Yorkshire Almanac Christ meets Cheops on the pyramid tomb at Sharow, Ripon under which Jessie Piazzi Smyth (who died today) was buried by her “pyramidiot” husband

24 March 1896: Christ meets Cheops on the pyramid tomb at Sharow, Ripon under which Jessie Piazzi Smyth (who died today) was buried by her “pyramidiot” husband

Error: old image code

Anon. 2006. Charles Piazzi Smyth. Sharow: St. John’s Church, Sharow. Get it:

Unedited excerpt

If an excerpt is used in the book, it will be shorter, edited and, where applicable, translated.

[Her inscription on the pyramid:]

In memory of
JESSIE PIAZZI SMYTH
Daughter of Thomas Duncan, the dear wife of Charles
Piazzi Smyth L.L.D. Ed. Late Astronomer Royal for Scotland
Who was his faithful and sympathetic friend and companion
Through 40 years of varied Scientific experiences by land and sea
abroad as well as at home at 12000 feet up in the atmosphere
on the wind swept Peak of Teneriffe as well as underneath and
Upon the GREAT PYRAMID OF EGYPT
Until she fell asleep in the LORD JESUS CHRIST
At Clova Ripon on the 24th day of March 1896 aged 80.

[Four years later he joined her:]

Besides the earthly remains of his lamented wife, lies interred the body of
CHARLES PIAZZI SMYTH
Born 3rd January 1819, died February 21st 1900.
Astronomer Royal for Scotland from 1845 to 1888, who earned unperishing renown by his journeys
to distant lands for Scientific objects, and by his eminent Astronomical and other Scientific
Writings and Researches. As bold in enterprise as he was resolute in demanding a proper measure of
Public sympathy and respect for astronomy in Scotland he was not less a living emblem of pious
Patience under troubles and Afflictions, and he sank to rest, laden with well-earned
Scientific Honours a Bright Star in a Firmament of ardent explorers of the works of their Creator.
Still achieving, still pursuing, learning to labour and to wail

He Prayeth best, who loveth best all things great and small
For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all.

Order the book:

Subscribe to the free daily email:

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Comment

“Pyramidiot” is from Leonard Cottrell (Cottrell 1956).

Charles on why the inch must be preserved:

each single British inch is, almost exactly, the 1-500,000,000th of the earth’s axis of rotation already referred to.

Almost, only, not quite, at this present time; for it requires 1.001 of a modern British inch to make one such true inch of the earth and the Great Pyramid. An extraordinarily close approach, even there, between two measures of length in different ages and different lands; and yet if any one should doubt whether our British inch can really be so close to the ancient and earth-perfect measure, I can only advise him to look to the original documents, and see how narrowly it escaped being much closer; and would have been so too in these days, but that the Government officials somewhere in the “unheroic” eighteenth century allowed the ell-measure, of equal date and authority with the yard, and of a greater number of inches (45 to 36), and therefore, in so far, a more powerful standard,—-to drop out of sight.

The modern inch now in vogue amongst us, was derived from the Exchequer yard-standard, through means of Bird’s copy in 1760 and other copies, and was therefore intended to be one of the inches of that particular yard; but the inches of the Exchequer ell were rather larger inches, and there were more of them; so that if either standard was rightfully taken as the sole authority for the value of an inch, it should have been the ell. Now when these standards were very accurately compared by Graham in 1743, before a large deputation of the Royal Society and the Government, it was found that the Exchequer ell’s 45 inches exceeded the quantity of 45 such inches as the Exchequer yard contained 36 of, by the space of 0.0494 of an inch. A result, too, which was in the main confirmed by the simultaneous measures of another standard ell at Guildhall, with an excess of 0.0444 of an inch, and the Guildhall yard with the excess of 0.0434 of an inch.

Keeping, however, only to the Exchequer standard ell; and finding that it was not, after all, the Exchequer yard, which was subsequently made (in Bird’s copy) the legal standard of the country, that it was compared with, but a previous copy of it, and found in 1743 to be in excess by 0.0075 of an inch, on the Royal Society’s scale,—-we must subtract this quantity from the observed excess of the Exchequer ell; and then we get that its 45 inches were equal in terms of the present standard inches of the country, to 45.0419.

But 45 Pyramid inches are equal to 45.045 modern English inches; whence it will be seen, that a Pyramid inch and an early English inch had a closeness to each other that almost surpasses belief, or of 1 to 0.99993: and will cause every well-wisher of his country to see, that the inch must be preserved. Not only preserved too, but, if possible, restored to its ancient, or Pyramid value (Piazzi Smyth 1874).

Something to say? Get in touch

Comment

“Pyramidiot” is from Leonard Cottrell (Cottrell 1956).

Charles on why the inch must be preserved:

each single British inch is, almost exactly, the 1-500,000,000th of the earth’s axis of rotation already referred to.

Almost, only, not quite, at this present time; for it requires 1.001 of a modern British inch to make one such true inch of the earth and the Great Pyramid. An extraordinarily close approach, even there, between two measures of length in different ages and different lands; and yet if any one should doubt whether our British inch can really be so close to the ancient and earth-perfect measure, I can only advise him to look to the original documents, and see how narrowly it escaped being much closer; and would have been so too in these days, but that the Government officials somewhere in the “unheroic” eighteenth century allowed the ell-measure, of equal date and authority with the yard, and of a greater number of inches (45 to 36), and therefore, in so far, a more powerful standard,—-to drop out of sight.

The modern inch now in vogue amongst us, was derived from the Exchequer yard-standard, through means of Bird’s copy in 1760 and other copies, and was therefore intended to be one of the inches of that particular yard; but the inches of the Exchequer ell were rather larger inches, and there were more of them; so that if either standard was rightfully taken as the sole authority for the value of an inch, it should have been the ell. Now when these standards were very accurately compared by Graham in 1743, before a large deputation of the Royal Society and the Government, it was found that the Exchequer ell’s 45 inches exceeded the quantity of 45 such inches as the Exchequer yard contained 36 of, by the space of 0.0494 of an inch. A result, too, which was in the main confirmed by the simultaneous measures of another standard ell at Guildhall, with an excess of 0.0444 of an inch, and the Guildhall yard with the excess of 0.0434 of an inch.

Keeping, however, only to the Exchequer standard ell; and finding that it was not, after all, the Exchequer yard, which was subsequently made (in Bird’s copy) the legal standard of the country, that it was compared with, but a previous copy of it, and found in 1743 to be in excess by 0.0075 of an inch, on the Royal Society’s scale,—-we must subtract this quantity from the observed excess of the Exchequer ell; and then we get that its 45 inches were equal in terms of the present standard inches of the country, to 45.0419.

But 45 Pyramid inches are equal to 45.045 modern English inches; whence it will be seen, that a Pyramid inch and an early English inch had a closeness to each other that almost surpasses belief, or of 1 to 0.99993: and will cause every well-wisher of his country to see, that the inch must be preserved. Not only preserved too, but, if possible, restored to its ancient, or Pyramid value (Piazzi Smyth 1874).

Something to say? Get in touch

Similar

9 June 1758: Entry into law of the first dedicated railway enabling act, for Richard Humble and Charles Brandling’s wagonway from Middleton Colliery to the Aire at Leeds

2 July 1644: Henry Slingsby of the Royalist York garrison recounts Prince Rupert’s defeat at Marston Moor today, which ends Charles I’s hopes in the north

30 January 1978: A Cumbrian Evensong is rescheduled to accommodate All Creatures Great and Small

28 June 1995: The real Siegfred Farnon calls it a day

10 June 1846: John Richard Walbran begins an antiquarian excavation of the Neolithic henge on Hutton Moor, Dishforth (Ripon)

28 January 1069: In the first major northern battle after Hastings, Tynesiders slaughter a Norman army at Durham, whereupon William the Conqueror ravages the north

4 July 1604: The daily timetable for Cicely Sandys’ university at Ripon is approved today by Queen Anne of Denmark

27 December 1745: A correspondent from Stokesley (Hambleton) recounts the destruction of their Catholic chapel by a youthful mob during the Jacobite invasion of England

9 February 1719: Cartographer John Warburton of Bedale (North Riding) sets out with his measuring wheel to continue his survey of Yorkshire and of potential subscribers

1 June 1318: Archbishop Melton of York tells the Ripon bailiff to ensure that everyone pays their proper share of the protection money agreed with the Scots

Order the book:

Subscribe to the free daily email:

Comment

Stephen Werronen on the myth that the “sons of perverted rashness” burned Ripon minster:

In the turbulent years following the English defeat at Bannockburn, Ripon was one of scores of towns and villages that were vulnerable to Scottish raiders. Most histories of the minster contain a similar version of events: the Scots enter the town and the townspeople take refuge in the minster, an agreement is reached whereby the Scots will spare the town for a ransom of one thousand marks, and later the Scots return to set fire to the town and the minster. While Ripon Minster’s historians have been quick to repeat this episode, none of them has ever produced physical evidence of fire damage to the minster. This evidence is not forthcoming because, as closer examination of textual evidence indicates, the nature of the Scottish raids has been exaggerated by Ripon’s historians. This article begins by showing how the accepted version of events passed from one author to the next, from the beginning of the eighteenth century down to the present. As the discipline of architectural history developed, the early claims for total destruction of the minster by the raiders should have been critically reconsidered. However, they were retained and simply modified to suit other evidence. Moreover, the partial destruction of the minster has been taken for granted by historians to the extent that they have used this assumption to interpret other evidence regarding the building and its history (Werronen 2012/09/02).

Werronen’s first un-source is the folkloric Thomas Gent:

Happily did this church and town flourish, (escaping the miseries of the barons wars in King Henry III’s time) till the 12th year of the unfortunate King Edward II, anno 1318. Then it was, the Scots, with their valiant King Robert, won the important fortress of Berwick; which King Edward endeavouring to recover again, by a close siege; others of that country diverted him, by making havoc of his people in other parts of England, and had like to have taken the Queen prisoner, who resided in a village near York, in the time of the siege. ‘Tis inconceivable what losses and devastations the city and adjacent country suffered by those people in the following year. [Misdated account of the battle of Myton-on-Swale.] No wonder was it then, the Scots should renew their exactions, as they had done before. For so much had they impoverished, in particular Ripon, that the distressed inhabitants could not comply with a new demand, to redeem it from ruin, by the payment of a thousand marks, which occasioned several of their lives to fall as sacrifices to the fury of these men: Who were not satisfied with blood alone; but set the town in a conflagration, which destroyed the house of the most high: As though, in time of war, there should be no regard to the honour due to the great king of heaven and earth! And this happened about September, anno 1332 [i.e. 1318].

[Edward III’s victories at Dupplin Moor in 1332 and at Halidon Hill and Berwick-upon-Tweed (which was retaken) in 1333]

These great successes of the English so exhilarated the hearts of the king’s subjects, especially about Ripon, that several persons of eminence, assisted by the Archbishop of York, soon began to make a contribution towards the rebuilding of the town. Workmen were employed, who happily effected the same, in a few years. Its late lamented desolation was then turned to a welcome place of resort, adorned with more delightful habitations.

Then, too, did the church, after so often repeated fortunes and misfortunes, begin to raise its declined head. It was built almost from its very foundations: the spires, more beautiful than before: the windows, adorned with curious painted glass, containing, among other devices, the arms of its renowned benefactors. Everything appeared magnificent: nothing was wanting to incite a true veneration for the house of prayer, in the eye of the religious beholder.

(Gent 1733).

Something to say? Get in touch