1459
St Dwynwen was a 5th century princess regarded by some as Wales’s answer to St Valentine.
St Dwynwen was 5th century royalty from the County of Brecon in Wales, who by thinking of others rather than herself won the grace of interceding for star-crossed lovers. Her feast day is January 25.
Picture: © Eric Jones, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted January 25 2016
1460
Alban voluntarily swapped places with a priest, and was executed for being a member of a banned religious sect.
The Roman city of Verulam was later named St Albans, after England’s first martyr. He was executed on June 22, possibly in AD 305, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The authorities held that religion was a social good so long as no one questioned the official values of the Roman state, and everyone regarded all gods as equally valid. Christians came up short on both counts.
Picture: © No Swan So Fine, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.. Source.
Posted January 22 2016
1461
Britain never knew she was a nation of voracious readers until printing entered the steam age.
Scholary discussions of rising Victorian literacy rates focus on the educational policies of Church and State. But the problem wasn’t a lack of schools, teachers or investment. The problem was that print technology was stuck in the Tudor age.
Picture: © Bubo, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.. Source.
Posted January 21 2016
1462
Julius Caesar came over from France expecting to silence the noisy neighbours, but things did not go according to plan.
In 55 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Channel from Gaul to Britain. British tribes were supporting the Gallic resistance, and he thought they needed to be taught a lesson. That proved to more difficult than he had hoped, and it is perhaps unsurprising that after this, the Roman authorities pursued a policy towards Britain that Emperor Augustus christened ‘masterly inactivity’.
Picture: © Penny Mayes, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted January 18 2016
1463
A poem about the blessing of fond memories.
Wordsworth indulges in the comfortable memory of a walk beside Ullswater in the English Lake District, and reflects that to remember happiness is to live it twice.
Picture: © David Dixon, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.
Posted January 17 2016
1464
Intellectual learning is to be respected, but it should never be confused with good character.
Samuel Smiles devoted an entire volume to the subject of character, appreciating that an education is only as good as the moral principles with which it is applied.
Picture: © Theoden sA, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.. Source.
Posted January 14 2016