Oilver Cromwell

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Guess

Like most controversial figures people's opinions of Cromwell generally say more about their background (in this case especially their religious background) than anything else.

That said, he's been slandered a hell of a lot over the past few hundred years, the worst stuff he did (like Drogheda) have been distorted and blown out of all proportion and the good stuff he did hasn't had nearly enough attention.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Since when was Beaumaris big enough to count as a town?

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Since when was Beaumaris big enough to count as a town?

I don't think it has really grown since then.

They never actually finished the castle

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Meanwhile, in rural working class areas "Oliver's days" was remembered as something of a Golden Age.

True that; still is up to a point (although I'm not aware of the phrase "Oliver's days" being used anymore; might still be out in the Fens actually. He's still a folk hero with the rural working class out there. I'm told that the phrase "Lord of the Fens" is still used occasionally. Strange area; but for the almost total lack of an organisation Labour would be *extremely* competative out there; even without one they somehow won enough seats to run the council for a while in the mid '90's and in 2005 Labour actually polled more votes in North East Cambridgeshire than Cambridge itself...).
As a slightly more general point, some of the most leftwing people (in the traditional/old fashioned English way) you'll ever meet can be found dominating local branch Labour parties in *real* rural areas (especially remote ones).

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Nothing like Irish understatement;)

"Irish Understatement" is an oxymoron and you know it

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Yeah, his life before he became one of (and later the) most powerful men in the country is very interesting; he worked as an agricultural labourer for a while after his family went bust (I can't remember the exact details) and as a result ended up picking up the accent; he spoke with a very distinctive rural East Anglian accent for the rest of his life apparently.