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Dick Whittington And His Cat
''Dick Whittington and His Cat'' is the English folklore surrounding the real-life Richard Whittington ( 1354 – 1423), wealthy merchant and later Lord Mayor of London. The legend describes his rise from poverty-stricken childhood with the fortune he made through the sale of his cat to a rat-infested country. Although the real Whittington was actually of high birth and likely did not own a cat, he did become a merchant and politician and was remembered for his public projects and charitable investments. Another element in the legend is that Dick attempted to flee his service as a scullion one night, heading towards home (or reached Highgate Hill in later tradition), but was dissuaded by the sound of Bow bells, which promised he would be mayor of London one day. Since the pre-Victorian era, the story has been a favourite subject of British pantomime, especially during Christmas season. Overview Written forms date from the early 1600s, over 150 years after the death of the h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Powell (puppetry)
Martin Powell, (''fl''. 1709–1720; d. 1729) was an Irish master puppeteer and puppet show impresario, who put on a repertoire of satirical and parodical marionette shows that invariably featured the Punch character. He drew audiences first at provincial towns such as Bath, then moving his venue to London. His theatre (dubbed "Punch's Opera" or "Punch's Theatre") established itself in early 1710 at its first location, at the north end of St. Martin's Street intersected by Litchfield St., not quite in Covent Garden. But by 1711 he relocated the theatre to the galleries of Covent Garden, at Little Piazza, opposite St. Paul's Church. He has been credited with establishing the stock form of the Punch and Judy plays. Charles Magnin, the learned author of the ''Histoire des Marionnettes en Europe'', calls the years of Powell's pre-eminence "the golden age of marionettes in England." It has been commented "Powell is described as a deformed cripple but his powers of satire were co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey, just inside the City of London, England, originally at the site of Newgate, a gate in the Roman London Wall. Built in the 12th century and demolished in 1904, the prison was extended and rebuilt many times, and remained in use for over 700 years, from 1188 to 1902. In the late 18th century, executions by hanging were moved here from the Tyburn gallows. These took place on the public street in front of the prison, drawing crowds until 1868, when they were moved into the prison. For much of its history, a succession of criminal courtrooms were attached to the prison, commonly referred to as the "Old Bailey". The present Old Bailey (officially, Central Criminal Court) now occupies much of the site of the prison. History In the 12th century, Henry II instituted legal reforms that gave the Crown more control over the administration of justice. As part of his Assize of Clarendon of 1166, he required th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
College (canon Law)
A college, in the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, is a collection () of persons united together for a common object so as to form one body. The members are consequently said to be incorporated, or to form a corporation. History Colleges existed among the Romans and Greeks from the earliest times. The Roman laws required at least three persons for constituting a college. Legal incorporation was made, at least in some cases, by decrees of the Senate, edicts of the emperor, or by special laws. There were, however, general laws under which colleges could be formed by private persons, and if the authorities judged that the members had conformed to the letter and spirit of these laws, they had incontestable rights as ''collegia legitima''; if the requisites were not adhered to they could be suppressed by administrative act. The colleges could hold property in common and could sue and be sued. In case of failure this common property could be seized, but that of the individual ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leadenhall Street
__NOTOC__ Leadenhall Street () is a street in the City of London. It is about and links Cornhill, London, Cornhill in the west to Aldgate in the east. It was formerly the start of the A11 road (England), A11 road from London to Norwich, but that route now starts further east at Aldgate. Leadenhall Street has always been a centre of commerce. It connected the medieval market of Leaden Hall with Aldgate, the eastern gate in the Roman city wall. The East India Company had its headquarters there, as later did P&O. By the mid 20th century, grand stone-faced offices lined the street. Today it is closely associated with the insurance industry and particularly the Lloyd’s of London, Lloyd's insurance market, with its dramatic building in the adjacent Lime Street. It forms part of a cluster of tall buildings including the 48-storey 122 Leadenhall Street and the 38-storey The Scalpel, Scalpel. Other buildings planned for the street include the 57-storey 100 Leadenhall, the 50-storey Pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barbary Coast
The Barbary Coast (also Barbary, Berbery, or Berber Coast) were the coastal regions of central and western North Africa, more specifically, the Maghreb and the Ottoman borderlands consisting of the regencies in Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, as well as the Sultanate of Morocco from the 16th to 19th centuries. The term originates from an exonym for the Berbers. Political Diversity Barbary was not always a unified political entity. From the 16th century onward, it was divided into four political entities—from west to east—the Alawi Sultanate, the Regency of Algiers, the Regency of Tunis, and the Regency of Tripoli. Major rulers and petty monarchs during the times of the Barbary states' plundering parties included the sultan of Morocco, the dey of Algiers, bey of Tunis, and pasha of Tripoli, respectively. The slave trade The slave trade was not just an economic lifeline to the Barbary States, but was often justified as a form of jihad against Christian states. Al ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bow Bells
The Church of St Mary-le-Bow () is a Church of England parish church in the City of London, England. Located on Cheapside, one of the city's oldest thoroughfares, the church was founded in 1080, by Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canterbury. Rebuilt several times over the ensuing centuries, the present church is the work of Sir Christopher Wren, following the Great Fire of London (1666). With its tall spire, it is still a landmark in the City of London, being the third highest of any Wren church, surpassed only by nearby St Paul's Cathedral and St Bride's, Fleet Street. At a cost of over £15,000, it was also his second most expensive, again only surpassed by St Paul's Cathedral. St Mary-le-Bow is widely known for its bells, which also feature in the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons". According to legend, Dick Whittington heard the bells calling him back to the city in 1392, leading him to become Lord Mayor. Traditionally, anyone born within earshot of the bells was considered to be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bunhill Fields
Bunhill Fields is a former burial ground in central London, in the London Borough of Islington, just north of the City of London. What remains is about in extent and the bulk of the site is a public garden maintained by the City of London Corporation. It was first in devoted use as a burial ground from 1665 until 1854, in which period approximately 123,000 interments were estimated to have taken place. Over 2,000 monuments remain, for the most part in concentrated blocks. It was a prototype of land-use protected, nondenominational grounds, and was particularly favoured by Nonconformist (Protestantism), nonconformists who passed their final years in the region. It contains the graves of many notable people, including John Bunyan (died 1688), author of ''The Pilgrim's Progress''; Daniel Defoe (died 1731), author of ''Robinson Crusoe''; William Blake (died 1827), artist, poet, and mystic; Susanna Wesley (died 1742), known as the "Mother of Methodism" through her education of sons ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garret
A garret is a habitable attic, a living space at the top of a house or larger residential building, traditionally small with sloping ceilings. In the days before elevators this was the least prestigious position in a building, at the very top of the stairs. Etymology The word entered Middle English through Old French with a military connotation of watchtower, garrison or billet a place for guards or soldiers to be quartered in a house. Like garrison, it comes from an Old French word of ultimately Germanic languages, Germanic origin meaning "to provide" or "defend". History In the later 19th century, garrets became one of the defining features of Second Empire architecture in Paris, France, where large buildings were stratified socially between different floors. As the number of stairs to climb increased, the social status decreased. Garrets were often internal elements of the mansard roof, with skylights or dormer windows. A "bow garret" is a two-story "outhouse" s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scullion
Scullion may refer to: * The Irish surname derived from 'Ó Scolláin' meaning 'descendant of the/a scholar' * a servant from the lower classes ** a male performing the duties of a scullery maid Music * Scullion (group), an Irish folk rock band * ''Scullion'' (album) People with the surname * Brooke Scullion (born 1999), Irish singer * Liam Scullion (born 2001), Scottish footballer * Michelle Scullion (born 1957), New Zealand musician and composer *Nigel Scullion Nigel Gregory Scullion (born 4 May 1956) is a former Australian politician who served a senator for the Northern Territory from 2001 until 2019. He was a member of the Country Liberal Party (CLP) and sat with the National Party in federal parl ..., Australian politician *Stephen Scullion, Northern Irish runner *Tony Scullion, Irish Gaelic footballer See also *Skullion - the main character in the novels ''Porterhouse Blue'' and ''Grantchester Grind'' {{disambiguation, surname ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London Streets Are Paved With Gold
"London streets are paved with gold" is a saying that came from the 19th century story ''Dick Whittington and His Cat'', loosely based on the 14th century Lord Mayor of London, Richard Whittington. The saying, which expresses the idea of a "land of opportunity", is partly ironic, since Dick Whittington found when he went to London that the streets were in fact grimy and poverty stricken. The second irony was that with persistence, belief, and luck, Whittington was able to become successful. The phrase appears in ''The Universal Songster'' (1826) — "The tykes no more can now be told / That London streets are paved with gold; / For, wishing their tales e'en to trepan, / He knocks gold from the stones does the highwayman." ''The Leisure Hour'' (1866) wrote that "The rural poor grow up (we are told) with the notion that London is a mine of wealth — that its streets are "paved with gold;" and their heads are full of traditions of pennyless youngsters getting on in London until t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
