December 29th

       

December 29th

HMS Warrior in full sail, with HMS Black Prince, painted by Charles Edward Dixon (1872-1934)

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

On this day two days remain until the end of the year. It is the 363^rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. Next year, 2024, is a leap year and so this date will be the 364^th day of the year.

It is a date to be remembered for many reasons.

In 1170, Thomas Becket was murdered.  Originally, Becket was a good friend to the King, Henry II, (reigned 1154-1189) who appointed him his Chancellor. Henry wished to gain control over the church and to that end he created Becket a priest, then a bishop and finally Archbishop of Canterbury. Becket was not persuaded to the King’s point of view and eventually Henry accused him of treason. Becket fled to France, where he remained for six years. Facing excommunication, he was allowed to return to England but still would not accede to Henry’s wishes.

 In exasperation, Henry one day expressed a wish to be rid of Becket, not, apparently, ‘Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?’ but something lengthier and less pithy. Four knights heard and acted, on 29^th September, 1170, assassinating Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. Subsequently, he was declared a saint and martyr in the Anglican and Roman Catholic churches.

In 1845 the Unites States annexed the Republic of Texas, nominating it the 28^th state. Texas had declared independence from Mexico in 1836 and applied for annexation the same year but did not accomplish it for another nine years, on 29^th December, 1845.

On this date in 1860 HMS Warrior was launched, the largest and most powerful of Queen Victoria’s fleet. She was not the first iron-clad ship in the world – that was the French ship, Gloire – but she was bigger and more powerful and gave her name to the Warrior class warships. She had an iron hull, while Gloire was wooden. She is now a museum ship in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, where she has been docked since 1987. Her sister ship, HMS Black Prince, was the second ship of the Warrior class ironclads.

In 1979, Richard Tecwyn Williams, the Welsh biochemist, died aged 70. Part of his citation for election to become a Fellow of the Royal Society reads:

His work is of immediate relevance to an understanding of drug metabolism and action and that of the biological effects of food additives, pesticides, and other compounds foreign to the body"

From Wikipedia:

 Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematics, engineering science, and medical science".

December 29^th is Constitution Day in Ireland (Eire), Independence Day in Mongolia and the fifth day of Christmas, when ‘my true love sent to me Five Gold Rings’.

It is also my youngest daughter’s birthday. With two lively young sons, her day is unlikely to be calm but I am sure she will enjoy her day and find some time – probably after the boys are in bed! – to relax and celebrate.

Happy birthday, Bethan!