British History

On this day in history….13th January 1547

On this day in history : 13th January 1547 – Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey – courtier, soldier and poet – is found guilty of treason and is sentenced to death….

Born around 1517 in Hunsdon, Hertfordshire, Surrey was the eldest son of the 3rd Duke of Norfolk, Thomas Howard….and was descended from Royalty on both sides of his family…. It was upon the death of his grandfather, the 2nd Duke of Norfolk in 1524, that he gained the title of Earl of Surrey….

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey – Artist : Hans Holbein the Younger

Surrey was a bright child; at the age of 12 he could translate Latin, Italian, French and Spanish – his father made sure he had the best education…. It was around this time he became companion to Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond – who was the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII…. The two boys spent their time at Windsor and became close friends….Surrey was even considered as a potential husband for the King’s daughter, Mary (later to become Queen Mary I) ~ a suggestion put forward by Surrey’s first cousin, Anne Boleyn….

In 1532 Surrey and Richmond accompanied King Henry to the court of King Francis I of France – and the pair of young men ended up staying in the French court for almost a year…. Here they gained cultural graces – and it is possible that it was when Surrey developed his passion for poetry….as he became acquainted with the work of Luigi Alamanni – Italian poet and statesman….

Surrey and Richmond returned to England in 1533 – and within a short time both were to be married – Richmond to Surrey’s sister, Mary – and Surrey himself to Lady Frances de Vere, daughter of the 15th Earl of Oxford…. However, Surrey and his new bride did not actually live together as man and wife until 1535 – on account of their young age…. They went on to have five children, two sons and three daughters….

Frances de Vere by Hans Holbein the Younger C.1535 – public domain

1536 proved to be a turbulent year for Surrey; it was the year his first child was born, a son – but other events were not nearly as happy…. His cousin Anne Boleyn was executed – and his beloved friend Henry Fitzroy died, aged just 17…. In October 1536 Surrey served alongside his father to quash the ‘Pilgrimage of Grace’ – a rebellion protesting against King Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries…. Surrey was a good soldier – and his family had a long history of loyalty to the Tudors….

By all accounts Surrey was an arrogant, vain, boorish, reckless, rash and ambitious man….with a contempt for the lower class of nobility – the ‘new men’ of the court – the likes of Thomas Cromwell and the Seymours, a family who were old rivals of the Howards’…. Surrey was a dashing and formidable character and although he had his enemies within the court, he also had plenty of friends….but his vanity and reckless ways were to eventually contribute to his downfall….

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey – 1546 Painting attributed to William Scrots

His troubles really began when Jane Seymour became King Henry’s Queen…. Surrey had always been popular with the King in the past – but his popularity declined as the Seymours rose is favour after the marriage…. The Seymour family began to scheme….in 1537 they accused the Howards of sympathising with the Pilgrimage of Grace…. An unwitting courtier happened to repeat the slander in court – Surrey reacted in his typical hot-headed way – by striking his fellow courtier….an action that landed him in imprisonment…. It was whilst confined in Windsor, by order of the privy council, that he penned one of his most well-known poems – ‘Prisoned in Windsor’ – in which he recounts his childhood days….

Surrey – (along with fellow poet and friend, Thomas Wyatt) – was responsible for the introduction of the sonnet to English poetry…. He has to be noted as one of the founders of English Renaissance Poetry and for his contribution to English literature…. Without his input the works of the likes of William Shakespeare would have undoubtedly been very different to how we know them – for it was Surrey who gave the rhyming meter and division into quatrains that gives us the Shakespearean sonnet…. Surrey was also the first poet to publish blank verse – regular metrical but un-rhyming lines…. Much of Surrey’s poetry would likely have been written during the two years he was held at Windsor….

By the 1540s he was back in favour at court….and was made a Knight of the Garter in May 1541 – and received the honour of Steward of the University of Cambridge…. But he was not to mellow – he still had his hot-headed moments and outbursts…. In 1542 he was imprisoned after quarrelling with another courtier….and again in 1543 after going on a drunken rampage – smashing windows in a London street…. It was during this particular stay in prison that he composed his ‘Satire against the Citizens of London:London, hast thou accused me’….

King Henry’s health was failing – and he began to view Surrey – with his powerful family connections – as a real threat, some would say to the point of paranoia…. He became convinced Surrey was going to attempt to usurp the crown from Prince Edward, his son and heir…. Things came to a head when Surrey foolishly incorporated Royal arms and insignia into his own heraldry – to prove a point as to his own Royal descent….

The arms for which Surrey was attainted (Edward the Confessor’s arms are in the fifth quarter with a label of three points plain…. Silver&Gold CC BY SA 4.0

Surrey – and his father – were arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London, on the charge of treason…. On the 13th of January 1547 they were found guilty and sentenced to death…. Surrey put up a spirited defence at his trial (which lasted a day) – but to no avail…. Several other claims were brought against him, such as being a secret papist….there was no real evidence to any of the charges – but he was still condemned….

Surrey was beheaded on the 19th of January – on Tower Hill…. His father was more fortunate; King Henry VIII died before the scheduled execution and the Duke of Norfolk was pardoned and released by Queen Mary I….

Surrey was buried at All Hallows’ Church in Barking…. However, in 1614 his second son, Henry, Earl of Northampton had his father’s remains moved to St. Michael’s at Framlingham, Suffolk – the family church…. Surrey was laid to his final rest in a magnificent tomb….

His poetry, although circulated at court, only became really known 10 years after his death…. Printer Richard Tottel published ‘Songs and Sonnets written by the Right Honourable Lord Henry Howard late Earl of Surrey and other’ – (now generally known as ‘Tottel’s Miscellany’) – a collection of 271 poems – 40 of which are by Surrey and 96 by Thomas Wyatt….

Alas! so all things now do hold their peace, Heaven and earth disturbed in no thing. The beasts, the air, the birds their song do cease, The nightes car the stars about doth bring. Calm is the sea, the waves work less and less: So am not I, whom love, alas, doth wring, Bringing before my face the great increase Of my desires, whereat I weep and sing In joy and woe, as in a doubtful ease. For my sweet thoughts sometime do pleasure bring, But by and by the cause of my disease Gives me a pang that inwardly doth sting, When that I think what grief it is again To live and lack the thing should rid my pain.                                - Henry Howard

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey National Portrait Gallery

On this day in history….12th January 1950

On this day in history : 12th January 1950 – A British submarine and Swedish oil tanker collide in the Thames Estuary – resulting in the sinking of the submarine – and 64 deaths….

HMS Truculent was returning to Sheerness having undergone trials at Chatham following a refit…. As well as her usual crew the submarine was carrying an additional 18 workers from the dock yard….

HMS Truculent 1942 – Image from the collections of the Imperial War Museums

It was 7pm and Truculent was making her way along the surface of the Estuary – when a ship showing 3 lights appeared ahead in the Channel…. Crew on board the submarine believed the vessel to be stationary – and aware they could not pass on the starboard side, for fear of running aground – the order was given to turn to port…. Too late it became obvious the ship was not anchored and was in fact moving – and the extra light was to indicate she was carrying explosive material….

The two vessels collided; the bow of the 643 ton Swedish oil tanker – the ‘Divina’ – striking HMS Truculent – and the two remained locked together for several seconds before the submarine sank to the bottom of the Estuary…. The crew of the Divina – which was on route to Ipswich from Purfleet with a cargo of Paraffin – immediately went into action…. Ropes and life belts were thrown to the men thrashing in the water…. Divina’s lifeboat was launched and 15 men were picked up – a further 5 were rescued by the Dutch ship ‘Almdijk’….

Ironically very few died as a direct result of the immediate impact….the majority managed to escape. Out of the 64 men who died most lost their lives through drowning or by perishing in the freezing conditions on the mudflats of the Estuary….

The 1,000 ton submarine was salvaged on the 14th of March 1950 – and 10 more bodies were recovered. In May 1950 she was sold as scrap….

An inquiry into the incident put 75% of the blame on to HMS Truculent…. Later the disaster was to lead to the introduction of the ‘Truculent light’ on the bow of British submarines – to make them visible to other ships….

HMS Truculent Memorial Service 2014 – Image credit : Matthew via Flickr

British History

On this day in history….11th January 1569

On this day in history : 11th January 1569 – England’s first state lottery takes place….outside the doors of the west wing of the Old Saint Paul’s Cathedral….

Queen Elizabeth I had been on the throne for just over a decade and had so far enjoyed a relatively smooth reign….whereas in Europe things were a ‘little’ more unsettled…. France and Holland particularly had suffered severe conflict and revolts…. But – now Anglo-Spanish relations were breaking down….and England’s harbours and coastal defences were in a sorry state – and in desperate need of repair….

It was also a time of expansion in England’s export market – although trade was being compromised in Europe because of recent events – there was still plenty of potential for trade in other parts of the World…. More ships were needed to transport goods – and more ports needed to be built to accommodate them….

The Queen had a dilemma…. In order to fund all the necessary work she had to either raise taxes – or come up with another way of finding money….

Lotteries had been common practice on the Continent for at least the last 100 years – merchants would often use them to shift expensive stock that was not selling…. So, Queen Elizabeth I and her advisors came up with the idea of a state lottery – far more palatable than raising taxes….

The lottery was advertised as…. “A very rich Lotterie generall, without any Blanckes, contayning a great number of good prizes”…

The first prize was a jackpot of £5,000….£3,000 of which was in “ready money” – £700 in “plate gilte and white” and the rest in good “Tapillarie meete for hangings and other couertures and certaine lottes of good linnen cloth”….

Every ticket was guaranteed a prize – and these ranged from money, to silver plate, tapestries and good linen cloth…. To help with the promotion all ticket holders were promised freedom from arrest for any crimes they may have committed – other than murder, treason or piracy….

So, on the 11th of January 1569 people gathered outside of St. Paul’s Cathedral to see what they had won – in England’s first state lottery draw….

The ‘ticket’ would have been a blank piece of paper on which the holder would write their name – along with some unique words….maybe a couple of lines of poetry….or a prayer…. A named ticket would then be drawn from an urn – to be ‘married-up’ with a prize ticket drawn from another urn…. This process would then be repeated until all tickets and prizes had been allocated….

England’s first national lottery was not overly successful….out of the 400,000 tickets available only 10% sold…. At 10 shillings each they were remarkably expensive – although it was possible to buy a share in a ticket ~ the first ‘lottery syndicates’….

But – what was even more off-putting for would be punters – the odds in winning the jackpot – or a high prize….1 in 16,000 – so they didn’t even bother to try…. If you play today’s National Lottery your chance is 1 in 14 million….or 1 in over 45 million if you’re going for the Jackpot….

British History

On this day in history….9th January 1799

On this day in history : 9th January 1799 – Income Tax is introduced to Britain by Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger…. It is established to raise money for the Napoleonic Wars and is meant to be a temporary measure….

Believe it or not, it is still a ‘temporary’ measure….expiring each year on the 5th of April and having to be renewed as a provision in the annual Finance Bill….

Income Tax was implemented by Pitt the Younger in his December 1798 budget – to pay for weapons and equipment for the forth-coming war with France…. It was a complicated taxation system, taking into consideration property owned, land, profession and finally income…. It was based on a flat rate but varied depending on whether the Country was at war or not…. On its introduction incomes over £60 per annum were levied at 2 old pence in the pound – whereas incomes over £200 were required to pay 2 shillings in the pound (or 10%)…. The government had hoped to raise £10 million but in fact only realised £6 million….

Henry Addington abolished the tax in 1801 – during the ‘Peace of Amiens’ – but it was to be short-lived, as it was reintroduced again in 1803 when hostilities with France flared up once more…. It was also at this time that Addington introduced deduction at source….

Income Tax was repealed in 1816, a year after the Battle of Waterloo – and for a while Britain enjoyed an Income Tax free period…. However, in 1842 Sir Robert Peel, faced with an enormous public deficit of 63% as a result of the Crimea Conflict, reintroduced it…. Admittedly it was only for the wealthy, those earning more than £150 per annum – and was only 3d in the £1 (3%) – and it remained this way for many years….

At the beginning of the 20th Century there were less than a million tax payers in Britain…. In 1907 Herbert Asquith introduced a whole new range of taxes….by 1909 Income Tax had raised to 8% and a new ‘Super Tax’ or ‘Surtax’ was introduced for the wealthy…. (This was to stay in place until 1973 – when it was replaced by the Higher Rate of Income Tax)….

World War 1 saw an increase in the rate to over 50%….but by 1918 it had settled back down to 30% – but more people were having to pay…. By 1930 ten million people had become eligible for Income Tax….and by the start of World War 2 that number had risen to twelve million….

In 1944 Pay As You Earn (PAYE) was introduced (previously tax would be paid every 6 months – or even annually)…. Along with PAYE came the P45 – and tax codes, to tell employers what percentage to deduct…. A basic rate of 33% remained in place after the war – and it wasn’t until Margaret Thatcher came to power that we saw a reduction….when it was lowered to 25% – and the Higher Rate from 83% to 40%…. It was lowered again to 22% and Gordon Brown then reduced it even further to 20%…. But of course, they always get us in other ways!

British History

On this day in history….8th January 1921

On this day in history : 8th January 1921 – David Lloyd George becomes the first Prime Minister to reside in Chequers – the 16th Century Manor House in Buckinghamshire….which was given to the Nation by Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham….

Chequers – or Chequers Court to give its full title, is located 41 miles from Downing Street, at the foot of the Chiltern Hills – near to the village of Ellesborough, just outside Great Missenden….

William Hawtrey – High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire – had the current house built circa 1565…. Possibly it may have been constructed around an earlier building already there – as it is thought a house has been on the site since Roman times….

In the 19th Century it underwent alterations to give it a Gothic style…. The Tudor windows and panelling were replaced with battlements and pinnacles….but by the end of the 19th Century it had passed to the Astley family….and Bertram Astley had the house restored back to its Elizabethan origins….

Shortly after it had been built and become the residence of William Hawtrey it also became a place of confinement – for the great-granddaughter of King Henry VII…. Lady Mary Grey was banished from Court by Queen Elizabeth I – for marrying without the Monarch’s consent…. Her room at Chequers is still kept today exactly as it was when she occupied it between 1565 and 1567….

In 1715 the owner at the time married Oliver Cromwell’s grandson, John Russell…. There is a large collection of Cromwell memorabilia to be found at Chequers….

It became the home of Arthur Lee and his American heiress wife in 1901….and they allowed it to be used as a hospital and then a convalescent home for officers during World War 1…. After the war it became the Lees’ private house once again….

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The Lees did not have any children – so no future inheritances to consider…. By now they had become Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham – and it was their wish to do something for the Nation…. They came up with an idea….

Before WW1 Britain’s Prime Ministers generally came from aristocratic backgrounds and had their own country estates where they could entertain foreign dignitaries…. Or indeed, retreat away from the stresses of daily life….and relax. After the War it was to become a new breed of politician – politics had become more accessible to all the classes…. Of course, not many ordinary folk have large country houses at their disposal…. So, after much negotiation with David Lloyd George and his government Chequers was given to the Nation, under the ‘Chequers Estate Act 1917’ – for the use of the serving Prime Minister….

Lord and Lady Lee of Fareham left Chequers on the 8th of January 1921 – but before they departed they had commissioned a stained glass window – which is to be found in the long gallery…. It bears the inscription….

“This house of peace and ancient memories was given to England as a thank-offering for her deliverance in the Great War of 1914-1918 as a place of rest and recreation for her Prime Ministers for ever”….

The name ‘Chequers’ has a couple of possibilities as to its origin…. An early owner of the Manor House that stood there in the 12th Century was Elias Ostiarius (or de Scaccario)…. “Ostiarius” meaning “Usher of the Court of the Exchequer”….”Scaccario” has the meaning of “chessboard” in Italian…. Elias Ostiarius had a chequerboard feature within his coat of arms – so maybe the estate was named for him….

Another theory is that it was named after the Wild Service trees (Sorbus torminalis) or ‘Chequers’ – which grow in the grounds….

The Wild Service tree is native to Britain but rarely seen – to come across one often indicates ancient woodland…. The fruits are known a ‘Chequers’ – and were given to children as a sweet treat as they are said to taste like dates…. They can also be made into an alcoholic drink – which may explain why so many public houses are called ‘The Chequers’….

Image credit : Hornbeam Arts via Flickr

Chequers Court may not be massive in terms of a stately home – it only has ten bedrooms….but it does sit in 1,500 acres of land….

It is grade 1 listed and houses a huge art collection – of some 190 pieces dating from the early 16th Century…. There is even a 1937 piece by Winston Churchill….

Cabinet meeting at Chequers – Image credit : Number 10 via Flickr

It has hosted many World leaders and public figures ~ Richard Nixon, Mikhail Gorbachev, Vladimir Putin, Robert Mugabe, Xi Jinping, Angela Merkel to name but a few….

Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Edward Heath joined by US President Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon during the Nixons’ visit to the UK in 1970…. Image credit : White House photo by Ollie Atkins

Margaret Thatcher said of it ~ “I do not think anyone has stayed long at Chequers without falling in love with it”….

Norma Major (wife of former Prime Minister John Major) loved it so much she wrote a book entitled “Chequers : The Prime Minister’s Country House and Its History”….