aBurntShip

Interview with Matthew C. Widdowson of Jacobite Productions  It was a pleasure indeed to hear the live streaming on 'Soundcloud' of Matthew Widdowson's new play 'Black Friday 1745' :  On 6th December 1745, at Exeter House, Derby, the Jacobite rebels held a Council of War which was to have major consequences to the history of Britain and beyond. Bonnie Prince Charlie had landed in Scotland to claim the throne in the name of his father James. His army,  with a high proportion of  Highlanders amongst the 6,000 or so soldiers, had been  extremely successful. The rebels had  even reached Derby, and were deciding whether or not to head for Northampton, then London, to take the throne. Two Hanoverian armies were trying to catch up with them, of around 10,000 men each. New recruits to the Jacobites were in short supply, reflecting English and Welsh indifference ( in fact only three men joined at Derby). They could head south and aim for London, but risk...

    Poetry relating to the Battle of Poltava 1709 C harles XII of Sweden and Ivan Mazepa after The Battle of Poltav- Gustav Cederstrom Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons          This is the first post about poetry connected to the Battle of Poltava 1709, starting with Byron’s 1819 poem ‘Mazeppa’ (sic)  , named after the Ukrainian Cossack leader Ivan Mazepa ( 1639- 1709 ).                “Twas after dread Poltova’s day                 When fortune left the Royal Swede,                 Around a slaughter’d army lay                 No more to combat and to bleed    ...

' M icah Clarke '  Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novel  about the  Monmouth Rebellion from 1889. I am very grateful to the 'ECW  & Stuart era Fiction' Facebook group  for directing me to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's novel  'Micah Clarke- His Statement As Made To His Three Grandchildren Joseph, Gervais, and Rueben During The Hard Winter of 1734'. The picture depicts the Duke of Monmouth landing in Lyme Regis in 1685.  From p. 380 of the 1873 book British Battles on Land and Sea , volume 1.by James Grant. In the public domain courtesy of the British Library & Wikipedia UK  ''Micah Clarke' is a fictionalised account of a young veteran of the doomed 1685 West Country rebellion led by the Duke of Monmouth against (Roman Catholic) James II ascending the throne of upon the death of Charles II. Micah Clarke, born in Havant, remains in the district and heads west, which offers more scope for adventure, as he joins the rebellion when it is well und...

Andrew Marvell 'Horation Ode  upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland '                                            Returning to Andrew Marvell ( 31st March 1621- 16th August 1678), thought that would be helpful to look at 'An Horation Ode upon Cromwell's Return from Ireland' , written in 1650, but can find no record of it ever being published until after the poet's death.                                            Picture of Andrew Marvell courtesy Wikipedia                     There are many fascinating aspects to this poem. The use of Rome as a major political and cultural reference point during the Commonwealth for one. Moreover, Cromwell's Irish campaign from 15th August 1649- 26th May 1650 evokes such ...

                                    Richard Lovelace - Kent Cavalier Poet                                         Image courtesy of Noel Craggs, South-East History Boards                             I am always fascinated by the use of poetry on war memorials. Discovered, thanks to a discussion on the South East History Boards that some lines by Richard Lovelace, the Cavalier Poet,  ( 1618-1658 ) from the poem 'Grasshopper', are quoted on a plaque placed on a stone to mark 'The last stand of the Royalist Defenders of Maidstone' , facing  General Fairfax storming of the city on 1st June 1648. This phase of the Second Civil War was a precursor to the Siege of Colchester already covered by this blog..The lines ar...

Happy New Year to all blog readers. Following the interview with Mark Vine, author of the Crabchurch Conspiracy, I will be attending the  Crabchurch Conspiracy Weekend  from March 2nd-4th 2018 over in Weymouth .                                 John Milton ( 1608- 1674)                                       'Lord Fairfax and the Siege of Colchester' sonnet XV                                                                                              Portrait of John Milton, (c.1639) National Portrait Gallery             ...