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Autograph of the Week

The Grand Old Duke of York

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The grand old Duke of York / He had ten thousand men / He marched them up to the top of the hill / And he marched them down again.Most people remember Frederick Duke of York from the rhyme. His most notable military experience was in Flanders, which is exceptionally flat, so the rhyme may or may not have anything...

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André Massena - one of the best of Napoleon's marshals

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André Massena. One of the best of Napoleon's marshals? Probably, but one who combined some of the best and some of the worst character traits.After the wars were over, Wellington told him that he had caused him more sleepless nights than any other marshal. He was certainly clever, resourceful, tenacious. During the siege of Genoa, he kept a good proportion of...

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The beginnings of the modern civil service

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Josiah Burchett may hold the title of being one of the founders of the civil service as we know it today.A protege of Samuel Pepys, he rose to become Admiralty Secretary. This had usually been a political appointment, so as administrations changed or new monarchs came to the throne, you could expect to be replaced by someone favoured by those...

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Life in Eighteenth Century England

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There's a strange thing about 18th century England. For anyone who had enough money to live in moderate comfort, and especially for those who had the means to live comfortably and participate in "society", it must have been a very pleasant time. Society was polite, witty and full of delicate sentiment.All of which makes it seem, in retrospect, rather dull.There...

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The very real talents of the brother of James Bond's creator

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If Ian Fleming is famous, it is as creator of James Bond and therefore responsible for the film franchise based on the character.But . . . Ian Fleming had a brother. And his brother, Peter Fleming, was an adventure story of his own. A great traveller (unexplored regions of Brazil, Central Asia, China), a travel writer, soldier, and generally always...

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Joseph Paxton's First Patron

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William Cavendish, 6th Duke of Devonshire had the most glamorous mother in 18th century England. Little wonder, therefore, that his own story is overshadowed by Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.But he has more than enough to his credit. A prominent Whig, very much in the mould of his mother's friend Charles James Fox, he was a supporter of the abolition of...

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Happy New Year!

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2024 beckons! May it be a happy, joyful and peaceful year. I wish you all good friends, good cheer and good fortune. But most of all, good friends.    View This Autograph .  

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Something Mediaeval at Christmastime

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There's something about the ecclesiastical and the mediaeval that connects with the Christmas period. These are later wax impressions of mediaeval seals, but they are still evocative. And the last image is of the murder of Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral ... which took place four days after Christmas. The details are wonderful.  VIEW THIS AUTOGRAPH

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The Trial of the Bravest of the Brave

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Marshal Ney is probably the most popular of all Napoleon's marshals - he was certainly the most popular with the men who served under him. Napoleon called him "The Bravest of the Brave" and his red hair earned him the nickname Le Lion Rouge.Honourable, devoted to the welfare of his men - his leadership during the catastrophic retreat from Moscow...

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Margot Asquith delivers a piece of her mind - as only she knew how

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Some people are more opinionated than others. And when it comes to Margot Asquith, well . . . nobody did it better. Here she is giving Lord Knutsford her opinion on the statue of Edith Cavell now by the National Portrait Gallery (she didn't like it); the statue of Florence Nightingale (she liked it even less); and the difference between Tories...

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A Pioneer of Homeopathy

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This is signed "Prince de la Moskowa". but it's not the heroic Marshal Ney. It's his son, Napoleon-Joseph Ney (many of Napoleon's marshals named their sons after the emperor - there must have been a lot of young Napoleons in France at one point).But why is it so interesting? Because he was a believer in homeopathy. And he was able...

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Going home to Aldeburgh

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In the first part of the 19th century, George Crabbe was an admired poet. Have you read any of his work? Not very many people have today.But if I mention that he was happy to return to his home town of Aldeburgh (using the variant spelling Aldborough) it might spark some interest. Indeed, Aldeburgh's other famous resident, Benjamin Britten, used...

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