Dr John Davies, FRHistS

Illustration of a new Irish Tree Alphabet. Twenty-six trees represent each letter of the English alphabet. At the bottom of the image are lines representing the Ogham alphabet, horizontal and vertical lines, looking like simple trees. The Irish Tree Alphabet draws trees from existing native as well as non-natives that are now calling Ireland home due to the changing climate. The trees are drawn in ink with colored water pencil filling in the leaves and fruit. The work is rooted in the medieval Ogham alphabet which was used to write the early Irish language. The characters or letters were called feda "trees", or nin "forking branches" due to their shape. Each letter of the Latin alphabet is given a corresponding tree: A = Ailm (Scots Pine), B = Beith (Birch), B = Coll (Hazel), etc. The tree drawings were turned into a font called Irish Trees. Irish Tree Alphabet by Katie Holten was made for Visual Carlow in 2020. The font is available to download, so everyone can write with Irish Trees.

Nature and the environment permeate the language viscerally. Irish predates English by a millennium. Its early writing system, Ogham, written vertically as a series of lines and strokes, has an alphabet based on trees.​ The Irish language is a joy.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

A scan of a German jewish passport, stamped with a red 'J' in March 1938

#OnThisDay in 1938 it was agreed by Nazi leaders that all Jewish citizens should have their passports stamped with an identifying letter ‘J’.

The marking of their passports alienated the Jewish community and constituted an important area of persecution.

📸 Ernst Kamm's passport, stamped March 1939.

Extract from the baptism register of waters Upton (image from Findmypast) showing the record for William, described as the Adulterine of William Bentley, Labourer & Adulterer, and Mary Jones, Bigamist & Adulteress.

The Rev Wright Willett of Waters Upton in 1834. 😬 #OnePlaceBaptisms

The Vice President of the United States used his social media page to tell Joy Reid, a private citizen with no connection to the government, that she should express "gratitude" for how this country has treated her.

Black women remain the most consistent targets in all of this.

Trump & Co are creating one…

TERRORISM EXPERT HERE:

This statement is a clear example of what is known as “State Terrorism”: When the dictatorship will order all instruments of its state security & intelligence apparatus against its own citizens to terrorize the population.

PERSON OF THE DAY. 4 October 1970. Janis Joplin (aged 27) was found dead in Room 105 of the Landmark Hotel in Hollywood after an accidental heroin overdose. The Los Angeles Times described her as “the biggest female star in the history of rock ‘n’ roll”.

My accounts were attacked last night after sharing what’s going on in Chicago.

I have disabled kids to protect and ICE is literally in our neighborhood harassing and disappearing people, including U.S. citizens.

My updates on this are minimal but don’t look away from what’s happening in Chicago.

Introducing my favourite feminist from history - the rebellious, clever
& unashamed #MaryWollstonecraft - at the launch of my new book, #Economica: A Global history of Women, Wealth & Power @headlinebooks.bsky.social @hachetteuk.bsky.social. It goes to show that women have never been #tradwives.

Diolch!

Watercolor of HMS Beagle at anchor by Owen Stanley.

OTD in 1836, HMS Beagle docked at Falmouth, after a 5 year voyage.

Charles Darwin wrote in his diary, “To my surprise and shame, I confess the first sight of the shores of England inspired me with no warmer feelings, than if it had been a miserable Portuguese settlement.”

🌱🐋🧪#HistSTM #STS

Do you know when the earlier Castle was built?

A map of the manor or demesne land of Penrhyn Mawr in the parish of Llandegai in the county of Caernarvon the property of the Right Honourable Richard Pennant

Featuring an inset drawing of the earlier Penrhyn Castle before it was rebuilt by Thomas Hopper between 1822-1837

1803 PFA/6/157

Title page of 'The Wonders of the Peake' by Charles Cotton, printed in London in 1681 with classic serif typography

Description of the moorlands and river Dove in printed verse on a page from 'The Wonders of the Peak'

For #NationalPoetryDay here's a satirical poetic essay from 1681 entitled 'The Wonders of the Peake' by Charles Cotton . Written in heroic couplets, it humorously describes the "seven wonders" of the Peak District, such as Poole's Cavern and Chatsworth House.

PERSON OF THE DAY. 2 October 1869. Mohandas K Gandhi was born in Porbandar, India. He was the key advocate of non-violent resistance to British rule in India. His method of non-violent protest inspired other movements for peace, civil rights and freedom across the world.

I spoke on BBC Breakfast this morning about the Panorama Documentary showing abusive police at Charing Cross station.

We've heard the same things for decades, the commissioner apologises and promises change but then nothing happens and public pressure dies down.

“We are the most intellectual species to walk the planet, but we’re not intelligent. If you’re intelligent you don’t destroy your only home.”

- Dr. Jane Goodall

Issue 47.18 is now online, featuring:

@erinmaglaque.bsky.social on Pico della Mirandola
Conor Gearty on human rights and the law
Thomas Laqueur on the cello
Jessica Olin on Amanda Knox
Colin Burrow on Muriel Spark
and David Runciman on the road to Brexit.

Read online at www.lrb.co.uk

Oh no. This is such an enormous loss. Jane Goodall has been a hero of mine since I was a child. She was a relentless advocate for the planet until the day she died. And she always did it with patience and compassion and kindness. We are so lucky to have lived in a time that had her in it.

François Boucher, influential French artist & designer, leading exponent of the Rococo style, born #OTD 1703; patronised by Madame de Pompadour, whom he portrayed in intimate, richly decorated & mirrored Louis XV interiors.
Alte Pinakothek, München

Thank you Roy for sharing today's #FoxOfTheDay ! @RoyBalne

Choughing lovely day on the Vale of Glamorgan Coastline today!!💚

PERSON OF THE DAY. 28 September 1865. Elizabeth Garret Anderson became the 1st resident English woman to officially qualify as a doctor. She later became the 1st woman to officially qualify as a surgeon in England.

Reform UK's ex-Wales leader Nathan Gill admits pro-Russia bribery Nathan Gill admits eight charges of bribery while being a Member of the European Parliament.

Quelle surprise, as they say in Clacton. Far right politico, & mate of Farage, was committing treason IMHO by taking money from Putin. Funny how the EU can show direct pipelines from the Kremlin to far right extremists in Britain & UK. Yet no media outrage…

Head and shoulders portrait of a man. He is balding and has a white beard. He is dressed in black, but has a red handkerchief peeping out of his jacket pocket.

Born #OnThisDay 1819 Edward William Watkin, Liberal MP for Great Yarmouth 1857, Stockport 1864-8 (& later MP for Hythe). He was a major railway entrepreneur & made a failed attempt to extend his network to France with a Channel Tunnel.

If you have been enjoying our history themed bakes, then why not try this one: tinyurl.com/426xxvna The recipe is for Bread baked with Rice and dates to 1800.

@britishbakeoff.bsky.social
#Historybakers
#GBBO

Walk in the hills with @welshnaturelady.bsky.social, nothing much of note, but nice all the same.

I’m a proud Northerner who usually travels to the capital once a month for work.

While the North West will always have my heart - the idea that London is anything other than a remarkable, magnificent, kaleidoscopic metropolis of a city is just ludicrous.

Doc Johnson!