ON HISTORICAL FIGURES

Here I look at some figures of History that really fascinate me for one reason or another. They are not full biographies by any means, but intended to interest the reader enough to research the character themselves or perhaps, for any authors, to find a place for them in their WIPs

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR PREVIOUS POSTS: THOMAS BLOOD - NELL GWYN - JOHN CHARD VC - CECIL SHARP -  FLORA MACDONALD - 'CALICO JACK' RACKHAM - CAPTAIN EDWARD SMITH - ROBERT JOHNSON - WALTER TULL - THE BRAHAN SEER - ADMIRAL SIR JOHN BYNG - ROB ROY MacGREGOR - THE MARGATE SEA DISASTER 1897 - HIGHWAYMAN JOHN NEVISON - DIDO ELIZABETH BELLE - ROBERT ADAM - BESS OF HARDWICK - EALDGYTH, WIDOW OF EDMUND IRONSIDE

(Please post any comments in the Box at the very bottom of the page: I apologise for the inconvenience  - am working on the fix - R)

* * * 

EDWARD ALBERT CHAPMAN 1914 – 1997

(Photograph from Security Service MI5 website)

War can produce the most unlikely heroes. Eddie Chapman was one of those. In the 1930s he was a criminal, a safe cracker using the explosive gelignite. A good thief, too because he made a lot of money. He mixed well in the social scene and counted Noel Coward, Marlene Dietrich and Ivor Novello among his acquaintences. It would not last, though.

In January 1939 he was wanted for burglary and fled to Jersey where he used his methods to rob a casino. The Jersey police arrested him and he was sentenced to 2 years in prison.

In July 1940, he Germans invaded and occupuied the Channel Islands. Chapman remained in prison until his release in 1941.

Wanting to find a way back to England, he offered his services to the Germans as a spy, citing the fact that he had no reason to love the country of his birth as he was still wanted by the police. He must have been convincing because the Abwehr (the German Secret Service) recruited him and sent him to occupied France for a year's training.

The Germans had a special task for Chapman. They wanted him to use his links to the underworld to recruit others in similar circumstances and with his knowledge – and additional training - of explosives, they wanted him to commit acts of sabotage. Specifically an attack on the De Havilland aircraft factory in Hertfordshire was planned.

On the 16^th December 1942, Chapman was parachuted ito Cambridgeshire. The ironic thing was that MI5 already knew about Chapman's activities, having cracked the Abwehr's codes – so it is perhaps fortunate that he immediately turned himself in and sought out MI5. Chapman had no idea that they were expecting him!

Following interrogation from Lt Col Robin Stephens (nicknamed 'Tin Eye' because of his steel rimmed monocle) during which he had cooperated completely and willingly, Stephens concluded that Chapman would make an ideal double agent, despite his dubious past.

The attack on the factory went ahead as planned …. that is to say that a very elaborate distraction was worked out with his assigned 'minder'. The Abwehr were informed by radio of the planned intentions which took place on the night of the 19^th/20^th January, 1943.

By using camouflage and wood and papier-mache reproductions of various pieces of equipment, painted tarpaulins and scrap metal were deployed to disguise the buildings and, no doubt, some pyrotechnics were involved. MI5 arranged for a fake story to be fed to the Daily Express.

The Germans were not only completely deceived, but absolutely delighted: the factory manufactured the Mosquito fighter which had been so damaging to the Lufwaffe.

Travelling through Portugal – which was neutral – Chapman reported back to his German masters.

Another plot was hatched to get Chapman back to Britain. He became a crew member of a merchant vessel but jumped ship on arrival at Lisbon. Presenting himself to the German Embassy there, he suggested to them that he attempt to blow up the ship The City of Lancaster before she set sail for Liverpool. Again, the Germans fell for it and issued him with two small bombs made to look like lumps of coal. Following a pre-arranged plan, Chapman assumed the identity of Hugh Anson – complete with valid paperwork – and signed on as a crew member. He then handed the bombs to the Captain and returned to Britain. In order to ward off suspicion, MI5 arranged for a thorough and conspicuous inspection of the ship when she docked. Chapman brought back with him not only the two special bombs but answers to questions MI5 had specifically asked to hi, to find out.

Chapman continued his new career. The Germans next sent him to Norway to act as an instructor at a spy school. While there, he was awarded the iron Cross (though that it was actually this most highest of honours has been disputed. He was also inducted into the army as an oberleutnant, warded 110,000 Reischmarks and his own yacht!

He was then sent back to England to report on the accuracy of the V-1 bombs which he died with the help of MI5 again, telling the Germans that the bombs were hitting their targets when in fact they not.

But old habits die hard and Chapman was soon involved once more with the underworld. A number of indiscretions led MI5 to dismiss him, but he left with a payout of £6,000 and a pardon for his pre-war crimes.

Other things in Chapman's life were complicated. He had a fiancée in London and another in Norway, but when the war was over he abandoned both to marry Betty Farmer, an old flame.

Chapman's career took many turns after the war; more criminal activities from which his wartime service gave him leniency, a £50 fine for allowing his memoirs to be published in France against the Official Secrets Act, became an antiquarian whilst living in Italy and finally he and his wife set up a health farm in Hertfordshire. He wrote three books about his life which were eventually published in the 1950s and 60s and he also kept in touch with his old German 'Boss' and helping him out when he fell on hard times. He died in December 1997.

Whilst I doubt he was quite the sophisticated smoothie portrayed by Christopher Plummer in the film Triple Cross, clearly he was a quick thinker and a convincing liar.

Principal Source: https://www.mi5.gov.uk/eddie-chapman

Secondary source: Wikipedia

 * * *

THOMAS BLOOD 1618 – 1680

(portrait in the National Portrait Gallery)

By the standards of the time, Thomas Blood was quite well-to-do; his father held land in 3 counties of Ireland – where Blood was born – and his grandfather was a member of the Irish Parliament. Blood himself was educated in Lancashire and at the age of 20 married a Lancashire lass named Maria Holcroft. Her father is described as 'a gentleman of Lancashire'. Thomas, with his new bride, returned to Ireland.

When civil war broke out in England, Thomas crossed the Irish Sea and fought on the side of the Royalists, but as the war progressed he changed sides and became a Lieutenant in the Roundhead army.

Following the defeat of Charles I, Thomas received lands from Cromwell and was appointed a Justice of the Peace. But things would turn when Charles II resumed the throne and passed the Act of Settlement in 1662 which nullified Cromwell's Act of 10 years previously. This effectively took away the lands granted by The Protector, Blood was financially ruined and fled to Ireland where he attempted to raise his fellow countrymen to insurrection.

James Butler, 1^st Duke of Ormonde was the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland; Blood's plan was to storm Dublin Castle and kidnap Ormonde with a view to holding him for ransom. The plot was foiled, Blood escaped and hid in the Irish mountains before crossing to the low Countries. News came to him that a number of his co-conspirators had been captured and executed and Blood swore personal revenge on Ormonde.

Despite his fugitive status, Thomas returned to England under the name of Ayloffe and practised as a Dr or possibly an apothecary on Romford market. But he was planning all the time, and in December 1670, having observed Ormonde's habit of returning home late with few menservants, Thomas organised a team to 'snatch' Ormonde from his coach. This part was successful; the gang intended to take their captive to Tyburn and hang him, a note pinned to is chest explaining why this action had been taken. But one of Ormonde's servants had followed them and he managed to get the Duke away. Blood's name was apparently never mentioned and so he was never implicated in the plot. One who was accused of being involved was George Villiers, the 2^nd Duke of Buckingham, to the point that Ormonde's son Thomas threatened to kill Villiers if anything happened to his father. This threat being made in front of the king.

In the late spring of 1671, Blood planned his most ambitious scheme yet – the one that he will always be remembered for. Dressed as a parson and accompanied by a female acquaintance posing as his wife, he visited the Tower of London, coming into conversation with the Master of the Jewels House, Talbot Edwards during this conversation, Blood's 'wife' suddenly became ill and the Master escorted her and Blood to his private quarters where Mrs Edswards administered to the poor woman's sufferings. Over the next few days, the pair visited the Tower quite often where Blood presented Mrs Edwards with four pairs of white gloves – 'in gratitude' and offered them the chance of their daughter marrying his nephew, for which there would be a considerable income for the girl. Of course, no such nephew existed, but the Edwardses were completely taken in.

Blood arranged for Mrs Edwards to prepare a meal for him, two companions and his nephew. When they arrived, they begged to see the crown Jewels themselves and Mr Edwards agreed. One of his companions stayed outside of the room which housed them whilst the other three entered. Once inside, a cloak was thrown over Edwards, he was hit over the head, bound, gagged and even stabbed. After quickly removing the grille which safeguarded the Jewels, Blood took the mallet to King Edward's Crown, flattening it so that he could conceal beneath his coat, one of the thieves filed the Sceptre into two halves and the third man hid the Orb 'about his person'. That is to say, he stuffed it down his trousers.

For a man of 77 years of age, Talbot Edwards was certainly a resilient one. Somehow he loosened the gag and raised the alarm, crying 'Treason! Murder! The crown is stolen!' This alerted other wardens and Blood and his companions attempted their escape. Shots were fired and a warden wounded. But the thieves were apprehended and what remained of the Crown Jewels recovered. A gallant, if unsuccessful attempt, Blood allegedly asserted as he struggled with the wardens.

(an engraving by C Grignion of 'the dirty deed')

What followed is surely the stuff of legends! Blood was adamant that he would only answer questions if they were asked by the king himself. Subsequently he was taken in chains to the monarch and with Prince Rupert and others in attendance, he kept his promise. Now, whatever you may think about Charles II, there are no doubts that he was a jolly good sport! He did, after all, coin the sobriquet 'Swift Nick' for John Nevison an (in)famous highwayman who had ridden from Surrey to York in a single day to establish an alibi! So, when he asked of Blood, 'What if I should give you your life' and Blood replied ' I would endeavour to deserve it' that is exactly what he did together with a pardon and lands in Ireland worth £500 per year. The true reasons behind the king's lenience are unknown and many theories have been put forward including 'an insurance job' on behalf of the king as he was short of money!

For a while, Blood was a frequent attendee at Court, but he fell out with Villiers who sued him for £10,000 over remarks about his character that Blood had allegedly made. Blood was convicted in 1680, imprisoned but granted bail. In August of that same year he fell into a coma and died two days later.

Oddly enough, his body was exhumed as authorities wanted confirmation that he was, indeed, dead! His reputation for trickery led them to believe that Blood may have faked his death to avoid the debt owed to Villiers.

* * *

NELL GWYN 1650 - 1687

Portrait by Peter Lely c1675

Despite being one of the best known names in English history, the details of Nell Gwyn's origins are surprisingly vague. Her birth year of 1650 is generally accepted, but there is a strong case for her having been born 8 years earlier in 1642. The location is also disputed – Hereford, Oxford or Covent Garden, London vying with each other for the honour. Her father is also unknown, though her mother certainly took the surname Gwyn; it seems doubtful that she married, however.

Nell, along with her elder sister, Rose, was brought up in Covent Garden by her mother, Ellen. Ellen worked, or possibly ran, a 'bawdy house' (brothel) and young Nell might even have been a child prostitute. Reported by Samuel Pepys, Nell herself declared that though she was brought up in a bawdy house, she did nothing but serve strong drink to the gentlemen.

In 1662, when she was either 12 or 20, Nell had a lover, Duncan (or Dungan) with whom she stayed for two years. He provided rooms for her and may well have procured a job for her at the Bridges Street Theatre. Mary Meggs, nicknamed Orange Moll, was contracted to sell fruit at the theatre and dressed both Nell and Rose as orange sellers.

The Restoration of Charles II had seen great changes I the the theatre as a whole; performing plays had been banned by the Protectorate and Charles had rescinded this almost immediately and also allowed women to perform on the stage.

Within a year of becoming an orange seller, Nell studied acting under Charles Hart and dancing under John Lacy – both leading lights in the profession. It is known that she had an affair with Hart and most likely that she had one with Lacy as well. It is most probable that she took numerous minor parts (plays did not normally have long runs in those days) before being cast as the love interest to the character of Cortez in Dryden's play 'The Indian Emperour', her real life lover, Hart, playing Cortez. Whoever eyes she may have caught, Pepys' were certainly among them as he dubbed her 'Pretty, witty Nell'

As a dramatic actress, Nell may not have been the best, but she found her strengths lay in what we now call Restoration Comedies. By 1665, following her appearance in The Mad Couple (again, opposite Hart) she was a star.

(An engraving by Richard Thomson from a painting by Peter Cross. Nell Gwyn as Cupid c 1672. Samuel Pepys had a copy of the engraving hanging in his office at the Admiralty)

However, plague and fire all but closed London down and Nell and her mother were exiled to Oxford where the King was and may well have taken part in private theatrical performances at the makeshift court.

Once the conflagration was over, the theatres reopened and Hart and Gwyn were the most popular of performers and none more so in Dryden's tragi-comedy, Secret Love, or The Maiden Queen. Bridges street Theatre was renamed The King's Playhouse in honour of Charles' frequent attendance.

Nell's fortunes took a bit of a dip for a while. Her affair with Charles hart was fizzling out and she took up with Charles Sackville, Lord Buckfast who reportedly paid her £100 per year not to act. By the time she finished with Buckfast – which wasn't long – she found herself unpopular with her former friends and colleagues. Pepys reports that 'Hart now hates her'. Enter George Villiers, close to the king and very influential. He planned to set Nell up with Charles but her 'asking price' of £500 per years was rejected. Villiers then suggested another actress, Moll Davis, to the king and Nell had a serious rival.

But that all came to nothing when Nell was attending a play at Lincoln's Inn Fields and found the king in the very next box to her. King Charles was apparently far more interested in flirting with Nell than he was in the play. Thus, in 1668, began one of the greatest affairs in history. Charles had many mistresses (not to mention a wife) but it would seem that Nell was his favourite. She did continue her profession, but appearances soon dwindled off. When Nell gave birth to their first child, Charles, in 1670, the boy was Charles' seventh son from five different mistresses! Another son, James, was born in in 1671 but sadly he died at the age of ten while he was being tutored in Paris.

Young Charles – named Beauclerk – didn't do too badly; the king made him Baron of Heddigton and Earl of Burford (both in Oxfordshire) and later Duke of St Albans. Nell was granted the deeds of a house in Park Lane, London and another in Windsor for use when the king was in residence. She also had a summer retreat in Kings Cross Road.

King Charles died in Feruary1685 and famously entreated his brother, James to 'let not poor Nellie starve'. Popular belief is that this was not followed, but the truth is that James was true to his and his brother's word. He paid off most of her debts, settled the mortgage on Nell's Lodge in Northamptonshire and granted her an annual pension of £1500 per annum.

In March 1687 Nell suffered a stroke, two months later she suffered another which left her bed bound. In November she died of 'apoplexy'. If we use 1650 as her birth date, then she was only 37 years old.

She certainly did not die penniless: her bank account was very healthy and she had much much more in other assets such as gold plate. Her will was most generous, awarding annual payments to many charities, including releasing debtors at Christmas. She was buried at St- Martin-in-the-Fields on 17^th December.

After all this time, she is still a bit of an enigma: considering certain events in her life, 1642 seems a much more likely birth year although there is no concrete evidence to support this. It is clear that she was witty and often with retorts against herself! One can almost imagine a broad cockney accent yelling out to a heckling crowd who had mistaken her for her rival, the Catholic Duchess of Portsmouth whilst travelling through the streets of Oxford: 'Good People you are mistaken – I am the Protestant whore.'. She jokingly referred to King Charles as her 'Charles III' in reference to her previous affairs with Charles Hart and Charles Sackville.

Charles Beauclerk had a remarkable life, serving well in the military and living to the age of 56. He and his wife had 12 children and the line survived until the 1940s. He also wrote his own version of his mother's life.

(Nell of Old Drury PH, Covent Garden - photo from whatpub.com)

(Principal Source: Wikipedia)

* * * 

JOHN CHARD VC (1847 - 1897)

(Colonel John Chard)

Name seem familiar? If you have seen the film Zulu, then you will know why.

Colonel John Rouse Merriott Chard was born in Plymouth and had two brothers and four sisters. He was educated at Cheltenham Grammar School and Plymouth New Grammar School before enrolling at the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich.

He was commissioned as a Lieutenant in 1868 and continued his training at Chatham before being assigned to Bermuda in 1870. there he constructed fortifications for the Naval dockyard at Hamilton where he stayed for four years. He returned to England for his father's funeral and was then sent to Malta to help improve the island's sea defences. In 1876 he again returned to England where he was assigned to the 5^th Company, Royal Engineers, based at Aldershot and Chatham.

In December of 1878 the 5^th were assigned to the Colony of Natal and in January of the following year, Chard was sent to repair pontoons on the Buffalo River a short distant from the mission of Rorke's Drift. Almost as soon as he arrived, he received new orders that his men were needed elsewhere, Returning, he was told that his men and not he himself were needed and was ordered back to Rorke's Drift. On his way back he observed a Zulu army marching in the same direction but some way behind. When he arrived, his Commanding Officer, Major Henry Spalding, who immediately decided that he should leave to summon reinforcements. Before going, however, he consulted military papers and discovered that Chard just had seniority over Lt Gonville Bromhead. Chard returned, for the moment, to his work on the pontoons, but that was soon interrupted when word reached him that the camp at Islandlwana had been destroyed leaving no survivors. Bromhead had already started using mealie bags as a defence against attack and soon the compound was surrounded by a makeshift wall.

When the Zulu army was sighted, two officers of the Natal Native Contingent decided to leave, taking all their men with them. This left a defending force of some 140 men, 30 of whom were lying sick in the Rorke's Drift Hospital. The Zulus were estimated to comprise of between 3 and 4,000 men.

Chard added an additional inner perimeter wall made up of biscuit boxes and later a redoubt of mealie bags. The Zulu attack began that same evening, led mostly by spearmen and although the British volley fire caused them many casualties, they pressed on relentlessly and took the hospital, which they set fire. Forced to retreat first behind the biscuit boxes and then to the redoubt, Chard and his men continued to defend resolutely. The battle lasted all through the night, but around 5 am, the Zulus were exhausted and British reinforcements were spotted. The Zulus left. At least 360 Zulu bodies were counted by Chard himself whilst British casualties were numbered as 17 dead and 10 wounded.

(The Defence of Rorke's Drift by Elizabeth Butler, 1880)

Chard stayed on to see to building adequate defences, but was taken to Ladysmith as he had contracted fever due to poor conditions at the outpost. Chard and ten other men were awarded the Victoria Cross for their heroic efforts. However much the people of Britain were delighted with their new heroes, the (new) commanding officers of both Chard and Bromhead were far less impressed and played down their achievements and were rude in their reports of them. Chard later fought in the Battle of Ulundi and when the war ended, returned to England where he was treated as a hero and even had dinner with Queen Victoria at Balmoral.

Chard received regular promotions culminating in the rank of Colonel at his final command in Perth. But whilst there, he was diagnosed with cancer of the tongue and after a second operation which removed his tongue, he retired to live with his younger brother Charles at his rectory in Hatch Beauchanp, Somerset. However, the cancer was terminal and in November 1897, John Chard died.

Queen Victoria sent a wreath and a stained glass window was installed in the church of St John the Baptist in Hatch Beauchamp.

As a postscript, the battle details in the film, Zulu, do seem pretty accurate, but there are some nice 'fictions' added in: the drunken priest played by Jack Hawkins (not to mention his 'daughter' staying behind), Private Hook's transformation from villain to hero, the laughing Dutchman declaring, 'they're not taunting you – they're saluting you!' and the inclusion of a small number of Welshmen ('For God's sake Ivor, sing something they know' – Max Boyce).

But the overwhelming image of Stanley Baker and Michael Caine as Chard and Bromhead respectively is unforgettable.

* * * 

CECIL SHARP

1859 - 1924

(Photo from Wikipedia)

“Who is the folk son collector who collected folk songs?- (Sharp) - Yes, Cecil

Who is the man who wore plus fours in the Appalachian Mountains? - (Sharp) - Cecil Sharp”

George Hinchciffe of the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain's sings these lines in their brilliant (and sometimes hilarious) version of Isaac Hayes' 'Shaft'. So Cecil Sharp isn't exactly an 'unsung' hero, but he is largely responsible for the revival and preservation of 'traditional' folk songs and country dancing, most notably, Morris Dancing.

Cecil Sharp was born in Camberwell, then in Surrey, and educated at Uppingham before being taken out of school by his parents for private tuition. Cecil went to Cambridge. His father James was a slate merchant with diverse interests in the arts, including music. His mother Jane was also a music lover. Graduating with a BA in 1882, Cecil left England the same year to live in Australia. He remained there for 10 years working in a bank, for a law firm and as a music lecturer at the Adelaide College of Music before returning home.

In 1893 he married Constance Birch and they would have 3 children together. By now he was music teacher at Ludgrove School in north London and latterly part time Principal of the Hampstead Conservatoire of Music where he stayed until 1905.

From about 1903, her had started 'collecting' folk songs, mostly from Somerset when visiting his friend, Charles Marson. He travelled the county, collecting some 1600 songs from over 350 different singers. Although he expanded his travels to cover the whole country, it is these Somerset songs which form the basis of his influence. Around the time of Christmas 1899, Sharp had observed a group of Morris dancers at Oxford, being impressed by their accordion player. His unpublished notations were taken up by a school in London and the art of country dancing – which was almost extinct – was revived to the extent that he published his notations in 1907. pretty soon his was publishing volumes of folk songs with his own piano accompaniment for use in schools. They were a great success. He also toned down some of the lyrical content – Victorian Britain wasn't ready for such lewdness!

(Photo from heritage Images/Getty Images)

In 1911, he formed the the English Folk Dance society which much later merged with the Folk Song Society. It is still alive and well today, it's home in London being named Cecil Sharp House in his honour.

Between 1916 and 1918 he visited North America collecting songs from the fields out there. His journey took him to the Appalachians, the Carolinas, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Many of the songs he collected were different versions of songs he had collected in England.

Cecil Sharp died in 1924 at his home in Hampstead following a short illness; a Blue Plaque adorns his house.

Fifty years after his death, Sharp's methods and motivations were attacked by Prof. David Harker, but he had his defenders too. Whatever one's opinions on these matters, there is no doubt that folk music remains alive today because of Sharp's efforts. Indeed, when there was a huge revival under the banner of Folk/Rock during the 1970s, bands such as Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention drew heavily on Sharp's repertoire. One song especially, Barbara Allen, a Scottish/northern English folk song has been covered in the US by such artists as Pete Seeger, Art Garfunkel, Emmylou Harris and Dolly Parton.

This version is by Crystal Gayle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsj_UxoAIk8

Samuel Pepys mentions the song in his diary dated 1666 so perhaps it is due to Cecil Sharp that we know this so well today!

And this song is from Steeleye Span

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgSwnL4au64

* * *

FLORA MacDONALD 1722-1790

(by Allan Ramsey)

Flora was born in 1722 to Ranald MacDonald and his second wife, Marion at Milton on the island of South Uist. She had two elder brothers, Angus and Ronald, the latter dying young. Her father died soon after Flora's birth and Marion re-married Hugh MacDonald of Armadale, Skye, in 1728. Flora was sent to her father's cousin, Sir Alexander MacDonald of Sleat. She may have been educated in Edinburgh, but this has not been proven.

Her claim to fame is well known, yet it may well have come about due to a coincidence. Following the disastrous defeat at Culloden, Charles Edward Stuart – Bonnie Prince Charlie – was hiding at Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides and Flora happened to be visiting relatives there at the same time. She had connections: a cousin, Conn O'Neill accompanied the prince and asked for her help. As her step-father Hugh commanded the militia that controlled the area, she was able to obtain the necessary authority for her, the necessary boatmen and two servants to travel to the mainland. One of those servants was a maid and 'she' was actually the prince in disguise and going under the name of Betty Burke. They landed at Kilbride on Skye near to Sir Alexander's home and his wife, Lady Margaret – in her husband's absence – arranged accommodation for them. Having been persuaded to discard his disguise because it was too obvious, Bonnie Prince Charlie then made his assisted escape.

In most histories, the story usually ends there. But what happened to Flora after that? For one thing, she never saw Charles Edward Stuart again. Nor was she particularly a supporter of his; she said later that she did what she did out of compassion and would do the same for anyone.

Two weeks after the event, the boatmen were arrested and confessed. Flora was then arrested and sent to the Tower of London. In fairness, she wasn't incarcerated as we might expect but did have the freedom of the grounds thanks to the intervention of Lady Margaret. When the Act of Indemnity was passed in 1747, she was released.

In 1750, she married Allan MacDonald and they lived on the Isle of Skye. She even met Dr Samuel Johnson during her time there.

Things did not turn out too well for them, unfortunately, for Allan was a soldier and not a businessman. Having inherited some estates, he quarrelled with the Clan leader and they emigrated to North Carolina in 1774. A year later, the War of Independence broke out and Allan raised a loyalist army, but was intercepted on their way to the British fleet and Allan was captured. In 1777, North Carolina confiscated all Loyalist property and Flora was evicted. How she coped is not recorded, but Allan was released a year later and posted to Nova Scotia and placed in charge of the 84^th regiment of foot.

A harsh winter saw Flora book a passage to London with a view to returning to Skye, but illness and other things delayed her journey from London. Once back in Skye, she lived with several relatives until Allan himself returned in 1784.

They had seven children although two of the boys had both died at sea in 1781 and 1782 respectively. Another son, John, however made his fortune in India and ensured his parents were well cared for in their old age.

Flora died in 1790 at the age of 68.

She was not forgotten though. Thanks to the Victorians and a (spurious) biography her name became famous again. Several portraits of her were painted by Allan Ramsay (1713-84) though most have been lost and in 1884, Sir Harold Boulton adapted an old Scottish melody and renamed it 'The Skye Boat song. There is a statue to her memory outside Inverness Castle.

(pictures from http://www.victorianweb.org/)

The second refrain of the Skye Boat Song  runs thus:

Though the waves heave, soft shall ye sleep

Ocean's a royal bed

Rocked in the deep, Flora shall keep

Watch by your weary head

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txKGuMKWJc0

Principal Source: Wikipedia

* * *

JACK RACKHAM (1682 - 1720)

We all love pirates. I grew up with clean-shirted, clean-shaven Robert Shaw as Dan Tempest and Burt Lancaster as Captain Vallo – The Crimson Pirate - and tales of real pirates like William Kidd, Blackbeard and Henry Morgan (though, strictly speaking, the last named was a 'privateer' rather than a pirate).

One of the most (in)famous pirates was Captain Jack Rackham, popularly known as 'Calico Jack'. Rackham was known for wearing clothing made from this Indian fabric – not as fine as muslin, not as coarse as denim – hence his nickname.

He was born in England in 1682, but that is all that is known about him until he is identified as the quartermaster to Charles Vane in 1718. Effectively, he was second-in-command and Vane's ship was called the Ranger. Accompanying his captain, Jack attended a meeting (parley?) with the notorious Edward Teach – Blackbeard - and others at Ocracoke Island, off the North Carolina coast. If there was any 'business' discussed, then it came to nothing and Blackbeard's time was almost up anyway.

Rackham's personal flag

It may come as a surprise to some, but pirates were remarkably well organised in some matters. Ousting an unpopular or unsuccessful captain was not necessarily a matter of violence but very often a matter of voting. Which is exactly how Quartermaster Jack Rackham became Captain Jack Rackham. Vane had decided to abandon chasing a French man-o-war on the basis that it was too big. Rackham disputed this and called for a vote in which he was successful by a large margin. Vane was given command of a sloop and, presumably, sailed off to make his own fortune. Which he didn't, for just a few months later he was captured, tried and hanged.

For the moment, Rackham concentrated on small shipping around Jamaica until he captured a merchant ship, the Kingston, near Port Royal. It was nearly his undoing, for the act was committed too close to the shore and witnessed by many. Merchant-funded pirate hunters were called in and found both ships anchored off Cuba. Rackham and his crew escaped only because they were ashore at the time and managed to hide in the wooded areas.

Another escape owed more to good planning rather than luck. Anchored in the harbour in Cuba, a Spanish ship with an English Prize was unable to enter due to the low tide. Rackham and his men waited until high tide, secretly rowed out and took control of the Prize. When the Spanish ship sailed into the harbour, it blasted Rackham's recently abandoned ship while they calmly sailed out with the Prize!

In 1719, Calico Jack sailed into Nassau and accepted Governor Woodes Rogers amnesty to all former pirates who pledged give up The Trade. And like so many, it did not last too long.

It may be wrong to say that Calico Jack's downfall was a woman, but in a way it is true. Rackham became involved with a woman named Anne Bonny. Unfortunately, Anne was already married, to an English sailor, James Bonny. When James found about the affair, he took his wife to the Governor who, in accordance with the law of the time, sentenced Anne to a public flogging. Somehow Calico Jack got her away and they absconded, stealing a ship (called the William), thus breaking his oath and invalidating the amnesty.

Anne Bonny

For a while all was well; they preyed on small ships for small Prizes, Anne gave birth to a baby in Cuba and rejoined the crew, along with another woman, Mary Read. Then, in the latter half of 1720, Woodes Rogers issued a warrant for Rackham and his crew. As mentioned before, there were plenty of bounty hunters around and the man who would co;;ect that bounty was Jonathan Barnet. Finding Rackham anchored in Bry Harbour Bay, Jamaica, Barnet attacked at night and soon the entire crew were in irons. From there they were taken back to Port Royal where they were tried for piracy, convicted and sentenced to hang.

On November 18^th 1720, Calico Jack Rackham met his Maker at the age of 38. His corpse was left on display on an islet at the entrance of the harbour.

As a postscript, Anne Bonny and Mary Read were both spared, both 'pleading their belly' – they were both pregnant. Execution was stayed until after the births, but Mary died of fever a few months later. Anne's fate was not recorded, so we don't know whether she was either hanged or released.

Principal Source: Pirates: Truth and Tales by Helen Hollick

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirates-Truth-Tale-Helen-Hollick-ebook/dp/B06W5KSDKY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NB7ZN67IHABY&keywords=pirates+truth+and+tale&qid=1574244615&sprefix=pirates+truth%2Cdigital-text%2C156&sr=8-1

* * *

CAPTAIN EDWARD SMITH 1850 - 1912

Edward John Smith was born in Hanley, Staffordshire to Edward Smith, a potter and Catherine Hancock. He left school at the age of 13 and for four years operated a steam hammer at the Etruria Forge in Stoke on Trent. In 1867 he went to Liverpool where his half brother, Joseph Hancock was a sea captain. Edward began his apprenticeship with the Gibson Company in the Merchant Navy aboard the Senator Weber.

In 1880 he joined the White Star Line and rose rapidly to the point of receiving his first command, the Republic, in 1887. Earlier in that same year he married Sarah Pennington and their daughter was born eleven years later.

Smith joined the Royal Naval Reserve in 1889 making him available to serve in the Royal Navy should there be war. In 1895 he was appointed captain of White Star's Majestic. When the Boer War started in 1899, Smith was jot called up, but the Majestic was called on to transport troops to Cape Colony. For these services, Smith was awarded the Transport Medal by King Edward VII in 1903.

He commanded the 'biggest ship in the world' (at the time), the Baltic and three years later, the Adriatic. Then he was given the Olympic, first in a proposed class of ocean liners and the latest biggest ship in the world. The maiden voyage went without incident, apart from a minor mishap when one of the tugs guiding the Olympic was caught in the her backwash, spun around and collided with a bigger ship.

There then followed a sequence of events which may have made a difference to history. In September, 1911, Olympic, under Smith's command, was involved in a collision with the British warship, Hawke. The subsequent enquiry concluded that the immense size manage to e of the Olympic created a suction that dragged in the Hawke, who lost her prow. Olympic made it safely back to Southampton but was badly damaged herself. One of the ship's propellers was damaged and two compartments filled with water.

Parts from the Titanic, currently near to completion, were used to repair Olympic and then, not long after, she lost a propeller blade and again resources from Titanic were used, thus delaying her maiden voyage from 20^th March to the 10^th April.

Titanic's maiden voyage did not start well. The enormous swell generated by her great size caused the rival liner New York to slip her moorings and a collisions was narrowly avoided by Captain Smith on the bridge.

The general story of the loss of the Titanic is fairly well known. Radio officers received six messages from other ships warning of ice drifting in the vicinity. It was common practice to continue sailing at speed n face of such problems and so Titanic pushed ahead at about 22 knots (25mph) just a little short of her maximum speed.

And besides they had assurances that Titanic was 'unsinkable' and history was on their side too as other ships had been hit by ice floes without disasters occurring.

At 11.40pm, Smith was informed that the ship had been struck and was seriously damaged. From thereon in, reports are conflicting. Some say that Smith went about his duties efficiently and to the best of his abilities, one even calling him a hero. Other seem to think that he was indecisive and slow and failed to inform many members of his crew of the full situation. It's possible: despite his many years experience, this was his first real crisis. Did he 'choke' in the face of such danger?

Even the precise circumstances of Smith's death bear different versions. He was seen to dive into the sea just as it slid under the waves. Or he jumped. Others saw him in the water. More than one claimed that he had rescued a child and handed him or her to the inhabitants of one of the lifeboats before swimming away in search of his First Officer. I suspect we will never know the truth of it. It is most likely that his last words, as reported in the British press, of “Be British boys, be British” are a fabrication.

In 1914 a statue to his memory sculpted by Kathleen Scott, the widow of Robert Falcon Scott, was erected in Beacon Park, Lichfield. Edward smith had no known connections with the city, but Lichfield was selected because it is the centre of the diocese and smith was, after all, a Staffordshire man. A plaque in Hanley Town Hall acknowledges his birthplace and briefly records his achievements.

* * *

ROBERT JOHNSON (1911-1938)

“Goin' down to the crossroads, go tell my friend boy, Willie Brown

Goin' down to the crossroads, go tell my friend boy, Willie Brown

Down at the Crossroads – believe I'm sinking down”

(Cross Road Blues – written and performed by Robert Johnson.

Was there ever a man more born to sing the Blues? Robert was born to Julia Dodds and Noah Johnson in 1911. Julia already had 10 children from her husband, Charles Dodds, but Dodds had been forced from their home in Hazelhurst, Mississippi following a dispute with a white landowner. Julia kept Robert with her, but later sent him to live with Charles, who had changed his name to Spencer. At the age of 8, Robert went back to his mother, newly married to Dusty Willis, on the Abbay and Leatherman Plantation, Mississippi.

After leaving school in 1927, Robert adopted the name of his natural father and married Virginia Travis in 1929. She died soon after in childbirth. Robert began a career as a bluesman, being proficient on both the harp (harmonica) and jaws harp. What he was not good at was playing the guitar. Indeed, legendary Bluesman Son House, later referred to his prowess as 'embarrassingly bad'.

And this is where the legend of Robert Johnson begins. Having been laughed at by Son House and Willie Brown (House's friend and sideman) Johnson apparently disappeared for six month and when he returned he was an expert. The rumour began that Johnson met with the Devil at a crossroad and offered his guitar to the Devil to be tuned. Once done, Johnson could play like a master. Son house, for one, certainly believed the rumours and probably helped spreading them.

The truth – or, at least, a much more plausible story - is that he took lessons from Isiaih (Ike) Zimmerman. Oddly (?) Ike was rumoured to have gained his prowess supernaturally by visiting graveyards at night …

Roberts personal life was a mess. With one wife dead, he fathered a child with Vergie Mae Smith and later married Caletta Craft. They moved to Clarksdale where Caletta died in childbirth. Retribution for selling his soul to the Devil? So some claimed.

Robert took to the road. Between 1932 and 1938, Robert travelled all over Mississippi and further afield to New York and even Canada. He stayed with extended family memories or women with whom he had formed relationships. A girl in every port. But he did not marry again. The nearest he got to a permanent relationship was with a woman known as Estella Coleman, who was the mother of future Bluesman Robert Lockwood Jr.

Late in 1936, Johnson recorded 16 tracks for Brunswick Records. The company had rented Room 414 in the Gunter Hotel in San Antonio. Apparently, Johnson made all the recordings (it included 13 secondary takes) 'facing the wall'. Opinions vary as to why this was; some say that it was because he was a shy man, others, such as Ry Cooder, say that he was using the corner to maximise the acoustics of the room.

In 1937, Robert cut 13 more tracks (again, with alternative versions) in Dallas, Texas. 11 of these were released.

He died the following year and the manner of his death is also shrouded in mystery. In August of 1938, his body was found by the side of the road. No cause of death was recorded on his death certificate and this was not discovered until 30 years after his death by a musicologist researching Johnson's life. It is thought (but never proved) that he was suffering from congenital syphilis which may have been contributory to his sudden death. But nobody actually knows.

Nevertheless, just as in his life, stories began to circulate about his demise. The most common version is that he had been flirting with a woman whilst performing at a dance in Greenwood, Mississippi. The woman offered him a bottle of whisky not knowing (or did she?) that it also contained poison administered by her jealous husband. Whilst strychnine has been suggested, most people agree that the effects would have taken place mush quicker than the alleged three days it took Johnson to die. His final resting place is also unknown. Again, a mystery that may never be solved.

He was said to be a shy man, mostly of even temper. He had some education and could sign his own name. He was, in his own way, a determined man and according to some of his contemporary musicians, quite gifted musically. When he was travelling, he would stay in a town and play his music on street corners for nickels and dimes. Not just his music, but anything he as asked for. He had that ability to pick up a tune quickly, so he could treat his customers to popular songs of the day. He developed his own style, but could copy others' way of playing - Son House especially. Of his 29 recordings, nearly all of them were repeated and of them all were recorded in a different style to his original.

Robert Johnson's influence and legacy can never be understated, especially in the UK where he was 'discovered' in the 1960s by a number of groups, most notably The Rolling Stones, Alexis Korner, Eric Clapton and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. Robert Johnson's influence and legacy can never be understated, especially in the UK where he was 'discovered' in the 1960s by a number of groups, most notably The Rolling Stones, Alexis Korner, Eric Clapton and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. Of his songs, Sweet Home Chicago, Hellhound on My Tail, Love in Vain and Cross Road Blues are easily the best well known.

Wherever you are, Robert, RIP

* * * 

WALTER TULL 1888 – 1918

(Walter Tull)

Racial abuse on the football terraces has been very much in the news recently, but, sadly, it is nothing new. Meet Walter Tull, the third black footballer ever to play top flight professional football.

He was born in Folkestone to a carpenter from Barbados and a Kentish girl. His paternal grandfather had been a slave. His mother died when he was young and his father married her cousin. They had a daughter together, but she could not cope with six children and Walter and his brother Edward were sent to an orphanage in Bethnal Green.

His football career began at Clapton where he won an winner's medal in the Amateur Cup. Spotted by Tottenham Hotspur, he made his debut against Sunderland in 1909. Walter made 10 more appearances that season, scoring twice, but was dropped to the reserves. The reason may have been because of the abuse he received from rival supporters. The Football Star reported that at Bristol City supporters 'used language worse than Billingsgate' (a by-word for foul language in those days), and that 'Tull remained professional and composed despite intense provocation'.

(Playing for Tottenham Hotdpur v Manchester United, 1910)

His career at Tottenham did not last long, making only twenty more appearances for them, before he moved to Northampton Town, then in the Southern League. For them he made a total of 111 appearances under the now legendary football manager, Herbert Chapman.

Walter's football career to an abrupt end with the outbreak of World War I. He enlisted for the army in December 1918 and served in the football regiments of the Duke of Cambridge's Own (Middlesex) Regiment.

But Walter would prove to be no ordinary soldier. By 1916 he was promoted to the rank of Lance Sergeant and fought in the Battle of the Somme. Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1917, he became the first mixed heritage infantry office in a regular British regiment to command white men. He then saw more action on the Italian front and was mentioned in despatches and recommended by his commanding officers for the Military Cross following his leading of a night time raiding party and returning with all 26 men under his command unharmed. For reasons unknown, the medal was never awarded. Had it been so, it has been argued, the award may well have encouraged other men of mixed race to aspire to Walter's achievements.

Prior to his death, Walter would have been able to continue his footballing career as he had signed a contract with Scottish club Rangers. In 2004, Rangers and Tottenham  contested The Walter Tull Memorial Cup which Rangers won 2-0.

He was returned to northern France and there during the second Battle of the Somme, he was shot and killed. Despite the best efforts of his colleagues, his body was never recovered. His death was during one of the heaviest German Offences ever known – it is said that the guns firing in Northern France could be heard in London.

The story doesn't quite end there.

There have been a number of fiction books based on the life of Walter Tull (including A Medal for Leroy by Michael Morpurgo), his name appears on memorials in Folkestone, Dover and the Arras memorial, dedicated to those who fell but have no known grave. Blue plaques appear on houses in Tottenham and Northampton where he lodged whilst playing for those clubs. Northampton Town have also erected a memorial wall in his memory in a garden of Remembrance close to their stadium. Both a coin (£5) and a stamp bearing his likeness were issued as special commemoratives for the centenary of the end of the Great War. In the same year, 2018, Phil Vasili, published “Walter Tull, 1888–1918, Officer, Footballer” and the author has been very vocal in petitioning for that elusive medal to be awarded posthumously. We can but hope that he is successful, because Walter Tull was an inspirational man who deserves to be better known.

Principal Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/43504448

* * * 

THE BRAHAN SEER

(Coinneach Odhar/Kenneth MacKenzie)

 (The Brahan Seer)

If a legend is a good legend, why should it stand in the way of the truth? For, if I'm honest, there are doubts as to whether this man ever actually lived. So let me tell the tale of the legend …..

Kenneth Mackenzie – let us call him Kenneth for simplicities sake – was born in Uig on the Isle of Lewis. His lords and masters were the Earls of Seaforth. Kenneth (sometimes also called Kenneth Odhar or Dun-coloured Kenneth because of his sallow skin) made a name for himself as a seer, using a special divining stone called an Adder Stone, which had a hole in the middle. Looking through this hole he would 'see' the future. His predictions were spoken in much the same sort of mysteries as those Nostradamus. None were ever written down.

His skill came to the attention of Kenneth Mackenzie, 3^rd Earl of Seaforth and that man employed the seer as a labourer at his castle near Dingwall. The dates of the Seer are in great dispute although Seaforth's dates of 1635 – 1648 at least give us a window to work in. As we shall see, it was the Earls wife, Isobel (or Isabella), who was responsible for the tragic and barbaric demise of Kenneth.

How did Kenneth come by his gift? Well, according to legend, his mother encountered the ghost of a Danish Princess in a graveyard at night and demanded that the princess grant her son the Second Sight before she would let her back into her grave. Later the next day, Kenneth found his special stone. Second Sight has never been considered as witchcraft but as both a gift and an affliction.

The list of his predictions is impressive. Let us look at some of them …

The joining of the lochs of the Great Glen was achieved by the building of the Caledonian Canal early in the 19^th Century

Kenneth 'saw' 'black riderless horses belching fire and steam drawing lines of carriages through the glens'. The coming of the railways. The Caledonian Railway was begun in the 1840s.

'A black rain will bring riches to Aberdeen' North Sea Oil?

Ambitious and spectacular – he predicted that Scotland would have its own Parliament 'when men could walk dry shod from England to France'. In 1994 the Channel Tunnel opened and a few years later the first Scottish Parliament since 1707 opened.

There are others, all of them recorded after his death and may be spurious. Yet at least one and maybe more were recorded before the predicted events came true!

But let us get on to the fate of poor Kenneth. Summoned by Lady Seaforth, he was commanded to tell her how her husband fared on his visit to Paris. Kenneth replied briefly but presumably truthfully that the Earl was in good health. She demanded more. Kenneth replied that her husband was enjoying the company of another woman, prettier than she, and that the Seaforth line would soon die out with the last heir being deaf and dumb.

Already enraged we can only imagine how incandescent with it she now was! Kenneth was seized, marched outside and thrown head first into a spiked barrel of boiling tar.

In 1783, Francis Humberston MacKenzie inherited the title but none of his four children outlived him. Francis had been deaf and dumb since childhood from scarlet fever.

(Memorial Stone)

What historical evidence to uphold the stories. Actually, none at all. It is widely thought The Brahan Seer was the invention of folklorist Alexander MacKenzie (1838-1898), for his accounts do not always ring true. Bur there was a Kenneth Odhar who was warranted for arrest in 1577 on a charge of witchcraft. Did this simple entry in the record books of Scottish Parliament lead to one of the biggest myths in Scotland?

In this 'enlightened' day an age, should we take these tales seriously? Consider this: in Strathpeffer, Ross-shire, stands the Eagle Stone. Kenneth predicted that if the stone fell three times then Loch Ussie would flood the valley below so that ships could sail to Strathpeffer. The stone, having fallen twice, is now embedded in concrete for support.

The Eagle Stone

(Picture courtesy of historic.com.uk)

Principal source: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-Brahan-Seer-the-Scottish-Nostradamus/

Secondary source: Wikipedia

* * * 

ADMIRAL SIR JOHN BYNG 1704 – 1757

Portrait by Thomas Hudson 1749

You have to feel sorry for John Byng.

He was born at Southill Park in Bedfordshire to Rear Admiral George Byng

Being the fifth son of a much honoured and successful seaman, it was perhaps inevitable that young John would join the navy. This he did in 1718 at the age of 13– presumably as a midshipman – and his early service saw him in the Mediterranean. His rise, it would seem by Naval standards, was quite rapid– a lieutenant at 19 and then captain of the frigate HMS Gibraltar by the time he was 23. Though he remained stationed in the Mediterranean until 1739, he saw very little action.. in 1742 he was appointed Governor of Newfoundland where he attempted to break the monopoly of certain merchants on the island. He approached his duties responsibly and conscientiously.

Promoted once more – to rear-admiral – he commanded a squadron to Scotland to stop suppliers reaching The Young Pretender. Two years later, he was back in the Med, a vice admiral and also commander in chief. In 1751 he was elected MP for Rochester.

All was to come crashing down in 1756. relations between England and France, ever fragile, were close to breaking again. Fearing a French attack on the island of Minorca, Byng, serving in the Channel, was ordered to sail with all speed to safeguard the island. The fleet that he had inherited was weak and undermanned and Byng had pleaded for more time. This was not granted and despite a 5 day delay in Portsmouth to increase his manpower, Byng arrived in Gibraltar on the 2^nd May.

At this point, we should remember that despite Byng's rank, he had yet to be tested in any real acts of war although he certainly seems to have been competent in every other activity he had been involved I. When he set sail from Gibraltar to Minorca, he knew that his fleet was not in a fit state for conflict; the ships were in disrepair, under-crewed and many of them new and not fully trained. To add to his woes, his Marines had been replaced by soldiers intended to reinforce Fort St Philip. The governor of Gibraltar refused to allow any more troops to add to the inadequate reinforcements. Byng wrote to the Admiralty stating these facts and also that he intended to return to Gibraltar if he found the mission impossible to complete. Hos further pleas for time and money were ignored.

When he approached Port Mahon, the fort was already besieged and a squadron of French ships lay close at hand. The French had landed 15,000 troops who now occupied the island. Byng's attempts to communicate with the fort were thwarted by the appearance of the French squadron and he was unable to land any troops.

The Battle of Minorca was short lived. Byng sent his leading ships in at an angle, leaving the rest of his fleet out of range. The leading ships were severely damaged and, although none were lost, had to be withdrawn. An alternative strategy was suggested to Byng by his flag captain, but Byng refused on the basis that a previous incident had led to the dismissal of Admiral Thomas Matthews, the man who had employed it.

Byng maintained his position but was still unable to establish communications with the fort and nor was he able to engage the French fleet again. After four days, he called a meeting of all his captain and they unanimously agreed with his assessment that Minorca was lost and they should return to Gibraltar, which they did on the 19^th June.

Things happened quickly after that. Four ships of the line and a 50 gun frigate had arrived from England. Byng's damaged ships were set for repair and on 29^th June, Fort St Philip was forced to surrender. Another ship arrived from England relieving Byng of his command, ordering him to return and when he did he was immediately arrested.

His court martial was convened on 28^th December and was concluded on 29^th January. Three rear admirals and nine captains found Byng not guilty of cowardice, but in breach of the 12^th Article War – 'that he had not done his utmost to engage or destroy the enemy'. Admiral John Forbes, presiding, expressed that they could do nothing to about the inevitable verdict but unanimously recommended that King George II should exercise his Royal Prerogative of mercy. This was not forthcoming.

Forbes refused to sign Byng's death warrant as he believed the sentence was wrong and illegal. Her and other members of the court martial petitioned the king, as did William Pitt the Prime Minister. This last plea probably did more harm than good; Pitt and the king were political enemies.

Clemency was not granted and it must have been a sorry sight to behold when, on the 14^th March, 1757, Byng was led to the quarter deck of HMS Monarch to face his fate.

Kneeling on a cushion, blindfolded, he held out his hand in which he held a handkerchief. It had been agreed that he would drop the handkerchief hen he was ready.

The handkerchief dropped and the guns fired.

(National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London)

Principal Source: Wikipedia

Secondary Source:http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/byng_john_3E.html

* * * 

ROB ROY MacGREGOR (1671 - 1734

An engraving dated  c1820

Was Rob Roy a real person? Most definitely. How many of his legendary exploits are true? Well, that's what I hope to find out here.

Raibeart Ruadh MacGriogair; to give him his Gaelic name was baptised on March7^th 1671 according to baptismal records. He was the son of Donald MacGregor and Margaret Campbell and they lived at Glengyle by Loch Katrine.

In 1689 at the age of 18, he joined the Jacobite rising led by John Graham ('Bonnie Dundee') in support of the exiled James II. Despite initial successes, Graham was killed and the rebellion wass crushed. Donald MacGregor was captured and spent two years in prison on charges of treason before his release. When that happened, his wife had died.

Rob married Mary MacGregor of Comar at Strathyre and they would eventually have four sons. Under the protection of John Campbell, Duke of Argyll, Rob and his family moved to Glen Shira, where Argyll gave him permission to build a house. Argyll had already secured an amnesty for Rob, but that was not to last long. A year later in 1717, the Indemnity Act was passed granting pardons to all who had taken part in the uprisings. All, that is, apart from the entire Clan Gregor.

In 1719, Jacobite supporters were defeated in the Battle of Glen Shiel in which Rob certainly took part. Some sources say he was wounded, whilst others claim that he was not. Rob must have laid low for a time and once his invilvement in the battle had been forgotten, he moved to Balquhidder.

It was there that Rob became a cattle herder and gained a respectable reputation – but it was also where the legends started. Rob borrowed a large amount of money to buy a herd of cattle, but his chief herdsman ran off with the money. Rob had no money and no cattle. The principal creditor had been James Graham, Duke of Montrose and as Rob had defaulted on the loan, Graham branded him an outlaw. He, his wife and children were forced from their home and Graham seized his lands.

Mr Edmund Tearle as Rob Roy. From my collection

I will return to the feud that Rob waged against the nobleman but Rob eventually had to surrender and was imprisoned for a few years before receiving a pardon from King George I in 1723. He lived for another eleven years in relative peace and quiet until his death at Balquhidder in 1734.

Much of the above has been taken from the entry in Wikipedia, but the excellent Highland Titles Blog adds a few more details about his life. Rob's father Donald apparantly ran what we would today call a 'protection racket' and, following his death, Rob took over and sme say he pursued his duties a little more vigorously. Though frowned upon, it wasn't illegal and was, in fact,common practice. When the Black Watch was assigned to collect the same, but legal, protection money, it was Rob they ordered to collect it! It would seem that Rob must have added a little on for himself. Because the MacGregor name was still under proscription, Rob would sign his name as 'Robert Campbell', using his mother's maiden name.

Rob entered into a business contract with James Graham and became embroiled in a bitter feud between Graham and John Campbell, the new Earl of Argyll. Argyll courted Rob's friendship and alliance, but as the Argyll family had been largely been responsible for the past atrocities against the MacGregor clan, that wasn't going to happen. Until, that is, until the incident of the lost herd and graham changing the contract between them, massively increasing Rob's debt. It was then that Rob began raiding Graham's lands, stealing cattle, various acts of banditry and, ultimately, takng Graham's factor, Graham of Killean, prisoner and keeping him on the isle of Eiliean Dharag in the middle of Loch Katrine. Killean had been the man who had evicted Rob's family, and, it is said, also raped Mary in the process. Whether Rob was aware of this at the time is unknown, but he asked for ransom which was not paid leaving Rob no choice but to release him.

Throughout this time, Rob had acquired a large band of followers and continued his raids into the Lowlands. But other men were also making more violent raids, pretending to be in league with Rob Roy and so to many the name became one of terror. Yet to the others, he was a hero, standing up to tyrrany and the rights of Highlanders generally.

Ultimately, a price of £1000 was put on Rob's head and he as obliged to hide in a cave below Ben Lomond. There followed a series of arrests and escapes, most notably from the Duke of Athol who had tricked Rob to attend his castle. From thereon, Rob increased his raids to include forays ito Athol's lands.

Liam Neeson as 'Rob Roy' - 1995

Whether he was in prison at the time of his pardon, Highland Titles Blog makes no mention but rather indicates that he wasn't. Even his pardon is the stuff of legend; a book entitled The Highland Rogue was published in 1723. The author was anonymous and for a time it was thought to be by Daniel Defoe, but this was later disproved. Presumably it must have been written in sympathetic terms for it moved the king to issue the pardon.

What is not true, it would seem, is the 'famous' duel at the end of the 1995 film. What a shame!

Rob Roy's grave, Balquhidder. The stone proclaiming 'MacGregor despite them' was added in the 1920s. My picture.

Principal source: Wikipedia

Secondary source: Highland Titles

https://www.highlandtitles.com/blog/rob-roy-macgregor/

* * * 

 MARGATE SEA DISASTER 1897

The Memorial to those who perished

Margate is probably best known for day trips from the capital, kiss-me-quick hats, Dreamland Amusement Park and, more recently, The Turner Contemporary Gallery. But let's not forget that Margate is a seaside resort, enjoying the hot summer days, yes, but also having to endure the worst that the weather of the English Channel can summon up during the winter months.

I lived in Margate when the great storm of 1978 hit unexpectedly. By the time it had passed, the old wooden jetty had been torn apart and the beach was littered with debris. Bizarrely, the only thing that remained more or less intact was the lifeboat house which adjoined the jetty about half way along its length. Now it was isolated, standing alone in the sea. And, of course, it was inaccessible. It took several years before all the broken and twisted metal supports were finally blown up. Today the Turner Contemporary Gallery stands more or less where the entrance to the wooden jetty was. And that leads me quite nicely to this piece which features another storm some 80 years previously ….

JMW Turner Margate Jetty

Friend Of All Nations, the first Margate lifeboat – actually it was a Surfboat, - was launched in 1857 after 50 boatmen decided to establish a permanent rescue vessel for maritime purposes. It took part in many rescues, but was almost wrecked in 1860 in attempting to effect a rescue to the Spanish brig, Samaritino when the buoyancy tanks were not properly secured and she was swept into Westgate Bay. Although she was repaired a new boat was procured thanks to fund raising and named Friend To All Nations. These boats could be launched by four men and so horses were no longer needed. They had one sail and were also oar powered. A shallow draft enabled them to 'skip' over the waves.

What happened to the Friend is rather dramatic. She was launched on the morning of 2^nd December 1897 to assist the Persian Empire who was struggling in a great storm following a collision with the Carlisle Castle the day before. The storm had started the previous day and was still raging. Much of Margate town had been damaged and the switchback railway had been destroyed. Starting out as gale force, it soon escalated to storm force with occasional gusts recorded at hurricane force.

That fateful morning, the Friend was hit by two mighty waves in quick succession and capsized off the Nayland Rock. The hour was around 6am and the waters were rough and freezing. Of the thirteen men on board, eight perished in the seas, either by being dashed against the rocks or by drowning. Incredibly, one man, Joseph Epps, was found alive, though barely. He had been thrown into the sea and the boat turned on top of him. Quite likely, there was air between the upturned hull and the sea and Epps probably just had his head above water, holding on for his life. He would also have been unaware of his fellows clinging equally precariously on the outside. Four of those men made it ashore, but the medic Charles Troughton sadly expired on the beach.

The boat, whose single sail had filled with water which forced her over, was relatively undamaged and continued to serve for another two years. A third boat was built, but that did not last long as it was replaced by a 'proper' lifeboat, much as we know them today. The Friend was used as a tender at Chatham during World War II until she was lost off Ostend in 1957!

The town was devastated by the disaster and a national fund immediately launched to help the widows and orphans. Over £1300 was raised, including £35 from Queen Victoria but it appears that the potential beneficiaries did not receive much as the funds were misappropriated by council officials. Many in the town dressed in black. A joint funeral was held on the 8^th December, the cortège starting out from The Parade, near to where the memorial now stands, and wound its way to St John's Church. Over 3,000 people followed the coffins and the route was lined by mourners standing three or four deep. The town closed its businesses for four hours, blinds were drawn in houses and church bells tolled.

The funeral procession

The subsequent Board of Trade enquiry concluded that it was a complete accident but made certain recommendations regarding handholds. It was also noted that life belts had been available but the crew often shunned them, stating that they were two cumbersome when rowing and that they felt safer without them. The concluding paragraph states:

“There can be little doubt that the Margate boatmen are a bold and adventurous race, who think little of the dangers of the sea when afloat; but I fear that so long as they use a boat such as the Friend to All Nations it will be hopeless to expect them to wear lifebelts, however much it maybe desired”.

The memorial stone erected in Margate Cemetery

The members of the Friend to all Nations that lost their lives that night were:

William Philpott COOK Senr. - Coxswain
Henry Richard BROCKMAN
Robert Ernest COOK
William Philpott COOK Junr.
Edward Robert CRUNDEN
John Benjamin DIKE
William Richard GILL
George Robert William LADD
and
Charles E. TROUGHTON,Superintendent, Margate Ambulance Corps.

The four surviving members of the crew were:

John J. GILBERT
Joseph W. EPPS
Harry BROCKMAN
Robert LADD

(Main source: article by Susan Morris at https://emptageofthanet.co.uk/events/the-loss-of-the-friend-to-all-nations/

Also from the same source, the Black and White photos reproduced above)

The story of the 1978 storm with pictures can be seen here:

https://theisleofthanetnews.com/2018/01/13/the-destruction-of-margate-jetty-and-the-great-storm-of-january-1978/

* * * 

JOHN NEVISON (1639 – 1684)

Did you ever hear told of that hero,
Bold Nevison it was his name,
And he rode about like a brave hero,
And by that he gained a great fame.

(From the popular ballad 'Bold Nevison')

Let's call him John. It might have been James or William but John is the most accepted. He was born near Pontefract in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His father is said to have been a wool merchant. John ran away from home at the age of thirteen having not only stolen from his father but probably many others as well. For a few years he doubtless 'lived by his wits' but eventually fell foul of the law, absconding with a debt that he had been sent to collect and escaped to Holland. Perhaps he had no choice there, but he joined the Duke of York's army and fought in the Battle of the Dunes and the Siege of Dunkirk, both in 1658. At that point he was nineteen years of age.

Having distinguished himself, he returned to London and certainly embarked on some excursions as a Gentleman of the Road. But it also seems that he returned to Yorkshire to look after his aged father. He must have resumed his activities, for in 1676 he was sentenced to five years in His Majesty's penal colony in Tangiers. It is possible that he did not serve the sentence and escaped before the ship disembarked from Tilbury.

Now when I rode on the highway,
I always had money in store,
And whatever I took from the rich
Why I freely gave it to the poor.

(From the popular ballad 'Bold Nevison')

Nevison was arrested many times during his career; once he was released because he informed on his accomplices and another time he was incarcerated in Leicester Gaol. On this latter occasion, his manner of escape is surely unique: he complained of illness to his gaolers telling them he believed he had the plague. A doctor was called and confirmed that he had. Later the good doctor returned to attest to Nevison's death from the disease. His body was boxed up in a coffin and he was transported out of the gaol. Clearly the 'physician' was an accomplice and another friend, a painter by trade, applied make up to Nevison's face to aid the deception. For a time afterwards, many a traveller claimed to have been robbed by the ghost of John Nevison!

At some time in 1676, prior to his arrest and sentence to hard labour in Tangiers, Nevison robbed a sailor at Gads Hill in Kent. Fearing he may have been recognised, Nevison needed to establish an alibi. This he did by producing the Mayor of York at his trial and he was acquitted. It came about like this: immediately after the robbery he crossed the Thames Estuary by ferry. Nevison rode through Essex and Cambridgeshire until he reached York late the same day. There he deliberately sought out the mayor and made a bet with him on the outcome of a bowls match. It may have been this dash that led to King Charles II referring to the highwayman as 'Swift Nick'. It was a novel written in 1834 – Rookwood by Harrison Ainsworth – that erroneously attributed the feat to a much later highwayman named Dick Turpin. But Daniel Defoe had recorded the event in his 'A Tour through the Whole Island of Great Britain' which he wrote in 1724.

Despite his profession, Nevison did build up a reputation of politeness during his 'transactions' and that he never used violence to enforce them. However, it was the one use of violence that did for him. A man named Darcy Fletcher, a constable, tried to arrest Nevison, who shot him. Now there was a real price on his head - £20 - and he was betrayed to bounty hunters by the landlady of the Magpie Inn at Sandal near Wakefield. There was to be no escape this time; Nevison was arrested while drinking at the Thee Houses Inn in Sandal Magna. He was tried, sentenced to death and hanged at York Castle on May 4^th 1684. His body was buried in an unmarked grave in St Mary Church, York.

I have never robbed no man of tuppence
And I've never done murder nor killed.
Though guilty I've been all my lifetime
So gentlemen do as you please.

(From the popular ballad 'Bold Nevison')

(NB The version I have as an MP3 is by The Hilliards; unfortunately there is no YouTube video of this song)

* * * 

DIDO ELIZABETH BELLE (1761 - 1804)

(Portrait of Dido and her cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray by David Martin)

From the illegitimate daughter of a slave to a wealthy heiress, the story of Dido Elizabeth Belle is indeed remarkable.

Her mother was Maria Belle an African slave woman in the British West Indies and her father a British Naval Officer Sir John Lindsay, nephew of the William Lindsay, 1st Earl of Mansfield and, at the time, Captain of the warship HMS Trent. The story goes that Maria was rescued from a slave ship by John and he took her as his concubine – but the dates are suspect as Dido was born in 1761 and the alleged incident was reported as taking place in 1762.

What happened to Maria is unknown – perhaps she died – for when John was recalled to England in 1765, he took Dido with him. Perhaps he was aware that he would have little time to spend with her due to his naval duties and so he arranged for Dido to be raised in the household of his Uncle, William and Aunt Elizabeth. Coincidentally, they were also raising Dido's cousin, Lady Elizabeth Murray whose mother had also died.

Dido lived with them at Kenwood House, Hampstead, London where she was educated and treated more or less as one of the family. The only stipulation they made was that she would not eat meals with the family if they had guests.

The portrait depicted above has an interesting story. It was painted in 1779 and was originally thought to be by Johann Zoffany. However, in an episode of BBC's Fake or Fortune, it was established as having been painted by David Martin in Zoffany's style. This was later verified by the Scottish National Gallery. Dido is portrayed as a vivacious young lady, impish with a sense of fun. Her cousin Lady Elizabeth, is shown as rather more demure and is less exotically dressed, but her hand on Dido's arm suggests that they were good friends and that there is every reason to suppose that they considered as equal in status.

Kenwood House 

There is no doubt that Dido was intelligent as it has been reported that she aided Lord Mansfield with his dictated letters and could recite poetry in a most distinguished manner.

To what extent Dido's situation influenced Lord Mansfield is speculative, but in his capacity of Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales he ruled that an escaped slave should not be returned to the West Indies for sale but discharged on the basis that slavery did not actually exist in common law.

The ruling was taken up by abolitionists although Mansfield insisted that his judgement applied to this one particular case only.

Dido's father, John Lindsay, died in 1788; in his will he left Dido £1,000 and she already had an allowance of £30 10s for her duties at Kenwood House. Lord Mansfield died in 1793 and his will, written ten years before, he granted Dido her official freedom as well as a bequest of £500 and and annuity of £100. Clearly she was a popular member of the household too – the care given her by Lord Mansfield and the obvious friendship between her and her cousin bears testament to that. She was also left £100 by Lady Margery Murray, a female relative who had been brought into the household to look after the two girls.

Later that year (1793) she married John Davinier a gentleman's steward and they had three children. Dido died at a comparatively young age of 43 in 1804. Her descendants survived until 1975. She was buried at St George's Fields, Westminster, though her grave was moved during the building of the Bayswater Road in the 1970s.

Scone Palace – Ancestral Scottish home of the Mansfield family

In 2013, Gugu Mbatha-Raw took the title role in the feature film Belle. It is a very enjoyable film, but unfortunately is somewhat inaccurate. The film has Lord Mansfield ruling on a very important case in which the captain of a slave ship had been caught in a storm and callously tipped his cargo overboard to drown. The owner then claimed compensation for his lost cargo and Mansfield, after much thought and consultation with Dido and her husband to be, John Davinier, rules against the owner and paved the way for slavery being abolished. Neither he nor his 'apprentice' John Davinier were, to my knowledge, involved in such a case - if indeed there ever was such a case. One of the premises here is that Mansfield objects to Davinier marrying Dido on the basis that he was not a suitable match for her status. He then takes Davinier on as his apprentice, they win the case and everyone lives happily ever after. Such a shame when the truth gets in the way of a great story!

Cover of the DVD 'Belle'

* **


ROBERT ADAM (1728 – 1792)

Portrait attributed to George Willison – image from Wikipedia

I grew up in Highgate, north London and have some very happy childhood memories of nearby Kenwood House. 'The ceiling is by Robert Adam' my mother would inform me, though it meant little to me then. But I do recall gazing up and cricking my neck to take in those beautiful panels.

(Two different sections of the Robert Adam ceiling, Kenwood Hiouse, Hampstead)

Some 60 years later, I retired and began a series of trips to various historical places of interest and one fine day I found myself at Keddlestone Hall in Derbyshire. Even without the aid of a guidebook, I instinctively knew I was seeing Adam's work once again. I was confronted by possibly the most beautiful room I have ever seen. Memories of sunny Sunday afternoons at Kenwood came flooding back.

(Interior Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire)

For me, Adam was an architectural genius. His father was William Adam, the foremost Scottish architect of the day. Robert and his brother John studied under their father and and Robert took over the the business on William's death. They were later joined by younger brother James when they moved the business to London.

Robert's early years were blighted with ill-health and that, together with the arrival of Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745, interrupted his studies at Edinburgh University. His first 'job' with his father was the building of Inverary Castle.

(Interior, Inverary Castle)

He then spent some years in Europe, most notably Italy, where he embarked on honing his own artistic skills and studying, at first hand, Classical architecture.

Robert was much more than an architect however; he also excelled in interior and specialised furniture design. He believed that the furniture should complement the décor. His 'big break' came in 1759 where he was employed to design some outer temples for the gardens of Kedleston Hall, a sumptuous house being built to the designs of James Paine and Matthew Brettingham. The owner, Sir Nathaniel Curzon, was so impressed with Adams' designs that he promptly placed the little known architect in charge.

(

(Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire)

Not all projects involved Adam's full participation; Kenwood House, for example, where the ceiling only was commissioned from him. The business flourished, but there was a huge mishap; the brothers bought some land by the Thames and built on it, but their proposed attempts to sell it to the Government failed to materialise and they were left with buildings they could not sell. They did rent out some – notably to David Garrick and Josiah Wedgewood, but it was not enough and only a public lottery saved them from bankruptcy.

He was elected a fellow of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and only resigned when he became the elected Member of Parliament for Kinross-shire.

His influence was widespread and many architects employed by the brothers would make their own names. He collaborated with Thomas Chippendale, creating some of the finest designs ever seen.

In 1792 his ill-health got the better of him; he had long suffered from peptic ulcers and what we now know as IBS; one of these ulcers burst and he died two days later. He was buried in Westminster Abbey and his pallbearers were several of his clients – titled gentlemen all.

The list of works that Adam was involved in is impressive and exhaustive They may still be seen the length and breadth of country, from Culzean Castle in Ayrshire to the Pulteney Bridge in Bath. indeed there are far too many for me to list here – country houses, castles, mausoleums, churches and urban domestic houses and Public works - so I would recommend checking the entry on Wikipedia for a full list.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Adam

BESS OF HARDWICK

1527 - 1608

Bess of Hardwick by Rowland Lockley

(Photo from Wikipedia)

Maybe not the first person you would think of if you are writing a series about historical heroes or heroines, but a truly remarkable woman nevertheless. Her origins were quite humble, no male member of the family had risen above 'Esquire'. The family were farmers in Derbyshire and at the age of 13, Bess was married to Robert Barley, heir to that estate. As the groom was only a little older than the bride, it is unlikely that they actually lived together or even consummated the marriage. Certainly there was no issue and Robert died in December of the following year. Her claim to the estate was disputed and it would be a few years later that it was finally admitted.

In 1547, she married Sir William Cavendish, Treasurer of the King's Chamber, a widower with two daughters and considerably older than her. It would seem that Bess was now beginning to exercise her business acumen, for she advised Sir William to sell his Suffolk estates and buy the estate of Chatsworth. It would have been Bess who suggested (insisted?) on building a new house for the estate and was surely involved in the planning and most likely even supervision of the work. The building began in 1553 and was completed in the 1560s, but William never saw it as he died in 1557. On his death, she claimed the sum of the property but she still had huge debts. In 10 years of marriage, Bess gave birth to eight children, though two did not survive infancy.

Chatsworth House

(My Picture)

A third marriage (to Sir William St Loe) solved her problems, for he was Captain of the Guard to Queen Elizabeth as well as Chief Butler of England. His closeness to the queen was such that the debts were considerably reduced and Sir William paid off the residue. But William died in 1564 or '65 under slightly suspicious circumstances. The unsubstantiated story is that he was poisoned by his brother, but Bess was not implicated.

Bess inherited everything. Estimates state that her annual income amounted to £60,000 per annum. In today's money? £18,000,000. She was also the Lady of the Bedchamber, friend and confidante to the Queen herself.

Bess' 4^th husband was George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury thus making Bess a Countess. They married in 1568 in a double ceremony in which two of her children married two of his! In 1569, many things would change …..

Queen Elizabeth's cousin Mary had fled Scotland pleading protection from her own nobles. After short stays in some northern castles, Elizabeth eventually entrusted the care to the Shrewburys and Mary arrived at their castle of Tutbury in February of that year.

Tutbury Castle

(My picture)

Over the next 15 years, the two would become good friends spending a lot of time together. Elizabeth's instructions effectively placed Mary in house arrest and they were required to change locations periodically, which included Chatsworth House, Wingfield Manor and Sheffield Manor. But the cost of this imprisonment was transferred from Elizabeth to the Shrewsburys and the cracks began to appear in their marriage. It is said that Mary fuelled their arguments and at one stage Bess even accused them, publicly, of having an affair. The notion was unlikely and she later retracted it. By the time the custody of Mary and had been transferred and she had become involved in the plot that led to her execution, Bess and her husband had separated.

Bess was still a formidable figure; she had married one of her daughters to the son of the Countess of Lennox. Such was the influence of this family that any child of this marriage would have a claim to the Scottish throne. But Bess' desire see her granddaughter, Arbella Stuart caused the two to fall out and it was only towards the end of her Bess' life that the two were reconciled, if only tentatively.

When George Talbot died in 1590, he also left everything to Bess. She never married again and, it seems, lived out the last 18 years of her life at Hardwick, where she built another great house.

Hardwick Hall

“Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall”

(My picture)

She was one of the most powerful and influential women of the times. She was entombed in All Saints Church, Derby, removed to the city's Parish Church which, when rebuilt in the 18^th Century, became Derby cathedral.

From the facts, can we deduce the character of the woman? Three influential marriages brought her wealth, lands and titles and the trust and friendship of two queens might suggest that she was a social climber. She clearly had more than a passing interest in architecture as well as crafts. She disinherited at least two of her children and even 'imprisoned' her granddaughter Arbella who had threatened to run away and marry someone else when Bess had other plans for her. She even defied queen Elizabeth who ordered Bess to attend court to answer to some charges against her; Bess ignored her and waited for the row to blow over. Nor was she afraid to flaunt her wealth; glass was very expensive in those days and Hardwick Hall certainly has a lot of that! Even in her 30s she was considered a beauty and she had, it would seem, a number of possible husbands to choose from.

Well, you can form your own opinions, but one thing is certain – she left two beautiful and magnificent houses that can still be enjoyed 400 years after her death.         

            The Memorial to Bess in Derby cathedral 

                  

(My thanks to Carolyn Anne Hipkiss for the use of this photo)

* * *

EALDGYTH - WIDOW OF EDMUND IRONSIDE

Ealdgyth is a face from history that we can see very little of, half hidden and hazy behind some powerful individuals against a background of war and treachery. Ealdgyth (modern day Edith) may not even be her name; it is not mentioned in the Anglo Saxon Chronicle and only John of Worcester actually names her – and he may have confused her with her own sister-in-law!

So; we shall call her Ealdgyth - after all, what's in a name?

Her origins are unknown too. Her birth date and place are not recorded, nor her parents or any siblings, nor her status.

But what we do know is quite fascinating. On 1015 she was married to Sigeferth, a thegn of the Seven Boroughs and quite an important man. He had a brother called Morcar and it was he who was definitely married to an Ealdgyth – hence the confusion. How old our Ealdgyth was in 1015 we do not know, nor how long she had been married to Sigeferth, though there is no mention of them having children.

The brothers had been acquaintances of Athelstan, eldest son of King Ethelraed II. It is most likely that they were also close with Edmund, Athelstan's brother. This would appear to be the cause of their downfall; Earl Eadric (by-named Streona or Grasper) allegedly lured them to his room whilst attending a Council at Oxford, and had them murdered. Sigeferth's widow was arrested and despatched to Malmesbury where she was effectively a prisoner at the Abbey, her fate in the balance. There were specific orders from the king that she shouldn't be allowed to marry again and her lands confiscated, probably to be awarded to Eadric.

There is nothing to suggest that Edmund was in open rebellion against his father, but he certainly wasn't prepared to sit back and do nothing about the likely Danish invasion. But he needed men who would follow him and a base from which to work. Upon hearing of Ealdgyth's incarceration, he rode hot foot to Malmesbury and defied his father's orders by abducting and marrying her. She did her duty, too; a son, Edmund followed in the fullness of time and by the time her husband became king in April 1016, she was possibly pregnant again. Certainly she had another baby son, Edward (the Atheling) who was born after King Edmund's death in October 1016.

Following his death, she somehow got to Sweden where she was welcomed by King Olaf. Olaf had been 'asked' by King Cnut to 'dispose' of the family, but he refused. And then – well, nothing. Fifty years later, her surviving son, Edward was invited back to England by the childless Edward the Confessor but died within days of landing. But Ealdgyth still had three grandchildren – Edgar, who should have become the next king but for the threat of Norman invasion, Margaret who married Malcolm, king of Scotland and was later canonised, and Cristina who became the Abbess at Romsey.

Whether Ealdgyth was still alive when the family returned is unknown, but she would have been well into her seventies had she done so.

But what a story! Twice widowed, incarcerated, bearing two sons and fleeing the country for her life – all within the space of eighteen months. And so many questions. Was there true romance between her and Edmund or was it a purely political move on his part? Or perhaps she was wary of him because of the danger he had put her husband in simply by their association? How on earth did she manage that desperate trip across the North Sea, probably unaccompanied, with two infant children to carry?

(Picture is taken from cover of my volume of Kristin Lavransdatter)