December 25, 2024

Five for Friday 517

Welcome to the weekend,

As this week marks history in the form of the coronation of Charles III – which I’ll be watching from the comfort of my couch- I’ve gathered some thoroughly British reads to enjoy from around the Internet.

The predecessor to Queen Victoria was William IV, often dubbed “The Sailor King.”  As the third son of George III, William wasn’t expected to rule, and enlisted in the Royal Navy at 13, retired at 25, and went on to lead quite the wild social life before ascending the throne in his sixties.

Notes on how the Industrial Revolution began in Britain.

Over the centuries, the once-lively medieval port town of Dunwich, in Suffolk, has progressively fallen into the sea.

Smithsonian Magazine has a wonderful piece on the history of Westminster Abbey, coronation site of kings and queens since 1066. Over at the Abbey’s website, I learned that at rest among the kings is an Unknown Warrior fallen in WWI, buried on Armistice Day 1920.

This excerpt from Margaret Cavendish’s The Convent of Pleasure.

An extra link this week, since I couldn’t help but share the photos of this stunning English cottage in Rugby. Wow!

Currently reading: Persuasion by Jane Austen

Have a lovely weekend.


Image: King William IV by David Wilkie. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons