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Kitty Beighton enters an archery contest where the prize is one very beautiful bracelet and one very ugly Commissioner.
Kitty Beighton has entered an archery contest in Shimla. First prize, officially, is a diamond bracelet. Unofficially, it is Commissioner Barr-Saggott. Mrs Beighton wants Kitty to win; young Cubbon of the Dragoons definitely doesn’t. But Kitty’s first shot has hit in the gold and unwisely, Barr-Saggott (already no oil painting) allows himself a smirk...
Posted May 26 2019
710
American historian David Montgomery explains why Britain’s Empire Day really was a cause for celebration.
American historian D. H. Montgomery lays out the background to the establishment of Empire Day in 1904. He describes a global Empire which had discovered ever closer union not by more centralisation but by less, a Britain that was no longer a colonial power but the mother of a federation of independent states.
Posted May 25 2019
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American historian David Montgomery credited King Edward VII with bringing peace to Europe, the Empire and the world.
American historian D. H. Montgomery gave this assessment of the reign of King Edward VII in 1912, two years after the king died and two years before war broke out across the world. Whereas some historians like to focus on Edward’s scandals and family quarrels, Montgomery saw quite a different side to the King.
Posted May 25 2019
712
When a Tahitian sailor was denied his well-earned wages, the rumour got about that Granville Sharp was on the case.
Although William Wilberforce is rightly remembered as the architect of slavery’s downfall in the British Empire, much credit also goes to Granville Sharp (1735-1813). Sharp’s tireless campaigning put such fear into traffickers that the mere rumour of his involvement could set a man at liberty.
Posted May 14 2019
713
A. A. Milne analyses the popularity of golf, and decides that it’s good to be bad.
In 1880, England had twelve golf courses: by 1914 there were over a thousand. Writing just after the Great War ended, A. A. Milne (of Winnie-the-Pooh fame) gave himself up to wondering what had made golf suddenly so popular south of the border.
Posted May 12 2019
714
The tale of how a prim little English horse cleaned up his Continental stables.
The following anecdote comes from a book of tales published in 1841, introducing children to a selection of Britain’s wild and domestic animals. Apparently all quite true, it tells of a prim little horse who suddenly found himself stabled among the lower classes.
Posted May 9 2019