Introduction

[lynn cates]

Dickens

Hello Callie. Dickens seems to have favoured Cromwell because he upheld England. Here is a snippet from Dickens' "Child's History of England" ch. 33, Part 2.

"There was not at that time, in England or anywhere else, a man so
able to govern the country as Oliver Cromwell. Although he ruled
with a strong hand, and levied a very heavy tax on the Royalists
(but not until they had plotted against his life), he ruled wisely,
and as the times required. He caused England to be so respected
abroad, that I wish some lords and gentlemen who have governed it
under kings and queens in later days would have taken a leaf out of
Oliver Cromwell's book. He sent bold Admiral Blake to the
Mediterranean Sea, to make the Duke of Tuscany pay sixty thousand
pounds for injuries he had done to British subjects, and spoliation
he had committed on English merchants. He further despatched him
and his fleet to Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, to have every English
ship and every English man delivered up to him that had been taken
by pirates in those parts. All this was gloriously done; and it
began to be thoroughly well known, all over the world, that England
was governed by a man in earnest, who would not allow the English
name to be insulted or slighted anywhere."

Cheers.
LC

[Callie]

Hi Lynn,
I wasn’t aware that Dickens spoke well of Cromwell. Now my curiosity as piqued as to why.

Hi Archaic,
Thank you for the warm welcome. It is good to know I’m not the only one who waited in the wings before finally taking the plunge. I feel like a bit of an interloper but I’m sure that will pass. Meeting the members has been lovely.

Dave is the philatelist and postal historian. Sorry for the confusion. I noticed how I wrote that sentence and it was a bit confusing. My main area of study is WWII, particularly in the European Theater and more specifically Himmler and the Holocaust. It sounds rather morbid I know.

Btw, I know exactly what you’re talking about with kids and mailing letters. They usually get that blank stare and look of utter confusion.

I see you are from the Seattle area. I love it there I have family in that area and always enjoy my time there when I go.

Regards,
Cheryl

[Archaic]

Ye Olden Daze

Hi Callie, welcome to Casebook! I hope you will enjoy your time here.

By the way, I lurked for a couple of years before joining. How does it feel now that you've taken the plunge and met a few members? (Between you and me, Lynn's the only scary one.)

So you're a philatelist and a postal historian...interesting. I've met kids that have never written, stamped and mailed a letter; all they know is text messaging & emails. Some kids can barely grasp the concept that there was life before smartphones!

I try to do my bit teaching them about the olden days... Like what life was like in the 1990's.

Best regards,
Archaic

PS: Is a person with an extreme love of stamp-collecting a philatelophiliac??

[lynn cates]

Dickens

Hello Callie. Interestingly, Cromwell is one of only a few British rulers that Charles Dickens spoke kindly of. Shocking.

Cheers.
LC

[Callie]

Dave,
First let me tell you that you haven’t bored me in the least! I know about the General Letter Office but I can say with great certainty that as a philatelist your knowledge on the subject is vastly greater than mine. I would love to hear more about it from you at some point.

Cromwell is an interesting character and I have read Fraser’s book more than once. Excellent book!

Like I think the 17th century was an amazing time of change and I have always found Pepys to be more interesting than Cromwell. His dairy is an amazing primary source on the Restoration. Alas, he left out his complicity in the whole tickets to pay seaman debacle during the 2nd Anglo- Dutch war. But his insight on the Great Plague of 1665 and the Fire of London in 1666 is invaluable to historians and lay people alike.

As much as I enjoy researching that time period my real affinity lies with WWII, Henry VIII (poor Anne lost her head on this date) and the first year of the American Revolution. Now, I’m going to stop rambling before I bore you to death.

Regards,
Cheryl

[Bridewell]

Cromwell on your mind Cheryl?

I had Georgia on mine.

Thank you (and Colin) for the kind words, but Neil Bell is far better than I.

Monty

Monty,

I am confident that Neil is your equal in every respect. There's nothing to choose between you.

Regards. Colin.

[Bridewell]

My other interest in the era is probably more boring...the founding (with the restoration) of the General Letter Office (now the Post Office) in 1660...I'm a philatelist and as such am interested in the history of postage as much as stamps...and this is SUCH a significant time...

Hi Dave,

I worked for Royal Mail for three and a half years. It used to be a great firm to work for, but the workforce, sadly, is much demoralised by current management practises. (Animal Farm is a good analogy).

Regards, Bridewell.

[Cogidubnus]

I’m afraid I have been fully immersed in research on Oliver Cromwell today and wrote his name instead of Cornwell’s.

What a fascinating character, and what a fascinating period in our history besides...Cromwell. Our Chief of Men (Antonia Fraser) is somewhere upstairs on our bedroom shelves as I write...if you haven't read it yet, it's well worth a go...

Personally I've always gone more for Pepys and the restoration, but the whole 17th Century period shows Britain at it's very worst...and ultimately by contrast best...all the ineptitudes are finally addressed and Jan Morris's empire is ultimately built...

My other interest in the era is probably more boring...the founding (with the restoration) of the General Letter Office (now the Post Office) in 1660...I'm a philatelist and as such am interested in the history of postage as much as stamps...and this is SUCH a significant time...

Whatever (probably bored the backside off you!)

Best wishes

Dave

[Monty]

Cromwell on your mind Cheryl?

I had Georgia on mine.

Thank you (and Colin) for the kind words, but Neil Bell is far better than I.

Monty

[Callie]

Monty,

Eghads! What a mistake to make while trying to introduce myself. So sorry, Oliver Cromwell on my mind today....

Lynn, thank you for the welcome.

Bridewell- Thank you for the welcome and encouragment! Btw, from reading several of your posts I think you fit right up there with Dave, Lynn and Monty.

[Callie]

Dave,

First, thank you for the warm welcome! And thank you for catching that! I’m afraid I have been fully immersed in research on Oliver Cromwell today and wrote his name instead of Cornwell’s.

Regards,

Cheryl

[Bridewell]

Its Cornwall goddamit.

Monty

Is that Somerset Maugham's alter ego?

Regards, Bridewell

[Bridewell]

Hi Callie,

Welcome to Casebook. There's no such thing as a silly question if you don't know the answer. You've joined a world of friendly discussion but also, on occasion, heated debate. Anyone who wants theories based on logic and research is alright by me.
Dave (Cogidubnus) is one of the best btw. A top bloke. (Same goes for Lynn & Monty)

Regards, Bridewell.

[lynn cates]

welcome

Hello Callie. Welcome to the boards.

Happy hunting!

Cheers.
LC

[Monty]

Its Cornwall goddamit.

Monty