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Principality of Lüneburg

The Principality of Lüneburg (later also referred to as Celle) was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany. The principality was named after its first capital, Lüneburg (also called Lunenburg in English), which was ruled jointly by all Brunswick-Lüneburg lines until 1637. From 1378, the seat of the principality was in Celle. It lost its independence in 1705 when it was annexed by the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg, but retained its vote in the Reichstag as Brunswick-Celle.

Territory
When the Principality of Lüneburg emerged as a result of the division of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1269, the domain of the Lüneburg princes consisted of a large number of territorial rights in the region of Lüneburg. However, it could not be described as a unified state, because many rights were owned by other vassals of the imperial crown. Not until the acquisition of numerous counties and rights in the 13th and 14th centuries did the rulers of Lüneburg succeed in building a unified state. Following the division of the principalities of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel and Lüneburg between Bernard and Henry in 1409, the territorial development of the state was largely complete. At that time, the Principality of Lüneburg included the larger part of the Lüneburg Heath and the Wendland, and measured about 11000 sqkm.

Emergence
The Principality of Lüneburg was created by the division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, a state that had been formed in 1235 from the allodial lands of the Welfs in Saxony and given as an imperial fief to Otto the Child, a nephew of Henry the Lion. The name of the dukedom was drawn from the two largest towns in the territory, Lüneburg and Brunswick. Following the death of Otto, his two sons split the duchy in 1267 or 1269, into subordinate principalities; Brunswick going to Albert and Lüneburg to John. Together, the two principalities continued to form the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg which remained undivided according to imperial law, something that is clear from the fact that inter alia all the princes of the various lines carried the title of Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In addition, the two capitals, Lüneburg and Brunswick, remained in the common ownership of the House of Welf until 1512 and 1671 respectively.

Old House of Lüneburg
When John died in 1277, the regency was held by his brother, Albert, on behalf of John's underage son, Otto the Strict, before Otto assumed power himself in 1282. Otto asserted his rule through the prosecution of numerous feuds against the lesser nobility, which enabled him to achieve consolidate his ducal authority within the state. He also continued the "systematic acquisition policy" (planmässige Erwerbspolitik) in the Lüneburg principality that had operated since the time of Otto the Child, "rounding off the Lüneburg allodial estate" (Arrondierung des Lüneburger Allodialbesitzes) through the purchase of numerous lands and rights, including those of Bleckede and Hitzacker, the County of Dannenberg and the County of Wölpe.

Duke Otto was followed by his sons, Otto III of Lüneburg and William of Lüneburg. The instruction issued by their father in 1318 whereby the principality would be divided after his death between Otto III and his brother, William II, was ignored by the brothers and in 1330 they assumed joint control of an undivided state. The focus of their rule in the early years was a further territorial consolidation of the principality. For example, they were able to considerably increase their estate in the region of Gifhorn through the purchase of the village of Fallersleben, the County of Papenteich and Wettmarshagen. Another top priority was their political support for the towns, which were striving to develop themselves economically. For instance, the merchants of Lüneburg benefited considerably from work to make the River Ilmenau navigable between Lüneburg and Uelzen and from trade agreements between the Lüneburg princes and the dukes of Saxe-Lauenburg. The two brothers reigned jointly until the death of Otto III in 1352, leaving William in sole charge until his own death in 1369.

Lüneburg War of Succession
When William II of Lüneburg died in 1369 without a son, the first house of Lüneburg became extinct. According to Welf house rules and the desire of William, Duke Magnus II Torquatus of Brunswick would have been the rightful heir. Emperor Charles IV, however, considered it an imperial fiefdom, however, and granted the principality to Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg and his uncle Wenceslas, thus precipitating the Lüneburg War of Succession.

The town of Lüneburg supported the Wittenbergs and took the opportunity to escape from the immediate influence of the duke, destroying the ducal castle on the Kalkberg on 1 February 1371 and forcing him to relocate his residence to Celle. An attempt on 21 October 1371, St. Ursula's Day, to overthrow Lüneburg militarily and to secure the old ducal rights, failed. In the military conflict that followed, neither the Brunswicks nor the Wittenbergs were able to enforce their claims, and only the peace of Hanover in 1373, ended the war, at least for a time. According to the agreement reached there, the Welfs and the Wittenbergs were to rule alternately.

Magnus Torquatus had already died in 1373, so the treaty between the two contending houses was further reinforced by the marriage of his two eldest sons, Frederick and Bernard I, to the two daughters of Wenceslas and by the marriage of Magnus's widow to Albert of Saxe-Wittenberg. The younger brother of Frederick and Bernard, Henry the Mild refused, however, to accept the agreement and continued to prosecute the war. It was not until after the Battle of Winsen in 1388, when Wenceslas lost his life, that the Wittenbergs gave up their claims and the principality was finally secured by the Welfs.

Lüneburg Sate and Lüneburg Sate War
The Lüneburg War of Succession resulted in a large plenitude of power going to the estates within the principality. To secure the support of towns and the lower nobility, both the Welfs and the Ascanians were forced to give the estates wide privileges, and enfeoff them with numerous rights and castles. The Celle dukes, Bernard and Henry had emerged victorious from the conflict to be sure, but faced huge financial problems as a result. So when they appeared before the town of Lüneburg with a fresh request for funds in September 1392, they had to agree to a significant treaty, the so-called Lüneburg Sate, in which the estates were granted numerous privileges and the dukes had to submit to the authority of a council of the landowners of the estates, in return for a loan of 50,000 marks.

The years that followed were characterised by renewed tensions between the rulers and the landowners and attempts by the dukes to weaken the standing of the Lüneburg Sate. In 1396 it was finally rejected. After he had secured the assistance Sweden and Mecklenburg by concluding a treaty of friendship and security, Duke Henry, soon to be followed by his brother, Bernard, took the town of Uelzen as his residence, which forced the town to announce its withdrawal from the Sate and to pay homage to the dukes of Lüneburg. In the course of the clashes that now arose between the dukes and the town of Lüneburg, numerous battles were fought across the entire country. Through the support of the Hanseatic towns of Hamburg and Lübeck, Lüneburg achieved military superiority, so that the Celle dukes sued for peace with their opponents. In October 1397 there was a contractual agreement between the warring parties, but the restitution of the Lüneburg Sate that had been sought by the town of Lüneburg was not forthcoming.

Middle House of Lüneburg
The joint reign of brothers, Bernard and Henry, from 1388 to 1409 was followed by another division of the principality in which Bernard was given Brunswick and Henry received Lüneburg. After Duke Henry's death in 1416, he was followed by his two sons, William and Henry. Their rule was characterized primarily by the financial constraints under which the country continued to suffer in the wake of the Lüneburg War of Succession.

In 1428 there was a further division of the Welf estate between the 2 brothers and their uncle, Bernard, Prince of Brunswick. The brothers William and Henry received the land between the Deister and the Leine, which was later to become the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, having acquired the Principality of Calenberg; and their uncle, Bernard, received the Principality of Lüneburg, thus becoming the progenitor of the Middle House of Lüneburg.

After Duke Bernard died in 1434, his eldest son, Otto became the ruling prince. In 1446 he was followed by his brother, Frederick the Pious, who abdicated, however, in 1457 in favour of his sons, Bernard and Otto, in order to enter the Franciscan abbey at Celle. After both brothers had died in 1464 and 1471 respectively, Frederick the Pious left the abbey again in order to hold the reins of power for his 3-year old nephew, Henry the Middle, the son of Otto of Lüneburg and Anna of Nassau.

When Frederick died in 1478, Anna of Nassau ruled the principality for her son until he was old enough to take power in Celle in 1486; she then retired to her dower at Lüchow Castle. Because of his role in the Hildesheim Diocesan Feud and the associated political opposition to Emperor Charles V, Henry was forced to abdicate in 1520 in favour of his sons Otto and Ernest the Confessor. Otto relinquished his princedom in 1527 and was compensated with the Amt of Harburg. In 1539, their youngest brother, Francis, who had also shared the reins of power since 1536, also abdicated and was given the Amt of Gifhorn, leaving Ernest the Confessor to rule alone.

Ernest the Confessor and the Reformation
One priority for Duke Ernest "the Confessor" was to pay off the principality's massive debts. When he came to power, all the offices (Ämter) were pledged, with the exception of the Schlossvogtei. Consequently his efforts were aimed primarily at the redeeming them again (Wiedereinlösung). The necessary tax increases led to serious clashes with the estates. However, Ernest succeeded in asserting himself, and in enforced reduction of the state debt. His second major work was the introduction of the Protestant Reformation. Ernest had himself studied at Wittenberg and had been in contact with Luther's teachers there. Soon after succeeding, he began to reform the church of Lüneburg to Lutheranism. At the 1527 Landtag recess, even those nobles who had been hostile declared their support for the new faith. In 1530, Ernest signed the Augsburg Confession, and brought back with him the Augsburg reformer Urbanus Rhegius, who was largely responsible for the implementation of the Reformation in Lüneburg over the succeeding decades.

When Duke Ernest died, his sons were still minors, and their two uncles, Otto and Francis, refused the regency. As a result, the Emperor decreed that the Archbishop of Cologne and the Count of Schaumburg were to govern on their behalf. The eldest son, Francis Otto assumed power in 1555, but abdicated as early as 1559 in favour of his brothers, Henry and William.

Following Henry's resignation ten years later, William officially reigned alone until his death in 1592, but due to serious mental problems, he only played a very limited part in political life and spent his last years in mental derangement. His rule, like his father's, was dominated by an enforced policy of debt relief. But reconciliation with the town of Lüneburg in 1562 and the associated acquisition of part of the principality's debt and imperial taxes by the town played a major role in easing the parlous financial situation. Further important reforms included the Lutheran Church Order, adopted in 1564, which practically completed the Reformation in Lüneburg, as well as the aulic court and administrative ordinances (the Hofgerichtsordnung and Polizeiordnung).

William left 15 children, including seven sons: Ernest, Christian, Augustus, Frederick, Magnus, George, and John. In 1592, all the brothers agreed to entrust the government of the whole realm (with limitation) to Ernest, initially for eight years, and in 1600 for a further ten. Then in 1610, they agreed that the Principality of Lüneburg and all its dependencies should be his and his descendants as an indivisible whole. However, after Ernest's death in 1611, and given the difficulty of ever new divisions, the remaining brothers made another agreement in 1612. Under this new arrangement, each of the brothers would exercise power in succession, but only one of them would marry a woman of appropriate rank (so only their children could inherit). This would continue the ducal lineage and maintain the unity of the Principality. They drew lots: the lot fell to the second youngest brother, George, who married Anne Eleonore of Hesse-Darmstadt in 1617.

New House of Lüneburg
After the death of George's brother Frederick of Lüneburg, George's eldest son Christian Louis inherited Lüneburg in 1648 and became the founder of the new line of Lüneburg. In 1665, Christian Louis died, and was temporarily succeeded by George's third son John, who usurped the throne over George's second son George William, who then held the Principality of Calenberg. George William soon displaced John in Lüneburg, but had to cede Calenberg to John, and also the Principality of Grubenhagen, which had been acquired by the House of Lüneburg in 1617.

George William, often called the "heath duke" (Heideherzog), led the princely court during its final flourish. During his reign the baroque theatre was built that is still open today, the French Garden was laid out and palace façade designed in its current baroque form. After his death in 1705, George of Hanover, who was both the benefactor of Georges William's 1658 renunciation in favour of his younger brother Ernest Augustus and the husband of George William's morganatic daughter Sophie Dorothea, inherited the state of Lüneburg, which was merged into the Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg and finally lost its independence.

Welf side lines
In the 16th century several Welf secondary lines emerged which received their own territories:

Harburg
Following his marriage to lady-in-waiting Metta von Campen in 1527, Duke Otto relinquished his participation in the government of the principality, and was compensated with the Amt of Harburg as his own territorial lordship. Harburg remained an integral part of the principality; the ducal chancery in Celle continued to be responsible for border and territorial issues, the noble knights the Amt of Harburg continued to participate in the Lüneburg estates assembly and enfeoffed by the duke in Celle. When Otto died in 1549, the Amt of Harburg should have reverted to the dukes of Celle, but Otto's son, Otto the Second, succeeded in 1560 in having a new regulation added to the severance agreement of 1527. Harburg was defined as an hereditary possession and its territory increased by the district of Moisburg. When the Harburg line became extinct in 1642, the territory reverted to the lordship of the ducal house in Celle.

Gifhorn
Personal disagreements between the brothers Ernest and Francis in 1539 led to the emergence of a domain at Gifhorn, the so-called Duchy of Gifhorn. In return for renunciating his participation in the government of the principality, Francis received Gifhorn Castle as compensation along with the Ämter of Fallersleben, Gifhorn and Isenhagen. Even though Francis tried to force through his full sovereignty over his domain, important sovereign rights were retained by the ducal house in Celle. For example, Celle was still responsible for foreign policy issues and the Gifhorn nobility remained part of the Lüneburg estates. When Duke Francis died childless in 1549, the territory of Gifhorn went back to Celle.

Dannenberg
When Duke Henry went against a gentleman's agreement with his brother William and married Ursula of Saxe-Lauenburg in 1569, he had forsake sharing the government of the principality and was compensated instead with the Amt of Dannenberg and the Klosteramt of Scharnebeck. The barony of Danneberg remained part of the Principality of Lüneburg, however, and important sovereign rights, such as foreign policy or tax policy, remained with the government in Celle. In 1592, after the death of Duke William, the territory was enlarged with the Ämter of Hitzacker, Lüchow and Warpke, but Henry's demands for a transfer of sovereignty were not met. After the Principality of Grubenhagen had returned to Celle in 1617, the Dannenberg line received the Amt of Wustrow as compensation. In 1671 the barony of Dannenberg went back to the Welf line in Celle.

Central administration
As well as the ducal counsellors, who at that time were noble (edelfrei) vassals, a number of medieval court offices, who had emerged in the 12th century, can still be found in the 13th. These are the offices of seneschal (Truchseß), butler (Schenk), chamberlain (Kämmerer) and marshal (Marshall), which were held by certain hereditary noble families. For example, the von Grote family provided the seneschal and the von Medings the marshal. The butler and the chamberlain were initially supplied by the vom Berge family and, when they died out, the von dem Knesebecks became the chamberlains and the von Behrs were the butlers. These offices are mentioned up to the 14th century, but had largely lost their political influence, by the turn of that century. At that time a princely council evolved, formed mainly of members of the Lüneburg ministeriales. The composition of these nobles at that time was not consistent, but depended on the residence of the duke. Only with the emergence of Celle as the ducal seat in the middle of the 15th century did it take a clear shape, although individual advisors were members of the duke's inner circle for a long time.

At the head of the ducal chancery, the Kanzlei, the highest authority mentioned in the documents was the chief secretary or Kanzleivorsteher. Beneath him were the scribes, most of whom came from the Lüneburg clergy.

In the 16th century, in addition to noble councillors, who by this time were known as Landräte, there were often learned, foreign advisors. The chancery was headed by the chancellor who was also a scholar. From that time the chancery acted, not simply as an office, but was also the advisory chamber of the councillors (Räte) and the seat of the chancery court (Kanzleigericht).

After 1536 financial matters were the responsibility of the treasury (Rentenkammer), headed by the treasurer (Rentmeister).

After the death of Ernest the Confessor in 1546 a regency was formed for his minor sons. The government was led by a so-called governor (Statthalter), who oversaw the administration of the court and royal office. The Celle advocate (Vogt), the chancellor and the vice-chancellor also belonged to the government. This institution remained as the highest state authority even after Ernest's sons took power.

In 1593, a new office of Kammerrat was created, following the adoption of a new "Chancery and Government Ordinance", to which only the governor, the Celle advocate and the chancellor reported. The Kammerrat was responsible for key policy decisions, particularly in financial matters and the area of foreign policy, while the duties of the chancery were restricted merely to administration.

In 1618 several council chambers (Ratsstuben) were set up in accordance with a new ordinance, the Regimentsordnung. These chambers were each responsible only for a specific area: the consistory (Konsistorium) for questions on church matters, the Kriegsrat for military affairs and the Haushaltsrat for financial management. The old office Kammerrat was replaced by a privy councillor (Geheime Rat) who was primarily responsible for matters of foreign policy.

Local administration
In the 13th and 14th centuries, regional magistracies (Gogerichte) handled the local administration of the principality. In addition to the exercising juridical authority they were responsible inter alia, for "the muster of tied villeins, the organization of defence and for taking charge of the militia" (Aufgebot der folgepflichtigen Hintersassen, Verteidigungsorganisation bis hin zur Sorge für die Landwehren).

Beginning in the 13th century, advocacies (Vogteien) emerged in the Principality of Lüneburg as providers of local administration, sometimes in parallel with the existing magistracies and sometimes based on them. Little information is available about exactly how these advocacies were established. From the 16th century the term Amt was used, and districts subordinate to the Ämter were then known as Vogteien. The process for establishing the offices (Ämter) was basically completed in the 16th century with the emergence of the ecclesiastical Klosterämter after the Reformation. In charge of the Amt was a bailiff-cum-magistrate (Amtmann), who was appointed by the duke. Belonging to the Amt was the so-called Amtshof, which was originally run by the Amtsmann, but from the 17th century was usually leased. The Ämter reported to the ducal treasury, the Rentkammer, in Celle.

The Ämter exercised the duke's territorial rights and were involved in the raising of sovereign taxes. Importantly, they were also the first level of jurisdiction for all civil disputes and lesser criminal cases. In addition, they were the administrative centre for the ducal estate, i.e. they levied the manorial obligations due to the Duke.

Special cases were brought before the so-called "closed aristocratic courts" (geschlossenen adeligen Gerichte) in Gartow and Wathlingen. Here the local families, the von Bernstorffs and the von Lüneburgs, were not only responsible for lower and higher courts, but also ran the administration of the principality on behalf of the duke. The towns of Celle, Harburg, Lüchow, Dannenberg, Hitzacker and Soltau were independent administrations and not part of the Ämter system. In addition to their own administration, they also ran their own lesser jurisdictions; the chancery court (Kanzleigericht) in Celle was only responsible for dealing with major offences. Lüneburg achieved even greater independence and had both greater and lesser jurisdictions.

Judiciary
In the 13th and 14th centuries the regional magistracies (Gogerichte) were responsible for the administration of justice. Their magistrates (Gorichter) were usually freely elected by the community under their jurisdiction, but some were appointed by the duke or a lesser noble.

Their powers of jurisdiction were transferred to the Ämter as the latter became established. Thereafter the Ämter were responsible for the initial handling of civil law matters for the majority of subjects in the principality. More serious crimes would be investigated by the Ämter and the sentence pronounced by the chancery court in Celle, once the case had been referred. Where towns had lesser or higher jurisdictions, the townsfolk would be dealt with in the civic courts. Cases for subjects that came under the jurisdiction of the 'closed aristocratic courts' in Wathlingen and Gartow were heard by the respective lords of the manor (Gutsherren). The chancery court handled all civil and criminal cases involving the nobility and the majority of senior officials.

The chancery court also acted as a court of appeal as did, from 1536, the royal court in Celle that was permanently in session. There was no clear division of responsibility; the choice of court was left to the plaintiff. As a final resort there was the option of appealing to the imperial chamber court (Reichskammergericht) in Wetzlar.

In the Principality of Lüneburg, in addition to the chancery court and the courts at Amt level there existed numerous aristocratic patrimonial courts (Patrimonialgerichte), whose responsibilities were confined to the jurisdiction of specific groups of people and areas. For example, there were so-called "internal, stake, fence, village, road and field courts" (Binnen-, Pfahl-, Zaun-, Dorf-, Straßen- und Feldgerichte.)

For all civil and criminal legal disputes that involved the use of woodland, the "woodland courts" (Holzungsgerichte) were responsible, that met once or twice a year and whose boundaries were independent of the Ämtern. Since the 16th century these courts lost their influence and disputes about forested land were decided by other courts.

From 1562 the highest, ecclesiastical court was the consistory (Konsistorium) in Celle, which was responsible for all marital matters, cases between churches and cases between the laity and the clergy.

Landschaft of the Principality of Lüneburg
In the 17th century the Lüneburg Landschaft emerged as an institution representing the estates (Landstände) of the Principality of Lüneburg. In addition to participating in legislation and approving taxes, it had a right to represent various administrative bodies and was thus involved in the administration of the Principality.

Military service
Up to the 16th century military forces were provided by the Lehnsmiliz, knights required to do military service, and the militia (under the Heerbann) who were drawn from elements of the rural population. The conscription of the Lehnsmiliz resulted from their feudal obligations to the dukes of Celle; that of the militia from their obligation to their landlords.

With the advent of firearms in the 15th century, mercenaries were increasingly engaged; they were committed to serve for a particular conflict and then discharged from the service. To begin with they only supplemented the armies raised by the knights; later they largely replaced them in the 17th century because of their military superiority.

Until the 17th century there were very few standing armies. Only the Duke's bodyguard and the soldiers guarding the residence in Celle were in the permanent employ of the dukes.

In the early stages of the Thirty Years War, the fighting troops were still made up of mercenaries until, in 1631, under the Calenberg duke, George, troops were organised for the entire Welf House of Brunswick-Lüneburg that, for the first time, provided a permanent standing army in the service of the dukes. After the disbandment of the common army for the overall House of Brunswick-Lüneburg in 1644, elements of its regiments joined the Principality of Lüneburg and formed the Lüneburg Army.

In 1650 troop strengths were reduced at the request of the estates (Landsstände), but were expanded significantly again in 1651 and 1665 during the rule of Duke George William. The troops were deployed during this period in several European wars, including those in Venice, Spain and the Netherlands. Although the Principality of Lüneburg was not directly involved in these conflicts, the dukes in Celle made their troops available to foreign forces in return for payment for their services.

When the Principality of Lüneburg merged with the Electorate of Hanover, the Lüneburg Army was united with the Hanoverian Army.

Princes of Lüneburg
The rulers of Lüneburg, like those of other principalities within the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, were entitled to use the title "Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg" as well as "Prince of Lüneburg".

See List of the rulers of Lüneburg.

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Dunure Castle

Dunure Castle is located on the west coast of Scotland, in South Ayrshire, about 5 mi south of Ayr and close to the village of Dunure. Today the castle stands in ruins on a rocky promontory on the Carrick coast, overlooking the small harbour of Dunure.

Introduction
The site dates from the late 13th century; the earliest charter for the lands dating from 1256, but the remains of the building are of 15th- and 16th-century origin. One tradition says that the castle was built by the Danes. Another claims that the Mackinnons held the castle from Alexander III as a reward for their valour at the Battle of Largs.

The castle is the point of origin of the Kennedys of Carrick (not to be confused with the American Kennedy family), who once ruled over much of south western Scotland and were granted the lands in 1357. Sir James Balfour described Dunure as "a grate and pleasand stronge housse, the most ancient habitation of the surname of Kennedy, Lairds of Dunure, now Earles of Cassiles."

In August 1563, Mary, Queen of Scots, visited the castle for three days during her third progress round the west of the country.

The Celtic name Dunure or Dunoure is said to derive from the "hill" or "fort of the yew tree".

Roasting of the Commendator of Crossraguel
In 1570, a dispute arose between Gilbert Kennedy, 4th Earl of Cassilis, and Allan Stewart, the succeeding lay Commendator of Crossraguel Abbey, over the ownership of some of the abbey lands and their rental income. The Earl's uncle was Quintin Kennedy, the last true abbot of Crossraguel. Quintin challenged John Knox to a debate on the Catholic Mass. Gilbert had expected to secure the Commendatorship, however Allan obtained it through the influence of his relative, Captain James Stewart of Cardonald. Gilbert, with sixteen men, caught Allan Stewart unexpectedly in Crossraguel Woods whilst a guest of the Laird of Bargany, and tricked him into journeying to Dunure. At the castle, he was deprived of his horse and weapons and guarded by six of the Earl's men.

For two days, Gilbert left the commendator to consider his fate and because he was obstinate and refused to sign over the lands and rentals, Gilbert tortured him twice, roasting and basting his feet and body over a brazier in the Black Vault of the castle, aided by his cook, baker and pantrymen. As a result of the torture sessions of the first and seventh days of September 1570, the lands were signed over to Gilbert.

The Commendator was rescued from his confinement by the Laird of Bargany, Allan's brother in law, who arrived with a body of men; first hiding in the chapel and then storming the castle. The rights to the abbey lands were settled, partly by the Earl providing Allen Stewart with sufficient funds to allow him to live 'comfortably' for the rest of his life. In the meantime, he had been taken to the Cross of Ayr where he had denounced the Earl of Cassillis. The Earl was never fully brought to book for his actions by the Privy Council. Allen Stewart never walked again.

The castle and estate of Dunure, together with Dalquharran, were purchased by Sir Thomas Kennedy of Kirkhill in the late 17th century.

Usage and demise

The castle consisted of two distinct parts; a keep of an irregular shape on the top of a precipitous rock and other buildings at a lower level. The keep walls are about five feet thick and the vaults on the basement are well preserved, however most of the superstructure is entirely demolished. The keep represents the original castle, much altered. The central portion of the castle may be 15th century and was intended to form a defence to the access into the keep. The additional buildings are of a later date and contain two kitchens on the ground level, one for the castle and the other for the retainers. To the north-east stands a detached wall which may have led to a gateway. A drawbridge may have stood nearby and the chapel may have been located against the thick wall of the central part of the castle. A moat or fosse protected the approach and a wall may have also existed.

In the 1990s, excavations showed that a hall house was built across the 13th century court in the 14th century.

Beneath the castle is a cavern called the Browney's Cave which may have been a sally-port: a secret tunnel leading to the castle.

In 1429 a meeting took place at Dunure between James Campbell, representing King James I of Scotland and John Mor MacDonald, representing the Lord of the Isles. Violence broke out and MacDonald was killed. James I's efforts to contain the outrage of the Lords of the Isles by executing Campbell did not prevent a subsequent uprising by them. For three days from 4 August 1563, Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed at Dunure Castle on her Royal tour down the west coast to Glenluce Abbey then on to Whithorn Priory. She was the guest of Gilbert Kennedy, the 4th Earl of Cassilis.

Doocot
The late medieval "beehive"-shaped dovecot of Dunure Castle dates probably from the 15th century. It would have held some 200 nesting boxes and would have supplied the castle with fresh eggs and meat.

Demise
The castle's demise began in the mid-17th century. By 1694, the castle was described as "wholly ruined". It is not clear whether this can be linked to the Civil War period, although local tradition suggests that Dunure had been burnt and/or blown up. A major collapse of the southeastern part of the keep could perhaps be linked to such activity. Recovery of building materials for the construction of the Cromwellian citadel in Ayr may also account for its ruination, as occurred at Ardrossan Castle. Much evidence exists for the systematic dismantling of the structure for recoverable building materials including the orderly removal of slates, stone, and glass. The windows were dismantled and comprehensively stripped of their lead. Remains of a localised fire and associated deposits of coal suggested that smelting of the lead took place within the room. Those dismantling the castle seem to have occupied part of the structure during their work.

The ruin subsequently saw periodic robbing of its sandstone dressings. A range of castle buildings to the south of Area 4 remained in occupation until c. 1860. Census records and reuse of some rooms demonstrate that some of the occupants were fishermen. A large midden of mussel shell gave evidence for the baiting of cod lines. Domestic refuse of the later 18th and early to mid-19th century was also recovered. The only relatively late recorded military action at Dunure consists of a short siege in 1570. A Civil War action or slighting is a further possibility, although the castle may have been abandoned by that time. The route of a stone-lined water course was located at the south end of the trench as it ran into the entrance of the Area 4 kitchen range. Groundworks to the south of the ruins located a further, well preserved section of the same water course.

Present day
The castle has been excavated and consolidated, making safe the public access to the area. The castle dominates the Kennedy Park, which has a number of facilities for visitors. There are also said to be secret Ley tunnels which connect Dunure Castle to Greenan Castle further north.

Micro-history
In the story "The Brownie of Dunure," Sir Thomas Kennedy of Dunure adopts the son of his neighbour and kinsman, Reginald Duff, Laird of Dunduff. Sir Thomas has an illegitimate daughter and he hopes that the two will marry. The O'Neils of Ireland are competitors for her hand and to ensure a love match, the legend of the Brownie of Dunure is employed with mixed results.

title: Dunure Castle


text:
Waterdance

WaterDance or Wata (abbreviation from the German WasserTanzen ) is a type of aquatic therapy which was developed in Switzerland independently of Watsu. While wearing nose clips, a person is gently guided underwater, pulled, swayed, and "flown" while being regularly brought to the surface for breath.

Overview
WaterDance (also known as Wasser Tanzen or WATA), developed by Arjana Brunschwiler and Aman Schroter in the 1980s, has been called "an underwater three-dimensional journey where time and space lose their meaning". WaterDance emphasizes gentle flowing movement underwater. After being stretched and relaxed at the surface, the receiver is given a noseclip, to prevent water from entering the nasal passages, and then gradually guided entirely underwater. Touch or movement signals are used to communicate when the receiver is to be submerged, and the therapist carefully times submersion to ensure the receiver has a full breath. Movement is coordinated with breath and incorporates elements of massage, Aikido, dolphin and snake-like waves, rolls, somersaults, inversions, and dance.

Applications

 * Relaxation
 * Physical Rehabilitation

title: Waterdance


text:
User talk:Berndd11222

Click here to leave Berndd11222 a new message.

Welcome to Wikipedia!
Hello, welcome to Wikipedia!

Here are some tips:
 * Take a look at the Simplified Ruleset.
 * Read the Tutorial, How to edit a page and the Manual of Style.
 * Find out how to revert, move and merge pages.
 * Sign your posts on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~).
 * Add yourself to the New user log and a regional notice board
 * Ask questions at the Village pump or Help desk.
 * Use the Show preview button
 * Provide an Edit summary
 * Add the correct image copyright tag to any images you upload
 * Take a look at Consensus of standards
 * Create a User page
 * Be bold
 * Ignore all rules

If you feel a change is needed, feel free to make it yourself! Wikipedia is a wiki, so anyone (yourself included) can edit any article by following the  link. Wikipedia convention is to be bold and not be afraid of making mistakes. If you're not sure how editing works, have a look at How to edit a page, or try out the Sandbox to test your editing skills.

If, for some reason, you are unable to fix a problem yourself, feel free to ask someone else to do it. Wikipedia has a vibrant community of contributors who have a wide range of skills and specialties, and many of them would be glad to help. As well as the wiki community pages there are IRC Channels, where you are more than welcome to ask for assistance.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask me on my talk page. Thanks and happy editing, Alf 16:33, 28 August 2005 (UTC).

WW2 Casualties
Hello Berndd11222, and thanks for your message!

You asked me for a review of your points on the discussion page for WW2 casualties. This is sadly not my area of expertise, but I have however posted a message called "New casualties numbers?" on the discussion page, where I give my recommendations. Good luck!

Regards, Dennis Nilsson. Dna-Dennis 07:00, 5 September 2005 (UTC)

More WW2 Casualties
Hi! I see you have posted well documented casualties numbers on Talk:World War II casualties for a long time. Thanks for that! You seem to have a good grasp of the topic, and I want to encourage you to make updates to the article as well. Just Be bold and dive right in and edit! And if someone changes the numbers without explaining why, just revert them. It's an important article, and we shouldn't let unsourced and unexplained changes slip in. Many numbers are of course uncertain, but we need to at least be consistent in what to include as war casualties (i.e. not natural deaths), and as long as we cite sources (like you do) we should be safe. If you have any questions about this or need help in editing, just ask me. Thanks again. Shanes 12:26, 22 October 2005 (UTC)

 * Hi again. We shouldn't have copyrighted material anywhere on wikipedia. I don't have the book you're referring to, but if it's an obvious copy and paste from that book, we should remove it or rewrite it. Though, I'm not sure how serious it is to copy factual numbers from a source. I mean, if Italy lost 5,272 planes in the war, we can't change that or leave it out just because the number is in a book ;-). But we should of course cite the source. I'll put it in.
 * Regarding learning how to edit, the best way is really to just dive in. Start editing and learn by doing. Editing tables can be a bit tricky sometimes, but if you make mistakes it's easy for others to fix or in worst case just to revert it. Shanes 19:29, 22 October 2005 (UTC)

 * No, nobody took it down... Did you have a problem accessing it? Anyway, I can access it fine now, so it's still there. At the moment nobody has edited it since I added the Ellis ref you mentioned yesterday. Btw, "the folks at wikipedia" are you, me and everybody else editing pages here! Shanes 18:11, 23 October 2005 (UTC)

Your updates to World War II casualties
Hi! Just a heads up to your updates to World War II casualties! Based on your extensive documentations and comments on talk I'm sure they're good. But you might want to fill in the Edit summary field when you make an edit and put in a comment there along the lines of "See talk", or some such comment so that other's realise you're not just making the numbers up ;-). I know you aren't, but other people with the article in their watch-list or people just monitoring recently changed articles could get suspicious when they see major changes made without an edit summary. And it's also considered good style to make them. But, anyway, thanks again for diving in and fixing up the page! Shanes 01:31, 24 October 2005 (UTC)

Re: Footnotes
Ok, no problem. I can fix that last glitch with the layout on Yugoslavia and the total numbers. If you aren't fixing them as we speak, that is. But I'll stay away from editing the page for a while in case you want to make further chages. It's so anoying to get edit-conflicts when editing a page like that, so it's better to let one person edit at a time ;-). Thanks again. Shanes 01:55, 24 October 2005 (UTC)

 * Great! Looks good. Though there seems to be a typo in the numbers on China. The military and civilian deaths don't add up to 19,600,000. Should the total there read 19,100,000? Shanes 03:28, 24 October 2005 (UTC)

The Polish footnote
Just a quick question about the Polish footnote. It says:
 * "http://www.projectinposterum.org/ Go to section entitled- European War Casualties."

But I can't find any section entitled "European War Casualties" on that page. Am I just missing something? Shanes 02:01, 25 October 2005 (UTC)

 * Ah, I found it. It was on a page back there. I changed the URL to point directly to that page so it's easyer to find. Shanes 02:10, 25 October 2005 (UTC)

WW2 casualties
I think some more narrative prose is a good idea. The main tables should still be there for easy lookup, but the topic is complex, often controversial, and different sources have different numbers. And all this could/should be elaborated on and explained in the article, yes. Many people will come to the page with numbers on their "own" country that they have learned or read, and we should have some text explaining more thorowly what the numbers we list include. And that's probably best done outside tables and in addition to just simple footnotes.

Maybe we could also have separate casualty sections for the different (major) countries, with text and tables where there could be made room for lower and upper bounds on numbers and space for citing different sources and their numbers. Not so much that I expect you to find and look up every different estimate, but there are many people editing and there could be a value in having room for those comming here later with different sources to add to the information. I don't know.

But I really like your work so far. It was about time that we got some well-sourced numbers in this article. Well done! Shanes 09:58, 25 October 2005 (UTC)

 * Well, as I said above, maybe separate sections for each country. A bit like how you listed the data on the article's talk-page. Giving room to list differing numbers and some text explaining sources, differences and how and to what degree they are uncertain. Shanes 11:34, 25 October 2005 (UTC)

The link
You had just mis-typed the last "]" as a ")". Fixed and reinserted now. I labeled link as "R J Rummel's Statistics of Democide", edit and adjust as you see it fit. Shanes 15:13, 25 October 2005 (UTC)

Soviet Losses
Sorry for late answer, been away. Regarding your note on my talk-page, I haven't argued against your numbers. As long as you cite sources for them, I'm happy ;-). And if anyone makes changes to the numbers without citing a source, you can safely revert them with a comment in the edit summary asking for a source. I'll try to keep an eye out for undocumented changes as well.

But maybe it would be better if we continued discussions over this article on Talk:World War II casualties so it's more available to others who maybe want to join in the discussion. But if you just need help with something or have a question, please continue to ask me directly as you've done. Keep up the good work. You really seem to sit on alot of information on this topic, and it's great that you want to share it with the rest of us. Shanes 08:12, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

 * I reposted your comment on the Soviet losses there. Hope it was ok. Maybe more people have comments/sugestions. Shanes 08:25, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

Excel file
If it's a file you made and there are no copyright issues with it, maybe you can upload it to wikipedia? It works just as when uploading images. Then we can link to the file from the article. If this is not to your liking, let me know, and I'll give you my e-mail so you can mail it to me instead and I'll have a look at it. And good luck with the September financial statement, you hard working American ;-). Shanes 12:02, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

Notes and references
Yes, splitting the notes and references sounds like a good idea. Then you don't have to list a ref more than ones, and you can just refer to that ref-listing wherever you need to above in the article and notes, see example here. I think you can use Cyrillic letters to specify a ref, but you should write it with western letters, too. Maybe put the cyrillic in brackets. Shanes 07:10, 29 October 2005 (UTC)

 * Had a peek now, and it's looking good I must say. Seems like you're really getting the hang of editing wikipedia now. Large tables with intervined footnotes and references is about as complex as editing here gets. So, you're on your way to become a wikipedia editing-expert now ;-). Shanes 06:59, 31 October 2005 (UTC)

Re: Asian data WW2 Casualties
There are various projects and groups of people here organized by contry. Regarding Japanese, the Japan-related topics notice board should be a good place to get in touch with people speeking Japanese. And you can find links to other notice boards for other countries/languages on Regional notice boards. I see there's Korean and Chinese there, and some others. Don't know how active all of those boards are, so maybe you'll have to wait a day or two for people to notice or reply, and maybe there aren't that many able to respond to your requests, but it's worth a try! Shanes 15:44, 31 October 2005 (UTC)

Protection of userpages
No, a regular user can't protect any wikipedia-page from editing. Not even his own userpage. Administrators (I am one) can protect pages, and do so now and then if a page is really heavily vandalised, but are encouraged to not keep pages protected for long. I see your page hasn't been vandalised yet, and I doubt you'll have that as much of a problem anytime soon, but if you for any reason at any time want to have it locked from editing, I can do it for you. But then you'll not be able to edit it yourself, so it's not something I'd recomend or think you want. Shanes 14:35, 2 November 2005 (UTC)

Netherlands East Indies in WW2
Hi Barney. As far as Wikipedia goes, I have done a lot of work on ABDACOM, and others have covered the sea battles of 1941-42 fairly well, although there is room for improvement. We have almost nothing on the land battles of 1941-42 in the NEI. I lack the time to go to libraries and do real research of the literature at the moment. The only significant source on the web for the 1941-42 period is L.Klemen's website http://www.geocities.com/dutcheastindies/

As for web resources 1942-45, the civilian situation is not well-covered, although there is a lot on the Allied POWs and the Borneo campaign of 1945. I did find this Library of Congress article: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query2/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+id0029) This page from the International Institute for Social History: http://www.iisg.nl/w3vlindonesia/ This private page: http://members.tripod.com/~leavis/WWII.htm And this book: Bibliography on Japanese occupation of Indonesia/Indoneshia Nihon senryoki bunken mokuroku (by) Takahashi Muneo, et.al. Tokyo, Ryukei Shosa, 1996. 386p., 27cm. ISBN 4844784544. Grant65 (Talk) 00:44, 4 November 2005 (UTC)
 * BTW, User:Dtasripin also has a strong interest in these matters. Grant65 (Talk) 02:14, 6 November 2005 (UTC)

Re: Sandbox
There's really nothing wrong in making multiple incremental updates. Sometimes it's even encouraged, if the updates are of different kinds and need their separate edit summary. But, yeah, sometimes it's better to try out the edits in a sandbox. And a tips regarding that: The sandbox is often crowded with lots of people doing experiments and deleting what's in there, so many people chose to use their own sandbox. They just create a page as a sub-page to their userpage, like e.g. User:Berndd11222/My Sandbox and do their own edits undisturbed there. It might be a smart place for you to do tests and experiments with tables, data or whatever you're working on at any time. Shanes 08:32, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

MY SANDBOX
The actual population transfer included about 7 million from former eastern Germany, 1.5 million from Poland in the borders of 1938 (total of 5.075 million from new borders), 2.5 million from Czechoslovakia, around 2 million from the Soviet Union, 240,000 from Hungary, 300,000 from Romania, and another 1 million from other Eastern European regions.

 * Heh, I think you misunderstood my note about a personal sandbox. You shouldn't use yopur talk-page as a sandbox ;-). Just click that red link above, and start editing there instead. Shanes 11:51, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

OK THANKS--Berndd11222 13:40, 4 November 2005 (UTC)

Re: Copyright
I'm afraid I'm not an expert in copyright issues, but in general copying contents of a book or journal is not permitted. But there are exceptions. If it's just a short quote, it's ok when you give proper credit. And also the copyright laws are different from country to country. I definitely don't know much about Russian law, but reading Copyrights there seems to be an opening in that "Reports about events and facts, of informative characte" are not subject to opyrights. If you think the source in question falls under this, then I guess copying stated facts from the source will be fine.

But in general, just copying 3 pages from a book and inserting it in an article is not recomended, simply because it makes for a bad encyclopedia article to contain such an extensive quote. But maybe you just meant to copy it to a talk-page or a page outside the article to refer to when debating facts and numbers?

I'm sorry that I can't give you a clear yes or no. I think I'll just ask you to use your own judgement and common sense here. Does the source contain a copyright-notice? Do you think the owner/publisher of the work will object if he sees part of it republished here? My own stand on issues like this is to stay away from grey areas, but I'll let you be the judge on this here. Worst come we can remove it if it turns out to be a copyright infridgement. But if you have a suspicion of it being under copyright, then don't copy it. But rewriting a translation in your own words, is fine. Shanes 21:11, 6 November 2005 (UTC)

They are two links
One to Spiegel the other to Gazeta Wyborcza. --Molobo 19:59, 9 November 2005 (UTC)

The link has been corrected to free one. --Molobo 20:08, 9 November 2005 (UTC)

No not from Gdansk
I am from Upper Silesia.--Molobo 14:45, 10 November 2005 (UTC)

Re: WW 2 casualties table cleanup
No probs man, I hope it was to your satisfaction. After all, I have to contribute with something when so MUCH work has been put into that page. I am truly amazed! And considering your comment that "I need to read those rules on formatting", I have to say the following: tables are f*cking b*tches! But if you want to know more about various stuff, here are some useful links I have copied from my own user page (maybe you know them already, but nevertheless here they are):

 * Wikipedia help forum - The "Village Pump" - here you can get (almost) immediate help from fellow wikipedians
 * Tables help
 * Basic Editing help
 * More editing help
 * Images & other
 * How to write a great article
 * Help pages
 * Manual of Style
 * Wikipedia IRC channels
 * Tutorial

Regards, Dennis Nilsson. Dna-Dennis 11:28, 14 November 2005 (UTC)

How to revert a page
Hi Berndd! Since you seem to be experiencing vandalism, here is a page which explains how to revert to a previous version. Maybe you know it, but here it is nevertheless:

Revert

Regards, Dennis Nilsson. Dna-Dennis 15:03, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

Re:Page Expulsion Germans
I believe that only sources, sources and more sources can stop the revert war plaguing such discussions. Besides, I was amazed that almost none of the related articles have any sources. This situation creates a fertile ground for POV pushers. In other news, you may be interested in this nomination: Requests_for_adminship/Halibutt. I think Halibutt was always one of the more moderate and reasonable voices in the related discussions. --Piotr Konieczny aka Prokonsul Piotrus Talk 22:06, 16 November 2005 (UTC)

Hi Bernd,

I'm not very long a wikipedian, but I was shocked how much "opinion" is included on such sites, like the expulstion of German after WWII - it is not really a encyclopaedia, which should be impartial...

Citius Altius Fortius 10:48, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

Howdy
After I read your User page last week, I decided to make an article for you. Enjoy! Olessi 06:28, 17 November 2005 (UTC)
 * No, I haven't been to Gettysburg yet, actually. I've never found myself in that neck of the woods, although several of my friends have recommended it to me. Thanks for adding that information about Christburg! Olessi 18:20, 18 November 2005 (UTC)
 * I wouldn't think it would be a big deal here. It's usually quicker for me to just type Christburg than it is for me to copy and paste "Dzierzgoń", since I don't have the Alt-code for ń memorized yet. Olessi 19:16, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

Based on the published German history of the town and my trip there in 2002 I plan to expand the page to include more detail on its past and the folks that live there now ( mostly ethnic Ukrainians) only 5 Germans are left. My great grandparents who were " Polski-Niemietski" bilinguals left there in 1886. My moms great grandfather fought at Gettysburg in 1863 with the 107th OVI.

Turkey
Thanks for the info, though I am not sure why you posted it to my page. As a note, however, Rummel tends to be a bit overenthusiastic about democide numbers, his estimates for things like the Spanish Inquisition are very high. I would suggest Matthew White instead, he compiles a full set of statistics from many sources, on the Armenian Genocide, see here. --Goodoldpolonius2 03:46, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

 * I have enough fights on the various Holocaust-related pages, so I am not likely to get involved in the Armenian Genocide pages, but thank you for the thoughts. On the Holocaust page, I just reverted the existing language on the Armenian Genocide, the "persecutions" phrasing was not mine.  I also do not think that you will be able to refocus the Holocaust pages solely on the war against the Jews.  The US Holocaust Museum, among others, considers that the Holocaust was aimed at Roma, gays, etc., and there are large Polish and other contingents on Wikipedia that would be upset to see the more exclusive definition.  However, you can certianly bring it up on the talk page. --Goodoldpolonius2 04:43, 21 November 2005 (UTC)

Hi! You don't happen to have...
Hi Barney! I know you have put a LOT of work into the WW2 casualties page, and I remember your initial concern was that the data did not add up; therefore my question to you is: you don't happen to have an excel-sheet with the data you have collected? I know I could copy the data from the article, but sometimes I am a bit too lazy. Why I ask is not because I am trying to snatch any of your work - I just have some vague ideas on making some visual representions, which might be suitable for wikipedia. You can either reply on my talk page or send me a personal email.

My regards, Dennis Nilsson. Dna-Dennis 09:33, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

New piecharts added
Hi Barney!

I have replaced the two piecharts on the WW2 casualties page, based on your new values (this was not one of the ideas I was talking about though - it just happened :) ). Now the piecharts also show the percentage in numbers (better in my opinion). Feel free to comment them on my talk page (maybe you hate the colors, but Excel did not give me many options - colors loosely based on flag colors). In the wikimedia images (which are released as full public domain) I included your name for credit, if you don't mind. If you do mind, say so, or even go in an edit the description if you like.

My regards, Dennis Nilsson. Dna-Dennistalk - contribs 06:48, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Another piechart
Ok, finally, one of my ideas has been realised - a piechart with military & civilian percentages and by alliances. Regards, Dna-Dennistalk - contribs 07:33, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

WW1 Casualties
Hi Barney! I noticed that you have noticed that changes have been made to the article World War I casualties. I am the responsible! :) As you see the page is inspired by the corresponding WW2 page... I noticed your comments on the talk page, good. I just wanted to give you a personal note on the issues:

 * 1) Duplication? - British Empire includes UK (as described in the foot note), but UK is also listed separately. They are however not duplicated into the total numbers.
 * 2) Math error. - I do not understand what you mean (maybe you mean UK/British Empire, but see point 1)
 * 3) Sources (civilian) - no source has been listed

I have personally not done any research (and I probably won't), and, generally, I have not made any major change to the numbers, I have just made some double-checking and typos fixes (there were some obvious errors). The values already existed in the article, and I do not know where they came from - I have just put them in tables. It seems the numbers were largely taken from these two sources:

 * WWI casualties - Casualties of World War I from "Trenches on the Web"
 * WWI casualties - Casualties of World War I from about.com

I have also added a couple of references that were listed on the WW1 casualties talk page. I know you are heavy into the WW2 casualties, but if you feel like contributing to WW1 casualties, you are warmly welcome. My regards, Dennis Nilsson. Dna-Dennistalk - contribs 09:47, 1 December 2005 (UTC)

WW 2 Order of Battle and Weapons Production
This is a very good idea! And quite interesting, as it could illuminate the war efforts & successes in new ways. A "balance sheet" could very well find it's place on the casualties page, but I think the article which would benefit the most from your work is this one:

The data there is currently unsourced(!) and unorganized (only one table). If I were you I would adopt this article and start there, and later update the casualty page with a balance sheet. Now as I think about, the Military production during World War II probably would benefit from including GDP (gross domestic product), as this also would be enlightening. I have the basic values (with source) in a document, and I will add it to the Military production during World War II. If the page becomes more general, maybe it should be renamed to "Production during World War II". But we'll see about that later.
 * Military production during World War II

I sense however an upcoming problem with the display of data - too many dimensions: country, year, production, losses. But it can be solved by dividing the page into sections (maybe country as the top-order?). In any way, the article probably also would benefit from a summary table containing sums of the Axis & Allies groups. Later, it would be nice with a chart displaying various values over time 1939-1945.

Anyway, I like the idea, and will contribute if I can be useful. I will start by taking a look at the Military production during World War II. If we don't hear from eachother before, I wish you a Merry Christmas! My regards, Dennis Nilsson. --Dna-Dennistalk - contribs 00:26, 21 December 2005 (UTC)

 * Hi again! Sorry for being repetitive, but if I were you I'd probably still start by adopting the article Military production during World War II. The choice is yours of course, but I think it's a good idea to do this because (a) as you said, the article is in need of attention (b) it would eliminate the risk of conflicting data in different articles (c) since people know it exists, the chance would be greater they contribute to it and (d) getting over that initial mental threshold of starting. If contributions to the article changes the nature and scope of it, we can always rename it to something more appropriate, and there will be no problem with linking from other articles, as this will be solved by redirection (see Redirect). I can help you with this.

 * I don't know how the ISS Military Balance looks like, but I think I understand what you are after - an article which encompasses the war effort on a large scale. It sounds like a cool idea. I will contribute in the ways I can, but I fear it will be limited since I live in a small town and have very few resources at my disposal (libraries etc.). Furthermore I am also into many other things on Wikipedia. My recommendation is that when you have started your project and contributed the first data, you can always put notices on appropriate talk pages (e.g. World War II, Technology, Equipment) to let people know that help is wanted.

 * As I said, I fear my contributions will be limited, but I am always willing to help/share my views on organizational and technical matters. And as you probably already have understood, I also seem to be into the graphics aspect, finding appropriate images, making charts etc.

 * Anyway, good luck! I will help in the ways I can.

 * My regards, --Dna-Dennistalk - contribs 11:43, 23 December 2005 (UTC)

Air War
Do you have any stats on US Airman killed in the war? Any breakdown by different US Air Forces? The stats I have seen are CRAZY.

PS What do you have for the RAF?

Two Links on WW2 in the Air

There is quite a bit of data posted on these sitesBerndd11222 11:56, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

Friendly note about the 3-revert rule
Hi!

I see you are involved in a content dispute on the Joseph Stalin article. I don't want to take a stand on that, but I'd like to make you aware of the three-revert rule, which states that nobody may revert an article to a previous version more than three times in 24 hours. This also means editing the page to reinsert an old edit. If the effect of your actions is to revert back, it qualifies as a revert. Doing many reverts is considered unproductive and breaking the 3-revert rule can even get you blocked from editing for shorter periods. I definitely don't want that to hapen with all the good work you're doing here, so, please be carefull with the reverts. I know you do them in good faith, but this rule is one every editor have to follow. Thanks! Shanes 02:03, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

 * Yeah, I understand you feel strongly about it and I'm not saying I disagree with your wording in that article. Just asking you to be carefull with reverting an article many times since there is this 3-revert rule that everyone has to obey. Try reaching a concencus with the other editors on the Stalin talk page instead. Thanks again! Shanes 02:29, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

No need to contact me
Thanks for your post re. the Stalin page. However, I keep this and many other pages on my watch list, so there is no need to inform me of changes on my talk page. I'm sure you were just being courteous, but really, there's no need.

Regarding Czechoslovakia, I suggest you add to, or edit, the article if you feel the description of the "election victory" is inaccurate, and, of course, cite your references. Thanks! Camillus (talk) 02:10, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

 * My apologies for barging in - I have noticed the reverts in the Joseph Stalin article and can't help commenting. I can give you two references for the statement in question, one from Wikipedia and one from an external source..

 * Also, should that carry any weight, as someone who was born in the former Czechoslovakia and was indirectly affected by these events, I can certify the veracity of this claim. Czechoslovakia and all of the other countries from the former Soviet zone of influence turned into dictatorships involuntarily. Moreover, they were forced to keep that form of government as several deployments of Soviet troops have shown. See also iron curtain. Best Jbetak 05:56, 8 January 2006 (UTC)

Yugoslavia deads in WWII
Sir,

Afar looking RUSSIA Land of Tsars documentary I went to Internet to verify dead toll in WWI. Unfortunately WIKIPEDIA appeared (Populist-Encyclopedia, new way of "CNN-Coca Cola" style crap. 99% equal to other encyclopedias but this 1% is what makes the difference. The best lie is the one that consist of great deal of truth but then one small and crucial exception) in the list so I have open it and found your analysis on a number of deeds in Yugoslavia. It is true about Germans, Italians and others that left. However, it is irritating the reference you have used : Vladimir Zerjavic 1993 (especially the YEAR)

The man who will be close ally of a Franjo Tudjman man who was proven to be in favor of nazi doctrine towards the Jews and Serbs, saved by dead from being captured in Hague as a war criminal. His published comments on Jews and Serbs were noticed throughout the world and you can easily find them on internet.

The same historian (Vladimir Zerjavic) have said:

"One should also believe that the Serbians in Croatia, who have lived in these territories for more than four centuries, will realize that they are not endangered in a community with Croatians. They especially should not be afraid that any form of genocide could occur, because they themselves know best that during the Second World War a large number of Croatians stood at their defense, and that they, along with Serbians, contributed to the National Liberation War, and even prevented a larger number of victims"

The man who participated in government who exactly did opposite and proved the wildest fears of that people. The true nature of "Croatian fighting for Serbs" is shown in the last war where they have finally managed to do what was not achieved in WWII. Ethnically cleansed it from Serbian people... The very same man was protecting Croatian commandant of this operations and deeds of "defenders". He says they run in help of the people in the war. However, there are almost no more Jews and Serbs in Croatia today... Logic?

I am not historian by profession, however logic and math are my firm ground. Simple logic makes historian to be failure. Which logic you have used when referred to that man, with such an ideas...

FYI, after the WWII huge number of Muslims declared themselves as Serbs. Eventually they reverted their claims back in 60's and 70's. It can be easily noticed by simple glance of demography picture of Yugoslavia (especially BiH, Republic of Srpska) in second half of 20th century. Their declaration masked disappeared Serbian population. I can tell you from my own experience where my grandmother family (in Slavic way it means almost everyone with that surname) was wiped out from planet, two grandfather brothers were killed and this is from my mother side only. From father side my grandfather was killed and one brother and one sister of my grandmother were killed. Not as solders but as civilians captured in their houses. All friends that I have, and I have them a dozen with similar origin (today’s BiH, Croatia, Republic of Srpska) have similar stories.

That communist were playing with digits, unfortunately, I do not deny. However, fact that this TITO was a Croat with whom "International community" get along well and that "International Community" DID NOTHING to pursue the issues of dead Serbs and Jews in Balkans, like it now blackmails one nation to deliver war indicted criminals in the last war in Yugoslavia to Hag tribunal, that it DID NOTHING for the commander of the Jasenovac concentration camp (Balkan Auschwitz) to be brought to justice until he was find by journalists in 1999, this fact does not lit any light in your logic mechanism..???.

Did you try to consult Simon Wiesenthal /www.wiesenthal.com/ center. I am afraid you did not... Why? ... I will live it to your mechanism to try to conclude... Just match this words (Holly Roman Empire - Byzantium, Crusade Teutonic - Alexandar Nevsky, Prussia-Russia(Orlov), Prussia-Russia(Stalin -> no more Prussia), Jews... And it is easy to understand your choice of truth. I am not claiming I am right. I am just urging you to reconsider the following:

"Sometimes some of us rather refer to those who match their thoughts than those who match the thing that might be truth. The facts, even they know them well, merely serve to backup what was pre-assumed then to search what might come out of them. Right?"

With huge disappointment,

Jondear13@yahoo.com

One unjustice done to German people wan't be undone by neglecting unjustice done to others. But quite contrary. It will just firm the fealing of fear and no-trust, and divisons will remain waiting for another wars....

Jondear13@yahoo.com

WWI In Yugoslavia
Lapsus:

.... second half of 20th century....

German casualties
Most documentaries as well as historians Ive read put the number of German military deaths at 3,500,000. I think we need more sources if we are to confirm this number or the current one in the article. Davies' Europa puts the number at 3,500,000 according to a few sources. Ksenon 23:15, 15 January 2006 (UTC)

Overmans is a well known and respected historian. He derived his on German casualties using the German High Command records. Germany had 2 million missing in addition to 3.3 million confirmed deaths. The important point to keep in mind is that total demographic losses were 7.5 million including civilians. If you say Germany lost 3.5 million in the military then there were an additional 2.0 million civilian dead( which makes no sense) or 2.0 million German soldiers still alive in the USSR in 1955. Overmans has done a professional job that is credible. He was given access to the German High Command records and used statistical analysis to derive his data. As far Davies is concerned I can't comment since I have not seen his book Europa. My guess is that he copied the standard figure of 3.5 million that has been copied by most English language sources since 1947. I never ever copy a statistic, I check it before posting to the page. Germany lost 7.5 million in the war. This can be confirmed by demographic evidence. I have explained how the detalis losses in the footnotes.--Berndd11222 00:08, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

Thanx Barney
Belatedly, for your recent note on my page. I hope you are coming back, your contributions to World War II casualties have been astronomical. Grant65 | Talk 03:38, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

Unbelievable, what happened?
WHy have you left without a sound? I would like to discuss German wwii figures with you. Ksenon 07:46, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

 * Bernd, please, do come back, perhaps I was too hasty in putting up the template. I would like to discuss the casualties, ie specifying how many dies in POW camps, etc. Could you maybe drop by Eastern Front (World War II) and give your expertise on the subject? Would be awesome. All the best, Ksenon 07:53, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

re ww2 casualties
Sorry for the late respons, I've been quite ill the last few days and not in shape at all to follow wikipedia. Feeling better now, and it looks like the disputed tag is off now and back to where it was. Regarding disputes on that page, I think they are to be expected since some sources differ from others in numbers and what they include. I sugest we leave it open for other published casualty numbers to be included, but they should then be consistant figures all citing authorative sources like your numbers do. Shanes 07:01, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

Please come back!
I have understood you have left Wikipedia for some reason I am not aware of. I guess it is because of some dispute, but I want to say the following:

 * 1) Your contributions have been extremely appreciated, not the least by me!
 * 2) Wikipedia needs people like you!
 * 3) Eventually disputes will arise in any case, due to the nature of wikipedia interaction, but they can be resolved!
 * And, due to human nature(?), criticism is often more frequent than appreciation, why this is, I don't know

Anyway, if you decide to leave Wikipedia, you will most definitely be sorely missed! Please come back, Barney.

Your friend, Dennis Nilsson. --Dna-Dennistalk - contribs 21:33, 29 January 2006 (UTC)

WW2 casualties in Yugoslavia
Hello Bernd,

Thank you for referring me to the source of information on WW2 casualties in Yugoslavia. I shall pursue no further. If number of victims is wrong, I don't know. I think that it is not possible that more people than that died. Btw, it is really tiring to see some people trying to justify recent attrocities in ex Yugoslavia by 45 years old war crimes. You can be assured that Yugoslav Communist Party dealt very heavily with war criminals after WW2 and only the richest escaped (Of course, these were the worst). [Kreso Bilan] 86.141.95.122 21:28, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

Soviet military casualties
I remember reading that (I think Gulag Archipelago)that many returning Soviet soldiers and POWs were killed by their own military. Do you have any numbers or knowledge of this?

Also Stalin allowed many peasants to starve to death. Are these numbers used as WWII casualties?

Rcm1945 12:50, 19 October 2007 (UTC)I am new to Wikpedia and don't know where to read your reply. So I will keep looking in the discussions for any information you may have.

Rcm1945 Rcm1945 12:50, 19 October 2007 (UTC) ʉ

ArbCom elections are now open!
MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 13:09, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

ArbCom elections are now open!
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title: User talk:Berndd11222


text:
Evan Herber Evans

Evan Herber Evans (5 July 1836 – 30 December 1896), was a Welsh Nonconformist minister.

Early life
He was the eldest son of Josiah and Sarah Evans of Pant-yr-onen, near Newcastle Emlyn, Carmarthenshire, where he was born on 5 July 1836. As a boy he witnessed something of the "Rebecca Riots", and went to school at the neighbouring village of Llechryd.

He spent several of his earlier years with his grandfather, Jonah Evans, at Pen-yr-Herber, whence, some twenty years later, he adopted his second name. When fourteen years of age, young Evan was apprenticed to a local draper, who was known as a man of literary tastes, and after four years' service in Pontypridd and then at Merthyr, he removed to Liverpool, where in 1857 he commenced to preach in connection with the Welsh congregational church (the Tabernacle), Great Crosshall Street, then under the pastorate of John Thomas (1821–1892).

Preacher and lecturer
After twelve months' preparatory training at the Normal College, Swansea, he proceeded in September 1858 to the Memorial College, Brecon, where he remained for four years. He was ordained to the pastorate of Libanus Church, Morriston, on 26 June 1862, and almost immediately he stepped into the first rank of the pulpit orators of Wales. After three years at Morriston (during which time a debt of £2,000 was paid off the chapel) he removed in the autumn of 1865 to Carnarvon to undertake the charge of a comparatively weak church, Salem, formed two or three years previously, and still burdened with a heavy debt. Before he left it, in April 1894, it was, in point of members, the largest belonging to the denomination in North Wales, the chapel having been much enlarged in 1890. In 1891-2, he filled the chair of the congregational union of England and Wales, and his first presidential address, on "The Free Churches and their own Opportunities," was described by Dr. Andrw Fairbairn as "magnificent", while his second address, delivered at Bradford, on "A Living Church", was by special vote of the assembly ordered to be printed in a cheap form for general circulation. In 1891, he accepted the appointment as lecturer on homiletics at Bala-Bangor Theological Seminary, and in 1894 became its principal.

Civic and literary work
Throughout his life, Evans took an active part in civic work; he was elected on the first school board at Carnarvon, and on the first county council. He declined, however, to stand as liberal candidate for Carnarvon boroughs in April 1890. In 1895, he was placed on the commission of the peace for Carnarvonshire, an honour never previously conferred (it is believed) on a Welsh dissenting minister. Evans performed some useful literary work as editor of "Y Dysgedydd" ("The Instructor"), one of the monthly magazines of the Welsh congregationalists. From 1874 to 1880, he shared its editorship with Ap Vychan, but had sole charge of it from 1880 till his death. A selection of his editorial "notes" which were remarkable for their freshness and racy quality, was issued shortly after his death by his son-in-law, under the title of "Nodiadau Herber" (Dolgelly, 1897, 8vo, with portrait). His brother, the Rev. W. Justin Evans, also edited a volume of his sermons (London, 1897), entitled "True and False Aims and other Sermons", including inter alia reprints of his two addresses from the chair of the congregational union. He had just completed, before his final illness, a chapter which he was contributing for a biography of Dr. John Thomas of Liverpool, and a short life of David Rees of Llanelly, which appeared posthumously. But it is as a preacher that Dr. Evans was chiefly celebrated. Indeed, he was probably unequalled for natural unaffected eloquence among the pulpit orators of Wales during the last half-century. In his delivery there was no apparent effort, and attractive personality added greatly to the effect. But his sermons were characterised by freshness of presentment rather than originality of idea, being practical rather than doctrinal. Probably no Welsh pastor ever appeared so often in English pulpits, and he was immensely popular with English audiences. Evans died on 30 December 1896 at Bangor, and was buried there on 4 January in the Glan-adda cemetery.

Family
In 1865, he married Jenny, the only daughter of John Hughes, the jeweller of Carnarvon. She died on 10 May 1875, leaving behind an only child, who married Rev. O.L. Roberts of Liverpool.

In 1877, he married the only daughter of Owen Jones (from Waterloo House, Carnarvon), who survived him. His only child by her died in infancy.

title: Evan Herber Evans


text:
Feis

A Feis or Fèis  is a traditional Gaelic arts and culture festival. The plural forms are feiseanna and fèisean. The term feis is commonly used referring to Irish dance competitions and, in Ireland, to immersive teaching courses, specialising in traditional music and culture. Although it is Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, the accent is important because there is a difference of meaning and pronunciation between feis and fèis — the word feis means sexual intercourse.

History
In Ancient Ireland communities placed great importance on local festivals, where Gaels could come together in song, dance, music, theatre and sport. The largest of these was the Aonach, the great festival at Tara, which was then the city of Ireland's Ardrí, or "High King".

These feiseanna were a rich opportunity for storytellers to reach a large audience, and often warriors would recount their exploits in combat, clansmen would trace family genealogies, and bards and balladeers would lead the groups in legends, stories, and song.

These gatherings eventually gave rise to athletic and sporting competitions, including horse- and chariot-racing, as well as feats of strength and endurance.

Modern Fèisean (Scottish)
Over the past thirty years, the Fèis movement has rapidly gained momentum across Scotland. The Fèis movement came about when a group of parents and other individuals – including Fr Colin MacInnes, Dr Angus MacDonald, Kenna Campbell and Isbhbel T MacDonald – on the Isle of Barra became concerned that local traditions were dying out and that island children were not being taught traditional music in the context of formal education. To address this issue the first Fèis Bharraigh was held on the island in 1981. Inspired by the success of this first Fèis, many other communities throughout Scotland established similar events. Today there are 47 Fèisean, each one community-led and tailored to local needs.

The modern fèis is an opportunity for individuals to come together to develop skills in the Gaelic arts – song, dance, drama, and traditional music on a wide range of instruments. Commitment to Gaelic language and culture is central to the Fèis ethos, with opportunities for the use and transmission of Gaelic language within each fèis a core aspect.

Tuition is accessible and fun, but professional and effective. The focus of activity for most Fèisean is an annual, week-long festival, but increasingly Fèisean offer a full programme of year-round follow-on classes to ensure sustained provision.

The skills taught at Fèisean are a highly valued aspect of the informal education of young people, as demonstrated by the level of volunteer commitment and parental support in local areas. Most importantly, the Fèis experience is valued by the young participants themselves. At national level, the Fèisean are seen by many as one of the most successful arts initiatives in Scotland.

Modern Feiseanna (Irish)
Today the Feis has experienced something of a rebirth, both for ethnic Gaels and for enthusiasts of the Gaelic culture in Ireland and Scotland, as well as throughout the world.

Feiseanna are generally centred on Irish dancing. When competitors begin to dance in these competitions, they traditionally wear a dance costume decided on by their dance school. When these students reach a competition level decided on by the dance school, they can design or choose a costume of their own. Girls wear ornate dresses with long sleeves and short skirt. The skirt panels are sometimes stiffened with cardboard inserts, but ballet-like "soft-skirts" have become the norm. They usually wear their hair curled, in a wig, in a bun wig or just down. Boys usually wear a dress shirt, tie and/or waistcoat, and dress trousers or a kilt.

The most important Feiseanna in Irish Dance are the Oireachtas competitions. There are regional Oireachtas competitions in Eastern and Western Canada, Northeast, Midwest, Southern and Western US, plus locations in Europe (Especially GB and Ireland) and Australia. Regional Oireachtas are open only to dancers from their defined region, and serve as qualifying competitions for National and World Oireachtas. Important National Oireachtas include North American Nationals (NANs), All Irelands, and All Great Britains.

The most prestigious competition for top dancers is the Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne (the World Championships), held each Easter Week and in a different city each year.

Dance competition
Feiseanna are held all over the world, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, all over Europe, South Africa, Australia, the United States and Canada. Feiseanna are held by all the organisations which oversee Irish dance, with most feiseanna being confined to only those dancers who take lessons with a teacher certified by that particular organisation. However, there are a number of organisations (primarily CRN and WIDA along with its affiliated organisations) who organise 'open feisanna', which are open to any dancer regardless of their teacher's organisation (or if they are self-taught). The organisers of 'closed feiseanna' frown upon dancers from their organisation competing at such open competitions, and there are rumours that organisations may sanction competitors/teachers found to participate in such open feiseanna. This, however, has never been confirmed by any organisations, teachers or dancers and could be construed as a way to keep teachers/dancers within one organisation.

There are different levels of competition offered at all feiseanna, however the number of levels, and the names of each level vary by country (and even region within that country). Competitions are offered for both solo and team dancing, and are separated based upon the age of the competitors. At some competitions, ceili categories are offered for teams of 4 or 8 dancers, the ceili dances performed must be done so as espoused in the book 'Ar Rince Foirne' which lays down 30 of the traditional Irish ceili dances. Competitions for teams of 2, 3 and 8–16 dancers, called figure dances, may also be offered, choreography for these dances is made up by the teacher and/or dancers themselves, though must adhere to certain rules and parameters, a notable rule for figure dances being that 'any move in which a dancer is thrown across the stage is prohibited'.

The commonly competed dances are reel, slip jig, light jig and single jig, in soft shoe, and heavy/treble jig and hornpipe in hard shoe. Treble reels (hard shoe reels) may be offered as 'special dances', as may traditional set dances and special trophy dances in soft and hard shoe in addition to the regular competition. Grade dances are when competitors dance, are judged and are placed in each dance separately. Championships consist of three rounds, an initial soft (reel or slip jig) round and a heavy (heavy/treble jig or hornpipe) round danced by all entrants, the scores from the soft and heavy round are combined, and a percentage (usually circa 50%) of dancers with the highest combined score dance a third round of a modern set dance, the winner is the dancer with the highest combined score across all three rounds. Championships must be judged by a minimum of three judges, preliminary championships in the UK may offer a recall of the heavy dance not danced in the initial heavy round instead of a modern set dance upon recall. Modern set dances are of the teacher and/or dancers own choreography and are danced to a specific set dance chosen from a list compiled by the overseeing organisation. Modern set dances are rarely offered to dance outside of championship competitions, though may occasionally be present as a 'special' competition. Slip jig is only danced by girls, with the exception of male dancers from the CRN organisation.

In CLRG affiliated competitions in the US, Canada and Mexico these levels of competition are offered: beginner, advanced beginner, novice, open/prizewinner, preliminary championship, and championship. The names of categories vary by region. In some regions of the USA there are also special categories for adults, to be eligible the adult dancers must not have competed in the standard age-defined competitions for a stipulated amount of time (usually circa 4 years). Some feiseanna in the US also offer a 'first feis' category for the youngest dancers, to give them a more gentle introduction into the world of competitions.

In the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand almost all of the organisations separate the competitions into beginner (sometimes referred to as novice), primary, intermediate and open levels. In recent years a preliminary championship level has begun to be introduced at many feiseanna, unlike in the US this level is not compulsory, and is an optional level to bridge the gap between placing out of intermediate and entering the open level. Apart from in the younger age groups, the majority of feiseanna in the UK operate only an open championship competition, rather than open grade dances.

The most common way for dancers to advance between levels is through winning a dance when there are 6 or more competitors in the competition, although this depends on organisation.

However, in many regions a dancer can only win 3 competitions with fewer than 6 dancers before they must move up to the next level. Teachers may also choose to move a dancer up a level. Once a dancer has met the requirements to move up a level they are no longer allowed to compete at the lower level of competition, however in the UK if a dancer in the open level has not placed in the top 5 for a period of more than a year, they may return to the intermediate level of competition.

Competition scoring
Competitions for each individual dance are scored on a 100-point system, which indicate the subjective opinion of each different judge. Most scores seem to be in the 60–95 point range, and can vary wildly depending upon the judge. However, each competition is judged in its entirety by the same judge(s), so what really matters is the relative placing of each dancer.

Placing of dancers For Individual dance competitions, placing is based entirely on a single judges subjective opinion. Ties are common, and can result in slightly skewed final results. For instance, a tie at 2nd place would result in the 4th best dancer receiving 3rd place (1st, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, instead of 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 4th).

Irish Points
Preliminary and Open Championship competitions are judged by at least 3 adjudicators (Judges) and at regional, national and world "Oireachtas" competitions, there can be 5 or more. Because of the subjective nature of judging, the varying scales used by each judge, and fact that the scores of 3 dances must be combined to determine overall placing, an additional [Irish Points] method of scoring is used. Each individual adjudicator derives from their own scoring, a final placing. Ties in these placings are discouraged but do happen. Each of the placings from 1st to 50th are assigned an Irish Point Value, which when combined with the other adjudicators, determines final placing. The Irish Points per individually judged place are vaguely logarithmic, in that 1st == 100 points, 2nd == 75, 3rd == 65 etc., until 50th == 1. This gives higher marks by single judges more weight than average marks by more judges.

Complete List of Irish Points:
 * 1st 100 11th 41 21st 30 31st 20 41st 10
 * 2nd 75 12th 39 22nd 29 32nd 19 42nd 9
 * 3rd 65 13th 38 23rd 28 33rd 18 43rd 8
 * 4th 60 14th 37 24th 27 34th 17 44th 7
 * 5th 56 15th 36 25th 26 35th 16 45th 6
 * 6th 53 16th 35 26th 25 36th 15 46th 5
 * 7th 50 17th 34 27th 24 37th 14 47th 4
 * 8th 47 18th 33 28th 23 38th 13 48th 3
 * 9th 45 19th 32 29th 22 39th 12 49th 2
 * 10th 43 20th 31 30th 21 40th 11 50th 1

In a 3 judge competition it is almost impossible to Not get first with 2 judges agreeing that 1st place is warranted, since with 200 Irish points, the 3rd judge would need to place a dance 7th or worse to overcome the 25 point bonus between 1st and 2nd. This scoring method helps ensure that a single bad adjudicator does not unfairly ruin the results. At a standard 3 judge Feis competition, a unanimous 1st place score is 300 (100 from each judge). At Regional Oireachtas competitions, there are 5 judges who rate all three dance programs, creating the possibility of a perfect score of 500. At the CLRG World Championship Oireachtas (Oireachtas Rince na Cruinne), there are 7 judges, which means that 700 would be perfect if all 7 judges agree that one dancer performed the best.

Most schools in North America, are registered with An Coimisiun le Rince Gaelacha and its subsidiary the Irish Dance Teacher's Association of North America. However WIDA and Rince Tuatha Nua are also present as are CRN.

title: Feis


text:
User talk:Adamdavid85

Welcome to Wikipedia!
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title: User talk:Adamdavid85