The Militia was a military organization of citizens with limited military training, which was available for emergency service, usually local defence.
A sinking fund is a fund accumulated and set aside by a corporation or government agency for the purpose of periodically redeeming bonds, debentures, and preferred stocks. The fund is accumulated from earnings, and payments into the fund may be based on either a fixed percentage of the outstanding debt or a fixed percentage of profits. Sinking funds are administered separately from the corporation's working funds by a trust company or a sinking-fund trustee.
Calcutta was the former capital (1772-1912) of British India.
Miniature painting flourished from the mid-sixteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century.
Hermetic philosophy is based on a bundle of manuscript purported to have been written by or to report almost at first hand the activities of the legendary priest, prophet, and sage Hermes Trismegistos. These comprised works of revelation on occult, theological and philosophical subjects, most notably alchemy.
Samuel Stryk (1640-1710) was a leading German lawyer and Professor of Law, who was active in developing German law from native sources, rather than from received Roman law.
Robert of Gloucester (fl 1260-1300) is only known through his vernacular chronicle of English history. It is thought that he may have been a monk of Gloucester.
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The Act of Union was a treaty (1 May 1707) that effected the union of England and Scotland under the name of Great Britain.
A bill of lading is a document which is issued by the transportation carrier to the shipper acknowledging that they have received the shipment of goods and that they have been placed on board a particular vessel which is bound for a particular destination and states the terms in which these goods received are to be carried.
The report relates to the enquiry into the financial administration of James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope, as Commander-in-Chief of the British Army in Catalonia in 1708, in particular to the recoining of silver sent to Spain from Italy during the War of Spanish Succession (1701-1714).
Adriano (Tomaso) Banchieri was an Italian composer, organist, and writer on music. In 1587 he joined the order of the Olivetans, and he subsequently lived and worked at its monasteries in Lucca, Siena, Bosco, Imola, Gubbo, Venice, and Verona. In 1609 he settled at San Michele in Bosco, where he lived for the rest of his life. He was named professor in 1613 and abbot in 1618. In 1615 in Bologna he founded the Accademia dei Floridi. He was an associate of Monteverdi, and his writings are important works in early Baroque music theory. He composed Masses, Psalm settings, motets, music for Offices, madrigals, and theatre works. These last were actually books of madrigals on related texts, using stock comic characters. They were often performed together as madrigal comedies, written to his own texts for the entertainment of Bologna's brilliant social circles. His writings in these fields were often issued under the pseudonym of Camillo Scaliggeri dalla Fratta, or, in the case of his popular La nobilità dell'asino (`The Nobility of the Ass') the improbable Attabalippa dal Peru. John Payne Collier (1789-1883) was an English critic, editor, and forger. The marginal notes and signatures supposedly discovered by him on original documents, especially those concerned with Shakespeare, were later exposed as having been forged by him while in the service of the Duke of Devonshire. His authentic work included A Bibliographical and Critical Account of the Rarest Books in the English Language (1865) and the reprinting of early English tracts.
According to Boyle's fashionable court and country guide and the Post Office London Directory, 10 Avenue Road, Regent's Park, London, was occupied by Charles and Mrs Otter in April 1838, and by Mrs Smith and Miss Prest in 1844, 1845 and 1847.
With a main line of 127.25 miles, the Leeds and Liverpool is the longest canal in Britain. It links the seaport of Liverpool with the Aire and Calder Navigation at Leeds, forming a through route between the Irish Sea and the North Sea. It was proposed in the 1760s as a joint enterprise between the merchants of Yorkshire and Lancashire, though there were some heated discussions as to the route the canal should take. The route finally chosen was up the Aire valley to Gargrave, then through Padiham, Whalley and Leyland to Liverpool, with a link to Wigan, and work started at each end simultaneously. By 1777, when the canal was open from Liverpool to Wigan and from Leeds to Gargrave, the company ran out of money. Construction ceased until 1790 when the economy improved and more finance was available, but the development of East Lancashire as an industrial area meant the proposed line of canal was altered. When it opened throughout, in 1816, it had been constructed along the route first suggested by the Liverpool merchants, through Wigan, Chorley, Blackburn and Burnley, joining the Yorkshiremen's line at Foulridge.
Frederick Christian Post (fl 1710-1785) was a Moravian missionary, who spent the greater part if his life in preaching to the Indians of Pennyslvania and Ohio. He travelled extensively in that area, and was even used as an official government messenger to the hostile Indians, among whom he succeeded in securing a kind of neutrality. His other diplomatic adventures, undertaken during the struggle for colonial supremacy between the French and English in America, included a expedition into the area of Fort DuQuesne, whose French commandant offered a price upon his head, and a trip to carry news of the treaty of Easton (Oct 1758) and pave the way for General John Forbes's advance. Post kept several journals describing his journeys.
The New River, an idea proposed and partly financed by the Welsh businessman and engineer Hugh Middleton, was constructed between 1609 and 1613 from Anwell and Chadwell in Hertfordshire to Islington, London, in order to convey fresh water to the City of London.
The English Parliament is the main legislative body of the country. Politicians and Lords who disagreed with proposed legislation could protest, or enter their dissents to any votes of the House, either with or without their reasons. These dissents were entered and signed in the Clerk's book.
The missal is a book which contains the prayers said by the priest at the altar as well as all that is officially read or sung in connection with the offering of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the ecclesiastical year.
A medieval psalter usually comprised a Calendar, the 150 Psalms, and a collection of canticles and creeds. The three text-types worked together in the practice of the Divine Office, the Church's daily public prayer. When a psalter-book was intended for private use as well, other texts, such as prologues, hymns, or favourite prayers were added.
The Missal is a liturgical book which contains the prayers said by the priest at the altar as well as all that is officially read or sung in connection with the offering of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the ecclesiastical year.
Situated in the parish of St Giles in the Fields, Soho, London, Hog Lane was an ancient medieval thoroughfare, which seems to have been renamed as Crown Street and West Street before being incorporated into Charing Cross Road.
Maistre Wace (c 1112-1174) was an Anglo-Norman poet born in Jersey. His works included Chroniques des Ducs de Normandie, Vie de Saint Nicolas, Le Roman de Rou, and Vies de la Vierge Marie et de Saint George. The work in question, Le Roman de Brut was a verse-paraphrase written in 1155, which was based on the history of Britain written by Geoffrey of Monmouth, and introduced the Round Table into the legend of King Arthur.
William Noy (or Noye) was born in 1577. He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford University, and became a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in 1602. Noy represented several boroughs in Cornwall from 1604, and led an attack on monopolies in 1621. He was made Attorney-General for King Charles I in 1631, and incurred popular odium due to the revival of the forest laws, the soap monopoly, and the writ of ship money. Noy died in 1634.
Kyng Alisaunder is a long and sophisticated thirteenth century romance poem, written in Middle English, about the life of Alexander the Great.
Publius Cornelius Tacitus (c AD 56-117) was a Roman orator, public official and historian. He was a friend of Pliny the Younger and married the daughter of Gaius Julius Agricola. In AD 97 he was appointed substitute consul under Nerva, and later he was proconsul of Asia. Tacitus was the author of several works, including Dialogus, a discussion of oratory, and Germania, on the origins and location of the Germans. A sense of moral purpose and severe criticism of contemporary Rome, fallen from the virtuous vigor of the old republic, underlies his two longer works, commonly known as the Histories (of which four books and part of a fifth survive) and the Annals (of which twelve books survive). The extant books of the Histories cover only the reign of Galba (AD 68-69) and the beginning (to AD 70) of the reign of Vespasian, and the surviving books of the Annals tell of the reign of Tiberius, of the last years of Claudius, and of the first years of Nero.
The Exchequer was responsible for receiving and dispersing the public revenue. Excise are inland duties levied on articles at the time of their manufacture, notably, alcoholic drinks, but has also included salt, paper and glass. The term 'customs' applied to customary payments or dues of any kind, regal, episcopal or ecclesiastical until it became restricted to duties payable to the King upon export or import of certain articles of commerce. In 1635, King Charles I opened the Royal mail to the public, and in 1680, an enterprising businessman named William Dockwra set up an efficient and compressive local post within London. It was privately run at first, then taken over by the Post Office on the prompting of the Duke of York, later King James II.
An antiphoner was a liturgical book containing antiphons, the sung portions of the Divine office, both texts and notation. Such books were often of a large format, to be used by a choir.
After the Glorious Revolution of 1688, control of the major aspects of English coinage passed from the Crown to Parliament. Charles Montagu, Chancellor of the Exchequer, solicited advice from a selection of eminent persons on solutions to the poor state of the silver coinage, 1695-1696.
A medieval psalter usually comprised a Calendar, the 150 Psalms, and a collection of canticles and creeds. The three text-types worked together in the practice of the Divine Office, the Church's daily public prayer. When a psalter-book was intended for private use as well, other texts, such as prologues, hymns, or favourite prayers were added. The psalter from which the miniatures were taken was probably made in the Ile de France in 1225-1250; the style is similar to that found in the miniatures of the Missal of St Corneille, Compiegne (held at the Bibliotheques Nationales, Paris, as Ms Latin 17318).
The Escalade of Geneva took place on 11-12 December 1602, when the soldiers of Duke Charles Emmanuel of Savoy attempted a siege of the city, which the Duke wanted as the capital of his aspiring kingdom. The citizens defended their city and drove off the attackers, thus preserving the independence of Geneva. Several legends have grown up around this historical event, and there is an annual festival on this date.
The island of Newfoundland is situated off the eastern coast of North America between the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean, and is one of the four Atlantic provinces of Canada. Claimed as an English possession in 1583, British sovereignty of the island was recognised in 1713 by the Peace of Utrecht. During the nineteenth century, the population was swelled by labourers brought over from Britain to work in the fisheries, which were the main industry of Newfoundland. In 1855, the island was granted self-government.
The term 'customs' applied to customary payments or dues of any kind, regal, episcopal or ecclesiastical until it became restricted to duties payable to the King upon export or import of certain articles of commerce.
The War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713), was fought against France over the choice of successor to the throne of Charles II of Spain. England, Holland, Austria and most of the German states sided against France, and a series of battles were fought in Europe. The Dutch and English armies were led by John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough.
James Brydges (1674-1744), successively Earl of Carnarvan and Duke of Chandos, was Paymaster General to the Forces during this period, and managed to accumulate a large personal fortune through the illicit investment of public funds and bribes paid by merchants.
John Warrow was born in Africa in 1810.
Great Tower Street is in the centre of the City of London, and was formerly the site of the parish church of St Dunstan in the East, which was built in the 13th century. For biographical details of William Allen, see A.B. Beaven, The aldermen of the City of London (1908). He may have been the same William Allen who was elected Mayor of London in 1571.
The English Parliament is the main legislative body of the country, and at this time consisted of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the fledgling Cabinet.
Lanarkshire is a county of south-west Scotland.
The Bank of Scotland was established by an Act of the Parliament of Scotland in 1695, and the Royal Bank of Scotland was founded as a corporation by grant of a Royal Charter under the Great Seal of Scotland, May 1727.
The East India Company (formally called the Governor and Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies (1600-1708) and the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies (1708-1873)), was an English company formed for the exploitation of the spice trade in East and Southeast Asia and India. It was incorporated by Royal Charter in December 1600.
Quincampoix is a parish in France, in the Rouen area, founded in 1215.
Excise are inland duties levied on articles at the time of their manufacture, notably, alcoholic drinks, but has also included salt, paper and glass.
Thomas Grey, 2nd Earl of Stamford (1653-1720), was married to Elizabeth Harvey, daughter of Sir Daniel Harvey, Ambassador to Constantinople, some time between 1673 and early 1675. They separated for the first time in late 1675, though subsequently went on to have three children together, all of which died in infancy. Grey was imprisoned in the Tower of London for suspected treason from 1685-1686, and his accusations against his wife probably date from this time.
The Court of Arches was the consistory court belonging to the archbishop of Canterbury for the trial of spiritual causes, and heard cases relating to matrimonial affairs, correction of morals, parochial affairs, and defamation.
The Lord Chamberlain is the senior member of the Royal Household. Originally the king's personal quarters were his 'chamber' - by the thirteenth century the chamber had developed into an office with clerks and servants. By the late fourteenth century the Chamberlain was one of the five main officers of the royal government, along with the Chancellor, the Treasurer, the Keeper of the Privy Seal, and the Steward. The role of the Lord Chamberlain is to oversee the conduct and general business of the Royal Household and the private estates of the king.
The term 'customs' applied to customary payments or dues of any kind, regal, episcopal or ecclesiastical until it became restricted to duties payable to the King upon export or import of certain articles of commerce. Excise are inland duties levied on articles at the time of their manufacture, notably, alcoholic drinks, but has also included salt, paper and glass.
Herbert Somerton Foxwell (1849-1936) was a dedicated book-collector and bibliophile, who formed a large collection of economic books printed before 1848. In 1901, Foxwell sold his library to the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths (Goldsmith's Company) for £10, 000 in 1901. At that time it contained about 30,000 books. The Company also generously provided Foxwell with a series the wherewithal to make further acquisitions for addition to the Library, which was given to the University of London in 1903.
By 1811, relations between Russia and France were deteriorating. In 1805, Alexander I, Tsar of Russia, had joined the coalition against Napoleon I. Defeats at Austerlitz and Friedland, however, led to a Russian-French Alliance agreed by the Treaty of Tilsot in 1807. Relations were soured by Alexander's liberal interpretation of Napoleon's Continental System, Russian fears concerning the possible unification of Poland, and quarrels over the independence of Prussia which led to French troops close to the Russian border. In 1811, Napoleon broke the Treaty of Tilsot by annexing Oldenburg, and the alliance was broken. Napoleon invaded Russia the next year, but was defeated.
For a reconstruction of this interview, see A.Vandal, Napoleon et Alexandre I (Paris, 1896), vol.III, c.6, and vol.III, p.212 n.1 for the sources on which he bases his account.
Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte (1763-1844) was a French soldier who rose through the ranks to serve under Napoleon in the Italian Campaign (1796-1797). He was French Ambassador at Vienna (1798) and Minister of War (1799), and played a prominent part in the victory of Austerlitz in 1805. Napoleon created him Marshal of the Empire (1804) and Prince of Ponte Corvo (1806). In 1809, Gustavus IV of Sweden abdicated and was succeeded by his aged and childless uncle Charles XIII. In the search for a successor, the Swedes approached Bernadotte, who, with the support of Napoleon, was elected crown prince and adopted (1810) by Charles XIII as Charles John. Taking control of the government, Charles John, who desired the acquisition of Norway from Denmark, threw in his lot with England and Russia against France and Denmark, and played an important part in the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig (1813). In 1814, the Danes ceded Norway in the Treaty of Kiel. Charles John succeeded to a joint kingdom in 1818 as Charles XIV.
The Venerable Bede (672/3-735) was born and lived in Northumberland. For most of his life he was a monk at Monkwearmouth and Jarrow monastery, where he dedicated his time to prayer and writing. His most famous work is the 'Ecclesiastical history of the English people', which details Christianity in England from the beginning to Bede's own day.
The principal royal seal is the great seal, introduced in the 11th century, and used to authenticate official documents. The amount and nature of the business passing through the royal chancery made it increasingly impractical for the writing office to continue within the king's household and the Chancellor, rather than the king himself, held the great seal in his care. The privy seal, taking over as the king's own personal or private seal, evolved within the King's household and eventually this office also moved out with the king's immediate control (to that of the Lord Privy Seal), changing from a mark of personal authentication to an official seal used in minor official matters.
Excise are inland duties levied on articles at the time of their manufacture, notably, alcoholic drinks, but has also included salt, paper and glass. In 1643 a Board of Excise was established by the Long Parliament, to organize the collection of duties in London and the provinces. Excise duty was settled by statute despite widespread aversion in 1660. A permanent board of Excise for England and Wales was established in 1683 with separate boards for Ireland in 1682 and Scotland in 1707.