by David West | Aug 17, 2026 | News
On the 17th of August, 1597, Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and Sir Walter Raleigh set sail on an expedition to the Azores. With Essex was Sir Anthony Standen, the elder brother of my 10th great-grandfather. The voyage is an episode in The Spy who Sank the Armada,...
by David West | Aug 16, 2026 | News
On the 16th of August, 1876, Richard Wagner’s Siegfried premiered at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. It was the penultimate opera of his Ring cycle. I have written about a few composers including Mozart and Beethoven, so let’s have a look at Wagner. Richard Wagner was one...
by David West | Aug 15, 2026 | News
On the 15th of August, 1858, Edith Nesbit was born. She is most well known as the author of The Railway Children. However she was also a political activist and one of the nine founding members of the Fabian Society, a precursor of the Labour Party. Edith Nesbit,...
by David West | Aug 14, 2026 | News
The Battle of Yellow Ford, fought on the 14th of August, 1598, was one of the most devastating defeats ever suffered by English forces in Ireland. Taking place near the River Blackwater in County Armagh, it marked the high point of the Irish resistance during the Nine...
by David West | Aug 13, 2026 | News
This is really starting to get difficult. I’m searching for events for the 13th of August. Michael Servetus was arrested by John Calvin for heresy in 1553, but I’ve written about him already. In 1624 Louis XIII appointed Cardinal Richelieu as prime minister but I’ve...
