British History

On this day in history….19th October 1745

On this day in history : 19th October 1745 – The death of Anglo-Irish author, poet and satirist Jonathan Swift – most famous for his masterpiece Gulliver’s Travels….

Johnathan Swift – portrait by Charles Jervas – Public domain

Swift’s English father had settled in Ireland and married the daughter of an English clergyman…. Then in 1667 he died leaving his pregnant wife and young daughter to be cared for by his in-laws…. Swift was born and the fatherless family was supported by his mother’s brothers – who treated him well and at the age of six he was sent to Kilkenny, the best school in Ireland…. Then he went to Trinity College in Dublin, graduating in February 1686 with a Bachelor of Arts degree….

Swift’s birthplace – 1865 illustration by T.Morton – Houghton Library – Public domain

Returning to England to escape the unrest in Ireland Swift joined the household of his mother’s distant relative Sir William Temple, of Moor Park, near to Farnham in Surrey…. He remained here until Temple’s death in 1699 and it was where his writing career began…. He did return to Ireland a couple of times during this period – and on one such occasion took orders at the Anglican Church, ordaining as a priest in January 1695….. He was to become Vicar of Kilroy, near to Belfast….

After Temple’s death he returned to Dublin for a longer period…. By now he was becoming recognised in London, for his satirical wit as a writer…. His popularity grew, especially for his religious and political essays, such as A Tale of Tub…. Swift became a writer of political pamphlets, first for the Whigs and then the Tories…. But when King George I came to the Throne in 1714 the Tories were ruined…. Swift’s career in England was over….he retreated to Ireland and turned to poetry….

However, his greatest work, Gulliver’s Travels, was yet to come, being published in 1726…. It was originally entitled Travels Into Several Remote Nations of the World and was written under the pseudonym of ‘Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships’…. The prose satire was an immediate success – and was to go on to become one of our classics of English literature…. It is often thought of as being a children’s book but is actually a sophisticated satire of human nature and was based on Swift’s own life experiences….

First edition of Gulliver’s Travels – Public domain

Swift died on the 19th of October 1745 – and was buried in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin – where he had served as Dean from 1713-1745….

Swift at the Deanery, St. Patrick’s – illustration from 1905 Temple Scott edition of ‘Works’ – Public domain

On this day in history….18th October 1674

On this day in history : 18th October 1674 – The birth of dandy Richard ‘Beau’ Nash – Master of Ceremonies for Bath and who turned it into a city of fashion….

Beau Nash – Unknown artist , public domain – from the book ‘Bath Under Beau Nash’ by Lewis Melville

Nash, the son of a glass making factory owner, was born in Swansea…. He attended Oxford University – but dropped out to serve as an army officer – this didn’t last long either…. He then went on to become a barrister in London and yet again, this career did not amount to much….

Being one who loved to socialise Nash had used his army stint to establish connections in society…. He also liked to gamble – so much so that it dominated his life….

On a visit to Bath Nash found it to be perfect for his lifestyle…. The spa town, having been visited by Queen Anne in 1702, was already increasing in popularity…. Nash began to introduce it to the ‘delights’ of gambling…. Other than soaking in the hot mineral spas, taking the occasional stroll in the park or frequenting the taverns and coffee houses, the rich of Bath had little else to do….

Nash managed to wheedle his way in to become aide to Master of Ceremonies Captain Webster…. It was the job of the Master of Ceremonies to organise Society’s social life, with dances, balls and other social gatherings…. Webster was shot dead in a duel following an argument over a card game – and in 1704 Nash was elected by the Corporation of Bath to fill the vacant position….

He certainly looked the part with his flamboyant unique dress style – and quickly earned the nickname ‘Beau’…. He was a trendsetter; whilst everyone else was wearing white wigs, he wore a jet black one – with a cream beaver hat perched on it in a rakish fashion…. He left his coat unbuttoned to show off his lavish waistcoat and ruffled shirt and instead of the customary boots worn by men at the time, he introduced shoes and stockings – so much better for dancing in….

A young Beau Nash – Illustration from 1886 – Public domain

Bath became the centre for social change; Nash promoted refinement, banned swearing and encouraged social integration with friendships across the classes…. He would broker marriages – and appraise newcomers to Bath to see it they were suitable for the social set….

In 1708 he appointed Thomas Harrison to build the Bath Assembly House – a place for dancing and gambling…. With musicians brought in from London it became the social hub…. Bath had the reputation of being the most fashionable resort in England, even attracting continental nobility…. Nash became known as the ‘King of Bath’ – and had a string of mistresses to keep him company….

But – the higher you rise the harder you fall…. In 1745 anti-gambling laws were tightened…. Before there had been loopholes to exploit but now it was harder to get around the law…. This was a major setback for Nash and his income rapidly declined…. In the end he had to sell most of his possessions and had to move in with one of his mistresses, Julianna Papjoy – who cared for him until his death in 1761….

British History

On this day in history….17th October 1091

On this day in history : 17th October 1091 – A tornado sweeps through London – it is the earliest reported tornado in Britain…. The wooden London Bridge is demolished along with over 600 houses….

The tornado is thought to have been T8 on the Torro Scale, which is used to measure tornado intensity ranging between T0 and T11…. Or on the Fujita Scale it would have registered at F4, indicating wind speeds between 207-260mph – classified as causing devastating damage….

The tornado twisted in from the south west direction…. Many churches in the area were badly damaged or demolished…. The church at St. Mary-Le-Bow, in the City, was completely levelled – all that survived was the newly completed arched crypt…. Four rafters at 28ft long were driven into the ground with such force that only 4ft showed above the surface…. The church was later rebuilt during the Norman period….

According to William of Malmesbury, in his account of the tornado – “churches and houses, enclosures and walls were left in heaps”…. Not only was it the first tornado recorded in England it has also been the most violent one ever…. Over 600, mostly wooden houses, were destroyed – it is amazing that out of a population of around 18,000 there were only two known fatalities….

After the tornado William Rufus rebuilt London Bridge – only for it to be destroyed by fire forty years later…. Eventually one was built from stone….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….29th February 1964

On this day in history : 29th February 1964 – Princess Alexandra, cousin to Queen Elizabeth II, gives birth to a son – believed to be the first ever Royal baby to be born on February the 29th….

Princess Alexandra, June 1961 – Photo credit : Harry Pot – National Archief (Netherlands) CC BY-SA 3.0nl

Princess Alexandra gave birth at home in Richmond, Surrey; her husband, Angus Ogilvy, was with her and her mother, Princess Marina, was also at the house…. The 9lb 6oz baby boy was born at 12.15am and was a week overdue…. He was named James Robert Bruce and later christened in the chapel at Buckingham Palace…. Two years later he was to be joined by a sister, Marina….

Princess Alexandra’s baby was the first of four royal babies to be born within a matter of weeks of each other…. The Queen’s fourth child, Prince Edward, was born on the 10th of March….and her sister, Princess Margaret, had a daughter, Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, on the 1st of May…. Finally the Duchess of Kent had her second baby, Lady Helen Windsor, on the 28th of April….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….26th February 1960

On this day in history : 26th February 1960 – An Alitalia DC-7 bound for New York crashes into a cemetery in Shannon, Ireland, shortly after take-off – killing 34 out of the 52 people onboard….

Italian airline Alitalia flight AZ618 4-engine propellor Douglas DC-7C was on route from Rome to New York and had stopped at Shannon for an unscheduled refuelling stop…. Shannon International Airport, in County Clare between Ennis and Limerick, was at the time a major refuelling stop for transatlantic flights….

After a brief stop of 45 minutes or so the aircraft took off to continue its journey at 1.34am, on a cold but clear Friday morning…. There had been no contact from the ‘plane and it seemed all was well – but about a mile from the airport the DC-7 crashed…. It struck the old graveyard situated beside the ruins of the 10th century Clanloghan Parish Church…. Its port wing-tip hit the wall of the cemetery, damaging some of the headstones on the south eastern side…. Some of the traditional family graves would still have been in use…. The aircraft then ploughed on, ending up in a nearby field before exploding and disintegrating…. After its refuelling stop the DC-7 was laden with some 7,000 gallons of fuel….the explosion was heard 17 miles away….

Thankfully the ‘plane was not full but out of the 52 onboard 11 of the 12 crew and 23 of the 40 passengers were killed….the other 18 were seriously injured…. The surviving cabin crew member had been seated at the rear of the aircraft…. Wreckage was scattered over a large area – bodies were found up to a mile away….

The aircraft had failed to gain enough height to clear the hill top…. At the official crash investigation no clear treason could be found as to the cause…. It could only be assumed that the DC-7, which had made its maiden flight in 1958, had rapidly lost height whilst making a steep turn to the left….