Taegan
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The Black Death
“Ring a ring a roses, A pocket full of posies, Attishu, attishu We all fall down” We are all familiar with the nursery rhyme of our childhoods, which is generally thought to be associated with the plague outbreaks of the 14th and 17th centuries, although this connection seems to date from as recently as the early part of the 20th century. Undoubtedly the rhyme has much older origins and there are variations around the world, which appear to mirror the culture of the locale. Whatever the history of the rhyme, it conjures up a picture of one of the most devastating events of medieval history. The Great Plague is believed…
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The death of King Edward IV
During the turbulent years of the Wars of the Roses, Edward IV reigned not once, but twice taking the crown for the Yorkists. His military skills and physical prowess earned him his reputation and fame. He was also an imposing figure reputedly standing 6 foot and 3 inches tall – almost a whole foot taller than the average male of the time. Edward was famous also as being something of a womaniser, allegedly having a number of mistresses. He went against convention and married a woman of his own choice, much to the frustrations of his advisers who were looking to make a politically advantageous marriage for him. His choice…
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Margaret Pole
On May 28th 1541 Lady Margaret Pole Countess of Salisbury was taken from the Tower, where she had been held without trial and executed on the orders of Henry VIII. Her beheading was a botch job, carried out by a novice headsman and taking eleven blows, not helped by the fact that Margaret allegedly didn’t go quietly, refusing to put her head meekly on the block! Her crime? She had the wrong blood flowing through her veins, her Uncles were Richard III and Edward IV, and her father George Duke of Clarence, so her mere existence fed Henry VIII’s paranoia regarding his father’s tenuous claim to the throne. She followed…
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Amelia Dyer
We are all familiar with Dr Harold Shipman and his reputation of being one of the most prolific serial killers of all time, with an estimated 250 murders to his name. He was not however the UK’s most prolific. Unheard of by most people, is the name Amelia Dyer – Baby farmer. It is estimated that over a 30 year period she killed at least 300 babies, and possibly as many as 400, that had been entrusted into her care. ‘Baby farming’ became a solution to the problem of unwanted pregnancy during the latter part of the 19th century. The lack of effective contraception, and the stigma of having a…
