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First Fleet Convict on Board the Scarborough
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Hopefully, publishing my genealogical interests to the Web will bring me in contact with others around the world Searching the Wiseman name.
Other names connected to the Wiseman family that I am interested in are :-
Mary Boreham, Manning James Wid, Harriet Bantock, Julie Harrington And Lucy Elizabeth Hailing.
And from a twig on another branch :-
John Nichols, First Fleet Convict to Australia. Mary Carroll. Ann Pugh. Phelp (or could be Philp, or Phelps). Morris and Holley. Further down the page you will find more information on all of these names.
About me
I am retired and live in a unit Over-looking the Pacific Ocean, on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. I was born in Birmingham, England. I came to this country in 1965, and have lived here ever since. Other countries I have lived in are; Saudi Arabia, two years, and Norway for two and a half years. At this time in my life - prior to coming to Australia - I worked in communications as a radio operator/Telegraphist. (R.A.F.) If anyone reading this page happens to know me, then send an E-mail and say G'day.
Third building to the left of center is where I live.
Interests To Name a few
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Following, are two extracts from my Kith/Kin files. They are written in such a way, I hope, to present to the reader a mind's eye view of the times.
Extract One
Most of this information comes from the Tillingham/Dengie/Asheldham/Bradwell-On-Sea Parish Registers and Census. All of these places are situated just to the north east of London in the County of Essex. There are many people with the name of Wiseman in this area.
The following was taken from the World Book Encyclopaedia. (A little history) 'Ancestry. Celtic-speaking people lived in what is now England by the mid-600's B.C. Over the next 1,700 years, the land was invaded by the Romans, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Danes, and Normans. The Normans, the last people to invade England, came in A.D. 1066. Each group of invaders added its own traditions and speech to English civilisation and helped shape the character of the English people. The English Channel separates the island of Great Britain from France. This narrow stretch of water helped shape the character and history of the British people. It helped protect Britain from invasion and gave the people a feeling of security. In 1066, a group of Vikings called the Normans sailed across the channel from north-western France and conquered England. After the Norman Conquest, no enemy ever again crossed the channel and invaded the country.
Cut off from the rest of Europe by the sea and secure from invasion, the British developed their own character and way of life. They came to respect privacy and to value old traditions. They developed a dry wit, a love for personal freedom, and a high degree of self-criticism. The British have shown themselves at their best - brave and united - in times of crisis. Their courage against German bombs and overwhelming odds during World War II (1939-1945) won the admiration of the world.
The history of Britain is the story of how a small country became the world's most powerful nation - and then declined. In the 1700's, the Industrial Revolution made Britain the world's richest manufacturing country. The British ruled the seas and were the world's greatest traders. By 1900, they had an empire that covered about a fourth of the world's land and included about a fourth of its people. The British spread their way of life throughout their empire.
Then came the 1900's, and the shock of two crippling world wars. The British Empire began to break up as Britain's colonies sought independence. Britain faced one economic crisis after another. Today, the United Kingdom is still a leading industrial and trading nation. But it is no longer the world power it once was.'
William was born 230 years ago in 1768, and Hannah three years later in 1771. George III, was King of England. It was then a very difficult time and people lived under hardships which we would find unbearable in this day and age. For many there was no work, and to survive they had to beg, borrow or pilfer. For the lucky ones, those who did find work, it was usually menial, working for the rich and privileged. Payment was very poor and in return for long hard hours of drudgery, they received just enough for survival. Cast your mind back a few centuries and imagine it to be a cold dark winters night, a wind is howling and snow is falling, you are hungry, you are shivering and you have very little to eat. There is no electricity, no running water on tap, no flush toilet, no television, no radio, no pantry stocked with food, and lighting is just a candle casting a dim Glow. This is the world that William and Hannah lived in. Yes, the world of our ancestors. Much has happened over the years since the birth of William; so to give an idea of the time frame a few historical dates are mentioned between the generations. Captain Cook discovered New South Wales in 1770. In 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip became the first Governor of NSW. From this time on, colonisation of the whole of Australia began. A few years before the birth of William Wiseman, John Nicholls was born, the year 1755. Never did the parents of this child realise what was in store for their son when he grew up. At the age of 24 John was found guilty of theft, and four years later was transported as a convict to Australia in 1788. Captain Arthur Phillip was in charge of the First Fleet, and this was the fleet that John sailed with. I mention this because a descendent of John Nicholls married Paul Wiseman, my eldest son, in 1987. See Adam and Joshua Wiseman, descendants of John Nicholls. A First Fleet Convict. c1755/1822. Also worthy of mention are the notes I have on John Wiseman. On the 28th of June 1790, the Second Fleet arrived at Port Jackson. The fleet consisted of three ships, the Neptune, Surprise and Scarborough (418 tons). On board the Scarborough was a man named John Wiseman, a convict sentenced to seven years. John Wiseman was from Bury St Edmunds (Suffolk) and had originally been sentenced to death at the Bury St Edmunds, Assizes, for the burglary on 23 July 1787 of a house in Coelington (sic) in which clothing, towels, razors and other goods were stolen. He was reprieved soon afterwards and was ordered to the Portsmouth hulk 'Lion' in May 1788, age given as 35. On the 29th of Nov 1789 he was embarked on the Scarborough transport. No record of his presence in the colony has been traced. On board the Scarborough there were 259 convicts, on the voyage to Australia 73 died. John was probably one of them. Could John Wiseman be related somewhere along the line? Bury St Edmunds is in the next County to Essex, the place of my father's birth.
1789, The French Revolution begins. 1793, Louis XVI beheaded, also Marie Antoinette.
Back to the Wiseman's William died Feb 18th 1824 aged 56, Tillingham Parish Register. Hannah died Nov 26th 1821 aged 50 Known children of William and Hannah. Hannah 21/1/1794 Died 29/7/1794 William 2/8/1795 John 31//5/1797 Asheldham Parish Register. Hannah 16/12/1799
1805 Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson's greatest victory. 1807 Slave trade abolished in British Empire. 1815 Battle of Waterloo. 1819 Singapore founded by Stamford Raffles.
John Wiseman married Mary Boreham 6/3/1821 In the 1851 census (Tillingham) it shows John as aged 53, occupation Ag Lab. Place of Birth Tillingham, Address, 34 Dengie End. Mary was born in 1798 at Althorne, she died 1/2/1876 aged 78, and John died 5/2/1877 aged 80. Known children. Mary Ann 24/6/1821 married George Smith 21/4/1842. One year later George died, Mary then married John Goodwin. Hannah Maria 19/9/1824 married John Philbrook 22/7/1848 Susan 24/4/1825 died 30/9/1827 William 14/5/1827 John 1/11/1829 James 2/10/1831 died 19/9/1838 Eliza 27/10/1833 married Manning James Wid 9/5/1867 (to confirm) Susan 12/8/1838 John and Mary had 55 years of marriage, each of them living well beyond the average life span for those days. John lived 24 years longer than William, his father.
1826 First crossing of the Atlantic under steam. 1831 Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction. 1832 Electric telegraph invented by Morse. 1837 Queen Victoria succeeds to the throne. 1840 Penny postage instituted. Last convicts landed in NSW. 1841 Hong Kong acquired by Britain.
John Wiseman Labourer, married Harriet Bantock 31/3/1849 Daughter of John and Martha Bantock Date and place of birth 14/12/1828 Southminster The Bradwell Census for 1871 shows that John was a threshing machine engine driver and lived in the street next to the Kings Head, Tillingham, Essex. Known children. Jane Harriet 6/11/1850 Alfred 1853 Mary Ann 1854 Bessie 1862
1848 French Republic proclaimed. 1851 Gold discovered in Australia. 1856 Livingstone completes journey across Africa. 1859 Darwin publishes Origin of Species. 1861 Abraham Lincoln takes office as president. 1865 Slavery abolished in the U.S.
Alfred Wiseman married Julie Harrington on the 5th Oct 1876, in the presence of John and Mary Ann Wiseman. Bradwell Census for 1891 Shows that Alfred and Julia lived at 25 Waterside Road. Julia's date and place of birth 1855, Romford. Alfred's occupation, engine driver. Known children all residing at 25 Waterside Road. P of B Alfred 1878 AG LAB Age 13 Shalford William 1879 AG LAB Age 12 Shalford John 1881 Scholar Age 10 Bradwell George 1883 Scholar Age 8 Bradwell Harry 1887 Scholar Age 4 Bradwell Arthur 1890 9M Bradwell Walter 1894 Charles 5/4/1894 My father.
1867 Russia sells Alaska to America for $7 million. 1869 Suez Canal formally opened. 1870 Education Act puts elementary education within reach of all British children. 1876 Bell invents the telephone. 1887 Queen Victoria's Jubilee celebration. 1894 Opening of Manchester Ship Canal.
Charles Wiseman married Lucy Elizabeth Hailing Date 1917(?) at St. Mary's Church, Hampstead Road, Birmingham. Charles died 1972(?) Lucy, date of birth 1900(?) Died 1942(?) Charles and Lucy lived with their family for many years at 16 Grosvenor Avenue, Handsworth, Birmingham 20. More information from here on is contained in the attached files, also on computer disk. Known children. Joan 1925/1991 Pauline 1926/1996 Raymond Frederick James 1928/1995 Trevor 1937/1937(?) John Bryan 13/5/1932 (Me)
1895 Marconi sends a message over a mile by wireless. 1897 Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. 1899 Boar War Begins. 1903 First Controlled flight in heavier-than-air machine 1914 First World War. 1918 First World War ends. 1924 Lenin dies. 1927 Lindbergh flies the Atlantic alone. 1939 Second World War Begins 1945 War ends
(Me) John Bryan Wiseman married Maureen Barbara Roberts 23 Aug 1953 at Perry Bar, B'ham, England. 13/5/1935 to 23/9/1984 aged 49
Children of Bryan and Maureen Paul Stewart born 25/5/1955 Felixstow. Simon Mark born 23/2/60 Aden, Saudi Arabia. In 1965 Maureen and Bryan moved with their family to Australia.
In 1879 at the age of 12, William, the son of Alfred and Julie was out in the fields working as a labourer. In 1946, at the age of 14, and 67 years later, Bryan Wiseman became a member of the work-force, working in a garage doing all the dirty jobs. Now, in1998, the school leaving age is 18.
Life is very different now to that time in the 18th century when William was born. Little by little as each generation has past, conditions have improved. It is only when we look back over the centuries and compare what was then and what is now, that it can be fully realised. We now take for granted all the modern day comforts which surround us, and I believe that that for us to appreciate just what we have, we should step back every now and again and reflect on years gone by.
William and John seem to have been a popular name in the family. John is my first name, but ever since I was a child I have always been addressed by my second name, Bryan.
John Bryan Wiseman 1999
James and Mary Hailing are the parents of Lucy, who married Charles Wiseman. Bryan Wiseman, their son, married Maureen Roberts, and they had two sons: Paul and Simon. Paul had two sons, and Simon had two daughters.
Extract Two
In 1755 life in England was very hard, many people had to beg, borrow or steal to survive. Most of those who worked, worked as farm hands and servants for the rich and privileged, a few did find work as clerks, shop assistants and other minor posts, but for many there was no work at all and they had to make do the best they could. Those days were very difficult, it was easy to become a convict by just trying to survive. For stealing a loaf of bread a person could be sentenced to death, imprisoned or transported by ship to America, or some other far away place, never to see the land of their birth again.
Because of the American War of Independence transportation to that country ceased. This was a major blow to the English judiciary, what was now to be done with prisoners? In 1775 jails were overflowing. One solution to the problem was the use of old ships no longer seaworthy (Hulks), they were moored in the Thames and put into commission as prisons. These too, soon became full with convicts. Life on board these old wrecks was unbearable, even worse than those on land. Many prisoners died because of the atrocious conditions.
John Nicholls was one of those poor unfortunates who spent some time on a hulk, and was then eventually transported to N.S.W. On the 21st of April 1784 at the Old Bailey he had been found guilty of theft and was sentenced to seven years transportation to Africa. He was received on the hulk Censor, on the 6th of September, aged 24. He did not go to Africa but instead, nearly four years later was sent by wagon to Portsmouth to embark on the Scarborough for Australia, and by so doing became one of the First Fleet.
The Scarborough was the second largest of the transporters and was an all male prison ship. She was built in 1782 as a two-decked three masted vessel rigged as a barque and made the trip to Australia twice as a prison ship. She weighed 430 tons, was 111ft. long and 30 ft. wide. On her first trip she carried 208 convicts. Within two weeks of leaving England the convicts attempted to seize the ship but were unsuccessful. The ringleaders, Phillip Farrell and Thomas Griffiths were among the first to be flogged on the voyage. On board there were some of the most hardened criminals, convict informers, addicted drinkers and marines of the worst possible type. Some of these people (marines) received up to 150 lashes for different offences. The Journey took eight months and one week to complete and during that time a large number of convicts died.
John had worked as a servant and porter's assistant with a hair merchant and perfumer in London. It was from this person that it was alleged he stole a large quantity of goods, including 57 razors, 12 pairs of scissors, 22 boxes of soap and a looking glass, together with ribbon, combs, human hair, powder and powder puffs. These were tracked through Worcester Town Hall to his lodgings in Hertfordshire. When asked how he had come by these items, he replied "I bought them at various places". It seems unusual that for an offence of stealing so much, that the death penalty was not imposed? A witness at the trial answering a question asked by the judge "Has he a wife and family?" replied, "I believe he had, at Leominster". If this were the case, then John was not going to see much of his wife again.
The day after the Fleet anchored in Sydney Cove the convicts were unloaded, some of them stepping onto dry land for the first time in over twelve months. By evening on February the 6th when the last of the female convicts had come ashore the blackening skies opened up to release a terrible tropical storm. The male convicts, unleashing frustrations built up in the twelve months being chained below decks, broke loose from their temporary gaol-yards and into the women's camp. The grog supplies were ransacked, and a night of debauchery ensued.
The following morning, Phillip ordered the convicts back to the camp, announced that formal government was established in the colony and anybody who broke the rules would be punished. Those that were fit enough to work had the task of cutting down trees, clearing land and pitching tents. They could have run away if they liked as they outnumbered the guards, but there was nowhere for them to go.
Huts were built for the convicts from saplings driven into the ground with walls of wattle and clay, roofs were thatched of cabbage-tree palm. The weekly ration of food for everyone was 7 pounds of salt pork or 4 pounds of salt beef (this was nearly a year old now), 7 pounds of hard ship's biscuits, one pound of flour, 3 pints of peas and 6 ounces of butter.
On the 24 March 1788 less than two months after arriving in the colony, John married Mary Carroll. She too had come out as a convict with the First Fleet. On the 25th of October 1786 she had been found guilty at the Old Bailey of stealing a linen shirt and a linen sheet. She was sentenced to seven years transportation. Her occupation was given as a mantua maker, and the ship she travelled on was the Lady Penrhyn.
The marriage however was short lived, Mary Carroll was sent to Norfolk Island in October 1788. This union was to later impede John's marriage to Ann Pugh, who had been assigned to him upon her arrival as a convict on the Earl Cornwallis in 1801. She had been sentenced to transportation at Hereford on the 16th of July 1799. In 1803, following Mary Carroll's death, John and Ann married at St John's, Parramatta. By that time they had two children, a son John and a daughter Ann. Another ten children were born after there marriage. The name and date of birth of all children are as follows : John 1802, Ann 1803, Charles 1804, Sophia 1806, Mary 1808, Martha 1809, Amelia 1811, Susannah 1814, Thomas 1815, Joseph 1817, Eliza 1819 and Sarah 1823.
Being one of the first time-expired convicts he was granted by Governor Phillip 30 acres of land at Prospect Hill on the 17th of April 1791. Visited on the 5th of December by Watkin Tench, he was described as a former gardener, and had two acres cultivated. Tench remarked that "All the settlers complain sadly of being frequently robbed by the runaway convicts who plunder them incessantly". Nicholls was a victim of runaway soldiers who in August 1793, entered his house, holding him prisoner with a convict hut-keeper while they hid there overnight.
John showed by his conduct over the years following, that given a fair chance he was as able as the next to lead an honest life. He was appointed a Trustee of the Prospect Common Lands, he also held the position of Chief Constable at Prospect Hill, and in addition was granted a publican's licence. He was recorded in subsequent years as a land holder of various properties by grant and purchase. In 1815, during a severe drought he sold his properties at prospect and moved with his family to Sydney. He continued to farm on a small scale until his death on the 26th of December 1822. Aged 67. Over forty years of his life was spent in the colony and in that time he saw many changes. By 1820 the population of Sydney was 12,079 men, women and children, which was more than half the total population of white people in the country. The huts of wattle and bark had disappeared and now in their place stood a pretty little town. Governor Phillip, Acting Governors, Major Francis Grose, John Macarthur, Paterson, Governors Hunter, King, Bligh (Captain William), and Lachlan Macquarie had all come and gone. A few months before John's death, Sarah, his youngest daughter was born. Ann Nicholls (Pugh) died 27 years after her husband, in 1849.
Sophia Nicholls who was born in 1806, at Prospect, was the fourth child of John and Ann, and like her parents saw many changes during her life time. For instance, in 1815 a road was built over the Blue Mountains and the city of Bathurst came into existence. It had taken a long time for this to happen and it was quite an event for the colony. Governor Macquarie officially opened the City of Bathurst on the 7th of May1815.
In 1823 at the age of 19, Sophia married Alexander Phelps (Philp). Alexander I believe was the son of Joseph Phelps, a convict who came out with the Third Fleet in 1791 (Not yet confirmed). Joseph married Margaret Palmer in 1798 (Not confirmed).
In 1837 Queen Victoria came to the throne.
Sophia died in 1851, two years after the death of her mother. There is mention in the Pioneer Records of an Alexander Philp dying at Raymond Terrace in 1862, aged 62. Parents name not given. This was probably Sophia's husband.
Two of Alexander and Sophia's children, Alexander and William, married sisters Julianna (Julia Hanna) Harvey and Sarah Ann Harvey. Alexander married Julianna in 1849, and William married Sarah Ann in 1850. These two families produced twenty eight or more children between them, fourteen to William and Sarah, and the rest to Alexander and Julianna. Many of the births were registered at Raymond Terrace. All of the children's names are listed on the Kithkin file and stored on disk. I would like to point out here that it is possible I have misread/misunderstood the records and the total number of children might not be correct. Anyhow, whatever the case, they certainly had a lot of children.
The following list is of William and Sarah's children. (Spelling can be Phelp, Phelps or Philp)
1/F Louisa PHILP Birth* 20 Apr 1850 Death* 30 Jan 1904
2/F Elizabeth Caroline PHILP Birth* 29 Aug 1851 Death* 06 Feb 1859
3/F Sophia PHILP Birth* 19 Feb 1853 Death* 01 Jan 1854
4/F Alice PHILP Birth* 28 Aug 1854 Death* 05 Nov 1854
5/M William Ernest PHILP Birth* 15 Sep 1855 Death* 04 Nov 1917
6/M Frederick Joseph PHILP Birth* 01 Apr 1857 Death* 22 Aug 1918
7/M Alfred Henry PHILP Birth* 21 Feb 1859 Death* 28 Jan 1925
8/F Sarah Ann PHILP Birth* 03 Aug 1860 Death* 05 Oct 1893
9/M George PHILP Birth* 23 Mar 1862 Death* 03 Aug 1936
10/M John Alexander PHILP Birth* 26 Jan 1864 Death* 21 Jul 1942
11/M Isaac Walter PHILP Birth* 27 Sep 1866 Death* 21 Aug 1918
12/F Christina Maria PHILP Birth* 15 Sep 1867 Death* 04 May 1904
13/M Albert Ernest PHILP Birth* 21 Nov 1869 Death* 19 Apr 1934
14/M Robert Charles PHILP Birth* 05 Sep 1873 Death* 02 Dec 1924
15/M Hubert Almer (Herb) PHILP Birth* 24 Dec 1875 Death* 24 Jul 1938
William, is the father's name listed for all children, he died at Armidale in 1890.
1850 was the beginning of an exciting time for NSW. Hargraves discovered gold in the Summer Hill Creek and set off a gold rush. People from all walks of life deserted city and farm for a life at the diggings, hoping to make their fortune. An aboriginal shepherd working for a Dr Kerr, picked up a solid mass of gold weighing 106 pounds, the largest nugget in the world "Kerr's Hundredweight".
William the fourth child of William and Sarah, grew up at Raymond Terrace. In those days it would have been quite an event to travel south to Sydney from this picturesque but isolated small township. In 1876, at the age of 21, he married Emily Blanch at Newcastle. This was the same year that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, and two years later, Edison and Swan produced the first successful incandescent electric light. Emily Blanch, I believe, was born in 1858 at Raymond Terrace and was the daughter of James and Mary Blanch. There is however a question mark as to the date of birth and parent details of Emily. If these details are correct though, then Emily would have been 18 or 19 years of age when she married. From this union came Lydia Alice Philp, she was born 4/1/1899, at Uralla, one year before the "Twentieth Century". It was around 1884 that the family moved from Raymond Terrace to Uralla. Other children of William and Emily: William Ernest 1878, Ethel Maud 1880, Bertie James 1884, Lovehener M 1886, Archie E 1888, Donald K 1900.
Lydia Alice was one year old when the Australian Commonwealth was proclaimed in 1900. She Grew up in the Uralla area and eventually married Frederick Morris who was the son of Frederick and Sarah Ann Morris of Walcha. Sarah Ann's maiden name was Pearce. Frederick was born in 1893. Many of Lydia's relations lived in the Tamworth, Armidale and Walcha area. If you look at a map you will see that the three names mentioned form a triangle and Uralla is just to the south of Armidale. Travelling between these towns today is very easy, maybe sixty minutes to get from one place to another, but at the turn of the century it was a different matter, much more difficult and it would have to be for a special occasion that such a journey would be made. It would be interesting to know how Lydia Alice and Frederick met for the first time.
This marriage produced six children, one boy and five girls. Daisy Vera Morris was one of the girls, she was born in 1925. This was four years before the Wall Street crash, and three years before Kingsford-Smith crossed the Pacific. Many of Daisy's formative years were between wars, World War One and World War Two. In 1932, the Sydney Harbour Bridge opened, this was the year also, that the writer of these notes was born, (Bryan Wiseman).
In 1945, at the end of World War Two, Daisy married Geoffrey Walter Frederick Holley. The marriage took place at Dungowan which is about twenty miles from Tamworth. For a time Daisy and Geoffrey lived in Sydney, but for most of their married life they lived at Kootingal, which is just to the north of Tamworth in a house they built mainly themselves. Their children: Robert, Noel, Jennifer, Kenneth, Neville and Yvonne Alice (Bonny), all grew up in Kootingal.
Yvonne who was born on the 6th of March 1959 and the youngest in the family, eventually moved to Sydney. She was restless for a time and wanted to see more of the world, which she did. She travelled overseas visiting many parts of Europe. having settled her desire for travel she returned to Australia. She worked in Sydney for a time and then moved to Port Macquarie. At this time Paul Stewart Wiseman her future husband was living with his father in Cronulla whilst waiting for his divorce to go through from his first wife. Yvonne had also been married before. A few years prior to this time, Yvonne and Paul had courted each other and had then gone their separate ways, each marrying the wrong person. On a trip to Port Macquarie with a band that Paul was playing in, a chance meeting took place between them, Paul was walking one way along the local beach and Yvonne the other, and from that time to this, they have never been apart. If you close your eyes for a moment you can see the pair of them in slow motion taking long strides across the sand, arms wide open and a look of joy on their faces as they rush into each others arms. It could possibly be said that I've embellished this chance meeting, but I definitely remember Paul telling me about it, perhaps in a more matter of fact way though. In fact, it's a family joke between us now. Paul denies any knowledge of ever telling me of such a meeting and says that it never happened that way at all.
On the 17th of October 1987, Yvonne married Paul. The wedding and reception took place in Tamworth where many of Yvonne's family live. Simon and Kay Wiseman, myself as well, also attended the wedding. In 1988, Yvonne gave birth to the first of their children, Adam John and four years later in 1992, their second child Joshua Mark.
It is now over two hundred years since John Nicholls made that horrific journey from England to Australia as a convict. Ann Pugh also suffered the torments and degradation a few years later, when she was transported. Being locked below decks and living for months on end in the foul conditions they had to endure, can only be described as nightmarish. To survive such conditions and then to go on and become well respected citizens, is very exceptional indeed. The contribution they made to the founding of this country is a credit to them, and the descendants of these two people can be very proud of their progenitors.
Adam John, and Joshua Mark Wiseman, I began this story for you to carry on, and for others who follow you to carry on. Grandfather. John Bryan Wiseman 1996.
My tree has many branches and many twigs, the above is just a part of it.
I would love to hear from anybody who is searching any of the aforementioned names.
bryanwiseman1@bigpond.com
From dawn till dusk
Funding the Public Purse
Serious Stuff
For us to have enough money to provide all that is required in the running of our country, a constant inflow of cash is necessary. Funding for this is through taxation, direct and indirect. In a perfect world everyone pays a fair share of tax, but sadly, we do not live in a perfect world. Finding money for the public purse has always been a struggle, and never has there been enough to provide for all of the services we require. One of the main reasons for this problem is the lopsided distribution of our nations riches. So much is owned by so few, a minority of people controlling a major portion of our wealth. It is this that creates a stumbling block to our monetary system. The more money that is in the system circulating the more work it creates. More work created means more jobs. More jobs means more money to circulate, and this all helps to swell the public purse. Ordinary people are the ones who keep the economy going, the more money they have the more they spend. Achievement by groups or individuals deserve to be rewarded, but this should be within reason. Sadly though, this is not the case, and rewards for some are far greater than their input. It is this that throws out of balance the circulation of our wealth and denies the collection of adequate funding for the public purse. If we are to overcome this problem - funding - then a cap will have to be placed on the amount of wealth an individual or a group can have. Allowing people to take as much as they can out of the system is wrong. Like Communism, Capitalism does not work either. For the good of all, a more equitable distribution of wealth has to be found, and to do this we need a strategy that does not allow the overindulgence and exploitation of power that a minority of people have. Political parties tell of their wonderful plans for the future, and promise us so much if we vote them into power. Never though, do we hear the promise of an investigation into the distribution of wealth. Our leaders silence on this matter never seems to be questioned. It seems as if ‘investigation into the distribution of wealth’ is a collection of dirty words and should never be mentioned. And to say, ‘unfair distribution of wealth’ is even worse. The old cliché ‘The rich get richer and the poor get poorer’ is often said by the ordinary people, but that is about all. They seem to be resigned to their lot in life, as if everything has been said that can be said. It is impossible to have a social system that will provide all the requirements of a society, if the bulk of the wealth created by the masses is constantly gobbled up by the minority. The more money there is circulating the more tax will be paid, yet not a thing is done to right this wrong. It is as if there is a code of silence agreed to by our leaders and the media, were this is concerned. Never do we hear condemnation or see banner headlines, ‘Unfair Distribution of Wealth.’ People should be allowed to get rich, but not to the extent were it affects the general good of the community. The work force has guidelines on pay and conditions which they have to abide by, but step up the ladder of success a few wrongs and the restrictions ease. It is here where our problems begin. Success it seems is not enough for many people, in fact, some are never satisfied and their only aim in life is to have control over as much wealth as they possibly can. This control is not for the good of the nation but for the individual. Surely, if there are guidelines for the masses, then there should also be guidelines for those on the higher rungs (wrongs) of the ladder. The average worker has to wait months and months to get a small increase in pay to keep up with inflation, and then it is given begrudgingly. The hierarchy claiming that such payments are bad for the economy. Never though, do we hear such complaints when charges are put up by those in higher positions for their services, this is especially so for the legal profession, and those who have professional qualifications. Allowing people carte blanche in the control of as much wealth as they can accumulate is a prescription for disaster. Eventually, so much will be owned by the wealth smiths that only despair, depression, gloom and misery will be left for the majority of the people to share, and this, probably, will lead to a break down in law and order. Our over-seas debt runs into billions and billions of dollars, and we struggle continuously to meet our repayments. The whole country is held responsible for this liability and massive amounts of tax are collected just to pay off the interest on what is owed. Each year we sink deeper and deeper into debt. We are told that we are in a global economy and must accept the challenge of being competitive with the rest of the world. If getting deeper and deeper into debt is our acceptance of the challenge, then what benefit is there for us being tied into a world economy and allowing the big time money manipulators to enter our markets? We have enough wealthsmiths of our own, we don’t kneed any more. Recently it was stated that in America there are 181 Billionaires, and the richest person amongst them is worth 95 billion Australian dollars. A handful of these billionaires could pay off the debt, of over 200 billion dollars that eighteen million Australians owe to overseas markets and money manipulators. It has taken less than two decades to accumulate our enormous over-seas debt, and each month it increases. At one time this burden was headline news, but now it hardly rates a mention. It is as if this state of affairs is the norm, a bubble that never bursts. Sadly though, one day it must. We hear very little said about the vast amount of assets over which large corporations have control, and we hear very little said about the minority who control the majority of our nations wealth. Is this because television, radio and newspapers are owned by the rich? It would be interesting to hear what would be said by the general public if news items such as the following were reported. ‘Rich business man Joe Bloggs, is so prosperous that if all of his cash and assets were used to provide homes for the needy, then twenty thousand homeless people would have a roof over their heads.’ In actual fact, one of our richest people is worth FIFTY THOUSAND HOMES (At $100,000 each) and is still hell bent on increasing his riches. The richest person in America is worth NINE HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND HOMES. Because of the Minority at the top end of the scale having such a large chunk of the nations cake, it is little wonder that the government has problems providing the necessities of our every day living. Why is this problem never discussed? Never do we hear our leaders talk about it. Never do they condemn the money manipulators, the currency dealers, the plutocracy, the greed of power hungry people taking away from others whatever they can. It is the people at the bottom end of the scale who get the blame for most of our ills, people who struggle every week to meet their commitments, the people who are the backbone of the country. If more were left in the kitty by the money hungry, there would be more to go round, and thereby, more tax collected to swell the nations purse. It would be nice if one day we had a politician stand up in parliament and speak the truth about our system, ‘how it favours the rich and exploits the worker.’ It would be nice to hear one say, ‘How can we run the country when most of the wealth is in the hands of the rich and powerful!’ And it would be like a breath of fresh air to see such a statement blazoned headlines by the media. Blatant discrimination between the white collar, upper echelon, and the rank and file - the worker - at the bottom end of the ladder, is another area that needs to be looked into. Some of the higher paid people receive millions of dollars a year for their services, whilst the average person receives about thirty two thousand dollars. How can this be justified? Even those who earn hundreds of thousands of dollars - not millions - needs some explaining. Next we come to the sporting and entertainment industry. Some of the top paid performers can earn in a few days more than the average worker can earn in a life-time. Hitting a little ball into a hole, over a net, or defending three pieces of wood knocked into the ground from being hit by the ball, will make a fortune - millions of dollars - for some people. For others, singing a song, or pretending to be someone else (acting), and being funny (telling jokes) can also be a top money earner. If all of the money taken out of the system by the wealthsmiths, money manipulators and the people mentioned in the previous two paragraphs were added together, and then compared with what was left over for the rest of the nation to share, it would high-light just how unfair the distribution of wealth is. It’s not just a little bit unfair, but absolutely outrageously unfair. Our government leaders dressed like penguins, wine and dine with the elite of the nation. Also, the very wealthy have private consultations with our leaders. Why are these people - the wealthsmiths - treated so special? Shopkeepers, bus drivers and tradesmen have no such privileges given to them. We need a system that looks after the majority, the majority must come first. We need a system that is fair, fair to all. We need a system that takes care of the unfortunate. We need a system that is: civilised, ethical, principled, honourable, impartial, tolerant, just, moral, truthful, respectful and unadulterated. We need a system that is sympathetic to the unemployed, a system that takes into account that there is not work available for all, and that as the years go by, more and more people will be out of work. Technology does not stand still, and work once done by the human hand is gradually being taken over by other means. The aim of wealth smiths is to keep to a minimum the cost in production of their riches, and technology is now their major tool. Work forces are dwindling in many of the areas once dominated by the human hand. Skills that were once a major player in the growth of our country and gave a sense of achievement to individuals are no longer needed. Much of our work-force discarded by the ‘power brokers’, comes under the hammer of rationalisation. This is the buzz word - used to sack - to get rid of, no longer wanted vulnerable workers. The art of legerdemain, and sleight-of-hand, also seems to play a part. ‘Rationalise’, is defined in the dictionary as follows: vt 1 to free (a mathematical expression) from irrational parts <~ a denominator> 2 to bring into accord with reason or cause to seem reasonable; specific to attribute (e g one’s actions) to rational and creditable motives without analysis of true, esp unconscious, motives in order to provide plausible but untrue reasons for conduct 3 to increase the efficiency of (e g an industry) by more effective organisation ~ vi to provide plausible but untrue reasons for one’s actions, opinions, etc. It seems that to ‘Rationalise’ is more acceptable than to sack, or to dispose of! And, of course, ‘down-sizing’ is more agreeable too. Just by changing a word here - sack - and words there - dispose of - large numbers of the work force are able to be laid off, retrenched - another way of saying sacked - and hardly a murmur is heard. Psychology plays a big part in how the masses - the ordinary people - are manipulated. In years gone by more of an outcry would have been heard from the public when large numbers were given the sack. Words now used to jettison the ‘no longer wanted’ are chosen very carefully, and by doing so, the immensity of what is happening seems to slip by quietly. It is as if the words: rationalize, downsize, retrench and other words of this ilk have a hypnotic effect on the population, thereby giving the power structure an easy way of sacking people.
The following paragraph was taken from an encyclopaedia. ‘The chief areas of government involvement in a capitalist economy include: (1) ensuring competition, (2) protecting the public interest, (3) stabilizing the economy, and (4) equalizing the distribution of wealth.’
It would appear that the encyclopaedia has got its facts wrong, either that, or the government we have now does not know what its responsibilities are.
Ensuring competition. Media barons now control radio, television and newspapers throughout the nation. Beer barons dominate the alcoholic beverage market. Coles, Woolworth’s, and Franklin’s have eighty percent of the retail food market. Shopping centers are built and controlled by entrepreneurs who dictate the terms under which the smaller tenants can operate. Small time businesses on the main street of many towns are disappearing. Petrol companies have control over our service stations. You will not see an independent operator (petrol/restaurant) on any of our highways. Banks are merging, and large corporations are joining forces to combat the opposition. In their eyes, the bigger the force they can muster the better they are able to fight the competition. In other words they can monopolize the market. Two political parties run this country, the Liberal Party and the Labor Party, when one is voted out the other is voted in. Each party attacks the other, and continuously denigrates their policies. But should another party emerge which may be a threat to their monopoly of running the country, then they join forces and between them do everything in their power to scare the voting public into renouncing the new party. Thereby eliminating the competition.
Stabilizing the economy. Stock and money-markets are nothing less than gambling houses. Fortunes are being made or lost every minute of the day in these places all round the world. Massive amounts of money are now flashed from one side of the globe to the other by the money market manipulators, thereby creating havoc in some countries. The fewer hands that the nations wealth is in, the more vulnerable it becomes. Gambling is now part of our culture, and we have it with the governments blessing. Multi million dollar gambling dens - casino’s - dominate prime water front positions in our major cities, every club: golf, bowls, football, cricket, boating, surf, and all pubs, have gambling machines taking millions of dollars every day from the public. In addition we have the TAB on all high streets, which take bets on horses, dogs and anything else that is flavour of the day. Then we have chemists and news agencies peddling lotto tickets and scratchits’. We even have ‘State Lotteries’. Temptation is there, whichever way you turn, and gambling is all part of our government’s fiscal policy. You can ‘BET’ it will always create problems. How can you stabilize something that relies on chance?
Equalizing the distribution of wealth. Thousands of people are homeless and live on the streets. Hundreds of thousands of people have no work, and struggle to pay the landlord’s rent and buy food for the family. Hundreds of thousands of people have work, but are paid a pittance in wages. These people are exploited by the system. They struggle to survive. Millions of people receive a fair share of the nations wealth, enough to pay off a home, feed, clothe and enjoy a few little extras in life. Thousands of people receive incomes far in excess of their input to society, and hundreds of people control the major portion of our wealth.
Protecting the public interest. If this were happening, then the three previous paragraphs would not have been written.
The monopoly on running our country held by the two major political parties should be broken up and somebody else given a chance to run the country. We are now so enmeshed in the world economy that if ever there was a famine, or if things went wrong on a global scale we would be in a very poor position to look after ourselves. Instead of being self sufficient, we now rely on imports for so much of what we consume. Our imports exceed our exports and have done so for many many years. We are now in debt to the tune of hundreds of billion dollars to overseas countries, and every month that figure climbs even higher. The political party that is in power always uses the same excuse when trying to explain why things aren’t going the way they should. They tell us their fiscal policies have not yet had time to bight, and that we should see a change next year. We hear this same old rhetoric time after time. Whichever party is in power tells us the same old thing, nothing changes, just the name of the party. At the end of their term of office, all we find is that we are billions of dollars more in debt. The human mind can be so brilliant when presented with a problem. This century we have gone ahead in leaps and bounds in the sciences. New discoveries are being made all the time. What we once thought impossible is now a reality, what was once thought of as fiction, is now in many cases fact. There is one science though that does not seem to be keeping up with the rest, and that is ‘Political Science’. Many of those who go on to higher learning make a study of political science.
The following is an extract from the World Book 1997 Multimedia Encyclopedia.
‘In every democratic country, political science is essential in the processes of government. The political scientist studies these processes and the operations of government agencies and departments. The work of political scientists provides a factual basis for criticism and reform - probably the most important elements of democratic government. Many political scientists participate in government programs as advisers. They also act as consultants to legislators and other public officials. In addition, political scientists develop useful materials for the education of young people. Without that kind of training for future citizens, a democratic society could not prosper.’
If political scientists participate in government programs as advisers, then do they do this without any political bias? If the answer to this question is in the affirmative, then why is it that this science has not improved our governments involvement in ensuring competition, protecting the public interest, stabilizing the economy, and equalizing the distribution of wealth? None of these so called areas of government involvement seem to be targeted by any party that is in power. So, either the government ignores what they are advised, or the political scientist has a political bias. It is all very well to be a learned person in political science - knowing what has happened in the past - but it is of not much use, if that information is not used to improve the future. History ignored is history repeated. Under capitalism the wealth of a nation becomes concentrated in the hands of a few. Under communism, only a few are wealthy. Neither system is able to control the wiles of some. Communism in Russia has collapsed, will it be the turn of capitalism in the Western world next? The system under which we now live has to change, it can’t go on as it is. Our nations wealth is in the hands of the entrepreneurs, and it is they who dictate the direction in which we go. In a normal market environment the exchange of goods between buyers and sellers creates work for all. Also, it ensures that enough money is flowing into the national purse to provide the essentials of our community. Because of the human brain we can now send people into space, we can walk on the moon. How brilliant all of this is! Surely, if we can do this, then what is there to stop us from working out a system that enables us to walk side by side and share more honestly the wealth of our nation? If the ingenuity of a minority - the wealthsmiths - can take control of our nations riches, then surely, the majority should have the resourcefulness to reverse the situation, and lock in a strategy that is good for the nation as a whole. We can’t all be the same, and people must be given the opportunity to benefit by their input to society. Yes, let people get rich, let people have large homes, large cars, large boats, but there has to be a limit and somewhere along the line there has to be a law which says ‘enough, is enough’. Having more than enough, is never enough for some people and they will always want more - it is these people who have to be brought into line.
The following information which came from radio and television broadcasts may be a little old now, but is well worth a mention.
A TASTE OF MONEY Heard on ABC radio 7/8/96. In 1994, A world authority stated that 358 people own more than one half of the combined income of the world population.
CM 29/8/96 Retired Supreme Court judge Kenneth Caruthers is expected to earn more than $500,000 for his investigations into pre-election political dealings. Reports stated that Caruthers was on a daily rate of $7500.00. This has now been renegotiated to $4000 a day. (Another report stated that it was 'ONLY' $2500 a day.) Queensland's most expensive inquiry was conducted by Tony Fitzgerald, who was paid more than $2 million for an investigation that took two years and cost tax-payers more than $24 million.
CM28/1/94 Bill Cosby, Comedian, the world's wealthiest television star with an estimated annual income of $115 Million.
CM28/1/94 In 1968 Tom Jones was paid 9 million pounds to make 17 television specials over 5 months.
The Australian Senior Nov 98. By Don Simmons. It’s nothing to boast about I know but I pay more tax than Australia’s richest man - Kerry Bullmore Packer. I find that offensive. I was covering Federal Parliament in the early ‘90s when Kerry admitted to a Senate Inquiry that he ‘minimized’ his tax. He said ‘Anybody in this country who does not minimize his tax wants his head read. I can tell you, as a government, that you are not spending so well that we should be donating extra.’ Minimizing tax is one thing but the thought of Kerry paying $30 tax over three years is ridiculous when his personal assessment was $40 million. And what about his company Consolidated Press Holdings? The taxman thought it should have paid $260 million in tax but the court ruled it owed $25,000 over three years. How does he do it? The experts say it’s through a complicated world financial network. Wish we PAYE tax-payers could find similar loopholes.
Radio, and news papers 31/10/96. Coles Myer chief executive, Mr. Peter Bartels, has received a remuneration package boost and is now paid 55 thousand dollars a week '2.8 million dollars a year'. An increase of 76 percent.
TV Monday 11/5/98 The Highest paid CEO in America last year earned 390 million dollars. The top ten earners between them received 1.7 billion dollars.
14th Mar 1998 (?) on ABC radio. Bill Gates the richest man in the world is now in Australia for a couple of days giving lectures and speeches to the top of the ladder business people, our Prime Minister and other politicians from Federal and State governments. At one of these performances John Howard was his support act, dinner dress, dickey bow an all. Gates is now doing a deal with Murdoch, another Billionaire to make more money. It was also reported by the media that Gates earns twenty million dollars a day.
The truth of these statements cannot be confirmed, except that is, the report on Bill Gates support act. But even if these reports are only half right, they go a long way to showing just how unjust and iniquitous the capitalist system is. Over the last two hundred years in Australia we have moved towards being an egalitarian society. When we compare our standing with other countries of the world, we do come out ahead. We cannot, though, afford to be complacent about it, as there are still many wrongs to right. If nothing is done to distribute the wealth of our nation in a more ethical way and nothing is done to stop the exploitation of the working masses, and the entrepreneurs of wealth accumulation are not brought into line, then eventually, the stability of our nation will collapse. Because we do not live in a perfect world, and because there will always be difficulty in pleasing everybody, we must therefore be more determined to improve on what we have. When a Prime Minister and his party are voted out of office, then he and his Cabinet should receive no further privileges. Also, they should not be allowed to stand again for parliament, they have had their go at running the country and have failed, hence the reason for them being voted out of office (sacked). When members of the workforce lose their job they have to go out and find other work. No golden handshake - a pension for life - is given to these people. They have to face up to reality, and therefore, so should government leaders. When politicians lose office (are sacked), they should not receive anything more than any other person in the workforce. This would make them think twice before making promises they can’t keep.
We need leaders who are not afraid to stand up for the ordinary every day people, the people in the street, the majority. We need leaders that lead by example. We need leaders who are there for the people and not for themselves. We need leaders who are not afraid to clamp down on the greedy. We need leaders who believe that filling of the public purse should take priority over the voracious appetite of the money hungry. We need leaders who defend the rights of all. And most of all, ‘We need leaders’.
The Public Purse belongs to us all.
Bryan Wiseman 1999
Cutting a Long Story Short or How I See It. by Bryan Wiseman. The Lineage of England.
From prehistoric man to modern man.
The Celts. It is not known when people first settled in England. We can only go back to the Stone Age, which ended about 10,000 years ago, and it is commonly accepted that prehistoric people lived in the area at that time. Over the years anthropologists have found many important Homo sapiens fossils in England, France and other areas. These finds, plus scientific tests and much research have enabled approximate dates to be arrived at. It is also believed that 10,000 years ago the oceans of the world were much lower than what they are today, and what is now known as Great Britain, was then a part of the European mainland. Also, round about this time, the last Ice Age was coming to an end, thus raising sea levels, and by about 6000 BC Great Britain was an island with the English Channel and North Sea separating it from the continent. During the fourth century BC the growing of crops, and raising livestock was well under way. Knowledge to do this probably came from people who had lived along the lower Rhine River and in north-western France. Who the original inhabitants of Britain were is not known, but we do know that by 500 BC most people living in the country were Celtic-speaking tribesmen. This language is ancestral to modern Welsh. In prehistoric times their Celtic forebears had spread from the vast treeless plains of southern Russia into many parts of central Europe. They were not warlike people like the Romans, the Franks and the Germans of that time. They did though have to fight for land on which to settle, but mostly this was through need and not greed. These people can be regarded as the first people who inhabited England that we know something about. It is not my intention to go into detail about how the people lived in years gone by, but little things might creep in here and there. The idea of these writings is to paint a picture of how Great Britain has been invaded and taken over by many different marauding bands from Italy to southern Russia and up into Norway, including many parts of central Europe, such as France, Germany and Austria. Each time Great Britain has been invaded the people have suffered at the hands of their new rulers, those that didn’t die were made slaves. Over the centuries this has happened many times. It is believed that by about 600 BC the Celts, many of them having come from areas in what is now Austria, introduced the art of making iron. Also, they made woollen cloth, which was died bright colours. Trading was done with other Celtic tribes in Ireland, also with Gaul, which these days is called France. Nature gods were worshipped through priests called Druids. Once the Celts had a hold on the country they were quite content to tend their fields, no real preparations were made for the defence against invaders.
The Roman Conquest. In 55 BC, Julius Caesar - the great Roman general - crossed the English Channel from Gaul (France) to explore Albion (England). A year later he crossed the channel again with a small invading army and defeated some of the Celts, but instead of remaining in the country he returned to Rome. It was Julius Caesar who gave the name Britannia to what was then known by the Celts as Albion. In AD 43, the Roman emperor Claudius, sent an invading party to conquer Britannia. It was easy for them at first to over power the southern Celtic tribes of Great Britain, but it was not until the AD 80’s that the conquest of what is now known as England and Wales was completed. Scotland was never taken over completely. Perhaps it was just too far for the Romans to stretch their empire. Britannia remained under Roman rule and protection until the early 400’s. The country prospered and it was during this period that Christianity came to England. Barbarian invaders attacking Rome caused the withdrawal of Roman soldiers from Britannia to defend their own country.
The Anglo Saxons. After the Romans soldiers had gone the Britons were left to defend themselves against the Picts and Scots, and on top of this, marauding bands from across the channel. The Germanic tribes - especially, the angles, Saxons and Jutes - first landed in Great Britain, round about the year 450, and began to take over the land. The name England comes from the Anglo-Saxon words meaning the Angle folk, or the Angles, and this referred to a variety of European peoples. The Britons lost control of much of the country and were gradually pushed north and west, until the only areas they held were the mountain areas of the far western and northern parts of England. The Angles, Saxons and Jutes who now controlled most of the country were not Christians, and over the next hundred years Christianity almost died out. In 597, Saint Augustine converted Ethelbert, king of the Jutes, to Christianity, and again these teachings spread throughout the country. About five centuries after the arrival of the Anglo-Saxons came the raiding parties of the Vikings. ‘Vikings’ is a word meaning pirates who came from Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Eventually these people turned to settlement, adding yet another mix to the population of England.
The Normans. In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, claimed that Edward the Confessor - the last Anglo-Saxon king - had promised him the throne, but on the death of Edward the throne had gone to Harold, Earl of Wessex. Harold was the choice of the English nobles. The Duke of Normandy was outraged by the decision of the English nobles and set out with a band of men to take what he believed was his legal right, the kingdom of England. Thus followed the Battle of Hastings, of which William was the winner. Harold was killed and William became king. It is believed that over the next twenty years, two hundred thousand Normans and Frenchmen settled in the country and at least three hundred thousand - one in five of the original population - died from William’s ravages or starved by the seizure of their farm animals and holdings. Practically the whole of the land was taken by the new king and divided up between the Norman conquerors. The people of this small island became serfs to the Normans, but did not become Norman. Gradually as the years went by the differences of the people narrowed, and the two languages which were spoken - French and Anglow-Saxon merged together creating the English language which is spoken today. Another mix of people added to the melting pot! Never again was England successfully invaded.
Rulers of the land. The Celts, the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, the Vikings and the Normans have all contributed to the pot-pourri of the English race, and each leader of each invasion force - even though hundreds of years apart - have all exhibited a similar trait, a belief that they were born to rule and to be obeyed. Not only they, but also their off-spring believed that they too had this right to rule. Brute force and savagery obtained their kingdoms and the subservience of the people. In 1215, a group of barons and church leaders rebelled against King John, who was a cruel and treacherous person. They demanded reform, and for the king to come under English law, thus reducing his power. The signing of the Magna Carta - which means, Great Charter - was the outcome of the rebellion. It could be said that this significant happening was the beginning of the many changes that were to take place over the following centuries, stripping away the enormous powers of the monarchy. This is not to say though, that everything was put right. Even to this day, vast estates are still held by the off-spring of the aristocracy and the privileged of centuries ago.
The following is a snippet from ‘The Dukes’ by Brian Masters. ‘Of the others, nine own more land than the Queen. The Crown estates have about 1,800,000 acres, which the Queen surrenders to the State in return for the Civil List, money she needs to run the royal households. As a private landowner, the Queen has only 40,000 acres at Balmoral and 7000 acres at Sandringham. In contrast, the Duke of Buccleuch has 250,000 acres, the Duke of Atholl 120,000, the dukes of Northumberland and Argyll 80,000 each, and the Duke of Westminster owns a quarter of central London.’
After the signing of the Magna Carta another form of rule began to take place. The privileged, those already in high positions took charge, and made the decisions on how the country should be run. These decisions though, usually favoured their own kind. It was they who forced King John to sign the Great Charter, and it was they who benefited by it. The next paragraph shows that even to this day, some medi evil rights still exist.
‘It emerged as a distinct element of Parliament (q.v.) in the 13th and 14th centuries and presently comprises the following elements: (1) the archbishops of Canterbury and York, the bishops of Durham, London, and Winchester, and 21 other bishops holding seats in England, (2) all the dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, and barons in the hereditary peerages of England, Scotland, and the rest of the United Kingdom, (3) from January 1980, all life peers and peeresses created under the Life Peerages Act of 1958, and (4) the judges of the Supreme Court of Judicature. (the Court of Appeal and the High Court of Justice). The last act as Britain's final court of appeal. The total number of persons thus qualified to sit in the House of Lords is in excess of 1,170.’
We are now into the 21st century and the aristocracy has lost most of its power. Technology is racing ahead, man has walked on the moon, space ships are exploring the universe and instant communication is available to any part of the world but, man’s greed, is yet to be overcome. Kings have been replaced by billionaires, and kingdoms are now known as ‘large corporations’. Wars fought by those seeking self aggrandisement are now called ‘take-overs’. The end results are the same though, plundering still goes on. Titles have changed, beer barons, media magnates and tycoons, are replacing kings, dukes and earls. The underdogs; slaves, vassals and serfs, are now called ‘low paid workers’.
Through history we learn, but this does not mean that what we learn is always used to put things right.
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