British History

On this day in history….20th March 1917

On this day in history : 20th March 1917 – The birth, in East Ham, London, of singer, songwriter and actress Dame Vera Lynn – known as ‘the Forces’ Sweetheart’….

Dame Vera Lynn in 1962 – Eric Koch / Anefo – National Archief Netherlands CC BY-SA 3.0

Born Vera Margaret Welch, into a working class family, she began to sing in working mens’ clubs at the age of 7…. When she was 11 she took her grandmother’s maiden name of ‘Lynn’ as her stage name and joined a singing troupe – ‘Madame Harris’s Kracker Kabaret Kids’….

Vera left school at the age of 14 and was spotted by a booking agent, who found her work at events and parties…. She began to perform on the radio in 1935 with Joe Loss and his orchestra….and in 1936 her first solo recording ‘Up the Wooden Hill to Bedfordshire’ was released…. Her first hits came in 1937 with ‘Red Sails in the Sunset’ and ‘The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot’….

But Vera is probably best known for her 1939 trademark song ‘We’ll Meet Again’, written by the young composers Ross Parker and Hughie Charles, which became popular in World War 2 – as did ‘The White Cliffs of Dover’….

In 1941 Vera was given her own radio show, ‘Sincerely Yours’, which sent messages to the troops serving overseas….she and her band would perform requests…. It was also in 1941 that Vera married Harry Lewis, a clarinetist and saxophonist…. They had one child, a daughter, Virginia Penelope Anne Lewis….

Singing in a munitions factory 1941 – Ministry of Information, Photo Division photographer – Public domain

Vera appeared in the films ‘We’ll Meet Again’ and ‘Rhythm Serenade’ in 1943…. During the War she also toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving concerts as a member of the Entertainments National Service Association….

After the War the family moved to Finchley, North London…. It was the early 1960s that they relocated to Ditchling in East Sussex – and is where Vera lived for the rest of her life…. Her husband died in 1998….

Dame Vera Lynn in 1973 – Allan Warren – own work CC BY-SA 3.0

Her popularity continued after the War and then in 1952 her record ‘Auf Wiederseh’n Sweetheart’ became the first release by a British artist to top the US charts – where it stayed for nine weeks….

During the late 1960s and early 70s Vera hosted her own variety shows on BBC1 – she also appeared as a guest on other shows, such as Morcambe & Wise …. She appeared at the Royal Variety Performance four times…. In 1969 Vera was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE)…. Then in 1975 she was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)…. In 2017 Dame Vera became the oldest living artist to have an album in the top 10 of the British charts – with ‘100’ to celebrate her 100th birthday….

Dame Vera Lynn 2009 – at the War and Peace Show…. Photo credit : Nicki via Flickr

She wrote three memoirs – ‘Vocal Refrain’, 1975, ‘We’ll Meet Again’, 1989 and ‘Some Sunny Day’, 2009….

Dame Vera Lynn died on the 18th of June 2020, aged 103, at her home in Ditchling…. She was given a military funeral, with a procession from her home to Woodvale Crematorium, Brighton on the 10th of July 2020…. The route was lined by those wishing to pay their respects – members of the British Army, Royal Air Force, Royal Navy and Royal British Legion accompanied her cortège….and she was honoured with a Battle of Britain Spitfire flypast….

On this day in history….19th March 1649

On this day in history : 19th March 1649 – The House of Commons passes an Act abolishing the House of Lords, declaring it “useless and dangerous to the people of England”….

During the reigns of the Tudor monarchs the Crown had steadily grown in power, reaching its height with the reign of King Henry VIII…. The House of Lords continued to be more powerful than the House of Commons – but the Commons was growing in its influence….

When King Charles I came to power he clashed with Parliament over tax revenues and this eventually led to the English Civil Wars…. Charles lost both the first and second Civil War and after his execution the country fell under the control of Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland…. On the 17th of March 1649 the Monarchy was abolished….

Now the Parliamentarians turned their attention to the House of Lords…. Although its power had diminished with the Bishops Exclusion Act of 1642 there were still enough royal sympathisers to be a nuisance…. So, two days after getting rid of the Monarchy the House of Lords was abolished by an Act of Parliament declaring “The Commons of England by too long experience that the House of Lords is useless and dangerous to the people of England”….

The House of Lords did not reassemble until 1660, once the Monarchy had been restored and King Charles II had taken the throne….

British History

On this day in history….18th March 1834

On this day in history : 18th March 1834 – A group of six farm labourers from the village of Tolpuddle, Dorset, are sentenced to transportation to Australia for forming a trade union….

Although trade unions were not technically illegal, laws – known as the ‘Combination Acts’ – had been passed outlawing organised methods of gaining improved working conditions…. They proved to be so unpopular that after being repealed in 1824 they were replaced with the ‘Combinations of Workmen Act 1825’….Trade unions had now been legalised but were tightly restricted in their powers….

This was something that became all too evident to 37-year-old George Loveless, a Methodist preacher from Tolpuddle, who led discussions with local landowners about the recent lowering of agricultural wages…. An agreement was made to raise the weekly wage to 10 shillings – however, in Tolpuddle the landowners would only raise it to 9 shillings…. They then lowered it to 7 and were threatening to cut it again, to 6 shillings….

In 1833 six men, led by George Loveless, formed the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers…. They were eventually to become known as the ‘Tolpuddle Martyrs’ and included Loveless himself, his brother James, their brother-in-law Thomas Standfield (in who’s cottage they would meet), another Thomas Standfield (their nephew) – and two other men, James Hammett and James Brine…. Their aim was to protest against the lowering of the agricultural wage – but with the emphasis on being a friendly society….

Landowners were determined to stamp out all organised protests….memories of the French Revolution still being very fresh…. It was magistrate and local landowner James Frampton who wrote to the then Home Secretary, Lord Melbourne, to complain of this new ‘trade union’…. Melbourne suggested using the ‘Unlawful Oaths Act 1797’ – an obscure law brought into force in 1797 in response to the Spithead and Nore Mutinies by sailors in the Royal Navy…. It made making secret oaths illegal – and it was under this charge that the six men from Tolpuddle were arrested….

The men were brought before Sir John Williams at the Dorchester Assizes, where they were found guilty and sentenced to 7 years transportation to the Australian colonies…. On the 25th of May 1833 the six set sail on the ‘Surry’ from Portsmouth, bound for New South Wales…. Loveless did not make it that far, due to illness he disembarked early on the 4th of September and ended up at Van Dieman’s Land (changed to Tasmania in 1856)…. The others sailed on to Sydney and all six were assigned to the role of farm labourer….

Meanwhile, back in England, the six men had become heroes amongst the working classes…. Some 800,000 had signed a petition calling for their release, which was then delivered to Parliament…. Protests took place and a march involving thousands was organised through London – it was to be one of the first ever successful marches of its kind in the United Kingdom…. Collections were made to support the families of the men…. George Loveless himself had left behind a wife, Betsy and three children….

The Shelter, Tolpuddle – erected as a memorial in 1934 – image John Goodall CC BY-SA 2.0

The transported men were eventually pardoned in March 1836, with support from the new Home Secretary, Lord John Russell…. By now Loveless had asked his wife to join him on Van Dieman’s Land but after receiving a letter on the 23rd December saying she would not be coming he set sail for England – arriving on the 13th of June 1837….

Due to delays by the authorities in releasing the remaining men from their duties, the others (with the exception of James Hammett) did not get to leave until the 11th of September – finally arriving back in Plymouth on the ‘John Barry’ on the 17th of March 1838…. Hammett, having been charged with assault, arrived back in August 1839…. The Tolpuddle Martyrs were all finally back home…. An annual festival is now held in Tolpuddle to commemorate the events that were to lead to the foundation of today’s modern trade unions….

Martyrs’ Day commemoration, 2005 – Image : Dave Headey CC BY-SA 2.0

British History

On this day in history….17th March 1846

On this day in history : 17th March 1846 – The birth of Kate Greenaway – the artist and writer known for her illustrations in children’s books….

Kate was born Catherine Greenaway in Horton, London, the second of four children…. Her father, John, was a woodblock printer and engraver and her mother, Elizabeth, a seamstress…. They were a working class family – John also supported his mother and sisters, so very often it could be hard financially….but both he and Elizabeth were determined to give their children a good childhood….

The family moved around quite a lot but Kate spent a substantial part of her childhood in a farmhouse in Rolleston, Nottinghamshire – for her this felt like her real home and where she would often return to as an adult…. She studied at various places and at the age of 12 began nightly art classes at Finsbury School…. She was to go on to study at the Royal Female School of Art, which was part of what is now the Royal College of Art in London….

She began to exhibit her drawings in 1868 and her first published work was in magazines for children, such as ‘Little Folks’…. She also worked at illustrating greetings cards to contribute towards the family’s income….

In 1879 her first successful book was published – ‘Under the Window; Pictures and Rhymes for Children’…. It was to become a best seller, over 100,000 copies were sold…. In 1880 it was followed with her illustrations in ‘The Birthday Book’, ‘Mother Goose’ in 1881 and ‘Little Ann’ in 1883…. She was to go on to illustrate over 150 books – only two were both written and illustrated by Kate, her first ‘Under the Window’ and later ‘Marigold Garden’ (or ‘The Language of Flowers’) in 1895….

She brought many well-known stories to life, such as Robert Browning’s ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’…. Leading art critics around the world praised her work….

Her own favourite books as a child may have influenced her – Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast and illustrated editions of Shakespeare…. In her own illustrations she always dressed her children in the Regency fashions of the late 18th Century….smock frocks and skeleton suits for the boys and high-waisted pinafores and dresses with mobcaps and straw bonnets for the girls…. A style which was to catch on….Liberty of London created children’s clothes by adapting her drawings….

Polly from ‘The Queen of the Pirate Isle’ – by Bret Harte – Public domain

In 1890 Kate was elected to the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours; she exhibited at the Fine Art Society in 1891, 1894, 1898 and was exhibited posthumously again in 1902…. From 1883-1897 she published Kate Greenaway’s Almanacs…. Kate died of breast cancer at the age of 55 on the 6th of November 1901…. She was buried in Hampstead Cemetery, London….

The Kate Greenaway Medal was established in 1955 in her honour…. It is awarded annually by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals in the UK to a chosen illustrator of children’s books….

British History

On this day in history…..16th March 1190

On this day in history : 16th March 1190 – The massacre of some 150 Jews at Clifford’s Tower, York – many chose to commit suicide rather than be murdered or face forced baptism….

After the Norman Conquest of 1066 many Jews came to England from Rouen, France…. The Norman kings needed money to build castles to defend their kingdoms – but it was forbidden for Christians to profit from money lending…. However, for the Jews it was permitted and so they were welcomed and given the protection of the Crown…. Many of them became very wealthy through their money lending but in return they were heavily taxed….

In time Jewish communities became established in most principal cities across England, including York…. However, anti-Semitic feelings began to run high across Europe, particularly England, France and Germany….fuelled by the Christian Crusades and the Church’s teaching that the Jews had brought about the death of Jesus…. Resentment of the Jewish people was also inflated by anger at the taxes being levied to fund the Crusades…. Malicious stories were spread about Jews murdering Christian children…. Hostility against the Jewish population escalated with riots breaking out in Norwich, Stamford, Lincoln and York…. Violence even broke out at the coronation of King Richard I – after the exclusion of Benedict of York from the coronation banquet…. Benedict, a money lender, was the most wealthy and influential Jew in York…. He died of the injuries he received at the riots in Westminster….

A few months later the Sheriff of York was away taking part in the Third Crusade when a fire broke out in the city…. Some of the citizens took advantage of the fire and the absence of the Sheriff….they attacked and looted the home of Benedict of York’s family – murdering those inside….

Philpot, Glyn Warren; Richard the Lionheart Embarks on the Third Crusade; Nottingham City Museums and Galleries; http://www.artuk.org/artworks/richard-the-lionheart-embarks-on-the-third-crusade-47454

The rest of the Jewish community – it is unknown how many this actually involved but it is estimated between 20 and 40 families – fled their homes and sought protection in the castle keep…. They now found themselves trapped in the wooden tower by the angry mob outside…. It was Friday the 16th of March – the Great Sabbath ‘Shabbat Hagadol’ – before the Jewish festival of Passover….

Realising they had no hope of escaping many of the Jews decided it was preferable to die by their own hand, together, rather than be murdered…. Fathers killed their wives and then their children – then setting fire to their possessions before taking their own lives…. The flames spread to engulf the wooden tower…. Not all of the Jews chose suicide – safe passage was promised if they pledged to abandon their religion and convert – only it was a ploy to coax them out…. Once they left the tower they were immediately murdered – that’s if they even made it out of the flames alive….

A new stone tower, the present day Clifford’s Tower, was built on the site of the original castle keep…. 20th century excavations uncovered the blackened remains of the old tower…. Each year, around the time of the anniversary of the massacre daffodils bloom around the tower….their petals representing the Star of Daniel, as a memorial…. A plaque was installed at the base of the tower in 1978 to commemorate those who died in one of the worst anti-Semitic massacres of the Middle Ages…. Sadly the 1190 York Pogrom was one of many such occurrences across a Europe that at the time bore little tolerance to religious diversity….