{"id":13621,"date":"2022-05-16T13:03:58","date_gmt":"2022-05-16T11:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=13621"},"modified":"2022-05-16T13:03:58","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T11:03:58","slug":"letters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/2022\/05\/16\/letters\/","title":{"rendered":"Letters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Your letters<\/h1>\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

LETTER OF THE MONTH<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Alternative medicine<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Helen Rappaport\u2019s article on Mary Seacole (April) was fascinating, but Seacole wasn\u2019t the only \u201calternative\u201d to Florence Nightingale. Betsi Cadwaladr, from Bala in north Wales, spent many months working with the troops on the front lines, providing warm food, bandaging wounds and caring for the men.<\/p>\n\n

Cadwaladr [seen above in a contemporary portrait] had travelled the world as companion and servant to various sea captains, and became convinced that cleanliness was an essential ingredient in the treatment of wounded and sick patients. She went out to Crimea as part of the second group of Nightingale Nurses, but clashed with Florence from the start. \u201cI did not like the name Nightingale,\u201d she wrote. \u201cWhen I learn a name I know by my feelings whether I shall like the person who bears it.\u201d The dislike was reciprocated by Nightingale, but when she visited the lines and saw the work Cadwaladr was doing \u2013 as well as the affection she was held in by the troops \u2013 she changed her mind. She begged Cadwaladr to stay on, but old age and exhaustion had taken their toll.<\/p>\n\n

Cadwaladr returned to England where she died in 1860, very much a forgotten hero. She was buried in the paupers\u2019 section of Abney cemetery in north London, and it took more than a century for a memorial to be erected over her grave. The naming of a Health Board in north Wales after the redoubtable Betsi in 2009 was an honour that she would have found more in keeping with her life and work.<\/p>\n\n

Phil Carradice<\/span>, <\/strong>St Athan<\/h5>\n\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\n

We reward the Letter of the Month writer with a copy of a new history book. This issue, that is 1945: Victory in the West <\/strong>by Peter Caddick-Adams. You can read our review of the book HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\n\n

In defence of Napoleon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\"\"
Napoleon as depicted in an 1812 portrait. The French leader was committed to political and social reform, argues reader Colin Bullen<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n

I feel that the article concerning Napoleon (April) was unfair to its subject. While his later career frequently saw his original ideals undermined by the reality of power, he was from the first a believer in the revolution, as his letters and general writings make clear.<\/p>\n\n

After his early victories in Italy, he set up the Cisalpine and Ligurian republics, based upon the constitution of the New France, and when he occupied Malta in 1798 he abolished slavery and feudal privileges, while Jews were given equal rights to Christians.<\/p>\n\n

Although his wars led to a great loss of human life, Napoleon was not a monster like some of the individuals who disfigured the following centuries. He was unquestionably one of the greatest military commanders of all time; he refused to accept the policies espoused by the extreme Jacobins and put an end to their vicious insanities; and in the lands he conquered he attempted to implement reforms aimed at bettering the lot of the ordinary people.<\/p>\n\n

Colin Bullen<\/span>, <\/strong>Kent<\/h5>\n\n
\n\n

Imperial pride <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n

Noting the trite heading of your review of Caroline Elkins\u2019 book Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire<\/em> (April) \u2013 \u201cThe Brutish Empire\u201d \u2013 I should have realised the direction the article would take. True to form, it launched straight into another tirade against the British empire.<\/p>\n\n

I do not claim to be able to see history in the proverbial black and white, nor know all the answers to such complex questions as \u201cwas the empire a good or bad thing?\u201d. What I do <\/em>know \u2013 along with, I expect, many of your readers \u2013 is that I am personally very proud of the contribution that our tiny island brought to so many corners of the world, and demand a level of impartiality and balance in the magazine when considering such matters.<\/p>\n\n

While it cannot be denied that the empire was responsible for horrific behaviours, for every negative there is also arguably a positive \u2013 as in so many areas of history. So much of the old empire bears the legacies of legal and political frameworks, transport and commerce, education, police and civil administration established because of the dastardly British empire.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Alex von Tunzelmann\u2019s review ignores this legacy when considering the impact of the empire on the present, as well as conveniently ignoring the impact of corruption, tyranny and, yes, violence on a genocidal level by many post-empire regimes.<\/p>\n\n

Andrew Crabbe,<\/span> <\/strong>Yorkshire<\/h5>\n\n
\n\n
\"\"
Penrhyn Castle in north Wales, which reader David James suggests may have been funded by slavery as well as by the local slate industry <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Slate and slavery <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

In the interview with Neil MacGregor about Britain\u2019s museums (April), he states that the fortune the Dawkins-Pennant family made from exporting slate [in the 19th century] enabled them to build Penrhyn Castle and assemble an impressive art collection. I was surprised, however, that no mention was made of the significant wealth Richard Pennant derived from his ownership of nearly 1,000 slaves across four plantations in Jamaica, nor of the \u00a314,683 he received in compensation for the freeing of those slaves following abolition in 1833. This wealth may well have been key in enabling the family to build the castle, extend quarrying, and pay for roads, houses and schools in north Wales.<\/p>\n\n

David James,<\/span> <\/strong>Malvern<\/h5>\n\n
\n\n
\"\"
Oliver Cromwell hears a petition for Jewish people to be readmitted to England in this 20th-century illustration. Reader Anthony Rabin highlights the period\u2019s new religious tolerance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

A pluralist republic <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Anna Keay\u2019s article on the Commonwealth (The People\u2019s Republic of Britain, <\/em>April) rightly points to the plurality of religious opinion tolerated in that period, but there is one significant omission from her list of dissenting religions: Judaism. Jews had been banished from England by Edward I in 1290, once their use as financiers to the crown had dwindled. Jews in England subsequently practised their ancestral religion secretly, particularly in the early 17th century. It was only in 1656 that Oliver Cromwell \u2013 in the face of religious opposition and fear of economic competition \u2013 permitted Jews to come to England to live and worship openly.<\/p>\n\n

Cromwell\u2019s motivation appears to have been both economic and religious. Jews in the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal had built successful trading empires, particularly in the New World \u2013 an area of key interest to Cromwell, as evidenced by the capture of Jamaica from the Spanish in 1655. He also believed that the reintroduction of Jews to England and their conversion to Christianity would hasten the advent of the Messiah and the dawning of a new Christian golden age.<\/p>\n\n

In turn, some families were attracted by the opportunity to expand their trading empires \u2013 and, in the case of Spanish and Portuguese Jews, escape religious persecution. Although their numbers were relatively small, they were increasingly influential on English society and commerce.<\/p>\n\n

Anthony Rabin,<\/span> <\/strong>London<\/h5>\n\n
\n\n

Nasty, brutish, or short <\/strong><\/p>\n\n

As we watch the endless horrors unfolding in Ukraine, a recurring thought has struck me. Should some worthy academic decide to compile a history of the world excluding all mention of our inhumanity towards each other, it would result in a very slender volume. When Carl Linnaeus first coined the name homo sapiens for our deeply flawed species, <\/span>I fear his perception of the human race was perhaps coloured by the Enlightenment and not by a realistic reading of the past.<\/p>\n\n

Jill Stewart-Rattray<\/span>, <\/strong>Devon<\/h5>\n\n
\n\n

Correction<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

In May\u2019s feature on the Persians, Empire of the Greats, <\/em>we incorrectly stated that the date of the battle of Marathon <\/strong>was 499 BC whereas it was actually 490 BC. Thanks to the readers who got in touch to point out this error.<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

WRITE TO US<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

We welcome your letters, while reserving the right to edit them. We may publish your letters on our website. Please include a daytime phone number and, if emailing, a postal address (not for publication). Letters should be no longer than 250 words.<\/p>\n\n

Email: <\/strong>letters@historyextra.com<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n\n

Post: <\/strong>BBC History Magazine, Immediate Media, Eagle House, Bristol, BS1 4ST<\/p>\n\n

The opinions expressed by our commentators are their own and may not represent the views of BBC History Magazine <\/em>or Immediate Media Company<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

EDITORIAL TEAM<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n

Editor<\/strong> Rob Attar robertattar@historyextra.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Deputy editor<\/strong> Matt Elton mattelton@historyextra.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Production editor<\/strong> Spencer Mizen<\/p>\n\n

Section editor<\/strong> Rhiannon Davies<\/p>\n\n

Picture editor<\/strong> Samantha Nott samnott@historyextra.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Art director<\/strong> Susanne Frank<\/p>\n\n

Senior deputy art editor<\/strong> Rachel Dickens<\/p>\n\n

Podcast editor<\/strong> Ellie Cawthorne<\/p>\n\n

Content director<\/strong> Dr David Musgrove<\/p>\n\n

Content strategist <\/strong>Emma Mason<\/p>\n\n

Digital editor<\/strong> Elinor Evans<\/p>\n\n

Digital section editors<\/strong> Rachel Dinning & Kev Lochun<\/p>\n\n

Fact-checkers:<\/strong> Dr Robert Blackmore, John Evans, Dr Fay Glinister, Josette Reeves, Daniel Adamson, Daniel Watkins, Rowena Cockett<\/p>\n\n

Picture consultant: <\/strong>Everett Sharp<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

ADVERTISING & MARKETING<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

Advertising manager <\/strong>Sam Jones 0117 300 8145 Sam.Jones@immediate.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Senior brand sales executive<\/strong> Sam Evanson 0117 300 8544<\/p>\n\n

Brand sales executive<\/strong> Sarah Luscombe 0117 300 8530 Sarah.Luscombe@immediate.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n

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Subscriptions director<\/strong> Jacky Perales-Morris<\/p>\n\n

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Direct marketing executive<\/strong> Aisha Babb<\/p>\n\n

US representative<\/strong> Kate Buckley buckley@buckleypell.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n

\n\n

PRESS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

PR manager<\/strong> Natasha Lee Natasha.Lee@immediate.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n

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SYNDICATION<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

Director of licensing & syndication<\/strong> Tim Hudson<\/p>\n\n

International partners\u2019 manager<\/strong> Anna Brown<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

HISTORYEXTRA PODCAST<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

Head of podcasts<\/strong> Ben Youatt<\/p>\n\n

Podcast producer<\/strong> Jack Bateman<\/p>\n\n

Podcast assistant<\/strong> Brittany Collie<\/p>\n\n

Podcast editorial assistant<\/strong> Emily Briffett<\/p>\n\n

Podcast coordinator<\/strong> Emily Thorne<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

PRODUCTION<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

Production director<\/strong> Sarah Powell<\/p>\n\n

Senior production co-ordinator<\/strong> Holly Donmall<\/p>\n\n

Ad co-ordinator<\/strong> Lucy Dearn<\/p>\n\n

Ad designer<\/strong> Julia Young<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

IMMEDIATE MEDIA COMPANY<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

Commercial director <\/strong>Jemima Dixon<\/p>\n\n

Group managing director<\/strong> Chris Kerwin<\/p>\n\n

CEO<\/strong> Sean Cornwell<\/p>\n\n

CFO & COO<\/strong> Dan Constanda<\/p>\n\n

Executive chairman<\/strong> Tom Bureau<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

Founding editor<\/strong> Greg Neale<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

BBC STUDIOS, UK PUBLISHING<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

Chair, Editorial Review Boards <\/strong>Nicholas Brett<\/p>\n\n

Managing Director, Consumer Products and Licensing <\/strong>Stephen Davies<\/p>\n\n

Director, Magazines and Consumer Products <\/strong>Mandy Thwaites<\/p>\n\n

Compliance manager<\/strong> Cameron McEwan<\/p>\n\n

(uk.publishing@bbc.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

 AFFILIATE LINKS <\/span><\/h4>\n\n

What are affiliate links?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Affiliate links connect retailers and publishers. If someone clicks on a shopping link on a publisher site like the BBC History Magazine<\/em> app, a cookie is enabled to allow the retailer to associate any purchase back to the publisher so that they can take a percentage of the revenue. <\/p>\n\n

How do I buy the products online?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

If you decide to purchase a product that\u2019s been recommended on our review or other pages, you are able to do so by clicking through to your desired retailer to make a purchase on their website. When you do this, a new window will open and you will be taken to a third party site that\u2019s completely separate to the BBC History Magazine<\/em> app. No purchase will be made directly on the BBC History Magazine<\/em> app.<\/p>\n\n

Is BBC History Magazine<\/em> writing reviews based on its affiliate partnerships?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Absolutely not. Our affiliate partners in no way influence BBC History Magazine<\/em> editorial content. Products reviewed are chosen first-hand and solely by the BBC History Magazine<\/em> team, and will feature regardless of whether or not affiliate partners are able to generate commission from a retailer link. <\/p>\n\n

For more information on how this affiliate partnership works please contact us on HistoryExtraWeb@immediate.co.uk.<\/a><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

PICTURE CREDITS: BRITISH LIBRARY\/GETTY IMAGES\/ALAMY<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Your letters LETTER OF THE MONTH Alternative medicine Helen Rappaport\u2019s article on Mary Seacole (April) was fascinating, but Seacole wasn\u2019t the only \u201calternative\u201d to Florence Nightingale. Betsi Cadwaladr, from Bala in north Wales, spent many months working with the troops on the front lines, providing warm food, bandaging wounds and caring for the men. Cadwaladr […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":14125,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"18","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"18","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_18-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_18-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"June-2022","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"June-2022","purple_external_id":"June-2022-18-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"June-2022-18-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000085632||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000085632||","purple_android_product":"com.im.historymag.282","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.historymag.282","purple_ios_product":"com.im.historymag.282","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.historymag.282","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"de2d4977-6998-4200-99aa-454f8dbebdf9","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"2022-05-16T11:04:07Z","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"b6d0d5d0-cebc-4e55-8b76-20bfe5ff8796","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2022-05-16T11:04:07Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAD\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/w==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AttDV0M68TlWLdiC_5f-Hlg","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[18],"tags":[46],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/05\/Betsi-Cadwaladr-British-Library_cmyk.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"9","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/05\/Betsi-Cadwaladr-British-Library_cmyk.jpg",2000,1539,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/05\/Betsi-Cadwaladr-British-Library_cmyk-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/05\/Betsi-Cadwaladr-British-Library_cmyk-300x231.jpg",300,231,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/05\/Betsi-Cadwaladr-British-Library_cmyk-768x591.jpg",768,591,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/05\/Betsi-Cadwaladr-British-Library_cmyk-1024x788.jpg",800,616,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/05\/Betsi-Cadwaladr-British-Library_cmyk-1536x1182.jpg",1536,1182,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2022\/05\/Betsi-Cadwaladr-British-Library_cmyk.jpg",2000,1539,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Your letters LETTER OF THE MONTH Alternative medicine Helen Rappaport\u2019s article on Mary Seacole (April) was fascinating, but Seacole wasn\u2019t the only \u201calternative\u201d to Florence Nightingale. Betsi Cadwaladr, from Bala in north Wales, spent many months working with the troops on the front lines, providing warm food, bandaging wounds and caring for the men. Cadwaladr…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13621"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13621"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13621\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14285,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13621\/revisions\/14285"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}