December 31 - "The Gunner" Sir William Skeffington

On this day in Tudor history, 31st December 1535, in the reign of Henry VIII, Sir William Skeffington, Lord Deputy of Ireland, died at Kilmainham in Dublin.

 

Skeffington had become known as "the Gunner" following his use of heavy artillery while taking Maynooth Castle in County Kildare, where he killed, or had executed, the whole garrison.

 

Find out more about the life and career of Sir William Skeffington in today's talk from historian Claire Ridgway. You can see this podcast as a video at the following link:

https://youtu.be/Cv3g50GOaDA

 

Also on this day in Tudor history, 31st December 1559, Owen Oglethorpe, Bishop of Carlisle, died while under house arrest in London.
Oglethorpe is known for officiating at Queen Elizabeth I's coronation in 1559, but also for infuriating the queen at Christmas 1558 by disobeying her instructions at Mass. What did Oglethorpe do?

Find out about Owen Oglethorpe's life and career, and how he upset the queen and ended his days under house arrest, in last year’s video - https://youtu.be/x-QM9sGujUY