How to mark the new year — Tudor-style
Decapitating queens was a low point, but there are a few 16th-century traditions that are worth reviving — like giving fancy jewellery on New Year’s Day
Well, yes, etc. Except The Times manages to make it all the way through without even mentioning that New Year’s Day back then was March 25th, Lady Day. Julian calendar, see?
The author probably doesn’t know.
I actually never realised this fact until I started doing ‘proper’ history.
The first thing that occurs to me when I see a date in a history book or programme now is: Old Style or New Style ?
Reading Boswell and Johnson’s correspondence, they are at pains to write NS in their letters of 1753.
And of course the financial year starting on April 5 is to account for our ‘missing’ ten days.
When the Kingdom of Great Britain was formed Scotland and England had been using different calendars. England used the OS. Scotland used a modified OS with January 1st adopted as the date for the New Year.
This inconsistency continued until 1752.
Anyway, Happy New Year to all.
Much as I dislike Owen Jones, it does seem a bit harsh.
like giving fancy jewellery on New Year’s Day
Which jeweler commissioned the article?
Russia didn’t change to the Gregorian calendar until 1918 (Lenin’s decision). There are still Orthodox churches holding out against it (most have adopted the “New Julian” calendar, which is precisely the same, but doesn’t give any credit to the Catholic astronomers under Pope Gregory, who devised it).
Chris Miller
Which is of course, why England held out so long against the Gregorian Calendar. It was seen as some sort of dastardly Catholic plot.
Chris,
Which is why the “October Revolution” appears to have happened in November!
1. The last thing we need is more holidays where you spend stupid money to give over-priced trinkets away.
2. No, we need to bring back beheading queens. And kings. And Princes. And Presidents. And MPs, Congresspeople, Aldermen, etc.
Beheadings
It’d make good use of otherwise closed places like Twickers or Wembley.
I applied for the job of executioner in Riyadh, but they said that my backhand wasn’t strong enough.