1.
Joshua Reynolds
–
Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA was an influential eighteenth-century English painter, specialising in portraits. He promoted the Grand Style in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect and he was a founder and first president of the Royal Academy of Arts, and was knighted by George III in 1769. Reynolds was born in Plympton, Devon, on 16 July 1723 the third son of the Rev. Samuel Reynolds and his father had been a fellow of Balliol College, Oxford, but did not send any of his sons to the university. One of his sisters was Mary Palmer, seven years his senior, author of Devonshire Dialogue, in 1740 she provided £60, half of the premium paid to Thomas Hudson the portrait-painter, for Joshuas pupilage, and nine years later advanced money for his expenses in Italy. His other siblings included Frances Reynolds and Elizabeth Johnson, as a boy, he came under the influence of Zachariah Mudge, whose Platonistic philosophy stayed with him all his life. The work that came to have the most influential impact on Reynolds was Jonathan Richardsons An Essay on the Theory of Painting, having shown an early interest in art, Reynolds was apprenticed in 1740 to the fashionable London portrait painter Thomas Hudson, who had been born in Devon. Hudson had a collection of old master drawings, including some by Guercino, although apprenticed to Hudson for four years, Reynolds only remained with him until summer 1743. Having left Hudson, Reynolds worked for some time as a portrait-painter in Plymouth Dock and he returned to London before the end of 1744, but following his fathers death in late 1745 he shared a house in Plymouth Dock with his sisters. In 1749, Reynolds met Commodore Augustus Keppel, who invited him to join HMS Centurion, of which he had command, while with the ship he visited Lisbon, Cadiz, Algiers, and Minorca. From Minorca he travelled to Livorno in Italy, and then to Rome, while in Rome he suffered a severe cold, which left him partially deaf, and, as a result, he began to carry a small ear trumpet with which he is often pictured. Reynolds travelled homeward overland via Florence, Bologna, Venice, and he was accompanied by Giuseppe Marchi, then aged about 17. Apart from a brief interlude in 1770, Marchi remained in Reynolds employment as an assistant for the rest of the artists career. Following his arrival in England in October 1752, Reynolds spent three months in Devon, before establishing himself in London, where he remained for the rest of his life. He took rooms in St Martins Lane, before moving to Great Newport Street and he achieved success rapidly, and was extremely prolific. In 1760 Reynolds moved into a house, with space to show his works and accommodate his assistants. Alongside ambitious full-length portraits, Reynolds painted large numbers of smaller works, in the late 1750s, at the height of the social season, he received five or six sitters a day, each for an hour. By 1761 Reynolds could command a fee of 80 guineas for a full-length portrait, the clothing of Reynolds sitters was usually painted either by one of his pupils, his studio assistant Giuseppe Marchi, or the specialist drapery painter Peter Toms. Lay figures were used to model the clothes and he had an excellent vantage from his house, Wick House, on Richmond Hill, and painted the view in about 1780
2.
Plympton
–
It was an ancient stannary town, an important trading centre in the past for locally mined tin, and a former seaport. Plympton still has its own centre, and is itself an amalgamation of several villages, including St Marys, St Maurice, Colebrook, Woodford, Newnham, Langage. Although the name of the town appears to be derived from its location on the River Plym, as J. Brooking Rowe pointed out in 1906, the town is not and never was sited on the river. So Plympton would have the meaning Plum-tree farm, alternatively, Cornish derivations also give ploumenn meaning plum and plom meaning lead - possibly related to Latin plombum album or tin. The local civic association, however, suggests a derivation from the Celtic Pen-lyn-dun. By the early 13th century, the River Plym was named from a back-formation from this name and nearby Plymstock. This later led to the naming of the port created at the rivers mouth when the river estuary silted up too much for the monks to sail up river to Plympton any longer. Near Plympton is the Iron Age hill fort of Boringdon Camp, Plympton is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as follows, ”The King holds Plympton. TRE it paid geld for two and a half hides, there is land for 20 ploughs. In demesne are two ploughs and six slaves and 5 villans and 12 bordars with 12 ploughs, there are 6 acres of meadow and 20 acres of pasture, woodland one league long and a half broad. It renders £13 10s by weight, beside this land the canons of the same manor hold 2 hides. There is land for 6 ploughs, there 12 v have 4 ploughs. Note, Domesday book measurements are informed best guess only and this is due to the outdated measurements not being truly translatable to those in modern use. They are, as stated in the source, a rather than original. Plympton was the site of an important priory founded by William Warelwast in the early 12th century, the members were Augustinian canons and the priory soon became the second richest monastic house in Devon. The gatehouse of the priory is still in existence, in 1872 it was recorded that the gatehouse, kitchen and refectory were still in good condition. Richard de Redvers was granted the barony of Plympton, with caput at Plympton Castle, by King Henry I. His family later became Earls of Devon and their lands, including Plympton, and titles were later inherited by the Courtenay family, feudal barons of Okehampton
3.
Grammar school
–
The original purpose of medieval grammar schools was the teaching of Latin. Over time the curriculum was broadened, first to include Ancient Greek, and later English and other European languages, natural sciences, mathematics, history, geography, and other subjects. In the late Victorian era grammar schools were reorganised to provide secondary education throughout England and Wales, Grammar schools of these types were also established in British territories overseas, where they have evolved in different ways. With the move to comprehensive schools in the 1960s and 1970s, some grammar schools became fully independent and charged fees. In both cases, many of these schools kept grammar school in their names, more recently, a number of state grammar schools still retaining their selective intake gained academy status, meaning that they are independent of the Local Education Authority. Some parts of England retain forms of the Tripartite System, some of the remaining grammar schools can trace their histories to before the 16th century. The schools were attached to cathedrals and monasteries, teaching Latin – the language of the church – to future priests, other subjects required for religious work were occasionally added, including music and verse, astronomy and mathematics and law. With the foundation of the ancient universities from the late 12th century, grammar schools became the point to a liberal arts education. Pupils were usually educated in schools up to the age of 14, after which they would look to universities. An example of a grammar school founded by a medieval borough corporation unconnected with church or university is Bridgnorth Grammar School. During the English Reformation in the 16th century, most cathedral schools were closed and replaced by new foundations funded from the dissolution of the monasteries. For example, the oldest extant schools in Wales – Christ College, Brecon, with the increased emphasis on studying the scriptures after the Reformation, many schools added Greek and, in a few cases, Hebrew. The teaching of languages was hampered by a shortage of non-Latin type. Many of these are commemorated in annual Founders Day services and ceremonies at surviving schools. The usual pattern was to create an endowment to pay the wages of a master to instruct boys in Latin. The school day ran from 6 a. m. to 5 p. m. with a two-hour break for lunch, in winter, school started at 7 a. m. Most of the day was spent in the learning of Latin. To encourage fluency, some schoolmasters recommended punishing any pupil who spoke in English, by the end of their studies at age 14, they would be quite familiar with the great Latin authors, and with Latin drama and rhetoric
4.
Great Torrington
–
Great Torrington is a small market town in the north of Devon, England. Parts of it are sited on ground with steep drops down to the River Torridge below. The centre of the town therefore commands spectacular views, though lower-lying parts are prone to occasional flooding, Torrington is in the very heart of Tarka Country, a landscape captured by Henry Williamson in his novel Tarka the Otter in 1927. Great Torrington has the most active volunteering community in the United Kingdom, there were Iron Age and medieval castles and forts in Torrington, located on the Castle Hill. Great Torrington had strategic significance in the English Civil War, in the Battle of Torrington, the Parliamentarians, led by Sir Thomas Fairfax, swept into the town and defeated Lord Hoptons forces. This marked the end of Royalist resistance in the West Country, an interactive Civil War Experience, Torrington 1646, marks the towns historically important role. The Torrington jail was not big enough for more one man so the Royalists kept all the Parliamentarian prisoners in the church. Then 70 barrels of gunpowder went off and killed everyone held captive, the branch line from Barnstaple to Bideford was extended to Great Torrington in July 1872 by the London and South Western Railway, which built a railway station and locomotive depot in the town. The station was always named Torrington, not Great Torrington, the locomotive depot was closed in 1959 and the line was closed to passenger traffic as part of the Beeching Axe. It was closed to traffic in 1984. At the site of the old station there is still in 2015 a pub named The Puffing Billy, a few small sections of track remain, but most has been removed and replaced with a combined foot and cycle path as part of the Tarka Trail. The Tarka Trail continues to Bideford, Barnstaple and on to Braunton in one direction and to Meeth in the other, mayfair is an annual folk festival believed to date back to 1554 in which the children of Torrington dance around a maypole set up in the town square. The event takes place on the first Thursday in May, the junior school children elect a May Queen and she is crowned in the town square after a procession with attendants. There is then Maypole dancing after which the children go off to the fair, the manor of Great Torrington was granted by Queen Mary to James Basset, MP, a younger son of Sir John Bassett of Umberleigh. Denys Rolle of nearby Stevenstone in the parish of St Giles in the Wood, Torrington Common is an area of common land which surrounds the town on all but the eastern side. The common is administered by a body called The Commons Conservators, the Common covers 365 acres and has over 20 miles of public rights of way. The landscape features a variety of habitats and a collection of flora. An area of waste called the Common was donated to the town in 1194 by the baron of Great Torrington
5.
Samuel Johnson
–
Johnson was a devout Anglican and committed Tory, and is described by the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history. He is also the subject of perhaps the most famous biography in English literature, born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, Johnson attended Pembroke College, Oxford for just over a year, before his lack of funds forced him to leave. After working as a teacher, he moved to London, where he began to write for The Gentlemans Magazine and his early works include the biography Life of Mr Richard Savage, the poems London and The Vanity of Human Wishes, and the play Irene. After nine years of work, Johnsons A Dictionary of the English Language was published in 1755 and it had a far-reaching effect on Modern English and has been described as one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship. This work brought Johnson popularity and success, until the completion of the Oxford English Dictionary 150 years later, Johnsons was viewed as the pre-eminent British dictionary. His later works included essays, an annotated edition of The Plays of William Shakespeare. In 1763, he befriended James Boswell, with whom he travelled to Scotland. Towards the end of his life, he produced the massive and influential Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets, Johnson was a tall and robust man. His odd gestures and tics were disconcerting to some on first meeting him, after a series of illnesses, he died on the evening of 13 December 1784, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Born on 18 September 1709, to Michael Johnson, a bookseller and he did not cry and, with doubts surrounding the newborns health, his aunt exclaimed that she would not have picked such a poor creature up in the street. Since it was feared that the baby die, the vicar of St Marys was summoned to perform a baptism. Two godfathers were chosen, Samuel Swynfen, a physician and graduate of Pembroke College, Oxford, and Richard Wakefield, a lawyer, coroner, Johnsons health improved and he was put to wet-nurse with Joan Marklew. He soon contracted scrofula, known at time as the Kings Evil because it was thought royalty could cure it. Sir John Floyer, former physician to King Charles II, recommended that the young Johnson should receive the royal touch, however, the ritual was ineffective, and an operation was performed that left him with permanent scars across his face and body. Johnson demonstrated signs of intelligence as a child, and his parents, to his later disgust. His education began at the age of three, and was provided by his mother, who had him memorise and recite passages from the Book of Common Prayer. When Samuel turned four, he was sent to a nearby school, a year later, Johnson went to Lichfield Grammar School, where he excelled in Latin. During this time, Johnson started to exhibit the tics that would influence how people viewed him in his years
6.
Beam, Great Torrington
–
Beam is an historic estate in the parish of Great Torrington, Devon, England. Beam House is situated about 1 1/2 miles north-west and downstream of that town, both the Rolle Canal and the railway crossed the river nearby. It occupies a beautiful setting, described by Lauder thus, For lovers of rivers. It was an outpost of the Royalists during the Civil War, much of the estate is today owned by Baron Clinton, as heir to the Rolles, but it has had many occupants, including use by the army in both world wars and as a borstal. Tarka the Otter was born at Beam, by what the author Henry Williamson called the Canal Bridge and particularly favoured the River Torridge at Beam Weir. Thus the cycleway which crosses the river at Beam, formerly the line, was named the Tarka Trail, due to its association with these. Today Beam is used as a centre for young people. Beam House is situated about 1 1/2 miles north-west of Great Torrington, on the right-bank of the River Torridge almost encircled by a loop of the river, Beam Quarry is situated within the cliff-like hills on the opposite side of the river from the house. The aqueduct was later filled in and is now a viaduct carries the entrance drive to Beam House from the A386 road. Later the railway crossed the river at a lower place. Above, it slid black and polished and it is still today a renowned place for salmon fishing. Beam was for long a seat of the Rolle family of nearby Stevenstone. During the Civil War Beam House was used as an outpost for the Royalist army whose last holding in the West Country was at Great Torrington, during the 18th century, William Rolle lived here. He was the son of John Rolle of Stevenstone and a younger brother of Henry Rolle. He described himself in his will dated 1747 as of Beam, in October 1792 the Devon topographer Rev. John Swete passed by Beam on his way to Frithelstock and made the following record in his Journal. I went in quest of the Priory of Frithelstoke, in the way to which we descended to the bridge at the S. W, another occupant was the Very Rev. Joseph Palmer Chancellor of Ferns, later Dean of Cashel. He was the author of A four Month Tour Through France and his monument survives in Exeter Cathedral. In the later 19th century, the house was occupied by Alfred Robert Hole, Justice of the Peace for Devon and Major, 13th Hussars and he was born at Heavitree, Exeter, the son of Major William Hole by his wife Louisa Mallet
7.
Lincoln Cathedral
–
Lincoln Cathedral or the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, and sometimes St. Marys Cathedral in Lincoln, England is the seat of the Anglican bishop. Building commenced in 1088 and continued in phases throughout the medieval period. It was the tallest building in the world for 238 years, the central spire collapsed in 1549 and was not rebuilt. The cathedral is the third largest in Britain after St Pauls and York Minster and it is highly regarded by architectural scholars, the eminent Victorian writer John Ruskin declared, I have always held. That the cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles, laid the foundations of his Cathedral in 1088 and it is probable that he, being a Norman, employed Norman masons to superintend the building. Though he could not complete the whole before his death, winkles, It is well known that Remigius appropriated the parish church of St Mary Magdalene in Lincoln, although it is not known what use he made of it. Up until then St. Marys Church in Stow was considered to be the church of Lincolnshire. However, Lincoln was more central to a diocese that stretched from the Thames to the Humber, Bishop Remigius built the first Lincoln Cathedral on the present site, finishing it in 1092 and then dying on 7 May of that year, two days before it was consecrated. In 1141, the roofing was destroyed in a fire. Bishop Alexander rebuilt and expanded the cathedral, but it was destroyed by an earthquake about forty years later. The earthquake was one of the largest felt in the UK, some have suggested that the damage to Lincoln Cathedral was probably exaggerated by poor construction or design, with the actual collapse most probably caused by a vault collapse. After the earthquake, a new bishop was appointed and he was Hugh de Burgundy of Avalon, France, who became known as St Hugh of Lincoln. He began a rebuilding and expansion programme. Rebuilding began with the choir and the eastern transepts between 1192 and 1210, the central nave was then built in the Early English Gothic style. Lincoln Cathedral soon followed other architectural advances of the time – pointed arches, flying buttresses and this allowed support for incorporating larger windows. There are thirteen bells in the south-west tower, two in the north-west tower, and five in the central tower, accompanying the cathedrals large bell, Great Tom of Lincoln, is a quarter-hour striking clock. The clock was installed in the early 19th century, the two large stained glass rose windows, the matching Deans Eye and Bishops Eye, were added to the cathedral during the late Middle Ages. The former, the Deans Eye in the transept dates from the 1192 rebuild begun by St Hugh
8.
Petworth House
–
It contains intricate wood-carvings by Grinling Gibbons. It is the house of the manor of Petworth. For centuries it was the home for the Percy family. Petworth is famous for its art collection made by George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont. It also has a deer park, landscaped by Capability Brown. The manor of Petworth first came into the possession of the Percy family as a gift from Adeliza of Louvain. He later married the Percy heiress and adopted the surname Percy and his descendents became the Earls of Northumberland, the most powerful family in northern England. The Percy family, whose seat was at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, bordering Scotland. However, in the late 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I grew suspicious of the Percy familys allegiance to Mary, Queen of Scots, and confined them to Petworth. In 1682, at the age of 16 and already widowed, she married the 20 year old Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset. They became one of the wealthiest couples in England, the site was previously occupied by a fortified manor house built by Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy, the 13th-century chapel and undercroft of which still survive. He adds not so ancient blood to your family, as part of his plan he petitioned the king to grant him the additional title of Earl of Northumberland, with special remainder to Wyndham. The plan was opposed by his son the future 7th Duke, who petitioned the king against, in 2015 Smithsons descendant Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland still owns the said Percy estates. George Wyndham, created in 1859 by Queen Victoria Baron Leconfield and he attempted to make up for the loss of Petworth by building his own stately home in Devon called Silverton Park, which was widely deemed hideous and was demolished in 1901. The future 6th Baron Leconfield was in 1963 created Baron Egremont, the house and deer park were handed over to the nation in 1947 by Edward Wyndham, 5th Baron Leconfield and are now managed by the National Trust under the name Petworth House & Park. The Leconfield Estates continue to own much of Petworth and the surrounding area, the contents of the house, in particular the paintings and sculptures, are now the property of the National Trust having been taken in lieu of accumulated death duties. Lord Egremont and his live in the south wing, allowing much of the remainder to be open to the public. Lady Egremont has restored the gardens, todays building houses an important collection of paintings and sculptures, including 19 oil paintings by J. M. W
9.
Pilgrim
–
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a journey to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system. Pilgrims and the making of pilgrimages are common in many religions, including the faiths of ancient Egypt, Persia in the Mithraic period, India, China, and Japan. The Greek and Roman customs of consulting the gods at local oracles, such as those at Dodona or Delphi, in Greece, pilgrimages could either be personal or state-sponsored. In the early period of Hebrew history, pilgrims traveled to Shiloh, Dan, Bethel, while many pilgrims travel toward a specific location, a physical destination is not always a necessity. One group of pilgrims in early Celtic Christianity were the Peregrinari Pro Christ, or white martyrs and this sort of pilgrimage was an ascetic religious practice, as the pilgrim left the security of home and the clan for an unknown destination, trusting completely in Divine Providence. These travels often resulted in the founding of new abbeys and the spread of Christianity among the population in Britain and in continental Europe. Many religions still espouse pilgrimage as a spiritual activity, the great Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, is an obligatory duty at least once for every Muslim who is able to make the journey. Other Islamic devotional pilgrimages, particularly to the tombs of Shia Imams or Sufi saints, are popular across the Islamic world. International Bible Students Association pilgrims were excellent speakers, and their talks were typically well-publicized and well-attended. A modern phenomenon is the cultural pilgrimage which, while involving a journey, is secular in nature. An example might be a baseball fan visiting Cooperstown, New York, destinations for cultural pilgrims include Auschwitz concentration camp, Gettysburg Battlefield or the Ernest Hemingway House. Under communist regimes, devout secular pilgrims visited locations such as the Mausoleum of Lenin, the Mausoleum of Mao Zedong, sites such as these continue to attract visitors. The distinction between religious, cultural or political pilgrimage and tourism is not necessarily always clear or rigid, pilgrimage could also refer symbolically to journeys, largely on foot, to places where the concerned person expect to find spiritual and/or personal salvation. In the words of adventurer-author Jon Krakauer in his book Into The Wild, many national and international leaders have gone on pilgrimages for both personal and political reasons
10.
Santiago de Compostela
–
Santiago de Compostela, commonly known as Santiago, is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the cathedral, as destination of the Way of St. James. In 1985 the citys Old Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Santiago is the local Galician evolution of Vulgar Latin Sanctus Iacobus Saint James. Other etymologies derive the name from Latin compositum, local Vulgar Latin Composita Tella, meaning ground, or simply from Latin compositella. Other sites in Galicia share this toponym, akin to Compostilla in the province of León, the cathedral borders the main plaza of the old and well-preserved city. Legend has it that the remains of the apostle James were brought to Galicia for burial, in 813, according to medieval legend, the light of a bright star guided a shepherd who was watching his flock at night to the burial site in Santiago de Compostela. The shepherd quickly reported his discovery to the bishop of Iria, the bishop declared that the remains were those of the apostle James and immediately notified King Alfonso II in Oviedo. To honour St. James, the cathedral was built on the spot where his remains were said to have been found, along the western side of the Praza do Obradoiro is the elegant 18th century Pazo de Raxoi, now the city hall. The Obradoiro façade of the cathedral, the best known, is depicted on the Spanish euro coins of 1 cent,2 cents, Santiago is the site of the University of Santiago de Compostela, established in the early 16th century. The main campus can be seen best from an alcove in the municipal park in the centre of the city. Within the old town there are many narrow winding streets full of historic buildings, the new town all around it has less character though some of the older parts of the new town have some big flats in them. Santiago de Compostela has a substantial nightlife, both in the new town and the old town, a mix of middle-aged residents and younger students maintain a lively presence until the early hours of the morning. Santiago gives its name to one of the four orders of Spain, Santiago, Calatrava, Alcántara. One of the most important economic centres in Galicia, Santiago is the seat for organisations like Association for Equal, under the Köppen climate classification, Santiago de Compostela has a temperate oceanic climate, with mild to warm and somewhat dry summers and mild, wet winters. The prevailing winds from the Atlantic and the surrounding mountains combine to give Santiago some of Spain’s highest rainfall, about 1,545 millimetres annually. The climate is mild, frosts are common only in December, January and February, with an average of just 8 days per year, while snow is rare, temperatures over 30 °C are exceptional. The population of the city in 2012 was 95,671 inhabitants, in 2010 there were 4,111 foreigners living in the city, representing 4. 3% of the total population. The main nationalities are Brazilians, Portuguese and Colombians, by language, according to 2008 data, 21% of the population always speak in Galician, 15% always speak in Spanish and the rest use both interchangeably
11.
Scallop
–
Scallop is a common name that is primarily applied to any one of numerous species of saltwater clams or marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name scallop is also applied to species in other closely related families within the superfamily Pectinoidea. Scallops are a family of bivalves which are found in all of the worlds oceans. They are one of few groups of bivalves to be primarily free-living, with many species capable of rapidly swimming short distances. Scallops have a nervous system, and unlike most other bivalves all scallops have a ring of numerous simple eyes situated around the edge of their mantles. Many species of scallop are highly prized as a food source, the word scallop is also applied to the meat of these bivalves when it is sold as seafood. Owing to their distribution, scallop shells are a common sight on beaches and are often brightly coloured. Scallops inhabit all the oceans of the world, with the largest number of living in the Indo-Pacific region. Most species live in shallow waters from the low tide line to 100 meters. Although some species live in very narrow environments, most are opportunistic. Scallops can be living within, upon, or under either rocks, coral, rubble, sea grass, kelp, sand. Most scallops begin their lives as byssally attached juveniles, an ability that some retain throughout their lives while others grow into freeliving adults. There is very little variation in the arrangement of organs and systems within the scallop family. The shell of a scallop consists of two sides or valves, a valve and a right one, divided by a plane of symmetry. Most species of scallop rest on their right valve, and consequently this valve is often deeper and these ears may be of similar size and shape, or the anterior ear may be somewhat larger. As is the case in almost all bivalves, a series of lines and/ or growth rings originate at the center of the hinge and these growth rings increase in size downwards until they reach the curved ventral edge of the shell. The shell of most scallops is streamlined to facilitate ease of movement during swimming at some point in the cycle, while also providing protection from predators. Scallops with ridged valves have the advantage of the architectural strength provided by these ridges called ribs, although the ribs are somewhat costly in terms of weight and mass
