Five Historical things you didn't need to know - a sad reflection of the occurence of time #3

 Five Historic things you never thought you needed to know.#3



Stonehenge in 1916: 
Presumably the sub contractor said it would be ready very soon and almost on budget

It is claimed that when Cecil Chubb bought Stonehenge he stipulated people should have free access. Actually what he said is they could visit but this was ‘on the payment of such reasonable sum per head not exceeding one shilling for each visit and subject to such conditions as the Commissioners of Works in the exercise and execution of their statutory powers and duties may from time to time impose’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Chubb

‘A Marvellous Drunk Woman’ This is Sir Walter Stonore’s description of Margery Cowpland in 1535. She had called Henry VIII an ‘extortioner and a knave’, Queen Anne a ‘strong harlot’ and ‘strong whore’ and told Henry’s man, Richard Heath ‘the Devil’s turd’.

Sir Walter Stonor, who had been knighted on the field of Flodden, was sent to investigate. He wrote to Cromwell that Cowpland denied these words but he felt she had said them as, apart from being a drunk, was also ‘straight in her wits’. Her husband was ‘out of his mind.’ Her accuser was someone who Margery was in dispute with over owed money.

Margery was sent to Wallingford Gaol. Her fate is unknown.

The first country to recognise the new USA was Morocco, on 23rd June 1777. France was next, on 6th February 1778. The Dutch were slackers, waiting till 19th April 1782.

Adolf Hitler was sent dog whips by three female admirers in the 1920s. You may want mind bleach at this point.

Robert Koch developed the petri dish. This is the sort of thing you have to look up when you have never heard of it and student puts in an essay.

Bonus Thought: The present Y9 [studying the Second World War] relationship to those years is the same as my relationship to the 1890s. This is not so much History as one of those moments when you feel very, very old.

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