On this day in history : 1st September 1960 – The British government gives the green light for betting shops to open on the high street – as from the 1st of May 1961….
The announcement followed the introduction of the new Betting and Gaming Act…. The aim was to remove gambling from the street and end the practice of runners – who collected from punters on behalf of bookmakers…. At the time betting was a rather complicated business – it was archaic and inconsistent…. Anyone wishing to place a bet had to open an account with a bookmaker and prove they were credit worthy….
From January 1961 public houses were permitted to have fruit machines and other slot machines….it also became legal to have a small wager on card games, such as bridge…. Then from May the 1st approved bookmakers were issued with a license or permit from the Racecourse Betting Control Board….
Following the beginning of May around 100 betting shops a week were opening up…. Within six months there were at least 10,000….and within five years 1,000 casinos had opened…. Two more Gaming Acts, in 1963 and 1968, took things further, introducing licences for other forms of gaming….
In 1970 a new Gaming Act tightened up restrictions as there had been too many loopholes to exploit…. This was also to cover games such as bingo…. With the advent of the National Lottery in 1994 and the growth of on-line gambling the industry is worth billions…. In October 2004 a Gambling Bill was introduced to tighten regulation for betting on the internet….
On this day in history : 31st August 1422 – The death of King Henry V…. He is succeeded by his only son and heir, Henry VI – who is just 9 months old….
King Henry V – Public domain
Henry V died suddenly at Chateau de Vincennes, in the royal fortress town of Vincennes, to the east of Paris…. He is believed by many to have died from dysentery; some historians think he contracted this at the Siege of Meaux – which was fought between the English and the French during the Hundred Years’ War…. He had become ill during the long battle, which had taken place during the winter months – it is, therefore, disputed that dysentery was the cause of his death as he would undoubtedly have died long before August…. Another possible cause could have been heatstroke, as he had been riding in full armour in the blistering heat…. Henry V was 35 years old and had reigned for nine years…. Just two years before, in 1420, he had married Catherine of Valois, the daughter of Charles VI of France – and their son Henry, was born at Windsor Castle on the 6th of December, 1421….
Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Valois – British Library – Public domain
Henry V had died before he could be crowned King of France…. His body was returned to England and on the 7th of November 1422 he was buried at Westminster Abbey…. Not long before his death he had named his brother, the Duke of Bedford, as Regent of France, in name of his young son Henry VI….
Henry VI was the youngest ever to succeed the throne…. On the 21st of October 1422 he also became the King of France, following the death of his grandfather, Charles VI of France – and in accordance with the terms of the Treaty of Troyes, which was made after Henry V’s victory in France….
Catherine of Valois was treated with suspicion by the English as she was the daughter of Charles VI and she was prevented from having a major part in the upbringing of her son…. On the 26th of September 1423 nobles of England summoned Parliament in the young King’s name to establish a regency council to govern until Henry VI came of age…. The Duke of Bedford was appointed Senior Regent of the Realm….
Henry VI was headstrong and unruly as a child – but finally in 1437 he was considered old enough to rule for himself….
On this day in history : 30th August 1716 – The baptism of Lancelot Brown, better known as Capability Brown – the landscape architect who designed over 170 parks, many of which we still enjoy today….
Lancelot (Capability) Brown – Public domain
Brown was born in the village of Kirkdale in Northumberland…. He was the son of a land agent and of a chambermaid, who were employed by Sir William Loraine of Kirkcharle Hall…. At the age of 16, after finishing his education, at a school in the nearby village of Cambo, Brown became an apprentice to the head gardener at Kirkcharle Hall…. Finishing his apprenticeship at 23 he then travelled south, ending up working at Wotton, an estate owned by Sir Richard Grenville….
Then in 1741 he joined the staff of Lord Cobham at Stowe in Buckinghamshire…. Here he worked under William Kent, a founding member of the new English style of landscape gardening…. Brown was responsible for bringing Kent’s designs to life – and as he gained experience and confidence he began to take on work of his own for associates of Lord Cobham…. Even though he was still working for Lord Cobham this was done with his employer’s blessing….and indeed at the age of 26 he was appointed Head Gardener at Stowe and remained so until 1750…. In 1744 he married Bridget Wayet, ‘Biddy’ – the daughter of a landowner – and they were to have seven children (three of whom died in infancy)….
Brown continued to take commissions from his employer’s aristocratic friends and became much in demand – in fact by 1751 he was becoming quite famous…. By the 1760s he was extremely wealthy, earning in today’s equivalent to well over £800K per year…. He had by now gained the name ‘Capability Brown’ – because of his ‘sales pitch’ – which invariably involved him telling his clients that their land had ‘capability for improvement’….
Capability Brown landscape, Bowood Lake
In 1764 Brown was appointed Master Gardener at Hampton Court Palace for King George III…. Then in 1767 he was able to buy his own estate, in the manor of Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, East Anglia…. It was an estate that comprised of 2,668 acres, with two manor houses and two villages…. In 1770 he was appointed High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire but it was eldest son, Lance, who stepped in to carry out the majority of the duties….
Capability Brown was responsible for the design of around 170 grounds of some of the finest country estate houses of the land…. Blenheim Palace, Warwick Castle, Highclere Castle, Milton Abbey, Belvoir Castle, Petworth House, Longleat, Clandon Park, Broadlands and Syon Park to name but a few…. his influences can be seen at Kew Gardens…. His style – the sweeping landscapes, with clumps of trees and serpentine lakes – replaced the previous formal gardens of aristocratic England…. Not all approved of his work, some accused him of destroying the work of past generations…. His work fell out of favour in the 1800s but a new appreciation arose in the 20th century and we continue to enjoy his legacy at many of the historical homes we visit today – many of which are now owned by the National Trust….
Petworth Park, West Sussex – Photo credit : John Linwood via Flickr
Brown continued to work until his sudden death on the 6th of February 1783….when after an evening out he collapsed on his daughter’s doorstep…. He was buried in the churchyard of St Peter and St Paul, the parish church on his estate – Fenstanton….
On this day in history : 29th August 1782 – British battleship HMS Royal George sinks off of Spithead whilst repair work is carried out beneath its waterline…. Some 900 lives are lost….
HMS Royal George – by John Cleveley the Elder – Public domain
At the time of its launch, on the 18th of February 1756, HMS Royal George was the largest warship in the world, with 100 guns on 3 decks….
In August 1782 preparations were being made for the Royal George to sail to Gibraltar, as part of the fleet of Admiral Howe…. The fleet was anchored off of Spithead in order to take on supplies…. All shore leave had been cancelled, out of fear of desertion, so all 1,200 crew were onboard apart from a detachment of 60 men who had been sent ashore on errands…. Also on board were over 300 family members of the crew, mostly women and children, spending time with their loved ones before it was time to set sail…. A large group of workmen, working against the clock to get repairs done, were also present….
Around 7am the ship was ‘heeled over’, to enable easier access to the hull…. The process involved rolling the ship’s starboard guns to the centre of the ship to cause it to tilt over the port side, raising the starboard side up…. However, a large quantity of rum casks had been loaded onto the port side and the additional weight of these was overlooked…. As a result the ship rolled over too far….
Public domain
The captain gave the order to roll the guns back but it was too late….the ship had taken on too much water through the gun ports…. A sudden in-rush of water filled the ship and it sank…. Although 255 people were saved around 900 more were lost, including some 300 women and 60 children….
Many of the victims were washed ashore at Ryde on the Isle of Wight…. They were buried in a mass grave stretching along the beach….
Toll for the brave The brave that are no more, All sunk beneath the wave, Fast by their native shore. - The Loss of the Royal George, William Cawper, 1782
On this day in history : 28th August 1906 – The birth of Sir John Betjeman – much loved broadcaster on British television and one of the most popular British Poets Laureate of all time….
Sir John Betjeman, 1961 – Public domain
Born John Betjemann, with a father of Dutch descent, the family name changed to Betjeman at the time of World War One, to make it appear a little less German….
After finishing his education Betjeman declined employment in the family’s furniture business…. In his early schooling he was taught by poet T.S. Eliot – and then later, whilst at Oxford University, his tutor was a young C.S. Lewis…. However, whereas Eliot was encouraging and inspiring Lewis was not so supportive, regarding Betjeman as an ‘idle prig’…. The feeling was mutual – in return Betjeman found Lewis demanding and uninspiring as a tutor…. He was to leave Oxford without a degree and went on to work in a variety of fields – as a private secretary, a period as a school teacher and then as a film critic for the Evening Standard…. Betjeman had first had his poetry published whilst at Oxford, in the university magazine The Isis…. His first book of poems, Mount Zion, was published in 1931….
A young Betjeman – Public domain
It was in 1932 that his broadcasting career began, a radio programme about the proposed destruction of Waterloo Bridge…. The previous year he had become assistant editor of The Architectural Review – as a result of his love for buildings and their history…. Betjeman was to become a founding member of the Victorian Society, aimed at protecting our Victorian and Edwardian heritage and architecture…. His first book on the subject, Ghastly Good Taste, was published in 1933…. It was also in this year that he married travel writer the Hon. Penelope Chetwode, the only daughter of Field Marshal Lord Chetwode…. They were to have two children, a son Paul and daughter Candida – the marriage was to break down in the late 1940s….
Betjeman was rejected for active military service in 1939 – instead he did work for the films division of the Ministry of Information…. He still did regular radio work, something that was to continue throughout his life – including interviews, documentaries, panel shows, even game shows – and of course poetry readings…. By 1937 the BBC was making regular screen broadcasts and Betjeman’s first television appearance was on a programme named How to Make a Guidebook…. From the 1950s he was to become a familiar face on television….
In 1960 he was to be awarded a CBE and then in 1962 he was knighted…. He succeeded Cecil Day Lewis as Britain’s Poet Laureate in 1972…. Later in his life he was to suffer from Parkinson’s disease – and was prominently featured in campaigns for Parkinson UK…. He died in Cornwall on the 19th of May 1984….
The following poem, ‘Slough’, is from John Betjeman’s 1937 collection Continental Dew…. The poem was written to show his dismay at the industrialisation of Britain…. Slough being a prime example – as it was used as a dumping ground for surplus war materials after World War One – and had also seen around 850 new factories built….
Come friendly bombs, and fall on Slough It isn’t fit for humans now, There isn’t grass to graze a cow Swarm over, Death!
Come, bombs, and blow to smithereens Those air-conditioned, bright canteens, Tinned fruit, tinned meat, tinned milk, tinned beans Tinned minds, tinned breath.
Mess up the mess they call a town - A house for ninety-seven down And once a week for half-a-crown For twenty years,
And get that man with double chin Who’ll always cheat and always win, Who washes his repulsive skin In women’s tears,
And smash his desk of polished oak And smash his hands so used to stroke And stop his boring dirty joke And make him yell.
But spare the bald young clerks who add The profits of the stinking cad; It’s not their fault that they are mad, They’ve tasted Hell.
It’s not their fault they do not know The birdsong from the radio, It’s not their fault they often go To Maidenhead
And talk of sports and makes of cars In various bogus Tudor bars And daren’t look up and see the stars But belch instead,
In labour-saving homes, with care Their wives frizz out peroxide hair And dry it in synthetic air And paint their nails.
Come friendly bombs, and fall on Slough To get it ready for the plough. The cabbages are coming now; The earth exhales
Of course, no offence intended if you live in Slough – this poem could have been written about so many places… What is poignant for me is that this was written in the 1930s – and nothing much has changed…. Except that we’re now finally beginning to accept we have to do something about it….
Cottage Capers 