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<title>Visit Heritage</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk</link>
<description>Visit Heritage Blog</description>
<language>en-GB</language>
<pubDate>Thu, 24 Apr 2025 09:49:47 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Victorian Easter traditions to try</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/04/victorian-easter-traditions-to-try-b419</link>
<description>The Easter holidays will be here before you know it, so why not get prepared by trying out some of these Victorian Easter traditions.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Easter holidays will be here before you know it, so why not get prepared by trying out some of these Victorian Easter traditions.</p>
<h2>Decorate with floral arrangements</h2>
<p>These days decorating your home for Easter isn’t everyone’s first priority, but in the Victorian era it was the done thing. Easter is the holiest day in the Christian calendar as it marks Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and during Victoria’s reign, there was a focus on being prudent and pious, so it makes sense that decorating for the holiest day was important. Homes would have been decorated with elaborate floral arrangements featuring lilies, tulips, pansies and lilacs. These arrangements were also used in churches, with lace and beadwork created to cover tables and shelves.</p>
<h2>Make hot cross buns</h2>
<p>From around January onwards, you’ll find a wide variety of flavoured hot cross buns in the supermarket, but they were incredibly popular in the Victorian era as a post Lent treat, traditionally eaten on Good Friday. A traditional hot cross bun contained raisins, mixed spices and candied peel, with a cross on the top made of almond paste or short crust pastry.</p>
<h2>Eat simnel cake</h2>
<p>While we’re on the subject of treats, simnel cake is also a traditional celebration cake from the Victorian era. It is a light fruit cake with a marzipan layer in the middle and a marzipan layer on the top that is decorated with balls to represent the disciples. Like many of our traditions, the simnel cake originated in Germany and came to England via the Hanovarian monarchs and Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria.</p>
<h2>Painting eggs</h2>
<p>Another German tradition that was adopted in England during the Victorian era is the painting of eggs. Children would dye eggs using cranberries, beets, oranges and lemon peel and then would participate in both egg rolling and egg hunts and the winner would receive a prize.</p>
<h2>Eat a feast</h2>
<p>Easter was a festival after all and the Victorians loved their feast days. Ham or lamb was served as a treat on Easter Sunday – they would also use the eggs from the decorations and hunts so they won’t go to waste.</p>
<h2>Debutante balls</h2>
<p>As you will have seen from shows like Bridgerton, in the Georgian and Victorian era young ladies from good families had their debut in society by appearing at a Debutante Ball. Easter marks the start of the social season, so the first Debutante Balls of the season usually took place around Easter. These events have rather fallen out of fashion, which is good for the young ladies who now have a bit more freedom over who they choose to marry!</p>
<h2>Send Easter cards</h2>
<p>Something a little easier to do is the sending of Easter cards – much like Christmas cards, these were bright coloured and featured lambs, bunnies and eggs and seasonal greetings.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/04/victorian-easter-traditions-to-try-b419#comments419</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 08 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Celebrating influential women this Women’s History Month</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/03/celebrating-influential-women-this-womens-history-month-b418</link>
<description>The month of March is Women’s History Month – a celebration of the achievements of women throughout history. To mark the occasion, here are some of Britian’s incredible women and the amazing things that they achieved in their lifetimes.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The month of March is Women’s History Month – a celebration of the achievements of women throughout history. To mark the occasion, here are some of Britian’s incredible women and the amazing things that they achieved in their lifetimes.</p>
<h2>Eleanor de Montfort</h2>
<p>Eleanor de Montfort was born in 1215 and like many women of the time, found herself married off. However, unlike her peers, she cannot be described as the meek, submissive wife that many were labelled as. She was rebel and had an influential role in a civil war.</p>
<p>Her second husband, Simon de Montfort, became England’s de facto ruler during the Second Baron’s War when both Henry III and the future Edward I were captured. This didn’t last long though, when Edward escaped, both Eleanor’s husband and eldest son were killed in battle, leaving her living at Dover Castle and in a very vulnerable position. Rather than surrender, she held the castle against the king and his forces. Eventually the royal forces won, but Eleanor ended up negotiating a successful settlement, which saw her household pardoned and she was exiled to France.</p>
<h2>Ada Lovelace</h2>
<p>Being the only legitimate child of Lord Byron makes her interesting as it is, but Ada Lovelace is also credited with being the world’s first computer programmer. She was a mathematician and worked with Charles Babbage on his analytical engine, the precursor of the modern computer. To this day, programmes created by Ada Lovelace are used in computing making her an incredibly influential woman to acknowledge this month.</p>
<h2>Rosalind Franklin</h2>
<p>Another amazing woman working in a scientific field – Rosalind Franklin’s research into DNA molecules helped scientists identify the structure of DNA. Sadly, she died of cancer in 1958, a few years before her colleagues won a Nobel Prize for their work and was largely removed from the story until fairly recently when her work was finally acknowledged.</p>
<h2>St Hilda</h2>
<p>So influential, she was made a saint! St Hilda was the abbess of Whitby, a monastery for men and women back in Anglo Saxon England. In 664, she hosted the Synod of Whitby, which set the course for the future of Christianity in England.</p>
<h2>Amy Johnson</h2>
<p>You will have no doubt heard of Amelia Earhart but have you heard of Amy Johnson? She flew solo from Croydon to Australia in a second hand De Havilland Gipsy Moth and was the first woman to undertake such a journey. She went on to make and break many flight records and was the first British woman to qualify as a ground engineer.</p>
<h2>Eleanor Coade</h2>
<p>The second Eleanor on our list, this one lived during the Georgian era and was an entrepreneur at a time when it was virtually unheard of for women to do such a thing. She invented and manufactured a kind of high quality artificial stone and ran her own business making garden ornaments. Many items made from the material still exist today and were sold as far afield as South Africa! You can see some examples of her work at Chiswick House, Audley End House and Battle Abbey.</p>
<h2>Kitty Godfree</h2>
<p>For a long time, Kitty Godfree held the World Record for holding the most Olympic medals won at tennis. She made her debut at Wimbledon in 1919 and together with her husband, won the doubles in 1962. They remain the only married couple to have won the title. If being a tennis pro wasn’t enough, she was also an accomplished skater, golfer and cricketer and was also an Badminton champion!</p>
<p>Find out more about amazing women in history <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/womens-history">here.</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/03/celebrating-influential-women-this-womens-history-month-b418#comments418</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Facts about Valentine’s Day</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/02/facts-about-valentines-day-b417</link>
<description>We all think we know about Valentine’s Day – it’s a day of chocolate, cards and spoiling your special someone but the origins of the day goes a lot deeper than that. Here’s everything you need to know about St Valentine and why it became synonymous with love.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We all think we know about Valentine’s Day – it’s a day of chocolate, cards and spoiling your special someone but the origins of the day goes a lot deeper than that. Here’s everything you need to know about St Valentine and why it became synonymous with love.</p>
<h4>St Valentine wasn’t just one person</h4>
<p>Did you know there are actually two St Valentines? There’s St Valentine of Rome and St Valentine of Terni – both of them were martyred, but it’s not sure which of them is the inspiration for Valentine’s Day. St Valentine of Rome was a priest who defied Emperor Claudius II’s ban on soldiers getting married, conducting ceremonies in secret, so many believe the day is associated with him but there’s nothing to say for sure.</p>
<h4>Valentine’s Day isn’t just a Roman thing – it’s Pagan</h4>
<p>Valentine’s Day, like most of our holidays, has connections to Paganism. It originated as a festival of fertility that was celebrated on 15<sup>th</sup> February. Thankfully, though we kept a festival in the month of February, we left the actual celebrations behind. Pagans would celebrate the day by sacrificing animals and gently slapping each other with goat hides dipped in blood. Supposedly, this helped with fertility.</p>
<h4>It became a festival of love in the 1300s</h4>
<p>Valentine’s Day became part of the Christian calendar when Pope Gelasius outlawed the Pagan celebration that came before it. However, it wasn’t until the 1300s that it became associated with romance and moved to 14<sup>th</sup> February. For that, we can thank Chaucer who wrote a poem in 1375 which references St Valentine’s Day.</p>
<h4>What about Cupid?</h4>
<p>We know the stories of Cupid’s bow helping you fall in love but did you know that Cupid is older than Valentine’s Day? Cupid can be traced back to the ancient Greek myth of Eros, the God of Love. Over time, he was adopted by the Romans and became Cupid and then in around the 19<sup>th</sup> century, he became associated with Valentine’s Day.</p>
<h4>Valentine’s messages have been around for centuries</h4>
<p>According to historians, the oldest Valentine’s message on record dates back to 1415. It was written by the Duke of Orleans who wrote a love note to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London. A section of the letter read: I am already sick of love, my very gentle Valentine.”</p>
<h4>Mass produced Valentine’s cards began in the 1840s</h4>
<p>Valentine’s Day as we know it began in the 17<sup>th</sup> century when people started exchanging cards between lovers and friends. The first mass produced Valentine’s cards were introduced in the 1840s in America – Esther A Howland is credited with commercialising the holiday by selling romantic cards with lace and ribbons on.</p>
<h4>Giving flowers also began in the 17<sup>th</sup> century</h4>
<p>Giving flowers, specifically a rose was popularised by Lady Montagu, the wife of a British ambassador to Turkey. Though it is thought that she misunderstood the idea of “flower language” where specific flowers represent feelings and messages. But after her mistake, red roses became linked with romance.</p>
<h4>Cadbury invented Valentine’s chocolates</h4>
<p>You didn’t think it would be anyone else did you? Richard Cadbury, son of the Cadbury founder, John, started packaging chocolates in fancy boxes to increase sales. He introduced the first heart shaped box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day back in 1861.</p>
<h4>XOXO has been used to sign off letters for longer than you think</h4>
<p>The origins of XOXO stem from the Middle Ages – yep, that’s right, though it didn’t always mean hugs and kisses. Back then the X stood for a Christian cross and the O was an oath. It later came to mean sealed with a kiss and now is more commonly thought of as hugs and kisses.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/02/facts-about-valentines-day-b417#comments417</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Celebrate Yorkshire Dales Dark Skies Festival with Broughton Hall</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/02/celebrate-yorkshire-dales-dark-skies-festival-with-broughton-hall-b416</link>
<description>From 14 th – 19 th February, Broughton Hall becomes a celestial wonderland with amazing stargazing events, astronomy talks, solar meditation and nature walks to help connect you to the magic of the cosmos and enjoy the incredible night skies over the Yorkshire Dales.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>From 14<sup>th</sup> – 19<sup>th</sup> February, Broughton Hall becomes a celestial wonderland with amazing stargazing events, astronomy talks, solar meditation and nature walks to help connect you to the magic of the cosmos and enjoy the incredible night skies over the Yorkshire Dales.</p>
<p>The Yorkshire Dales is an international Dark Sky Reserve, so designated because of the lack of light pollution, making it easy to enjoy the night sky without having to use a telescope. From the Dales, you will be able to see planets, meteors and even the Northern Lights. The reserve covers the upper ends of Swaledale, Rawthey Valley, Garsdale, Littondale and Wharfedale, giving you plenty of places to enjoy the night sky.</p>
<p>Why not take part this year by booking a stay at Broughton Hall? It’s the perfect place for the opening celebrations. Guests can stay in a Broughton Sanctuary Holiday Home to fully immerse themselves in the festival atmosphere and enjoy the benefits of the night sky. It’s a great option for families looking for a unique half-term break. There are a host of events happening daily as part of the festival, including daily children’s activities and family-friendly events, including Solar System Wonders with Chris Higgins.</p>
<p>As well as the Dark Skies Festival, there are other half term activities to enjoy while at Broughton Hall. Parents can relax, while the kids can enjoy outdoor adventures with the Wild Explorers Kids’ Holiday Club and Teenage Camps, running throughout the week.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/02/celebrate-yorkshire-dales-dark-skies-festival-with-broughton-hall-b416#comments416</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Historical facts that proves time is wild!</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/01/historical-facts-that-proves-time-is-wild-b413</link>
<description>If you or someone around you has said the phrase: “I can’t believe its 2025” or something along the lines of how time moves, make sure to direct them to this. Here are some of history’s wild timeline coincidences that will show just how wild the passage of time is.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you or someone around you has said the phrase: “I can’t believe its 2025” or something along the lines of how time moves, make sure to direct them to this. Here are some of history’s wild time line coincidences that will show just how wild the passage of time is.</p>
<h4>Cleopatra lived nearer in time to the moon landing than the building of the pyramids of Giza</h4>
<p>Yep. You might think that Cleopatra, who died around 30 BC, is ancient history, but she was born more than 2000 years after Giza’s three main pyramids were finished. That means that she was alive closer to the moon landing in 1969 than she was to the iconic buildings of her country.</p>
<h4>Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire</h4>
<p>You no doubt already knew that Oxford is one of the oldest university in the known world, but did you know that it is older than the Aztec Empire? You might think that the Aztecs are ancient history, but the empire actually dates to around 1325, while Oxford University was accepting students in 1096. That means people were graduating before the Aztec Empire was established.</p>
<h4>Coca Cola is older than the Eiffel Tower</h4>
<p>By three years to be exact. De John Pemberton sold the first ever glass of Coca Cola at a pharmacy in Atlanta for 5 cents in 1886. Construction on the Eiffel Tower wasn’t completed until 1889, three years later!</p>
<h4>Wooly Mammoths still existed when the pyramids were being built</h4>
<p>We might assume that Wooly Mammoths died out with the dinosaurs, but actually, there is evidence to suggest that there were mammoths in parts of the arctic around 4000 years ago – centuries after they build the pyramids.</p>
<h4>You could catch the tube to watch executions in London</h4>
<p>The last public hanging took place in London in 1868 – the London Underground was already in existence, so to get to the hanging at Newgate Prison, you just needed to get the Metropolitan Line to Farringdon Station, a line that had been running for five years at that point.</p>
<p>Speaking of executions, did you know that Star Wars was playing in cinemas in the same year that France carried out its final execution by guillotine. The last one took place in 1977.</p>
<h4>The Great Wall of China was completed after the invention of the telephone.</h4>
<p>The Great Wall of China was built between the 3<sup>rd</sup> and 17<sup>th</sup> centuries, eventually measuring 13,171 miles and is one of the world’s most famous structures. However, two years before it was finished, Alexander Graham Bell had invented the telephone and made the world’s first phone call.</p>
<h4>Jack the Ripper and Nintendo existed at the same time.</h4>
<p>You might associate Nintendo with the nineties and Jack the Ripper with the 1880s, but actually Nintendo was founded in Japan in 1889, initially producing handmade playing cards – that was just a year after Jack the Ripper’s reign of terror and the case was still active.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/01/historical-facts-that-proves-time-is-wild-b413#comments413</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 20 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/01/celebrating-250-years-of-jane-austen-b412</link>
<description>2025 marks 250 years since the birth of one of Britain’s most beloved writers, Jane Austen. Her stories have touched the lives of generations and live on even today, with many heritage properties providing the backdrop as her stories are adapted for new audiences.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>2025 marks 250 years since the birth of one of Britain’s most beloved writers, Jane Austen. Her stories have touched the lives of generations and live on even today, with many heritage properties providing the backdrop as her stories are adapted for new audiences.</p>
<p>This year, the places that Jane lived and set her novels are gearing up to mark her birthday, so here is your opportunity to learn more about the lady herself and visit some of the places that inspired her works.</p>
<p>First though, let’s look at who Jane Austen was.</p>
<p>Jane was born on 16<sup>th</sup> December 1775, the seventh of eight children born to the Reverend George Austen and Cassandra Leigh. The Austens were an old and wealthy merchant family, however, by the time George Austen had been born, there was little money left and after he and his sisters were orphaned, he relied heavily on wealthier family members. He met his future wife, Cassandra Leigh, while studying at St John’s College, Oxford. She came from a prominent family, her father was the rector at All Souls College and her eldest brother had inherited a fortune from a great aunt.</p>
<p>The pair were married in <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/our-regions/south-west">Bath</a> at St Swithin’s Church and had a modest income, supplemented by their families.</p>
<p>After becoming ordained, George and Cassandra were given the Deane Rectory where they lived and had their first three children, James, George and Edward. They then relocated to Steventon in <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/our-regions/south-east">Hampshire</a>, where the rest of their children were born and George worked as Rector and a teacher, with several young boys boarding with the family to help make ends meet. While living at Steventon, the Austens discovered that their second son, George, was unwell, suffering from seizures, he was sent to live with the Leigh family, staying with an uncle who had a similar condition.</p>
<p>There were eight Austen children in total: James, George, Edward, Henry, Cassandra, Jane and Francis (known as Frank).</p>
<p>The family were known to be highly literate and creative, as well as being heavily influenced by the church. Jane began writing at around the age of 11 and her brother James was also known to be a poet. James and another brother, Henry both went into the church, while Francis and Charles joined the Navy, both rising high in the ranks. All of the children were well educated, including the girls, Cassandra and Jane.</p>
<p>The girls were initially both sent off to school in Oxford, Jane was just six years old. Their education then took them to Southampton, but both returned home after contracting typhus – Jane became so ill that she almost died. Following this, they were homeschooled, until being sent to the Abbey School in Reading. However, the school fees were too expensive, so the girls completed their education at home under the guidance of their father and brothers. Rev George was said to have been encouraging of his girls, supplying them with books and paper for writing and drawing. Jane was known to produce stories and plays which she performed for the family. Her teenage writings survive and are split between the <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/places-to-stay/london">British Library in London</a> and the Bodelian Library in <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/our-regions/south-east/oxfordshire">Oxford</a>.</p>
<p>In 1801, when Jane was 25, her father retired and the family, now consisting of Jane, her sister Cassandra and their parents, moved to 4 Sydney Place in Bath. Though Jane was upset to leave her family home, she was known to have an active social life while in Bath, attending balls and concerts and holidaying in Devon and Dorset. While she was in Bath, she is only known to have written one piece of work, an abandoned novel, though she did set two of her books in the city. Her father died unexpectedly, leaving the family in financial difficulties. The Austen boys pledged to support their mother and sister financially, and the three of them left Bath, first for Worthing in Sussex and then Southampton, where they lived with Frank, one of the brothers and his wife, keeping her company while he was away at sea.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/dbimgs/2(29).jpg"><em>Image: Visitors to the Jane Austen Festival which takes place in Bath every year. Credit: Visit Bath on Instagram</em></p>
<p>Another of Jane’s brothers, Edward, was adopted by a wealthy, childless relative, inheriting their estates at Chawton in Hampshire and another in Kent. He gifted a house on his Chawton estate to Jane, Cassandra and their mother and the three moved in with a friend. It was here that Jane did the majority of her writing. She revised earlier manuscripts, most of which were written while still living at Steventon. While here, Jane had the freedom to write. Together with her brother Henry, she began to negotiate with publishers and in 1810, Sense and Sensibility was published anonymously. It wasn’t the first time she had sold a manuscript, in 1803, she sold a novel to a publisher in Bath for the sum of £10, but it was never published.</p>
<p>Pride and Prejudice followed in 1813 and once that was out, Jane began a new novel, Mansfield Park and then Emma, which was published in 1815 by the most fashionable publisher of the time. Following her success, Henry helped her buy back her first sold manuscript which went on to become Northanger Abbey, unfortunately, this wasn’t published in her lifetime.</p>
<p>Jane had begun to feel unwell in around 1816. She ignored this and continued writing – by the middle of that year, she started to deteriorate, eventually being unable to walk, lacking energy and being confined to bed rest. In 1817, she began her final novel, only managing to complete the first 12 chapters, it was in this year that she and her sister moved to Winchester, to be closer to her doctor. By this time, she was experiencing agonising pain and died on 18<sup>th</sup> July 1817 at just 41. Her brother Henry used his contacts in the church to arrange for her to be buried at Winchester Cathedral. Six months after her death, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published together. Henry oversaw the process and provided a preface to the novels, naming his sister for the first time as the author of all her published works.</p>
<h2>Jane Austen’s novels</h2>
<p>Jane Austen is known for six full length novels, a partially finished novel and a novella. She wrote several short stories and plays as a teen, which were gifted to her nieces and nephews and some of these writings still exist and are split between the British Library in London and other libraries around the world.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/dbimgs/1(33).jpg"><br>
<em>Image: The title page of Emma, credit: Canva </em></p>
<p><strong>Sense & Sensibility</strong><br>
Originally called Elinor and Marianne, it was started while Jane lived in Steventon and then revised when she moved to Chawton. With Henry as her informal literary agent, Jane secured a publisher and it was published on commission, meaning that the financial risk was to Jane, rather than the publisher. It was published anonymously, simply stating that it was by A Lady. The first print run completely sold out in 2 years, making Jane a profit.</p>
<p><strong>Pride & Prejudice</strong><br>
Perhaps her most famous novel, originally called First Impressions, it was written while living at Steventon following a visit to her brother Edward’s inherited home in Kent. It was revised and renamed while living in Chawton. After the success of her first book, the publisher chose to purchase the copyright, it was again published anonymously as By the same author as Sense & Sensibility. It sold out quickly, but as Jane sold the copyright, she didn’t receive any profits.</p>
<p><strong>Mansfield Park</strong><br>
This was completely written while living at Chawton and was the first of Jane’s novels to have a political theme, touching on slavery and religion. Jane and Henry arranged for this one to be published on commission and again it was published anonymously as By the author of Sense & Sensibility and Pride & Prejudice. The first print run sold out in 6 months.</p>
<p><strong>Emma</strong><br>
The last novel published in Jane’s lifetime, Emma is the first of her protagonists who does not need to marry for money, but there are still themes of class and the lack of possibilities for women, as well as having a political stance, including mentioning the issues in Ireland at the time and health. It was published on 23<sup>rd</sup> December 1815 and was credited to the Author of Pride & Prejudice etc and included a dedication to the Prince Regent, however public reaction was mixed.</p>
<p><strong>Northanger Abbey</strong><br>
The first of two novels published posthumously – it came out 6 months after her death. It follows the daughter of a clergyman who leaves her village to go to Bath, it satirises the popular Gothic novels of the time and was initially drafted while in Steventon and was called Susan. It was originally sold for publication in 1803 but never published, Henry brought the manuscript back for the same cost it was sold for and Jane revised it. It was published alongside Persuasion.</p>
<p><strong>Persuasion</strong><br>
Published in 1817 alongside Northanger Abbey, it features the most mature of Jane’s protagonists. It was the last novel to be completed before her death and was originally called The Elliots, however, when Henry arranged for publication, it was renamed Persuasion. The family kept the copyright.</p>
<p><strong>Sanditon, The Watsons and Lady Susan</strong><br>
Sanditon is an unfinished novel that Jane started in 1817. It was originally called The Brothers and she only completed the first 12 chapters before having to stop because of her ill health. It was published in 1925 as Fragment of a Novel by Jane Austen.</p>
<p>The Watsons is the only work she is known to have written while in Bath. It was likely started in 1803 and the fragment was published in her nephew’s book A Memoir of Jane Austen in 1871. The original manuscript is now split between the Morgan Library and Museum in New York and the Bodelain in Oxford.</p>
<p>Lady Susan was one of her earliest works, likely written in 1794 but it was never submitted for publication in Jane’s lifetime. It was published as a novella in 1871.</p>
<p>Even though Jane Austen is famous for writing romances, she was not known to have many relationships. When she was 20 she was introduced to Tom Lefory, who was training to be a barrister, the pair spent some time together over that summer and Jane wrote of him often to her sister. As neither the Austens of the Leforys had money, it wasn’t deemed a good match and his family intervened, the pair never saw each other again.</p>
<p>Perhaps no other suitors matched up to Tom, but Jane did receive a marriage proposal in 1802 from Harris Brigg-Wither. He was the younger brother of a friend and was heir to considerable estates. Jane initially accepted but withdrew the following day, no journal entries or letters survive detailing how she felt about the situation or why the match didn’t work out.</p>
<p>Now you know all there is to know about Jane, here are some of the places you should visit in 2025 to mark her 250<sup>th</sup> birthday.</p>
<h4>Hampshire</h4>
<p>Steventon in Hampshire was Jane’s birthplace.</p>
<p>Chawton in Hampshire is where you’ll find Jane Austen’s House, a museum that has been set up in her final home.</p>
<p>Winchester – Winchester Cathedral is her final resting place.</p>
<p>The majority of her novels were written while living in Hampshire.</p>
<h4>Somerset</h4>
<p>
<p>The city of Bath – Jane Austen lived here for a time, the family moved to 4 Sydney Place in the city and you’ll also find the Jane Austen Centre, a museum dedicated to her.</p>
<p>In September, you can join the Jane Austen Festival, this year taking place between 12<sup>th</sup> – 21<sup>st</sup> September.</p>
<p>You’ll also find St Swithin’s Church in the city, Jane’s parents were married here and her father is also buried here.</p>
<p>Montacute House – Managed by the National Trust, the house was used as in the 1995 adaptation of Sense & Sensibility.</p>
<p>Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were both based in Bath.</p>
<h4>Wiltshire</h4>
<p>Lacock Village – Managed by the National Trust, Lacock Village was used in two different adaptations of Austen’s work.</p>
<h4>Surrey</h4>
<p>Box Hill – one of the most pivotal scenes in Emma is set at Box Hill in Surrey.</p>
<p>Emma is primarily set in Surrey.</p>
<h4>Derbyshire</h4>
<p>Parts of Pride and Prejudice were set in the Peak District and Chatsworth House was name dropped in the novel while Elizabeth was on her way to Pemberley.</p>
<p>It also featured as Pemberley in the 2005 adaptation.</p>
<h4>Warwickshire</h4>
<p>Stoneleigh Abbey – the family home of the Leigh family, Jane’s mother’s family. Jane was known to stay here for a time and modelled Northanger Abbey and Sotherton Court from Mansfield Park on the house.</p>
<h4>Basingstoke</h4>
<p>The Vyne – another property now managed by the National Trust, Jane and her sister Cassandra were known to attend dances here.</p>
<h4>London</h4>
<p>Westminster Abbey – there is a tablet dedicated to Jane Austen at Poet’s Corner.</p>
<p>Places in Mayfair and Bloomsbury also feature in several novels.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2025/01/celebrating-250-years-of-jane-austen-b412#comments412</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 06 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>The murder that rocked the Middle Ages</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/12/the-murder-that-rocked-the-middle-ages-b411</link>
<description>Just over 850 years ago, on 29 th December 1170, a murder changed the course of history and marked the downfall of a monarch – here’s the story of Thomas Becket.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Just over 850 years ago, on 29<sup>th</sup> December 1170, a murder changed the course of history and marked the downfall of a monarch – here’s the story of Thomas Becket.</p>
<p>At one time, Thomas Becket was one of the most powerful figures of his age. His murder, which took place in Canterbury Cathedral, is something that remains just as shocking now as it was at the time. While you might have been visiting Canterbury Cathedral to enjoy the festivities at this time of year, let’s not forget what happened to Thomas Becket, former Archbishop of Canterbury.</p>
<h2>Who was Thomas Becket?</h2>
<p>Thomas Becket, later known as St Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas of London and Thomas á Becket, was born in the Cheapside area of London in 1120. His parents and grandparents were Norman, and had come to London following the Battle of Hastings. His father, Gilbert Becket was a well connected merchant and it is believed that there was some relation to Theobald of Bec, Thomas’ predecessor as Archbishop of Canterbury. Despite having connections, the Becket family were not known to be particularly wealthy or powerful, though Thomas was of a high enough status to receive an education, studying at Merton Priory and attending a grammar school in London, possibly the one at St Paul’s Cathedral. While at school, he was known to have studied grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy. He even went away to Paris for a year to continue his studies, though it was said that he never had any real education in church affairs and his Latin wasn’t the best.</p>
<p>His education was cut short when his father’s fortunes changed and Thomas had to return to England and find work. He began to clerk for Theobald of Bec, the Archbishop of Canterbury and was described as being intelligent and charming. Thomas was trusted with several important tasks for the Archbishop, including visiting Rome, and Theobald instructed him in the study of canon law. Not long after starting this work, Thomas was named the Archdeacon of Canterbury and held several ecclesiastical offices around England. Theobald became so impressed with him, that he recommended him to King Henry II for the vacant post of Lord Chancellor.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-normandy/henry-ii-the-first-plantagenet">Henry II</a> was also impressed with Thomas and appointed him Lord Chancellor in January of 1155. The pair became close friends, going hunting and gaming together. It is said that Thomas thoroughly embraced court life and his friendship with the king. He took on several residences, all of which were lavishly decorated and was known to throw huge parties.</p>
<h2>But… What is a Lord Chancellor?</h2>
<p>As Lord Chancellor, Thomas Becket’s main role collecting and administrating the money that the crown took from all landowners around England – this included the churches and bishopricks. That’s important, so keep it to hand for later.</p>
<p>During this time, Thomas became incredibly rich and powerful and was even trusted with the care of King Henry’s son, also Henry, who went to live in Becket’s household. Though the pair were friends, Thomas maintained his relationships with those he met through the church, so when Theobald of Bec passed and the position of Archbishop of Canterbury became available, Thomas was one of those nominated for the role. This pleased King Henry, who was keen to appoint someone who would allow him to exert more power over the church and on 23<sup>rd</sup> May 1162, Thomas was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, something he would do alongside his role of Chancellor.</p>
<h2>The great falling out</h2>
<p>So, Thomas Becket is now Lord Chancellor and Archbishop of Canterbury, besties with the king and enjoying an elevated level of power and wealth. How did it all go wrong?</p>
<p>Well, for a time, it was all rosy. Thomas continued in his role as Chancellor and took on the duties of the Archbishop, however, he found himself leaning further into the church and began to pull away from the king. He wanted to protect church interests and against King Henry’s wishes, resigned as chancellor. This was the beginning of the end.</p>
<p>From the end of 1162 onwards, their relationship deteriorated to the point where Thomas was summoned to appear before the King’s Council and surrender all his property as punishment for upsetting the king. Thomas refused, choosing instead to flee the country, landing in France.</p>
<h2>Thomas in exile</h2>
<p>Thomas Becket remained in exile in France for the next six years, under the protection of King Louis of France.</p>
<p>While he was out of the country, King Henry continued to try and gain a stronghold in the church. At one point, he snubbed Thomas by having his rival, the Archbishop of York, crown his son, Henry – the very one that Thomas helped raise – early as a co ruler, making him Henry the Young King. This caused a whole load of problems – not just with the King and Thomas’s relationship, but that’s a story for another time. Having the Archbishop of York crown Henry the Young King, breached Canterbury’s privilege of coronation, something that soon became the business of the Pope himself.</p>
<p>Thomas appealed to the Pope, who put enough pressure on King Henry that he agreed to negotiate Thomas’ return to England. In the summer of 1170, the pair spoke for the first time in six years, with King Henry assuring that Thomas could come home and have his powers as Archbishop of Canterbury fully restored. Though Thomas took the olive branch offered to him, he was keen to have the last word, using his reinstated powers to excommunicate the Archbishop of York and the others that had been involved in the coronation.</p>
<h2>The lead up to the murder</h2>
<h2></h2>
<p>Thomas Becket returned to England on 1<sup>st</sup> December 1170, apparently to cheering crowds. However, several members of the clergy were upset with his actions and complained to the king.</p>
<p>King Henry, who was in France himself at the time was outraged. It was here that he supposedly declared: “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” in front of a group of knights. Contemporary reports say what he actually said “What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a low born cleric?” – a reference to Thomas’ humble roots. Though King Henry later claimed that this wasn’t an order, it prompted four knights, Reginald FitzUrse, William de Tracy, Hug de Morville and Richard le Bret (or Breton) to travel to Canterbury in search of Thomas.</p>
<h2>The murder</h2>
<p>Unlike most murders, there were a number of witnesses to Thomas’. One key account is from a man called Edward Grim, who was so close to the killing, he was actually wounded by one of the knight’s swords.</p>
<p>On the day of the murder, Thomas was at the Archbishop’s palace. The knights initially left their weapons outside and hid their armour under cloaks before entering the palace. They approached Thomas and told him he was to go to Winchester to give his reasons for the excommunication. He refused and the monks at the palace, advised him to go to the Cathedral for sanctuary.</p>
<p>With Thomas’ refusal to submit to the king’s will, the knights retrieved their weapons and followed him to the Cathedral. The monks tried to bolt the doors for safety, but Thomas reportedly said that it wasn’t right to make a fortress out of a house of prayer and refused to let them shut the doors.</p>
<p>The knights burst in and attempted to forcibly remove Thomas from the building. He again refused, holding to one of the pillars to prevent from being taken away. Realising he wasn’t going to come quietly, the knights drew their swords, FitzUrse appeared to be the ringleader and delivered the first, but non fatal, blow to Thomas’ head. This blow apparently sliced off the top of his head, and motivated the other knights to also begin to attack, which caused injury to Edward Grim, and leading the others in the cathedral to flee. The third strike, thought to have been dealt by Richard le Breton, was the killing strike and left him with a broken sword. At this point, the top of Thomas’ head had been completely removed, exposing his brain. A clerk who accompanied the knights was said to have put his foot on Thomas’ neck as he lay dying, kicking at his damaged head before saying: “Let us go knights, this fellow will not get up again.”</p>
<p>After the murder, the knights returned to the Archbishop’s Palace, plundering Papal Bulls, Charters, gold, silver, vestments, books and utensils.</p>
<h2>A sidenote on the murderers</h2>
<h2></h2>
<p>The four knights who set off in search of Thomas Becket were Reginald FitzUrse, William de Tracy, Hug de Morville and Richard le Bret (or Breton).</p>
<p>These knights were all high ranking individuals. Hugh de Morville also held the title of Lord of Westmoreland and Knaresborough. His father was also the Constable of Scotland and offered them sanctuary following the murder. The four of them sought refuge at Knaresborough Castle, which was owned by the de Morville family, for some time.</p>
<p>William de Tracy lends his name to the town of Bovey Tracey in Devon, where his family seat originated. He also founded his own church at Nymet Tracey.</p>
<h2>The aftermath</h2>
<p>After the knights had left, the clergy at Canterbury were in shock. The body was left where it fell for several hours, with several people coming to the cathedral to collect vials of Thomas’ blood, under the belief that he would become a martyr. He was later moved to the high altar over night, before being buried the following day in the cathedral’s crypt.</p>
<p>Almost as soon as news of the death began to spread, people began to report witnessing miracles, which led to the monks being pressured to open up the crypt so that people could visit the tomb, which resulted in even more miracles being reported. Something that continued for several years.</p>
<p>The fact that an Archbishop was murdered, apparently by order of the king, in a holy place, is what made something that was already quite gruesome, even more so. There was increasingly public pressure on King Henry to acknowledge the murder and take accountability for it. He was threatened with excommunication and did public penance in several cathedrals, as well as being forbidden from attending Mass.</p>
<p>On 21<sup>st</sup> February 1173, Thomas Becket was officially canonised by the Pope, one of the fastest canonisations in history. This meant that his reputation as a miracle worker spread quickly, with people coming from all over Europe in the hope that his spirit could heal them. Canterbury became one of the most important pilgrimage destinations, with visitors coming from all over to purchase bottles of Thomas’ blood mixed with water, that was sold by the monks as St Thomas’ Water.</p>
<p>The following year, in another act of public penance, King Henry visited the tomb.</p>
<p>And what about the knights that actually killed him? Well, the four of them fled first to Scotland where they were protected by Hugh de Morville’s father, the Constable of Scotland. From there, they made their way to Knaresborough Castle in Yorkshire, another of the de Morville’s residences.</p>
<p>All four were excommunicated by Pope and were ordered to undertake penitentiary pilgrimages to the Holy Land, where they were to spend 14 years. However, none of them were arrested and the crown did not confiscate their lands. However, he did refuse to help them when they sought his protection in the summer after the murder.</p>
<p>The four of them attempted to appeal to the pope, three of them, De Morville, le Breton and de Tracy built a church near Scunthorpe, but this did not impress anyone. They were ordered to go to Rome, though their departure was delayed by a rebellion against the king. Finally, after four years, they were all granted an audience in Rome and were banished to Jerusalem. There are conflicting accounts about what happened to each of the knights after this, it is thought that de Tracy died of leprosy before reaching the holy lands, but it is thought that le Breton completed his exile and eventually retired to Jersey. The others were believed to have died in Jerusalem, their remains were thought to have been sent to Brean Downs in Somerset.</p>
<p>In 1220, Thomas Becket’s body was moved from the crypt to a new purpose built shrine on the upper floor of the cathedral and continued to bring visitors to Canterbury until 1538 when Henry VIII ordered the destruction of the shrine during the dissolution of the monasteries. He also destroyed Becket’s bones and ordered all mention of his name to be removed from texts. Henrys clearly have it in for Thomas Becket.</p>
<p>There are several churches across the UK that are dedicated to Thomas Becket that you can visit, including:</p>
<p>Cathedral Church of St Thomas of Canterbury, Portsmouth<br>
St Thomas of Canterbury Church, Canterbury<br>
Church of St Thomas the Martyr, Monmouth<br>
St Thomas á Becket Church, Pensford<br>
St Thomas á Becket, Widcombe<br>
Church of St Thomas á Becket, Capal<br>
St Thomas the Martyr, Bristol<br>
St Thomas the Martyr’s Church, Oxford</p>
<p>So there you are, while visiting Canterbury to enjoy the festive season, spare a thought for the hideous murder of Thomas Becket, that took place in the cathedral itself.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/12/the-murder-that-rocked-the-middle-ages-b411#comments411</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 16 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Britain’s forgotten Christmas traditions</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/11/britains-forgotten-christmas-traditions-b407</link>
<description>We all have our own traditions when it comes to Christmas, maybe you all get new pyjamas to go to bed with on Christmas Eve, maybe you leave out a treat for Father Christmas or if you don’t celebrate or celebrate a different holiday in your house hold, there are other traditions that are special to you. Did you know though that Britain’s general Christmas traditions have changed throughout the years and some have disappeared completely.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We all have our own traditions when it comes to Christmas, maybe you all get new pyjamas to go to bed with on Christmas Eve, maybe you leave out a treat for Father Christmas or if you don’t celebrate or celebrate a different holiday in your house hold, there are other traditions that are special to you. Did you know though that Britain’s general Christmas traditions have changed throughout the years and some have disappeared completely.</p>
<p>Here are some of the forgotten traditions that would have been part of the Christmas celebrations in years gone by.</p>
<h3>The Lord of Misrule</h3>
<p>This is something the royal family would have definitely done back in the day – especially pre Tudor England. Under the tradition, a member of the royal court would be made Lord of Misrule, allowing them to be mayor of their town or city for the Christmas season and would provide entertainment to all who lived there. Henry VIII ended up banning the practice but Elizabeth I and the Stuarts did bring it back briefly.</p>
<h3>First footing</h3>
<p>In a tradition that was observed mainly in England and Scotland, first footing was the idea that the first person to cross the threshold on Christmas Eve brought good luck with them. Personally, we think this one should come back!</p>
<h3>Going to bed with an onion</h3>
<p>Yes, you read that right. For over three centuries, women in Britain would take an onion to bed with them on St Thomas’ Eve (that happens right before Christmas Eve). The tradition says that on this day, you have to peel an onion, wrap it up and then put it under your pillow. If you pray to St Thomas, it is said that your lover will be brought to your arms that night.</p>
<p>That wasn’t the only tradition on St Thomas’ Day…</p>
<p>St Thomas’ Day was traditionally a day where the less fortunate would go house to house and ask for food or money for Christmas. The practice had several different names depending on where in England you were, in Kent it was known as a-Thomasing and a-mumping in parts of Herefordshire.</p>
<h3>Goose dancing</h3>
<p>This didn’t actually involve geese, but it did involve dancing. Apparently, on the Isles of Scilly, people would dress up in clothes associated with the opposite gender. They would then knock on doors and dance with whoever opened up. Women would typically dress as sailors and men as aristocratic ladies and they would jokingly flirt and banter with each other, which sounds like lots of fun to us!</p>
<h3>Eating a mince pie a day</h3>
<p>
<p>While an apple a day is said to keep the doctor away, in the Middle Ages the tradition was to eat one mince pie every day from Christmas Day until 6<sup>th</sup> January, that’s one mince pie for the 12 days of Christmas. This is another one we can get behind!</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/11/britains-forgotten-christmas-traditions-b407#comments407</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 27 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>National Lottery Heritage Fund awards grant to celebrate Devon’s heritage</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/11/national-lottery-heritage-fund-awards-grant-to-celebrate-devons-heritage-b409</link>
<description>The Devonshire Association has received a grant of £39,936 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to raise awareness of the heritage of six outstanding assets in the county which have been designated as having global significance by UNESCO.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Devonshire Association has received a grant of £39,936 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to raise awareness of the heritage of six outstanding assets in the county which have been designated as having global significance by UNESCO.</p>
<p>The Devonshire Association, a charity with over 150 years of experience in championing science, art and literature in Devon, will use the grant to put on events aimed at engaging the public with the county’s unique heritage. There will be a number of free talks and events taking place across the six areas recognised by UNESCO. These areas include:</p>
<p>Dorset and East Devon Coast World Heritage Site<br>
Cornwall and West Devon Mining Landscape Heritage site<br>
North Devon Biosphere Reserve<br>
The Exeter City of Literature<br>
Exeter Cathedral’s Exeter Book<br>
English Riviera Geopark.</p>
<p><img alt="Exeter street showing the cathedral and Tudor style houses" src="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/dbimgs/1(32).jpg"></p>
<p><em>Image: Exeter Cathederal and Tudor houses</em></p>
<p>As well as these events, there will also be a number of talks celebrating Devon’s World Class Heritage and a celebration of Exeter Cathedral.</p>
<p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/11/national-lottery-heritage-fund-awards-grant-to-celebrate-devons-heritage-b409#comments409</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 04 Nov 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Horrific History | Spooky stories from across the UK</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/10/horrific-history-spooky-stories-from-across-the-uk-b405</link>
<description>With spooky season nearly upon us, it’s time to get cosy and tell a ghost story or two and here in the UK, we’re never short of a few of those.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With spooky season nearly upon us, it’s time to get cosy and tell a ghost story or two and here in the UK, we’re never short of a few of those. From the stories of beheaded queens running around the Tower of London to the witch trials and the horrors of Jack the Ripper, there are plenty of spooky tales to tell throughout history. We’ve told you several of them over the years, but we thought for this edition of Horrific History, we’ll be delving into some of the spookiest stories from across the UK.</p>
<h2>The hairy hands of Dartmoor</h2>
<p>Dartmoor National Park in Devon is home to some really creepy stories. Not only did it inspire Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write the Hound of the Baskervilles after hearing about so called Yeth Hounds, which are said to roam the moor at night and are considered harbingers of doom, but there are also stories of giants, witches and ghostly visitors to graves. One of the best known spooky stories from Dartmoor however involves a pair of hairy, disembodied hands. Supposedly, people travelling along a stretch of road near Postbridge on Dartmoor have been terrorised by the apparition of a pair of hairy hands that come out of nowhere and attempt to force them off the road. While you might think this is a way to explain dangerous driving, stories of these hands have been popping up since the early 1900s. Everyone from army captains to staff at Dartmoor prison and holiday makers have reported seeing the hands – they don’t always go for moving vehicles either, one woman reported that the disembodied hands attempted to gain access to her caravan after she had set up camp for the night.</p>
<p>While some claim that the incidents can be attributed to people who aren’t familiar with the narrow roads around Dartmoor, others say that the hairy hands are just one of the many spirits that call the moor home. After all, there are many tales of witches, giants, pixies and more from those that live on Dartmoor.</p>
<h2>Edinburgh’s underground vaults</h2>
<h2></h2>
<p>You might have heard of Paris’ catacombs, but did you know there is some spooky underground goings on much closer to home? Beneath Edinburgh’s Old City, there are a collection of underground vaults and passageways which you can visit as part of a tour via the team at the Real Mary King’s Close.</p>
<p>These vaults were at one time the home to the city’s poorest and were dark, dank and had little in the way of ventilation. The deepest and most extensive of these can be found at Blair Street, with one of the rooms being used as a tavern dealing in illicit whiskey. Unlike the catacombs in Paris, there has been no discovery of human remains, but that doesn’t mean that people didn’t live and die down there, one particularly restless spirit is a little girl known as Abandoned Annie, who likes to grab the hands of visitors. Today, there is a little altar dedicated to Annie, where you can leave donations which then go towards helping Edinburgh’s sick children.</p>
<h2>The Hellfire Caves</h2>
<p>No, we’re not talking Stranger Things, we’re talking about actual Hellfire Clubs, a series of secret societies for high ranking individuals in England during the 18<sup>th</sup> century. The first official Hellfire Club was founded in London in 1718 by the Duke of Wharton but the most famous is the Order of the Friars of St Francis of Wycombe, which was founded by Francis Dashwood and included the Earl of Sandwich as a member. This particular Hellfire Club originally met at a nearby pub before moving into the Hellfire Caves, a series of man made caverns near Medmenham Abbey in West Wycombe.</p>
<p>The caves are now a tourist attraction and are supposedly a hot bed of paranormal activity thanks to the stories of the debauchery that went on there. Records show that the members performed parodies of religious rites, held public sacrifices to Pagan Gods and took part in orgies and other bacchanalian activities. Much of the atmosphere in the caves comes from the insinuation that devil worshipping and blood sacrifices took place here, but there are some stories about ghostly goings on that don’t involve either of those things. One of the spirits said to haunt the caves is that of a young barmaid from the village called Sukie. Sukie was lured to the caves by a group of men and thought she was meeting a wealthy aristocrat who wanted to marry her. Though no one is sure what happened, Sukie never made it home and it is said that she continues to roam the caves. Other stories involve the ghost of Paul Whitehead, who was a member of Dashwood’s club and asked that when he died, that his heart and ashes be kept in the Dashwood Mausoleum. His heart was stolen and he apparently terrorises visitors to the caves, looking for his lost heart.</p>
<h2>The empty coffin of Scotney Castle</h2>
<p>Scotney Castle in Kent has its own creepy mystery. Originally built as a fortified manor house, the castle became the property of the Darrell family, who then lived there for several generations.</p>
<p>In the 1720s, Arthur Darrell set off to visit Europe, where he passed away. His body was so called returned to the family and they held a funeral for him at Scotney. However, during the service, a strange in black, that was stood among the mourners was said to say “that is me they think they are burying.”</p>
<p>Either no one felt the need to question it at the time or any further conversation has been lost to history, however some 200 years later, Arthur Darrell’s final resting place was excavated and instead of finding his remains, the coffin was full of stones. So, did Arthur fake his own death? Was his body never recovered and a funeral was held anyway? Over the years, there have been several reports of seeing figures climbing out of the moat around the castle, many believe this to be the restless spirit of a revenue collector who was murdered by Arthur before fleeing the country and faking his own death.</p>
<h2>The creepy tales of Farleigh Hungerford Castle</h2>
<p>Located in Somerset, Farleigh Hungerford Castle has a very interesting history. The castle was initially home to the Hungerford family, who lost it during the Wars of the Roses and then regained it again following the Battle of Bosworth. Sir Edward Hungerford was one of the attendants at Henry VIII’s Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520, so this family was a pretty big deal. He also married a murderer – his second wife, Agnes Cotell, was convicted of murdering her first husband, Sir Edward’s steward by throttling him and then disposing of him in the kitchen furnace. She ended up being executed at Tyburn.</p>
<p>Want more? Sir Edward’s successor, Walter worked for Thomas Cromwell and eventually became Lord Hungerford. He might have been in favour, but his wife wasn’t, so he had her imprisoned at Farleigh Hungerford Castle. The so called Lady Tower was her home for three years where she was forced to survive by drinking her own urine and relying on smuggled morsels from the castle’s staff.</p>
<p>That’s still not the creepiest thing about Farleigh Hungerford Castle. Beneath the castle chapel, in the crypt you’ll find a collection of anthropoid coffins, which are lead caskets in the shape of people. There are 8 in total, and it is easy to see which ones are for children, which ones are for women and which ones are for men. The coffins contain some of the Hungerford family and date back to the 1600s. That’s still not the creepiest thing – in the 1800s, people would come to visit the castle and drink coffin juices from these anthropoid coffins. Over the years, holes were drilled into the lead and visitors could try the corpse infused liquids. Coffin liquor is produced when improperly preserved corpses liquify, thankfully, though you can visit Farleigh Hungerford Castle, you can no longer drink from the coffins.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/10/horrific-history-spooky-stories-from-across-the-uk-b405#comments405</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Traditional autumnal recipes</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/10/traditional-autumnal-recipes-b403</link>
<description>We might be biased but there are few things better than traditional British cuisine, especially at this time of year when you’ll find hearty, warming dishes, full of spices and flavour. To help you get into the spirit of the season, here are some recipes for traditional autumnal fare – enjoy!</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We might be biased but there are few things better than traditional British cuisine, especially at this time of year when you’ll find hearty, warming dishes, full of spices and flavour. To help you get into the spirit of the season, here are some recipes for traditional autumnal fare – enjoy!</p>
<h3>Parkin</h3>
<p>This gingerbread style cake originated in Northern England and is mostly associated with Yorkshire. It is traditionally eaten on Bonfire Night and also appears to have been associated with weddings in the 14<sup>th</sup> Century.</p>
<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong><br>
200g butter<br>
1 egg<br>
4 tbsp milk<br>
200g golden syrup<br>
85g treacle<br>
85g brown sugar<br>
110g oatmeal<br>
250g self raising flour<br>
1 tbsp ginger</p>
<p><strong>Method:</strong></p>
<p>Start by preheating your oven to 160 degrees or gas mark 3. Butter your cake tin and then in a small bowl, beat the egg and milk together.</p>
<p>In a large pan, melt the syrup, treacle, sugar and butter together until the sugar has dissolved and then remove from the heat. Mix in the oatmeal, flour and ginger and then once mixed in, add the egg and milk.</p>
<p>Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for an hour until it is firm and crusty on top.</p>
<p>You can keep it for up to a week, the longer you leave it, the stickier it becomes.</p>
<h3>Toffee Apples</h3>
<p>Toffee Apples date back to around the 18<sup>th</sup> century and likely were introduced to the UK from France. There they are known as pommes d’amour or apples of love, which makes sense because they are delightful!</p>
<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong><br>
8 Granny Smith apples<br>
400g caster sugar<br>
4 tbsp golden syrup<br>
8 skewers</p>
<p><strong>Method:</strong></p>
<p>Start by placing the apples in a large bowl and covering with bowling water.</p>
<p>After a few minutes, remove from the water and dry thoroughly and remove any stalks. Push a skewer or stick into the end of each apple.</p>
<p>Next, lay out a sheet of baking parchment or tray and place your apples on top.</p>
<p>In a pan, add 100 ml water and set over a medium heat. Add the sugar and cook for 5 minutes until dissolved. Add the syrup. Using a sugar thermometer, boil to 150 degrees, or if you don’t have a sugar thermometer, pour a little of the toffee into cold water, if it is ready, it should harden instantly.</p>
<p>Once the toffee is at the right consistency, dip and twist each apple into the hot toffee until covered and then place back on the baking parchment and leave to cool.</p>
<h3>Rumbledethumps</h3>
<p>This traditional Scottish dish is similar to bubble and squeak and features seasonal veg including potatoes, cabbage and swede.</p>
<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong><br>
600g potatoes<br>
400g swede (or if you’re Scottish, turnips)<br>
75g butter<br>
250g cabbage<br>
25g Cheddar cheese</p>
<p><strong>Method:</strong></p>
<p>Preheat the oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4.</p>
<p>Chop the potatoes and swede into large chunks and cook them in a saucepan of salted boiling water until tender. Drain well and return to the pan.</p>
<p>Heat 50g of the butter in a pan and then cook the cabbage for a few minutes until it is tender but retains its colour. Once cooked, add the cabbage to the pan with the potatoes and using the remaining butter, mash together. Season to taste and then place in an oven proof dish and top with cheese. Cover the dish and bake for around 30 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a further 15 minutes until piping hot and golden brown.</p>
<h3>Beef stew with dumplings</h3>
<p>A really warming and comforting meal, stew or any kind is a tradition enjoyed throughout Britain.</p>
<p><strong>Ingredients:</strong><br>
Oil for frying<br>
600g lean braising steak<br>
1 litre beef stock<br>
1 onion<br>
2 garlic cloves<br>
2 celery sticks<br>
3 carrots<br>
1 tbsp tomato puree<br>
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar<br>
1 parsnip<br>
300g butternut squash<br>
150g self raising flour<br>
2 tbsp chopped parsley<br>
1 egg yolk<br>
1 tsp olive oil</p>
<p><strong>Method:</strong><br>
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 4.</p>
<p>Preheat a casserole dish on the hob and then drizzle the oil. Add the beef in batches, cooking each one until browned all over and adding more oil as needed. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add a little stock to the dish and turn the heat up to high.</p>
<p>Turn down the heat and add more oil. Add the onion and cook until softened and then add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the celery and finely chopped carrot, cooking for 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and balsamic vinegar, cooking for another 3 minutes. Return the meat to the pan and add the rest of the stock, bring to the boil.</p>
<p>Put the dish in the oven and book for 1 hour.</p>
<p>After cooking for an hour, cut the squash, parsnip and carrot into chunks and add to the stew, covering the pot with a lid and cook for another 30 minutes.</p>
<p>While cooking, make the dumplings. Put the flour in a mixing bowl and season, then add the herbs. Mix together and add the egg, and oil and mix, adding around 4 tbsp of cold water to help bring it into a dough. Knead the mixture a little and then shape into 8 golf ball sized pieces and add them to the top of the stew. Cover the pot with the lid and cook for another 15 minutes. Remove the lid and cook for a further 15 minutes.</p>
<p>When the dumplings are golden brown, lift them out of the stew and give it a stir, add the dumplings back into the top and serve.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/10/traditional-autumnal-recipes-b403#comments403</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 07 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>The great debate: Did King Arthur Exist? | Arguments against</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/09/the-great-debate-did-king-arthur-exist-arguments-against-b400</link>
<description>Historians have been debating the existence of King Arthur for generations. While some say that he is a completely fictional figure from the depths of Celtic folklore, others say that there is some evidence that the character of Arthur is an amalgamation of several notable people from the time.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Historians have been debating the existence of King Arthur for generations. While some say that he is a completely fictional figure from the depths of Celtic folklore, others say that there is some evidence that the character of Arthur is an amalgamation of several notable people from the time.</p>
<p>Today we will look at the evidence that disproves the existence of King Arthur.</p>
<p>Want to catch up? Click here to check out the <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/07/the-great-debate-did-king-arthur-exist-the-origins-of-a-legend-b393">origins of the Arthur legend</a> and the arguments for Arthur being a real person <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/08/the-great-debate-did-king-arthur-exist-arguments-for-b395">here</a>.</p>
<p>So, just to recap with some background, Arthurian legends are set in a time period that saw a lot of turmoil – the Romans had just left and the Saxons were starting to throw their weight around. Britannia began to split into fiefdoms, with their own kings or rulers and there are very few records from this time period. However, we do have records of other rulers from this time, which begs the question, why isn’t their concrete proof of a king called Arthur?</p>
<p>So, like last time, let’s look at the textual records that we have.</p>
<p>Those in the Arthur was real camp look to the monk, Gildas and his work De Excidio et Conquesti Britanniae, however, this doesn’t mention anyone called Arthur. It talks about the Battle of Badon, and there is archaeological proof that the Saxons were moving around Britain and there were several battles, one of which, Badon, appears in a variety of texts, but Gildas’ concentrates on a Romano-British General known as Ambrosius Aurelianius – not someone called Arthur.</p>
<p>To be clear, the General was known by the nickname, The Bear and bear translated into Celtic is artos – this could be argued that Gildas was talking about Arthur OR it could be argued that people mistranslated his work and that there was no Arthur, simply a very skilled General who had a nickname that sounded like Arthur.</p>
<p>We mentioned before that most of the stories attributed to Arthur are from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s book, but that Arthur is mentioned by name in several texts prior to Geoffrey’s work. However, there is no mention of anyone called Arthur in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People or in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, both of which are considered to be the most reliable texts from the time period.</p>
<p>If Arthur was such a significant person from the time period, he certainly would have made an appearance in at least one of those texts.</p>
<p>Also, it is worth mentioning that even the records prior to Geoffrey of Monmouth’s work are either disputed, like the Latin Vitae that talk of Arthur being a post Roman saint, or were written centuries after the events were supposed to have happened. So, it is possible that the events that inspired Geoffrey were misinterpreted, misremembered or mistranslated.</p>
<h2>The Matter of Britain</h2>
<p>While this sounds very important, it is actually the name given to the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain, Brittany and legendary kings and heroes. King Arthur does make an appearance here, which suggests that he is a fictional character. Geoffrey of Monmouth’s text is the central part of the Matter of Britain and the Arthur and Brutus of Troy stories that we know come primarily from him.</p>
<p>Similarly, there is also the Matter of France, which concerns the stories of Charlemagne and the Matter of Rome, which features the figures from Roman mythology. So, if we are saying that Charlemagne is a French folk hero and the figures from Roman mythology, including the twins that founded Rome, Romulus and Remus are fiction, so too is Arthur.</p>
<p>While we’re on the subject, the phrase Arthurian began to be used in the 12<sup>th</sup> century but this would coincide with the Matter of Britain. So, we can certainly explain that too.</p>
<h2>The Christianity of it all</h2>
<p>You might have noticed throughout this debate that the majority of people who told stories of Arthur were monks. Geoffrey of Monmouth, Gildas, even those that wrote poems about him were religious figures.</p>
<p>After the Roman departure, Christianity was spreading across Britain and Arthur appears to be a Christian crusader. In one story, he retrieves the Holy Grail. In another, he spends an entire battle carrying Christ’s cross. He is also said to have been descended from Constantine, the Emperor that is credited with the spread of Christianity. It is entirely possible that religious figures would have created a Jesus like figure that the Britons could relate to. The fact that Arthur has a God-like quality to him would also explain why so many monarchs claiming “the divine right” to rule would want to claim kinship with him.</p>
<p>Geoffrey of Monmouth and the French writer De Troyes created much of the legend that we know today including a magical sword and the Lady in the Lake, both of which can be likened to the miracles that happened in the bible.</p>
<h2>The lack of archaeological evidence</h2>
<p>As we’ve said, there is little to no archaeological evidence to back up the existence of Arthur or any of the other characters in the stories. There is proof to suggest that battles between the Saxons and the Britons took place, and there is proof of several notable military leaders who were victorious against the Saxons, however, there is nothing concrete to say that any of these leaders were called Arthur.</p>
<p>In 1190, monks at Glastonbury Abbey claimed to have discovered the grave of Arthur and his wife Guinevere, they say they found the bodies within a coffin made from a tree trunk and with an iron cross engraved with a phrase that roughly translated to “Here lies King Arthur”.</p>
<p>However, there is evidence to suggest that this whole thing was a hoax – shortly before the discovery, the abbey had been damaged by a fire and the monks were keen to raise money for repairs. Following the reburial of the remains, the abbey became a pilgrimage site which would have brought much needed funds. Plus, King Edward I came to personally witness the reburial of the bodies. The same King Edward who was keen to claim Arthur as an ancestor and an English hero, stealing him away from the Welsh.</p>
<p>Many historians see Edward’s presence as proof that the whole thing was a hoax – interestingly, the remains haven’t been seen since. Following the dissolution of the monasteries, Glastonbury Abbey fell into disrepair and the grave site has been lost.<br>
Even more interestingly, King Henry VII also claimed kinship with Arthur, going as far as to name his son and heir Arthur after the great king and using his familial connection with King Arthur as being proof of his “divine right to rule.” Despite this, Henry VII didn’t have the remains of Arthur and Guinevere moved into the royal vaults, though he did do this for other former monarchs. Could it be that he knew Arthur wasn’t real? That although he was related to the nobility through the Tudor line, that line didn’t include a legendary Arthur? Or can we put this back down to Edward I’s erasure of Welsh culture? That Henry didn’t want to rock the boat by pointing out the fact that he was Welsh?</p>
<p>However you look at it, the grave site that was supposedly discovered in 1190 has never been rediscovered and it doesn’t appear that any of the things that were in the grave with the remains were kept and displayed.</p>
<p>Similarly, in the Midlands, there is Arthur’s Stone, which is believed to be a neolithic burial site. However, excavations on the area haven’t found anything conclusive.</p>
<p>Last time, we did say that some places in the Arthur myths could be attributed to real places, like Camlann could be the origins of the area around the River Camel in Cornwall. We can also link Avalon to Glastonbury, there is evidence to suggest that Glastonbury Tor was at one time an island and the surrounding area is known as the Vale of Avalon. However, historians have been unable to place Camelot anywhere in the United Kingdom and as that was supposedly where Arthur ruled from, there should be some way of knowing where it is.</p>
<p>Another issue that historians have with the Arthur stories is the location of Annwn. Annwn is established as being part of Welsh mythology and is described as being an “otherworld” either on an island or under the ground. Some say it can be found in modern day Pembrokeshire, but there is little evidence to support this.</p>
<p>There is some evidence to suggest that Arthur was created as a hero using the deeds of several other notable people of the time. There’s no concrete proof of this but as we said, Gildas’ text does mention Ambrosius Aurelianius who was known as The Bear, which translates into Artos in Celtic, which could be where the origins of Arthur in texts prior to Geoffrey of Monmouth’s came from. Similarly, one of the people thought to have inspired King Arthur, is a Welsh King but as Edward I’s campaign to conquer Wales eradicated a lot of their history and culture, we can’t be sure of this either.</p>
<p>So, after everything we’ve gone over the last few months, what do you think? Was King Arthur a real person? You can join in the debate by following us on X, Facebook and Instagram.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/09/the-great-debate-did-king-arthur-exist-arguments-against-b400#comments400</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 23 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Remembering the Great Fire of London</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/09/remembering-the-great-fire-of-london-b399</link>
<description>London’s burning, London’s burning Fetch the engines, fetch the engines… This September marks 358 years since The Great Fire of London changed the landscape of London and gave us the city we know and love today.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><em>London’s burning, London’s burning<br>
Fetch the engines, fetch the engines… </em></p>
<p>This September marks 358 years since The Great Fire of London changed the landscape of London and gave us the city we know and love today.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/dbimgs/6(2).jpg"><br>
<em>Image: One of the many reminders you can find around East London to commemorate the Great Fire </em></p>
<p>Between 2<sup>nd</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> September 1666, a huge inferno raged around The City of London, stretching for several miles and destroying thousands of buildings, including iconic places like St Paul’s Cathedral.</p>
<p>The Great Fire of London began at Thomas Farriner’s Bakery on Pudding Lane, a small street in the City of London. The street got its name because of the offal (or pudding) that was taken down to the river to the waste barges from the butchers at Eastcheap Market. It was also one of the world’s first one-way streets, having been so since 1617. The bakery stood 202 feet from the site of the Monument to the Great Fire of London on the east side of Pudding Lane, it was paved over in 1886 when the modern Monument Street was built, but you can still see where the bakery was thanks to a plaque placed by the Bakers’ Company in 1986.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/dbimgs/2(25).jpg"><br>
<em>Image: The road sign at Pudiing Lane</em></p>
<p>Let’s break down what happened, the main players of the fire and the impact it had in the months and years that followed.</p>
<h2>London in 1660s</h2>
<p>By the time of the Great Fire, London was the largest city in Britain and the third largest in the Western world. The actual City of London hasn’t changed much since those days, like modern times, the City of London was the commercial heart of the capital and had the largest market and busiest port in the whole of England. It pretty much remained as it had since the Romans created the settlement of Londinium, with life becoming incredibly crowded within the walls and several smaller settlements springing up on the outside of the walls, allowing it to stretch West towards the Strand and the Royal Palace and Abbey at Westminster and across the River Thames into Southwark.</p>
<p>The year before the Fire was known as the Year of the Plague following an outbreak of the bubonic plague which killed 1/6<sup>th</sup> of the population. This was exacerbated by the living conditions of the time, the City in particular was full of traffic and was heavily polluted. The City featured an overcrowded warren of narrow, winding streets with many of the dwellings being constructed as multi-storey timbered tenement houses, some with jetties (projecting upper floors or windows) to create extra living space. These were built using wood and thatched rooves, despite both of these things being outlawed by King Charles II. It was, however, cheap to create housing in this way and despite his threats to imprison builders and to demolish dangerous homes, the City Governors were reluctant to follow through. The City and the Crown had a tense relationship, this area of London had been a stronghold for parliamentarians during the English Civil War and uprisings against the crown continued here well after the restoration. The only areas of The City that used stone or brick was the very centre, where the merchants had spacious and well built manors and further out, towards places like St Paul’s Cathedral.</p>
<p>Prior to the Great Fire of London, there had been a number of major fires in the area, the last one taking place in 1633. It is also important to note that at the time of the Fire, England was at war with both France and the Netherlands, known as the second Anglo-Dutch War.</p>
<h2>Important figures during the Fire</h2>
<p>
<p><strong>King Charles II and James, Duke of York</strong><br>
The Royal brothers took charge and thanks to their efforts, the fire didn’t spread as far as it could have done. This combined with a drop in the wind helped stop the spread.</p>
<p><strong>Thomas Farriner</strong><br>
English Baker and Church Warden, his bakery in Pudding Lane was the starting point for the Great Fire of London. He joined the Baker’s Company in 1637 and had his own shop by 1649. He was a well known baker in the city and provided bread to the Royal Navy during the Anglo Dutch War.<br>
He, his family and some domestic servants lived above the bakery. After the fire, he rebuilt the business on Pudding Lane.</p>
<p><strong>Sir Thomas Bloodworth</strong><br>
The Lord Mayor of the City of London. He was in charge of the area impacted by the fire and many say that his ineffective leadership caused much of the damage. He was given the job because he was seen to be a bit of a “yes man” however, he often crumbled under pressure and didn’t possess any actual skills for the job. When the fire broke out, he was annoyed at being disturbed and went off back to bed without giving any instructions to the firefighters.<br>
On the second day of the fire, he fled the city and the King took over the managing of the fire.</p>
<p><strong>Samuel Pepys</strong><br>
The famous diarist made many of the accounts of the fire. He also delivered messages from the King to the Lord Mayor.</p>
<p><strong>Robert Hubert</strong><br>
Robert was a French watchmaker who was known to have mental health problems and limited mobility. He confessed to starting the fire, despite many not believing him, a scapegoat was needed, so he was charged and sentenced to death. The Farriner family were among those who signed the bill for his execution.<br>
Following his execution, it was discovered that he was on a boat in the North Sea when the fire actually broke out.</p>
<h2>The Timeline</h2>
<p><br>
<strong>Sunday, 2<sup>nd</sup> September 1666</strong></p>
<p>The fire broke out in Thomas Farriner’s bakery on Pudding Lane in the early hours of the morning. The family were trapped in the house upstairs, but escaped through an upstairs window, except the family’s maid, who was too scared to jump to the street, she was the first casualty of the fire.</p>
<p>The Farriners sounded the alarm and the residents of the neighbouring buildings rushed to help put out the fire, after an hour, the Parish Constables were on the scene and judged that they would need to demolish the neighbouring properties to stop the fire, something that was common in firefighting at the time, but in order to do this, they would need the permission of Lord Mayor Thomas Bloodworth.</p>
<p>By the time Bloodworth arrived on the scene, the adjoining houses were on fire and the flames were heading towards the waterfront, where several warehouses stored flammable items. Bloodworth refused to begin demolishing buildings as he stated that permission would need to be sought from the building’s owners rather than the tenants, so a decision couldn’t be made. So, he headed back to bed.</p>
<p>At a more reasonable time in the morning, diarist, Samuel Pepys, ascended the Tower of London to view the fire from the battlements. He wrote in his diary that from what he could see, around 300 houses had been destroyed. By that time, the fire had reached the river and the houses along London Bridge were burning.</p>
<p>Pepys boarded a boat and travelled around the area, he managed to catch a glimpse of Pudding Lane and noted that several people were trying to save their possessions, either by throwing them in the river or by moving them to St Paul’s Cathedral. He then continued on down to Whitehall, where he spoke to the King and the Duke of York. Charles commanded him to tell the Lord Mayor to begin demolition and James, Duke of York, offered the use of the Royal Life Guards</p>
<p>By mid-morning, many had abandoned the attempts at extinguishing the fire and had tried to flee. Unfortunately, the crowded nature of the streets and the general panic made it difficult for firefighters to get where they needed to and the City gates became bottlenecked. Pepys reached the Lord Mayor, who refused the offer of more soldiers. Around this time, Charles II sailed down from Whitehall and saw that the houses were not being demolished, he overrode Bloodworth’s authority and ordered demolitions west of the fire zone.</p>
<p>By the afternoon, the weather had become windy, fuelling the flames. By now, the fire had become a huge firestorm and had travelled 500 metres west from its starting point.</p>
<p><strong>Monday, 3<sup>rd</sup> September 1666</strong></p>
<p>At daybreak on Monday, the fire had begun to spread west and north. It had also made its way across London Bridge towards Southwark.</p>
<p>By the afternoon, it had reached the banking district on Lombard Street in the heart of the City – reports from the time commented on the bankers trying to save their gold coins before they melted. At this point, hope was seemingly lost as there was little effort made to save the wealthy and fashionable districts in the City. The Royal Exchange caught fire in the late afternoon and was a shell within a few hours.</p>
<p>On Monday, rumours started spreading that the fire wasn’t an accident and was actually an act of warfare thanks to England’s involvement in the Anglo Dutch War. Many believed that an invasion was imminent and that the fire had been started by undercover agents. From this there was a wave of street violence against foreign-born people, particularly the French, the Dutch and the Catholics. This gained momentum when the General Letter Office on Threadneedle Street, through which post was sent out across the whole country, burned down. The London Gazette managed to get out their Monday edition before their offices too, were caught up in the fire. Widespread rioting began, causing the Coldstream Guards and the Trained Bands to abandon fire fighting to restore order.</p>
<p>By the afternoon, Bloodworth had left the City and King Charles II took charge. He put his brother, the Duke of York in command and several command posts were set up on the perimeter, manned by a trusted member of court and each given the authority to order demolitions where needed. James and his Life Guards rode around the streets, rescuing people and attempting to keep order. That evening, Baynard’s Castle in Blackfriars, a large stone building, which was seen as the western counterpart of the Tower of London, caught fire. It was completely destroyed and burned through the night.</p>
<p><strong>Tuesday, 4<sup>th</sup> September 1666</strong></p>
<p>Tuesday is deemed to be the biggest day of destruction since the fire broke out.</p>
<p>On Tuesday morning, the flames had made it to Temple Bar, where the Strand meets Fleet Street. The command post there was supposed to stop the fire’s advance towards Whitehall, but assumed that the River Fleet would form a natural firebreak. However, the strong easterly wind caused the flames to jump the river.</p>
<p>By midday, the fire had breached Cheapside where several luxury shopping outlets were located. The Duke of York and his men created a huge firebreak here, which although was breached at multiple points, did slow down the spread. Through the day, the flames began to move closer to the Tower of London, which had a large store of gunpowder. The garrison at the Tower decided to take matters into their own hands, blowing up houses on a large scale around them, halting the advance of the fire and protecting the Tower.</p>
<p>As St Paul’s Cathedral was a brick building, many assumed it was a safe refuge and had filled it with possessions. The booksellers and printers around Paternoster Row filled the crypt with their books and other papers, however, the building was undergoing repairs and it wasn’t long before the wooden scaffold caught fire. Within half an hour of the fire taking hold, the roof had melted and everything in the building was up in flames, the cathedral was in ruins before the day’s end.</p>
<p><strong>Wednesday, 5<sup>th</sup> September 1666</strong></p>
<p>The winds began to drop in the early hours of the morning and the firebreaks created by the Tower of London garrison really started to take effect. Pepys climbed Barking Church and from the tower, took in the destroyed city, he noted in his diaries that there were still several separate fires burning around the area.</p>
<p>At this point, a large encampment had been set up in Moorfields on the outskirts of the city, where the newly homeless had congregated. Morale was low and violence continued in the streets as more and more people became convinced that the fire was an act of war. A huge explosion caused a mob to surge onto the streets, believing it to be the beginning of an invasion. The mob attacked any foreign people they happened to find and order had to be restored by soldiers.</p>
<p><strong>Thursday, 6<sup>th</sup> September 1666</strong></p>
<p>The final fires were extinguished on the Thursday, though some fires in the cellars of several buildings continued to burn for several months. The mood continued to be volatile and food production and distribution had been severely impacted, so Charles II ordered for bread to be brought in and for a series of markets to be set up around the perimeter of the fire zone.</p>
<p>By the Saturday, the senior governance of the City of London, known as the Court of Aldermen, began to clear the debris and reestablish supply lines. At this point, the markets were operating well enough to supply all the newly homeless living in camps around the City and Charles made a Royal Proclamation, imploring surrounding towns and cities to take in those that had been displaced. He actively encouraged those who had lost their homes to move away and start fresh.</p>
<p>Another proclamation was released which forbid people from speculating about the cause of the fire, though this did little to quell the rising violence against Dutch and French nationals.</p>
<p><img alt="" src="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/dbimgs/London%20Bridge.jpg"><br>
<em>Image: A map of the where the fire spread</em></p>
<h2>The aftermath</h2>
<p>With the Anglo Dutch War continuing in the background and violence against all foreign born people around England, a scapegoat was needed to quell the unrest in the streets. Robert Hubert, a French watchmaker made a confession that he and his gang had started the fire in Westminster and then, when it was pointed out that the fire didn’t reach Westminster, he instead said that he had thrown a grenade through the windows of the Bakery on Pudding Lane. He had clearly never been there, as his description of the building and its windows was incorrect. He was known to have mental health issues and poor mobility, so much so that it was deemed impossible for him to have thrown a grenade.</p>
<p>Despite this, he was French, so was a suitable candidate for blame. Thomas Farriner in particular was under pressure to prove that he had properly extinguished his ovens and he and his family all signed the Bill of Execution. Hubert was sentenced at the Old Bailey and executed at Tyburn on 27<sup>th</sup> October 1666. As his body was being handed to the Company of Barber Surgeons for dissection, he was torn apart by the assembled crowd of angry Londoners.</p>
<p>Following his execution, it was discovered that Hubert wasn’t even in London when the fire started, he was on a boat in the North Sea and didn’t arrive in the city until after the fire was already ablaze. His death did however stop the violence.</p>
<p>According to official records, only 6 people died in the fire. However, the records only accounted for those who died of burns or smoke inhalation. Very little is known about the undocumented poor, those who may have died in the impromptu camps or during the violence that followed. Many deaths likely went unreported, and certainly those who survived but had long lasting health issues were not counted. It is also worth noting that the fire was hot enough that there would have been little evidence left of anyone caught in the blaze.</p>
<p>Apart from the loss of life, the fire destroyed 13,500 homes, 87 churches, 44 company halls, The Royal Exchange, Custom House, St Paul’s Cathedral, Bridewell Palace, a number of other prisons, the General Letter Office, Baynard’s Castle and three of the city gates. The total cost of the destruction totalled to around £10 million, which is several billion in today’s money.</p>
<p>In the months after the fire, a committee was set up to establish the cause, which for a time, concluded that Hubert was part of a Catholic plot. It has since been established that even if the Farriners had properly extinguished the ovens, it would have only taken a spark to light up the wooden homes.</p>
<p>To avoid delays with planning and land ownership, a special Fire Court was set up in February 1667 and ran for several years dealing with disputes and deciding what should be rebuilt and where depending on the landowners’ ability to pay. Cases were dealt with swiftly, often in the same day, and helped with the speedy reconstruction of the City. Despite this, it still took around 50 years for the area to be completely rebuilt. Sir Christopher Wren was one of the many people who proposed plans for rebuilding, his plans were rejected, something that many have disagreed with in the years since. His plans would have made the City of London rival Paris. Instead, likely for speed and financial reasons, the City was rebuilt along the same street plan as before, however the reconstruction saw improvements to hygiene and fire safety, with buildings being remade with brick and stone. Most private rebuilding was completed by 1671, and new public buildings were created on their former sites, including St Paul’s Cathedrals and 51 new churches designed by Christopher Wren.</p>
<p>In 1667, strict fire regulations were imposed to reduce the risk of anything like this happening again. Nicholas Barbon, an economist, created the first insurance company, Nicholas Barbon’s Fire Office, which gave cheaper rates to those in brick buildings and hiring private firemen. Confusion between Parish and private firefighters eventually led to the newly emerged insurance companies creating a combined firefighting unit, which would go on to become the London Fire Brigade. Another fun fact about Barbon, he was one of the many who proposed rebuilding plans and is credited with shaping London as we know it today – despite regulations making his development illegal, he built up the Strand, St Giles, Bloomsbury and Holborn.</p>
<p>The fire disrupted commercial activity, with stock and premises being destroyed along with homes. Economic recovery was slow, however, London retained its economic pre-eminence and its central role in political and cultural life. The fire also continued to be used a as a political issue throughout Charles’ reign, especially during the Exclusion Crisis, as allegations that the fire was a Catholic plot were used as propaganda.</p>
<p>For visitors today, the most obvious reminder of the fire is the Monument to the Great Fire of London, which is located outside of Monument tube station. It was commissioned by King Charles II and designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke close to where the fire originated on Pudding Lane. It is 202 feet tall, the site of the bakery is 202 feet from the site of the monument. It took 6 years to complete.</p>
<p><img alt="" class="imageCenter" src="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/dbimgs/3(15).jpg"></p>
<p><em>Image: The Monument to the Great Fire of London</em></p>
<p>In 1681, accusations against the Catholics were added to the inscription on the Monument, something that remained until 1830. There is also a monument at the spot where the fire is said to have died out – the Golden Boy of Pye Corner in Smithfield.</p>
<p>The Monument to the Great Fire of London is a tourist attraction and is open daily for tours. There are 311 steps to the top where you can enjoy breathtaking 360 degree views of the City.</p>
<p><img alt="" class="imageCenter" src="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/dbimgs/4(8).jpg"><br>
<em>Image: The plaque at the Monument </em></p>
<h2>Reactions around the world</h2>
<h2></h2>
<p>As England was at war when the fire broke out, several nations did consider the fire to be retribution for events that took place during the war. The King of France, the nephew of the Queen of England, put aside their differences to offer aid and food to Londoners in need.</p>
<p><img alt="" class="imageCenter" src="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/dbimgs/1%20copy.jpg"></p>
<p><em>Image: The plaque at the Golden Boy of Pye Corner in Smithfield</em></p>
<p>So, there you go, a not so brief look at the circumstances surrounding the Great Fire of London. As well as changing the City physically, the Great Fire had a significant impact on the political, social, economic and cultural element of the capital and caused the largest dislocation of its residential structure in history, something only rivalled by the Blitz in WWII.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/09/remembering-the-great-fire-of-london-b399#comments399</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>How did Lady Jane Grey become queen?</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/08/how-did-lady-jane-grey-become-queen-b396</link>
<description>You may have seen Amazon Prime’s latest period drama, My Lady Jane, a fantastical take on the story of Lady Jane Grey, the nine day queen, based on the book of the same name.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You may have seen Amazon Prime’s latest period drama, My Lady Jane, a fantastical take on the story of <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/lady-jane-grey-the-nine-days-queen">Lady Jane Grey,</a> the nine day queen, based on the book of the same name. . If so, you might be wondering just how much of the series is based on history – obviously, we can’t prove that people can turn into animals on a whim, but we can prove that Jane was declared queen and that she was deposed by her cousin Mary, who went on to become <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/mary-i-bloody-mary-tudor">Mary I.</a></p>
<p>For some, Lady Jane doesn’t count as one of <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history">England’s monarchs.</a> After all, she was only on the throne for nine days and there is evidence to suggest that she was put there because of the machinations of powerful men who wanted to claim the throne for themselves. Whether you think that Jane should have been allowed to rule or you think Mary had the right to storm in and kill everyone, you might be wondering how Jane ended up as a contender for the throne in the first place.</p>
<p>Whichever side of the argument you find yourself, it isn’t disputed that <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/edward-vi-the-last-tudor-king">King Edward,</a> coerced or not, did name Jane Grey as his heir. It is also fact that she was a member of the royal family and grew up alongside her royal cousins.</p>
<p>So, let’s take a look at how she ended up as the heir. </p>
<p>In order to answer this question, we have to go back to the reign of<a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/henry-vii-the-start-of-the-tudor-dynasty"> Henry VII</a> and Elizabeth of York. We all know about their famous son, <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/henry-viii-the-king-with-6-wives">Henry VIII,</a> but they actually had several other children. The ones that survived infancy were Arthur, the Prince of Wales, Margaret, Henry and Mary.</p>
<p>Now, Arthur was married to <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/henry-viii-the-king-with-6-wives/catherine-of-aragon">Catherine of Aragon,</a> but then died of the sweating sickness, paving the way for Henry to swoop in, marry (and then divorce) Catherine and become King. Margaret was married to the King of Scotland, she was queen for a bit, but then her husband was killed in a battle with the English (which must have been a bit awkward at family get togethers) and she remarried and was exiled. Her children did continue the <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/scottish-monarchy/house-of-stewart">Stuart dynasty</a> in Scotland and later in England though, so swings and roundabouts.</p>
<p>For Lady Jane’s story though, we need to focus on the youngest of Henry VIII’s siblings, Mary.</p>
<p>Mary was married to the King of France, who was considerably older than she was. Luckily for Mary, he died shortly after, which made her the Dowager Queen of France – quite a title. She returned to England and got together with her brother’s best friend, Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk.</p>
<p>Mary died at the age of 37, but not before having four children, her oldest daughter, Frances, was a regular at court and as the King’s niece had all the luxuries one might expect, including an advantageous marriage to Henry Grey the Marquess of Dorset. This marriage produced three daughters, Lady Jane Grey, Lady Katherine Grey and Lady Mary Grey.</p>
<p>So, basically, Lady Jane Grey was the great niece of King Henry VIII and a cousin to his children, the princesses Mary and Elizabeth and the prince Edward.</p>
<p>As members of the extended royal family and children of the Marquess of Dorset, Jane and her sisters were raised as nobles and spent time at the court of their great uncle. Her mother, Frances, became good friends with <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/henry-viii-the-king-with-6-wives/catherine-parr">Catherine Parr,</a> aka wife number 6, and this secured places in the queen’s household for her children. Catherine Parr had a good relationship with the Princess Elizabeth, so Lady Jane spent a lot of time with her – the pair were educated together, providing Jane with an education that was considered to be above her station.</p>
<p>Catherine Parr is credited with reuniting Henry VIII with his children and talked him into increasing the succession to include his daughters. This change in the succession meant that Henry overlooked Frances, her siblings and the descendants of his sister Margaret, but did include Frances’ children. So, in the succession act passed by Henry VIII, Lady Jane was in line for the throne, after Mary and Elizabeth.</p>
<p>When Henry VIII died, his nine year old son Edward became king and Jane, along with Elizabeth followed Catherine Parr to her new residence, which included many of Edward’s inner circle. Catherine would go on to marry Thomas Seymour, Edward’s maternal uncle. Thomas Seymour and his brother Edward, liked to say that they had their nephew’s best interests at heart, but many would disagree. They both ended up being executed, but we’ll come back to that.</p>
<p>As Edward was still a child, he had a Regency Council appointed to him who would rule in his stead, this included his uncles. They of course wanted to ensure an heir, so one of their top priorities was finding Edward a wife. One potential candidate was the future Mary Queen of Scots but Thomas Seymour’s preferred candidate was Lady Jane Grey. Was this because she was under his care and therefore would be easy to manipulate? Who knows.</p>
<p>We do know that when his wife, Catherine Parr died, Thomas did attempt to marry Elizabeth, who was a literal child, and demanded that Jane stay in his care, even though she was returned to her parents.</p>
<p>Thomas Seymour was so intent on having access to the crown that he killed the king’s dog and attempted to abduct him. Initially, Jane’s family were implicated in his crimes, but were found innocent and Jane continued to receive the King’s favour.</p>
<p>So, Lady Jane Grey was the great niece of Henry VIII, second cousin to King Edward VI and in the care of the Dowager Queen of England. All making sense so far? Right, let’s continue then!</p>
<p>Following the downfall of the Seymour brothers, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland took over as Lord Protector and de facto ruler. This promotion made him the most powerful man in the country and some say, that like Thomas Seymour, this went to his head. He knew the King wasn’t long for this world, he also knew that Edward was wary about appointing his sister Mary as his heir – Mary was a Catholic and her becoming queen would undo years of securing Protestantism across England. Edward, being young, and already concerned about the potential fall out of Mary being next in line, could be influenced – so Dudley did some influencing.</p>
<p>The first part of his scheme was to plant the seed about changing the line of succession to include Lady Jane Grey. Then he arranged a marriage between her and his son, Guildford Dudley. Jane was 16, Guildford was 18. To some, this looked like your average marriage between aristocrats and was politically important, it brought together two prominent protestant families. However, any children from the marriage would be part of the royal family AND Dudley’s grandchildren. With Jane next in line for the throne, Dudley could guarantee that his grandson be the next king of England. (He almost got his wish twice, his youngest son, Robert Dudley was Elizabeth’s childhood best friend and went on to have a long term relationship with her. If Elizabeth hadn’t been assaulted by Thomas Seymour in her youth and Robert wasn’t implicated in his wife’s death, could he have been married to the queen and produced a Dudley heir? We’ll never know.)</p>
<p>So, Jane and Guildford were married. It is said that Jane had to be literally beaten into agreeing to the marriage, we know that she was intelligent, so probably didn’t fancy having to submit to a husband she barely knew, but whether her parents actually beat her into submission, is lost to history. If not choosing your own husband wasn’t insult enough, she had to share her wedding day, venue, priest, guests, all of it with two other people. Her younger sister Katherine and Guildford’s sister, also called Katherine.</p>
<p>King Edward was seriously ill by this time and now Dudley had a royal daughter in law. So, you can guess what happened next. Edward, aware that the issue of succession was becoming more and more urgent, sought the advice of his council and then drafted the Devise for the Succession. This document passed over both his sisters and his aunt Frances, who was technically, his next closest relative. Instead, he chose Jane and her male heirs. His aunt Frances was outraged to have been passed over for the second time – however, after a private meeting with the King, she began to favour Jane.</p>
<p>How did Jane feel about this?<br>
Well, about the same as she felt about being married.</p>
<p>Four days after the death of Edward, the announcement was made and Jane Grey was named queen on 10<sup>th</sup> July 1553. Reports from the time say that she was reluctant and had to be “convinced by her mother” to accept the title. How this convincing was done, we couldn’t say.</p>
<p>So, was everyone happy now?<br>
Nope.</p>
<p>Though she had accepted that Edward wanted her to be queen, Jane refused to name her husband Guildford king. Naturally, the Dudleys were a little upset by this, but Edward’s sister Mary had the biggest bone to pick. She rallied the nobility and massed an army, riding to London to claim the throne as her own.</p>
<p>Just nine days after being given the crown, Jane had it taken from her by the force of Mary’s army, she was officially deposed on 19<sup>th</sup> July.</p>
<p>So that’s that then?<br>
Well, no, she may have only been queen for nine days, but she wasn’t immediately executed by her dear cousin. Mary did have the entire Grey family arrested, Frances requested an audience, in which she accused the Dudleys of engineering the whole plot, even going so far as to claim that John Dudley had been poisoning Jane, in the hope that she would die early and Guildford would be king in his own right. Mary saw that Jane was a pawn and promised to pardon her after the coronation. She released the rest of the family but then Henry Grey, Jane’s father ended up being part of a revolt that aimed to put Elizabeth on the throne, which rather hampered Mary’s generosity.</p>
<p>Jane ended up being imprisoned at the Tower of London in the Gentleman Gaoler’s Apartments, her husband Guildford Dudley was put in the Bell Tower. Guildford’s brothers and father, along with Jane’s father were also arrested and held in the other towers.</p>
<p>Around six months into her reign, Mary had John Dudley and Henry Grey executed for treason. The following year on 12<sup>th</sup> February 1554, Jane and Guildford, along with Thomas Cranmer, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII and Edward VI, were all tried and executed for treason.</p>
<p>After the trial, Jane was sentenced to either being burned alive on Tower Hill or beheaded as the queen pleases. It is said that Mary was troubled by executing her cousin, but as she is known as Bloody Mary, we’re not sure just how true that actually is.</p>
<p>The day before their execution, Guildford asked to speak to Jane for one last time but she refused. They did see each other again however, he was taken down to be executed first. His body was transported back to the Tower and passed Jane on her way down to Tower Green. She was said to have cried his name when she saw him. The pair were buried in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula on the north side of Tower Green, no memorial stone was erected to mark their final resting place.</p>
<p>That isn’t where the story of the Greys and the line of succession ends, however. Mary took pity on her aunt Frances and her remaining children. They lived in poverty but were kept as part of Mary’s household, with Frances going on to marry Adrian Stokes, her Master of the Horse.</p>
<p>The family remained part of the royal court following Mary’s death and the ascension of Elizabeth. And, like her siblings, as Elizabeth didn’t have an heir, both the youngest Grey sisters and their offspring were considered to be prospective heirs. As we know though, this didn’t happen and Elizabeth instead named a different cousin, James Stuart, the King of Scotland.</p>
<p>It could have all been different however.</p>
<p>Katherine Grey had two sons, the last Tudor boys, either of which could have been named as heir, if only Katherine hadn’t upset Elizabeth by secretly marrying Edward Seymour – the son of the afore mentioned Edward Seymour that lost his head while looking after Elizabeth’s brother.</p>
<p>Katherine and Edward jnr made the mistake of not having more than one witness at their wedding, which threw the legitimacy of their children into question. Also, not inviting Elizabeth to the wedding. She had them both imprisoned in the Tower of London and Katherine would die before the age of 30 of consumption.</p>
<p>The youngest Grey sister, Mary served as one of Elizabeth’s maids of honour and didn’t learn from Katherine’s mistakes. She also married without permission and had the audacity to choose someone that the court found wholly unsuitable. Elizabeth confined Mary to house arrest and her husband was sent to Fleet prison, they never saw each other again. Mary did return to the queen’s favour eventually though, if her lavish funeral was anything to go by.</p>
<p>So, there you have it, how Lady Jane Grey ended up in line for the throne.</p>
<p>You can learn more about Lady Jane Grey <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/lady-jane-grey-the-nine-days-queen">here</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/08/how-did-lady-jane-grey-become-queen-b396#comments396</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 23 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>The great debate: Did King Arthur Exist? | Arguments for</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/08/the-great-debate-did-king-arthur-exist-arguments-for-b395</link>
<description>Historians have been debating the existence of King Arthur for generations. While some say that he is a completely fictional figure from the depths of Celtic folklore, others say that there is some evidence that the character of Arthur is an amalgamation of several notable people from the time.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Historians have been debating the existence of King Arthur for generations. While some say that he is a completely fictional figure from the depths of Celtic folklore, others say that there is some evidence that the character of Arthur is an amalgamation of several notable people from the time.</p>
<p>Today we will look at the evidence for the existence of King Arthur. Want to catch up? Click here to check out the origins of the Arthur.</p>
<p>For now, let’s take a look at some of the evidence that proves that there was once someone called Arthur who did some of the things attributed to him in the legends.</p>
<p>To start with, a bit of background, the Arthurian legends are set in a time of great change and turmoil in Britain – the Romans had begun to leave Britain and Saxon invasions began to terrorise the population. Britannia fragmented into fiefdoms, each with its own king or ruler, something that continued up until the Norman invasion. So, it is entirely possible that there was a King called Uther Pendragon, who had a son that was seen as a great military leader. It is also important to note that there are very few records of the time between the Romans and the Normans. With that said, let’s look at what records we do have.</p>
<p>Ancient texts that mention Arthur, or at least someone we can infer is Arthur.</p>
<p><strong>De Excidio et Conquestu Britanniae – Gildas</strong><br>
This is the earliest text we’ll be looking at, and though it doesn’t mention Arthur by name, it does talk about the Battle of Badon, which is associated with the Arthur legend.<br>
Gildas was a Welsh Monk and in his works, he talks about a Saxon invasion which resulted in the Battle of Badon. The British were victorious, they were led by a Romano-Britain general called Ambrosia Aurelianius, who was known as The Bear.<br>
Interestingly, the Celtic word for bear is artos.<br>
So, though the story itself isn’t about anyone called Arthur, the name could come from the General’s nickname and does reference the Battle of Badon, which features in several texts that mention Arthur.</p>
<p>Interestingly, there are many texts prior to those written by Geoffrey of Monmouth that reference Arthur as a military leader rather than a King. Many of these texts are Welsh in origin or were written by Welsh monks that were living in England.</p>
<p>For instance, as well as Gildas’ account of the Battle of Badon, we also have a mention in the 7<sup>th</sup> century poem Y Gododdin, which says that the hero is a skilled warrior, but is no Arthur, indicating that there was a skilled fighter called Arthur that people would have prior knowledge of.</p>
<p><strong>The Easter Annals</strong><br>
This set of Welsh manuscripts detail the conversion from Roman to British rule and cover the Saxon invasion. The Battle of Badon features here too and a hero called Arthur is credited with carrying the cross of Jesus Christ which helped the British win.</p>
<p><strong>The Black Book of Carmarthen and the Welsh Triads</strong></p>
<p>These texts are mostly a collection of Welsh traditional stories and histories. It is the Welsh Triads that first flout the idea that Arthur might be a king, he is described as being the Chief of the Lords of this Island, indicating that he was in charge of the British and Welsh.</p>
<p><strong>Latin Vitae</strong><br>
It isn’t just the Welsh that have early mentions of Arthur, he also appears in a couple of Vitae, which were texts detailing the lives of post Roman saints. These aren’t generally considered to be reliable historical sources, but it is certainly interesting that he appears here, too.</p>
<p>Remember Gildas who is attributed to the earliest mention of Arthur?<br>
Well, he later became a saint and in the story of his life, it is claimed that Arthur killed his brother and rescued his wife from Glastonbury. There is also mention of an incident in which Arthur demanded compensation for the loss of his men in the form of cattle. Something that comes up several times in Arthurian legends.</p>
<p>You’ll also find mention of Arthur in the Historia Brittonum, a book detailing the History of the Britons, which was written in the 9<sup>th</sup> century and contains details of 12 battles that Arthur supposedly took part in and refers to him as a military commander rather than a King. Some see this as one of the earliest histories of Britain, but others claim that it is a work of fiction as some of the locations mentioned do not match up with places that currently exist.</p>
<p><strong>The Annals of Cambraie</strong></p>
<p>The Annales Cambriae, which date back to the 8<sup>th</sup> century, also support the case for Arthur being a real person. They mention both the Battle of Badon and the Battle of Camlann, where Arthur is supposed to have died and dated that final battle as taking place in the late 530s.</p>
<p>Some say that Geoffrey of Monmouth was inspired by these texts, while others say that this proves that there was a respected leader called Arthur. This in turn may indicate that the Arthur of legend is an amalgamation of several people, rather than one singular person.</p>
<p>So, what do we know about this time?<br>
We know that the period after the Roman occupation was one of great turmoil. There are very few records remaining from this time period, so even if there was someone called Arthur who rose to prominence, we wouldn’t have concrete evidence. Historians do say that there is evidence that the Saxons and the Britons fought several battles and though the Battle of Badon’s location isn’t concrete, there is evidence to suggest that it is in the West Country.</p>
<p>One location we can prove existed however is the Camlann, the site of Arthur’s final battle.</p>
<p>It wasn’t just Welsh texts that included mentions of Arthur, following the popularity of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s work, the stories of Arthur started appearing in France too. It was these stories that introduced the Knights of the Roundtable, though again, we don’t know if these were written because they had come across the legendary fighter or because they were further inspired by Geoffrey’s stories.</p>
<h2>The Cornish connection</h2>
<p>Ok, so let’s talk about Cornwall.</p>
<p>The Arthur legend is hugely intwined with Cornish history, the generally accepted Arthur legends state that he was born in Tintagel, Cornwall after Uther Pendragon, a king of Britain used Merlin to deceive the wife of the Duke of Cornwall into believing that he was her husband. Arthur was conceived and was raised by the Cornish and Merlin alongside his mother, father and half siblings, which included Morgana, the infamous witch of the story. We all know how outspoken women were treated in history. If Arthur exists, did Morgana and did she just fall foul of misogony? </p>
<p>In Tintagel, there is a bronze sculpture of a knight wearing a cloak and a crown and holding a sword that is said to be in commemoration of Arthur, though this addition is fairly recent. Tintagel does have the ruins of a castle and a cave known as Merlin’s Cave, which was coveted by the 13<sup>th</sup> Century Earl of Cornwall, who wanted to claim Arthurian heritage.</p>
<p>Cornwall is also said to be where the Battle of Camlann took place. It is said to be located in the modern day village of Slaughterbridge where there is a Camel River, the name of which could have come from Camlann. There is also a stone column here known as the Slaughterbridge Stone which is believed to have been an ancient burial marker and archaeologists discovered a stone slab here which dated back to around the 6<sup>th</sup> century that had Artognou engraved on it. Perhaps this was a headstone and perhaps Artognou is an old Cornish version of the name Arthur?</p>
<p>Other connections to Cornwall include a neolothic stone circle on Bodmin Moor which was said to have significance with the Knights of the Roundtable and St Nectan’s Glen, a waterfall which was supposedly visited by the Knights of the Roundtable before they went searching for the Holy Grail.</p>
<h2>Other tangible evidence</h2>
<p>Aside from places like Merlin’s Cave, Arthur’s Stone is another site that has connections with King Arthur. Believed to be around 5000 years old, Arthur’s Stone is constructed of nine upright stones topped by a massive capstone which weighs around 25 tons. It is believed to be an ancient tomb, though excavations haven’t proved anything concrete.</p>
<h2>Could the mystery of Arthur be Edward I’s fault?</h2>
<p>As we’ve seen, many of the original mentions of Arthur come from Welsh history and the name Arthur itself does have Welsh origins. Etymologists say the name originated from the Roman surname, Artorius, a latinised version of the Irish name Arti. We have also established that the Celtic word for bear is Artos. All of this together could indicate that Arthur became a popular name in Wales around the time of the Saxon invasions.</p>
<p>It is also worth noting that Henry Tudor, who became Henry VII of England, was Welsh, he was born in Pembrokeshire and the Tudors were a prominent Welsh family, named his oldest son Arthur and claimed to be a descendent of the original King Arthur. He also claimed that this relation to King Arthur strengthened his divine right to rule.</p>
<p>Henry VII wasn’t the only monarch that believed in the existence of King Arthur. King Edward I also acknowledged that Arthur was a real person and even visited his supposed grave site. Later, the brother of King Henry III, who became the Duke of Cornwall – was so convinced that Arthur existed and that they were related that he swapped several royal lands for Tintagel, which was said to have been Arthur’s birthplace and would regularly hold events nearby at Merlin’s Grotto, which still exists today, to commemorate Arthur’s victories. Another king, Edward III created his own Order of the Roundtable, which took inspiration from the Welsh Triads. There is a Round Table at Winchester Castle, which was originally created by Edward I and then repainted by Henry VIII that was modelled on the table used by King Arthur.</p>
<p>What does this have to do with Edward I?<br>
Well, Edward I was the king that began England’s conquest of Wales and during this time, he claimed Arthur as being an English hero, shifting the origins away from the original Welsh stories and rooting him further into Cornish lore. Perhaps the lack of original documentation from the time itself and Edward’s erasure of Welsh culture is the reason why there isn’t more concrete evidence of Arthur’s existence.</p>
<p>It is also possible that Arthur was a Welsh leader or king – again, Welsh culture was actively being supressed and erased by those that conquered it. In fact, for a time, it was illegal to speak Welsh, forcing those that lived there to speak English, those that only spoke Welsh were not allowed to hold office or positions of power. There is a suggestion that King Arthur could have been the Welsh king Arthrwys ap Meurig, but again, so much was lost that we would never know for sure.</p>
<h2>The Glastonbury Connection</h2>
<p>So, you know how we said that Camlann was a real place? We might also be able to place Avalon in reality, too.</p>
<p>Avalon is said to be Glastonbury Tor, which at one time was surrounded by marsh land, which made it an Island. Though it wasn’t an island by the 12<sup>th</sup> century, which coincidentally is when the word Arthurian began to be used to describe certain eras and architecture. Want more? In Welsh, Glastonbury translated to Isle of Glass.</p>
<p>Glastonbury has long been shrouded in folk lore and is close to Bath, which is said to have healing waters, so it isn’t too much of a stretch to assume that a nobleman injured in battle wouldn’t have been taken somewhere known for its healing. The area of the Somerset Levels where Glastonbury can be found continues to be known as the Vale of Avalon, which adds a little more credence to the tale.</p>
<p>Furthermore, Arthur’s grave is said to have been uncovered in Glastonbury. Yes, you read that right. In 1190, monks at Glastonbury Abbey claimed to have discovered the bones of Arthur and Guinevere after their new abbot ordered them to search the grounds. The monks claimed to have found the bodies in an unmarked tomb within a massive coffin made from tree trunks and alongside an iron cross engraved with the phrase: HIC IACET SEPULTUS INCLITUS REX ARTURIUS IN INSULA AVALONIA.</p>
<p>It is said that this translates roughly to Here lies entombed the renowned King Arthur in the island of Avalon. However, others say that it actually makes mention of the Once and Future King – a phrase synonymous with King Arthur. We do know that Rex is Latin for King, we still use it today and Arturius is pretty similar to Arthur.</p>
<p>Following the discovery of the bodies, King Edward I and his wife, Eleanor of Castille visited Glastonbury to witness their reburial and to contribute silks and royal seals to the grave. The bones were then moved again when the abbey was extended but following the dissolution of the abbey, the grave site and any remains have been lost.</p>
<p>While some point to this as being proof that Arthur existed and was important enough to have been buried with an engraved cross at an abbey, others claim that the whole thing was a hoax on the part of the monks. After all, they desperately needed to raise money for the abbey as it had been damaged in a fire not long before the discovery. The king who was so keen for Arthur to belong to the British being involved adds to this theory, however others say that the discovery was legitimate and actually, the tomb had been found years before, but had been left alone.</p>
<h2>People who could have been Arthur</h2>
<p>One leading theory is that King Arthur wasn’t one single person but that the stories about him are an amalgamation of the lives of several notable people at the time. It is widely accepted that Geoffrey’s version of Merlin was based on a number of Welsh prophets.</p>
<p>There are a couple of people who could have potentially been the Arthur of those original stories or at least have had their actions credited to someone called Arthur. Firstly, there is The Bear, Ambrosia Aurelianius, who is mentioned in Gildas’ text.</p>
<p>Other candidates include Artuir mac Aedan, a prince of Dal Riata, which is now part of modern Scotland; Lucius Artorius Castus, a Roman army commander and several English and Welsh kings, including Riothamus, who fought during an expedition to Gaul, Owain Danwyn and Arthwys ap Meurig.</p>
<p>So, with the mentions in ancient history prior to the publication of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s book, the significant locations being matched up with modern day places, several sources referring to the Battles of Badon and Camlann, more modern kings associating with and claiming heritage from Arthur, the discovery of his burial place and the mentions of other people from the legends, like Merlin, that concludes our evidence for the existence of Arthur.</p>
<p>Is this enough to convince you that King Arthur existed?</p>
<p>Next time we’ll be looking at the evidence against the existence of Arthur.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/08/the-great-debate-did-king-arthur-exist-arguments-for-b395#comments395</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 14 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Horrific History | History of capital punishment in Britain</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/08/horrific-history-history-of-capital-punishment-in-britain-b394</link>
<description>As the 13 th August marks the 60 th anniversary of the last hanging in Britain, we thought we would delve into the dark history of capital punishment.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As the 13<sup>th</sup> August marks the 60<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the last hanging in Britain, we thought we would delve into the dark history of capital punishment.</p>
<p>Before we get on to the last hanging in Britain, let’s take a step back and find out more about our history with capital punishment.</p>
<p>Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the execution of a criminal sentenced to death after being convicted of a crime following a trial. In the UK, capital punishment predates the formation of the UK and was used throughout the British Isles from around the Anglo-Saxon era up until 1969 when it was officially abolished – though it remained in place for certain offences, like treason, until 1998. Today, capital punishment is prohibited by the European Convention of Human Rights, which the UK is a part of.</p>
<p>Throughout the UK’s history, the preferred method of execution was hanging, which was brought to Britain by the Anglo-Saxons. Initially, this involved placing a noose around someone’s neck and suspending them from a tree. Later this morphed into ‘drawing, hanging and quartering’ – the severest punishment for those who committed treason. This involved dragging the condemned person to the place of the execution, hanging them until almost dead, then cutting them down and disembowelling, beheading, burning and then quartering of the limbs. Heads and hands were then publicly displayed at prominent places around the area.</p>
<p>By the 10<sup>th</sup> century, hanging was the most common form of execution across the British Isles. The death penalty was actually abolished under William the Conqueror for everything except war crimes, but his sons, William II and Henry I reintroduced it.</p>
<p>Almost all cities and towns in the UK had at least one execution spot that was used for public displays, usually with a scaffold. In <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/places-to-stay/london">London</a>, the majority of criminals were hung at Tyburn, which is near where Marble Arch stands today. Prisoners were often dragged there from Newgate prison. Most prisoners were taken on the back of a cart, through crowded streets, where members of the public would throw things at them, before being compelled to repent by a local holy man, they would then be hanged. Sometimes, their relatives would be allowed to pull on their feet to get it over with quickly. In <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/our-regions/wales/cardiff">Cardiff,</a> convicts would have to walk from the castle to the gallows which was located in an area called Roath, which is still locally known as Death Junction.</p>
<p>It wasn’t just hanging which was prevalent as a capital punishment. Women were often burned at the stake and the nobility were beheaded. Burning at the stake was the most common punishment for heresy, though this hasn’t been used since 1789, it was abolished the following year. If you were in the military, it is more likely you were executed by firing squad.<br>
During <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/henry-viii-the-king-with-6-wives">Henry VIII’s</a> reign, as many as 72,000 people were executed and during his daughter <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/elizabeth-i-good-queen-bess">Elizabeth’s</a> reign, 75% of hangings were due to theft. In London, the courts condemned more people to death than the rest of the country, with the first recorded execution at Tyburn taking place in 1196 and the last public execution in the city taking place in 1896. In fact, if you take a trip to central London, you’re always around 5km away from a known execution site.</p>
<p>Throughout history, different areas of London were synonymous with various execution methods. For instance, the area of Smithfield near Farringdon was the place for the burning of heretics, while those condemned for piracy were executed at Execution Dock near Wapping. Traitors were generally beheaded on Tower Hill and their heads displayed at Traitor’s Gate. For special occasions, temporary gallows were erected in public spaces or near the scene of the crime, so that members of the public could come and watch.</p>
<p>At one time, around 220 crimes were punishable by death. This was known as the Bloody Code and didn’t distinguish between adults and children. Some of the crimes which carried the death penalty included:</p>
<p>Damaging Westminster Bridge<br>
Impersonating a Chelsea Pensioner<br>
Concealing a stillborn child if you were unwed<br>
Pickpocketing goods worth a shilling<br>
Stealing from a shipwreck<br>
Writing a threatening letter<br>
Begging without a licence if you were a soldier or sailor<br>
Evidence of malice in children aged between 7 and 14 years<br>
Arson<br>
Cutting down trees<br>
Returning to Britain after being transported to the colonies<br>
Stealing rabbits from a warren<br>
Vandalising a fishpond<br>
Forgery<br>
Stealing horses or sheep</p>
<p>These were on top of a variety of other minor offences and bigger ones including murder, assault, sexual offences and treason. This huge list of offences remained in place until 1861 when the number of capital crimes were reduced to four: murder, arson in a royal dockyard, treason and piracy. Further reform took place, which saw executions move from public spaces to inside of prisons.</p>
<p>Prior to <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/britain-at-war/wwii">WWII,</a> there was an attempt to abolish the death penalty, however the outbreak of war and the need to punish those convicted of espionage meant it was abandoned. In the 1950s, there were further calls for abolishment following high profile cases like Timothy Evans, this led to the Homicide Act, which reduced the categories of murder that could be punishable by death.</p>
<p>Beheading was abolished as a method of execution in 1973. The death penalty was completely abolished in 1998, replacing the punishment for treason and piracy with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.</p>
<p>The last executions to take place in England and the UK were:</p>
<p>Peter Allen at Walton Prison and Gwynne Jones (aka John Welby) at Stangeways Prison in August 1964, while Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be hanged in Britain. Harry Burton was the last person executed in Scotland, while Robert McGladdery was the last execution in Northern Ireland and Vivian Teed, the last person in Wales.</p>
<p>The last people to receive a death sentence, but were not executed are: Liam Holden in Northern Ireland, David Chapman in England, Patrick McCarron in Scotland and Edgar Black in Wales.</p>
<h3>Notable Executions</h3>
<p>With<a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/henry-viii-the-king-with-6-wives"> Henry VIII </a>executing around 72,000 people, we can’t mention everyone but here are some of the most notable people to have been sentenced to death in the UK.</p>
<p>Sir Thomas More<br>
Beheaded for treason on 6<sup>th</sup> July 1535</p>
<p><a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/henry-viii-the-king-with-6-wives/anne-boleyn">Anne Boleyn</a><br>
Beheaded for treason, adultery and incest on 19<sup>th</sup> May 1536.<br>
Her brother and several co-conspirators were also executed.</p>
<p>Thomas Cromwell<br>
Beheaded for treason on 28<sup>th</sup> July 1540</p>
<p><a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/henry-viii-the-king-with-6-wives/catherine-howard">Catherine Howard</a><br>
Beheaded for treason and adultery on 13<sup>th</sup> February 1542.<br>
Several co-conspirators were also executed.</p>
<p>Alice Glaston<br>
Hanged for an unknown charge, but believed to have been murder. She was only 11 years old and is the youngest known girl to have been legally executed in England.</p>
<p>John Dean<br>
Hanged for arson, was only 9 years old and is thought to be the youngest child legally executed in England.</p>
<p>Robert Kett<br>
Hanged from the walls of Norwich Castle for leading Kett’s Rebellion, he was charged with treason on 7<sup>th</sup> December 1549.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/lady-jane-grey-the-nine-days-queen">Lady Jane Grey </a>and Lord Guildford Dudley<br>
The nine days queen and her husband were both beheaded on the charge of treason by <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-tudor/mary-i-bloody-mary-tudor">Mary I</a>, Jane’s cousin on 12<sup>th</sup> February 1554 following a long period of imprisonment.</p>
<p>The infant son of Perotine Massey<br>
This execution was presided over by the church so isn’t necessarily deemed legal – the child was less than a day old and was burned to death on a charge of inheriting a mortal stain from his mother on 18<sup>th</sup> July 1556.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/scottish-monarchy/mary-queen-of-scots">Mary Queen of Scots</a><br>
Beheaded by her cousin, Elizabeth I for charges of treason after being implicated in a plot to steal the English throne on 8<sup>th</sup> February 1587.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/evolution-of-british-politics/the-gunpowder-plot">The Gunpowder plotters</a><br>
Guy Fawkes narrowly avoided execution by jumping off the gallows. The others were hung, drawn and quartered.</p>
<p>Sir Walter Raleigh<br>
He was charged with violating the terms of the Treaty of London and attacking Spanish ships in peace time, leading to his execution by beheading on 29<sup>th</sup> October 1618.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-stuart/charles-i-the-abolition-of-the-monarchy">King Charles I</a><br>
Charles I was found guilty of high treason following the English Civil War and was beheaded outside Banqueting Hall in London. The execution was carefully monitored to limit the amount of people attending and it was made illegal to speak, preach or write against the execution so the king did not become a martyr.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/04/the-man-behind-the-legend-dick-turpin-b381">Dick Turpin</a><br>
The highway man was hanged on 7<sup>th</sup> April 1739, though not for highway robbery or murder, he was initially captured and sentenced for horse theft.</p>
<p>Thomas Kingsmill<br>
A gang leader in the 1700s, Kingsmill was charged with smuggling and murder and was sentenced to gibbetting. This is when the dead or dying bodies of criminals were hung publicly and then left to die of exposure, thirst or starvation. It’s also known as hanging in chains.</p>
<p>John Byng<br>
The only British Admiral to be executed by firing squad by the Royal Navy for failing to do his utmost at the Battle of Minorca.</p>
<p>Laurence Shirley (4<sup>th</sup> Earl Ferrers)<br>
The last peer to be hanged and the only one to be so after being charged with murder. He was convicted of murdering a servant on 5<sup>th</sup> May 1760.</p>
<p>Catherine Murphy<br>
Charged for counterfeiting, Murphy was the last woman in England to be burned at the stake, however she was strangled beforehand, so technically was already deceased.</p>
<p>John Bellingham<br>
Bellingham assassinated Spencer Perceval the prime minister and was hanged on 18<sup>th</sup> May 1812.</p>
<p>The Cato Street Conspirators<br>
Found guilty of a plot to murder the entire cabinet and prime minister, they were hanged and decapitated.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/things-to-do/cultural-history/true-crime/burke-and-hare">William Burke</a><br>
Half of the murderous duo Burke and Hare. He was hanged on 28<sup>th</sup> January 1829 and then his body was publicly dissected.</p>
<p>Catherine Frary and Frances Billing<br>
Convicted of poisoning, they were the last women featured in a double public execution. They were hanged at the gates of Norwich Castle.</p>
<p>James Pratt and John Smith<br>
These were the last two men to be executed for sodomy in England.</p>
<p>Sarah Chesham<br>
The last woman to be hanged for attempted murder, there is some debate about her being wrongly convicted.</p>
<p>Elizabeth Martha Brown<br>
The last woman to be hung in public in Dorset, which served as inspiration for Tess of the D’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy was in the audience.</p>
<p>Fenian Michael Barret<br>
A participant in the Clerkenwell Explosion, was the last person publicly hanged in the UK in May 1868.</p>
<p>William Horry<br>
Executed at Lincoln Castle, Horry was the first person hanged using the Long Drop method.</p>
<p>Albert and Alfred Stratton<br>
The first British murderers to be convicted using fingerprint evidence.</p>
<p>Private Thomas Highgate<br>
The first British soldier to be executed for desertion during WWI, executed by firing squad.</p>
<p>Roger Casement<br>
Former Government official, was charged with conspiring with the enemy during WWI and inciting insurrection in Ireland, leading to a conviction for treason.</p>
<p>Victor Betts<br>
His case established that a person need not be present when a crime is committed to be considered an accessory after the fact. He was sentenced following a murder committed during a robbery.</p>
<p>Josef Jakobs<br>
A German spy convicted of treason was executed by firing squad and is the last person to have been executed at the Tower of London.</p>
<p>Theodore Schurch<br>
The last person to be executed for an offence other than murder in 1946. He was convicted of treachery.</p>
<p>Timothy Evans<br>
Charged with a murder he didn’t commit and hanged, it was later revealed that the actual culprit was John Christie and despite this being acknowledged, he has never been posthumously acquitted.</p>
<p>Ruth Ellis<br>
The last woman to be hung in Britain on 13<sup>th</sup> July 1955.</p>
<p>On 9<sup>th</sup> November 1965, the Murder Act suspended the death penalty for murder for five years in the UK and then on 16<sup>th</sup> December 1969, it was abolished for all crimes except treason. The ratification of the European Convention on Human Rights on 20<sup>th</sup> May 1999 meant that the death penalty was abolished and prohibited in the UK. Which brings us back to the last execution to take place in the UK – the executions of Peter Allen and Gwynne Evans. The pair were both career criminals with a history of petty crime and were convicted of murdering John West during a plan to rob him.</p>
<p>During the trial, they blamed each other and at the conclusion, the judge asked the jury to consider whether one man was responsible, or both. After deliberating for just three hours, both were found guilty and sentenced to death.</p>
<p>Despite being incarcerated at separate institutions, both were executed at the same time on the same day. At 8 am on 13<sup>th</sup> August 1964, Evans at Strangeways Prison and Allen at Walton Prison were hanged. Several years later, it was discovered that Evans had serious psychological problems, which would have led to his sentence being commuted because of diminished responsibility. This along with other miscarriages of justice, like the execution of Timothy Evans, are among the arguments why the death penalty remains in the past.</p>
<p>Learn more about Britain dark history:<br>
<a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2023/07/horrific-history-asylums-and-mental-health-care-in-britain-b338">Asylums and mental health care</a><br>
<a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2023/01/horrific-tales-from-history-botched-executions-b287">Botched executions</a><br>
<a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2023/10/horrific-history-the-history-of-british-witch-trials-b353">British witch trials</a></p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/08/horrific-history-history-of-capital-punishment-in-britain-b394#comments394</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 07 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>The great debate: Did King Arthur Exist | the origins of a legend</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/07/the-great-debate-did-king-arthur-exist-the-origins-of-a-legend-b393</link>
<description>Historians have been debating the existence of King Arthur for generations. While some say that he is a completely fictional figure from the depths of Celtic folklore, others say that there is some evidence that the character of Arthur is an amalgamation of several notable people from the time.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Historians have been debating the existence of King Arthur for generations. While some say that he is a completely fictional figure from the depths of Celtic folklore, others say that there is some evidence that the character of Arthur is an amalgamation of several notable people from the time.</p>
<p>Over the next few months, we’ll be looking at the evidence historians have made for and against the existence of King Arthur. Today, as a starting point, we’ll be looking at the legend of King Arthur, the key characters and how the story evolved.</p>
<p>The person credited with making Arthur a key character in British folklore was a chap called Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was a Catholic cleric from <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/our-regions/wales">Monmouth in Wales</a> and is a major figure in the development of British histography. Though people debate how true his stories of King Arthur actually are, there are some aspects of his work that are undisputed.</p>
<h2>The lowdown on Geoffrey of Monmouth</h2>
<p> Born: Galfridus Arturus (or Geoffrey Arthur) | Monmouth, Wales | circa 1095</p>
<p>So, as we can see Geoffrey was born quite some time after it is said Arthur lived. He actually gave himself the name Geoffrey of Monmouth, which is why we all think he came from that area of Wales. Regardless of how you feel about giving yourself a nickname, it is generally accepted that he descended from the French speaking elite who lived around the Welsh border and likely made their home there after the <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-normandy">Norman invasion.</a></p>
<p>Anyway, Geoffrey travelled quite widely, spending a fair amount of time in Oxford and Lincoln, as well as Wales. He was a Catholic cleric and served as the Bishop of St Asaph at Lambeth and wrote several works, the best known of which, the History of the Kings of Britain, details the basis of the legend of Arthur. In fact, the Arthurian legend is categorised as Pre-Galfridian or Post-Galfidian depending on whether that part of the legend came from Geoffrey’s work.</p>
<h2>The History of the Kings of Britain</h2>
<p>Geoffrey wrote several works in Latin, including this one, which is one of the best known “histories” of the Medieval era. It claims to be a history of Britain, and says that the country was founded by Brutus of Troy, who made his way across the sea following the Trojan War. It covers everything from Julius Caeser, the<a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/roman-britain"> Roman invasion</a> and the Kings Leir (he eventually became known as King Lear, and yes, there is debate over whether he existed too) and Arthur.</p>
<p>Geoffrey said that his book is a translation of an earlier work given to him by the Archdeacon of Oxford telling of the history and deeds of the kings of Britain. This is disputed, hence the debate over Arthur’s existence. The book does cite other historical manuscripts that we’ll be looking at next time in our exploration of the evidence for Arthur’s existence – including those by Bede and Gildas, which both reference battles and a seemingly super human warrior that helped the British defeat the Saxons.</p>
<p>Geoffrey also wrote a series of works about Merlin – the Prophecies of Merlin and the Life of Merlin. These both discuss a crazed outcast who made prophecies and is either a man living in the woods or a man from Scotland. The name seems to have roots in Welsh, with the original translation being merdyn – which translates into mad man.</p>
<p>There is some evidence to suggest that the Merlin and Arthur that appeared in Geoffrey’s writings were inspired by real life Welsh and Briton prophets, but are they amalgamations of several people that inspired a wild tale or did Geoffrey actually just translate a book that does tell the history of a time that went largely unrecorded?</p>
<h2>Evolution of a legend</h2>
<p>So, let’s take a look at the Arthur that Geoffrey wrote about.</p>
<p>Like most figures, historical or mythical, he appears to have different names depending on who you ask. In English he is King Arthur; in Welsh, Brenin Arthur; in Cornish, Arthur Gernow; in Breton, Roue Arzhur and in French, Roi Arthur.</p>
<p>In the original Welsh sources, Arthur is the leader of the Post Roman Britains, leading them into battles against the Anglo Saxons. Prior to Geoffrey writing about him, he appeared in a couple of different historical texts from the 5<sup>th</sup> and 6<sup>th</sup> centuries, which we will discuss next time.</p>
<p>In Geoffrey’s version of events, Arthur was a descendant of Constantine the Great, a Roman Emperor who is credited as being the driving force behind Christianity. He commanded one of the largest of the Roman armies and remained in Britain long after his promotion to Emperor.</p>
<p>The story goes that Uther Pendragon, a King ruling in the Post Roman era had his eye on the Duke of Cornwall’s wife. With the help of Merlin, he disguises himself as the Duke and tricks the wife into bed, the result: Arthur. Arthur is then raised alongside the Duke of Cornwall’s existing children with the help of Merlin, before becoming King on the death of Uther Pendragon.</p>
<p>After becoming King of the Britain, Arthur took part in a variety of battles, in most versions, there are 12 battles, which is corroborated by other historical texts. He defeats the Picts and Scots and then creates an Arthurian empire, taking control of territories overseas, including Gaul, which was part of the Roman Empire.</p>
<p>While abroad planning to take Gaul, Arthur receives word that his nephew Mordred has usurped him. He returns to Britain and the pair meet on the battlefield. Mordred is killed and Arthur mortally wounded, he is taken to the Isle of Avalon to recover but is never seen again.</p>
<p>Several of the characters that appear in Geoffrey’s account are still recognised from the Arthurian legends we know today, including:</p>
<p>Uther Pendragon<br>
Merlin<br>
Guinevere<br>
Mordred</p>
<p>Other notable characters such as Lancelot, Percival, Galahad, Gawain, Ywain, Tristian and Isolde all appear in later texts, primarily as part of the Matter of Britain, a series of stories and literature from Medieval Britain. Camelot for instance didn’t appear in the story until the 1300s and the Knights of the Roundtable were also a later embellishment.</p>
<p>Post Geoffrey of Monmouth, many of the Welsh chronicles focusing on Arthur talk about his connection to a place called Annwn, which is an Otherworld that features heavily in Welsh folklore.</p>
<p>So now we more aware of the stories and the origin of the Arthur stories, we’re ready to start discussing whether he is a complete figment of Geoffrey’s imagination or if he is rooted in reality. Check in next month to learn the arguments in favour of there really being a King Arthur!<br>
</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/07/the-great-debate-did-king-arthur-exist-the-origins-of-a-legend-b393#comments393</comments>
<pubDate>Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Worst Prime Ministers in history blog</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/07/worst-prime-ministers-in-history-blog-b391</link>
<description>As the excitement of the General Election dies down, here are some of the hapless leaders that haven’t been remembered fondly by history. Time will tell how our current prime minister will be remembered, but for now, let’s indulge in some of the worst remembered prime ministers.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As the excitement of the General Election dies down, here are some of the hapless leaders that haven’t been remembered fondly by history. Time will tell how our current prime minister will be remembered, but for now, let’s indulge in some of the worst remembered prime ministers.</p>
<p>Rishi Sunak was the 57<sup>th</sup> person to take up the mantle of prime minister. It is generally agreed that <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/evolution-of-british-politics/british-prime-ministers-through-the-ages">Robert Walpole </a>was the first prime minister – he served for over 20 years! The shortest serving prime minister was Liz Truss, who was also coincidently the third female prime minister. Will Rishi, Liz or Robert appear on the list of worst prime ministers? I guess that will depend on who you ask, but read on to find out!</p>
<h2>Anthony Eden</h2>
<p>We’re kicking off with Eden because according to BBC Radio 4 listeners, he is the UK’s worst prime minister. Eden earned his place on this list because of his handling of the Suez Crisis of 1956 – and considering he served as foreign secretary before stepping into the Prime Minister role, he really should have known better.</p>
<p>Basically, the Suez Canal was a hugely important trade route and Egypt, where the canal is located, decided to nationalise it. Eden responded by conspiring with Israel and France to send in troops to take it back, risking another world war. It wasn’t just the British people who were unhappy with this, America threatened Britain with sanctions too. Eden withdrew the troops, which proved that we were no longer the global power we once were. It also transpired that Eden’s plan with France and Israel had been decided before Egypt nationalised the canal, meaning he had deceived parliament over the plan.</p>
<p>Eden was forced to resign before making it 2 years in power.</p>
<h2>Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington</h2>
<p>You probably know the Duke of Wellington for his tales of military might – but just because one is great at leading armies, doesn’t mean they are good at leading countries. According to reports at the time, he ran parliament in much the same way that he ran his regiment and was not open to discussions or questions.</p>
<p>At the time, elections were not particularly fair and the nation was riddled with Rotten Boroughs – the country was calling for electoral reform, but Wellington was not in favour. The windows in his home were smashed and his party were removed from power and even then he would not admit that he was wrong.</p>
<h2>Robert Banks Jenkinson, the Earl of Liverpool</h2>
<p><br>
By all accounts, the Earl was a competent and intelligent man who was well liked, so why is he on our list? Well, he was in power during the Peterloo Massacre which took place in Manchester in 1819.</p>
<p>Jenkinson had stepped into the prime minister role after the assassination of his predecessor Spencer Perceval, the only prime minister to have been killed in office. This likely led to his decision making when it came to dealing with the situation when workers in the North, joined by soldiers fresh from the Napoleonic Wars began campaigning for reform. Jenkinson instead put in place legislation which repressed their protests and the resulting riot saw law enforcement being ordered to charge into an unarmed crowd with sabres. 18 were killed and hundreds were injured, the action damaged his reputation and he left office in 1827 following a general election.</p>
<h2>Lord Frederick North</h2>
<p>Though Hamilton will have you believe that <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-hanover/george-iii-the-mad-king">King George III </a>was the reason for the American War of Independence, we should probably look a bit closer at the prime minister, Lord Frederick North. North refused to abandon the Tea Act, which forced British colonies to buy tea from the <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/industrial-revolution/the-east-india-company">East India Company</a> and pay a tax to the crown, despite not being represented in the houses of power. It was this that led to the Boston Tea Party and then the American Revolution, leading Britain to lose its colonies.</p>
<p>At the time and since, North was blamed for the loss and resigned in disgrace.</p>
<h2>Augustus Henry Fitzroy, the Duke of Grafton</h2>
<p>Grafton’s tenure as prime minister was also overshadowed by the situation in the American colonies but he’s not here for that reason – he’s here because of the various scandals he was involved in while holding high office. Despite being married, he conducted a very public affair while prime minister, even going as far as to have his mistress entertain diplomats. His wife was also having an affair and became pregnant by another man, so they got divorced. He then remarried very quickly, but not to his known mistress, to another woman entirely! He was also gone before his second year was out.</p>
<h2>Neville Chamberlain</h2>
<p>Poor Chamberlain often appears on these lists as his policy of appeasement allowed for Hitler’s occupation of much of Europe. Chamberlain claimed he wanted to negotiate with Hitler to maintain peace but it didn’t work, Hitler managed to occupy his neighbours and then moved into Poland, kickstarting <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/britain-at-war/wwii">WWII</a>. It should be said, Chamberlain was not the only world leader to sign the Munich Agreement and at the time, the policy was well received by the British public. He was also credited with making working conditions better in factories and was aiming to help Britain rebuild financially following<a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/britain-at-war/wwi"> WWI.</a> Sadly, he is remembered as being a bit of a wet fish and swiftly lost power, being replaced by Winston Churchill.</p>
<h2>James Callaghan</h2>
<p>Callaghan is remembered for being extremely likable and is generally thought of as a talented statesman, he held four of the most senior positions in government before becoming prime minister but his tenure was overshadowed by the Winter of Discontent. He took over from Harold Wilson and inherited a country in a poor economic condition with inflation at a high, which led to wide spread strikes.</p>
<h2>Margaret Thatcher</h2>
<p><br>
We did say this list would depend on who you asked! Thatcher took over from Callaghan after winning that year’s General Election and was Britain’s first female prime minister. Though she is remembered favourably for her action during the Falklands War, that’s not the case for her war against trade unions, the privatisation of everything from state industries to council houses and issues over <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/industrial-revolution/coal-mining">miners’ strikes</a>. She was eventually removed from power by her own party and replaced by John Major.</p>
<h2>Boris Johnson</h2>
<p>Another controversial entry, but whether you love him or hate him, the facts speak for themselves. He was in charge during the Covid pandemic and thanks to Partygate, became the first prime minister to have been found guilty of committing a criminal offence while in office. He was also found to have been very economic with the truth regarding figures used during the Brexit referendum and an unlawful suspension of parliament. He eventually resigned as an MP before being penalised for deliberately misleading the House of Commons on five separate occasions. He was ousted from power following in fighting within his own party.</p>
<h2>Liz Truss</h2>
<p>We can’t not mention our shortest lived prime minister. Liz Truss was the third ever female prime minister and served for a total of 45 days. She was so unpopular that news outlets ran polls wondering whether her time in power would be longer or shorter than the life span of a lettuce. Prior to becoming leader of the Conservatives, she was a Liberal Democrat, which did rather make her an odd choice, but regardless, she took over from Boris Johnson, only to find that the <a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-windsor/elizabeth-ii-britain-s-longest-reigning-monarch">Queen </a>died shortly after their first meeting. Determined to keep calm and carry on, she introduced economic policies so unpopular that the Bank of England was forced into an emergency programme of buying government bonds and the pound dropped to an all time low.</p>
<p>Basically, the lettuce outlived her.</p>
<h2>Winston Churchill</h2>
<p>Ok, another one that might raise an eyebrow or two, but he does finish the list nicely. When Churchill first became prime minister in 1940, he was exactly what the country needed, he kept up morale and was strong in the face of many difficult decisions made in war time. His second crack at being prime minister though? Yeah, that wasn’t so great.</p>
<p>Churchill was re-elected at the age of 77 and was in very bad health, something that was kept from the public. It was this time around though that his mood swings and reluctance to focus on home affairs became an issue. Following another stroke which left him partially paralysed, he had to step aside in favour of Anthony Eden and well, we all know how that worked out.</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/07/worst-prime-ministers-in-history-blog-b391#comments391</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 08 Jul 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>Keeping fame in the family</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/06/keeping-fame-in-the-family-b389</link>
<description>Fame is a funny thing – you might think that the celebrities of today are a flash in the pan and in a few generations time, will be nothing but a distant memory but sometimes fame stays in the family, like with the people we’ll be talking about today.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Fame is a funny thing – you might think that the celebrities of today are a flash in the pan and in a few generations time, will be nothing but a distant memory but sometimes fame stays in the family, like with the people we’ll be talking about today.</p>
<p>You might not think that Meghan Markle has anything other than her husband tying her to the British aristocracy but you’d be wrong.<br>
Did you know that Ozzy Osborne has family connections to Tsar Nicholas II, Grandson of Queen Victoria? </p>
<p>Read on to find out how some of our modern day celebrities are related to historical figures, it might just change your mind on how fickle fame can be!</p>
<p>As we’ve mentioned him already, let’s examine Ozzy Osborne first.</p>
<p>So according to researchers looking at the family trees of several celebrities, Ozzy Osbourne has some pretty impressive ancestors. Born John Michael Osbourne in Warwickshire in 1948, Ozzy Osbourne is best known for being the lead singer of Black Sabbath and for biting the head off a bat. He gained a new legion of fans by becoming one of the first ever reality TV stars, though all of that was potentially due to the strength of his genes. The research found that Ozzy is descended from American outlaw, Jesse James and Russia’s Tsar Nicholas II.</p>
<p>Tsar Nicholas, a grandson of Queen Victoria was the last monarch of Russia. He, his wife and children were slaughtered by the Bolshevik’s during the Russian revolution.</p>
<p>Another celeb that has connections to royalty is Tilda Swinton. The Oscar winning Scottish actress has been in a host of films, TV programmes and stage productions, including Marvel blockbusters. Researchers looking at her family history found that she is related to Robert the Bruce!</p>
<p>Robert the Bruce was king of Scotland from 1306 to 1329 and freed Scotland from English rule after his troops won the Battle of Bannockburn 1314. The research showed that both Swinton’s parents had a link to Robert II, the grandson of Robert the Bruce.</p>
<p>Meghan Markle is a controversial figure who already has links to the British aristocracy thanks to her marriage to Prince Harry but that isn’t her only connection. According to research, she is the sixth cousin of Winston Churchill and also distantly related to William Shakespeare.</p>
<p>The Churchill connection makes sense, although he was born in Oxfordshire and can trace his lineage through the British aristocracy, his mother was an American socialite.</p>
<p>A funnier historical connection to a modern day celebrity is Robert Pattinson and his relation, Vlad the Impaler. Vlad was the inspiration behind Dracula, who in turn influenced Pattinson’s most famous role, Edward Cullen in the Twilight saga. Yep, a man famous for playing a vampire, is related to the man who inspired the most famous of vampires.</p>
<p>Another case of life imitating art is the link between Kit Harrington and Robert Catesby. Kit Harrington is an actor best known for playing Jon Snow in Game of Throne, one of his post Game of Thrones roles was in a dramatisation of the Gun Powder Plot, in which he played Robert Catesby, the leader of the scheme to blow up parliament. Harrington is a direct descendant of Robert Catesby, his mother’s maiden name was Catesby and even weirder, another of his relatives on his father’s side was in the Houses of Parliament for the opening of parliament and would have been caught up in all the drama!</p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/06/keeping-fame-in-the-family-b389#comments389</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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<title>(Not always so) Fun facts about Charles I</title>
<link>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/06/not-always-so-fun-facts-about-charles-i-b390</link>
<description>Last month on the blog, we marked Oak Apple Day and the Restoration of the monarchy, so this month, we thought we’d take a look at the man that, some might say, caused the downfall of the royal family in the first place.</description>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last month on the blog, we marked Oak Apple Day and the Restoration of the monarchy, so this month, we thought we’d take a look at the man that, some might say, caused the downfall of the royal family in the first place. Here are some fun facts about Charles I that you might not have learned in your history lessons. Don’t forget, you can find out more about him and the rest of the Stuart Dynasty<a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-stuart"> here</a>. </p>
<h2>He had a Scottish accent</h2>
<p>You might expect anyone with the title of King to be very well spoken with an RP accent, but actually, a great many of them had accents from all over Europe and Charles and the rest of the Stuart clan were no exception. Charles and his father, James, were born in Scotland and so naturally had a Scottish accent. It is said that he was very softly spoken and had a stammer throughout his life.</p>
<h2>He was very sickly</h2>
<p>Even if he hadn’t been killed for treason, it is unlikely that he would have lived a particularly long time. As a child, he was incredibly sickly and was slower to develop than his siblings. In fact, he was so ill, that his parents left him behind when they moved to London to take the English throne and many believed he wouldn’t survive infancy.</p>
<p>Whatever his malady, it followed him into adulthood, he continued to suffer with weak ankles until his death and he was described as being awkward and clumsy in his movements.</p>
<h2>He was the spare who became an heir</h2>
<p>Much like a surprising amount of monarchs, Charles was never intended to have the throne. He was the second born son of James I/ VI, but when his older brother Henry died of typhoid at the age of 18, the 12 year old Charles suddenly became heir to the throne.</p>
<h2>He was very arty</h2>
<p>Contemporaries say that Charles had many interests but was most passionate about the arts – he had one of the largest art collections of any monarch and would often commission additional works for his homes.</p>
<h2>He wasn’t a popular king</h2>
<h2></h2>
<p>We all know that his son Charles II was known as the Merry Monarch, but this Charles was not well liked by the people. Many believed him to be arrogant and to be fair, he did let his belief in his Divine Right preside over his life. He was said to forbid anyone but his wife to sit in his presence and many of his policies overlooked the vast majority of the population. Despite this, those that knew him claimed that he was kind, gentle and incredibly shy – so he was clearly a man of contradictions.</p>
<h2>He was the first and (so far) only king to be executed for treason</h2>
<p>We say the only king because technically Lady Jane Grey was named as monarch before her cousin had her beheaded but for those that discount Lady Jane – Charles is the first and only monarch to be executed for high treason. When the English Civil War ended with his capture, he refused to negotiate with Parliament which led to him being tried and found guilty of high treason.</p>
<p>The trial took place in January 1649 and the public were allowed to attend, though were behind a wooden partition to ensure everyone’s safety. Charles appeared before the appointed judges 4 times and each time, challenged the court’s authority and right to try him.</p>
<p>How fair the trial was can be debated – after all, Thomas Fairfax did only allow those that wanted Charles to answer for his crimes to attend parliament and it was those MPs that ordered the trial. As well as that, 135 people should have been involved in the trial, but only 68 were actually there and the House of Lords refused to get involved. Out of those 68, only 59 signed the death warrant. The execution itself was also public, taking place in front of the Banqueting House. The executioner was hooded to maintain his anonymity and to this day, his identity remains unknown. After the deed was done, Charles’ head was dropped in front of the platform, where members of the public dipped handkerchiefs in his blood and cut off locks of his hair. He was then buried at Windsor.</p>
<p>Want to learn more about Charles I and visit some locations associated with him?<a href="https://www.visitheritage.co.uk/discover/royal-history/house-of-stuart/charles-i-the-abolition-of-the-monarchy"> Click here.</a></p>
<p>]]></content:encoded>
<author>marketing@visitheritage.co.uk (Visit Heritage)</author>
<comments>http://www.visitheritage.co.uk/inspiration/visit-heritage-blog/read/2024/06/not-always-so-fun-facts-about-charles-i-b390#comments390</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
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