & U n - F o r m a t O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ N o r m a l �� ( � � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � � � �� ��� �������� ������� p ��� ��� ��p� ���w ���p ���wp ��� ��� ��� p p ��������p ( ��� ������ �� � �? � � � � � � � � � �� �� / h & A d v a n c e d u s e r s C u s t o m P o p u p 1 6 8 3 4 9 6 8 � C u s t o m P o p u p 2 0 9 4 8 0 3 1 � � 3 � A & W o r d �* � 3 � A & P r e s e n t a t i o n � � C u s t o m P o p u p 1 6 8 3 4 9 6 8 � � 3 � A & I n p u t a s s u m p t i o n !O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ I n p u t _ p a r a m e t e r �� ( � ��� � � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !"!"! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !"!"! p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� � 3 � A I n & p u t d a t a O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ I n p u t _ d a t a �� ( � ��� � � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !"!"! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !"!"! p ( ��� ������ �� �� �� � 3 � A & C h e c k s u m O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ C h e c k s u m �� ( ��� ��� �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !""!!!!!!"!!"!" p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ��������������� 3 � A & N o t e O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ N o t e �� ( � ��� �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !!!""!!!! p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �������������� � 3 � A & S o u r c e O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ S o u r c e �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� "!!!!""!!!!!!!"!!!"!!"!!!!!!!"!!""" p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �������������� � 3 � A & R a n g e n a m e O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ N a m e �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ��������������� 3 � A H e a d i n g & 1 O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ H 1 �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � � � �� ��� �� p� p ( ��� ��� ��� � � � � � � � � � � � � ��������G � 3 � A H e a d i n g & 2 O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ H 2 �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � � � �� ��� ����� � � � � � q ����� p ( ��� ��� ��� � � � � � � � � � � � � ��� ����H � 3 � A H e a d i n g & 3 O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ H 3 �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � � � �� ��� ����� ��� � p p q ����� p ( ��� �����?�� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� ����������I � 3 � A H e a d i n g & 4 O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ H 4 �� ( ��� � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � � � �� ��� ����� ����� p� p �� �����p ( ��� ��� ��� � � � � � � � � � � � � ��� ��� J � C u s t o m P o p u p 1 6 4 4 1 2 8 1 � � 3 � A & I n p u t !O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ I n p u t _ p a r a m e t e r �� ( � ��� � � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !"!"! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !"!"! p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� � 3 � A & O u t p u t O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ O u t p u t �� ( �� ��� � ��� � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� 0000000000 " " 0# # #00 0# # #00 " " 000000000 p ( ��� ������ �� �� �� � 3 � A & H i g h l i g h t O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ H i g h l i g h t �� ( �� ��� �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� " " " " p ( ��� ������ �� �� �� � 3 � A & N o t e o r S o u r c e O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ N o t e �� ( � ��� �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � ��� �� ��� !!!""!!!! p ( ��� �������� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �� �������������� � 3 � A & U n - F o r m a t O f c o m _ A p p l y _ S t y l e _ N o r m a l �� ( � � �� � � � �� ��� ��� � � �� � � � �� ��� �������� ������� p ��� ��� ��p� ���w ���p ���wp ��� ��� ��� p p ��������p ( ��� ������ �� � �? 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I�B2���sEJ\�N֜2PJ�0\�b��d e���4�B#�,�j�2(�5$u���t�j��k��sH&�HK�;��D`6إ4����� �FǷX��K�y"���{Jo �rEb��v�-�)���~��tה� g�� $clUa �ڜw�����:��"e�o��6v�䍕t�w�W���S[����+"Ø� ~R�^���|W� H AnQ����"���`q {��Y��n��^���Hg�]*�����K�tR)�, Mt"�QEl�CF���lIa|�x�G&�#�4;��iqN�u5 ��!?$�������� ����<7� ��� �\��� ���䁿ln&��ր�n+���j��雀N_��2bbh� P:�1� ��)£6w��ғ� 1C��8J���t[�ZXP�iF�.,������Rt�(��yH�!$�v�da��٢,�VE� ;u�iP�{��£8/}"\Z w�Fhj 3�]|���(_���w�7~\y˂�� �I��i0�Q�p ���.��� &����@�3�� t:����� �G� Ի� IEND�B`�s �* � � � �A � �@ �A @ � ���� � � � L Area Station Name Aberdeen AM NorthSound 2 2-TEN FM Reading & Basingstoke FM Aberdeen FM NorthSound 1 2BR Burnley FM Delta FM 2CR FM Bournemouth FM1 Arbroath FM 3TR FM Warminster FM Ashford FM Abbey FM Barrow-in-Furness FM Aylesbury FM Mix 96 Alpha FM Darlington FM Ayr AM West Sound Argyll FM Kintyre, Islay & Jura FM Ayr FM West FM Hastings FM Ballymena FM Seven FM Asian Sound Radio East Lancashire AM Banbury FM Atlantic FM Cornwall FM2 Barnsley FM Dearne FM Bath FM Barnstaple FM Lantern FM Beacon Radio Wolverhampton & Telford FM Bridge FM Bridgend FM Basingstoke FM Kestrel FM Bright 106.4 Burgess Hill & Haywards Heath FM BRMB Birmingham FM1 Belfast AM Downtown Radio Brunel FM Swindon FM2 Belfast FM1 Cool FM - Downtown Radio Capital Radio London FM2 Belfast FM2 Birmingham AM1 Belfast FM3 U105 Birmingham AM2 London AM2 Birmingham FM2 Manchester AM2 Blackburn FM South Hampshire AM Blackpool FM Stirling FM Bolton FM North East England Regional FM Borders FM North West England Regional FM2 Bournemouth AM CFM Radio Carlisle FM West Cumbria FM Bournemouth FM2 Champion 103 Caernarvon FM Bradford & Huddersfield AM Pulse Classic Gold Channel 103 Jersey FM Bradford & Huddersfield FM Luton & Bedford FM Bradford FM2 Sunrise Radio Choice FM Brixton FM North West London FM Bridgwater FM Bridlington FM Yorkshire Coast Radio Bristol & Bath AM Coventry AM Gloucester AM Bristol & Bath FM1 GWR FM Luton & Bedford AM Bristol FM2 Northampton AM Peterborough AM Reading & Basingstoke AM Reigate & Crawley AM Buxton FM High Peak Radio Swindon & West Wiltshire AM Cambridge & Newmarket FM Wolverhampton & Shrewsbury AM Cambridge FM2 Star Radio Wrexham AM Canterbury FM Norwich AM Nottingham & Derby AM Plymouth AM Carmarthenshire FM Club Asia London AM7 Central Scotland FM1 Real Radio Clyde 1 Glasgow FM1 Central Scotland FM2 Clyde 2 Glasgow AM Ceredigion FM North Wales Coast FM Compass FM Grimsby FM Cheltenham FM Connect FM Kettering FM Chester FM Dee 106.3 Chesterfield FM County Sound Guildford AM Chichester & Littlehampton FM Spirit FM Cuillin FM Skye & Lochalsh FM Colchester FM Coleraine FM Q97.2 FM Cornwall FM1 Pirate FM Coventry FM1 Mercia FM Dream 100 Tendring FM Coventry FM2 Southport FM Durham FM Doncaster FM Trax FM Essex FM Southend & Chelmsford FM Dover & Folkestone FM Dumbarton FM YOUR radio Dundee & Perth AM Tay AM Five FM Newry FM Dundee & Perth FM Tay FM Forth 2 Edinburgh AM Forth One Edinburgh FM1 Fox FM Oxford & Banbury FM1 East Midlands Regional FM1 Fresh Radio Yorkshire Dales AM East Midlands Regional FM2 Smooth Radio East of England Regional FM Kiss 105-108 Manchester FM2 Eastbourne FM Sovereign Radio North East England Regional FM2 Yorkshire Regional FM Gemini FM Exeter & Torbay FM Swindon & West Wiltshire FM Hallam FM South Yorkshire FM Fife FM Kingdom FM London FM8 Fort William FM Nevis Radio Gairloch & Loch Ewe FM Two Lochs Radio Heartland FM Pitlochry FM Peterborough FM1 Hertbeat FM Hertford FM Glasgow FM2 St. Albans FM Gloucester FM Severn Sound Huddersfield FM Great Yarmouth & Lowestoft FM Milton Keynes FM Imagine FM Stockport FM Guernsey FM Island FM Guildford FM Isle of Wight Radio Isle of Wight FM Haringey FM London Greek Radio Isles FM Western Isles FM Harlow FM Ten-17 FM Yeovil FM Harrogate FM Stray FM Liverpool FM2 Havering FM KCFM 99.8 Kingston upon Hull FM Heads of the Valleys AM Valleys Radio Kerrang! Radio West Midlands Regional FM3 Helensburgh FM Hereford & Worcester AM Key 103 Manchester FM1 Hereford & Worcester FM Wyvern FM Kick FM Newbury FM High Wycombe FM Mix 107 Kismat Radio London AM4 Kiss 100 London FM3 Kiss 101 Severn Estuary Regional FM Humberside AM Magic 1161 Humberside FM Viking FM KLFM Inverness AM Moray Firth Radio Inverness FM Inverurie FM NECR Maidstone FM Medway Towns FM Ipswich FM2 Thanet FM North Lanarkshire FM Kendal & Windermere FM Lakeland Radio LBC 97.3 FM London FM1 LBC News 1152 AM London AM1 Kidderminster FM The Wyre Leicester Sound Leicester FM Lincs FM Lincoln FM Peterborough FM2 Kingston upon Thames FM Lochbroom FM Ullapool FM Knowsley FM London Turkish Radio North London AM Leeds AM Magic 828 Magic 105.4 London FM6 Leeds FM Leicester AM Sabras Radio Magic 999 Preston & Blackpool AM Magic 1152 Manchester AM1 Lewisham FM Tyne & Wear AM Liverpool AM Magic 1548 Magic 1170 Teesside AM Liverpool FM1 Magic AM South Yorkshire AM Mansfield 103.2 Mansfield FM London AM3 Spectrum Radio Mercury FM Reigate & Crawley FM Tyne & Wear FM London AM5 Wrexham & Deeside FM London AM6 Premier Christian Radio Minster FM York FM Minster Northallerton Northallerton FM London FM4 London FM5 Xfm London London FM7 North Norfolk Radio North Norfolk FM Northampton FM Londonderry FM2 Loughborough FM Ludlow AM Sunshine 855 Oban FM Orchard FM Taunton & Yeovil FM Macclesfield FM Silk FM Solent Regional FM2 Oxford's FM 107.9 Oxford FM2 Palm 105.5 FM Torbay FM Plymouth Sound Plymouth FM Manchester FM3 Xfm Manchester South Hampshire FM Mid Ulster FM Six FM Omagh & Enniskillen FM Montgomeryshire AM Radio Maldwyn Morecambe Bay FM West Somerset FM North West England Regional FM1 Southampton FM Radio Norwich Norwich FM2 Pembrokeshire FM Nottingham & Derby FM Reading 107 FM Reading FM2" South & West Yorkshire Regional FM South Wales Regional FM Oldham FM Ridings FM Wakefield FM Rock FM Preston & Blackpool FM Paisley FM Rock Radio Rother FM Rotherham FM Rugby FM Rutland FM Peterhead & Fraserburgh FM Waves Radio Portsmouth FM SIBC Shetland FM Signal 1 Stoke FM Signal 2 Stoke AM West Midlands Regional FM2 Salisbury FM Spire FM South Hams Radio South Hams FM Scarborough FM South West Scotland FM Shaftesbury FM Shrewsbury & Oswestry FM Slough, Maidenhead & Windsor FM Splash FM Worthing FM Solent Regional FM1 Wave 105 South East Staffordshire FM Sun FM Sunderland FM Swansea Sound Swansea AM Telford FM TFM Teesside FM Stratford FM Swansea FM1 Swansea FM2 Swansea Bay Radio The Wolf Wolverhampton FM2 Thamesmead FM Worksop FM Warrington FM Weymouth & Dorchester FM Wessex FM Wigan FM Wish FM Winchester FM. Click on links below to access coverage briefs Warwick Southend-on-sea Andover FM Exeter FM Jack FM" Oxfordshire & South Oxfordshire FM Original 106 FM City Talk Liverpool FM3 Bristol FM3 Perth FM2 Preston FM2 Aberdeen FM2 Herefordshire & Monmouthshire FM South Wales Regional FM2 Brighton FM Sunshine 954 West Midlands Reg FM1 Gold Gold Chelmsford FM Southend and Chemsford AM Southend Radio Weston super Mare FM Nation Radio Alton/Haslemere FM KCR FM Absolute Radio South London Radio Perth FM Touchradio (Banbury) Touchradio (Coventry) Touchradio (Staffordshire) Touchradio (Stratford) Touchradio (Warwick)$ Midwest Radio (Blandford & The Vale)& Midwest Radio (Somerset & West Dorset) East Sussex Bristol & North Somerset Solent & Mid Hants Mid Essex Merseyside Kings Lynn FM Lanarkshire Cambridgeshire Leicestershire Hinkley FM! Nottinghamshire and/or Derbyshire Tayside Leicestershsire Gloucestershire North/East Greater Manchester Nottingham and/or Derbyshire Dundee FM2 Cheshire Galaxy 103.2 - Ocean FM Galaxy 102 Galaxy 102.2 Galaxy 105 Galaxy 105-106 Heart 102.7 Peterborough Heart Colchester Heart 102.4 Norwich FM Heart 103 FM Cambridgeshire Heart 96.6 FM Northants Heart 96.9 FM and Heart 97.6 FM Heart 106 East Midland< � s Heart 106.2 London Heart 100.7 FM West Midlands Pennine FM North East England' Ipswich & Bury St. Edmunds FM (Ipswich)/ Ipswich & Bury St. Edmunds FM (Bury St Edmunds), Brighton,Eastbourne & Hastings AM (Brighton)8 Brighton,Eastbourne & Hastings AM (Eastbourne&Hastings)) Cardiff & Newport (Cardiff) Cardiff & Newport (Newport)( Maidstone & Medway/East Kent (East Kent)1 Maidstone & Medway/East Kent (Maidstone & Medway). Ipswich & Bury St Edmunds AM (Bury St Edmunds)& Ipswich & Bury St Edmunds AM (Ipswich)- Brighton, Eastbourne & Hastings FM (Brighton): Brighton, Eastbourne & Hastings FM (Eastbourne & Hastings) Aire (Radio) Bay (The) Beach (The) Bee (The) Borders (Radio) Ceredigion (Radio) City (Radio) Coast 106 (The) Eagle 96.4 FM (The) Pembrokeshire (Radio) Pulse (The) Quay (The) Severn (The) XL (Radio) Wave (The) Wave (Radio) Andover Sound Central Radio " Carmarthenshire (Radio)/Scarlet FM Century Radio Citybeat Coast FM Galaxy Scotland Heart 103.3 FM Milton Keynes Jackie (Radio) KMFM Ashford KMFM Canterbury KMFM Folkstone & Dover KMFM Maidstone KMFM Medway KMFM Thanet KMFM West Kent Magic 1152 AM Tunbridge Wells & Sevenoaks FM! Marcher Sound - Wirral's The Buzz Original 106.5 FM Q101.2 FM Q102.9 FM Quay West (Somerset) Quay West (Bridgwater) South West Sound Sunshine FM Time 106.6 Time 106.8 Time 107.50 This licence was granted by the Radio Authority under what was known as the 'sally' (small-scale, alternative location, licences) process. Rather than specifying the area to be covered by the licence, the Authority advertised the availability of frequencies in a wider area, and applicants were invited to specify the locality within this wider area that they wished to cover (it was not possible to cover the whole area). As a result, the description of the licence area for licences granted under the 'sally' process is contained within the applications of the successful applicants. This is why there are two spreadsheet entries for these licences. One is the 'coverage brief' for the wider area, and the other is the description of the licence area taken from the successful applicant's application document. Wire FM ** Wave 102 ** Trax FM ** Tower FM ** Star Radio ** Rutland Radio ** RNA FM ** Revolution (The) ** Peak FM ** Oak FM (Loughborough) ** Oak FM (Hinckley) ** Lite FM ** L107 ** Juice FM ** Juice 107.2 FM ** Hampshire (Radio) ** Fire 107.6 ** Dune FM ** Dream 107 ** Bath FM ** Arrow FM ** Central FM Hampshire (Radio) ** Metro Radio Town 102 Mercury 96.6 (Hert's) Trent FM - Ram FM Gold ** Gold ** Heart Suffolk ** Invicta FM ** Red Dragon ** Southern FM ** � This licence is an amalgamation of what were previously two separate licences.� Therefore, there are two coverage briefs, one for each of the two parts of the area which previously were licensed separately./ ** Denotes a Small-Scale Licence, as follows: / ** Denotes a licence area made up as follows: � R � � � X � � M 2 � � 3 * � � 6 & � � 1 @ � � d _ � � t � # � � . � � ' � | � � c � � � I = � � D H! � �! 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E d m o n d s F M � F AL071.doc ���� �� y y ���y����� � K� C a m b r i d g e & N e w m a r k e t F M � F AL125.doc ���� �| % % ���y����� � K� C a e r n a r v o n F M � F AL222.doc ���� �� ���y����� � K� C a r m a r t h e n s h i r e F M � F AL289.doc ���� �| " " ���y����� � K� C e r e d i g i o n F M � F AL139.doc ���� �v 7 7 ���y����� � K� C h e s t e r F M � F AL274.doc ���� �� ���y����� � K� C h i c h e s t e r & L i t t l e h a m p t o n F M � F AL182.doc ���� �z � � ���y����� � K� C o l e r a i n e F M � F AL254.doc ���� �� b b ���y����� � K� R e i g a t e & C r a w l e y A M � F AL116.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� R e i g a t e & C r a w l e y F M � F AL117.doc ���� �| ���y����� � K� D a r l i n g t o n F M � F AL181.doc ���� �z OO ���y����� � K� D u m b a r t o n F M � F AL264.doc ���� �� ���y����� � K� S o u t h W e s t S c o t l a n d F M � F AL130.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� E a s t o f E n g l a n d R e g i o n a l F M � F AL208.doc ���� �� ���y����� � K� E a s t M i d l a n d s R e g i o n a l F M 2 � F AL277.doc ���� �z F F ���y����� � K� E d i n b u r g h A M � F AL098.doc ���� �| G G ���y����� � K� E d i n b u r g h F M 1 � F AL099.doc ���� �� ���y����� � K� E a s t L a n c a s h i r e A M � F AL183.doc ���� �� { { ���y����� � K� E a s t M i d l a n d s R e g i o n a l F M 1 � F AL200.doc ���� �p � � ���y����� � K� F i f e F M � F AL223.doc ���� �� 77 ���y����� � K� G a i r l o c h & L o c h E w e F M � F AL282.doc ���� �x ���y����� � K� G l a s g o w F M 2 � F AL290.doc ���� �x - - ���y����� � K� G l a s g o w F M 1 � F AL075.PDF ���� �v . . ���y����� � K� G l a s g o w A M � F AL074.PDF ���� �v 1 1 ���y����� � K� G r i m s b y F M � F AL266.doc ���� �x � � ���y����� � K� G u e r n s e y F M � F AL142.doc ���� �z @ @ ���y����� � K� G u i l d f o r d F M � F AL081.doc ���� �z 4 4 ���y����� � K� G u i l d f o r d A M � F AL080.doc ���� �� ���y����� � K� G r e a t Y a r m o u t h & L o w e s t o f t F M � F AL186.doc ���� �z ���y����� � K� H a r r o g a t e F M � F AL162.doc ���� �~ PP ���y����� � K� H e l e n s b u r g h F M � F AL287.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� H i g h W y c o m b e F M � F AL276.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� H u d d e r s f i e l d F M � F AL204.doc ���� �| � � ���y����� � K� H u m b e r s i d e A M � F AL100.doc ���� �| :: ���y����� � K� H u m b e r s i d e F M � F AL101.doc ���� �� h h ���y����� � K� I p s w i c h & B u r y S t . E d m o n d s A M � F AL070.doc ���� �v 9 9 ���y����� � K� B e l f a s t A M � F AL120.doc ���� �x 3 3 ���y����� � K� B e l f a s t F M 1 � F AL121.doc ���� �t & & ���y����� � K� J e r s e y F M � F AL143.doc ���� �z 2 2 ���y����� � K� K e t t e r i n g F M � F AL043.doc ���� �� 5 5 ���y����� � K� S k y e & L o c h a l s h F M � F AL279.doc ���� �x � � ���y����� � K� K n o w s l e y F M � F AL262.doc ���� �z � � ���y����� � K� L i v e r p o o l A M � F AL096.doc ���� �| ) ) ���y����� � K� L i v e r p o o l F M 1 � F AL097.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� M e d w a y T o w n s F M � F AL195.doc ���� �� z z ���y����� � K� M i l t o n K e y n e s F M � F AL126.doc ���� �� ���y����� � K� M o r e c a m b e B a y F M � F AL147.doc ���� �� k k ���y����� � K� N o t t i n g h a m & D e r b y A M � F AL106.doc ���� �� 66 ���y����� � K� N o t t i n g h a m & D e r b y F M � F AL107.doc ���� �v � � ���y����� � K� N e w b u r y F M � F AL256.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� N o r t h N o r f o l k F M � F AL285.doc ���� �~ t t ���y����� � K� N o r t h a m p t o n F M � F AL012.doc ���� �~ _ _ ���y����� � K� N o r t h a m p t o n A M � F AL011.doc ���� �v j j ���y����� � K� N o r w i c h A M � F AL108.doc ���� �� H H ���y����� � K� O x f o r d & B a n b u r y F M 1 � F AL127.doc ���� �t � � ���y����� � K� Y e o v i l F M � F AL281.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� T a u n t o n & Y e o v i l F M � F AL128.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� W e s t S o m e r s e t F M � F AL218.doc ���� �v g g ���y����� � K� W r e x h a m A M � F AL086.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� W r e x h a m & D e e s i d e F M � F AL087.doc ���� �x ���y����� � K� W o r t h i n g F M � F AL278.doc ���� �� GG ���y����� � K� W o l v e r h a m p t o n F M 2 � F AL199.doc ���� �� ���y����� � K� W o l v e r h a m p t o n & T e l f o r d F M � F AL119.doc ���� �� f f ���y����� � K� W o l v e r h a m p t o n & S h r e w s b u r y A M � F AL118.doc ���� �� ���y����� � K� W e s t M i d l a n d s R e g i o n a l F M 2 � F AL265.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� W e s t M i d l a n d s R e g i o n a l F M 3 � F AL288.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� W e s t e r n I s l e s F M � F AL202.doc ���� �r FF ���y����� � K� W i g a n F M � F AL189.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� M a n c h e s t e r F M 3 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / m a n c h e s t e r 0 6 / m a n c h e s t e r . p d f �"HH ���y����� � K� K i d d e r m i n s t e r F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / r a d i o _ a d v _ k i d d e r m i n s t e r / r a d i o _ a d v _ k i d d e r m i n s t e r . p d f �� ���y����� � K� B l a c k b u r n F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / r a d i o _ a d v _ b l a c k b u r n / b l a c k b u r n . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� A s h f o r d F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / r a d i o _ a d v _ a s h f o r d / r a d i o _ a d v _ a s h f o r d . p d f �� 88 ���y����� � K� B e l f a s t F M 3 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / b e l f a s t / b e l f a s t . p d f �� ���y����� � K� C o r n w a l l F M 2 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / c o r n w a l l / c o r n w a l l . p d f �� ? ? ���y����� � K� D u r h a m F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / d u r h a m / d u r h a m . p d f �� ++ ���y����� � K� B a n b u r y F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / b a n b u r y / b a n b u r y . p d f �� LL ���y����� � K� M a n c h e s t e r F M 3 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / m a n c h e s t e r / m a n c h e s t e r . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� N o r w i c h F M 2 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / n o r w i c h / n o r w i c h . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� B a l l y m e n a F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / b a l l y m e n a / b a l l y m e n a . p d f �� 0 0 ���y����� � K� S o l e n t R e g i o n a l F M 2 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s o l e n t / s o l e n t . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� T o r b a y F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / t o r b a y / t o r b a y . p d f �� ���y����� � K� S w i n d o n F M 2 ���y����� � K� x h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s w i / s w i . p d f �� ���y����� � K� B a r r o w - i n - F u r n e s s F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / a d b i f / b a r r o w . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� N o r t h a l l e r t o n F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / n o r t h a l l e r t o n / n o r t h a l l e r t o n . p d f �� !! ���y����� � K� S w a n s e a F M 2 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s w a n s e a / s w a n s e a . p d f �� 22 ���y����� � K� I p s w i c h F M 2 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / i p s w i c h / i p s w i c h . p d f �� // ���y����� � K� W a r w i c k ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / w a r w i c k / w a r w i c k . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� S h r e w s b u r y & O s w e s t r y F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s h r e w s b u r y / s h r e w . p d f �� ���y����� � K� S o u t h e n d - o n - s e a ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s o u t h e n d / s o u t h e n d . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� R o t h e r h a m F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / r o t h e r h a m / r o t h e r h a m . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� K i n g s t o n u p o n H u l l F M ���y����� � K� | h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / h u l l / h u l l . p d f �� E E ���y����� � K� N e w r y F M ���y����� � K� x h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / n e w r y / n e w r y �� ���y����� � K� A n d o v e r F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / a n d o v e r / a n d o v e r . p d f �� B B ���y����� � K� E x e t e r F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / e x e t e r / e x e t e r . p d f �� � ���y����� � K� # O x f o r d s h i r e & S o u t h O x f o r d s h i r e F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / o x f o r d / o x f o r d . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� B r i s t o l ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / b r i s t o l / b r i s t o l . p d f �� + + ���y����� � K� L i v e r p o o l F M 3 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / l i v e r p o o l / l i v e r p o o l . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� P e r t h F M 2 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / p e r t h / p e r t h . p d f �� ���y����� � K� P r e s t o n F M 2 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / p r e s t o n / p r e s t o n . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� A b e r d e e n F M 2 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / a b e r d e e n / a b e r d e e n 2 . p d f � ���y����� � K� ! H e r e f o r d s h i r e & M o n m o u t h s h i r e F M ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / h e r e f o r d / h e r e f o r d . p d f �� � ���y����� � K� S o u t h W a l e s R e g i o n a l F M 2 ���y����� � K� � h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s o u t h w a l e s / s o u t h w a l e s a d . p d f �x � � ���y����� � K� R e a d i n g F M 2 � F AL273.doc ���� �� ���y����� � K� R e a d i n g & B a s i n g s t o k e F M � F AL123.doc ���� �� a a ���y����� � K� R e a d i n g & B a s i n g s t o k e A M � F AL122.doc ���� �| ���y����� � K� W a r m i n s t e r F M � F AL268.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� S o u t h W a l e s R e g i o n a l F M � F AL261.doc ���� �� ! ! ���y����� � K� N o r t h W e s t E n g l a n d R e g i o n a l F M 2 � F AL220.doc ���� �� ( ( ���y����� � K� N o r t h W e s t L o n d o n F M � F AL255.doc ���� �� @@ ���y����� � K� P e t e r h e a d & F r a s e r b u r g h F M � F AL209.doc ���� �� n n ���y����� � K� S w i n d o n & W e s t W i l t s h i r e F M � F AL065.doc ���� �� e e ���y����� � K� S w i n d o n & W e s t W i l t s h i r e A M � F AL064.doc ���� �x l l ���y����� � K� P l y m o u t h A M � F AL102.doc ���� �x � � ���y����� � K� P l y m o u t h F M � F AL103.doc ���� �v , , ���y����� � K� L o n d o n A M 7 � F AL175.doc ���� �� I I ���y����� � K� Y o r k s h i r e D a l e s A M � F AL192.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� # S o u t h & W e s t Y o r k s h i r e R e g i o n a l F M � F AL269.doc ���� �� N N ���y����� � K� Y o r k s h i r e R e g i o n a l F M � F AL190.doc ���� �x � � ���y����� � K� H e r t f o r d F M � F AL259.doc ���� �t � � ���y����� � K� B u x t o n F M � F AL286.doc ���� �z � � ���y����� � K� S t o c k p o r t F M � F AL038.doc ���� �z � � ���y����� � K� M a i d s t o n e F M � F AL293.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� T u n b r i d g e W e l l s F M � F AL180.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� N o r t h L o n d o n A M � F AL172.doc ���� �x � � ���y����� � K� U l l a p o o l F M � F AL198.doc ���� �x � � ���y����� � K� H a r i n g e y F M � F AL036.doc ���� �~ � � ���y����� � K� T y n e & W e a r A M � F AL082.doc ���� �~ � � ���y����� � K� T y n e & W e a r F M � F AL083.doc ���� �x '' ���y����� � K� T e e s s i d e F M � F AL105.doc ���� �x � � ���y����� � K� T e e s s i d e A M � F AL104.doc ���� �| )) ���y����� � K� T h a m e s m e a d F M � F AL040.doc ���� �z .. ���y����� � K� S t r a t f o r d F M � F AL185.doc ���� �p � � ���y����� � K� O b a n F M � F AL187.doc ���� �v � � ���y����� � K� O x f o r d F M 2 � F AL193.doc ���� �� L L ���y����� � K� S o u t h H a m p s h i r e F M � F AL115.doc ���� �� c c ���y����� � K� S o u t h H a m p s h i r e A M � F AL114.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� O m a g h & E n n i s k i l l e n F M � F AL270.doc ���� �� � � ���y����� � K� P e m b r o k e s h i r e F M � F AL272.doc ���� �� O O ���y����� � K� C e n t r a l S c o t l a n d F M 2 � F AL243.doc ���� �z � � ���y����� � K� W a k e f i e l d F M � F AL242.doc ���� �r � � ���y����� � K� S t o k e F M � F AL089.doc ���� �r ���y����� � K� S t o k e A M � F AL088.doc ���� �~ Q Q ���y����� � K� B i r m i n g h a m A M 1 � F AL076.doc ���� �~ ���y����� � K� B i r m i n g h a m F M 1 � F AL077.doc ���� �| ���y����� � K� S o u t h H a m s F M � F AL252.doc ���� �v "" ���y����� � K� S w a n s e a A M � F AL090.doc ���� �x << ���y����� � K� S w a n s e a F M 1 � F AL091.doc ���� �v %% ���y����� � K� T e l f o r d F M � F AL237.doc ���� �z 33 ���y����� � K� D o n c a s t e r F M � F AL244.doc ���� �~ � � ���y����� � K� S h a f t e s b u r y F M � F AL179.doc ���� �� 99 ���y����� � K� H e a d s o f t h e V a l l e y s A M � F AL188.doc ���� �v KK ���y����� � K� L o n d o n F M 5 � F AL196.doc ���� �v � � ���y����� � K� L o n d o n A M 6 � F AL176.doc ���� �n BB ���y����� � K� A y r F M � F AL014.PDF ���� �n CC ���y����� � K� A y r A M � F AL013.PDF ���� �z ;; ���y����� � K� B l a c k p o o l F M � F AL137.PDF ���� �� A A ���y����� � K� S o u t h e n d & C h e l m s f o r d F M � F AL006.PDF ���� �x < < ���y����� � K� T e n d r i n g F M � F AL054.PDF ���� �| ���y����� � K� E a s t b o u r n e F M � F AL210.doc ���� �� ���y����� � K� B o u r n e m o u t h F M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 6 . P D F �� ���y����� � K� K i n t y r e , I s l a y & J u r a F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 5 1 . P D F �� ^ ^ ���y����� � K� M a n c h e s t e r A M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 1 . P D F �� ���y����� � K� S t i r l i n g F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 4 7 . P D F � ���y����� � K� N o r t h E a s t E n g l a n d R e g i o n a l F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 5 . P D F �� # # ���y����� � K� C a r l i s l e F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 9 . P D F �� $ $ ���y����� � K� W e s t C u m b r i a F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 7 7 . P D F �� u u ���y����� � K� L u t o n & B e d f o r d F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 1 0 . P D F �� ] ] ���y����� � K� L u t o n & B e d f o r d A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 9 . P D F �� ' ' ���y����� � K� B r i x t o n F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 4 1 . P D F �� * * ���y����� � K� B e l f a s t F M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 4 2 . P D F �� R R ���y����� � K� B o u r n e m o u t h A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 5 . P D F �� X X ���y����� � K� C o v e n t r y A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 1 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� C o v e n t r y F M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 2 . p d f �� P P ���y����� � K� E x e t e r & T o r b a y F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 3 2 . P D F �� ` ` ���y����� � K� P e t e r b o r o u g h A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 3 . P D F �� x x ���y����� � K� P e t e r b o r o u g h F M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 4 . P D F �� / / ���y����� � K� N o r t h W a l e s C o a s t F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 2 . P D F �� J J ���y����� � K� B i r m i n g h a m F M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 4 6 . p d f �� K K ���y����� � K� M a n c h e s t e r F M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 3 3 . P D F �M M ���y����� � K� N o r t h E a s t E n g l a n d R e g i o n a l F M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 6 . D O C �� o o ���y����� � K� S o u t h Y o r k s h i r e F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 9 3 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� P i t l o c h r y F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 3 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� S t . A l b a n s F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 7 0 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� I s l e o f W i g h t F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 4 4 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� M a n c h e s t e r F M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 7 9 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� S e v e r n E s t u a r y R e g i o n a l F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 7 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� C a n t e r b u r y F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 0 1 . D O C �� � � ���y����� � K� D o v e r & F o l k e s t o n e F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 0 5 . D O C �� � � ���y����� � K� T h a n e t F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 9 7 . D O C �� � � ���y����� � K� K e n d a l & W i n d e r m e r e F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 6 7 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� K e n t F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 1 3 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� M a i d s t o n e a n d M e d w a y F M O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 1 3 A . D O C �� � � ���y����� � K� B a r n s t a p l e F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 0 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� L e i c e s t e r F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 9 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� L i n c o l n F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 2 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� L e e d s A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 3 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� P r e s t o n & B l a c k p o o l A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 2 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� M a n c h e s t e r A M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 7 8 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� S o u t h Y o r k s h i r e A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 9 2 . D O C �� � � ���y����� � K� M a n s f i e l d F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 6 . d o c �� ���y����� � K� L o n d o n F M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 7 . P D F �� \ \ ���y����� � K� L o n d o n A M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 6 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� Y o r k F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 5 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� A y l e s b u r y F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 9 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� I n v e r n e s s A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 6 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� I n v e r n e s s F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 7 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� I n v e r u r i e F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 3 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� F o r t W i l l i a m F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 6 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� C o r n w a l l F M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 6 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� L o n d o n d e r r y F M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 5 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� L e e d s F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 4 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� K i n g s t o n u p o n T h a m e s F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 9 1 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� M o n t g o m e r y s h i r e A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 1 . p d f �� JJ ���y����� � K� B i r m i n g h a m A M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 7 1 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� C e n t r a l S c o t l a n d F M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 8 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� C a r d i f f & N e w p o r t O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 0 b . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� C a r d i f f & N e w p o r t O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 0 a . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� P r e s t o n & B l a c k p o o l F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 3 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� P a i s l e y F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 1 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� R u g b y F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 7 1 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� L e i c e s t e r A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 8 . p d f �� } } ���y����� � K� C o l c h e s t e r F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 3 . p d f �� ~ ~ ���y����� � K� I p s w i c h & B u r y S t . E d m o n d s O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 7 1 a . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� S h e t l a n d F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 1 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� M a c c l e s f i e l d F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 3 . d o c �� ���y����� � K� M i d U l s t e r F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 7 5 . d o c � ���y����� � K� N o r t h W e s t E n g l a n d R e g i o n a l F M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 4 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� S a l i s b u r y F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 5 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� C a m b r i d g e F M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 9 4 . d o c �� ���y����� � K� S u n d e r l a n d F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 5 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� B r a d f o r d F M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 3 7 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� H e r e f o r d & W o r c e s t e r A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 0 . p d f �� II ���y����� � K� H e r e f o r d & W o r c e s t e r F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 1 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� L u d l o w A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 8 . p d f �� ## ���y����� � K� D u n d e e & P e r t h A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 7 . P D F �� $$ ���y����� � K� D u n d e e & P e r t h F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 8 . p d f �� && ���y����� � K� H a r l o w F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 0 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� P o r t s m o u t h F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 8 . D O C �(( ���y����� � K� S l o u g h , M a i d e n h e a d & W i n d s o r F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 8 . p d f �� ** ���y����� � K� H a v e r i n g F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 6 . d o c �� ,, ���y����� � K� C o v e n t r y F M 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 2 . p d f �� -- ���y����� � K� S o u t h E a s t S t a f f o r d s h i r e F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 7 . d o c �� ?? ���y����� � K� S o l e n t R e g i o n a l F M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 5 . p d f �� AA ���y����� � K� W e y m o u t h & D o r c h e s t e r F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 4 . p d f �� NN ���y����� � K� S c a r b o r o u g h F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 8 . p d f �i i ���y����� � K� I p s w i c h & B u r y S t . E d m u n d s A M P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 7 0 . 2 . d o c �� v v ���y����� � K� W e s t M i d l a n d s R e g F M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 9 . p d f �� | | ���y����� � K� L o n d o n F M 8 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 7 4 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� L o n d o n A M 4 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 0 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� L o n d o n F M 3 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 3 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� L o n d o n F M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 8 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� L o n d o n A M 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 7 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� L o n d o n F M 6 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 1 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� L o n d o n F M 4 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 3 9 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� L o n d o n A M 3 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 0 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� L o n d o n A M 5 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 6 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� L o n d o n F M 7 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 7 3 . p d f �:T T ���y����� � K� E a s t b o u r n e a n d H a s t i n g s A M n \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ E a s t b o u r n e & H a s t i n g s c o v e r a g e b r i e f A M . D O C �: ���y����� � K� E a s t b o u r n e a n d H a s t i n g s F M n \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ E a s t b o u r n e & H a s t i n g s c o v e r a g e b r i e f F M . D O C �� [ [ ���y����� � K� M a i d s t o n e & M e d w a y O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 1 2 A . D O C �� V V ���y����� � K� C a r d i f f a n d N e w p o r t A M O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 1 9 a . p d f �� W W ���y����� � K� C a r d i f f a n d N e w p o r t A M O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 1 9 b . p d f �� d d ���y����� � K� S o u t h e n d a n d C h e m s f o r d A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 5 . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� A b e r d e e n A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 1 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� A b e r d e e n F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 2 . P D F �� � � ���y����� � K� G l o u c e s t e r F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 3 0 . P D F �� Y Y ���y����� � K� G l o u c e s t e r A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 9 . p d f �� ���y����� � K� L e w i s h a m F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 9 . d o c �� 8 8 ���y����� � K� A l t o n / H a s l e m e r e F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a ���������������� ) ! " # $ % & ' ( * + , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? @ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z [ \ ] ^ _ ` a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x �������������������������������� s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 6 . d o c �� ���y����� � K� E a s t S u s s e x R \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 0 c o v . d o c �� ���y����� � K� H a s t i n g s F M O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 0 A . p d f �� ���y����� � K� B r i s t o l & N o r t h S o m e r s e t Q \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 8 c b . d o c �� ���y����� � K� B a t h F M R \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 8 t c a . d o c �� s s ���y����� � K� W i n c h e s t e r F M O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 1 A . p d f �� : : ���y����� � K� M i d E s s e x N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 1 . d o c �� ; ; ���y����� � K� C h e l m s f o r d F M P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 1 c b . d o c �� = = ���y����� � K� M e r s e y s i d e R \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 0 3 c o v . P D F �� > > ���y����� � K� S o u t h p o r t F M O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 0 3 A . p d f �� C C ���y����� � K� S o l e n t & M i d H a n t s N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 0 . D O C �� D D ���y����� � K� B o u r n e m o u t h F M 2 Q \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 0 t c a . p d f �� Z Z ���y����� � K� E a s t K e n t A M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 1 2 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� E a s t S u s s e x R \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 1 c o v . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� B r i g h t o n F M R \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 1 t c a . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� M e r s e y s i d e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 0 7 . D O C �� � � ���y����� � K� L i v e r p o o l F M 2 R \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 0 7 t c a . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� K i n g s L y n n F M V \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ K L F M c o v e r a g e . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� L a n a r k s h i r e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 5 0 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� N o r t h L a n a r k s h i r e F M P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 5 0 c b . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� C a m b r i d g e s h i r e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 5 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� P e t e r b o r o u g h F M 2 O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 5 A . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� L e i c e s t e r s h i r e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 1 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� H i n k l e y F M P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 1 c b . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� L e i c e s t e r s h i r e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 0 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� L o u g h b o r o u g h F M P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 0 c b . d o c �� � ���y����� � K� " N o t t i n g h a m s h i r e a n d / o r D e r b y s h i r e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 7 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� C h e s t e r f i e l d F M O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 7 A . p d f �� p p ���y����� � K� S o l e n t & M i d H a n t s N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 9 . d o c �� q q ���y����� � K� S o u t h a m p t o n F M Q \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 9 t c a . p d f �� � � ���y����� � K� T a y s i d e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 3 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� A r b r o a t h F M P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 3 c b . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� L e i c e s t e r s h s i r e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 9 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� R u t l a n d F M O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 9 A . p d f �� ���y����� � K� G l o u c e s t e r s h i r e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 5 . D O C �� ���y����� � K� C h e l t e n h a m F M R \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 5 T C A . p d f �� ���y����� � K� B r i s t o l & N o r t h S o m e r s e t N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 9 . D O C �� ���y����� � K� W e s t o n s u p e r M a r e F M P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 9 c b . d o c � � � ���y����� � K� N o r t h / E a s t G r e a t e r M a n c h e s t e r N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 5 . d o c �� � � ���y����� � K� O l d h a m F M P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 5 c b . d o c � 00 ���y����� � K� N o r t h / E a s t G r e a t e r M a n c h e s t e r N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 4 . d o c �� 11 ���y����� � K� B o l t o n F M P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 4 c b . d o c �� 44 ���y����� � K� N o t t i n g h a m a n d / o r D e r b y s h i r e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 4 . d o c �� 55 ���y����� � K� W o r k s o p F M O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 4 A . p d f �� == ���y����� � K� T a y s i d e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 2 . d o c �� >> ���y����� � K� D u n d e e F M 2 P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 2 c b . d o c �� DD ���y����� � K� C h e s h i r e N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 4 . d o c �� EE ���y����� � K� W a r r i n g t o n F M O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 4 A . p d f �� w w ���y����� � K� N o r w i c h F M N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 0 9 . d o c �� r r ���y����� � K� S o l e n t & M i d H a n t s N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 1 . d o c �� ���y����� � K� N o r t h E a s t E n g l a n d N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 3 1 1 . p d f � Sheet2 ���� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �����Oh�� +'��0 � H P x � � � � � � Broadcast Radio coverage briefs profile.test @ � R \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 5 T C A . p d f 0 : = N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 5 . D O C < O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 9 A . p d f < : ; N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 9 . d o c T X : P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 3 c b . d o c 6 ; 9 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 3 . d o c q y 8 Q \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 9 t c a . p d f < ; 7 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 9 . d o c 6 O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 7 A . p d f 2 : 5 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 7 . d o c W X 4 P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 0 c b . d o c 5 ; 3 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 8 t c a . d o c 1 { 8 Q \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 4 8 c b . d o c 1 O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 0 A . p d f 1 v R \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 0 c o v . d o c 1 0 < N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 6 . d o c < 9 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 9 . d o c * 1 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 9 . p d f # 0 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 3 0 . P D F ! 3 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 2 . P D F " 3 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 1 . P D F & 3 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 5 . p d f O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 1 9 b . p d f 1 O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 1 9 a . p d f 1 O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 1 2 A . D O C m 9 n \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ E a s t b o u r n e & H a s t i n g s c o v e r a g e b r i e f F M . D O C m > n \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ E a s t b o u r n e & H a s t i n g s c o v e r a g e b r i e f A M . D O C ! 4 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 7 3 . p d f 1 $ 6 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 6 . p d f # 6 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 0 . p d f * 0 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 3 9 . p d f " 6 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 1 . p d f 1 $ 3 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 7 . p d f 1 + 3 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 8 . p d f 6 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 3 . p d f " 5 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 0 . p d f & 4 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 7 4 . p d f + 5 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 9 . p d f P \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 7 0 . 2 . d o c * 6 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 8 . p d f 1 & 6 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 4 . p d f $ 2 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 5 . p d f 2 9 N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 7 . d o c ! 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 2 . p d f 3 9 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 6 . d o c * 7 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 8 . p d f = ; � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 8 . D O C " 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 0 . p d f + 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 8 . p d f $ 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 7 . P D F * 0 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 8 . p d f " 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 1 . p d f 1 # 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 0 . p d f $ 0 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 3 7 . p d f & 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 5 . p d f 2 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 9 4 . d o c ' 7 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 5 . p d f & 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 4 . p d f 0 ? � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 7 5 . d o c 6 9 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 1 3 . d o c # 0 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 1 . p d f � O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 7 1 a . d o c ! 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 3 . p d f + 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 8 . p d f 4 ? � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 7 1 . d o c # 7 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 1 . p d f 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 3 . P D F � O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 0 a . P D F � O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 0 b . p d f * 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 8 . p d f # 4 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 7 1 . p d f # 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 1 . p d f 7 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 9 1 . d o c ' 3 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 4 . P D F 1 ' 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 5 . p d f $ 0 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 6 . p d f $ 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 6 . p d f ! 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 3 . p d f $ 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 7 . P D F % 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 6 . P D F + 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 9 . p d f ' 0 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 5 . p d f % 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 6 . p d f $ 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 7 . P D F 1 3 : � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 2 6 . d o c 5 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 9 2 . D O C + 4 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 7 8 . P D F 1 ! 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 6 2 . P D F 1 3 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 3 . p d f 1 0 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 2 . p d f * 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 5 9 . P D F " 7 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 0 . P D F � O \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 1 3 A . D O C 5 9 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 1 3 . d o c 2 > � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 6 7 . d o c 1 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 9 7 . D O C 0 8 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 0 5 . D O C 4 8 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 0 1 . D O C % 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 7 . p d f * 4 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 7 9 . P D F ' 7 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 4 4 . p d f " 4 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 7 0 . p d f ! 0 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 3 3 . P D F : � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 9 3 . P D F 3 ; � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 3 6 . D O C 0 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 3 3 . P D F % 7 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 4 6 . p d f 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 5 2 . P D F ' 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 4 . P D F 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 3 . P D F ! 0 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 3 2 . P D F ! 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 2 . p d f " 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 1 . P D F & 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 5 . P D F 1 ! 7 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 4 2 . P D F " 7 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 4 1 . P D F * 3 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 0 9 . P D F # 2 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 1 0 . P D F % 4 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 7 7 . P D F + 7 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 4 9 . P D F ' 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 5 . P D F $ 7 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 4 7 . P D F # 5 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 1 6 1 . P D F 6 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 2 5 1 . P D F 1 % 1 � N \ \ f i l e \ a p p s \ M e d i a s u r f a c e _ O f c o m \ h t m l \ s t a t i c \ r a d i o l i c e n s i n g \ c o v b r i e f s \ A L 0 2 6 . P D F 1 � A L 2 1 0 . d o c � A L 0 5 4 . P D F � A L 0 0 6 . P D F � A L 1 3 7 . P D F � A L 0 1 3 . P D F 1 � A L 0 1 4 . P D F � A L 1 7 6 . d o c � A L 1 9 6 . d o c 1 � A L 1 8 8 . d o c � A L 1 7 9 . d o c � A L 2 4 4 . d o c � A L 2 3 7 . d o c � A L 0 9 1 . d o c � A L 0 9 0 . d o c � A L 2 5 2 . d o c � A L 0 7 7 . d o c 1 � A L 0 7 6 . d o c 1 � A L 0 8 8 . d o c � A L 0 8 9 . d o c � A L 2 4 2 . d o c � A L 2 4 3 . d o c � A L 2 7 2 . d o c � A L 2 7 0 . d o c � A L 1 1 4 . d o c � A L 1 1 5 . d o c � A L 1 9 3 . d o c � A L 1 8 7 . d o c � A L 1 8 5 . d o c � A L 0 4 0 . d o c � A L 1 0 4 . d o c � A L 1 0 5 . d o c � A L 0 8 3 . d o c � A L 0 8 2 . d o c 1 � A L 0 3 6 . d o c 1 � A L 1 9 8 . d o c � A L 1 7 2 . d o c 1 � A L 1 8 0 . d o c � A L 2 9 3 . d o c � A L 0 3 8 . d o c � A L 2 8 6 . d o c � A L 2 5 9 . d o c � A L 1 9 0 . d o c � A L 2 6 9 . d o c � A L 1 9 2 . d o c � A L 1 7 5 . d o c � A L 1 0 3 . d o c A L 1 0 2 . d o c ~ A L 0 6 4 . d o c } A L 0 6 5 . d o c | A L 2 0 9 . d o c { A L 2 5 5 . d o c z A L 2 2 0 . d o c y A L 2 6 1 . d o c x A L 2 6 8 . d o c 1 w A L 1 2 2 . d o c v A L 1 2 3 . d o c 1 u A L 2 7 3 . d o c p x t L h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s o u t h w a l e s / s o u t h w a l e s a d . p d f s F h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / h e r e f o r d / h e r e f o r d . p d f ) p r G h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / a b e r d e e n / a b e r d e e n 2 . p d f " / q D h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / p r e s t o n / p r e s t o n . p d f " / p @ h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / p e r t h / p e r t h . p d f " / o H h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / l i v e r p o o l / l i v e r p o o l . p d f " / n D h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / b r i s t o l / b r i s t o l . p d f m B h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / o x f o r d / o x f o r d . p d f l B h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / e x e t e r / e x e t e r . p d f " / k D h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / a n d o v e r / a n d o v e r . p d f 1 + e j < h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / n e w r y / n e w r y 1 i > h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / h u l l / h u l l . p d f " / h H h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / r o t h e r h a m / r o t h e r h a m . p d f g F h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s o u t h e n d / s o u t h e n d . p d f \ X f E h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s h r e w s b u r y / s h r e w . p d f " / e D h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / w a r w i c k / w a r w i c k . p d f " / d D h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / i p s w i c h / i p s w i c h . p d f " / c D h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s w a n s e a / s w a n s e a . p d f " / b P h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / n o r t h a l l e r t o n / n o r t h a l l e r t o n . p d f a A h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / a d b i f / b a r r o w . p d f 1 " / ` < h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s w i / s w i . p d f 1 _ B h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / t o r b a y / t o r b a y . p d f ^ B h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / s o l e n t / s o l e n t . p d f " / ] H h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / b a l l y m e n a / b a l l y m e n a . p d f " / \ D h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / n o r w i c h / n o r w i c h . p d f [ J h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / m a n c h e s t e r / m a n c h e s t e r . p d f 1 " / Z D h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / b a n b u r y / b a n b u r y . p d f Y B h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / d u r h a m / d u r h a m . p d f X F h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / c o r n w a l l / c o r n w a l l . p d f 1 " / W D h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / b e l f a s t / b e l f a s t . p d f " / V X h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / r a d i o _ a d v _ a s h f o r d / r a d i o _ a d v _ a s h f o r d . p d f L C U R h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / r a d i o _ a d v _ b l a c k b u r n / b l a c k b u r n . p d f 1 " / T d h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / r a d i o _ a d v _ k i d d e r m i n s t e r / r a d i o _ a d v _ k i d d e r m i n s t e r . p d f 1 ! * S L h t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k / r a d i o / i f i / r b l / c a r / a d v t s / m a n c h e s t e r 0 6 / m a n c h e s t e r . p d f R A L 1 8 9 . d o c Q A L 2 0 2 . d o c P A L 2 8 8 . d o c O A L 2 6 5 . d o c N A L 1 1 8 . d o c M A L 1 1 9 . d o c 1 L A L 1 9 9 . d o c 1 K A L 2 7 8 . d o c J A L 0 8 7 . d o c I A L 0 8 6 . d o c H A L 2 1 8 . d o c G A L 1 2 8 . d o c F A L 2 8 1 . d o c E A L 1 2 7 . d o c D A L 1 0 8 . d o c C A L 0 1 1 . d o c B A L 0 1 2 . d o c A A L 2 8 5 . d o c @ A L 2 5 6 . d o c ? 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What is the name of the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury? | Archbishops of Canterbury
Archbishops of Canterbury
By Ben Johnson | Comments
In the Christian church, an archbishop is a bishop of superior rank who has authority over other bishops in an ecclesiastic province or area. The Church of England is presided over by two archbishops: the archbishop of Canterbury, who is 'primate of All England', and the archbishop of York, who is 'primate of England'.
In the time of St. Augustine, around the 5th century it was intended that England would be divided into two provinces with two archbishops, one at London and one at York . Canterbury gained supremacy just prior to the Reformation in the 16th century, when it exercised the powers of papal legate throughout England.
It is the Archbishop of Canterbury who has the privilege of crowning the kings and queens of England and ranks immediately after the princes of royal blood.
The Archbishop's official residence is at Lambeth Palace, London, and second residence at the Old Palace, Canterbury.
The first Archbishop of Canterbury was Augustine. Originally prior to the Benedictine monastery of St. Andrew in Rome, he was sent to England by Pope Gregory I with the mission to convert the natives to Roman Christianity.
Landing in Ebbesfleet, Kent in 597 Augustine quickly converted his first native when he baptized Ethelbert, King of Kent along with many of his subjects. He was consecrated Bishop of the English at Arles that same year and appointed archbishop in 601, establishing his seat at Canterbury. In 603 he attempted unsuccessfully to unite the Roman and native Celtic churches at a conference on the Severn.
The following list traces the Archbishops from the time of Augustine through the Reformation, up to the present day. Their influence on the history of England and the English people is apparent for all to see.
Archbishops of Canterbury
604
Laurentius. Nominated by St. Augustine as his successor. Had a rocky ride when King Ethelbert of Kent was succeeded by his pagan son Eadbald. Remaining calm Laurentius eventually converted Eadbald to Christianity, thus preserving the Roman mission in England.
627
Honorius. The last of the group of Roman missionaries who had accompanied St. Augustine to England.
668
Theodore (of Tarsus). The Greek theologian was already in his sixties when he was sent to England by Pope Vitalian to assume the role of archbishop. Despite his age he went on to reorganise the English Church creating the diocesan structure, uniting for the first time the people of England.
693
Berhtwald. The first archbishop of English birth. Worked with King Wihtred of Kent to develop the laws of the land.
Cuthbert. Established England as an important base from which Anglo-Saxon missionaries were despatched abroad.
765
Jaenberht. Backed the wrong horse in the King of Kent against King Offa of Mercia. He saw the importance of Canterbury reduce as power shifted to Offa's cathedral in Lichfield.
793
Ethelheard, St. Originally chosen by King Offa of Mercia, to make Lichfield into the premier archbishopric in England. Ethelheard appears to have messed things up a little in the politics of the day, and unwittingly succeeded in reinstating Canterbury's traditional superiority.
805
Wulfred. As with his predecessors Wulfred's rule was frequently disrupted by disputes with the kings of Mercia and was at one stage exiled by King Cenwulf.
833
Ceolnoth. Maintained Canterbury's superiority within the Church of England by forming close relationships with the rising power of the Kings of Wessex, and abandoning the pro-Mercian policies of Feologeld.
890
Plegmund. Appointed Archbishop by Alfred the Great. Plegmund played an influential role in the reigns of both Alfred and Edward the Elder. He was involved in early efforts to convert the Danelaw to Christianity.
942
Oda. Oda's career serves to demonstrate the integration of Scandinavians into English society. The son of a pagan who came to England with the Viking 'Great Army', Oda organised the reintroduction of a bishopric into the Scandinavian settlements of East Anglia.
960
Dunstan. He was originally Abbot of Glastonbury from 945, and made it a centre of learning. He was King Edred's chief advisor and virtually became the kingdom's ruler. Following the death of Edred in 955, his nephew King Edwy drove Dunstan into exile for refusing to authorize his proposed marriage with Ælfgifu. After Edwy's death in 959, Dunstan became Archbishop of Canterbury from 960. He is said to have pulled the devil's nose with a pair of tongs. His feast day is 19th May.
990
Sigeric. In the reign of Ethelred II the Unready, Sigeric was promoted from humble monk to the top job of archbishop. He is associated with the policy of paying Danegeld in an attempt to buy off Scandanavian attacks.
1005
Alphege. In 1012, he was captured by the Danes who had invaded Kent, and was held at Greenwich. He refused to pay his own ransom, and, during a drunken feast at which the Danes threw left-over bones and skulls at Alphege, he was murdered by a Dane whom he had converted to Christianity earlier in the day., The Danish leader, Thorkill, was disgusted by the murder and changed sides, bringing 45 ships to Æthelred 's service. In 1033, Canute moved Alphege's bones from St Paul's Cathedral to Canterbury Cathedral.
1020
Ethelnoth. One of the most distinguished of the Anglo-Saxon archbishops. The first monk of the Canterbury monastery to be elected archbishop.
1051
Robert of Jumieges. One of a small number of Normans who came to England with Edward the Confessor in 1041. His scheming and elevation to archbishop fuelled a civil war between Edward and Earl Godwine of Wessex. Robert was also the ambassador who promised the succession to Duke William (The Conqueror) of Normandy.
1052
Stigand. Became archbishop after the expulsion of Robert of Jumieges, as such he was never recognised by the church in Rome. A worldly and very wealthy man he was at first accepted by William I The Conqueror, but in 1070 was deposed by Papal Legate.
1070
Lanfranc. A native of Italy, he left home around 1030 to pursue his studies in France. He was responsible for presenting the case to the Pope for William of Normandy's claim to the English crown. It was William I The Conqueror who appointed him archbishop in 1070. Lanfranc was responsible for reforming and reorganising the English Church and rebuilt the Cathedral on the model of St Stephen's in Caen where he had previously been Abbot.
1093
Anselm. Another Italian who had left home in search of better things and had found Lefranc as Prior at the Norman Abbey of Bec. He followed in Lefranc's footsteps first as Prior and then as Archbishop. His strongly held views on the Church-State relationship would greatly influence Thomas a Becket and continue to rumble on for centuries ensuring a greater control of the Church from Rome.
1139
Theobald. Yet another monk from the Norman Abbey of Bec. He was created Archbishop by Stephen. The relationship between the King and Archbishop strained over the years culminating in Theobald refusing to crown Stephen's son Eustace. He drew Thomas a Becket into his service
Thomas a Becket .
Worked as a banker's clerk before entering the service of Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury in 1145. He was a close friend of Henry II and was Chancellor from 1152 until 1162, when he was elected archbishop. He then changed his allegiance to the church, alienating Henry. In 1164, he opposed Henry's attempt to control the relations between church and state – preferring the clergy to be judged by the church and not by the state – and fled to France. There was a reconciliation between Henry and Becket and he returned in 1170, but the reconciliation soon broke down. After an outburst from the king, four knights – probably misunderstanding Henry's instructions – murdered Becket in front of the altar of Canterbury Cathedral on 29th December 1170. He was canonised – as St Thomas Becket – in 1172, and his shrine became the most popular destination of pilgrimage in England until the Reformation. His feast day is 29th December.
1184
Baldwin. Despite being described as gentle and guileless, he did take action when needed, galloping up and saving Gilbert of Plumpton from the gallows, forbidding such hangman's work on a Sunday. Also saw action in the Crusades, he died five weeks after his 200 knights had fought at Acre.
1193
Hubert Walter. Rector of Halifax in 1185. He travelled to the Holy Land with Richard the Lion-Heart on the Third Crusade 1190 and, when Richard was taken prisoner by emperor Henry VI, Walter brought the army back to England and raised a ransom of 100,000 marks for the king's release. He was Dean of York from 1186 to 1189, then Bishop of Salisbury, and he became Archbishop of Canterbury in 1193. On Richard's death in 1199, he was appointed Chancellor
1207
Stephen Langton. He was consecrated archbishop by Pope Innocent III, which annoyed King John so much that he refused to admit him into England. The quarrel between King and Pope lasted until John submitted in 1213. Once in England he proved to be an important mediator playing a key role in negotiating Magna Carta .
1375
Simon Sudbury. He was blamed for government mismanagement and unjust taxation which led to the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, led by Wat Tyler . The 'revolting' rebels dragged him from the Tower of London and beheaded him. His mummified head is displayed in the vestry of St. Gregory's church in Sudbury, Suffolk.
1381
William Courtenay. He led the opposition within the English Church to John Wyclif, dubbed by some to be 'the morning star of the Reformation', and the Lollards, and was influential in driving them out of Oxford.
1396
Thomas Arundel. The combination of his high aristocratic birth and driving ambition made him one of the most powerful men in England. His political connections led first to his banishment by Richard II in 1397, and then to his restoration by Henry IV two years later.
1414
Henry Chichele. He helped to finance the war against France, organised the fight against Lollardy and founded All Souls College in Oxford.
1443
John Stafford. It was said of him if he had done little good he had done no harm.
1452
John Kempe. Initially Henry V's Keeper of the Privy Seal and Chancellor in Normandy, he also served two terms as Chancellor of England. Before becoming Archbishop of Canterbury he was Bishop of; Rochester (1419-21), Chichester (1421), London (1421-5) and York (1425-52).
1454
Thomas Bourchier. Also served as Chancellor of England from 1455 to 1456, during an illness of Henry VI and while Richard of York was Protector.
1486
John Morton. Originally an Oxford-trained lawyer he fled to Flanders, to the court of Henry Tudor, after Richard III attempted to imprison him in 1483. Henry VII summoned him home after his victory at Bosworth in 1485 and made him archbishop. After this he applied much of his energy to financial matters of state giving his name to the 'Morton's fork' principle of tax assessment: ostentation is proof of wealth - stricken appearance is proof of hidden savings.
1503
William Warham. He expressed doubts as to the wisdom of Henry VIII marrying Catherine of Aragon, the widow of Prince Arthur, but presided at their coronation. He did nothing to help Catherine against Henry's efforts to have their marriage declared null, but was less than happy with the increasingly anti-papal royal policy adopted after 1530.
The martyrdom of Thomas Cranmer, from an old edition of Foxe's Book of Martyrs
Archbishops of Canterbury since the Reformation
1533
Thomas Cranmer. Compiled the first English Book of Common Prayer. First Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1551, his 42 Articles laid down the basis of Anglican Protestantism. Burned at the stake for heresy and treason in opposing Bloody Mary. His feast day is 16th October.
1556
Reginald Pole. Returned from a self imposed exile in Italy following the accession of his Catholic cousin Queen Mary I. He died within a few hours of her in November 1558.
1559
Mathew Parker. He was apparently surprised when Elizabeth I decided that her mother's (Anne Boleyn) old chaplain would make an ideal Archbishop of Canterbury. Presided over the very difficult opening years of the new religious settlement.
1576
Edmund Grindal. He had been exiled under Queen Mary I because of his Protestant beliefs and was therefore the obvious choice for the top job in the Church of Elizabeth I. His defiance of her wishes in 1577 however, led to his suspension under house arrest. He failed to recovered favour by the time of his death.
1583
John Whitgift. A former Cambridge don, he first attracted the attention of Elizabeth I by his strict disciplining of the non-conforming Puritans. Yet another archbishop who annoyed the lady, with the thought that a clergyman should attempt to decide theology for her Church.
1604
Richard Bancroft. Was born and intially educated in Farnworth, near modern day Widnes, he graduated from Cambridge and was ordained around 1570. Whilst still Bishop of London, he drafted the rules for the translation of what would eventually become the 'most popular book in the world' ... The King James Bible .
1611
George Abbot. He found favour under James I, his reputation as a churchman however was dented when he accidentally killed a gamekeeper whilst out hunting with a crossbow.
1633
William Laud. His High Church policy, support for Charles I, censorship of the press, and persecution of the Puritans aroused bitter opposition. He was responsible for moving the altar from a its central position to the east end of churches. His attempt to impose the Prayer Book in Scotland precipitated the Civil War. He was impeached by the Long Parliament in 1640, imprisoned in the Tower of London, condemned to death, and beheaded.
1660
William Juxon. A friend of William Laud, he had attended Charles I at his execution in 1649 and spent the years until the restoration of Charles II in retirement. His appointment as archbishop in 1660 being a reward for loyal royal service.
1663
Gilbert Sheldon. Another former advisor to Charles I, he attempted to unite the thinking of the Anglican and Presbyterian branches of the Church.
1678
William Sancroft. Following an unsuccessful attempt to convert King James II to Anglicanism, he and the king fell out. He openly and publicly defied royal orders to accept the King's Declaration of Indulgence for Dissenters and Catholics. A man of integrity it appears, as he played no part in Glorious Revolution and argued that the oath he had taken to James precluded him taking another to William III and Mary II.
1691
John Tillotson. He succeeded Sancroft as archbishop, having carried out the duties of the office since 1689 when Sancroft had refused to take the oaths that recognised William and Mary as rightful monarchs.
William of Orange
1695
Thomas Tenison. A 'friend' of those who invited William of Orange to England in 1688. He warned about the threat to Anglicanism from a Stuart restoration.
1716
William Wake. He attempted to persuade the French Gallican Church to break with Rome and ally itself with the Church of England. In later life he gained a reputation for corruption, appointing members of his family to financially lucrative positions within the Church.
Frederick Temple. Followed the well worn path from Oxford to Rugby to Canterbury.
1903
Randall Thomas Davidson. Born in Edinburgh into a Presbyterian family, he studied at Oxford, and became chaplain to Archbishop Tait (his father-in-law) and also to Queen Victoria .
1928
Cosmo Gordon Lang. Born in Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, he was Principal of Aberdeen University and entered the Church of England in 1890. He was both counsellor and friend to the royal family.
1942
William Temple. The son of Frederick Temple he deviated the well worn path from Oxford to Canterbury via Repton. He was an outspoken supporter of social reform in crusades against money lenders, slums and dishonesty.
1945
Geoffrey Francis Fisher. He also followed the now deeply rutted path from Oxford to Repton to Canterbury. As archbishop he crowned Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey in 1953.
1961
Arthur Michael Ramsey. Educated at Repton, where his headmaster was the man he would succeed as archbishop - Geoffrey Fisher, he worked for Church unity with an historic visit to the Vatican in 1966. He also attempted to forge a reconciliation with the Methodist Church.
| Lambeth Palace |
The 'Charge of the Light Brigade' took place in which year? | Archbishop of Canterbury – Canterbury Cathedral
Home » Get Involved » Who Does What? » Archbishop of Canterbury menu »
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current Archbishop is the Most Revd and Rt Hon Justin Welby, who was enthroned at Canterbury Cathedral on 21 March 2013. Justin Welby is the 105th in a line which goes back more than 1,400 years to Augustine of Canterbury who was sent from Rome in 597AD.
The Archbishop presides over major services at the Cathedral, such as Easter and Christmas, but is normally based in Lambeth Palace. When in Canterbury, the Archbishop and his family reside in the Old Palace, immediately next to the Cathedral.
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What does an Udometer measure? | What does udometer mean? definition and meaning (Free English Language Dictionary)
pluviometer ; rain gage ; rain gauge ; udometer
Hypernyms ("udometer" is a kind of...):
gage ; gauge (a measuring instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity such as the thickness of wire or the amount of rain etc.)
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| Rain |
Complete the sequence: Attlee, Churchill, Eden ...? | What Does a Barometer Measure? | Wonderopolis
Wonder of the Day #213
What Does a Barometer Measure?
What does a barometer measure?
How much pressure does the atmosphere exert on you at all times?
How do changes in air pressure signal changes in the weather?
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Can you feel the pressure ? It's around you…all the time…everywhere you go. What is it? Atmospheric pressure — often referred to simply as air pressure — is the constant force exerted on you by the weight of little particles of air.
These tiny air particles, called air molecules, can't be seen, but they are all around you. They have weight, which means they constantly “push" down on you. If you look straight up in the air, you can imagine a tall column of air above your head reaching all the way to the edge of the Earth's atmosphere .
The weight of that column of air is the amount of air pressure exerted on you. If you move to a higher elevation (climb a mountain, for example), the air pressure will be lower. Why? The length of that column of air above you has decreased by the amount of your increase in elevation .
As you move to a higher elevation , you may notice that your ears have to “pop." This balances the pressure between the inside and outside of your ear. Since there are fewer air molecules the higher you go, you will also probably need to breathe faster to breathe in more molecules to make up for the deficit .
Air molecules also take up space. Because there tends to be a lot of empty space between air molecules, air can either fill a big area or it can be compressed to fit into a smaller area. When it's compressed, air is said to be under high pressure .
Earth's atmosphere presses down on you with a force of almost 15 pounds per square inch. You may be wondering why it doesn't feel that heavy or why you're not crushed under the weight. Remember that thing you do called breathing?
The air inside your body balances out the pressure from air in the atmosphere , which prevents you from being squished by the pressure of the atmosphere . You don't sense air pressure as a constant force , because the air inside you balances outside pressure and you're used to that feeling.
If you watch the weather report frequently, you're sure to hear the weatherman talk about barometric pressure . Weather forecasters use a special tool called a barometer to measure air pressure .
Barometers measure atmospheric pressure using mercury , water or air. You'll usually hear forecasters give measurements in either inches of mercury or in millibars (mb). Forecasters use changes in air pressure measured with barometers to predict short-term changes in the weather .
Changes in air pressure signal the movement of high- or low- pressure areas of air, called fronts. Air molecules in high pressure areas tend to flow toward low pressure areas. We call this flow of air molecules wind . The larger the difference in pressure between areas, the stronger the winds will be.
As weather forecasters monitor air pressure , falling barometer measurements can signal that bad weather is on the way. In general, if a low pressure system is on its way, be prepared for warmer weather with storms and rain. If a high pressure system is coming, you can expect clear skies and cooler temperatures.
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How's the weather? Gather together a few friends or family members to check out one or more of the following fun activities:
How accurate is the weatherman where you live? Keep track and find out! Over the course of the next week, watch the weather report at the same time each day. Take notes in a journal. Make sure to record predictions for temperature and precipitation. Then make careful observations about the weather on your own. Did the weatherman get it right? How often? Would you like to be a weather forecaster one day? Why or why not?
Are you ready to predict the weather? You can be a weather forecaster in the making when you Build Your Own Barometer with just a few simple supplies. Be sure to ask an adult for help. Once you have built your barometer, put it to the test. Can you track changes in atmospheric pressure? Do they predict changes in the weather? Do you think your barometer is accurate? Why or why not?
Air pressure can be a hard scientific concept to grasp. After all, air is invisible, which means it's not the easiest thing to observe! Can you see air? If it's really windy outside, you might see the effects of wind, but can you see the wind itself? Not really! Air pressure is the same way. Science tells us that it's always pushing down on us, but it's hard to observe. To see air pressure in action for yourself, you can show your friends and family the amazing power of air pressure with this super-cool Unspillable Water Experiment !
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Who is the Patron Saint of the Police forces? | Police Officer's Prayer
Saint Michael, heaven's glorious commissioner of police,
who once so neatly and successfully cleared God's premises
of all its undesirables, look with kindly and professional
eyes on your earthly force.
Give us cool heads, stout hearts, and uncanny flair for
investigation and wise judgement.
Make us the terror of burglars, the friend of children and
law-abiding citizens, kind to strangers, polite to bores,
strict with law-breakers and impervious to temptations.
You know, Saint Michael, from your own experiences
with the devil that the police officer's lot on earth is not
always a happy one; but your sense of duty that so
pleased God, your hard knocks that so surprised the
devil, and your angelic self-control give us inspiration.
And when we lay down our night sticks, enroll us in your
heavenly force, where we will be as proud to guard the
throne of God as we have been to guard the city of all
the people. Amen.
| Michael (archangel) |
In which UK town is the 'Hat Works', the only museum of hats in the country? | Police Coins - Saint Michael
Saint Michael, the Patron Saint of Law Enforcement
Saint Michael is an important archangel in jewish and christian writings. He appears in the scripture a number of times as an archangel of protection. In the New Testament, he provides protection of the Kingdom of God from the evil revolt led by archangel Lucifer, also known as Satan. One of 7 archangels and among 3 mentioned in the bible, Michael led the faithful angels in prevailing over Lucifer in this great battle. Greek Theologians and others place him over all the angels - as Prince of the Seraphim and among the chief princes.
In John (12:7 to 9): “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon... And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
Satan and the rebel angels were forever cast to hell, never to return to heaven. This heavenly victory placed Saint Michael in Catholic tradition and liturgy as protector of the church. After low mass, he is invoked in prayers to be “our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil” and is referred to as “captain of the Heavenly Host”.
Saint Michael is honored as a protector of the Israelites as well. In the Old Testament Book of Daniel (chapter xii), Michael is called “the great prince who standeth for the children of Thy people,” in which Michael is represented as Israel’s champion during the seventy years of Babylonian captivity.
Father William Saunders, dean of the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College and pastor of Queen of Apostles Parish, both in Alexandria, states in the Sept. 16, 1999 Arlington Catholic Herald: “St. Michael has four duties: (1) To continue to wage battle against Satan and the other fallen angels; (2) to save the souls of the faithful from the power of Satan especially at the hour of death; (3) to protect the People of God, both the Jews of the Old Covenant and the Christians of the New Covenant; and (4) finally to lead the souls of the departed from this life and present them to our Lord for the particular judgment, and at the end of time, for the final judgment.”
Michaelmas Day, the main feast day for Saint Michael, is on September 29 th.
As protector and defender against evil, Saint Michael is the patron saint for law enforcement, and among the most common of the icons used on police coins. He is usually depicted as a winged knight-warrior, wearing battle armor. He wields a sword and holds scales of justice, while standing triumphantly over a fallen Lucifer.
As a powerful symbol for law enforcement, Saint Michael’s likeness is used in a stock die developed by Northwest Territorial Mint, available for use without a die charge on any custom minted police coin.
We are a part of Northwest Territorial Mint , one of the Country’s largest and most respected minters of fine custom coins and medallions.
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On television, what is the name of the Panda that advertises Fox's biscuits? | Fox's Biscuits creates eBay site for Vinnie the Panda merchandise | Digital | The Drum
Fox's Biscuits creates eBay site for Vinnie the Panda merchandise
By Staff Writer -17 July 2009 15:48pm
Fox’s biscuits continues to build the profile of its biscuit eating panda Vinnie as it launched an online auction shop with eBay.
The site will allow fans the chance to bid for items from Vinnie’s past, with proceeds being donated to Crimestoppers and is the latest element of a £5million ad campaign created by Mother.
The shop will allow fans of the character to buy one-off pieces of merchandise from his ‘less-than-savoury’ past which will include an empty violin case, an ‘almost new’ balaclava and a taxidermied boar’s head.
The 20 auction items listed will start at £0.99 each including postage and packaging, with items posted on the site for a minimum of one week.
The highest bidder will receive their memorabilia, together with a certificate of authenticity signed by Vinnie, in a limited edition wooden Fox’s crate.
Mike Driver, Fox’s marketing director, comments: “Launching the eBay site is a new and exciting way for Vinnie to engage with his fans. We have been inundated with requests for Vinnie memorabilia, and the auction site offers Vinnie admirers the chance to get their hands on their very own little piece of Vinnie.”
DigForFireDMG has also been involved in the Vinnie the Panda campaign.
| Vinnie |
Jethou, Henn and Lithou are part of which island group? | Fox's Biscuits creates eBay site for Vinnie the Panda merchandise | Digital | The Drum
Fox's Biscuits creates eBay site for Vinnie the Panda merchandise
By Staff Writer -17 July 2009 15:48pm
Fox’s biscuits continues to build the profile of its biscuit eating panda Vinnie as it launched an online auction shop with eBay.
The site will allow fans the chance to bid for items from Vinnie’s past, with proceeds being donated to Crimestoppers and is the latest element of a £5million ad campaign created by Mother.
The shop will allow fans of the character to buy one-off pieces of merchandise from his ‘less-than-savoury’ past which will include an empty violin case, an ‘almost new’ balaclava and a taxidermied boar’s head.
The 20 auction items listed will start at £0.99 each including postage and packaging, with items posted on the site for a minimum of one week.
The highest bidder will receive their memorabilia, together with a certificate of authenticity signed by Vinnie, in a limited edition wooden Fox’s crate.
Mike Driver, Fox’s marketing director, comments: “Launching the eBay site is a new and exciting way for Vinnie to engage with his fans. We have been inundated with requests for Vinnie memorabilia, and the auction site offers Vinnie admirers the chance to get their hands on their very own little piece of Vinnie.”
DigForFireDMG has also been involved in the Vinnie the Panda campaign.
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Which instrument did Jazz musician Thelonius Monk play? | Thelonious Monk — Epistrophy — Listen, watch, download and discover music for free at Last.fm
piano
Thelonious Monk composed the jazz standard Epistrophy, often considered his signature tune, in 1942. It appears on several studio albums and is a constant in his live shows. Its angular and slightly discordant style show a break with previous jazz forms, as well as with contemporaneous bebop composers. In addition to providing a perfect showcase for Monk's improvisations, though, the driving yet slightly off-balance tune has proven consistently popular and is now a standard among jazz musicians everywhere.
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| The Piano |
According to the proverb, what do you need if you are going 'to sup with the Devil'? | Thelonious Monk Biography - life, family, wife, mother, young, information, born, drugs, contract, house
Thelonious Monk Biography
Englewood, New Jersey
African American musician, composer, and music director/conductor
Thelonious Monk was an important member of the jazz revolution that took place in the early 1940s. Monk's unique piano style and his talent as a composer made him a leader in the development of modern jazz.
Teaches self to read music
Thelonious Sphere Monk was born on October 10, 1917, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. The first musical sounds he heard were from a player piano that his family owned. At the age of five or six he began picking out melodies on the piano and taught himself to read music by looking over his sister's shoulder as she took lessons. About a year later the family moved to the San Juan Hill section of New York City, near the Hudson River. His father became ill soon afterward and returned to the South, leaving Thelonious's mother, Barbara, to raise him and his brother and sister. Though the family budget was tight, she managed to buy a baby grand Steinway piano, and when Thelonious turned eleven she began paying for his weekly piano lessons. Even at that young age it was clear that the instrument was part of his destiny.
As a boy Monk received training in the gospel music style, accompanying the Baptist choir in which his mother sang, and playing piano and organ during church services. At the same time he was becoming initiated into the world of jazz; near his home were several jazz clubs as well as the home of the great Harlem stride pianist James P. Johnson, from whom Monk picked up a great deal. By the age of thirteen he was playing in a local bar and grill with a trio. At the Apollo Theater's famous weekly amateur music contests, Monk won so many times that he was eventually banned from the event.
The New York scene
In 1939 Monk put his first group together. His first important gig came in the early 1940s when he was hired as house pianist at a club called Minton's. It was a time of dramatic innovation in jazz, when a faster, more complex style was developing. The musicians for this new music, called bebop, created it virtually on the spot. Yet while Monk was important in inspiring bebop, his own music had few ties to any particular movement. Monk was Monk—an original—and the proof was in his compositions.
As the 1940s progressed and bebop became more and more the rage, Monk's career declined. In 1951 he was arrested with
Thelonious Monk.
AP/Wide World Photos
.
pianist Bud Powell on an extremely questionable charge of narcotics (illegal drugs) possession. Not only was he confined for sixty days in prison, but the New York State Liquor Authority removed his cabaret card, without which he could not get hired for local club dates. For the next several years he survived only with the help of his good friend and patron the Baroness de Koenigswarter.
Eccentric behavior causes trouble
The strange behavior that Monk displayed in public sometimes got him into trouble. In 1958 he was arrested, undeservedly, for disturbing the peace, and his cabaret license was revoked a second time. Forced to take out-of-town gigs, he was separated from his two main sources of stability—New York City and his wife Nellie. His odd behavior intensified as a result. During one episode in 1959 in Boston, Massachusetts, state police picked him up and brought him to the Grafton State Hospital, where he was held for a week.
Toward the end of the 1950s Monk began to receive the prestige he had for so long deserved. His late 1950s recordings on the Riverside label had done so well that in 1962 he was offered a contract from Columbia. As a performer he was equally successful, commanding, in 1960, two thousand dollars for week-long engagements with his band and one thousand dollars for single performances. His December 1963 concert at New York's Philharmonic Hall, a big-band presentation of originals, was for him a personal landmark.
In the early 1970s Monk made a few solo and trio recordings for Black Lion in London and played a few concerts. Beginning in the mid-1970s he isolated himself from his friends and colleagues, spending his final years at the home of the Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter in Weehawken, New Jersey. After playing a concert at Carnegie Hall in March 1976, Monk was too weak physically to make further appearances. He died on February 17, 1982, in Englewood Hospital, after suffering a massive stroke. Along with Miles Davis (1926–1991) and John Coltrane (1926–1967), Monk is remembered as one of the most influential figures in modern jazz. The music Monk left behind remains as some of the most innovative and unique material in all of music, jazz or otherwise.
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Hagiology is the study of what? | Hagiology | Define Hagiology at Dictionary.com
hagiology
[hag-ee-ol-uh-jee, hey-jee-] /ˌhæg iˈɒl ə dʒi, ˌheɪ dʒi-/
Spell
noun, plural hagiologies for 2, 3.
1.
the branch of literature dealing with the lives and legends of the saints.
2.
a biography or narrative of a saint or saints.
3.
a collection of such biographies or narratives.
Origin of hagiology
[hag-ee-uh-loj-ik, hey-jee-] /ˌhæg i əˈlɒdʒ ɪk, ˌheɪ dʒi-/ (Show IPA), hagiological, adjective
hagiologist, noun
Examples from the Web for hagiology
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Historical Examples
The composition seems to be intended as a satire on the monks, and in particular as a travesty of medieval hagiology.
Scottish Loch Scenery Thomas A. Croal
"hagiology" would be more suitable, as a martyrology includes the names of many Saints who were not martyrs.
British Dictionary definitions for hagiology
Expand
literature concerned with the lives and legends of saints
2.
a biography of a saint
a collection of such biographies
3.
an authoritative canon of saints
4.
a history of sacred writings
Derived Forms
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for hagiology
Expand
n.
"study of saints' lives," 1807, from Greek hagios "holy, devoted to the gods" + -ology . First element perhaps from PIE *yag- "to worship, reverence," and cognate with Greek agnos "chaste," Sanskrit yajati "reveres (a god) with sacrifices, worships," Old Persian ayadana "temple." Related: Hagiologist (1805).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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For her performance in which film did Halle Berry win an 'Oscar'? | Hagiography - OrthodoxWiki
Hagiography
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Hagiography is the writing of saints ' lives. It comes from the Greek words αγιος and γραφη = "holy writing" or "writing about the holy (ones)."
Hagiography refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy persons; specifically, the biographies of persons publicly glorified (canonized) by the Church.
Hagiology, by contrast, is the study of saints collectively, without focusing on the life of an individual saint.
Contents
5 External links
Hagiography as a form of biography
Hagiography is unlike other forms of biography in that it does not necessarily attempt to give a full, historical account of the life of an individual saint. Rather, the purpose of hagiography is soteriological —that is, the life of the saint is written so that it might have a salvific effect on those who encounter it.
As such, hagiography often fails to include details which are standard for most biographical works, such as birthdate, childhood, career, and so forth. Rather, the details included are those which pertain to the saint's life as an icon of Christ, as one who points us to the abundant life available from our Lord.
The secondary purpose of hagiography is to glorify persons in whom Christ has powerfully worked. Therefore, one often can notice a dearth of mention of the saint's sins in this life. Sometimes, those sins are mentioned (as with St. Mary of Egypt or the Prophet King David ) so that their great repentance can be demonstrated, but other times, hagiography includes no mention of the saint's sins at all. This character of the genre should not be understood as propaganda—after all, it is axiomatic that only Christ is without sin—but rather that such details are not germane to the purpose of hagiography.
Development of hagiography
Hagiography comprised an important literary genre in the early millennia of the Church, providing informational history as well as inspirational stories and legends. A hagiographic account of an individual saint is often referred to as a vita or life.
The genre of lives of the saints first came into being in the Roman Empire as collections of traditional accounts of Christian martyrs , called martyrologies . In the 4th century, there were 3 main types of catalogues of lives of the saints:
Menaion, an annual calendar catalogue (in Greek, menaios means "month") (biographies of the saints to be read at sermons )
Synaxarion, or a short version of lives of the saints, arranged by dates
Paterikon (in Greek, pater means "father"), or biography of the specific saints, chosen by the catalogue compiler
In Western Europe hagiography was one of the more important areas in the study of history during the Middle Ages. The Golden Legend of Jacob de Voragine compiled a great deal of mediæval hagiographic material, with a strong emphasis on miracle tales.
In the 10th century, the work of St. Simeon Metaphrastes —an Orthodox monk who had been a secretary of state—marked a major development and codification of the genre. His Menologion (catalogue of lives of the saints), compiled at the request of Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus while Simeon was still a civil servant, became the standard for all of the Western and Eastern hagiographers. Over the years, hagiography as a genre absorbed a number of narrative plots and poetic images (often of pre-Christian origin, such as dragon fighting etc.), mediaeval parables , short stories and anecdotes. Simeon's contribution was to collect these saints' lives from written and oral traditions, copying directly from some sources and reworking others, then arranging them in order of the saints' feast days.
The genre of lives of the saints was brought to Russia by the South Slavs together with writing and also in translations from the Greek language. In the 11th century, the Russians began to compile the original life stories of the first Russian saints. In the 16th century, Metropolitan Macarius expanded the list of the Russian saints and supervised the compilation of their life stories. They would all be compiled in the so called Velikiye chet'yi-minei catalogue (Великие Четьи-Минеи, or "Grand monthly readings"), consisting of 12 volumes in accordance with each month of the year.
Usefulness
Even though some of the writings seem to contain embellishments, as one may assume when reading of the life of St. Nicholas of Myra , they are still quite useful. In the words of Fr. Thomas Hopko :
They may be used very fruitfully for the discovery of the meaning of the Christian faith and life. In these "lives" the Christian vision of God, man, and the world stands out very clearly. Because these volumes were written down in times quite different from our own, it is necessary to read them carefully to distinguish the essential points from the artificial and sometimes even fanciful embellishments which are often contained in them. In the Middle Ages, for instance, it was customary to pattern the lives of saints after literary works of previous times and even to dress up the lives of the lesser known saints after the manner of earlier saints of the same type. It also was the custom to add many elements, particularly supernatural and miraculous events of the most extraordinary sort, to confirm the true holiness of the saint, to gain strength for his spiritual goodness and truth, and to foster imitation of his virtues in the lives of the hearers and readers. In many cases the miraculous is added to stress the ethical righteousness and innocence of the saint in the face of his detractors.
Generally speaking, it does not take much effort to distinguish the sound kernel of truth in the lives of the saints from the additions made in the spirit of piety and enthusiasm of the later periods; and the effort should be made to see the essential truth which the lives contain. Also, the fact that elements of a miraculous nature were added to the lives of saints during medieval times for the purposes of edification, entertainment, and even amusement should not lead to the conclusion that all things miraculous in the lives of the saints are invented for literary or moralizing purposes. Again, a careful reading of the lives of the saints will almost always reveal what is authentic and true in the realm of the miraculous. Also, the point has been rightly made that men can learn almost as much about the real meaning of Christianity from the legends of the saints produced within the tradition of the Church as from the authentic lives themselves. [1]
Sources
The Orthodox Faith Written by the V. Rev. Thomas Hopko ( OCA web site )
External links
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What type of creatures are 'Passerines'? | 1000+ images about animals: birds - passerines on Pinterest | Passerine, Flycatchers and Finches
Pinterest • The world’s catalog of ideas
animals: birds - passerines
photos of birds that are passerines (AKA perching birds or songbirds). please see my water birds, birds of prey, and other birds boards for different types of birds. other animals are on separate boards.
213 Pins347 Followers
| Passerine |
"From which Peter Gabriel hit do these lyrics come: ""My heart going boom, boom, boom. Son, he said, grab your things I've come to take you home""?" | Birds of Southeast Asia
Birds of Southeast Asia
There are an estimated 10,000 living species of bird, around one fifth of which occur in Southeast Asia. The greatest diversity occurs in lowland primary rainforest and coastal mangrove. Broadly, birds can be divided into passerines and non-passerines. Passerines, or perching birds (Order : Passeriformes) comprise around one half of all bird species. They are also known as 'songbirds' and are grouped together in a single order on the basis of the arrangement of toes and leg musculature. Non-passerines comprise birds from 28 other orders in existence today.
Birds have undergone remarkable adaptive radiation, with many examples of convergent evolution i.e. unrelated bird groups have evolved similar body form in response to the demands of adapting to specific ecological niches. For example, swifts and swallows are of similar body shape, but are quite unrelated.
The casual observer need understand nothing of the complex evolutionary history of birds. Its simply enough to appreciate the stunning beauty and diversity of these creatures, particularly the brightly coloured kingfishers , barbets , trogons , woodpeckers , broadbills and majestic hornbills which inhabit the region's forests.
Yeo Suay Hwee and Morten Strange helped identify some of the less common birds in
these pages, and Shawn Lum and Tony O'Demspey helped with the trees and plants.
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Unst, Yell, and Mainland are part of which island group? | Shetland Islands travel guide - Wikitravel
Understand[ edit ]
Although Shetland is part of Scotland and therefore the United Kingdom , it is very much a world apart. It almost always appears on maps of United Kingdom in an insert box, and is in fact closer to Bergen in Norway than to Edinburgh . Even the flag of Shetland (a white Nordic cross on a blue background) shows the close links between this part of Scotland and Scandinavia. The fact that this flag, rather than the Saltire or Union Flag can be seen flying from many houses shows the pride and sense of identity of the Shetland people; when Shetlanders refer to 'The Mainland' they almost always mean 'Mainland Shetland' rather than 'Mainland Scotland'. Although Shetland has been inhabited since prehistoric times, it has only been part of Scotland since 1472 when it was mortgaged by King Christian I of Norway in lieu of the dowry for his daughter Margaret and later annexed by James III of Scotland.
Wildlife[ edit ]
Puffin at Sumburgh Head
Shetland is of great interest to the naturalist and anyone who is keen to see wild animals and birds in their native habitat [2] .
Otters 'Draatsi' are relatively common here, and you are far more likely to see this elusive animal in the wild here than anywhere else in United Kingdom . Yell is supposed to be the best location, but any isolated piece of coastland (particularly with a source of fresh water running into the sea) is a possibility, and the best times are early morning or evening and/or at low tide. They have even been seen (and filmed) investigating boats in the working port of Lerwick . Other mammals to be found in Shetland are rabbits, mountain hare, hedgehogs and stoats; all of these are believed to have been introduced by mankind.
Birds are particularly prolific here, with Shetland being one of the main breeding grounds for a number of common and rare species. Particular centres for nesting seabirds are Sumburgh Head, Hermaness, Noss and Foula (with the second highest cliffs in United Kingdom after St Kilda ). Easily observed species are puffins, gannets, guillemots, kitiwakes, fulmars, shags, great and artic skuas, storm petrels, oystercatchers, eider ducks, cormorants and razorbills. Inland, curlews, whimbrels, golden and ringed plovers, lapwings and redshanks can be spotted, with Fetlar being the breeding ground of 90% of the UK's population of the rare red-legged phalarope (though sadly Snowy Owls are no longer seen here). Shetland also sees a fair number of rarities which makes it a favourite location for twitchers. Probably the best known of these was the lost albatross which visited Hermaness for a number of years and appeared to be attempting to find a mate amongst the gannets. The best times to birdwatch are between April and July when the birds return to land to rear their chicks.
Marine Mammals are also to be seen. Most prolific are Grey and Common Seals (constantly in evidence around the fish processing plants in Lerwick looking out for a free feed) which can be seen all over the islands. They are curious of humans and will often follow a party walking along a shore at a safe distance. Whales and other cetaceans can also be spotted, although this tends to come down to a question of how lucky you are. Minke whales are the most common, but other species of whale, together with porpoises and dolphins can also be seen. Orcas (killer whales) are becoming more prolific around Shetland. One of the best places to see whales can be from the ferries.
Climate[ edit ]
The weather is very much a 'feature' of the area. Although Shetland is typically only a couple of degrees cooler than mainland Scotland , and the martime climate does not lead to large falls of snow, high winds are very frequent. Whilst these make Shetland largely midge free (unlike most of Scotland), they add a considerable wind-chill factor, and when combined with horizontal rain you can be both wet and cold within minutes. Even more so than in mainland Scotland, the weather can change in moments and the entire landscape transformed from bleakness to loveliness by the presence of the sun. Locals refer to a calm day as 'a day between weathers'. Top temperatures in the summer are unlikely to go over 18C (64F), and while the wind can make this feel cooler, note that it is still perfectly possible to get sunburn.
At this northerly latitude there is a marked difference in daylight hours between summer and winter, even more so than in the rest of Scotland . During December there is little more than six hours of daylight (and on a dreary day it can seem as though it never truly gets light), during June on the other hand it hardly gets dark, and the brief twilight between sunset and sunrise is locally known as the 'Simmer Dim'. Midnight games of golf are possible.
Culture[ edit ]
Shetland has a diverse and thriving culture all of its own, which has been enhanced by isolation from the rest of Scotland . Traditional crafts and passtimes include:-
Music - The traditional music, especially fiddle music of Shetland is justifiably famous Shetland Music ]. The fiddle dates back to around 1700 and has been played in the islands ever since, with influences from Scandanavia and Scotland. In spite of the risk that it would be overwhelmed by modern music, it has more than stood its ground and all young people have the opportunity to learn to play at school. Traditional music can be heard live in venues all over the islands, and there is a fiddle festival held every year in early October Fiddle Festival .
Knitting - The local 'Shetland Sheep' provide fine, multi-coloured wool which is knitted locally into a variety of garments. The 'Fair Isle' pattern is particularly famous, and there is a legend (apparently just that), that knitting this was taught to the Fair Islanders by Spanish sailors shipwrecked from the Armada. Fair Isle pattern has been exploited all over the world (there is an amusing exhibit in the Shetland museum; a page from an American magazine advertising 'Real English Shetland knitware'), but a visit to Shetland is the opportunity to buy some of the real thing. There are many places selling knitware in the islands, with an obvious concentration in Lerwick. Particularly fine (though extremely expensive), is patterned knitwear created straight from the undyed natural colours of the sheep. Beautiful knitted lace is also created and Unst is particularly renowned for this.
Boat Building - Traditional Shetland sixareens and yoals are still occasionally made in the islands
Storytelling - Shetland stories often involve traditional folklore with Nordic influence. Prominent are 'trow' or nocturnal faerie folk who live in mounds and often steal human musicians away to play for them, and nuggles (malign water horses who seek to drown the unwary). In the Shetland Museum in Lerwick you can enter a 'reproduction' of a trow mound.
Up Helly Aa - This is Europe's largest and most famous fire festival. It always takes place on the last Tuesday in January, and the next day is a public holiday (reputedly known as 'Sick-Bag Wednesday') to allow for recovery. Over the year the 'Guizer Jarl' or Viking Chief and his squad meticulously prepare costumes, weapons and a Viking Galley. The Jarl may have been with the squad as long as 20 years before he gets the opporutnity to take the lead part. The Jarl Squad, together with around 45 other squads tour around local halls, performing acts, dancing and (of course) drinking. There is a torchlight procession of nearly 1000 participants and then the Galley is ceremoniously burned. Tickets to the halls are by invitation only, but public tickets are available for the Town Hall Up Helly Aa . Note that although the Lerwick festival is the largest and most famous, many other fire festivals are held across the islands, and in most of these, unlike Lerwick, women may appear as Guizers.
Industry[ edit ]
Shetland's fortunes were to some extent transformed by the discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970s. A huge oil terminal was constructed in Sullom Voe near Brae in the north of the Mainland, though fortunately this has been well-managed and has not had a great effect on local wildlife. Oil revenues both halted population decline and have caused Shetland to be a prosperous community considering its size and location. Infrastructure (roads, leisure centres, communications) are very good, and unemployment is generally very low at about 2%. As oil stocks decline, Shetlanders are falling back on traditional occupations such as fishing (there are many fish farms in the more sheltered voes) and crofting. Tourism is also becoming increasingly important; Lerwick is transformed (not necessarily for the better) when one of the regular cruise ships come in to port and the local shops are packed with the visitors.
Media[ edit ]
There is a weekly newspaper (published on Fridays) "The Shetland Times" (also available online [3] . There is also a good Shetland Times bookshop in Lerwick which has books of local interest as well as mainstream titles. There are two monthly magazines "Shetland Life" and "i,i Shetland". UK National newspapers are available on the day of publication.
Local Radio stations are BBC Radio Shetland and SIBC [4] . The latter is rather eclectic and well worth a listen, as the local news tends to sum up what makes Shetland different (and endearing) as a location.
Terrestial television has the usual UK channels and satellite is available.
Talk[ edit ]
As elsewhere in United Kingdom , English is the official language and is universally spoken. Native Shetlanders have a unique accent and dialect which reflects the mixed Scottish and Norwegian influences on the islands. It is common for locals to speak 'standard English' (with a Shetland Scots accent) to visitors, and a more deeply dialected version of the language between themselves. The official website of the Shetland Dialect group gives some audio examples of Shetland speech from different areas Shetland ForWirds . Note that the former language of Shetland was Old Norn (spoken in some areas into 19th Century) and that Scots Gaelic has never been part of the local linguistic tradition.
Many dialect words heard in common use reflect local wildlife and conditions, and some, such as 'bonxie' for the great skua have slipped into mainstream English. Many other dialect words are similar or identical to mainland Scots.
Here is a short list of expressions peculiar to local dialect.
Tamie — Puffin
Boat off Shetland
Ferry Leaving Aberdeen
Northlink Ferries [5] provide a daily passenger and vehicle transport service between Lerwick and Aberdeen which also calls in at Kirkwall in Orkney up to twice a week depending on the time of year (when calling at Kirkwall, the ferry leaves Aberdeen two hours earlier than usual to accommodate this). The ferry service is an overnight crossing, leaving Aberdeen at 7pm (or 5pm) and arriving in Lerwick at 7:30am. Although the boat is large and stable, this is an ocean crossing and at times it can be rough; do not be too alarmed if you are handed a disclaimer on boarding stating that you are travelling at your own risk!
If travelling by car, follow the signs to 'Aberdeen Harbour'. The ferry terminal itself is not clearly signposted, but you should see a large blue and white ship on your right as you enter the harbour area. If cars are queueing (as they probably will be unless you are very early), join the end of the queue to your left. Do not drive right up to the terminal gate or you will have to turn round which is not particularly easy. Photo id has been required for the last couple of years.
If the ferry is full and you are travelling to Lerwick, you will be boarded on the lower car deck if you arrive at the terminal early. It goes without saying that if you are boarded on the lower deck and you are are intending to disembark at Kirkwall, you should inform staff immediately, otherwise you are likely to visit the scenic Shetland Isles sooner than you were intending.
On board the ship, you can either sleep in the reclining 'aircraft style' seats in the lounge, stretch out on the couches in the bar (once it has closed), or book a cabin. The latter is by far the most comfortable option as even standard cabins, whilst small, have comfortable bunks and a private toilet and shower. If you choose to dispense with a cabin, note that although comfort would dictate taking a sleeping bag and pillow, staff are fairly strict about not leaving them unattended in the lounge and you will have to carry them around with you.
The ferry is fairly plush and well equipped. There are two bars, a self-service restaurant, a cinema and a silver-service restaurant which serves a rather good take on Shetland and Orkney specialities. There is also a cinema, though if it is rough, be warned that watching a film in a darkened room is a good recipe for sea-sickness. The internal areas of the ship are non-smoking, but there is an outside area on deck which stays open all night where you can smoke. Dependent on the weather, there may be access to the upper deck until late at night, and it is generally opened again in time to view the entrance to Lerwick in the morning. On the return journey there are particularly good views of Fair Isle from the outside decks.
Arrival into Shetland is normally announced at 6:30am and breakfast is then available in the self-service restaurant. The ferry is normally exactly on time at 7:30am, and drivers have to leave promptly to move their cars, but (with their boarding pass) can then return on board for breakfast if they wish. They, along with non-drivers and foot passengers, can remain on the ship until 9:00am. The ferry terminal is near the centre of Lerwick and pre-booked hire cars can be picked up from within the terminal building.
Arriving in Shetland by ferry makes the journey part of the travel experience, and helps you to appreciate how remote the islands really are. Fares in the winter are considerably cheaper than at peak season, and as car fares are far more expensive than foot-passenger fares, it may make sense to rent a car rather than taking your own. Some travellers have reported having difficulty in changing their ferry bookings as their plans change, so be aware that Northlink hold a monopoly on scheduled sea travel to the islands and may not be particularly flexible about changes, especially during busy periods.
By air[ edit ]
Loganair [6] provide the only scheduled passenger air service to the Scottish Mainland as a franchise of Flybe [7] . They operate to Sumburgh Airport [8] located 30 miles south of Lerwick. Flights operate to Aberdeen , Edinburgh , Glasgow , Inverness and Kirkwall . Unfortunately, due to lack of competition on the routes, fares are relatively expensive, even when booked well in advance. Whether it is cheaper to travel by ferry with your own car, or fly and hire one very much depends on the time of year and other factors such as how close you live to Aberdeen.
The Faroese airline Atlantic Airways [9] used to provide a twice weekly seasonal (June to October) service from London (Stansted), but this route has not operated since 2009 due to the difficulties experienced by passengers traveling without passports when fog at Sumburgh caused the flight to be diverted to Atlantic Airways' home airport in the Faroe Islands.
Depending on which runway you land on, you should not expect to see much of Shetland as you land, because the airport is on the extreme southern tip of the Mainland, and the best you will get is a brief view of the lighthouse on the head. One runway at Sumburgh is somewhat unusual, in that the main road goes right across it, and when a plane is due, level-crossing gates are closed across the road. The terminal itself is small, but has a cafe/bar, shop, wi-fi internet and ATM. Security here is also not as oppressive as in large mainland airports.
Car hire is available within the terminal from Star Rent a Car [10] or Bolts Car Hire [11] will pick you up and take you to your car at their near-by depot. In both cases advance reservation is advisable. The airport information page has details of local taxi companies who can meet you at the airport and again, it is advisable to book in advance. The Service 6 bus calls at the airport at fairly regular intervals [12] , and takes you to Lerwick in around 40 minutes.
By sea[ edit ]
The inhabited islands are served by regular ferries operated by Shetland Islands Council [13] . Routes to Bressay, Yell, Unst, Fetlar and Walsay operate at least eighteen hours per day, although some early and late sailings will only run if there are pre-booked reservations. Places may be reserved for vehicles on all these routes (except Bressay), and pre-booked vehicles take presidence over unbooked ones. Sailings to Out Skerries and Papa Stour are less frequent and require reservations for all vehicles. The ferry to Fair Isle is by reservation only and is not ro/ro (it can carry vehicles but they must be craned on and off and there would be no real reason for a visitor to take a car). The ferry to Foula runs twice weekly and is operated by BK Marine [14] .
Crossings by Route
| Shetland |
What does the musical term 'Pianissimo' mean? | Shetland
Shetland
MSPs
Tavish Scott
Shetland (formerly spelled Zetland, from Ȝetland) formerly called Hjaltland, is one of 32 council areas of Scotland . It is an archipelago to the north-east of Orkney and mainland Scotland, with a total area of approximately 1466 km². It forms part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The administrative centre and only burgh is Lerwick .
The largest island, known as the Mainland, is the third largest Scottish island and also the third largest island surrounding Great Britain. It has an area of 374 square miles.
Shetland is also a lieutenancy area, comprises the Shetland constituency of the Scottish Parliament, and was formerly a county.
Composition
Out of the approximately 100 islands, only fifteen are inhabited. The main island of the group is known as Mainland.
The other inhabited islands are: Bressay, Burra, Fetlar, Foula, Muckle Roe, Papa Stour, Trondra, Vaila, Unst, Whalsay, Yell in the main Shetland group, plus Fair Isle to the south, and Housay and Bruray in the Out Skerries to the east (see below).
Other , uninhabited, islands include:
Motto Með lögum skal land byggja
( Old Norse: With laws land shall be built)
Shetland islands relative to Scotland
History
The old Gaelic name for Shetland (Innse Cat, "Islands of the Cat People") suggests that the original inhabitants were the same tribal group who inhabited Caithness ("Cat People's Headland") and Sutherland (Cataibh, "Cat People's Land"). Missionaries arrived around the 7th century and began converting the population to Christianity . Sometime in the 9th century, Shetland was invaded by the Norse and became a Norwegian colony for approximately 500 years, but ownership of Shetland, along with Orkney, defaulted to the crown of Scotland on 20 February 1472 following non-payment of the marriage dowry of Margaret of Denmark, queen of James III of Scotland. Subsequent attempts to make good on the debt and reclaim Shetland have been ignored, including the last bid in the early years of the twentieth century.
During World War II , boats from the Shetland Islands provided a relief service to occupied Norway, known as the " Shetland bus".
Norse names
The old Norse names of the principal islands were:
Hjaltland (Mainland)
Skaw the most northerly settlement in the United Kingdom
Economy
Traditionally, the economic activities of Shetland were primarily agricultural, especially the raising of Shetland sheep, known for their unusually fine wool, along with the Shetland Sheepdog as well as the Shetland pony. Crops raised include oats and barley; however, the cold, windswept islands make for a harsh environment for most plants. Crofting, the farming of small plots of land on a legally restricted tenancy basis, is still practiced and viewed as a key Shetland tradition as well as important source of income.
More recently, oil reserves discovered in the 20th century out to sea have provided a much needed alternative source of income for the islands. The East Shetland Basin is becoming one of Europe 's largest oil fields. Oil produced there is landed at the Sullom Voe terminal in Shetland.
Fishing
Language
The Pictish language was replaced by Old Norse, which evolved into Norn, which was replaced by an insular dialect of Scots also known as Shetlandic, which in turn is being replaced by Scottish English. However, the legacy of Norn remains in the grammar and a number of words, making the Shetland dialect a distinctive form of Scots.
As Norn was gradually replaced by Scots, the original Scandinavian name of the islands, Hjaltland (hjalt in Old Norse meaning the hilt or pommel of a sword) became Ȝetland (the initial letter being the Middle Scots letter, yogh (which can also be found in the forename Menzies, e.g. Menzies Campbell.) This sounded almost identical to the original Norn sound, /hj/). When the letter yogh was discontinued, it was often replaced by the similar-looking letter ' z', hence Zetland, the mis pronounced form used to describe the pre- 1975 county council.
ShetlandDictionary.com has been created for to help encourage the use of Shetlandic.
Transport
Transport between islands is mainly done by ferry.
Shetland is served by a domestic ferry connection to the mainland, operated by Northlink Ferries to
Notable Shetlanders
Arthur Anderson (1792-1868), co-founder of P&O
Tom Anderson MBE (1910-1991), a fiddler, composer, folklorist and teacher who was a profoundly influential figure in the development of Shetland music
Ian Bairnson (b. 1953), session guitarist ( The Alan Parsons Project)
Aly Bain (b. 1946), fiddle player.
Morgan Goodlad (b. 1950), controversial Chief Executive of Shetland Islands Council (see, for example, Private Eye No 1144 p27, or this story from the Sunday Herald.)
Sir Herbert John Clifford Grierson (1866-1960), a literary scholar and critic
Norman Lamont (b. 1942), Conservative MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1990 to 1993.
Steven Robertson, a theatre and film actor from Vidlin
Robert Stout (1844 - 1930), Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the late 19th century
Astrid Williamson, musician
Sandra Voe (b. 1936), actress appearing in many small film and TV roles (including Coronation Street ) and mother of Pulp keyboard player Candida Doyle.
Neil Hughes from Seven Up!
Shetland Islands on film
Michael Powell made The Edge of the World in 1937. This film is a dramatisation based on the true story of the evacuation of the last thirty-six inhabitants of the remote island of St Kilda on 29 August 1930. St Kilda lies in the Atlantic Ocean , 64 kilometres west-northwest of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides ; the inhabitants spoke Gaelic . Powell was unable to get permission to film on St. Kilda. Undaunted, he made the film over four months during the summer of 1936 on the island of Foula, in the Shetland Isles. Despite the fact that the Foula islanders speak the Norse-tinged dialect of Shetland, the film loses none of its power.
The Edge of the World ( 1937) dramatizes the evacuation of the Islands and the ensuing tragedy.
Return To The Edge Of The World ( 1978) was a documentary capturing a reunion of cast and crew of 1937's The Edge Of The World, 40 years after the fact, as they revisit the island.
The Rugged Island: A Shetland Lyric (1934) at the Internet Movie Database
Devil's Gate ( 2003).
It's Nice Up North ( 2006) comedy documentary by Graham Fellows as John Shuttleworth.
Council political composition
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La Stampa is a newspaper in which country? | La Stampa - daily newspaper in Turin, Italy with local news and events
You are here: Home > World > Italy > Turin > La Stampa
La Stampa
La Stampa is a daily newspaper in Turin , Italy covering local news, sports, business, jobs, and community events.
La Stampa ("The Press") was founded in 1867 as Gazzetta Piemontese. In 1895, Alfredo Frassati acquired the newspaper and re-named it La Stampa. The newspaper has published a monthly magazine, Specchio+, since May 2006.
The web site is presented in the Italian language.
Websites
| World War II postal acronyms |
Who is the Patron Saint of accountants and bankers? | Lastampa in English
LASTAMPA IN ENGLISH
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ANSA
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“Cucchi died because of a beating”: prosecutors accuses policemen of murder
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Three police officers are suspected with manslaughter for the death of Stefano Cucchi, 32 years old, who passed away in 2009 in Rome while he was in police custody. According to the Rome prosecutor Gi...
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The legislative process of the Italian civil-unions law is finished. Today the Council of ministers passed three legislative decrees to implement the measure approved in May 2016. The meeting was chai...
italy today
Some employees are under scrutiny for having others clock in on their behalf while being at the beach
valetina cordero
Video, documents, and also individual tails have framed nine employees of the Palermo's air-traffic control agency (Enac), which are now under investigation for fraud, fake certifications, and also em...
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ANSA
The father of 17-years-old M., one of two boys accused of killing a couple of restaurant owners in Italy, told La Stampa that his son "is a weak person", and that he sold himself. Sixty-years-old Salv...
Wedding romance finishes because of fake marriage
otto maggiani
The fastest way to get Italian papers and to petition for a family member is with no doubt to marry an Italian woman. However, this is nothing new. A group of people in the city of Savona, Liguria, st...
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What is the name of the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London? | MANSION HOUSE WALK LONDON's - CITY OF LONDON WALK
Mansion House, the official residence of The Mayor of the City of London.
Mansion House features a portico with six Corinthian, classic Palladian architecture.
Entrance to Mansion House and meeting place for the weekly tours.
VISITOR INFORMATION
Opening Hours: Weekly 1 hour tour 2:00pm, on most Tuesdays.
Tours are first come/first served and limited to 40 per group
Cost: Adults £6.00, Concessions £4.00 (Over 16 students and 60+)
Facilities: Toilets
Further Information: Mansion House
MANSION HOUSE
Mansion House is a town Palace and has been the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London since 1752.
Built during the reign of George II, its grandeur was designed to reflect the City of London’s position as one of the world’s leading financial and trading centres.
The grand entrance to Mansion House features a portico with six Corinthian columns with flights of steps each side. Designed in the architectural style of Venetian Andrea Palladio, the classical features of Greek and Roman temples were popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. Many other examples of Palladian architecture can be seen in Europe and America.
Mansion House, along with Guildhall, are used for official functions providing a high profile venue for Government, charitable and business events in the City of London. Entertainment space includes the grand Egyptian Hall, so named because the arrangement of its columns, and a ballroom.
Functions held here include banquets for visiting Heads of Government and the annual Chancellor of the Exchequer’s ‘Mansion House Speech’, a keynote speech on the state of the economy. Further rooms are used for the Mayor’s private apartments and offices.
Mansion House is home to one of the finest collections of seventeenth century Dutch and Flemish paintings in Britain. These can be viewed by the general public along with a collection of sculptures themed from the works of English poets and one of the largest and finest gold and silver plate collections in the world.
LORD MAYOR OF LONDON
A new Lord Mayor, now known as The Lord Mayor of the City of London, is elected every year by ‘Liverymen’, people who belong to the old medieval trading companies of the City. These Livery Companies were originally developed as Guilds, associations responsible for the regulation of their trades by controlling wages, labour conditions and aspect of law.
This continues today, with the Lord Mayor being responsible for the City's governmental, civic and, as the chief magistrate of the City, judicial functions with its own court of law. Although not used anymore for prisoners, the palace had holding cells including one for women, nicknamed ‘the birdcage’, where suffragette women's rights campaigner Emmeline Pankhurst was once kept.
| Mansion House |
Which '60's pop group new line-up included Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham and Robert Plant? | The Mansion House | Dublin City Council
The Mansion House
Residence of the Lord Mayor of Dublin
The Mansion House is the official residence of Dublin’s first citizen, the Lord Mayor, and one of our cities finest and most loved buildings.
The Mansion House has been at the heart of city government since 1715. Construction started in 1705 and it was intended as a townhouse for Joshua Dawson, the developer of Dawson Street and Nassau Street. Joshua Dawson seldom lived in the house. Ten years later and still partly unfinished, it was sold to Dublin Corporation for £3,500 (€4,444), in addition to an annual rent of 40 shillings and an agreement to provide a loaf of double refined sugar, weighing six pounds at Christmas.
The Mansion House is remarkable for many reasons:
It is the only mayoral residence in Ireland which is still used for its original purpose
It is the oldest Mayoral residence in Ireland and in Britain (Dublin preceded London by 15 years in providing an official house for its mayor)
It is the oldest free-standing house in Dublin
The Round Room hosted the inaugural meeting of Dáil Eireann on 21st January 1919
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In which film did Cary Grant play a war-time coast watcher called 'Walter Eckland'? | Father Goose (1964) - IMDb
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During WW2, a man persuaded to live on an isolated island and spot aircraft finds himself responsible for a teacher and several students, all female.
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Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 5 nominations. See more awards »
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Edit
Storyline
During World War II South Sea beachcomber Walter Eckland is persuaded to spy on planes passing over his island. He gets more than he bargained for as schoolteacher Catherine Frenau arrives on the run from the Japanese with her pupils in tow! Written by Col Needham <[email protected]>
Taglines:
The story of the Beachcomber and the Castaway Schoolteacher who gave him some surprising lessons ! See more »
Genres:
10 December 1964 (USA) See more »
Also Known As:
Did You Know?
Trivia
The epaulets worn by Houghton and Stebbings identify them as a Commander and Lieutenant respectively in the Royal Naval reserve. Dr. Bigrave's epaulets show him to be a lieutenant in the Royal Navy or the Australian Navy (note the red band denoting Medical branch). See more »
Goofs
Catherine claims to have been engaged to Cesare, an official at the Italian consulate in Fiume, Yugoslavia. However, Fiume was administered as part of Italy from 1922 to 1945, so there was no Italian consulate. See more »
Quotes
| Father Goose |
In which American state would you find the city of Duluth? | Father Goose - Comment and Review
Father Goose
Product Description
GREAT CONDITION, WILL SHIP FAST!
Cary Grant's penultimate feature before retirement was this cheerful 1964 effort to overturn his career-long image of urbane sophistication. As the unshaven, messy misanthrope Walter Eckland, a World War II-era beach bum who monitors Japanese air activity for the Australian navy in exchange for booze, Grant makes a convincingly hard-bitten, hard-drinking antihero. Until, that is, a pretty French schoolmistress (Leslie Caron) and her seven little charges (all girls) survive a nearby plane crash and invade Eckland's raunchy isolation. Directed by 1960s hit-maker Ralph Nelson (The Lilies of the Field, Charly), Father Goose is a glossy comedy that also does justice to its more suspenseful scenes (a deadly snakebite suffered by Caron's character is especially memorable) and leaves plenty of room for Grant to indulge in some entertaining if atypical screen behavior. All in all, this is a minor treat in the actor's magnificent filmography. --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
Great Movie!!!
I was practically raised on this movie. I have so many memories of watching it with my grandpa, and the movie never loses it's sense of excitement for me. While not sure if I am truly a Cary Grant fan, I still absolutely adore this film. It's one of those things that I can't get out of my system. I could watch this movie repetitively until I die, and still never get enough!!!1...
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Father Goose
I received this new remastered DVD in a matter of days after ordering. The product is excellent, and the story "Father Goose" is humorous family entertainment....
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A Charming Comedy
FATHER GOOSE is a charming comedy about a decadent American expatriot (Cary Grant) who gets pressed into service as a coastwatcher by the Australian Navy during World War II. Grant is stationed on a lonely South Pacific island until he unwittingly is forced to rescue Leslie Caron and her band of young French refugees who join him at his outpost.Trevor Howard is an Australian Navy Commander who maintains radio contact with Grant.
Much credit goes to Director Ralph Nelson and Peter Stone with his fellow screenwriters. Cary Grant is superb as usual and Leslie Caron is gorgeous.
FATHER GOOSE won an Oscar for Best Original Story and Screenplay. It was also nominated for Best Editing and Sound....
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Father Goose is Cary Grant at his best!
"Father Goose" is a lot of fun and is arguably Cary Grant's funniest and finest film. Yes, he was great in "Charade", "North by Northwest", "Notorious", etc -- but here his honed skills and comedic timing pay off in this very funny film and makes it well worth seeing. You don't have to be a Cary Grant fan to enjoy this film -- but after seeing it, you will be.
"Father Goose" was nominated for Best Picture (Musical/Comedy) by the Golden Globe and won an Oscars for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen in 1965. The cast, production, direction, photography, story -- all are top notch.
The film looks terrific on DVD with an aspect ratio of 1.85. The South Pacific cinematography adds greatly to the visual impact of this film. There are brief bios and filmographies of the priniciples. That's all. No further extras. This film is 16x9 enhanced.
Highly recommended!...
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One of my favorites
One of my all time favorite movies this is perfect for any family to watch. I remember my father watching this with me as a little girl and I was thrilled to see it out on dvd. Leslie Caron does an excellent job as a 'prudish' french woman who can turn almost any situation to her favor. The interchanges between Cary Grant and Raloh Nelson are some of my favorite dialogues. Witty and adorable. Father Goose is sure to be a family favorite....
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Grant at His Best
No doubt about it, Grant was a master. In Father Goose he gets to play aging curmudgeon opposite Leslie Caron's delightfully uptight ingenue and both succeed on every level. The chemistry here is great and the movie never loses focus of its light romantic comedy tone. The dialog is impeccable, the performances sharp and the repartee utterly engaging. And this goes not only for Grant's relationship with Caron, but extends into the "over the microphone" relationship with Trevor Howard, wonderfully and dryly droll. Likewise, the kids are all spot on. They aren't there just for comic relief and unlike modern day comedies, they don't overwhelm the piece. Each was cast perfectly and they support the movie well.
I get the feeling that Harrison Ford was trying to do a remake (without really doing a remake) of this movie when he ended up doing "Six Days and Seven Nights," and that movie could be a lesson in how not to compete with a screen legend. Ford tries too hard in that film, something that only points out how masterful Grant was. Smooth as fine whiskey, Grant never pushed, never tried to hard. He just exists in the skin of the character and underplays it beautifully. And Caron -- who should have been a much bigger star than she became -- is exceptional as well....
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A romantic comedy in the old style
If you liked the original ODD COUPLE - slob and compulsive neatnik thrown together in the same apartment - or HEAVEN KNOWS, MR. ALLISON - tough guy WWII Marine marooned on an enemy-held South Pacific island with a pretty nun, then you should enjoy FATHER GOOSE starring Cary Grant, Leslie Caron and Trevor Howard. I saw it once again on the telly this past weekend while doing the ironing, and I'm fortunate to be old enough to have an appreciation of all three films.
Grant is Walter Eckland, an antisocial, unkempt escapee from "civilization" that spends his time bumming around the South Seas on an old yacht. At the start of WWII, he's coerced into service as a "coast watcher", an observer stationed on a remote island as a lookout for Japanese planes or ships, by the wily and dry-witted local Royal Navy authority figure, Comdr. Houghton (Howard). Eckland is bribed with booze to perform in His Majesty's service. One of his first assignments is to boat over to another island and rescue a fellow coast watcher. But, on arriving, he finds only his colleague's grave and the Caron character, Catherine Freneau, the daughter of a French government official, who's been stranded with a bevy of underage schoolgirls of which she has charge. Walter naturally takes them back to his island and his hovel, where the differences between the two adults soon surface. To Eckland, Freneau becomes "Goody Two Shoes", while, to the latter, her knight in stained armor becomes the "Filthy Beast".
While admittedly silly entertainment, FATHER GOOSE is a delightful romantic comedy that doesn't, like some of the current Tinseltown offerings, rely for laughs on sensitive body parts being caught in zippers, bodily fluids masquerading as hair gel, or carnal knowledge of apple pies. This film has Class, chiefly due to the presence of Grant, who character demonstrates more suavity unshaven and without socks than any one of today's crop of male actors dressed up in a tux. (Perhaps only Sean Connery, Robert Redford and Paul Newman are close to being in the same league.) Caron's strong-willed and very feminine Freneau is more than a match for Eckland's obstinately boorish masculinity - a pairing made in heaven, or at least Hollywood.
Perhaps my high esteem for this film is more a function of nostalgia. But there're a lot of other films from that same period of my youth that are eminently forgettable, so I have to think that FATHER GOOSE is a cut above....
Father Goose DVD
I was pleasently surprised at how sharp and clear the DVD transfer for Father Goose is.
While not one of Cary Grant's all-time best, he is thoroughly enjoyable acting with Leslie Caron and a group of young schoolgirls in this WWII comedy/adventure. This was one of Grant's last starring roles, and he plays against type as a somewhat grizzled loner who likes his alcohol a little too much. He plays an American thrust into becoming a civilian spotter (watching for aircraft and shipping movements) for the Australian military in a Japanese-occupied area of the south pacific by an officer friend in the Australian navy (Trevor Howard).
Grant's character is asked to transport another spotter from an island where the Japanese have gained a stronghold. This doesn't work out as planned, and there he runs into Caron and her schoolgirl charges who need to get off the island, as well. His only choice is to take them all back to his lookout hut on his own, safer, island, until they can all be rescued by the navy, but the rescue is delayed and Caron and the girls soon take over and turn his life upside-down.
The eventual rescue and ending to the story is satisfying and sweet, and there is nothing in this movie that parents need be concerned about their children seeing (or hearing), although there is a scene where Grant and the girls are fired upon by a Japanese plane, and another where Grant thinks Caron is in danger of dying from a snake bite, but no worries, this is a comedy, after all. ...
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An all time favoite!
This is one of my favoriate movies! I have watched this movie so many times that I tell you what the next line will be. If I had to choose only one movie from many, Father Goose would be my choice....
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old time movie
Easy going movie with good old actors you can count on and enjoy. I enjoyed watching it again for it had been sometime since I seen it....
Cary Grant plays an unshaven outcast!
Director: Ralph Nelson
Video Release Date: November 23, 1999
Cast:
Cary Grant ... Walter Christopher Eckland/Mother Goose
Leslie Caron ... Catherine Louise Marie Ernestine Freneau
Trevor Howard ... Commander Frank Houghton RAN/Big Bad Wolf
Jack Good ... Lieutenant Stebbings RAN/Bo Peep
Sharyl Locke ... Jenny
Jennifer Berrington ... Harriet 'Harry' MacGregor
Laurelle Felsette ... Angelique
John Napier ... Lt. Cartwright, USS Sailfin Executive Officer
Simon Scott ... Captain of Submarine, USS Sailfin
Don Spruance ... Navigator
Ken Swofford ... Helmsman, Submarine USS Sailfin
An unkempt, scruffy Cary Grant plays an American ex-patriate during WWII who is running from civilization, but is recruited into the coast watcher service against his will by Commander Frank Houghton (Trevor Howard)of the Royal Australian Navy with promises of whisky as a bribe. While on an island radioing aircraft and ship traffic, he is induced to take a teacher (Leslie Caron) and her girl charges into his custody. Japanese forces are a constant threat, as well as the danger of snakebite, for which Cary Grant maintains a supply of snakebite remedy. Of course, it is suspected that he also carries a supply of snakes for the same purpose.
This is one of the last movies that Grant made. Two years after it was made, he retired from the movie industry.
The usually dapper, suave Grant, was out of character in this part: unshaven, scruffy, and a drunkard. It was a refreshing part for him, and he played it superbly.
It is a thoroughly entertaining film.
Joseph (Joe) Pierre
Great Product
This movie is just as funny as when I first saw it as a kid.
Very funny one-liners: "How do know it's a she?" "Because it's mouth is open, now be quiet!"...
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A scruffy Cary Grant? But it works. Bigtime.
We're used to seeing Grant in a tuxedo carrying a martini glass--when you think "debonair", the picture that goes with that word is that of Cary Grant. I heard somewher that he was on a short list of candidates to play James Bond in "Dr. No" before they settled on Connery. In this film, to say Grant "dresses down" is putting it mildly--as he plays a former college professor turned beachcomber who is caught lifting supplies from an Australian naval base during WW II and drafted into their coastwatcher corps to stay out of prison. Leslie Caron figures in as a governess of a group of young daughters of diplomatic personnel who are stranded on a fellow coastwatcher's island, but now that Grant's colleague has been killed in a strafing run, Grant's their new host. Grant hardly feels like a host, and the negative chemistry between him and Caron makes for quite a few laughs. But in my opinion, one of the biggest yucks in this film is a sight/ sound gag early on. After Grant is loaded up with supplies at the base (now voluntarily), he shoves off. The base's exec expresses his doubts that the commander (Trevor Howard) can trust Grant not to take the provisions and run. Howard pooh-poohs his subordinate's worries. The next scene shows Grant steaming along liesurely to a woodwind version of the film's theme "Pass Me By" on the soundtrack. The music shifts to a Sousa-esque brass band version of the tune as the camera shifts to a huge gunboat rumbling along in Grant's wake. Absolutely great! And then some....
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Father Goose, lots of laughs!
A great depiction of its time an excellent Cary Grant movie. If you haven't seen it, it's a must!...
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Cary Grant driven mad by Leslie Carron
Cary Grant plays an American drifter in the Pacific during WW2, who is blakcmailed by Australian Naval officer Trevor Howard into staying on a small island to keep a lookout for Japanese (Howard rams Grant's boat to make sure he can't get away from the island). His peaceful island existence is disrupted when he has to accomodate a French diplomat's daughter (Leslie Carron) and the seven little girls in her charge. Carron is an insufferable prig who forces Grant to give up his hut to accomodate them, and to add insult to injury hides his supply of whiskey. There is a charming scene where, after he has saved the life of one little girl when Japanese land on the island, she shows him where the whiskey is. From then on the girls become friends with Grant, and even the self-righteous Carron unbends a bit and becomes less obnoxious. Then he teaches Carron to catch fish by hand, and as he is fondling her in the water, they start to smoulder at each other, and you probably can guess where it goes from there. The girls are all very good,particularly 'Harry', who is inseperable from her cricket bat. This is a very funny film,though Carron is infuriating through a lot of it. Personally I think it would have been better if Grant had - oh well, perhaps I'd better not finish that thought, it's very politically incorrect....
This is one of the best "classic" movies ever! Both my husband and I
love this movie....
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Charming movie
My husband and I both enjoyed this charming movie very much, very entertaining, lots of humour. There were some glitches in the script, but we forgave that. We enjoyed it very much. AND it was not at all dated....
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One of Cary's best
Even though Cary Grant stepped away from playing the suave, sophisticated man, in this movie, Father Goose, you can't take the charm and sophistication out of him. He does a wonderful job as Walter Eckland, a scruffy, ex-professor who just wants to live freely and without responsibility. There is a certain electricity between Grant and Carron in this movie. It's an excellent, yet eccentric, love story that is a must for any classic collection....
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Cary Grant's Last Great Film
If you love Cary Grant you should go wild over this movie, where he spends most of his time in a grisly half-beard and scruffy clothes. It was his last great movie.
Grant, playing against type, ends up helping the U.S. in World War II by being a spotter on a Pacific island. Who else could capture the screen time so well when being all alone on the island (maybe Tom Hanks, since he did it too?). When Grant meets Caron and the little girls it turns into a hilarious battle. The ending has some suspense before it all ends happily ever after.
A great movie for Grant fans. Too bad he didn't end with this one instead of going on to make Walk, Don't Run as his final film!...
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Cary Grant Out Of A Tuxedo
Cary Grant stars as an ex-professor who has sought refuge (and isolation) in the South Pacific while World War Two rages around him. He is forced to volunteer as a lookout on a remote island, which instead of being invaded by the Japanese, becomes overrun by seven schoolgirls and their teacher Leslie Caron, survivors of a plane crash. Although charming is usually the word used to describe the typical Cary Grant character, it doesn't work in this film. The gruff and frustrating Grant wants nothing to do with the girls or their stubborn teacher, but it's a small island and they're hard to avoid. Grant and Caron work very well together in this blend of comedy and some action. It's a change of pace for both, and they acquit themselves nicely with a good chemistry and sense of character. Grant also has a number of terrific moments with Trevor Howard, his military contact via the radio. Directed with a light touch by Ralph Nelson, he wisely lets Grant do his thing and let's the script speak for itself. It's good to see Cary Grant out of a tuxedo for a change, and it's great to see a comedy that comes from character and situation, rather than put-down one-liners....
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Great Movie
Our entire family loves to watch this movie over and over again. So glad we could get a copy on DVD!...
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Father Goose
Cary Grant is cast as Walter Eckland in this very funny classic comedy. His normal sexy leading man characteristics are downplayed to let his comedic genius shine through. He stars opposite Leslie Caron cast as Catherine Freneau. They are an accident waiting for a place to happen at their first meeting, and it just gets worse from there. Walter is bribed and threatened into service as a watcher in WWII. Catherine is a diplomat's daughter given the responsibility of escorting several school children into a safer area. When they are all stranded together, the hilarity, and battle of the sexes begins.
This is one of my favorite comedies, and one of Cary Grant's last movies. No one does it like he does. A great film that the entire family can enjoy together.
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"Is it getting hot in here?"
One of the immortal Cary Grant's last films, this particular one is a romantic, witty little gem. Well-scripted, well-acted, and full of really weird humor, this is one to treasure.
Walter Eckland has no intention of getting himself involved in World War II -- no intention, that is, until he is "drafted" into service to the Allies. Basically he needs to keep an eye open for the Japanese. He reluctantly obeys, but his mission suddenly takes a weird turn when he rescues a slew of civilians: the prim, devious schoolteacher Miss Freneau, and her seven little girl charges. Before Eckland knows what's happening, they've taken over his little house, his clothes, his food -- and his whisky. (It's the last one that really makes him nuts) To his horror, they won't be picked up for at least three weeks.
An extended, very witty battle of the sexes takes place, as Miss Freneau dodges and weaves around Eckland, and Eckland tries to retain some mastery over his domain. But a series of crises (comical and serious) force Eckland and Freneau not only to deal with the Japanese, but also with each other.
Cary Grant shows more of his versatility in this film, since his comical talents are usually passed by in favor of his rugged sexiness. That sexiness is buried in this one, under the scraggliness of a beachcomber who is rebelling against the world with alcohol. Revelations about his past are somehow quite appropriate; as a character in another of Grant's movies said, "you have unexpected depth."
Leslie Caron, whom I had previously seen only in "Gigi," is also in rare form here. She makes Miss Freneau both sympathetic and mildly repressed, with a dry wit and a very devious mind. She also manages one of the funniest scenes I have ever seen in a movie, where Miss Freneau gets drunk after being bitten by a snake. Her acrobatics ("Ooooooh, is it getting hot in here?"), weird confessions ("I'm a picture straightener!") and the occasional lapse into insanity ("Tell me, I want to know, what did my blood taste like?") are too funny for words.
Other highlights include the chaplain and the accordian player, and the delightfully deadpan Trevor Howard as a Navy commander who's not afraid to play dirty. The writing is excellent; the mutual realizations by Freneau and Eckland may seem a little hasty and contrived, but that can be easily passed by.
This is fine to watch with the kiddies -- there is virtually no profanity, no smut, a little non-bloody violence, and children will probably enjoy the antics of the seven little girls (such as the of-repeated whine "I wanna go home!"). There is one scene of drunkenness, however, and we are treated to sly indicators of more mature material ("he... he made a GESTURE, sir!" "Oooh, he called the captain a dirty name"). The little girls themselves are remarkably well-acted by believable child actors, except for the oldest one. One particular highlight is the little girl who keeps biting Eckland's hand.
Recommended especially for romantic comedy fans, and for fans of Caron and Grant. Or simply watch if you're in the mood for fun....
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A WONDERFUL COMEDY!
I am deffinatly not the type of person to watch old movies. I don't likE them and find them irritating but when I saw Father Goose I all but busted a gut laughing. This movie truly is a wonderful comedy with a hint of romance and action! This movie is perfect for parents and kids to watch together....
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Classic Carey Grant movie
I loved this movie! I saw it as a kid when I was 12 or so and it was the first Carey Grant movie I saw. Only later as an adult did I get the humor of that scene with him teaching her how "to fish." That was a riot!
Love this movie, it's a comedy classic....
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Father Goose: The Filthy Beast ! !
I recently watched this wonderfully funny movie "Father Goose". Aside from the fact that I love Carey Grant, this movie is a comedic classic. Anyone who wants to sit down with the family and really enjoy a home-night-at-the-movies, should get this movie. To say I loved it, is an understatement. Buy it, rent it, but see it soon. ...
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A movie the whole family can enjoy....
This was the first film my parents took me to see as a kid. It was funny to me then and it still makes me laugh today. Cary Grant plays this boozed up guy just kicking back on a South Pacific Island during WWII. He reluctantly signs on as a lookout for the allies watching for the enemy. He answers a distress call which turns out to be Leslie Caron and her 7 girl students. What happens next is fun and entertainment for all to enjoy--a great romantic comedy and probably one of Grant's funniest. I believe the scene where Grant teaches Leslie Caron how to fish with her bear hands was the first "wet t-shirt" scene, tastefully done. A classic romantic comedy. This 1964 film won an Academy Award for Best Story and Best Screenplay. ...
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Excellent!
I'm not sure of anyone I've ever known, or of any personality type who was not or would not be entertained by this movie....
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The other side of Cary Grant
One of Cary Grant and Trevor Howard's later films, Father Goose draws on Grant's darker comedic side, casting him as a drunken, societal drop-out forced into supporting the allied war effort in WW-II. The brilliant chicanery that Trevor Howard must use to enlist Grant's support is hilarious. Grant is cast opposite a much younger Leslie Caron, who must deal with young children she is responsible for and Grant's curmudgeonly demeanor. Wildly funny in many places, this could be considered one of Grant's best comedic performances....
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No goose eggs here
It's never a sure thing that old films will age well. If they reflect their era's obsolete mores too well, they will miss the eternal themes that make movies watchable forever. "Father Goose," the 1964 collaboration of Cary Grant and Leslie Caron, is one film that ages well, if not absolutely perfectly.
The film is set in the South Pacific during World War II. Grant plays Walter Eckland, a harmless misanthrope who is doing his best to stay out of the war. He is happy to tool around in his boat and drink whiskey all day. But the world starts to crowd in on him, first in the person of Commander Frank Houghton, the bemused and bandy-legged commodore of a British destroyer intent on getting Eckland involved in the fight against the Japanese. Then there is Caron and her charge of young girls, the daughters of diplomats assigned to the South Pacific. The cast is superb and the humor still fresh. There's just enough of an element of danger (from a Japanese patrol boat and planes) to keep everyone on their toes. There's plenty of good-natured grumpiness and sparks between Grant and Caron to make their relationship interesting. Even the controversy about Grant's sexual orientation do not take away from the masculine attractiveness that was his stock-in-trade. The only plot device that hasn't survived is Eckland's overreliance (and how!) on whiskey. Oh, and a few face slaps that he and Caron administer to each other. Alcoholism and domestic abuse have (mostly) lost their use as a comic devices in the last 40-odd years.
Still, "Father Goose" is decent, humorous and generally harmless. Very enjoyable on its own merits and to watch Grant in a classic role...
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Walter like the drink his booze
And he is messy, he is not neat and tidy and clean like Madine and six girls. But they are all stuck on the island togrther....
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A great relaxing movie
A sweet and simple gem of a movie, fun for all ages. It is nice to be able to share such movies with children and not worry about negative images. It is set in WW2 and involves a beachcomber and a teacher with 7 charges. ...
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Fancy and Reality play well together
Essentially a comedy FATHER GOOSE dabbles into some of the realities of World War II in the South Pacific. Credit for this can be given to Cary Grant's surly yet sophisticated approach to this type of role and Ralph Nelson's direction which uses comedy as a canvas to spin his tale tinged with the realities and frailties that are encountered in life's many challenges not to mention relationships. I could not help but think as I watched this film that Cary Grant really stood his ground as an actor because the seven little girls really could have stole this picture away from most adult actors. Leslie Caron is also good as she brings a sense of level headed femininity to counter Cary Grant's gruff response to having his solitude encroached on by "civilization" and all that implies. This is an enjoyable film....
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Love the movie-the DVD quality should be better
It's a Carey Grant movie-love it. I am disappointed that it was not re-mastered. I have a Blu-ray player and Samsung LCD TV with 7.1 surround system. The system automatically resizes for best quality. Which for me means the picture is not widescreen. The sound is not digital quality either. Given the option of watching on a VCR or this DVD-I would still pick the DVD. A little disappointed in the quality....
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Father Goose
This movie is Cary Grant at his comedic best. He and Leslie Caron are perfect foils for each other. Grant is the reluctant hero who rescues Caron and seven daughters of diplomats she is in charge of during WWII. Grant is a coast watcher for the allies. They are the only people on an island and are trying to avoid detection by the Japanese, who of course want to eliminate anyone who can report their movements. They interplay between Grant and the eight females is hilarious. This is a movie the whole family will enjoy watching together....
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Classic romantic comedy
This movie is one of our favorites, and we have watched it dozens of times over the years. Although the story line takes place during World War II, this is definitely NOT a war movie! Rather, Cary Grant and Leslie Caron are complete opposites who meet on an enemy plane-watching Pacific island and what follows is just plain funny. Trevor Howard is also great in this movie, his banter with and tricks on Cary Grant are dry humor at its best. Throw in a bunch of diplomatic school girls, an enemy excursion to the island, and the final denoument, and you have all the makings of a great movie. Get ready to meet "Goody-Two Shoes and the Filthy Beast"! This movie is a true classic and will never get old....
To Cary, Or Not To Cary, What Will I Grant.
This is Cary Grant at his best, he is about the most virsital
actor in his time. and when he did Father Goose he realy did it
good. The show is fun. humorous, and has a great story line.
I put this movie in with my all time favorites. and a must to see. get the popcorn ready and get the kids set down and enjoy the show. My kids loved it as a family tridition, they watched it many times. I promise you will enjoy it too....
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Which fashion designer lives and works from her home at the Fashion Museum in Bermondsey? | My Home: Zandra Rhodes, fashion designer | The Independent
My Home: Zandra Rhodes, fashion designer
There's no room for wishy-washy minimalism in the south London home of fashion designer Zandra Rhodes
Wednesday 8 February 2006 00:00 BST
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My Home: Zandra Rhodes, fashion designer
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The fashion designer Zandra Rhodes lives and works from her home at the Fashion Museum in Bermondsey.
he inspiration for the design of my home came from California. I was in San Diego with my partner, Sal, who I live together with part of the year. While I was there we paid a visit to his lawyer's house, which left me utterly amazed. His home was incredibly beautiful. Everything was brightly coloured and open-plan with lots of glass. It had been designed by the Mexican architect Riccardo Legorreta. I knew instantly that he was the man I wanted to design my home.
Mine is now the only house Riccardo has ever designed in Europe, and it's recently been nominated for a civic award. It stands out a mile, since it is bright pink (my trademark colour) in a very grey traditional London street.
When I bought my house in 1995, I had to sell all my other properties to finance it. At the time, I had my home in Notting Hill - where I had lived for more than 20 years - my factory in Hammersmith and my office building in Paddington. But since my new building was a former cash-and-carry warehouse over five floors, it was big enough to accommodate me.
When my staff and I moved in, we had a terribly hand-to-mouth existence. As it had previously been a warehouse, it took a long time to renovate. Initially, I didn't have much money to do the work I wanted to. Instead we had to adapt: the old gents' toilets became a makeshift laundry, and the ladies' became our bathroom.
The first thing I did was to paint the interior all the colours of the rainbow. I went around with a chalk and marked where each colour should go. The next step was moving in my beloved artworks. I have a number of paintings by Dougie Fields, and as my penthouse and living quarters are at the very top of the house, I had to get them hoisted up by a crane. I also have a collection of ceramics by Kate Malone and Carol McNicol, which are hung around the house.
Gradually it has taken shape, but there is still a great deal to do and it is really still a work in progress. My favourite room is the penthouse. The views are amazing: I can see London Bridge, Norman Foster's Gherkin and, on a good day, the whole of the east London skyline. The top floors have wonderful light and when I am away, a friend often uses the space to teach yoga classes: it's an ideal place for worshipping the sun.
I love my home, mainly because I'm surrounded by beautiful objects, many of which are by friends, and others which are pieces I have designed myself. One of my favourite pieces is a table I designed in 1969 when I was teaching. It is made of Perspex and has little Zs hanging from the edges.
I love entertaining, and cooking is the one thing that relaxes me and enables me to switch off from my work completely. Upstairs, next to the kitchen, I have a large leather banquette; it's a very sociable area. I recently threw a 60th birthday party for the jewellery designer Andrew Logan, and had 40 people over for dinner, which was great fun. Andrew has designed many pieces in my home, including a fabulous golden throne and a glass chandelier with Z-shaped droplets cascading down from it. He has such a bold style, which I love.
Living and working in the same space does have advantages, but the most obvious problem is that you can never really escape. One place where I find it very easy to relax in the summer is my garden.
It's a really beautiful suntrap, with 40-year-old camellias which I moved from my garden in Notting Hill. I also have a huge polystyrene gold Buddha that was given to me after a party at Aspinalls. I love fresh flowers, but I am not here often enough to ensure that they are changed frequently, so I have to rely upon the dried option.
If I could have any luxury for my home, it would be to have more time and labour. Everything is unfinished. If someone came to me and said, "You can have these three very intelligent builders, who will do any work you like for the next six months - and for free," then I might actually be able to get my house finished. Even my bedroom is unfinished. It is painted with the most beautiful flowers: I printed huge lilac and pink roses on to a silk screen and transferred them on to the walls.
What I love most about my home is the light and space, as well as the fact that I have had a free rein in the design and the colour. I could never live in a plain white house; colour inspires me. It's also a wonderful luxury to have my own living fashion museum downstairs. My only worry is that there will never be enough time for me to complete my house. I am a perfectionist, and everything always takes more time when you demand perfection. But I will get there in the end.
The Fashion and Textile Museum, Bermondsey St, London SE1 (020-7407 8664)
| Zandra Rhodes |
The Aysgarth Falls can be found in which English National Park? | Bermondsey - Hidden London
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Bermondsey, Southwark
A densely developed – and developing – district, occupying a broad swathe of inner south-east London between Tower Bridge and the Old Kent Road
Bermondsey antiques market
Bermondsey’s Old English name meant ‘Beornmund’s island’ and points to its genesis on habitable ground amid the marshes. Evidence has been found of Roman and Saxon occupation. The dominant institution until the Reformation was St Saviour’s Monastery – Bermondsey Abbey – which was founded for the Cluniac order by merchant Aylwin Child in 1089 on a site to the south of Tower Bridge. Nearby St Mary Magdalene’s was built as a parochial church in the 14th century and rebuilt in 1680.
Bermondsey’s plentiful supply of water and strong links with the City of London favoured the growth of its leather industry, with tannery pits dotting the area. Thomas Keyse’s discovery of a spa in 1770 created a fashionable resort but its popularity was short-lived, the spa closing in 1804.
Another side to the area was starkly embodied by Jacob’s Island, a riverside slum depicted by Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist. The island lay east of St Saviours Dock and south of Bermondsey Wall, where the now-hidden River Neckinger enters the Thames.
Bermondsey’s growth was encouraged by the opening of the capital’s first passenger railway, from Spa Road to Deptford , in 1836; it was soon extended from London Bridge to Greenwich.
The borough’s population grew rapidly from 27,465 in 1851 to 136,660 in 1891. Southwark Park Road developed into its main shopping street and Southwark Park its only significant open space. The continuing importance of the leather trade was illustrated by the building of the Leather Market on Weston Street in 1833 and the ornate Leather, Hide and Wool Exchange on the corner of Leathermarket Street in the late 1870s, when St Crispin’s Church was dedicated to the patron saint of leather and shoes.
The Bermondsey wharves brought food processing as an industrial spin-off, and Hartley’s Jams established a factory on Rothsay Street. The living conditions of the urban poor inspired the work of the philanthropist and MP Alfred Salter, whose wife Ada became mayor of Bermondsey in 1922. She and her fellow councillors were active in replacing slums with ‘modern’ tenements, planting trees and turning open spaces into playgrounds. The area suffered greatly in the Second World War and post-war rebuilding did not treat it kindly. Industries such as leather died away but the Leather Market and the neighbouring Exchange were saved from demolition in 1993 and converted into workspaces.
The regeneration of the warehouses to the east of Tower Bridge at Shad Thames has brought the Design Museum and other attractions. The fashion designer and Bermondsey resident Zandra Rhodes established the Fashion and Textile Museum at 83 Bermondsey Street. Dozens of bric-à-brac stalls operate at the Friday morning antiques market in Bermondsey Square . There are also warehouse-based antiques dealers in Bermondsey Street and Tower Bridge Road.
Postal districts: SE16; SE1
| i don't know |
By what other name is the Green Cormorant known? | Cormorant family Phalacrocoracidae
a web page by Don Roberson
36 species worldwide
DR personal total: 20 species (55%), 19 photo'd
The Cormorants are a fairly large family of fisheaters residing along freshwater and saltwater shores around the world, yet all are so closely related that all are usually placed within a single genus Phalacrocorax. Despite spending much time in the water, they do not possess the waterproofing oil of other seabirds and so must spend much time drying their wings. That's what the Crowned Cormorant at Cape Town, South Africa, is doing (left).
Cormorants are found almost everywhere that water meets shore. They use traditional sites for roosting, sunning, and nesting. These tend to be on islets, jetties, docks, or drowned trees with a 360 degree view to avoid predators. Cormorants are often easy to see, but they can be quite difficult to approach.
Their hooked bills and bare pouches have evolved to deal with fish; details can be seen on this close-up of the head of Neotropic Cormorant (right), a photo I took out the car window in the Brazilian Pantanal where this species is abundant.
As an aside, the Neotropic Cormorant used to be known as "Olivaceous Cormorant P. olivaceus" but recent research (Browning 1989) showed that the earlier-described brasilianus was this species, and Neotropic Cormorant defines the species' range quite well. The 7th ed. A.O.U. checklist (1998) accepts these changes, although Orta (1992) didn't approve.
Where I live in Monterey, California, our common coastal species is Brandt's Cormorant, which has taken over the jetty of the harbor as a breeding locale within the last decade (below). These rocks were once claimed by sea-lions (and still are in winter) but now, in spring, the cormorants are king of the jetty.
Although rather a plain bird most of the year, the adult Brandt's Cormorant in breeding condition (left) is very impressive in its breeding finery (white plumes on the head) and exotic displays with the colorful throat pouch (left). Here on the central coast of California, the displays are underway in March-April; eggs are laid in April-May; and youngsters are in the nest June-July (Bailey 1993).
The timing of breeding is tied to lattitude and prey populations. Colonies in southern California are a month earlier; those to the north can be a month later to initiate (Ainley & Boekelheide 1990).
The bright colors of bare skin in courting adults are quickly lost when the eggs are laid and there is no more pressure to attract mates. By the time the eggs hatch, adults are quite cull (right) The new youngsters are very ungainly and almost reptilian. It will take six weeks for them to grow to full size and fledge.
This species — as are other cormorants around the world — is very susceptible to highs and lows in breeding success, depending on sea surface temperatures and the abundance of their piscine prey. In 'warm water' years, when the prey base can completely collapses and there is nothing to feed the young, the entire nesting colony can be abandoned at mid-season (Ainley & Boekelheide 1990).
Brandt's are also particularly susceptible to calamities such as oil spills, as they tend to breed in large colonies at few sites. Placing all their eggs in just a few such baskets, if you will, can be tragic if the oil spill is nearby.
Clumsy on land, cormorants form colonies that are safe from mammalian predators. These can be offshore islets or jetties, but some build nests (or use old heron nests) in bare dead trees in water or perched on inaccessible cliffs. A colony of Pied Cormorants in New Zealand is shown (below); the North American Double-crested Cormorant (left) does the same.
Speaking of Double-crested Cormorant, it is among the most misnamed species in English, as its "double crest" of black-and-white wisps is present only during a transient time during the breeding season (above left), when the pouch and eye color also intensify.
Another badly misnamed species, both in English and in its Latin scientific name, is Pelagic Cormorant P. pelagicus (left) of the northeast Pacific. While it breeds on oceanic shores, it almost never ventures more than a mile offshore. It is actually the least "pelagic" of the three species on Monterey Bay — Brandt's and Double-crested are regularly seen farther offshore.
Pelagic Cormorant does have a lovely purple and green gloss on its feathers, especially apparent in breeding season, when it also also a blazing white flank patch. Like many other cormorants, the bare facial colors intensify at this season. In the spring, the face of an adult Pelagic Cormorant is an intensely bright, deep red. It is very dull reddish the rest of the year.
As cormorants use traditional breeding and roosting sites, their droppings layer up, staining the rocks year after years. In dry areas where rain does not regularly wash the rocks, such as on the islets of the coast of Peru, this guano [the Quechua word for excrement] has built up for 2000 years. This guano is rich is nitrates and during the 19th century there was a major demand for the guano for fertilizer. From 1948–1875 some 20 million tons (!) were exported from the guano islands of Peru to the U.S. and Europe (Orta 1992). The predominant cormorant here, named for this phenomena, is Guanay Cormorant (right). The occur along the Peruvian coast is vast numbers during normal upwelling times, but populations are decimated and dispersed during major El Niños. The three species shown below include two tropical species — Little Pied Cormorant (left) of Australasia and the "white-breasted" race of Great Cormorant of tropical Africa (right) — flanking a nest of Antarctic Shag (center; photo by Greg Lasley).
Some older African books consider the white-breasted race lucidus to be a separate species, but more modern texts tend to lump it with the worldwide Great Cormorant P. carbo (e.g., AOU 1998). But it is the southern shags — especially the "blue-eyed shags" of which the Antarctic is usually considered one of 3–4 species — where there is most debate about species-level taxonomy. There are separate populations on many subantarctic islands — such as Heard, Crozet, Kerguelen — that are usually considered subspecies of Imperial Shag P. atriceps. Orta (1992) splits them all. Other questions arise about allopatric island populations in and south of New Zealand. We can expect more research on these topics in the future.
Photos: The sunning Crowned Cormorant Phalacrocorax coronatus was at Cape Town, South Africa, on 1 July 2005 The close-up of Neotropic Cormorant P. brasilianus was taken in the Brazilian Pantanal in August 1999. Scenes and individual Brandt's Coromant P. penicillatus were at Monterey, California, in March (courtship) & July (nestlings) 2006. The Double-crested Cormorant P. auritus was at Monterey in May 2008. The colonial Pied Cormorants P. varius were at Helena Bay, North I., New Zealand, in Dec 1997. The flying Guanay Cormorant P. bouganvillii was just off the Paracas Peninsula, Peru, on 12 June 1987. The Little Pied Cormorant P. melanoleucos was near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, in Sep 1983. Greg Lasley photographed the nesting Antarctic Shag P. bransfieldensis on the Peteman Is., Antarctica, on 20 Jan 1999. The Great ("White-breasted") Cormorant P. carbo lucidus was on Lake Nakuru, Kenya, on 17 Nov 1981. All photos © D. Roberson except the shag, © Greg W. Lasley and used with permission; all rights reserved.
Bibliographic note: There is no "family book" per se of which I'm aware (there are numerous coffee-table "survey" books that include cormorants among other waterbirds), but a good introduction to the family, with a fine collection of color photos, is in Orta (1992).
Literature cited:
Ainley, D.G., and R.J. Boekelheide, eds. 1990. Seabirds of the Farallon Islands. Stanford Univ. Press, Palo Alto CA
American Ornithologists' Union. 1998. Check-list of North American Birds. 7th ed. A.O.U., Washington, D.C.
Bailey, S.F. 1993. "Brandt's Cormorant," pp. 54-55 & 63 in Roberson, D., and C. Tenney, eds., Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Monterey County, California. Monterey Pen. Audubon Soc., Carmel CA.
Browning, M. R. 1989. The correct name for the Olivaceous Cormorant, "Maiague" of Piso (1658). Wilson Bull. 101: 101-106.
Orta, J. 1992. Family Phalacrocoracidae (Cormorants) in del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., & Sargatal, J., eds. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona.
| Carolina shag |
On which motorway is the Corley Service Area? | New Zealand Birds | Birds | Gallery | Kawau, the black shag, Phalocrocorax carbo
Kawau, the black shag
“Vilified, condemned, outlawed, and with a price on its head, the shag stands as the declared enemy of mankind. Its chief crime is that it has transgressed the law that any animal that comes into competition for food with man has no right to live, a crime that is held to deserve nothing less than indiscriminate persecution.” So wrote the ornithologist, WRB Oliver, in 1930 in a passionate protest against the bounty the New Zealand Acclimatisation Societies, the forerunners of the Fish & Game Councils, paid for each shag killed. Between 1890 and 1940 many colonies were exterminated because it was thought they were eating trout which, incidentally, were introduced into New Zealand. And even now, during the duck shooting season, they are still subject to persecution by hunters who do not realise they are now protected.
In evaluating the impact of cormorants on fish populations, it is important to distinguish between perception and reality. The perception of most people upon seeing a flock of shags feeding is that they are eating valuable sport fish that would otherwise be available to recreational anglers. The reality — confirmed by several scientific investigations — is that in most natural situations they have a relatively minor impact on commercial or sport fish populations. A 1996 study conducted by Margaret Fowle of the University of Vermont revealed that small yellow perch, rather than more prized catches, make up over 80% of the cormorant diet of about a pound of fish per day.
The black or great shag, is a cosmopolitan species and is distributed widely from eastern North America, Greenland, Iceland, across Europe and Asia, Africa and Australasia.
The great cormorant is the bird which since ancient times in China, were tamed and trained to catch and bring back fish to their owners, just as falcons were used to catch game in midair or on land. Sometimes they were completely domesticated, their eggs hatched under hens, and the young fed by hand on chopped eel and other fish. Training started when they were fully grown and feathered. One would be tied by a string to a stake at the water’s edge. At a whistle signal it was pushed into the water and tossed a bit of fish. Then, after a different whistle, it was pulled back and rewarded again. As soon as the bird got the idea, live fish were used. Then it was graduated to a boat or raft and a string tied around its neck so that it couldn’t swallow the fish it caught. With several of these trained birds, a Chinese fisherman was in business.
The Japanese also use the great cormorant for sport fishing and, in Elizabethan England, the Master of the Cormorants was a member of the royal household.
Of the world's 36 species of shag 12 are found in New Zealand and 8 of these are endemic. Members of the shag family belong to three groups based on the colour of their feet: black, yellow or pink. The term shag seems to have come about in reference to the crest on the head of some species.
Outside New Zealand, the black-footed shags are better known as cormorants. According to Schuckard, the names "cormorant" and "shag" were originally the common names of the two species of the family found in Great Britain, the Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo and the European Shag, P. aristotelis. "Shag" refers to the bird's crest, which the British forms of the Great Cormorant lack but the same species is called the Black Shag in New Zealand where it has a small crest on upper nape and neck. Despite this confusion, taxonomists still propose to divide the family into two genera with the name "Cormorant" and "Shag". The proposed division into subfamily Phalacrocoracinae "cormorants" and Leucocarboninae "shags" does indeed have some degree of merit although the entire family cannot be clearly divided at present beyond the super species or species-complex level. Several evolutionary groups are still recognizable, but a great deal of convergent evolution, such as cliff shags, is complicating matters. The resolution provided by the mtDNA is not sufficient to properly resolve several groups to satisfaction. In addition, many species remain unsampled for DNA, the fossil record has not been integrated in the data, and the effects of hybridization, known in some Pacific species, on the DNA sequence data, are unstudied.
According to Elsdon Best, Maori considered the shag to be the offspring of Terepunga. They were noted for their straight, unswerving flight and there are many sayings referring to this. They were not an important food supply but were occasionally eaten. Shaggeries in trees or on cliffs were visited to take the young before they could fly. These shaggeries were known by special names and were often given as evidence of occupation in the Land Court.
Taxonomy
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