Kristine Hughes's Blog, page 26

AN ELOPEMENT, A STATELY HOME AND A ROYAL VISIT

From The Letter-bag of Lady Elizabeth Spencer-Stanhope March 1st. (1805) “Your father is very well. He was sorry for the fate of the Slave Trade Bill last night. The Elopement and distress in the House of Petre has been the chief subject of conversation for the last few days. Miss Petre  made her escape from her … Continue reading "AN ELOPEMENT, A STATELY HOME AND A ROYAL VISIT"

A TOUR GUIDE IN ENGLAND – A Tale of Two Churches – Part Two

After our morning in Ewelme, we headed off with Beth behind the wheel, on to our next adventure. Which turned out to be The Abbey Church of St Peter and St Paul, more usually called Dorchester Abbey, a Church of England parish church in Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire.     Formerly a Norman abbey church, Dorchester Abbey was built … Continue reading "A TOUR GUIDE IN ENGLAND – A Tale of Two Churches – Part Two"

PERIOD FILM FAILS

Can you spot the period fail in the picture above? Here’s a clue –     Sometimes, period drama fails are minor, others are epic, but more often than not, they’re just plain funny. It seems that modern day electrics are to blame for many lapses in continuity, as was this t.v. aerial in another … Continue reading "PERIOD FILM FAILS"

A TOUR GUIDE IN ENGLAND – A Tale of Two Churches

What can be better than a day out in the English countryside? Spending that day with Vicky and Beth Elliot. Once again donning her guise as local guide, Beth took us for another day out to a few hidden and special places. Our first stop was the picturesque village of Ewelme.         … Continue reading "A TOUR GUIDE IN ENGLAND – A Tale of Two Churches"

THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON AILING

Originally published on February 16, 2012 From The Greville Memoirs: February 15th (1840) (Saturday) — The Duke of Wellington had a serious seizure on Thursday (1) He dines early, and he rode out after dinner. The first symptom of something wrong was, that he could not make out the numbers on the doors of the … Continue reading "THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON AILING"

THE 2019 SCOTTISH RETREAT – GLAMIS CASTLE

  We’re looking forward to our Scottish Retreat in September and thinking about our upcoming visit to Glamis Castle, a site that is steeped in history. Glamis (above) has been the ancestral seat to the Earls of Strathmore and Kinghorne since 1372, the inspiration for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the childhood home of HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen … Continue reading "THE 2019 SCOTTISH RETREAT – GLAMIS CASTLE"

MEET SIR SIDNEY SMITH

Chances are you’ve never heard of Sidney Smith, but his name should be right up there with those of Nelson, Wellington and Napoleon. British Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith (1764-1840) served during the American and French Revolutions, he was the only person known to have been at both the Battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo and … Continue reading "MEET SIR SIDNEY SMITH"

HUMPHRY DAVY AND THE DAVY MINING LAMP

Louisa Cornell One of the major industries in the north of England during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was mining. From Yorkshire, through Cornwall, and throughout Wales it was a way of life and a way of living for many of those areas’ poorest citizens. Whilst most mines were owned and run by private industrialists, … Continue reading "HUMPHRY DAVY AND THE DAVY MINING LAMP"

ANOTHER LOOK AT LORD ALVANLEY

We first introduced you to Lord Alvanley in a previous post on this blog, but as his Lordship has recently been mentioned in Waterloo posts about Countess Brownlow and Katherine Arden, his sister, we thought it was time that we encountered him once again. William Arden, 2nd Baron Alvanley (8 January 1789 – 16 November … Continue reading "ANOTHER LOOK AT LORD ALVANLEY"

A LEGACY OF NEEDLEWORK- Part Three – Mary Linwood

Born in Birmingham, needlewoman Mary Linwood moved to Leicester with her family when she was nine, where her mother opened a private boarding school for young ladies in Belgrave Gate, and where Mary herself became a schoolmistress and later headmistress. Mary worked her first needlework picture at the age of 13 and went on to … Continue reading "A LEGACY OF NEEDLEWORK- Part Three – Mary Linwood"