Category: Royal History

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Gregorian Calendar & Coltsfoot & Smoking & Cholera February 24th

Gregorian Calendar, Lunario Novo, Secondo la Nuova Riforma della Correttione del l’Anno Riformato da N.S. Gregorio XIII,[k] printed in Rome by Vincenzo Accolti in 1582, one of the first printed editions of the new calendar

On February 24th 1582 – Pope Gregory XIII published the papal bull Inter gravissimas. This announced amendments to the Julian Calendar created by Julius Caesar and created the Gregorian Calender. Caesar had realigned the Roman Calendar with the Solar Year, creating a ‘Year of Confusion’. The year was 445 days long but it resynced the days to their proper season.

The Julian Calendar

The Julian Calendar used leap years to align the Calendar Year with the Solar Year. But the earth does not cycle the Sun in 365.25 days. This is an overestimate of 1 day every century. So, since the time of Caesar, the year had got 10 days out of kilter. Gregory chopped those 10 days out of the Calendar. The 4th of October 1582, was to be followed by the 15th October 1582. This might seem simple, but imagine you are receiving your salary for October, and you find it 10 days short? Or you have a month to pay your debt and find it called in 10 days early? So the Pope ordered that these 10 missing days shouldn’t be used in calculating financial matters.

Computus

One of the main reasons for the reform was the ‘Computus’. This was the method of calculating Easter. Easter was a festival that followed the movements of the Moon but was synced into the Vernal Equinox. (The timing of Easter is the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox.). So the chopping of 10 days meant that the vernal equinox was set back to its proper place on March 21st. Arguments over the correct calculations of Easter had, in the 7th Century been a major stumbling block in uniting the Celtic Church in Britain with the Roman Catholic Church. (See my post on Easter here).

But this still left the drift caused by Caesar’s faulty leap year system. Gregory’s reforms stopped future drift by fine-tuning the leap years. From 1582 there would not be a leap year in those centurial years which were not divisible by 400. So 2000 was a leap year, but 2100 is not. This skips ‘three Julian leap days in every 400 years, giving an average year of 365.2425 mean solar days long.’ (Wikipedia). This keeps us aligned, although there is still a small error.

If you enjoy this sort of calendrical detail, you will love ‘The Calendar’ by David Ewing Duncan.

British Exceptionalism

Of course, Britain refused to join a Catholic innovation for nearly 200 years. But, religious prejudice at last gave way to reason, when we adopted the Gregorian Calendar in 1752. In the process, we lost 11 days, much to the horror of the London mob, who rioted against their loss.

Greece was the last European state to join in 1923. Japan joined in 1873, China in 1912, and Saudi Arabia in 2016. Ethiopia, Iran, Afghanistan, and Nepal keep distinct calendrical traditions. (see seasia.co for more details.) Strictly, we are using the Gregorian amendment to the Julian Calendar because it has all the elements of the Julian Calendar except a couple of adjustments.

See my post on the Julian Calendar here and my post on the year of confusion. For more on the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 look here

Coltsfoot and Smoking

Photo of Coltsfoot by Andreas Trepte Wikipedia

Coltsfoot is a daisy-like plant which is flowering about now. Gerard’s Herbal of 1633 suggests that the ‘fumes of the dried leaves taken through a funnel’ is good for those with coughs and shortness of breath. He suggests that it is smoked like tobacco and it ‘mightly prevaileth.’

This idea, Mrs Grieves says in her herbal (1931), is endorsed by ‘Dioscorides, Galen, Pliny, and Boyle’. And Coltsfoot is ‘nature’s best herb for the lungs’. (This is historic information re herbs and NOT current medical advice, as Coltsfoot can be very dangerous!).

engraving of a man smoking Lobspruch deß edlen hochberühmten Krauts Petum oder Taback Nuremberg, 1658 New York Public Library Public Domain
Detail from Lobspruch deß edlen hochberühmten Krauts Petum oder Taback Nuremberg, 1658 New York Public Library Public Domain

My grandson and parents found a 19th Century pipe bowl, much like the one pictured here, by the Thames where there were many fragments of clay pipe. For more on 17th Century smoking, have a look here.

On This Day

In Rome February 24th was the day of the 4 yearly leap day. The way they did it was to have two days called February 24th! It was the sixth day before the Calendars (March 1). This practice gradually got replaced by adding a new day, February 29th, at the end of the Month. In England, February 29th starts appearing in the 15th Century. But Wikipedia tells me:

‘the proceedings of the House of Commons of England continued to use the old system until the middle of the sixteenth century. It was not until passage of the Calendar (New Style) Act 1750 that 29 February was formally recognised in British law.’

See my page on the Leap Year here.

1809 – The famous Drury Lane Theatre burnt to the ground.

It is said that the owner and playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan replied to someone who was surprised to see him sitting quietly having a drink while his theatre burnt down: “A man may surely be allowed to take a glass of wine by his own fireside?” londonist.com

1832 – Cholera in London

‘The news of the Cholera being in London has been received abroad. According to the feelings of the different nations towards England, France, who wish to court us has ordered a quarantine in her ports of three days; Holland, who feels aggrieved by our conduct at the conference, one of 40 days. The fog so thick in London that the illuminations for the Queen’s Birthday were not visible. ‘

24th February 1832 Thomas Raikes, Diary 1832 (from ‘A London Year’ Compiled by Travis Elborough and Nick Bennison, 2013,

This was the second Cholera Pandemic, but the first to reach the UK. The second landed in Sunderland in October 1831. Cholera killed over 6,000 in London. It was called the Asiatic Cholera based on its origin. The Cholera came more virulently in subsequent decades. It was thought to be spread by a miasma in the air. But, John Snow proved it was caused by polluted water, but I will tell that story in another post.

I think the Conference mentioned above was the London Conference of May 1832, which aimed to establish a Kingdom of Greece with King. It was set up by Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston without discussion with the Greeks and ended up giving them a Bavarian King. King Otto. Otto was forced from the throne in a revolution in 1862, and replaced by a Danish King, from whom Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was descended.

1920 –The Conservative MP, Nancy Astor becomes the first woman to speak in the House of Commons. Constance Markievicz was the first woman elected as an MP in 1918, but she was a member of Siin Fein and did not take her seat.

First published in February 2024, republished in 2025, The Gregorian Calendar added in 2026, and On This Day also added. And Retitled too.

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St Valentine’s Day & Magpies February 14th

Picture of a magpie in a field. Photo by Rossano D'Angelo on Unsplash
Magpie – A Bird for St Valentine’s Day? Photo by Rossano D’Angelo on Unsplash

St Valentine’s Day in a Poem by Chaucer

For this was on Seynt Valentynes day,
Whan every foul cometh ther to chese his make,
Of every kinde, that men thynke may;
And that so huge a noyse gan they make,
That erthe and see, and tree, and every lake
So ful was, that unnethe was ther space
For me to stonde, so ful was al the place.
Parliament of Fowls, Geoffrey Chaucer

This is my ‘translation’

For this was St. Valentine’s Day
When every bird came there to chose their mate.
Of every type, that men think may
And that so huge a noise did they make
That earth and sea and tree and every lake
So full was, that hardly was there space
For to stand so full was the place.

St Valentine’s Patronage

This is the first reference to St Valentine’s as a romantic day. And some people charge Chaucer with making the whole thing up! St Valentine, is supposed to have been martyred in the 3rd Century (290AD) on the Via Flaminia on February 14. He refused to stop marrying people in the Christian rites. Therefore, he is the patron Saint of lovers. Valentine is also the patron Saint of epileptics, fainting and beekeepers. According to legend, he taught a young blind girl how to look after Bees, and, sometime later, her eyesight was restored. He also is said to have treated a young man of epilepsy. Epilepsy was sometimes called the Falling Sickness, and so he is also the Saint of Fainting.

But until Chaucer, there was no particular link with romance. In fact, there are at least three Saint Valentines who were martyred in the Roman period. Their relics are scattered around Europe (have a look at this National Geographic article for the full S.P.). These include bones in Glasgow and his heart in Dublin. There are in total 11 Saints called Valentine in the list of Catholic Saints.

Another theory is that St Valentine has taken over the aspect of the God Cupid, as a Christian attempt to create a holy festival to replace the Lupercalia. See my post on the Lupercalia here.

St Valentine’s Day and Birds

Chaucer’s poem suggests one possible route to the link with romance. Early February is about the time when birds pair off. If they want to have their chicks at the optimal time, then they need to get going before spring has really sprung.

When I think of love, I don’t think of birds. Maybe, this is because I live by a Canal. Outside my garden, I frequently see and hear a Coot chasing his pair across the water before violently mounting her. But then they are fiercely monogamous and defend their nest, fearlessly, against much bigger birds. And swans glide by in beautiful family groups. But Magpies are my favourite lovebird because you see one, and then look around, and you very often see the partner. I have adopted an old tradition that you are supposed to say:

‘Hello, Mr Magpie! Where’s Mrs Magpie?’

And look for the mate. It is good luck if you see her and bad luck if you don’t. (Please feel free to assign your own favourite gender!)

‘One for Sorrow’ is a well-known nursery rhyme found in many variations, and is an example of ‘ornithomancy superstition’ whereby the number of Magpies you see determines some aspect of your future. Magpies normally mate for life, and are not gregarious during the nesting season, but thereafter, they ‘join together in large wintering flocks of more than 20 or so birds.‘. So, perhaps we need at least another seven lines for the rhyme? So, far I have never seen a flock of them. If you have a photo of a flock, please send it to me!

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret,
Never to be told.
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss,
Eleven for health,
Twelve for wealth,
Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself.

As to the likelihood of seeing thirteen magpies together – well I have seen them often in pairs, occasionally in threes and often alone.

Here is another, more dangerous version of the rhyme (you are more likely to see the Devil)

One for sorrow,
Two for mirth
Three for a funeral,
Four for birth
Five for heaven
Six for hell
Seven for the devil, his own self

For details of the history of versions of this poem, click here:

Bad Birds

Magpies don’t have a good reputation, traditionally being regarded as thieves and scavengers with untidy nests and eating habits. They are supposed to be attracted to shiny things, but Exeter University did some research which found that they have the normal Corvid’s curiosity for objects. But they are as happy to snatch a dull object as a shiny one. So, we can see they are very intelligent as well as faithful lovers. For me, a good-omened bird (as long as I see the two of them).

More on Chaucer in my post for April 18th. For my post on Blackbirds see here.

On This Day

44BC – Julius Caesar was appointed dictator in perpetuum. Or perpetual dictator of the Roman Republic. Coins were issued with the phrase DICT PERPETVO.

1400 -Richard II died shortly after Epiphany Rising, a failed plot to restore him to the throne. Some think he was starved to death in captivity in Pontefract Castle. Or he starved himself. His body was taken to London and put on display in St Paul’s Cathedral on 17 February. His remains were taken to one of his favourite palaces at King’s Langley Priory on 6 March. Henry V had his remains ‘translated’ to Westminster Abbey. King’s Langley was a Royal Palace lived in by Eleanor of Aquitaine and Edward II, as well as Richard II. It is near Slough.

Jan-Marie Knights author of The Plantagenet Socialite lists possible scenarios:

‘The accepted tale of the king’s death is that in despair and grief at the death of his friends, King Richard refused to eat or drink, although a few say he was purposely starved to ensure he died as if from a natural death. Another rumour is that when an esquire mentioned the words ‘King Henry’ while he was eating dinner, Richard struck him with the knife he was using. Guards charged in and the king, pushing the table away, took a bill out of one man’s hand and managed to slay four of them but one leapt onto the chair he had vacated and felled him with a stroke of his poleaxe.’

1876 – Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for the telephone

1895 – The Importance of Being Earnest, first produced at the St James’s Theatre, London

1918 – Russia finally adopts the Gregorian calendar. see my post here.

First Published in February 2023, revised and updated in February 2024, 2025 On This Day added 2026

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The Great Freeze February 12th 1895

The Greeat Freeze. ‘Skating on the Serpentine’ by Lucien Davis
Antique wood-engraved print. Illustrated London News double page from 2 March 1895 (print owned by K Flude)

The Great Freeze

London, February 12, (1895). There is no abatement of the abnormally cold weather which has prevailed in northern Europe for the last week. The Upper Thames is frozen over, and huge blocks of ice breaking away from the mass are floating down the river, causing much damage to the smaller shipping craft. Water traffic is consequently at a complete standstill.

Many cases of death from cold and exposure are reported, the privation and distress in the East End of the city being particularly severe. The cold is so intense that birds are found frozen to death on the branches of the trees, and thousands are perishing. The severe weather has also directly caused considerable mortality, a number of deaths from exposure having been reported among postmen, omnibus drivers, cabmen, and labourers.

Contemporary Newspaper quotation on February 12th 1895 quoted by Isle of Dogs Life blog

Winter of 1895 Limehouse to left, Tower of London to right. Images from Isle of Dogs blog.

The year 1895 was the culmination of a decade of particularly cold winters (and for some the end of the so-called Little Ice Age). On the 11th February, the coldest day in British History was recorded at Braemar at −27.2 °C. February 1895 was the second coldest on record, with the lowest minimum temperatures on record. Shipping in the biggest port in the world was stopped. Therefore, many workers were laid off, and had to resort to what were then called ‘soup kitchens’ and now ‘food banks’. Winter death rates were said to be doubled, with people dying in the street and in unheated homes.

Record minima were set for these dates in February 1895:

  • 7th: −21.7 °C or −7.1 °F
  • 8th: −25.0 °C or −13.0 °F
  • 9th: −23.9 °C or −11.0 °F
  • 10th: −25.6 °C or −14.1 °F
  • 11th: −27.2 °C or −17.0 °F
  • 12th: −20.6 °C or −5.1 °F
  • 13th: −21.9 °C or −7.4 °F
  • 14th: −21.7 °C or −7.1 °F
  • 16th: −23.9 °C or −11.0 °F
  • 17th: −23.9 °C or −11.0 °F
  • 18th: −23.9 °C or −11.0 °F
  • 19th: −22.2 °C or −8.0 °F

Source Wikipedia.

On the flip side people resorted to ponds around London particularly the Serpentine which had 6 inches of ice and 50,000 skaters, with speed skating competitions.

For more details and contemporary newspaper accounts of the Great Freeze, read the Isle of Dogs blog. See also my post on the Cold Winter January 28th 1776. The next coldest winter was January 23rd 1940, when the Thames froze over for the first time since 1880. Lovely photo here of skaters on the Serpentine.

On This Day

1554 – Lady Jane Grey was executed after a trial at the Guildhall. Her husband was executed on the same day. Her adoption as heir to the throne was ordered by her cousin Edward VI. His minister, John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, (and Jane’s Father-in-Law) arranged for the Privy Council to accept Jane as the next monarch. They were trying to prevent Henry VIII’s Catholic daughter, Mary taking the throne. Jane was Queen for 9 Days. The Privy Council swapped sides as support for Jane collapsed. Jane was the Great-granddaughter of Henry VII and cousins to Mary, Elizabeth and Edward VI.

1993 – The South African Government agrees with the African National Congress to form an elected interim government comprised of both black and white members.

Published February 12th 2024, and republished 2025, 2026

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The Martyrdom of Charles I & ‘Get Back’ January 30th

Banqueting Hall and Execution of Charles I
Banqueting Hall and the Martyrdom of Charles I

January 30th is the anniversary of the execution of King Charles I. Today, he was beheaded as a murderer and traitor. Or as a Royalist would see it, it is the anniversary of the Martyrdom of Charles I.

Thousands came to see the execution, amongst them Samuel Pepys. They crowded around the scaffold outside a window of Inigo Jones’s magnificent Banqueting Hall, in Whitehall, London. Charles was brought into the Banqueting House. There he must have looked up at the magnificent Peter Paul Reubens’ ceiling. Charles had commissioned the painting to depict of the Apotheosis of his father, James I. It was the symbol of the Divine Right of the King to rule.

Scaffold to Heaven?

I doubt he saw the irony. I suspect he thought he was going to heaven to join his father, in glory as a Martyr to his religion. He walked outside, through the window, into the cold January air. Two of his bloodstained shirts still exist, probably to stop him shivering. He wanted to be seen as going fearless to his death not shivering with fear. Then, he made a short speech exonerating himself. He spoke without stammering for the first time in his public life. The Rooftops around were lined with spectators. Black cloth framed the scaffold. As the executioner axe fell, there was a dull grown from the crowd (most could not see the axe falling).

This was on January 30th, 1648. But, if you look at a history book, it will tell you it was in 1649. This was before our conversation to the Gregorian calendar. Then the year number changed not as we do on January 1st but on March 25th. This was the day the Archangel Gabriel revealed to the Virgin Mary that she was pregnant. For more on the importance of March 25th look at my Almanac entry here:

‘Oh the stupendous, and inscrutable Judgements of God’

On the same day, twelve years later, in 1661 Oliver Cromwell and his chief henchmen were dug up from their splendid Westminster Abbey tombs. Their bodies were abused by official command. Cromwell’s head was stuck on the top of Westminster Hall. There it remained until blown off in the Great Fire of 1703 (or 1672, or 1684). Then, it taken to Cambridge, Sidney Sussex College, which Cromwell attended. Only the Head Porter knew where. (According to someone who came on my Oliver Cromwell Walk last year.) Whether it is his head or not is disputed. The tale of the head is told in detail here.

The Royalist, John Evelyn, said in his diary:

This day (oh the stupendous, and inscrutable Judgements of God) were the Carkasses of that arch-rebel Cromwel1, Bradshaw, the Judge who condemned his Majestie and Ireton, sonn in law to the usurper, dragged out of their superb Tombs (in Westminster among the Kings) to Tybourne, and hanged on the Gallows there from 9 in the morning till 6 at night, and then buried under that fatal and ignominious Monument in a deep pit. Thousands of people (who had seen them in all their pride and pompous insults) being spectators .

Samuel Pepys records by contrast:

…do trouble me that a man of so great courage as he was should have that dishonour, though otherwise he might deserve it enough…

Pepys served the Parliamentary side before the restoration of Charles II, when he adroitly, swapped over to the Royalist side.

Every year, I do a Guided Walk and a Virtual Tour on Charles I and the Civil War on this day or the last Sunday in January. Look here for details.

Charles I Raises the Standard August 22nd 1642
Civil War Parade through Westminster Last Sunday in January
No More Christmas December 23rd, 1652

On This Day

1661 – Oliver Cromwell’s corpse disinterred and ritually executed

1826 – The Menai Suspension Bridge, is opened. Designed byThomas Telford. It is considered the world’s first modern suspension bridge.

1933 – Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany

1969 – Get Back to Where you Once Belonged – the anniversary of the rooftop concert in Saville Row where the Beatles played ‘Get Back’.

YouTube Clip with scenes from the Roof Top Concert

First published in 2023, revised on January 29th 2024,2025, 2026

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News from the Almanac of the Past January 22nd 2026

May Day Bedfordshire
May Day Bedfordshire

This has become the day in which I update readers on the purpose and future plans for the Almanac of the Past.

What is the Almanac of the Past?

The nature of an almanac is to be a pot-pourri. They are about seasons, time, folklore, history, important events, and anniversaries. I also like to cover history, famous people and discoveries. Gods, Goddesses, Saints, sinners, and archaeology. What I want it to be is something that makes us more mindful about the passing of the year. How seasons and time change the way people see their world. My focus is mostly on the UK, but also on Rome and Greece. With occasional excursions to other ages, places and universes. I am also trying to find more content that is London-based.

What is the plan for the Almanac of the Past?

I plan to have one entry for each day. The problem with this, is that as I fill in the empty days, I will be republishing the already filled days. So subscribers will be seeing content they have seen before. Currently, I am trying to improve and extend existing content so it is worth reading again. And I am groping towards a final format for each day.

This is what I think it is. Each page will have the following sections:

Seasonal content: folklore about the day in question. Including historic texts about gardening, farming, cooking, witchcraft superstitions etc.

Saint or God/Goddess of the day

Calendar content: about epochs, ages, years, months, days, hours, and everything calendrical

Major article about something that happened on this day in history

On This Day section where other things that have happened on this day have happened.

I guess rather than a post it will be more like a newsletter of the day?

The almanac of the Past Publication

If I get the formula right, I will attempt to get a publication from it. Otherwise, it will remain online. So:

How’s it doin’?

The first graph, above, shows a steady growth from 2,000 views in 2020 to 26,000 views for 2025. Although encouraging, it has not gone ‘Kardashian viral’ as yet. 75% increase last year. This was partly achieved by taking more care of SEO – search engine optimisation. I’ve been doing a lot more of this. But if you are interested in this read last year’s ‘News from the Almanac of the Past’.

Screenshot from Jetpack showing the geographic reach of the Almanac of the Past from 2020 – 2025

The second graphic shows where the readers come from: mostly from the UK and the US, followed by France and Germany. It shows vast stretches of the world not registering as converts to the Almanac of the Past, including Greenland (or do I mean Iceland?).

Next up ‘Favourite pages, and referrers

Screenshot from Jetpack showing the most viewed pages (left and Referrers (Right)

The Skimmity Ride is way out ahead, the most popular post. The page is about a procession ‘designed to humiliate a member of the community.’ Why is it top? I think because hardly anyone else posts about it, so if you want to know what Thomas Hardy was writing about in the Mayor of Casterbridge my site is the go-to place.

Next is the ‘Beginning of the Universe‘ Post. This pleases me because it is something I discovered myself while writing the blog. It explains the beginning of the universe, the beginning of the year, the beginning of spring, and the Birthdays of Adam, Lilith, & Eve; the conception of Jesus, and why the year began in the medieval period on March 25th. So again, you won’t find this information easily in any one other place. The Almanac of the Past explains it all.

Queen Elisabeth I’s Nicknames are third. She is always popular and the nicknames she gave to her advisers are fun, and either flattering or rude.

Then we have the post on Antarctic explorer Lawrence Oates. It is an interesting post, of course, but why it rates highly I have no idea. Maybe people know this expression ‘I am just going outside and may be some time’ and want to track it down?

The last one I shall mention is the ‘Miracle of the Testicles‘. This is one of my favourite posts! (I just typed: ‘because it’s nuts’ without realising the pun, so please forgive me!) But, really, it shows the often risible ways the early Saints became famous. And yet beneath that there is a real need in the community for spiritual help which the origin stories touch. Its high ranking must be down to the word ‘testicles?’ No?

The other side of the graphic shows referrers, which are mostly the obvious ones like search engines and facebook. But there is also a fansite for Damien Lewis, the actor who was in Band of Brothers and Henry VIII in Wolf Hall. One of his pages mentioned my page.

Screenshot from Jetpack showing the posting ativity for the past year. Grey means no posts, Dark green 2 or more, light green one post a day.

Posting Activity shows you how far I am from achieving one Almanac post a day. Not far in the winter, more to do in the summer.

So how can you help?

If you have a website or a blog or a social media page, post a reference to one of my pages, and encourage people to have a look. If you receive the email as a subscriber, occasionally visit the site, and like it? Send a WhatApp group a link to my page. Help me go properly viral, then, I can get a publishing deal, publish my Almanac and then my novels …… do it before you forget!

Any problems for the Almanac of the Past?

Please continue to forgive my wretched proofreading.

First Published in 2026

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Queen Elizabeth I’s Nicknames January 16th

Today is the day after the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth 1’s coronation, 1559. She soon developed enduring relationships with the senior members of her Government. For example, William Cecil, Lord Burghley served the Queen for the rest of his life – from 1558 to 1598 when he died.

Queen Elizabeth I gave leading members of her Court, nicknames. I have been tracking them down. I eventually found a post in The Chronicles of History. The author is a follower of this blog. The Chronicles mentioned three of them, so I went in search for the rest, and here is what I found:

Her chief minister, William Cecil, Lord Burghley, was called her ‘spirit’ and her alleged lover, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, was her ‘eyes’. Rather more cheekily, she called François, Duke of Anjou, her ‘frog’.

https://www.historyextra.com/period/elizabethan/7-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-elizabeth-i/

List of Queen Elizabeth I’s Nicknames

Putting my various sources here is my ‘definitive list’.

Elizabeth called Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester “Eyes”
William Cecil was “Spirit”
Robert Cecil was her “pigmy” or “elf”
Sir Christopher Hatton was “lids” or less flatteringly her “mutton”
Francis Walsingham was her “Moor”
Francis, Duke of Alencon, (her French suitor) her “frog”

http://everythingelizabethan.blogspot.com/2011/03/she-was-fond-of-nicknames.html

People on the list of Queen Elizabeth I’s Nicknames

A comment on the same page says the ‘moor’ was, in fact, Edward De Vere Earl of Oxford, suggesting the attribution to Walsingham is a mistake. De Vere had a house in Clapton, Hackney, very close to where I lived. De Vere is one of the strongest candidates (or so the conspiracy theorists say) to have written Shakespeare’s plays. Queen Elizabeth 1 has also been named a candidate for the world’s greatest playwright.

Robert Cecil was Lord Burghley’s son and largely took over his father’s role.
Christopher Hatton was a handsome aristocrat who had a lovely house and garden in Holborn. It is now a street called Hatton Garden, famous for jewellery and jewellery heists.

Francis Walsingham was the ruthless spy master that helped turn late Elizabethan England into a simulacrum of Stasi East Germany.
Duke of Alencon was one suitor she seemed to take seriously, although she gently mocked him.
Dudley was her favourite and almost her official escort/companion. (Did she have a sexual relationship with him?)

When I published this recently, I got an email from Jan-Marie Knights, an author, and she was able to persuade me that the Queen loved Dudley like a Brother, but never would marry him.

She showed me an extract from a book which has a letter saying the above – from Lord Burghley to his political agent in Germany. The book is The Private Character of Queen Elizabeth by Frederick Chamberlin (New York: Dodd Mead and Co, 1922).

Here is a photo of a page of the book with the letter.

Page of The Private Character of Queen Elizabeth by Frederick Chamberlin (New York: Dodd Mead and Co, 1922)
Extract from the book is The Private Character of Queen Elizabeth by Frederick Chamberlin (New York: Dodd Mead and Co, 1922).

Jan has published a book called The Tudor Socialite, which documents the ‘Tudor High life in bite-sized chunks.’

For a list of Gifts to Queen Elizabeth I have a look at the Folger Library page here.

For Queen Elizabeth I’s Coronation look at my post here.

On This Day

27BC Gaius Julius Caesar given the title of Augustus by the Roman Senate marking the official end of the Roman Republic. 

Another example of how a system with elections and checks and balances can be subverted.

550AD Ostrogoths conquer Rome after bribing the guard.

1275 Edward I allows his mother Eleanor of Provence to expell Jews from Winchester, Cambridge, Marlborough and Gloucester

1537 Bigod’s Rebellion.  Following successful negotiations between the Pilgrims of Grace led by Robert Aske, a new rebellion was led by Sir Francis Begod. It failed utterly buy leald to the rescinding of pardons.  This saw Robert Aske hanged at York. Bigod and many others were also hanged. The female conspirator was dealt with as follows:

‘And the same day Margaret Cheney, ‘other wife to Bulmer called’, was drawn after them from the Tower of London into Smithfield, and there burned according to her judgment, God pardon her soul, being the Friday in Whitsun week; she was a very fair creature, and a beautiful.’

Wriothesley’s Chronicle

First Published in January 2023, republished in January 2024,2025, 2026

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Queen Elizabeth 1 Coronation January 15th

Queen Elizabeth 1 Coronation. Litter at her royal entry, accompanied by footmen and Gentlemen Pensioners. Unidentified engraver. (Wikipedia)
Queen Elizabeth 1 Coronation. Litter at her royal entry, accompanied by footmen and Gentlemen Pensioners. Unidentified engraver. (Wikipedia)

Queen Elizabeth 1 Accession

Queen Elizabeth 1 ascended the throne on 17 Nov 1558. Her accession was greeted with an outbreak of joy by the Protestant population. But the supporters of her dead sister Mary 1 did not want a Protestant monarch. On hearing the news of the death, Elizabeth rushed to occupy the Tower of London. She even risked shooting London Bridge, such was her haste. (see my post of the accession of Queen Elizabeth I)

She consulted lawyers about the legal position. Elizabeth, and her sister Mary, were declared bastards by two Succession Acts passed during Henry VIII’s ‘troubled’ married life. The Third Succession Act of 1543/44, following Henry’s marriage to Katherine Parr, restored Mary and Elizabeth to the Royal line. But it did not restore their legitimacy. Rather than tackle the complex legislation, Sir Nicholas Bacon, the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, advised:

“the English laws have long since pronounced, that the Crown once worn quite taketh away all Defects whatsoever“. (Wikipedia)

Which, when you think about it, basically legitimises any successful ‘coup’! And, from a legal perspective, she was still, arguably, illegitimate.

Queen Elizabeth 1 Coronation

Her courtiers immediately began work on the Coronation, scheduled for January 15th 1559. In terms of Coronations, this was rushed. The precise date was, in fact, chosen by the Royal Astrologer. John Dee, a famous mathematician and credulous astrologer,. He found a date that the celestial bodies deemed propitious. But it needed to be sooner rather than later because Elizabeth’s position was so insecure.

Queen Elizabeth 1 Coronation Procession

The Coronation began with a procession from the Whitehall Palace in Westminster. Then back to the Tower of London for the Vigil. Followed by a Royal Procession through the City of London to Westminster Abbey for the Coronation service. After the Coronation, there was the traditional Coronation Banquet at Westminster Hall.

The Vigil Procession was on the Thames where she was escorted to the Tower by ‘ships, galleys, brigantines‘ sumptuously decorated. The Royal Entry consisted of 5 Pageants and 11 Triumphal Arches.

The first pageant showed the Queen’s descent from Henry VII and his marriage to Elizabeth of York. This marriage effectively ended the Wars of the Roses by linking the House of York and the House of Lancaster. The pageant also emphasised her ‘Englishness’ as opposed to the Spanish affiliations of Mary. The second pageant demonstrated that the Queen would rule by the four virtues of True Religion, Love of Subjects, Wisdom and Justice. At the same time she was shown trampling on Superstition, Ignorance and other vices.

The Procession at Cheapside

The third pageant, at the upper end of Cheapside near the Guildhall, provided the opportunity for the City to give Elizabeth a handsome present. This was a crimson purse with 1000 marks of gold, showing the closeness of the City and the Crown. The fourth pageant, contrasted a decaying country during the time of Mary with a thriving one under Elizabeth. It featured the figure of Truth, who was carrying a Bible written in English and entitled ‘the Word of Truth’. The Bible was lowered on a silken thread to the Queen. The Queen kissed it and laid it on her breast to the cheers of the crowd. She promised to read it diligently. The final pageant was Elizabeth portrayed as Deborah, the Old Testament prophet. Deborah rescued Israel and ruled for 40 years. So she was an ideal role model for Elizabeth. (For more details, look here.)

‘All the houses in Cheapside were dressed with banners and streamers, and the richest carpets, stuffs and cloth of gold tapestried the streets’.

British History.ac.uk Vol 1 pp315 -332

Queen Elizabeth 1 Coronation in Westminster Abbey

The Coronation was traditional – in Latin and presided by a Catholic Bishop, but there were significant innovations. Important passages were read both in Latin and in English. The Queen added to the Coronation Oath the promise that she would rule according to the:

‘true profession of the Gospel established in this Kingdom.’

This showed the path Queen Elizabeth was going to take. She would introduce innovation gradually into tradition, but emphasizing that the fundamentals had indeed changed. This was going to be a Protestant reign.

See also tomorrow’s post on the Nicknames the Queen gave to her advisors.

‘Divorced, Beheaded, Died’

Can I remind you that I wrote a best-selling book on the Kings and Queens of Britain? It has sold over 130,000 copies, has been reprinted several times and in several editions. Further details here.

On This Day

1535 King Henry VIII became Supreme Head of the Church of England

1759 The British Museum opened to the Public.

1867 Ice breaks on the boating lake at Regent’s Park, London, Forty people die.

2001 Wikipedia Day. The free wiki content encyclopedia launched. (Other days are possible but this one is the earliest recovered wikipedia page. I begin editing pages on November 28th, 2003.

Revised January 2026

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Royal Africa Company Founded by Charles II January 10th 1663

Map of the Guinea Coast and Colonial territories
‘Negroland and Guinea with the European Settlements, Explaining what belongs to England, Holland, Denmark, etc’. By H. Moll Geographer (Printed and sold by T. Bowles next ye Chapter House in St. Pauls Church yard, & I. Bowles at ye Black Horse in Cornhill, 1729, orig. published in 1727) Source Wikicommons.

The Royal Africa Company

The Royal Africa Company was set up with a monopoly on trade with the west coast of Africa in:

“redwood, elephants’ teeth, negroes, slaves, hides, wax, guinea grains, or other commodities of those countries”

On January 10th. 1663 King Charles II affirmed the new charter for the Company that, above all else, was responsible for British continuing involvement in enslavement. Shareholders included his nephew, Prince Rupert, Samuel Pepys, and much of the British Establishment, Aristocracy, and City Merchants. Its headquarters were in Cornhill, not far from the East India Company’s HQ. The company was closed in 1752.

Guineas

Gold from the Gold Coast in Guinea was used to make coins, which became known as ‘guineas’. They were originally made from one quarter of an ounce of gold. Below is a sketch of a two guinea coin from the reign of Charles II. Note the elephant at the bottom of the coin.

Sketch of a two guinea coin from the reign of Charles II showing an elephant below the image of the King, referencing Africa and the use of an elephant on the Royal Africa Company of which Charles was the patron
Sketch of a two guinea coin from the reign of Charles II showing an elephant below the image of the King.

The guinea was original worth 1 pound but fluctuated with the price of Gold. Pepys records it at 24 or 25 shillings. It was eventually phased out, but it became a posh way of expressing value. Ordinary goods would be priced in pounds, but expensive ones in Guineas. By then valued at 21 shillings. (£1 pound 5 pence). Wikipedia suggests it was used for ‘prices of land, horses, art, bespoke tailoring, furniture, white goods and other “luxury” items‘. I remember going shopping with my parents in London and wondering at the fur coats being priced in Guineas. It died out, as a practice, in the 70s.

Enslavement, Government & the Royal Africa Company

There are many sites giving a history of slavery, and the British involvement with it. But, here, I would just like to point out how involved the British Royal Family was in the trade. One of the instigators of the Trade, in the 16th Century was John Hawkins. He secured investment in his second slaving expedition from: Queen Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley, Edward Clinton, Lord Burghley amongst others. Royal involvement in the foundation of the Royal Africa Company was only one of many connections between Royalty and Slavery.

It should be noted that the British education system has emphasised the role of Britain in the abolition of slavery. We are more reluctant to highlight our involvement in setting it up and continuing it. This has begun to change. A new generation of school children in London can visit the excellent London: Sugar & Slavery Gallery at the Museum of London in Docklands.

Compensation for Slavery & Reparations

University College, London has undertaken a profound project where they took the records of compensation payments to:

The slaves, you are thinking?

No, to the slave owners!

The compensation of £20m pounds was provided by a loan to the Governemt by Rothschilds Bank in the City of London. It probably represents around £16billion in modern terms. I have been unsure of the case for historic ‘reparations’. But when ‘we’ compensated the slave owners, it makes the case for compensation to the enslaved overwhelming. The least we can do is to fund projects to correct the educational and life disadvantages of people and countries impacted by slavery. And £16 billion seems like the right amount.

Legacies of British Slave-ownership project

UCL have created a resource where you can click on the streets of London and other areas, to find out the holders of slaves who were compensated in that street.

I looked at the UCL resource looking for the closest slave owner in my area of the East End of London. The nearest person lived about 500 yards away from me. Here are the abridged details from the database. It is very simple to use. Have a go by following this link.

Solomon Nunes Flamengo of Kingston, living at Mutton Lane in Hackney when he wrote his will in 1778.   Merchant. Estate probated in Jamaica in 1779. Slave-ownership at probate: 6 of whom 2 were listed as male and 4 as female. 4 were listed as boys, girls or children. Total value of estate at probate: £21356.26 Jamaican currency of which £332.5 currency was the value of enslaved people.

I guess the value of his compensation was £332.5. Solomon was Jewish, which is unusual for the records, by far the majority being Christian. I chose Solomon simply because he was the closest to my house. The UCL website is at https://www.ucl.ac.uk/lbs/.

Britain began regulating the Slave trade in the late 18th Century, abolished the Slave Trade in 1807.   Slavery, with the compensation to slave owners in 1833, was abolished but they replaced slavery with apprenticeship – in effect bound labour.  This was ended in 1838. For more details look at https://www.parliament.uk/

Slavery or Enslavement

Finally, I have seen several exhibitions and TV documentares in recent months where victims of the pernicious trade are referred to as ‘enslaved’ and not slaves.

It is a profound difference. The victims did not make themselves slaves, they did not identify as slaves.  They were forced into lt by violence, kidnap. rape, murder, torture, imprisonment, trafficking, forced exile.  They were enslaved.

Published January 2024, revised 2025, 2026

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A Radical Twelfth Night January 6th

Drawing for Twelfth Cake' at St. Annes Hill 'Twelfth Night Cruikshank, Isaac, Frances Burdett and Charles James Fox
‘Drawing for Twelfth Cake’ at St. Annes Hill
’12th Night Cruikshank, Isaac, 1756-1811 printmaker. Published Janr. 10, 1807 by Thomas Tegg, 111 Cheapside’

Twelfth Night/Twelfth Day

Yesterday was Twelfth Night for the modern Church of England, but today is Twelfth Night for the Catholic Church and in England in former times ~(yesterday was Twelfth Day Eve. It is also Epiphany or Three Kings Day and because of calendrical differences, Christmas Eve for the Orthodox Church.

In Ireland, it is Nollaig na mBan. This is Women’s Little Christmas; when Women get to rest and let men do the work. This is a typical Saturnalia-style reversal of roles.

‘Drawing for Twelfth Cake’ at St. Annes Hill

I used the print above, three years ago for my post on New’s Day, then moved it to Twelfth Night. I also use it for lectures on Christmas and Jane Austen. But the focus of my presentation here is explaining the Twelfth Night Cake and the game that was played. But in fact, this is a very political satirical cartoon. More of that, later, let’s begin with the more trivial aspect of the print above.

Twelfth Night Performance, Party

It used to be the big party night, featuring the famous Twelfth Night Cake and theatrical entertainments; mumming and wassailing. Essentially, these terms mean wandering around the Town or Village dressed in costume and drinking beer, cider, or wine cups. The tradition of performance also was kept by the Royal Court and by institutions such as City Livery Companies and the Inns of Court in London.

These traditions saw someone chosen as the King for the night, and often someone else chosen as Queen. In 1606 Ben Jonson’s masque Hymen was performed before the Court. In 1613 Lord Bacon gave Gray’s Inn permission to a Twelfth Night Masque at Whitehall. During the performance, a character called Baby Cake brought in a ‘great cake with a bean and a pease’. On the Candlemas Feast of 2 February 1602 Middle Temple performed a play called Twelfth Night that the lawyers had commissioned from one William Shakespeare. Candlemas was the end of the Christmas Season. See my post on Candlemas here.

Hymen

Before we move on, the Masque on Twelfth Night by Jonson was in celebration of the marriage of Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, and Lady Frances Howard. This was a dynastic wedding, supported by King James Ist to bring to an end the rivalry between the to dynasties. Devereux was fourteen years old, the bride thirteen. Being so young, they were separated for three years after the wedding. The marriage was annulled in 7 years later in 1613

The Twelfth Night Cake, the Bean and the Pea

The cake has disappeared from current Christmas celebration, probably because it transmuted into our present Christmas Cake. This, I regret. I have had a lifetime when a very heavy Christmas Dinner is followed, first, by Christmas Pudding. Then, overloading with food, the Christmas Cake is brought out. No one, in their right mind, wants a slice of heavy Christmas Cake after a Christmas Dinner, and Christmas Pudding! Many of my American friends disparage fruit cake, but they are mistaken. Good Christmas Cake is something to be thoroughly enjoyed, but on the days following Christmas Day.

I gave a recipe for the Twelfth Night Cake in another post, (here it is). But the important point is that it had a bean and a pea in it. The one who got the bean was selected as King for night and the pea the Queen. The rest of the Christmas Party draw cards. Traditionally, the women draw a card from a ‘reticule’ (bag) and the men’s from a hat. But there are no women at this satirical party (pictured above).

The cards detailed a role the party goers were to play for the rest of the night. The card began with an introductory speech, or rhyme, for the person to speak. The King and Queen led the way, and for the rest of the evening the party members adopted their persona. They might be an aristocrat, a soldier, a cook, a parson, a dairy maid etc. The French do something similar with their Galette des Rois. The bean is called the feve, and may be replaced by a porcelain model. Other places have a King’s Cake for epiphany.

Twelfth Night Satire

So, as I was rushing to get the original Twelfth Night post done, I failed to examine it in any detail. I assumed the cards gave them satirical occupations which would be funny to the contemporary audience in 1807. But then, I noticed the title mentioned St Anne’s Hill. I looked it up and discovered myself down a deep and very enjoyable research rabbit hole.

St Anne’s Hill & Charles James Fox

Now, let’s go down that rabbit hole and look a little deeper.

The caption mentions St Anne’s Hill. I believe this refers to St Anne’s Hill, near Chertsey (SW of London on the River Thames). Here, there was a grand house which was owed by Charles James Fox. He was the leader of the Whigs, a persistent opponent of King George III. He was a supporter of the American and French Revolutions. This explains the red bonnet used to pull out the cards in the illustration.

The central figure is then, Fox. But he died in September,. 1806. The print is dated January 1807. Just before he died, his Foreign Slave Trade Bill of 1806 began the dismantling of this pernicious trade in the British Empire. He was Foreign Minister, who assumed a couple of civil chats with the French would end the long-standing war. But he soon discovered that Napoleon was not to be trusted in negotiations. The war went on for another 9 or so years.

Charles James Fox was a mercurial figure with many radical views. He was also a notorious gambler and loved the high life. One of his many lovers was Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. He eventually married, Elizabeth Armistead, an ex-mistress of the Prince of Wales. St Anne’s Hill was her house. I am pleased to report that she is credited with calming his life-style. He now spent more time at St Anne’s where they would ‘read, garden, explore the countryside and entertain friends’ (Wikipedia).

Isaac Cruikshank’s ‘Drawing for Twelfth Cake’ at St. Annes Hill

Cruikshank’s illustration is, of course, not designed to document quaint Twelfth Night customs but is a political satire and I discovered that the British Museum has the original version of this print, and. It is dated to 1799 which makes much more sense!

At the back right of the print is a notice which says:

‘Rules to be observed at this Meeting
1. That the Cake be decorated with appropriate insignia
2 That the tickets be deposited in a Bonnet Rouge and drawn in Rotation
3 That the Old Fashioned Game of King and Queen be exploded & Catch as Catch can Substituted in its stead.’

The bonnet rouge is a ‘redcap worn by ardent supporters of the French Revolution’ or ‘an extremist or revolutionary’. (defined by the Collins Dictionary as). Point 3 relates to Fox’s opposition to the King and the Republicanism of the French Revolution. The expression Catch as Catch Can refers to a free form of wrestling without rules, and presumably a satire on ideas of democracy.

Opponents of William Pitt

The characters in the scene (all men) are all political figures. They are associated with the opposition to the very right-wing Government of William Pitt. During the war with France, the opposition was led by a supporter of the French Revolution. For those on the right, which included Pitt’s government, supporting the French Revolution was tantamount to treason. Pitt suspended many civil liberties in ‘Pitt’s Reign of Terror’. He arrested and indeed executed leading members of those demanding political change. The Government even suspended Habeas Corpus to make it easier to arrest their opponents,

Fox is seen drawing a 12th Night Game ticket which is marked ‘Perpetual Dictator’. To his right is Frances Burdett. He was a radical politician, who supported universal male suffrage, equal electoral districts, vote by ballot, and annual parliaments. Note that this is well before these aims became the core of the Chartists campaign for electoral reform.

Frances Burdett

Burdett is shown holding a ticket saying ‘Keeper of the Prison in Cold Bath Fields’. This is a satirical reference to a serious political crisis. The Cold Baths Fields was the site of a medical spring in Clerkenwell, London. It was a prison where radicals were imprisoned. Conditions were very poor, despite the recent rebuilding under the aegis of the prison reformer, John Howard. Burdett exposed the scandalous conditions in the House of Commons. He began a campaign against the magistrates involved in the arrests. Francis Burdett married into the fabulously rich banking family the Coutts. His daughter was the famous Angela Burdett Coutts who was a philanthropist who collaborated extensively with Charles Dickens.

Edward and Catherine Despard

One of the prisoners was Edward Despard who had associations with many radical groups. These included the London Corresponding Society, the United Irishmen and United Britons. Despard married Catherine, the daughter of a free black woman from Jamaica. She, with Burdett, led the campaign against her husbands and other arrests without trial. Catherine wrote a letter to the Attorney General who replied in a demeaning manner:

‘it was a well-written letter, and the fair sex would pardon him, if he said it was a little beyond their style in general’

He did not comment on her colour. She described the imprisonment of her husband as being :

“in a dark cell, not seven feet square, without fire, or candle, chair, table, knife, fork, a glazed window, or even a book”

(for other people in the illustration look at the British Museum notes on the print. )

Execution of Edward Despard

Despard was freed in 1802, went to Ireland. He returned to London. He was arrested again. And accused of a being the ringleader of a plot to assassinate the King. There was little real evidence. Horatio Nelson was a character witness, and appealed to the King for clemency. Clemency was granted. But only in so far as Despard was not disembowelled. Just ‘Hanged and Drawn’ at Horsemonger Lane Gaol in Southwark (1803). He was the last person to be drawn through the streets at the tail of a horse before execution for treason. These are his last words:

Fellow Citizens, I come here, as you see, after having served my Country faithfully, honourably and usefully, for thirty years and upwards, to suffer death upon a scaffold for a crime which I protest I am not guilty. I solemnly declare that I am no more guilty of it than any of you who may be now hearing me. But though His Majesty’s Ministers know as well as I do that I am not guilty, yet they avail themselves of a legal pretext to destroy a man because he has been a friend to truth, to liberty, and to justice

(a considerable huzzah from the crowd)

and because he has been a friend to the poor and to the oppressed. But, Citizens, I hope and trust, notwithstanding my fate, and the fate of those who no doubt will soon follow me, that the principles of freedom, of humanity, and of justice, will finally triumph over falsehood, tyranny and delusion, and every principle inimical to the interests of the human race.

(a warning from the Sheriff)

I have little more to add, except to wish you all health, happiness and freedom, which I have endeavoured, as far as was in my power, to procure for you, and for mankind in general.

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

After his death, his family denied that Catherine was his wife but merely his ‘house-keeper.’ I assume, this was because they wanted the inheritance rather than, or perhaps, as well as naked prejudice.

@Phew! This is what I love about what I do, you find things out that link disparate parts of your knowledge, creating an ever-interwining web of history.

On this Day

1066 Harold Godwinson crowned King of England on January 6, 1066, the same day as the funeral of the previous king, Edward the Confessor.

1412 Joan of Arc was born. (it is believed).

Written 2022, and revised 2024, 2025, 2026

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Next Guided Walks

Jane Austen’s London Walk 2.30pm Sun 31st May 2026 To Book
The First Blitz – Zeppelin London New Walk! 6pm Sun 31 May 2026 To Book
Roman London – Literary & Archaeology Walk 3pm Sat 6th June 2026 Tobook
The Rebirth Of Saxon London Archaeology Walk 11am Sun 7th June 2026 To book
Tudor London – The City of Wolf Hall 3pm 4th July 2026 To Book
Jane Austen’s London Walk 2:30pm Sun 5th July 2026 To book
London. 1066 and All That Walk 11.30am Sun 12th July 26 Tobook
Bloody, Flaming, Poxy London 3pm Sun 12th July 26 To book
Myths, Legends, Archaeology and the Origins of London 3pm Sat 1 Aug 2026 Tower Hill Underground To book
The Decline And Fall Of Roman London Walk 11:15am 2nd Aug 26 To book
Jane Austen’s London Walk 2:30pm Sun 2nd Aug 26 To book
Chaucer’s Medieval London Guided Walk 11.00am Sat 5th Sept 2026 To book
Jane Austen’s London Walk 2:30pm Sun 5th Sept 2026 To book
Jane Austen’s London Walk 2:30pm Sat 24th Oct 2026 To book

For a complete list of my guided walks for London Walks in 2026 look here