England part 2

 

This week I am doing a little more about England with information such as, England’s national animal which is the lion.

In the Middle Ages there were lions kept at the Towel of London as part of a menagerie.

English medieval warrior rulers with a reputation for bravery attracted the nickname "the Lion": the most famous being Richard 1 aka Richard the Lionhearthed.

Lions are frequently depicted on shields they also appear in sculpture, at sites of national importance. The lion is used as a symbol of English sporting teams, such as their national sporting teams.

 

The national tree is the oak tree, specifically the English oak, it represents strength and endurance.  In 1651 during the battle of Worcester King Charles 11 hid in an oak tree before making it safely into exile.

The national flower is the rose, a Tudor rose is officially used, it signifies the unification of the warring parties of during the War of the Roses under the Tudor dynasty, the red rose represented the House of Lancaster, and the white rose the House of York.

England doesn't have a single official national dish, however there are some foods mostly connected to the country such as roast beef with Yorkshire pudding which has its roots dating back to the 18th century. The ballad "The Roast Beef of Old England" from 1731 highlights the dish's cultural significance. 

Other dishes would be fish and chips, toad in the hold and bangers and mash.

Toad in the hole is a traditional British dish consisting of sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter, usually served with onion gravy and vegetables. Historically, the dish has also been prepared using other meats, such as rump steak and lamb's kidney.

Bangers and mash are sausages, and mash is a traditional British dish consisting of sausages and mashed potato. The dish is usually served with onion gravy but may also include fried onions and peas.

England's national drink is tea. While gin is also a strong contender, particularly in the south, tea's widespread consumption across all social classes.

Many people say that England has two national sports being Association football (commonly known as soccer), as well as Cricket, which is often considered the national summer sport.

Also, England is known for being the home of some amazing authors such as William Shakespeare, Jane Austen and Charles Dickens to name a few.

There are two versions of the banknotes in circulation. One version featuring a portrait of King Charles III and one version featuring a portrait of Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. There are four denominations of the banknotes in circulation: £5, £10, £20 and £50. The £1 & £2 notes have been converted to coins during the 1980’s and 1990’s.

In England, women gained the right to vote in a phased approach. The Representation of the People Act of 1918 granted women over 30 the vote, provided they also met certain property qualifications. However, full equality with men was achieved in 1928 with the Equal Franchise Act of 1928, which lowered the voting age for women to 21.

The first woman to have a seat in parliament was Nancy Astor (Viscountess Astor), after a by-election, in December 1919. She was elected as a Conservative for the Plymouth Sutton constituency after her husband, Waldorf Astor, the former MP, was elevated to the peerage.

The English coat of arms, featuring three golden lions on a red field, dates back to the late 12th century, around 1198. While there are earlier uses of lions in English heraldry, the specific design of three lions passant-guardant was introduced by King Richard I and is the one that became established as the Royal Arms of England. 

The coat of arms of England, part of the wider Royal Arms of the United Kingdom, features three lions passant (walking) on a field of gold, representing the English royal lineage. This design, often described as "three lions on a field of gold," has been a consistent symbol of England since its adoption by King Richard I in the 12th century. The lions, initially a single lion on a shield, were later expanded to three by his successor, King John, and have remained a defining feature of the English coat of arms ever since. 

At the center of the arms is a quartered shield, depicting the three passant guardant lions of England in the first and fourth quarters, the rampant lion and double tressure flory-counterflory of Scotland in the second quarter, and a harp for Ireland in the third quarter. 

Well I guess I will wrap this up hope people found the post interesting.