Category Archives: History

George Neville: his archbishop of York’s feast 1465

Posted on March 5, 2020 by odeboyz

There were 3,000 guests and the feast lasted a week:- “There was a frenzy of butchery. The carcasses disembowelled, plucked, prepared and dressed for the occasion included 1,000 sheep, 500 deer of various varieties, 400 swans, 2,000 each of pigs … Continue reading →

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Medicine in the good old days

Posted on February 27, 2020 by odeboyz
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British Sporting Hypocrisy: the Zola Budd Incident and Others

Posted on February 27, 2020 by odeboyz

The Olympic motto ‘Swifter, Higher, Stronger’ is meant to spur the athletes to embrace the Olympic spirit and perform to the best of their abilities. The Olympic Games ideal is athletes competing in a spirit of competitive endeavour. The Berlin … Continue reading →

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Medieval Routes to Heaven

Posted on February 13, 2020 by odeboyz

Medieval Christians accepted, as fact, Mankind’s inherent sinfulness. They also accepted, as fact, that Heaven existed. The aim of life was to enter Heaven and share eternal life with Jesus. Squaring this circle had a dramatic impact on their lifestyles. … Continue reading →

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It wasn’t all glamour being a Roman Emperor

Posted on January 23, 2020 by odeboyz

Of the 69 rulers of the unified Roman Empire, from Augustus (d. 14 CE) to Theodosius (d. 395 CE), 62% suffered violent death. https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2020/01/facts-about-deaths-of-roman-emperors.html#comments

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Is war just sexier than peace?

Posted on January 13, 2020 by odeboyz

Del

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Workhouses and the Poor from 1834

Posted on January 2, 2020 by odeboyz

…..the able-bodied recipient of poor relief “on the whole shall not be made really or apparently as eligible as the independent labourer of the lowest class.”1 Introduction There’s nothing worse than paying tax and being taken for a ride. The … Continue reading →

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Elizabethan Poor Law 1601: the First National Welfare System

Posted on December 12, 2019 by odeboyz

Background English society was shattered by the Reformation in the 1530s, which destroyed centuries of provision for the poor by the Roman Catholic church. What had once been a religious duty1 now was a choice. Sixty years of undirected assistance … Continue reading →

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An Unforeseen Consequence of the Dissolution of the Monasteries

Posted on November 28, 2019 by odeboyz

England was shattered by the dissolution of the Roman Catholic church in the 1530s. One unforeseen consequence was the destruction of provision for the poor. The monasteries had a religious duty towards them. Those who were entirely incapable of surviving … Continue reading →

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Ancestry

Posted on November 20, 2019 by odeboyz

Last month both Jan and I were invited to my cousin’s and his wife’s fiftieth wedding anniversary. It wasn’t until near the date of the celebration we learned that four of our children(?), their partners and grandchildren were also invited. … Continue reading →

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