Hammer of the Scotts
1274 The coronation of Edward I, known as ‘Longshanks’, as he was 6 feet 2 inches tall.
Nine Months Old Queen
Crowned at nine months, engaged at 5, married at 16, widowed and queen of Scotland again at 18.
1561 Mary Queen of Scots arrived in Scotland (following the death of her French husband Francis II,) to assume the throne after spending 13 years in France.
There Will be No Burning Tonight – Pendle Witches
1612 Three women from the Lancashire village of Samlesbury were put on trial, accused of practicing witchcraft. It was one of the most famous witch trials in English history as all three – Jane Southworth, Jennet Bierley, and Ellen Bierley were acquitted. The charges against the women included child murder and cannibalism. In contrast, the others tried at the Lancaster Castle assizes, including the Lancashire Pendle witches, were accused of maleficium i.e. causing harm by witchcraft.
Happy Birthday, Poet Laureate
1631 John Dryden, English poet and dramatist was born. He was the first official Poet Laureate of Great Britain.
Bloody Assizes
1685 The beginning of the ‘Bloody Assizes’ in England with Judge Jeffreys regularly sentencing people to death.
The Bloody Assizes were a series of trials started a Winchester on 25 August 1685 in the aftermath of the Battle of Sedgemoor which ended the Monmouth Rebellion in England.
The Had Some Good Ideas Back In The Day
1897 The London Electric Cab Company began operating the electric-powered taxi cabs in London’s West End and the City. They had a range of up to 30 miles, and a top speed of 9 miles an hour. The cabs prove uneconomical and were withdrawn in 1900.
Shall We Laugh or Shall We Cry?
1919 Afghanistan gained full independence from Britain.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover on Trial
1960 Penguin Books received a summons in response to their plans to publish Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
And They Said It Wouldn’t Last
1970 The 1000th episode of Coronation Street was broadcast.
The Hungerford Massacre
1987 27 year old gunman Michael Ryan shot dead 16 people during a rampage through Hungerford, Berkshire. 14 people were wounded, and one of the dead was Ryan’s own mother. He proceeded to set fire to his mother’s house, and the worst civil massacre in modern British history ended when he shot himself.
Regular Service Resumed
1989 The offshore, North Sea pirate radio station, Radio Caroline, was raided and silenced by the British and Dutch governments. However broadcasts resumed on 1st October of that year and continued on low/moderate power until fuel for the generator ran out on 6th November 1990. Radio Caroline currently broadcasts 24 hours a day via the Eutelsat satellite and Internet radio.
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