A Historical Limerick for a change.

Drowning Clarence in a butt of Malmsey wine

Duke of Clarence was drowned in a butt
Malmsey wine for that year was in glut
There’s no doubt he was dead
But some say that his head
From an ax-man had suffered a cut.

George, Duke of Clarence, a royal prince of the House of York at the time of the war of the Roses, was assassinated in 1478 because he plotted with the Lancastrians against his brother, King Edward IV. It is said he was drowned in a butt of Malmsey wine, but some said he was secretly beheaded.

To relax I often write limericks and nearly Wednesday I write a Science Limerick which I post, with some of the background science, on my other blog "Trapped by the Box." I also occasionally enter limericks in the MadKane weekly limerick romp - and this week the first line had to end with "but" or "butt" and the above was my attempt to write something different ... Perhaps I should try and write some about Hertfordshire history ...

Hawkswick - A typical Victorian Gentleman's Residence

Hawksbury, St Michaels, St Albans circa 1900

Hawkswick, St Michaels parish, St Albans, was built around 1870 and was the home of four well-to-do businessmen and a Countess, and their live-in domestic staff. It is a good example of the kind of country home that successful businessmen were building or living in, within an hour's train journey into London. After the First World War, followed by the 1920's depression, such houses became uneconomical, which may be the reason why Hawkswick was demolished in 1931. The owners, or later tenants, were:

George Fernley Whittingstall,   c1870 - 1873

George Checkland,   1873 - 1879

John Sherriff Hill,   1881- 1897

Dowger Countess of Limerick,   1898-1900

Walter Reynolds,  1900 - 1924

I have updated the biographical information about the families who lived there, including additional press coverage. Further information about the house, with an emphasis on its description based on  several surviving sales brochures is available in Christine Aitken's excellent book on Childwickbury - which I have just reviewed. Christine and I used very different sources, and as a result our two accounts nicely complement each other.

St Michaels

St Albans

In addition I have taken the opportunity to restructure the pages on the parish of St Michael, part of which was in the borough of St Albans and the rest (including Childwickbury, Hawksbury and Gorhambury) were in the rural part of the parish.

Edward Lear and the Old Person of Tring

I visited the Tring Local History Museum today, and noticed that, in addition to many local history booklets, their sales desk had some new post cards including one showing Edwards Lear's limerick about the Old Person of Tring.

So if you are in Tring on a Friday or Saturday why not have a look at this pleasant little museum, run entirely by volunteers.