English History – Page 10 – General History

Saturday Spoofs; early April Fool’s Day biographies

Pilloch, N.G., Baron Pilloch of Bedwetty was born one day during the Second World War. He became a Socialist after losing his temper with a nanny who possesed patrician accents. This lady was fired by Pilloch’s Socialist parents, to encourage the child’s Labour tendencies. In no time at all he became Labour MP and Leader of the Opposition. In the Seventies he was made a member of the National Executive Committee of the Labour Party but managed things so loosely the Labour Party kept losing office. Finally he led the Opposition to Margaret Thatcher’s second and third administrations; it was to no avail because Mrs Thatcher could never remember his name and could not see him on the Opposition benches. After more electoral defeats in the Eighties he resigned as Labour’s leader and joined the other failures at the European Commission, much to the relief of the British Labour Party. His life peerage came in 2005 but he never became Prime Minister, though he had nastily promised his nanny that he would. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2013-03-02T12:45:50+00:00 March 2nd, 2013|British History, English History, English Language, Humour, Today|0 Comments

The Viking Longship

A typical Viking longship / dailygalaxy.com

The Vikings (q.v.) were seafarers, leaving the majestic beauty of their fjords to navigate the freezing waters of the North Sea to assault the northern coasts of Britain and Ireland, sparing no-one. They did the same up and down the Atlantic coast of France and Portugal, penetrating deep into the Mediterranean, or heading west to form colonies in Newfoundland and Iceland. They came from what is now Denmark and Norway, with Sweden invariably looking east towards Russia, while other Scandinavians invaded Britain and Normandy and even settled there. They could not have done any of this without their extraordinary ship, known as ‘the longship’ for good reasons. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2013-03-01T12:01:58+00:00 March 1st, 2013|A History of North America, British History, English History, French History, US History|0 Comments

Proletarian colloquial expressions in English

“You could’ve knocked me darn wiv a fevver!

Like all languages, the English of the lower orders is filled with expressions, usually of surprise at events. Most first appeared in the eighteenth or nineteenth centuries, but many entered the language during the twentieth, especially during and after the first and second world wars. Some are of American origin. Some are obscene, some appear to be blasphemous – a mispronounced version of ‘God’ often starts the phrase. Here are some examples, with their (suspected or proven meaning): (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2013-02-27T10:46:37+00:00 February 27th, 2013|English History, English Language, US History|0 Comments

The Stuart Dynasty

Fanciful images of Robert II of Scotland / celticjessica.blogspot.com

Stuart, originally Stewart, is the family name of Scottish kings and queens from nearly the end of the fourteenth century until 1714 – English monarchs as well from 1603 to 1714. It was founded by Walter Fitzallen, Steward of the King of Scotland. He in turn descended from Flald Fitzalan who had been Steward of Dol in Brittany.

Walter’s descendent became King Robert II of Scotland, her first Stuart monarch, ruling from 1371 to 1390. Robert’s son the Earl of Carrick became King Robert III, on the Scottish throne from 1390 – 1406. It was this Robert’s son who became James I of Scotland), who married Joan of the Beaufort family, English descendants of John of Gaunt, and this was the first English connection. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2013-02-21T11:05:42+00:00 February 21st, 2013|British History, English History, French History, German History, History of the Low Countries, Scottish history, World History|0 Comments

Sturdy Beggars

Whipping a beggar throughj the streets / aworldelsewhere-finn.blogspot.com

In the so-called ‘developed’ societies since the end of the Second World War many children are brought up by unthinking parents to believe that work is something other people get. The idea of actually finding some work that pays rarely enters the mind of these children as they grown into adulthood. They have brought up in ‘The Welfare State’. In this demi-paradise they learn that the world owes them a living; they have their rights; ‘what do we pay our taxes for?’; ‘who needs education anyway?’ ‘who wants a job anyway?’ etcetera.

It may come as a surprise to know that in the English Poor Law of 1531, barely five hundred years ago, able-bodied persons who chose not to work were classed as ‘sturdy beggars’. Cynics today may pronounce these two words naughtily reversing the ‘u’ and the ‘e’, but that is not my province. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2013-02-20T10:14:26+00:00 February 20th, 2013|English History, English Language, Humour, Philosophy, Today, US History|2 Comments

Lancastrians and Yorkists

Edward IV (York) King of England / en.wikipedia.org

There is more to the intense rivalry between Yorkshire and Lancashire than mere cricket, though one has to admit that these two large northern English counties seem to have produced more first-class cricketers than others.

Lancastrians are descendants or supporters of John (of Gaunt) Duke of Lancaster, second son of Edward III, younger brother of Edward the Black Prince. The reason why Gaunt did not become King when the Black Prince died young is that the throne had by then been usurped by Hereford, becoming Henry IV. The usurper did away with Richard II, grandson of Edward III, but Gaunt was crafty enough to survive, and important enough to get himself into Shakespeare’s plays in a big way. The ‘This sceptr’d isle!’ soliloquoy is spoken by a dying John of Gaunt. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2013-02-05T18:47:53+00:00 February 5th, 2013|British History, English History, English Language, French History, History of the Cinema, World History|0 Comments

Post-War poverty in Socialist Britain (1945 – 51)

Winter queues 1948 / telegraph.co.uk

It was a surrealist time to be British. Six years of total war had left the people with their men and womenfolk dead, wounded and crippled as well as bemedalled, heroic and stoic. Most people had lost their home (or homes) to the German bombing. France and Belgium, just over the narrow Channel, had been occupied throughout almost all the Second War, and were recovering much faster than the British. The latter, having listened avidly to the words of a fat old man with a fondness for brandy and cigars asking them to sacrifice everything to beat the German menace, and having followed his indefatigable leadership, showed their loyalty by throwing him and his party out in the 1945 elections. The new Prime Minister was Clement Attlee, an Old Harrovian, who had been Churchill’s Deputy PM during the war. He was one of those patricians who become members of the Labour Party, presumably to reward their parents for sacrificing everything to educate them privately. He was all for NATO, against private incomes and country life. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2013-01-31T18:30:52+00:00 January 31st, 2013|British History, Commonwealth of Nations, English History, English Language, French History, German History, History of the Low Countries, Philosophy, US History, World History|0 Comments

Feminism – a 20th century phenomenon?

A young Suffragette throws herself under the King’s horse at the Derby / scotsman.com

There will I suppose be frenzied and furious cries from members of the ‘gentler sex’ after (not) reading this post in General-History. The title will be enough to raise feminine hackles. “Phenomenon indeed!” Why should a thirst for equality be described as a ‘phenomenon’?

Feminism is an almost international movement concerning the social, political and economic rights of women. For the most part feminism’s voices demand equal rights for both sexes, but some would go further; they assert the right of women to separate development.

For as long as can be remembered women were subjected to their menfolk, and excluded from a proper education, economic independence, the right to own property, have a bank account in their own name, but, hardest of all, excluded from political representation. It is difficult to know why, as one woman’s vote requires the same thinking ability as any man has. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2013-01-30T13:02:20+00:00 January 30th, 2013|British History, English History, Jewish History, Today, World History|0 Comments

The Peninsula War (1807-14)

Joseph, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte /fuenterrebollo.com

Napoleon Bonaparte decided he would imitate the Roman emperors. Instead of listening to his better senses, he invaded the Peninsula of Spain and Portugal, causing one of the Napoleonic Wars, and a very great deal of unnecessary bloodshed. Spain is included in the very short list of nations it is unwise to invade or attempt to occupy. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2013-01-27T13:51:04+00:00 January 27th, 2013|British History, English History, French History, German History, History of Portugal, Spanish History, Today, World History|0 Comments

The Nine Years War

William III / livius.org

Of all the wars known by duration in years, the least well-known is the Nine Years War (1688 – 97). Nevertheless this conflict has its important side, as it involved the Sun King himself, Louis XIV of France, and Britain under her Dutch-born monarch, William III. (more…)

By Dean Swift| 2013-01-26T11:56:28+00:00 January 26th, 2013|Austrian history, British History, Dutch History, English History, French History, German History, History of the Low Countries, Scottish history, Spanish History, World History|2 Comments