The rallying reverend
May’s Q&A mentioned Vere St Leger Goold, the loser of the 1879 Wimbledon final, who eventually died on Devil’s Island [a French penal colony]. It reminded me of the story of the man who beat him in that final: John Thorneycroft Hartley, whose “preparation” for his semi-final that year was remarkable and was described in a letter to The Times a few years ago.
The letter recounted how Hartley was also the vicar of Burneston in North Yorkshire from 1874 to 1919. The 1879 semi-final was played on a Monday and, according to the letter writer, Hartley “took all his church services on the Sunday. He tended a gravely ill parishioner through the night, and then rode to Thirsk station on the Monday morning to catch the train for King’s Cross. A cab took him to Waterloo for the Wimbledon train, and in the cab he changed into his tennis kit.” He arrived in time to play Cecil Parr and won three sets to one.
What an amazing story! I hardly think that Björn Borg – champion 100 years later – nor any of the other greats of recent years would have won in such circumstances.
Peter Murray, Edinburgh
At home with the Dudleys
I enjoyed the account of the Dudley family and its connections with the Tudor dynasty (The Family Behind the Tudors, May). I wonder how many readers realise that the original family name was Sutton? John Sutton (grandfather to Edmund Dudley) called himself Lord of Dudley in the mid-15th century after the manor, near the present Black Country town, that formed the basis of the family’s wealth and power. Using money from the dissolution of the monasteries, Edmund’s son, John Dudley (1504–53), modernised Dudley Castle, making it a very comfortable and luxurious place to live, with a new great hall with large windows. Unfortunately, the castle was badly damaged in the civil war, so it is not possible to see the changes that were made.
Norma Postin, Rugby
Confronting injustices
I owe a huge thank you to BBC History Magazine and to Kris Manjapra. I already knew, before reading the interview with Kris in the May issue, that when slavery was abolished in the British empire, slaveowners were compensated and the victims were not. I had never before realised how criminally, absurdly wrong this was. It is not comfortable to contemplate why I hadn’t realised this: not comfortable, but necessary. I hope it will help me reexamine other attitudes and beliefs. To be consciously anti-racist is not enough if I am refusing to challenge my own unconscious preconceptions. John Cosgrove, Cornwall
In praise of the pirates
I cannot agree with David Hendy’s opening line in his piece in the May issue (BBC at 100): “At 7am on Saturday 30 September 1967, in a windowless studio in London, a pop revolution was ignited.” I’d argue that the pop revolution was ignited on 28 March 1964, when Radio Caroline started broadcasting. Without Caroline, and the other pirates, the BBC would probably never even thought of having a dedicated “pop music” station. Caroline is still broadcasting, legally now, and is without doubt the best radio station on the air.
Andrew Height, Cambridgeshire
Cultural cousins
James Hawes’ article in the May issue
(How Britain Became a Cultural Colossus) was interesting but, for me, verged on the jingoistic. I’m sure we’d all like to celebrate the global cultural impact of Britain, but replace the word “Britain” with the name of almost any European country and you could make a similar case: forged by conflict, talent, migration, greed, trade and a sizeable chunk of self-importance and superiority. Which nation wouldn’t fit that patten? We were just a bit better at it!
Martin Eade, East Sussex
Political costs
The feature on the French Revolution in the April issue (How Napoleon (Almost) Destroyed the French Revolution) provided illuminating new information regarding Napoleon’s rise and methods of using and holding on to power. They are remarkably similar to those used by most other tyrants in history, down to and including the present time.
I was disappointed, however, that Marisa Linton failed to mention that, following the disastrous and costly attempt to re-establish slavery on Sainte Domingue, Napoleon was forced to sell Louisiana to the United States to finance his continuing campaigns, instantly doubling the size of that country.
Another article from Prof Linton, analysing Napoleon’s career of conquest from an economic standpoint, would answer many questions about how he managed to finance the establishment of his empire from the ruined state of France following the revolution.
Steve Applegate, Ohio
The first revolution?
Marisa Linton states that the French Revolution was the first of its kind in the world. That is not so: the American Revolution of 1776 precedes the 1789 French Revolution. It, too, was a revolution against a monarchy perceived as oppressive and unjust, and was also informed by a desire to set up a secular form of government. We may argue about the wisdom of either revolution, but it’s important to note that the American example came a few years before that in France. Hugh Canham, New York
Building on the past
I refer to Janet Poplett’s letter in the May issue regarding small museums in the UK. I am a trustee of our own town museum, which opened in April 2016. A small group of volunteers, led by our chairman Mike Davies, sought, and eventually found and rented the upper storey of the oldest secular building in Rayleigh, Essex. We registered as a charity and with the huge support of our local MP, the town council and around 600 local sponsors and “friends of the museum”, we have built a local museum dedicated to the town of Rayleigh. Within two miles, we have Anglo-Saxon remains, the site of a castle built in c1070 (from which we have some timbers), a 12th-century church and the sites of two Saxon battlefields – to name only a few of our local treasures.
Your correspondent’s idea of a series on small local museums is an excellent one and, if taken forward, will unleash a large number of incredible “finds” and massive interest. We would be very happy to contribute! David Pymer, Essex