- Sir John Fortescue of Ebrington Sir John Fortescue was Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench under Henry IV, and Lord Chancellor. [Extracted from Wikipedia]: Sir John Fortescue (c. 1394 - c. 1476) was an English lawyer, the second son of Sir John Fortescue, of an ancient Devon family. He was born at Norris, near South Brent, in Somerset.
He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford and to this day the John Fortescue Society is joined by students of law at the college. During the reign of Henry VI he was three times appointed one of the governors of Lincoln's Inn. In 1441 he was made a king's sergeant at law, and in the following year chief justice of the king's bench. As a judge Fortescue was recommended for his wisdom, gravity and uprightness; and he is said to have been favoured by the king.
He held his office during the remainder of the reign of Henry VI, to whom he was loyal; as a result, he was attainted of treason in the first parliament of Edward IV. When Henry subsequently fled into Scotland, he is supposed to have appointed Fortescue, who appears to have accompanied him in his flight, chancellor of England. In 1463 Fortescue accompanied Queen Margaret and her court in their exile on the Continent, and returned with them afterwards to England. During their wanderings abroad the chancellor wrote for the instruction of the young Prince Edward his celebrated work De laudibus legum Angliae (in which he made the first expression of what would later become known as Blackstone's formulation, stating that "one would much rather that twenty guilty persons should escape the punishment of death, than that one innocent person should be condemned, and suffer capitally"). On the defeat of the Lancastrian party he made his submission to Edward IV, from whom he received a general pardon dated Westminster, 13 October 1471. The exact date of his death is not known.
Fortescue's masterly vindication of the laws of England, though received with great favour by experts, did not appear in print until the reign of Henry VIII, when it was published, but without a date. It was subsequently reprinted many times. Another work by Fortescue, written in English, was published in 1714 by John Fortescue Aland, under the title of The Difference between an Absolute and a Limited Monarchy. In the Cotton library there is a manuscript of this work, in the title of which it is said to have been addressed to Henry VI; but many passages show plainly that it was written in favour of Edward IV. A revised edition of this work, with a historical and biographical introduction, was published in 1885 by Charles Plummer, under the title The Governance of England. All of Fortescue's minor writings appear in The Works of Sir John Fortescue, now first Collected and Arranged, published in 1869 for private circulation, by his descendant, Lord Clermont.
- General George Townshend [Extracted from Wikipedia]. George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend PC (28 February 1724 - 14 September 1807), known as the Viscount Townshend from 1764 to 1787, was a British soldier who reached the rank of field marshal.
Townshend was the son of Charles Townshend, 3rd Viscount Townshend, and Audrey Ethelreda Harrison. Charles Townshend was his younger brother and Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, his first cousin.
He served as a brigadier in Quebec, under General James Wolfe; when the latter died, and his second-in-command (Robert Monckton) was wounded, Townshend took command of the British forces during the siege of Quebec. He received Quebec City's surrender on September 18, 1759. However, he held General Wolfe in much contempt (drawing Wolfe in caricature he created Canada's first cartoon), and was harshly criticized upon his return to Great Britain for that reason (Wolfe was a popular hero throughout the country). Nonetheless, he was promoted major general on March 6, 1761 and fought at the Battle of Villinghausen.
In 1762 he took command of a division of the Anglo-Portuguese army with the local rank of lieutenant-general, against the Spanish invasion of Portugal. No important operations took place here before the conclusion of peace.
He served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1767-1772. In 1779, Fort Townshend, was begun by Governor Richard Edwards, naming it after Townshend, who was then Master-General of the Ordnance (1772-1782 and 1783-1784) and responsible for the construction of fortifications. The Fort includes the Government House of Newfoundland and Labrador. (See Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, vol. 2, p. 327.) On 2 February 1773 he fought a duel with Charles Coote, 1st Earl of Bellomont, badly wounding the Earl with a bullet in the groin.
Townshend was promoted to general in 1782, and elevated to the marquessate in 1787. He became a field marshal on July 30, 1796. A peculiar family tragedy befell him in May of that year: his son, Lord Charles, had just been elected MP for Great Yarmouth, and he took a carriage to London with his brother, Rev. Lord Frederick, the Rector of Stiffkey. During the journey, Lord Frederick inexplicably killed his brother with a pistol shot to the head, and was ultimately adjudged insane.
- Saint Margaret of Scotland [Extracted from Wikipedia]. Saint Margaret (c. 1045 – 16 November 1093), was the sister of Edgar Ćtheling, the short-ruling and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England. She married Malcolm III, King of Scots, becoming his Queen consort. Early Life: Saint Margaret was the daughter of the English prince Edward the Exile, son of Edmund Ironside. She was probably born at Castle Réka, Mecseknádasd, in the region of Southern Transdanubia, Hungary. The provenance of her mother, Agatha, is disputed.
According to popular belief, Margaret was a very serious person, so much that no one ever could recall seeing her laugh or smile.[citation needed]
When her uncle, Saint Edward the Confessor, the French-speaking Anglo-Saxon King of England, died in 1066, she was living in England where her brother, Edgar Ćtheling, had decided to make a claim to the vacant throne.
According to tradition, after the conquest of the Kingdom of England by the Normans the widowed Agatha decided to leave Northumberland with her children and return to the Continent, but a storm drove their ship to Scotland where they sought the protection of King Malcolm III. The spot where she is said to have landed is known today as St. Margaret's Hope, near the village of North Queensferry. Malcolm was probably a widower, and was no doubt attracted by the prospect of marrying one of the few remaining members of the Anglo-Saxon royal family. The marriage of Malcolm and Margaret soon took place and was followed by several invasions of Northumberland by the Scottish king, probably in support of the claims of his brother-in-law Edgar. These, however, had little result beyond the devastation of the province. Family: Margaret and Malcolm had eight children, six sons and two daughters:
1. Edward, killed 1093.
2. Edmund of Scotland
3. Ethelred, abbot of Dunkeld
4. King Edgar of Scotland
5. King Alexander I of Scotland
6. King David I of Scotland
7. Edith of Scotland, also called Matilda, married King Henry I of England
8. Mary of Scotland, married Eustace III of Boulogne
Her husband, Malcolm III, and their eldest son, Edward, were killed in a fight against the English at Alnwick Castle on 13 November 1093. Her son Edmund was left with the task of telling his mother of their deaths. Margaret was ill, and she died on 16 November 1093, three days after the deaths of her husband and eldest son. Margaret and Scottish Culture: It is notable that while Malcolm's children by his first wife Ingibjörg all bore Gaelic names, those of Margaret all bore non-Gaelic names. Later tradition often has it that Margaret was responsible for starting the demise of Gaelic culture in the lowlands and Scotland in general. The forenames of Margaret's children were probably intended to bear Margaret's claims to the Anglo-Saxon throne in the period before permanent Norman rule was recognized, and so the first group of children were given Anglo-Saxon royal names.
Moreover, it is unlikely that they were originally seen as successors to the Scottish throne, as Malcolm had other (grown) sons and brothers who were much more likely to succeed him. Furthermore, Margaret freely patronized Gaelic churchmen, and Gaelic remained an expanding language in northern Britain. Nevertheless, these sons regarded their Anglo-Saxon heritage as important, as the latter was one of the main devices for legitimizing the authority of the Scottish kings in English-speaking Lothian and northern England. Veneration: Saint Margaret was canonised in the year 1250 by Pope Innocent IV on account of her personal holiness and fidelity to the Church. She would personally serve orphans and the poor every day before she herself would eat, and would rise at midnight to attend church services every night.
The Roman Catholic Church formerly marked the feast of Saint Margaret of Scotland on June 10,(except in Scotland where November 16 was always kept) because the feast of "Saint Gertrude, Virgin" was already celebrated on November 16. Per the revision of the Roman Catholic calendar of saints in 1969, the date was transferred to November 16, the actual day of her death.[1] Traditional Roman Catholics continue to celebrate the feast day of "St Margaret, Queen of Scots, Widow" on June 10 as a Semi-Double feast or a Simple feast.
Queen Margaret University (founded in 1875), Queen Margaret Union, Queen Margaret Hospital (just outside Dunfermline), North Queensferry, South Queensferry, Queen Margaret Academy (Ayr), Queen Margaret College (Wellington) and several streets in Dunfermline are named after her.
- Thomas Carroll Walker Herald Democrat
Leadville, Colorado, September 17, 1900
Many Notches on His Gun
Career of the Late Tom Walker as Related by Himself
HE HAD NARROW ESCAPES
With the passing away the other day of Thomas C. Walker, the career of a turbulent life was brought to a close and another of the pioneers joined the silent majority.
Walker was a man of strong likes and dislikes, and for a friend nothing was too good; with an enemy the feeling was reversed and there was no such thing in Tom's make-up as forgiveness. He was absolutely without fear, the word was not in his dictionary, and this trait in his character led him into many scrapes, and cost him all the money that he ever made.
Born in Prince Edward Island of Scotch parents, fifty years ago, and when at the age of nineteen, a broad shouldered strapping youth, he found his way to New Mexico in 1869, and a few months later arrived in Colorado and settled in Chaffee county. This county at that time was a hot bed of cattle rustlers and horse thieves and honest men had a hard time to get along and justice was an outlaw.
It was about this time that several criminal cases were on the county docket for trial, and feeling was running so high that a change of venue was taken to Granite.
During the session of court Judge Dyer, the presiding justice, was brutally murdered, by a gang who considered that the judge was against them.
This was the element that Walker found himself associated with, and being possessed of all of the grit that is desirable in a man, although young, he was soon recognized as one of the nerviest men in the county, and one perfectly able and willing to cope with the rustlers, horse thieves and desperados that infested the county.
Tom after being in the county for a few months saw the opportunities for making money by engaging in the cattle business and took up a ranch, and at once started to improve it. By degrees he accumulated some cattle and in a few years was fairly on the road to success. On all occasions he protected himself from the raids of rustlers, and was never afraid to use his gun to enforce his rights. It gradually dawned upon the cattle thieves that they were against a man who did not fear them, and one who would protect his rights to the last, so they considered it the best policy to leave his cattle severely alone.
During the early 70's the sheriff of the county found that it was next to impossible, with the men under his control, to down the rustlers, and when he learned that Walker was not afraid of the gang, he called upon him and asked if he would join the sheriff's force to arrest and break up the gang. Walker said he would and was at once appointed deputy sheriff. Leaving a man in charge of his ranch he went to Buena Vista, where he made headquarters.
One forenoon, while sitting in the sheriff's office a ranchman entered and stated that early that morning thieves had run off thirty-seven of his horses and he wanted the sheriff to recover them. Receiving information from the man as to the direction taken by the thieves Walker saddled his horse and started in pursuit alone. After riding for several hours he caught up with two of the gang driving several horses at a place called Gold Dust. Walker at once ordered them to throw up their hands and to consider themselves under arrest. To this request they both opened fire, one of the bullets ploughing through Tom's hat, and the other going wild. Before Walker pulled his gun for action, another shot from the thieves struck the horn of his saddle. Walker then fired and one of the robbers fell from his saddle. The remaining bandit again fired this time hitting the skirt of Walker's saddle, when he returned the compliment by laying him low. Getting off from his horse Tom approached the dead thieves and found one was shot through the heart and the other that the bullet had lodged in the brain. He noticed that one was of slender build and with small feet and hands and concluded that he was a boy. Looking closer, the features appeared to be those of a woman, so unbuttoning the buckskin shirt worn by the thief he found that his conjectures were correct it was a woman. She was dressed in men's clothing, and it was from her gun that the two bullets came so close to cutting off Walker's earthly career. Rounding up the horses he returned to Buena Vista, notified his chief of what he had done and returned with help and buried the victims. He was not tried as the killing was justifiable being done in the discharge of his duty. This was the beginning of the end of cattle and horse stealing in Chaffee county.
While on a pleasure trip to Denver in '72 Walker got into some trouble with some Chinese and killed one. For this he was tried and after several trials was acquitted. Joseph W. Taylor was his attorney.
Returning home he got into trouble the following year by killing a man on a ranch near Buena Vista. The trouble arose over a title to a certain piece of ground and Walker was made custodian of it. One evening on going to the place he found the opposing faction in possession. One man, whose name is forgotten, was notified to leave, when a wordy war followed, then guns were pulled and Walker shot first. He was arrested, tried and acquitted. The opinion among the inhabitants regarding the killing was divided, some claiming it was done in self defense, others that it was murder. This second trouble cost Walker all he was worth and he had to mortgage his ranch to Joe Taylor his lawyer.
When the excitement at Leadville started Walker was one of the first to arrive, coming here in'78, and when the town was organized the following year he was appointed town collector by Mayor James. W. R. Kennedy was at the time town attorney. When Leadville was incorporated as a city Walker went on the police force.
In the spring of '80 John Kelly was killed in Tiger alley and Walker was arrested and charged with having committed the deed. Tom always asserted his innocence to the very last in this matter, and when he was tried the jury returned a verdict of not guilty. The late Judge Weston was his lawyer.
One night in the late summer of '90 the Denver and Rio Grande express train east was held up at Cotopaxi, and the express car robbed. On the train were two retorts from the Twin Lakes Placer Co., shipped at Granite and billed to the mint at Denver. The robbers got the retorts and went into the mountains. One, implicated in the robbery came to Leadville a few weeks afterwards and was shadowed by a Pinkerton detective. Walker at the time was driving an express wagon and knowing the man he drove him to several places around town. The Pinkerton man concluded that Walker was in the deal and he was arrested charged with being accessory to the fact in holding up the train. He had a preliminary hearing before the United States commissioner and was discharged. The robbers were eventually caught and are now serving their terms at Canon City.
The following incident shows that Walker with all his faults was not devoid of some of the milk of human kindness. One Kirby killed a man named Nash at one of the mines here by hitting him on the head with a sharp axe. Kirby was backed up by John D. Morrissey, whose money saved him from being hung. He had three trials and was sentenced to the penitentiary for several years. On the expiration of his sentence, he returned to Leadville and after remaining for several months went to Kirber creek in Gunnison county. Late in the fall of '92 word reached the city that Kirby had been found dead in his cabin. Not a soul was near him when the final summons came and it is not known whether he ended the struggle himself or died a natural death. Walker knew him before he got into trouble and the old friendship returned for the dead, so he decided to give Kirby a decent burial. Starting out accompanied by one companion, Walker went over the old Cottonwood pass into Gunnison county, and to Kirber creek, where he found the cabin and the remains of Kirby, which he buried, and brought all of his effects to Leadville and turned them over to the relatives of the deceased. It was a hard trip as the mountains were covered by several feet of snow, and the weather was bitterly cold, but it made no difference to Walker who had started out to accomplish something and he did it.
Walker gave the above facts to a representative of the Herald Democrat several years ago with the request that they be published "when he had crossed the range," remarking at the same time, "I've been accused of doing a whole lot of things that I never had a hand in, but I solemnly, assure you I never killed a man unless in self defense."
The picture of Thomas with the mountain lion was sent by Charles Parker, grandson. This is Tom as Deputy Sheriff/Town Marshal for Leadville in about 1896. Charles' grandfather, Gavin, told him that they kept the lion "Jerry" locked in the barn with strict instructions for no one to bother him. Apparently one day when Tom was at work, either Robert or Thomas Jr. was playing with Jerry and got either bitten or scratched. Tom found out when he got home and immediately went to the barn and killed the lion, apparently on the assumption that once it had tasted people it was no longer safe to keep as a pet.
- George Norman Palmer Entry in Prominent People of New Brunswick: "Palmer, George Norman. Regional Auditor, Canadian National Railway, Moncton, N.B., was born at Hampstead in the County of Queens, on February 22nd, 1873, the son of Albert Palmer and Sheloa A. Durgan.
After finishing school in New Brunswick, Mr. Palmer spent about two years in the west in the hotel business and on railway construction work. Returning east he was about one year in Boston as a salesman. He resigned this position and returned to New Brunswick, where he took a special course in bookkeeping and accountancy, at the conclusion of which he accepted a position with Messrs. Huestis & White, later the Sussex Mercantile Company. After four years with that firm he joined the staff of the Imperial Oil Co. at St. John. Nine months later he entered the service of the Intercolonial Railroad as clerk in the accounting department. He was appointed Chief Clerk, Auditor of Disbursements, Intercolonial Railway, on February 1st, 1907; Auditor of Disbursements, Canadian Government Railways, Nov. 17th, 1918; Regional Comptroller, Canadian National Railways, April 15th, 1929. On June 1st, 1930, the title of that position was changed to that of Regional auditor, Canadian National Railways.