By Tim Lambert Martha Place was the first woman to be executed by the electric chair. She murdered her stepmother and attempted to murder her husband. Martha was born on 8 September 1849 in New Jersey, USA. Her birth name was Martha Garrettson. Martha married Wesley Savacool, and they had a son. But the marriage… Continue reading Martha Place
Category: Articles
Mary Blandy
By Tim Lambert Mary Blandy was convicted of murdering her own father and was hanged for the crime. Mary was born in 1720 into a middle class family. Her father was a well-to-do lawyer and the town clerk of Henley-on-Thames, in Oxfordshire. Mary was, by all accounts, an intelligent woman and she was well educated.… Continue reading Mary Blandy
A History of Devizes
By Tim Lambert Devizes in the Middle Ages Devizes is a market town in Wiltshire. In 1080, a motte and bailey castle was built at Devizes. Because the castle was built where 3 manors met, it was called Castrum ad divisas, Latin for castle at the boundaries. The name later changed to Devizes. The original… Continue reading A History of Devizes
A History of Tiverton
By Tim Lambert Medieval Tiverton Tiverton began as a Saxon village. Its name is derived from the words twy ford tun, meaning settlement by the two fords. Tiverton was first mentioned in a document in 885. At the time of the Domesday Book, in 1086, it probably had a population of about 400. By the standards… Continue reading A History of Tiverton
A History of Barnstaple
By Tim Lambert Early Barnstaple Where does the name Barnstaple come from? The ‘staple’ is derived from the Old English stapol word meaning post. The first part of its name probably comes from the word bearde, meaning battle axe. It’s possible the post was used as a meeting place for people in North Devon. It’s… Continue reading A History of Barnstaple
A History of Telephones
By Tim Lambert Alexander Graham Bell experimented with ways of using electricity to transmit sound, helped by his assistant Thomas Watson and in 1876, he patented the telephone. Over the following decades, telephones had a huge impact on daily life. In 1878, Queen Victoria was given a demonstration of the telephone. She was very impressed… Continue reading A History of Telephones
A History of Blaby
By Tim Lambert Early Blaby Like many settlements in Leicestershire, Blaby has a Danish name, as the Danes settled the area in the 9th century. It was once Blar by, which means Blar’s village. At the time of the Domesday Book, in 1086, Blaby was a typical village with a population of less than 150.… Continue reading A History of Blaby
Famous Women Astronomers
By Tim Lambert Aglaonike was an Ancient Greek astronomer. She lived about 150 BC. Little is known about her, but she was highly regarded in her day. Hypatia was an astronomer and mathematician in Alexandria, Egypt. She died in 415 AD. Sophia Brahe was born in 1559. She was an astronomer and a horticulturist. She… Continue reading Famous Women Astronomers
A Brief History of Mali
By Tim Lambert Early Mali In the 13th century, a powerful empire arose in West Africa, called the Mali Empire. It was founded by the legendary king Sundiata Keita. Mali was rich in gold fields. It also prospered because of trade in slaves across the Sahara. (Slaves from sub-Saharan Africa were exported to the Arab… Continue reading A Brief History of Mali
A Brief History of Gabon
By Tim Lambert Early Gabon The earliest inhabitants of what is now Gabon were hunter-gatherers. They still live in parts of Gabon, but in the 14th and 15th centuries, Bantu-speaking people migrated to the region. They lived by farming and fishing along the coast and along the banks of rivers. In 1472, the Portuguese reached… Continue reading A Brief History of Gabon