Vilified in death to such an extent that his bones have been moved on a number of occasions to prevent attempts at desecration, Hernando (Fernando) Cortes was one of the most successful conquistadors of the 16th century. The man who conquered the Aztecs in Mexico winning vast tracts of that country for the Spanish empire, once said… Read More »
In the flurry of articles and general excitement over the introduction of the Jackson reforms, I appear to have overlooked a case which was decided by Mr Justice Coulson sitting in the Technology and Construction Court in March this year. Although the hearing took place on March 27th, the judgment in Murray and Stokes v Neil Dowlman… Read More »
Some years ago now, I was involved in two major public inquiries which were much in the news. One was the Savile Inquiry into the events in Londonderry in Northern Ireland on Sunday January 30th 1972, known as Bloody Sunday, and the other was an inquiry chaired by Dame Janet Smith into the activities… Read More »
Thomas Paine was born in Thetford in Norfolk in 1737 and died in NYC in 1809 and is credited with being the inspiration behind the decision which led America to secede from Britain. Paine had an extraordinary life. Starting as a corset maker by trade, he emigrated to the USA and participated in the revolution there. Despite… Read More »
Authors often say they experience difficulty in deciding on a title for their scribblings. Naming a film, book or poem can pose problems, although sometimes the answer is obvious. Think about Jane Austen’s eponymous novel Emma! Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey are similar no brainers and even Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice… Read More »
Of all the poems I was made to learn at school, few have remained with me as much as Tennyson’s Morte d’Arthur. I cannot help but be moved by the opening lines: “So all day long the noise of battle rolled, among the mountains by the winter sea”. Lovers of legend will remember how the fatally… Read More »
Did you see the 2004 film “Head in the Clouds“? I did not! But if you had you would know that the protagonists face unpalatable choices in 1930s Europe. In fact I had never heard of it until told about it by a lunch companion last week who raved about it. Whether it is any… Read More »
idea of poking someone in the eye with the end of a biro is not one which occupies my mind a lot. I have to say, however, that the prospect of damage is high. The mere thought of a sharp pointed object being forcibly thrust into a soft and delicate object like an eye not… Read More »
With summer coming to an end (although the recent weather over the Bank Holiday suggests this has already happened) we can look forward with keen anticipation to what the autumn and the first half of 2011 will bring. Incidentally, why do we all still have to suffer bank holidays? Given to bank workers in the… Read More »
Some time in May 1998, I returned to my office from a meeting to find on my desk a three page fax (remember those?) from the Solicitor to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry asking if Eversheds would be prepared to express an interest in taking some statements in Northern Ireland during July and August of 1998.… Read More »