Happy 18th Emma B

Happy Birthday Emma and thanks for the cake. You really are quite old now. Hope you have had a great day - I know things have been tough but maybe Rafa will quit soon.

Upper Sixth - Hear Gladstone Speak

The Liberal Democrat History Group site is a useful resource and can be found here. If you follow the 'audio sources' link on the left you will be able to hear a rare recording of Gladstone's voice.

British Association for American Studies

You may find this useful - especially Upper Sixth looking for resources for their Historical Enquiry. Click on Resources. The BAAS Pamphlets are available online but you might find useful suggestions elsewhere. The BAAS homepage is here.

Lower Sixth - Castlereagh and Canning

There are some student answers here with suggestions on how to improve them. The question is from an OCR paper but it is still worth a look.

Upper Sixth - interesting article

The latest online edition of New Perspective (Volume 15 No.2)has an interesting Ian St. John article on G & D and their 1852 budget clash. This is not on the Spec but just the sort of additional knowledge - if relevantly applied - that could make a candidate stand out. Access via the Study Centre and then click on e-New Perspective (3rd one down). If you have forgotten the password check out the blog entry below. Could I ask anyone that reads this (my blog entry I mean, not the article) to comment just so I know you have read it.

Cheers

Useful Website

This website contains a lot of useful articles, study guides etc. The Study Centre, which contains all the articles, is password protected. You will require the following:-

Username - schama

Password - sD3pb3dH

Advanced History Students' Guide

The blog is back. Have a look at this - it can't hurt and it could be really useful. Also some of you (you know who you are) will be desperate to try this Idiot Test.

Benjamin Disraeli

Free video - a brief take on Disraeli and the significance of his Jewishness can be found here
If you need ideas for Father Christmas this is good.

He would not tolerate his wife's company unless he was drunk

This was said of George IV with regard to Caroline of Brunswick. Get the full story here - read to the end it is interesting. In terms of AS all you really need to know is it added to Tory unpopularity and was, arguably, a factor in the reshuffle.

Lower Sixth - Who is he?

He became Marquis of Londonderry in April 1821 - but we know him better as whom?

Upper Sixth - Who said this about what?

'Our object is to complete the present voluntary system, to fill up gaps, sparing the public money where it can be done without, procuring as much as we can the assistance of the parents, and welcoming ... the co-operation and aid of those benevolent men who desire to assist their neighbours' (These actual words were spoken in Parliament on 17 February 1870 but by whom about what?)

Gladstone Twitter

Ok - this is a genuine competition with a real prize - Upper Sixth you have to send me a Tweet, as a comment to this part of the blog, which summarises the domestic legislation of Gladstone's first ministry. For the uninitiated a Tweet is a message of 140 characters or fewer. For example a Tweet about Man United might read

Red favourite of the prawn sandwich eaters. They play until the ref is told to blow by gum-chewing Fergie. Have huge Essex fanbase.

The above is 130 characters but it should give you some idea. Don't cheat on length of Tweet because I will check. Prize is awarded entirely at my discretion closing date is Friday 3.45 p.m.

Good Luck

Interactive Timeline

This is a tool which I hope you may find useful. Lower Sixth for example could use it for 1815-20 causes of discontent, Upper Sixth for the Reforms of Gladstone's First Ministry. There is an option to colour code events (e.g. Govt. actions, end of wars, underlying factors (L6) or Meritocratic, Trade Union, Social (U6)). Should be useful for revision and or essay planning.

Click here for full screen version

Max Sworder

Max has correctly identified the picture as being of the Prime Minister Lord Liverpool. His prize is to get a special mention on the blog. Well done Max - hope you enjoyed your special mention. A new picture will appear shortly.

Jacko Proclaims Hitler a Genius

This, as reported by Yahoo, is a nice example of a quote taken out of context to twist its meaning. Always be vigilant, as historians, and check your sources carefully. Upper Sixth should be aware of a Gladstone quote related to extending the franchise that was taken out of context.

U.S. History

This may help with U.S. History. I have not investigated this closely so please post to let me (and others) know how useful this website is.

Best of You Tube

Photo of the minute

Sundries (or extras as we say in England)

The picture is categorically not William Blake, Lord Castlereagh or any number of other people that have been suggested to me today. I have to say many of your guesses have been very mediocre. First correct answer wins a prize.

Today's quote of the day is - Discipline without freedom is tyranny; freedom without discipline is chaos. - Cullen Hightower

Get well soon Cassie; Congratulations Hannah.C. you are quite old now; have a good one on Sunday Kelham and all of you get your essays done sooner rather than later. Nice pictures Sam C, Theo and Danny P - more pictures please everyone and more comments.

Do you live in Great Britain, the United Kingdom or the British Isles? To find out click here.

P.S. There is a clue to who the picture is in the first paragraph of this post.

24th September

This is a famous date in history. It saw the birth of Sir Arthur Guinness the Irish brewer in 1725 and F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby in 1896 (if you haven't read it yet then do so - it's dead good and not very long). It is also the day in 1890 that the Mormons officially renounced polygamy. Also in 1991 it was the day Hannah Crawshay was born (18 years ago and just over 2 weeks after Mr. C. started teaching at King Edward's). Clearly the Guinness thing is the most important but Happy Birthday Hannah. You and Swifty will now be able to use those special parking spaces. P.S. I can reveal Hannah's middle name for a small fee.

Lower Sixth

The National Archives website can be very useful and contains a wealth of original source material. This link contains material on the growth of political rights in the 19th century. The sections on Radicals, Luddites and Peterloo are especially relevant at the moment though the stuff on Chartists will be useful later so add this to your favourites! There is a game on the Peterloo section - can you get it right first time?

How much would that be today?

Is a question I am often asked whether it be with regard to people in 1815 who paid the income tax (they had to earn £60 per annum or more) or the amount Gladstone agreed to pay over the Alabama Incident. I can usually do the sums in my head in no time but just in case I can't this website should help. Let me know if you understand it as I'm not sure I do.

Upper Sixth

Sir Robert Peel has gone but who has replaced him? Here is that book I keep going on about which can give a real feel for the mid-Nineteenth century and Victorian social values. Quote of the day - 'Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much' (Oscar Wilde)

Why was Gladstone so popular if he was so dull?

Lower Sixth - Essay title +

Current Lower Sixth essay title is 'Explain why there was so much discontent in Britain between 1815 and 1820.' There is a detailed survey of the Peterloo Massacre here and some BBC coverage from earlier this year here. Above is the Lower Sixth picture of the week. If I can get it to work.

Have a good weekend

Work hard historians. Will the relevant people ensure that Giggleswick lose and all of you keep your fingers crossed for the Mighty Potters at Bolton. Lower Sixth essay question to be posted soon. Here's a couple of sites to try this one promises two million pages of 19th century newspapers (quite a lot of the content seems to be free)and I would be interested to know if anybody finds this one useful. Let me know and keep posting comments.

Cheers

Mr.C.

Upper Sixth - next essay and other stuff

Your next essay (due by date to be announced) is 'Gladstone's First Ministry 1868-74 was a great reforming ministry' How valid is this view? For those who were asking about a list of ministers for the 19th century they can be found here. Today's Gladstone quote is 'All the world over I will back the masses against the classes.' What did he mean and does his first ministry back this up? Has anyone got who the picture is of yet? As soon as somebody does I will change it. Quote of the day 'I wish people who have trouble communicating would just shut up.' (Tom Lehrer)

Upper Sixth - Gladstone

There is a useful potted history of Gladstone here with useful links. The Roy Jenkins biography of Gladstone is very good and highly readable. There is a copy in the Library and it is widely available in paperback (from all good bookshops and some bad ones). You might find it useful to dip in to the bits relevant to his First Ministry. Here is today's quote - enjoy - All generalizations are dangerous, even this one. Alexandre Dumas.

Lower Sixth - Whigs and Tories

It would be fair to say that the Whigs were ever so slightly to the left of the Tories and that both, by modern standards, were right wing. Where do you fit in? Take the test here http://www.politicalcompass.org/ and see if you are Left or Right, Authoritarian or Libertarian. You could also take the test as if you were a dyed-in-the wool 1815 Tory (the sort who was in favour of flogging poor people) and see where that plots you on the political compass.

Welcome to my Sixth Form History blog. Come back often for tips, hints, advice and useful info. Please feel free to comment and hopefully this can develop into a useful learning tool.

Cheers

Mr. C.