September Overview

We have been a bit quiet recently as we try to get back into the swing of things and work out how to fit everything in. We also have a bit of a backlog on blogs that we need to get finished and put out, so over the next month expect a load of blogs coming as we get them finished off. We know that we missed last months overview, so this month we have tried to cover a bit more history Hopefully as well we will be able to cover a few blogs from some of that dates that have been mentioned below.

1st

1532 Anne Boleyn is made Marquessate of Pembroke by Henry VIII

Anne was the second wife of Henry VIII. Even before they did marry she was able to grant pensions and was even able to help Henry with any foreign matters. She even played a part in French relations in 1532 when Henry took her to France to meet the King Francis I. Henry made her Marquessate of Pembroke as it was a good peerage for a future Queen. It meant that she became a more powerful and rich woman, at the time there was only 3 Dukes and 2 Marquesses who were Henry's brother in laws. Anne had peerage over all others at court. Anne was dressed in jewels and ermine trimmed velvet for the ceremony at Windsor Castle. She looked like a Queen and that's what both Henry and Anne wanted to show off. Anne was accompanied by Mary Howard, her cousin, she was taken in to Henry's presence where she knelt down. Stephen Gardiner read out the patent that contained her new title, she was then crowned by Henry with a gold coronet and given a crimson velvet mantel. She was also given her own lands that were worth £1000 per year. A lavish sumptuous banquet took place after as they all celebrated Anne's new title. Within a few months Anne would be Queen of England. 

1763 Catherine the Great agrees to plans to build an orphanage 

1934 MGM studios release their first animated cartoon, The Discontented Canary

2nd

1561 Mary Queen of Scots enters Edinburgh

1666 The Great Fire of London breaks out

1973 J.R.R Tolkien, author of Lord of the Rings, died from a bleeding ulcer and chest infection 

3rd

1189 Richard I crowned King of England at Westminster

1658 Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of England, dies 

4th

1454 Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, was born

1588 Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, died from what is believed to be cancer  

5th

1451 Isabel Neville, eldest daughter of the "King Maker" was born

Isabel was born at Warwick Castle, the seat of the Earls of Warwick to Richard Neville and Anne Beauchamp. As she was the eldest child she was the heiress to the Warwick estate. Her younger sister was Anne Neville, who married Richard III. Because her father was close to the York Royal Family, in July 1469 Isabel was married to George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, younger brother to Edward IV. The wedding was carried out against the Kings orders and was conducted by George Neville. Her husband and father changed sides and plotted against Edward. They had 4 children, 2 of which would cause issues for Henry VII and his son. Isabel died December 1476 just 2 and a half months after the birth of her son Richard. It's believed that it was down to child bed fever, yet her husband thought that she had been poisoned by a lady in waiting on the instruction by Elizabeth Woodville. After laying in state for 35 days, she was interred in an underground vault behind the high alter at Tewkesbury Abbey. The vault was made to accommodate her tomb, once her husband died he was interred beside her. An effigy of the Duke and Duchess was made, but has since crumbled away. Their remains are now in a glass box mounted to the wall of the vault.

1548 Catherine Parr, the last wife of Henry VIII dies after childbirth

1666 The Great Fire of London comes to an end

1946 Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar

6th

1628 Puritans settle in Salem, which would come part of Massachusetts Bay Colony

1997 The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales takes place in London

7th

1533 Queen Elizabeth I was born at Greenwich Palace to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

1571 Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk, is arrested for his part in the Ridolfi plot

1601 John Shakespeare, father of William Shakespeare dies 

8th

1560 Amy Robsart, first wife of Robert Dudley, was found at the bottom of the stairs

1888 The body of Annie Chapman, second victim of Jack the Ripper, was found

Annie was born Eliza Anne Smith in September 1840 in Paddington London. She was the eldest child of five and moved with her family around London. Annie married John Chapman and due to his work again moved around London. The couple had 3 children and would eventually split up in 1884. She moved to Whitechapel and took up lodgings in Dorset Street. At 5.15 am in the back garden of Hanbuy Street, a neighbour heard a woman yelling "NO". Less then an hour later her body was found in the back garden on 29 Hanbury Street. It was immediately noticed that there was connections between this murder and that of the previous one of Mary Nichols. On the 10th September an inquest was held, it would last 5 days. It concluded that she her throat had been cut along with the her abdomen. Annie had been disembowelled, some of which had been placed over her left shoulder while others were placed on the right side. Her uterus and bladder were missing, it was also thought that she had been asphyxiated before her throat was cut. Annie was laid to rest on the 14th September at 9 am in a service that her family had paid for. Her body was placed in a communal grave at Manor Park Cemetery. To date the exact place of her grave is unknown. I will try to do a bigger more in depth blog on this murder as I love Jack the Ripper.

9th

1513 James IV of Scotland dies at the Battle of Flodden

1543 Mary Queen of Scots, was crowned Queen of Scotland at just 9 months old

10th

1515 Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII almoner, is made Cardinal

1888 The inquest into the murder of Annie Chapman started

11th

1297 The Battle of Stirling Bridge takes place, the English are defeated by the Scots

12th

13th

1598 Charles II of Spain died in Madrid from Cancer

1521 William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, is born

1916 Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is born in Wales

14th

1982 Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco and actress, died after a stoke while driving 

15th

1859 Isambard Kingdom Brunel died from a stoke he had 10 days earlier

16th

1400 Owain Glyndwr is declared the Prince of Wales by those that follow him

1386 King Henry V was born in Wales

1932 Peg Enthwistle jumped to her death from the Hollywood sign

Born Millicent Lillian Entwistle in Wales in February 1908. She grew up and spent most of her childhood in West Kensington, London. It's thought that her mother died when she was young, but there is no evidence to prove the fact. She emigrated to America in 1916 and settled in New York. Her father died in 1922, Peg and her half brothers were taken in by her uncle. By 1925 she was slowly making a name for herself on Broadway and was getting credit for the parts that she was playing. In May 1932, she was in Los Angeles for a role in "The Made Hopes". After it closed she gained her one and only credited film role where she played a small role. It premiered a month after her death. On the 18th September, while out for a walk a woman found a woman's shoe, a purse and a jacket. When she opened the purse she found a suicide note inside, she then looked down the mountain and saw the body. It was reported to the police, it was then her uncle who identified her body. He managed to piece together her movements for the last 2 days as she had said 2 days before that she was going for a walk. She died from multiple fractured to her pelvis. Her death brought worldwide publicity.  Her funeral took place on the 20th September in Hollywood, she was then cremated and the ashes sent to Ohio so she could be buried next to her father. For anyone interested, I recently watched a TV show on Netflix that is loosely based on this tragic story. It's called "Hollywood" and is worth a watch.

17th

18th

1970 Jimi Hendrix died from what is believed to be drug abuse

19th

1580 Catherine Brandon, Duchess of Suffolk, died in Lincolnshire

1692 Giles Corey, the only man accused during the Salem Witch Trials was flattened to death 

Giles was an English-American farmer that during the Salem Witch Trials was also accused. He was born in Northampton in August 1611. It is not really known when he arrived in America, but evidence shows that he was there in the 1640's. He owned his own land while in Salem and married 3 times, his first wife Margaret was believed to be married in England and had 4 children. He married Mary after the death of his first wife in 1664 and had another child. In 1676 he was accused of beating to death one of his farm workers, he was found guilty and fined. He married his third wife Martha in 1690. When the Witch Trials started Giles was 85 years old, his wife Martha was arrested in March 1692, due to being so caught up with the arrest and trials he believed the allegations. He was then arrested on the same charge in April, the following day he was put on trial and was then accused of being a wizard by Abigail Hobbs. He denied the accusation and refused to plead. He was placed in prison and a trial was put in place for September, throughout he still didn't plead. Because he refused to plead he could have no trial, instead he was stripped naked with heavy boards laid on his body then rocks were placed on the boards. Giles didn't cry out in pain and after 2 days he was asked to plead but each time asked for more weight. His wife was hung 3 days later. Giles was acquitted of his crimes in 1712, when he died his money was taken away leading to his daughter filing a law suit. 

20th

1486 Prince Arthur, eldest son of Henry VII, was born 

1492 Anne Neville, Countess of Warwick, died

1501 Thomas Grey, son of Elizabeth Woodville, dies

1586 Anthony Babington, who plotted to overthrow Elizabeth I, was hung, drawn and quartered

21st

1411 Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York, is born

22nd

1515 Anne of Cleves, the forth wife of Henry VIII, was born

The exact date of Anne's birth is debated amongst historians, some believe it to be the 28th June while others say 22nd September. She was born in Dusseldorf and was the second daughter of John III, Duke of Cleves and Maria of Julich-Berg. She grew up in Schloss Burg. Her father was keen on the Reformation and was under the influence of Erasmus, but Anne like her mother was a stick Roman Catholic.On the orders of Henry VIII, his court painter, Hans Holbein, arrived in Duren to paint Anne. When the painting arrived in England, Henry was besotted and fell in love. When she arrived in England she spoke no English, but tried to learn things that her new husband was interested in. When Henry first met Anne, she didn't know who it was and he was disgusted by her. They married in January 1540, but the marriage only lasted till July, she agreed to the terms of the annulment. Anne was granted with houses and lands, including Hever Castle. She was also given the title of the "Kings Sister" and was given precedence over the other women at court, including Henry's daughters Mary and Elizabeth. She had a strong relationship with Lady Mary, the future Mary I. Towards the end of her life she fell out of Royal favour, but Mary allowed her to live a quiet life in Chelsea Old Manor. She died in July 1557 from what is believed to be from cancer, she was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey. She was the only wife to outlive Henry and his other wives.

1692 The last accused during the Salem Witch Trials are hung, including Martha Corey

23rd

788 Aelwald I, King of Northumbria, was murdered by Sicga

1459 The Battle of Blore Heath, first battle in the War of the Roses, is won by the Yorkist

24th

1275 Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford, died

1568 The Spanish surrender to the English at the Battle of San Juan de Ulua

25th

1066 The Battle of Stamford Bridge, the Normans are defeated by the English

1615 Arbella Stuart, great-great-granddaughter to Henry VII, died in the Tower of London

1840 Annie Chapman, second victim of Jack the Ripper was born

1929 Comedy writer and performer Ronnie Barker was born

26th

1580 Francis Drake finishes his circumnavigation of Earth

27th

1066 William the Conqueror sets sail, starting the Norman Conquest of England

1965 Clara Bow, the Silent film "It Girl", died from a heart attack

Clara was born in July in what is believed to be 1905, in Brooklyn. She was the third child, but her 2 younger sisters had died in infancy. She had a troubled childhood and moved from house to house due to her father being out of work. Her mother died when she was in her 20's, it broke her and she even threatened to jump in the gave with her. As she grew up she spent her time going to the pictures, like most Americans, it was the break she needed from her miserable life. She entered a competitions with her fathers help and won, at the same time she was introduced to director Christy Cabanne who cast her in "Beyond the Rainbow", everyone was impressed with her. She soon dropped out of school and with the encouragement from her father she went looking for film parts. She soon rose to fame in Silent films and earned herself the nickname the "It Girl".

Once silent films transferred over to talkies she to transferred over and soon became a box office star. But she wasn't a fan of them, they made her nervous, making her have to re-shoot many of her scenes due to feeling under pressure or distracted. She retired from acting in 1933, then in 1937 she opened a cafe in LA. She started showing health issues and slowly withdrew from the public. In 1944 she tried to commit suicide after which a note was found, stating she wanted to die then live. in 1945 she went to the Institute of Living to get treatment for her insomnia and abdominal pains, while there she received shock treatment and tests performed. It was thought that the pain she was in was delusional and she was diagnosed with schizophrenia. However she never went back to her family and lived out the rest of her life alone in a bungalow. In the last years of her life she was in Culver City and was looked after by a nurse Estalla Smith. She lived off her estate that was worth £500,000 by the time she died. She died at the age of 60 from a heart attack, an autopsy attributed to atherosclerosis. Her remains were cremated an she was interred in the Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in California. 

28th

1596 Margaret Clifford, Countess of Derby, died

1836 Thomas Crapper, inventor of the toilet ballcock, is born

29th

1758 Horatio Nelson, Naval Officer, was born

30th

1399 Henry IV is proclaimed King of England

1888 The bodies of Elizabeth Stride and Catherine Eddowes, third and forth victims of Jack the Ripper are found

Like I mentioned before, I will try to do a bigger and more in depth blog about these murders at some point as they fascinate me. Elizabeth Stride was originally from Sweden and moved to London in 1866. At 1 am she her body was found with her throat slit in Dutfield's Yard. The police saw no real connection with this one and that of the previous 2. An inquest was held and despite having her throat cut, there was no other mutilations to her body. On the same night, just down the road, the body of Catherine Eddowes was found in Mitre Square. Her throat had been cut along with mutilation to her face and body. It was soon noticed that this murder defiantly had an connection to the first and second murders. Like the other murders an inquest was held. This murder came after a letter was sent to the press saying that the next victim would have her nose and ear lobes cut off.