British History – Page 65

On this day in history….7th May 1860

On this day in history : 7th May 1860 – The birth of Tom Norman (born Thomas Noakes) – freak showman and the last exhibitor of Joseph Merrick, also known as the ‘Elephant Man’….

Norman was born in Dallington, Sussex – the eldest of 17 children…. At the age of 12 he left school to go and work for his father, a butcher….

A couple of years later he decided to travel and look for work as a performer….but having no success ended up in London, taking a job as a butcher’s assistant….

Norman liked to gamble – and so thought he would try his luck as a professional gambler…. He moved to Berkshire and spent his days at Ascot Racecourse…. However, before long he was back in London, penniless, looking for a job….

He found employment at a butcher’s shop….and it was at this time he developed an interest in freak shows…. Next door to his workplace was a penny gaff – a popular form of entertainment in Victorian society for the lower classes…. Often held in the back rooms of public houses, performances of a theatrical nature with singing, dancing and clowning around would be held…. Sometimes accompanying acts of a more curious nature would be included – as was the case in the establishment next to Norman’s place of employment…. Mlle Electra was billed as ‘The Only Electric Lady – A Lady Born Full of Electricity’…. Whoever in the audience was brave enough to shake hands with the Mademoiselle would receive an electric shock….

Eventually Norman found out the act was a fake; Mlle Electra was plugged into the electricity supply…. Realising how much money could be made from such performances Norman quit his job and went into business with her manager…. It was around this time he changed his name, possibly not wanting to bring disrepute to the family name with his new shady career….

It wasn’t long before Norman realised he would be better off if he went it alone…. He found an ‘Electric Lady’ of his own and set up a penny gaff in Hammersmith – with a good deal of success….

His new business grew and in time he had a series of travelling shows and several shops in Nottingham and London…. The acts varied from giants, dwarves and fat ladies to performing fleas…. As well as the more ‘typical’ acts of a freak show he had his special attractions…. Eliza Jenkins – the ‘Skeleton Woman’ – a ‘Balloon Headed Baby’ and a rather gruesome act where a woman bit the heads off of live rats…. He had a group of retired white seamen who were painted black and spoke a made-up language, calling themselves the ‘Savage Zulus’ and a family of midgets – who were really two men and a borrowed baby….

Norman wasn’t beyond telling the audience a few fibs to bolster his show…. One of his favourites was that the show had been booked by Barnum….the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’…. Unbeknown to him, on one occasion the great P.T. Barnum himself was in the audience…. Luckily Barnum found it all rather amusing and on noticing the silver necklace Norman always wore nicknamed him the ‘Silver King’….

It was in 1884 that Norman encountered Joseph Merrick…. The young man from Leicester had such severe deformities that he was unable to find employment…. For four years he was in the workhouse – before getting himself out and presenting himself to ‘Little George’ Hitchcock, a showman – and who with two music hall proprietors, Sam Tor and J. Ellis, ran a penny gaff…. They exhibited Merrick as ‘The Elephant Man….Half-a-Man and Half-an-Elephant’…. Aware that his novelty would soon wear off they contacted Norman, who with his many travelling shows and shops could offer Merrick more work…. Norman took over Merrick’s management….

On meeting Merrick for the first time Norman was so shocked at his appearance that he was at first hesitant of showing him…. In the end he exhibited him at a penny gaff in Whitechapel – which happened to be opposite the London Hospital – and so was often frequented by doctors and medical students…. One such was a surgeon by the name of Frederick Treves, who took much interest in Merrick and his condition…. Wanting to examine him closer it was arranged for Merrick to visit the hospital…. He went two of three times but after that refused, saying he felt as if he were being treated like some kind of animal….

Sir Frederick Treves, Bt – Public domain

The Merrick ‘Elephant Man’ exhibition was reasonably successful – but at this time public opinion of freak shows was beginning to change….many finding them distasteful…. As it was, after only a few weeks , the police forced the show to close down…. Treves arranged for Joseph Merrick to live at London Hospital until his death in 1890….

Merrick photographed in 1888 – British Medical Journal article 1890 – Public domain

Merrick photographed in 1889, the year before his death – British Medical Journal publication 1890 – Public domain

Norman remained in the showman business for ten more years or so…. In 1896 he married theatre performer Amy Radnor and they had ten children…. After moving to Croydon Norman took semi-retirement, selling off part of his business…. On the 24th of August 1930 he died of throat cancer…. Five of his children followed in his footsteps with circus and fairground careers….

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On this day in history….6th May 1954

On this day in history : 6th May 1954 – 25-year-old medical student, Roger Bannister, becomes the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes….

Roger Bannister (United Press International) – Public domain

It was whilst at Oxford University that Bannister caught the attention of coaches when he was acting as a pacemaker for a mile race in 1947…. Normally a pacemaker will drop out before the end of a race but Bannister proved that he had the stamina to continue…. He beat the rest of the field by 20 yards….

For Bannister, nothing was more important than his studies and because of this he missed running the 1500m at the London Olympics in 1948…. He took part in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, taking fourth place in the 1500m – something the British Press were particularly critical of…. This made Bannister determined to break the 4-minute mile – at the time believed by many to be an impossible record to achieve – but one several athletes were striving for, all wanting to be the first to succeed….

Roger Gilbert Bannister, born on the 23rd of March 1929 in Harrow, Middlesex was the man to just that…. At Iffley Road Sports Ground, Oxford on the 6th of May 1954 he ran the 4-lap race on a cinder track in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds….

He may have only held the record for 46 days – his time was beaten by Australian John Landy, who ran 1.5 seconds faster at Turku, Finland – but he had secured his place in the history books….

In August 1954 he and Landy completed against each other at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games at the Vancouver Exhibition; both men finished the race in under 4 minutes – the first time this had ever happened – it became known as the ‘Miracle Mile’….

Statue of Roger Bannister and John Landy in Vancouver – Photo by Paul Joseph CC BY-SA 3.0

At the end of summer 1954, after winning the 1500m at the European Championships in Bern, Switzerland, Bannister stunned the World by announcing his retirement…. Now having graduated medical school his focus was on his career….

He went on to become a leading consultant neurologist and served for many years as director for the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases in London….

The man who had prepared his own training regime from what he had learned at medical school did not retire from the sporting world though…. Between 1971 and 1974 he served as chairman of the British Sports Council and between 1976 and 1983 President of the International Council of Sport Science and Physical Recreation….

Bannister’s achievements were recognised in 1975 with a Knighthood and he became Sir Roger Bannister…. Sadly he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2011 – and died on the 3rd of March 2018 at the age of 88….

Sir Roger Bannister, 2009 – Photo: Pruneau/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0

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On this day in history….5th May 1760

On this day in history : 5th May 1760 – The public hanging at Tyburn, London, by the new ‘drop’ method, of Earl Ferrers….who is executed for the murder of his servant…. He is the last Peer to be hanged….

Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers was born on the 18th of August 1720 into a family of long-established nobility…. At the age of 20 he left his Oxford education to live a life of debauchery in Paris….

When 25 he inherited his title from an insane uncle along with estates in Northamptonshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire…. He returned to England to take up residence at Staunton Harold Hall in Leicestershire….

He married Mary in 1752….it was to be far from a happy marriage. Although he could be reasonably normal when sober he was a heavy drinker and became violent…. He was also a womaniser and had a long-term mistress, Margaret Clifford, with whom he had 4 illegitimate daughters…. This relationship continued after he was married….

In 1758 Mary had endured enough and obtained a separation by Act of Parliament on the grounds of his cruelty…. She must have had a strong case as this was almost unheard of at the time…. As part of the separation agreement Mary was granted a proportion of the rents from the Estate….An old family steward, John Johnson, was appointed to collect the rents on her behalf…. Not surprisingly Ferrers dislike Johnson and hated the fact that he had authority over the Estate….

It is thought the tipping point came when Johnson paid Mary £50 without Ferrers’s consent….he asked to see Johnson at the Hall….Prior to the appointed meeting time on the 18th of January 1760 Ferrers sent Margaret and their daughters (who had moved in after Mary left) out, along with all the male servants of the household…. When Johnson arrived he was shown to the study where Ferrers awaited him…. Before long an argument broke out over the £50 and at around 3pm Ferrers shot the steward…. Johnson did not die immediately and a doctor was sent for and he was treated at the Hall…. Also sent for was Sarah, Johnson’s daughter….

Lord Laurence Earl Ferrers shooting his steward, Mr Johnson. Credit: Wellcome Collection CC BY

Ferrers had been sober at the time of the shooting but afterwards turned to the bottle. As the day wore into evening he continued to shout and rant at Johnson, before finally falling into a drunken stupor…. Dr. Kirkland and Sarah were then able to take Johnson back to his own home, where he died the next morning….

Ferrers was arrested; being a Peer he could not be dealt with at the Leicester Assizes and so was taken to the Tower of London to await trial….

On the 16th of April 1760 Ferrers was brought before Lord High Steward, Lord Henley at Westminster Hall; the trial lasted two days…. Ferrers ran his own defence, as was normal practice in those days, he tried to plead insanity…. Witnesses for the prosecution included Dr. Kirkland, Sarah Johnson and three female servants who had been at the Hall at the time…. Ferrers seemed incapable of understanding that it was not acceptable, even for a man of his position, to shoot a servant….

On being found guilty there was only one sentence applicable in accordance with the Murder Act 1752 – death by hanging…. A date was set for the 5th of May…. Ferrers was utterly appalled by the thought of public hanging at Tyburn – this was the death of a common criminal…. He pleaded with the King to be beheaded instead – the death of a nobleman…. But the sentence was upheld….

Ferrers was held at the Tower of London whilst awaiting execution….and would have been treated well and enjoyed relative luxury…. He wrote his Will, leaving £16,000 to his daughters and £200 to Sarah Johnson….

New gallows were constructed; instead of the barbaric cart, ladder and three-cornered gibbet – known as the ‘Tyburn Tree’ – a scaffold, covered with black material and reached by stairs, was built…. On the platform was a box, designed to sink into the structure, leaving the condemned suspended….

At 9am, on the morning of the 5th of May, the call was sent to the Tower for Ferrers to be brought to his place of execution…. An enormous crowd had gathered….the execution of a nobleman was a rarity…. Ferrers arrived in a carriage drawn by six horses….he wore his wedding suit of light coloured satin embroidered with silver thread…. He was accompanied by the Tower’s chaplain – also in the procession was a mourning coach carrying six of his friends and a hearse….

He was led to the scaffold and up the steps….the Lord’s Prayer was said and he mounted the drop…. His arms were tied with a black silk sash and the rope placed around his neck…. A white nightcap, which he had supplied himself, was pulled down over his head…. Around noon, having declined to give the signal himself, the Sheriff gave the command and the platform sank…. The mechanism didn’t quite work correctly – Ferrers’s feet were almost touching the platform; he was left writhing and took about 4 minutes to die….

His body was left for an hour, as was the custom before being taken down and put into the coffin…. He was taken to Surgeon’s Hall for dissection – and then his body was put on display until the evening of the 8th of May…. His remains were then returned to his family for burial at St. Pancras Church – and in 1782 he was reinterred at the family vault in Staunton Harold….

The body of Earl Ferrers, displayed upright in his coffin. Credit: Wellcome Collection CC BY

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On this day in history….4th May 1984

On this day in history : 4th May 1984 – Diana Dors, film actress, singer and writer, the English equivalent to Hollywood’s blonde bombshell, dies of cancer….

Diana Dors on the Rudi Carrell Show 1968 – Public domain

Born Diana Mary Fluck on the 23rd of October 1931 in Swindon, Wiltshire, Diana knew from an early age that she wanted to be an actress…. Her passion as a young girl being the cinema – her heroines Hollywood actresses such as Veronica Lake, Jean Harlow and Lana Turner….

As a girl Diana was mature for her age, looking older than her years…. At the age of 14 she was offered a place at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art….making her their youngest ever student….

She made her film debut in 1947, a small uncredited role in ‘The Shop at Sly Corner’…. On signing the contracts she was asked to change her name from ‘Fluck’ – and she opted for her maternal grandmother’s maiden name of ‘Dors’….

Also in 1947 she had a small part in the comedy drama ‘Holiday Camp’ and a walk-on part in ‘Dancing with Crime’ starring Richard Attenborough…. 1948 saw her in a further 6 films including the role of Charlotte in ‘Oliver Twist’….

At the age of 16 she signed with the Rank Organisation and in 1949 landed her first leading role in the period drama ‘Diamond City’, set in 19th century South Africa…. In May 1956 she signed with RKO and left England for a career in Hollywood….

Diana Dors and Phil Silvers 1958 – CBS Television – Public domain

In 1951 Diana had married Dennis Hamilton, five weeks after meeting him on the film set of ‘Lady Godiva Rides Again’…. Hamilton, although a charmer, was a controlling, violent man who exploited her and took over her business affairs…. He also reportedly involved Diana in sex parties and introduced her to the likes of the Kray twins who he counted amongst his friends…. Incidentally, Diana became friends with Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Great Britain, whom she had also met on the set of ‘Lady Godiva’…. Ellis had a small part in the film….

It was at a party held for Diana that scandal broke out…. Diana, Hamilton and two others were posing for a poolside photo shoot when the Press surged forwards, knocking the four into the pool…. Hamilton was beyond furious; he exited the water and punched the nearest photographer, knocking him to the ground…. Hamilton then repeatedly kicked the man in the head until he lost consciousness….

Feeling she had to get away, Diana returned to England…. The end of her marriage left her financially crippled; Hamilton had forced her to sign over all her assets….

Diana resumed her career in Britain and throughout the 1950s her popularity increased…. She also started to do cabaret with her ‘The Diana Dors Show’…. In 1959 she married comedian Richard Dawson and had two sons, Mark and Gary…. However, the marriage ended in 1966….

Diana Dors in ‘I Married A Woman’ 1958 – John Irving via Flickr

She remarried in 1968, this time to actor Alan Lake and had another son, Jason…. Lake was a reputed alcoholic and the marriage was stormy….

It was during this period of time that she recorded her album ‘Swingin’ Dors’…. Continuing to work Diana began to diversify in her career – in 1978 her first book ‘For Adults Only’ was published and was an instant bestseller…. She also became Agony Aunt for the Daily Star….and was later to become a TV agony aunt…. She even appeared as the fairy godmother in the Adam and the Ants music video for ‘Prince Charming’….

To celebrate her 50th birthday a special edition of the Russell Harty show was filmed at her home…. But tragically, unbeknown, Diana’s life was drawing to a close…. For the last two years of her life she battled ovarian cancer…. In March 1984 she started work on her last film, ‘Steaming’ – but sadly lost her battle in May…. Diana died at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor…. Having converted to Catholicism in 1973 she was buried at the Sunningdale Catholic Cemetery….

Devastated, Lake took his own life a few months later….16 years to the day of when they had first met….

Diana is claimed to have left a fortune to their son….details of which were given to the family in code… A code only Lake knew how to decipher….it is thought around £2 million was hidden in banks across Europe…. However, its whereabouts to this day remains a mystery….

In her autobiography ‘Dors by Diana’ she said of her life that she “enjoyed the whole absurd mess to the highest possible degree”….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….3rd May 1951

On this day in history : 3rd May 1951 – King George VI opens the Royal Festival Hall on London’s South Bank and inaugurates the Festival of Britain – promoting the best of British in art, design and industry….

Timed to mark the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851 the festival was intended to raise public spirits after the austerity of the years following World War II…. There were those that said it was a waste of money – but the festival attracted 8.5 million visitors in 5 months…. It demonstrated Britain’s achievements in the arts, science, technology and industrial design….

Visitors to the Festival of Britain – Opringle at English Wikipedia CC SA

The day was one of celebration, tradition and prayer…. A large crowd cheered the royal procession on the route from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul’s Cathedral – where the King, Queen and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, along with other members of the royal family, attended a special service….

On route to St. Paul’s the procession stopped at Temple Bar where in a traditional ceremony King George received the Pearl Sword of the City…. The Lord Mayor of London has precedence over all other subjects within the boundaries of the City of London…. He surrenders the sword to the Sovereign as a symbol of recognition to the Sovereign’s supremacy…. King George then handed the sword back and the Lord Mayor led the procession on to St. Paul’s….

After the service at St. Paul’s King George, in a broadcast from the steps of the Cathedral, declared the festival open…. Later in the afternoon the royal family attended another service at the Royal Festival Hall….a service of dedication led by the Archbishop of Canterbury….

A 41-gun salute was fired from Hyde Park and the Tower of London…. Celebrations took place across the country, with art and design exhibitions….and in the evening 2,000 bonfires were lit across Britain….

The Royal Festival Hall was designed by Sir Robert Matthew, Leslie Martin and Sir Hubert Bennet along with a team of architects and designers…. Battersea Park was transformed into Festival Pleasure Gardens with fountains, a grotto and tree walk…. Several other buildings, such as the Skylon and Dome of Discovery were also built on what had been a bomb site near to Waterloo Station…. Now only the Royal Festival Hall remains, although it is surrounded by the National Film Theatre (1952), the Royal National Theatre (1963) and the Hayward Modern Art Gallery (1968)….