Recently Rated:
Stats
22nd August
On 22nd August 1485, Henry Tudor defeated Richard III at The Battle of Bosworth in Leicestershire.
The death of Richard marked the beginning of the Tudor dynasty and would prove to have a major impact on British history.
Henry was the son of Edmund Tudor, 1st Earl of Richmond, and Lady Margaret Beaufort, a descendant of John of Gaunt, the third son of Edward III. Henry had been forced to flee to Brittany when Edward IV regained the throne in 1471, but returned as a result of his mother and Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV’s widow, conspiring to arrange a marriage between Henry and Elizabeth’s daughter, Elizabeth of York.
In 1485, Henry landed at Milford Haven, with the support of the French and gained more support as he travelled through Wales. Henry managed to amass an army of around 5000 men and was intent on marching to London. However, he was intercepted in Leicestershire, by Richard in command of a force of 12,000.
Richard had the upper hand initially, as he held the higher ground, whilst Henry's men were caught in lower marshland. However, the initiative swung Henry's way when Lord Thomas Stanley and his brother Sir William Stanley decided to fight with Henry. Lord Thomas had married Henry's mother, but had also been a supporter of Richard, so it was uncertain as to which side he would fight with on the day.
On August 22nd 1832, a pledge of abstinence from all strong drink, was drawn up by the leading temperance campaigner, Joseph Livesey of Preston, Lancashire
The temperance movement in Wales
The drinking of alcohol has long been a feature of Welsh society life. The village pub, the drovers' inns, the coaching houses on the main transport routes. However, in the early part of the 19th century, the consumption of beer and spirits in Wales reached dangerous levels. This was particularly the case in the newly created industrial regions of the country where iron workers and coal miners, parched after a day of hard physical toil and with money in their pockets, sought refuge in the town's pubs. Beer was felt to be a good and necessary beverage for hard-working men as the quality of water was poor and was severely limited in places like Merthyr and Swansea. This was something that caused serious concern – to the employers who saw the detrimental effects of drink on their workforce, and to the wives who saw hard earned money being wasted on alcohol. As a result, the first half of the 19th century saw a rapid increase and growth of temperance societies.
After taking his pledge, Joseph Livesey had opened the first temperance hotel in England in 1833 and the British Association for the Promotion of Temperance was established in 1835. The movement spread quickly and by the end of 1835, there were 25 temperance societies in Wales, offering meeting places, soft drinks and lectures on the evils of drink. However, initially, it was moderation and not abstinence that was advocated, but it soon became clear that total abstinence was required, when it was found out that some members of the Ebbw Vale Temperance Society, who allowed its members to drink two pints of beer a day, were saving up their allowance in order to drink 12 or 14 pints on the weekend. The first teetotal society in Wales was created as early as 1835 and throughout the middle years of the 19th century, the temperance movement grew in strength. They campaigned for Sunday closing of public houses in Wales, something that was achieved in 1881. This was a high point for the movement, as after World War I, the temperance movement began to decline in popularity and influence as it quickly became clear that drinking of alcohol was only one of many causes of poverty.
Iolo Williams, television presenter and wildlife enthusiast, was born in Builth Wells on 22nd August 1962.
Iolo Williams, AKA Birdman; is one of Wales' most renowned nature and wildlife presenters who has fronted countless television programmes. Having begun his career working with the RSPB he soon became popular with producers and directors alike resulting in being Wales' leading bird and wildlife expert. He is bilingual (English and Welsh), has a degree in Ecology, and has presented over eight varying series for BBC and many for S4C also. When he is not travelling the world he is back home with his family in mid-Wales.
Iolo is a passionate supporter of many high-profile charities such as Welsh Wildlife Trusts, Welsh Kite Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Plant Life, Sea Trust, Gower Bird Hospital and the Welsh Ornithological Society. In October 2008, Iolo led a team of 38 fundraisers on a trek in Patagonia in the aid of Mencap Cymru. Iolo also walked 270 miles from North to South Wales to raise funds for the children's hospices, Ty Hafan and Ty Gobaith.
John Jones - chancellor of Llandaff Cathedral, medical practitioner and inventor, died on 22 August 1709
Jones, was from Pentyrch, Glamorgan and educated at Jesus College, Oxford. In 1677, he obtained a licence from Oxford University to practise medicine and wrote on fevers (De febribus intermittentibus) and The Mysteries of Opium Revealed. He was appointed chancellor of Llandaff Cathedral in 1686 and also invented a paper lantern type clock operated by bellows.
Born on this day 1973 in Pontypool
Lee Dainton - professional skateboarder and a member of the Dirty Sanchez daredevil crew.
First released in the UK on 22nd August 2003, "Lara Croft Tomb Raider:The Cradle of Life" was partially shot in Wales.
The scenes involving mainland China were filmed in the area surrounding Llyn Gwynant in North Wales.
On 22 August 1770, Captain Cook took formal possession of Possession Island, New South Wales.
Then, during his first voyage of discovery, he sailed up the east coast of Australia and named it "New South Wales", as its landscape was similar to that of Wales. In his original journals, Cook had named the land "New Wales", which he later amended" to "New South Wales".
The Colonisation of New South Wales began in Sydney, 1788 and originally covered the entire eastern two thirds of Australia and Tasmania, but as other. colonies became established, the size of New South Wales diminished until it remained the size it is today as the State of New South Wales.
