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Easton, Cambridgeshire

Easton is a village and civil parish in Cambridgeshire, England. Easton lies approximately 6 mi west of Huntingdon, between the villages of Ellington and Spaldwick. Easton is situated within Huntingdonshire which is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire as well as being a historic county of England. Easton is a hamlet which the Anglo Saxons settled in.

History
Easton is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as a settlement consisting of ten manors, with 19.5 ploughlands (approximately 2340 acre) of arable land and 840 acre of meadows. The village was a berewick of Spaldwick at the time, and was passed in 1109 to the Bishop of Lincoln as part of the appurtenances of Spaldwick. It later descended as part of the soke of Spaldwick and into the ownership of the Duke of Manchester.

The village's church, St Peter's, was built in the 11th Century, partially reconstructed in the 13th and 14th century and majorly rebuilt in 1781. A 14th century bell pit in the floor of the church's tower was uncovered in the 21st century. The church became a grade 1 listed building in 1958,.

Population
In 1801, the population of Easton was 120 people: 57 males and 63 females, drastically increasing to 172 people: 82 males and 90 females by 1821. The population then fluctuated for the next fifty years, peaking at 186 people: 95 males and 91 females in 1841 and lulling at 133 people: 70 males and 63 females in 1891. Only ten years later, by 1901, the population had dropped to only 79 people: 42 males and 37 females before increasing again to 93 people: 45 males and 48 females in 1911 and remaining between a population of 93 to 98 people until 1961. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population had greatly increased to 162: 80 males and 82 females across 60 households. However, by 2011, the population had increased only slightly to 169 people: 83 males and 86 females across 65 households.

Population Density
In 1880, the population density of Easton was 0.125 people per hectare, dropping to 0.0625 people per hectare in 1900 where it remained fairly constant until 1960. However, by 2001, the population density had increased to 0.3 people per hectare and remained the same until 2011.

Age structure
In 2001, almost half, 49%, of Easton's residents were in the 30–59 years age bracket, with 39 people aged 30–44 and 39 people aged 45–59. Additionally, there were 7 people aged 55, 7 people aged 51 and 7 people aged 53, making these individual ages dominant within the Parish. However, by 2011, residents ages became more diverse as the majority were aged 45–59, 25.4% of the total population. Furthermore, Easton had a mean age of 44.2 years, above both Huntingdonshire's average age of 39.9 years and the national average age of 39.3 years showing Easton as having a slightly older population in comparison.

Occupation
In 1881, male and female occupations drastically differentiated as 16 males worked in Agriculture and 16 females worked in Unknown Occupations. Therefore, Agriculture was the most popular occupation for males and Textile Fabrics / Dress was the most popular known occupation for females as it provided them with 6 jobs.

This contrasts to leading occupations in 2001 as 23 males were Managers and Senior Officials, and 13 females worked in Administrative and Secretarial occupations making them the most popular sectors. By 2011, the number of male Managers and senior officials had dropped to 16, but it remained their most popular occupation. Similarly, the number of females occupied by Administrative and Secretarial jobs had also decreased, to 6, but it was no longer the most popular occupation as the number of female Professionals increased to 9, making being a Professional the most popular occupation in 2011.

Housing
In 1831, 36 houses in Easton were occupied with no vacant houses in the area. However, by 1851, 36 houses remained occupied, with 7 vacant and 2 under construction. This reflects the population increase of 35 people between 1831 and 1841, and so the data indicates the Parish may have been constructing new homes to cater for the influx of people. By 1901, the figures had dropped to the lowest point with only 21 occupied houses and 5 vacant which once again reflects the decrease in population as it drops from 133 residents to just 79. However, twenty years later in 1921, the number of occupied houses had increase again reaching 25 households. This figure fluctuated between 25 and 32 houses occupied up until 1961.

By 2001, the number of households in Easton had almost doubled with 60 occupied houses. There were 3 additional unoccupied houses which were only unoccupied as they were holiday homes or second residency homes.

Government
Easton was in the historic and administrative county of Huntingdonshire until 1965. From 1965, the village was part of the new administrative county of Huntingdon and Peterborough. Then in 1974, following the Local Government Act 1972, Easton became a part of the county of Cambridgeshire.

For Easton the highest tier of local government is Cambridgeshire County Council. Easton is part of the electoral division of Sawtry and Ellington and is represented on the county council by one councillor. The second tier of local government is Huntingdonshire District Council, a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire. Easton is a part of the district ward of Ellington and is represented on the district council by one councillor. At Westminster Easton is in the parliamentary constituency of North West Cambridgeshire, and has been represented in the House of Commons by Shailesh Vara (Conservative) since 2005.

title: Easton, Cambridgeshire


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Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Prayagraj

Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT or NIT Allahabad), formerly Motilal Nehru Regional Engineering College (MNREC), is one of the 31 National Institutes of Technology, located in Prayagraj district of Uttar Pradesh in India. The college has the distinction of being the first in the country to start an undergraduate programme in Computer Science & Engineering, in 1976–77.

History
Motilal Nehru Regional Engineering College was established in 1961. MNREC was started with one branch of engineering – Electrical. The foundation stone was laid by Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, and the institute was named after his father, lawyer, and freedom fighter, Motilal Nehru. The founding principal of the college was Gopal Kishore Agrawal. It has great historical importance.

The main building of the college was inaugurated by Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on 18 April 1965. Effective from 26 June 2002, the college became a deemed university and was renamed Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology.

From its beginnings, the institute offered bachelor's degree programs in Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering. The institute was the first in the country to offer an undergraduate program in Computer Science and Engineering, which was started in 1976. In 1982-83 undergraduate programs in Electronics Engineering, and Production and Industrial Engineering were started.

Postgraduate programs were introduced in 1970–71 with master's degree courses in all engineering departments. The institute now offers MTech degree programs, MCA, MSc Mathematics and Scientific Computing courses and registers candidates for PhD degrees. The institute has been recognized by the Government of India as a center for the quality improvement program in Civil and Mechanical Engineering. The institute started a two-year/four semesters postgraduate degree in Management Studies in 1996. The institute added undergraduate programs in Chemical Engineering and BioTechnology in 2006.

The college has been recognized by AICTE as a center for the Quality Improvement Programme. In 1972, the college established an industrial estate with 69 sheds with the objective of encouraging entrepreneurs and creating additional revenue.

The college is a member of the Indo-UK REC project in the area of design. Under this scheme, a Design Center was established at a cost of about Rs. six crores, which offers training and consultancy. It was given the status of an Institute of National Importance (INI) on 15 August 2007.

In 2011, the institute celebrated its Golden Jubilee year.

It is among the few technical institutions in India to house two supercomputers, PARAM 8000 and PARAM 10000.

Academic programmes
MNNIT offers a four-year undergraduate course in various engineering disciplines. Indian students are admitted through Joint Entrance Exam (JEE Mains), while foreign students or N.R.Is (Non-Resident of India) are admitted through Direct Admission of Students Abroad (DASA).

MNNIT offers 19 post-graduate programs of two-year duration leading to MTech degrees. The Computer Science department offers a Master's in Computer Applications (MCA). It has a master's course in Mathematics and Scientific Computing. Campus has B-school known as the School of Management Studies. Master of Social Work (MSW) is also running in the institute since 2009.

MNNIT also offers a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) program in Physics, Chemistry, Math's and in many engineering disciplines.

Ranking
MNNIT has been ranked 13th among engineering colleges.

Departments
The departments in the institute are:
 * Engineering
 * Biotechnology
 * Applied Mechanics
 * Chemical Engineering
 * Computer Science and Engineering
 * Civil Engineering
 * Electrical Engineering
 * Electronics and Communication Engineering
 * Information Technology
 * Production and Industrial Engineering
 * Mechanical Engineering
 * Product Design & Development
 * Science
 * Chemistry
 * Mathematics
 * Physics
 * Humanities and Social Science
 * School of Management Studies

Notable alumni

 * Sanjiv Chaturvedi, IFoS officer who has exposed many corruption cases in Haryana and AIIMS; received the Presidential reference a record four times and the Ramon Magsaysay award in 2015.
 * Deep Joshi, social worker and NGO activist, recipient of the Magsaysay award in 2009
 * Atul Sobti, the chairman and managing director from January 2016 to June 2019 of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
 * Onkar Singh, Vice Chancellor of Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Uttarakhand Technical University, Dehradun and Founder Vice Chancellor of Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology, Gorakhpur, (U.P.) – India
 * Bhrigu Nath Singh – Director General of IITRAM. Professor and former HAL chair professor, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.
 * Sapan Saxena, Indian author, best known for his novels Finders, Keepers, UNNS-The Captivation and The Tenth Riddle

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Alan Skirton

Alan Frederick Graham Skirton (23 January 1939 – 12 May 2019) was an English professional footballer, who played as a winger, spending the majority of his career at Arsenal. A "prolific winger", Skirton was known as the 'Highbury Express' during his seven-year tenure at the North London club.

Playing career
Skirton started out as a player with West Twerton Youth Club in his home city of Bath before joining Bristol City as an amateur. However, they did not retain him and he then joined hometown club Bath City in the Southern League. He soon attracted the attention of several other clubs. Arsenal won the fight for his signature, signing him in January 1959 for £5,000. Soon after signing, however, Skirton contracted pleurisy and pneumonia and was out of action for eighteen months.

He finally made his debut for Arsenal against Burnley on 20 August 1960. He played sixteen games that season, sharing the right wing position with Danny Clapton. He supplanted Clapton altogether the following season, and scored nineteen goals in 40 matches, making him the club's top scorer for that season.

After the signing of Johnny MacLeod in the summer of 1962, Skirton was switched to the left wing, where he played for the next four seasons, albeit irregularly, as Arsenal manager Billy Wright preferred to field only one out-and-out winger. The emergence of the young George Armstrong also meant Skirton's place was under threat, and Skirton shared duties with Armstrong for his final two seasons at the club.

Nevertheless, Skirton still averaged twenty appearances a season, and made history by becoming the first Arsenal player to score a goal in a European match at Highbury, against Danish club, Stævnet on 22 October 1963. However, Wright's successor, Bertie Mee, was looking to youth as the means to success for the Gunners. After playing the first two matches of the 1966–67 season, Skirton signed for Blackpool on 12 September 1966 for £65,000. He had played 153 matches for Arsenal, scoring 53 goals.

Skirton scored on his debut for Blackpool five days later in the 1966–67 season, ironically at Highbury in a 1–1 draw, although he limped off injured later in the game. After missing three games, he scored once in a 3–1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, and two more in a 3–1 win at Stamford Bridge over Chelsea. His home debut saw the Seasiders beat Newcastle United 6–0 at Bloomfield Road with Skirton scoring twice. However, his goalscoring was not so prolific in the rest of the season and he finished the season with ten league and cup goals in 28 games.

His eight league goals that season though couldn't save the Seasiders from relegation to Division Two. In the 1967–68 season, Blackpool narrowly missed out on promotion back to the top flight, finishing third on goal average behind Ipswich Town and Queens Park Rangers. Skirton scored 17 league goals that season.

After 17 games at the start of the 1968–69 season, Blackpool manager Stan Mortensen saw the emergence of Ronnie Brown on the right wing, and he allowed Skirton to return to the West Country where he joined Bristol City for £15,000 on 20 November 1968. He went on to play for Torquay United, and South African club Durban City F.C. He ended his career at Weymouth who he helped to win the Southern League Cup in the 1972–73 season.

Post-retirement
Just before he retired from playing, Skirton became assistant commercial manager at Weymouth, before rejoining his old club Bath City as commercial manager in July 1974. On 14 September 1981 he joined Yeovil Town to take up the same position and remained there until his retirement in 2002.

He died on 12 May 2019 at the age of 80.

Honours
Weymouth
 * Southern League Cup winner: 1972–73

title: Alan Skirton


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Ging

Ging or Gings may refer to:

 * Ging (film), a 1964 Philippine film
 * Ging (live CD), a GNU variant
 * Ging (surname), a surname
 * Ging, the stage name of musician Adam Feeney (f.k.a. Frank Dukes)
 * Gings, Indiana, a community in the United States
 * Ging Freecss, a character in the manga series Hunter × Hunter

title: Ging


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Why Kings and Queens Don't Wear Crowns

Why Kings and Queens Don't Wear Crowns is a fairytale written by Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and released as a children's book in the US in 2005. The original version was released as a picture book in Norway in 2004.

The story is about her grandfather, King Olav V, when he first came from Denmark to Norway. It tells about how difficult it was to wear crowns while cross country skiing amongst other typical Norwegian winter activities. The illustrations in the book are made by the Norwegian artist Svein Nyhus.

title: Why Kings and Queens Don't Wear Crowns


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1997 Conservative Party leadership election

The 1997 Conservative Party leadership election was triggered when John Major resigned as leader on 2 May 1997, following his party's landslide defeat at the 1997 general election, which ended 18 years of Conservative Government of the United Kingdom. Major had been Conservative leader and prime minister since November 1990.

Announced

The following candidates announced their intention to stand:
 * Kenneth Clarke
 * William Hague
 * Michael Howard
 * Peter Lilley
 * John Redwood

Announced but withdrew

 * Stephen Dorrell – withdrew in favour of Clarke before the ballot. Dorrell had the support of 8 or 9 MPs, some of whom did not transfer their support to Clarke due to his pro-European opinions.

Declined candidates

 * Michael Heseltine – had been widely expected to contest the leadership but declined to do so following health concerns. Heseltine supported Kenneth Clarke during the contest.

Not an MP at the time
In the months before the general election a number of other prominent Conservatives were talked about as potential leaders; however, several failed to hold their seats in the general election including the following:
 * Ian Lang
 * Michael Portillo
 * Malcolm Rifkind

In addition, many had speculated about Chris Patten returning to Westminster (he had lost his seat in the 1992 election) and becoming leader; however, the contest took place before Patten's term of office as Governor of Hong Kong ended.

Campaign
During the campaign Jeremy Paxman asked Michael Howard whether he had threatened to overrule the former Director General of HM Prison Service Derek Lewis when he was Home Secretary. The question was put 12 times with Howard failing to give a definitive answer.

Results
Howard was eliminated. He was regarded as a serious contender but had been damaged by the criticisms of Ann Widdecombe (who had served under him at the Home Office) that he had "something of the night about him" and by the decision of William Hague, who had originally agreed to support Howard and become Deputy Leader, to stand in his own right.

Peter Lilley withdrew voluntarily. He and Howard gave their backing to Hague.

Second round
Redwood was eliminated.

Final round
For the final round, Clarke, facing likely defeat by Hague, offered to stand aside in Michael Heseltine's favour. Heseltine was less unpopular with eurosceptics than Clarke, who was seen as the main Conservative Party champion of potential British membership of the planned euro. Heseltine, who had had a stent fitted after an attack of angina the day after the General Election, was tempted by the offer, but declined on medical advice.

Redwood gave his backing to Clarke, an unusual development in that Redwood (eurosceptic) and Clarke (europhile) held opposite views on the main issue of dispute amongst Conservatives. In return for the endorsement, it was generally understood that Clarke would name Redwood Shadow Chancellor.

This pact backfired, however, and the agreement was seen as so cynical that it drew comparison to the Nazi–Soviet Pact of the late 1930s. It prompted former Conservative Prime Minister Baroness Thatcher to publicly endorse Hague. In the event, most of Redwood's supporters switched to Hague rather than to Clarke.

Julian Lewis announced that he was the only MP who did not vote.

Aftermath
Under William Hague's leadership, the party would fail to make any significant advance at the 2001 general election, netting only a single seat, and he was succeeded by Iain Duncan Smith.

In 1998, the system of leadership elections was altered to one where MPs vote in rounds to select a shortlist of two candidates, who are then presented to the mass membership to choose. This system was first used in the 2001 leadership election and a modified form of these rules remains in place today.

An incumbent leader can still be ousted by a no confidence vote of Conservative MPs, as was done to Iain Duncan Smith in October 2003. A leader could therefore (in principle) be ousted by MPs despite still enjoying the support of the mass membership.

Books used for references

 * Kenneth Clarke, Kind of Blue, Macmillan, 2016, ISBN 1-509-83719-1
 * Michael Heseltine, Life in the Jungle, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000, ISBN 0-340-73915-0


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William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney

Lieutenant-General William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney, KB (7 September 1672 – 20 September 1761) was a British Army officer and politician who served from 1695 until 1756. From 1725 to 1757, he also sat in the Parliament of Ireland as MP for Kilmallock, although he rarely attended.

A tough, reliable and courageous soldier, Blakeney was also known for his innovative approach to weapons drill and training. One of the few officers to bolster their reputation during the Jacobite rising of 1745, he was rewarded by being appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the British-held island of Menorca in 1748. When the Seven Years' War began in April 1756, the French occupied most of the island, although Blakeney and the garrison of Fort St. Philip held out for 70 days. Admiral John Byng was later court-martialled and shot for failing to relieve him, but Blakeney was made a baron in recognition of his resolute defence.

Now over eighty years old, this ended his military career, and he retired to his home in County Limerick, where he died in September 1761 and later buried in Westminster Abbey. He never married, and the title became extinct on his death.

Life
William Blakeney was born on 7 September 1672, eldest child of William (1640–1718), and Elizabeth Blakeney (1652–1710). His siblings included Robert (died 1763), Charles (1674–1741), John (1696–1720), Mary (born c. 1678), Catherine (born 1680) and Elizabeth (died 1740).

William Blakeney owned estates at Castleblakeney, in County Galway, and Mount Blakeney, in County Limerick. The family supplied the MP for Athenry and High Sheriff of County Galway for over a century. Blakeney inherited his father's property, but reputedly lived on his military pay and allowed his brothers use of the family estate. He never married, and on his death in 1761, the property passed to Major Robert Blakeney, his younger brother.

1695 to 1739
During the 1689 to 1691 Williamite War in Ireland, Blakeney remained at Mount Blakeney to defend his estates against raids by Irish irregulars or Rapparees, while the rest of his family relocated to Castleblakeney. In 1692, he joined his uncle George Blakeney in Flanders; serving as a volunteer, he was wounded at the Namur on 31 August 1695 during the attack on the Terra Nova earthwork which allegedly inspired the song 'The British Grenadiers'. In September 1695, he was commissioned as an ensign in The Royal Regiment of Foot, then placed on half-pay after the 1697 Treaty of Ryswick.

When the War of the Spanish Succession began in 1701, he was reactivated and fought at the battles of Schellenberg, Blenheim and Ramillies. He was promoted captain in April 1707. In March 1708, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Foot Guards, although only 16 of its nominal 24 companies were actually formed, and Blakeney remained with his original unit.

Under the practice known as double-ranking, Guards officers held a second, higher army rank; for example, a Guards lieutenant ranked as an army major. In addition, such units were rarely disbanded and their officers given precedence when deciding promotions, making it a cheap way to reward competent but poor officers. John Huske (1692–1761), one of Blakeney's colleagues during the Jacobite rising of 1745, was commissioned in the Guards for similar reasons.

Blakeney's regiment escaped disbandment after the 1713 Peace of Utrecht; when his uncle retired from the 31st Foot in 1718, he assigned his commission as lieutenant colonel to his nephew. Blakeney retained this position for the next 20 years; some biographers suggest he was deliberately held back, but promotion in this period was slow for all officers. He became colonel of the 27th Foot in 1737, with the support of the Duke of Richmond.

1740 to 1748

When trade disputes with Spain led to the outbreak of the War of Jenkins' Ear in 1739, Blakeney was appointed brigadier general in the expeditionary force sent to reinforce Admiral Vernon. His reputation for training was a factor in his selection, since the force included 3,000 newly recruited American colonial militia. He took part in the disastrous attack of March 1741 on Cartagena de Indias and the short-lived occupation of Cuba. The West Indies was a notoriously unhealthy posting, and simply surviving was an achievement. Between 1740 and 1742, British navy and army deaths from disease and combat were estimated as over 20,000, with death rates of 80–90% among land forces.

With little to show for the investment of men and money, the survivors returned to Britain in October 1742. Blakeney was appointed lieutenant governor of Stirling Castle, an immensely strong position controlling access between the Scottish Highlands and the Lowlands. In September 1745, the Jacobite army passed the castle en route to Edinburgh, but lacked the equipment needed to take it.

The Jacobites made a more serious attempt in the Siege of Stirling Castle in January 1746, but progress was slow. Despite victory at Falkirk Muir on 1 February, the Jacobites lifted the siege and withdrew to Inverness when Prince William, Duke of Cumberland began advancing north from Edinburgh. After the Rising ended at Culloden in April 1746, Blakeney was promoted lieutenant general and given military command of the Highlands.

1748 to 1761

In 1748, he was appointed lieutenant governor of Menorca; captured by the British in 1708, the island was considered vital for control of the Western Mediterranean. However, it was also vulnerable; the Spanish deeply resented British occupation, while it was only two days sail from Cádiz, and one from the French naval base at Toulon. Since the nominal governor, Baron Tyrawley, never visited Menorca, Blakeney was its effective ruler. He attempted to reduce local opposition by encouraging his troops to marry local women, and by controlling Catholic schools and institutions, but neither of these measures was successful. Tyrawley's absence was symptomatic of general neglect; in 1757, a Parliamentary committee noted the poor state of its defences, with crumbling walls and rotten gun platforms. In addition to Tyrawley, over 35 senior officers were absent from their posts, including the governor of Fort St Philip, and the colonels of all four regiments in its garrison.

When the Seven Years' War began in April 1756, the French quickly occupied the island and began the Siege of Fort St Philip, which was commanded by Blakeney. An attempt by Admiral John Byng to lift the siege was repulsed in May, and Blakeney surrendered on 29 June. The garrison was given free passage to Gibraltar, whose governor was Thomas Fowke, court-martialled but acquitted in 1746 for the defeat at Prestonpans. In the inquiry that followed, Fowke was dismissed for failing to provide reinforcements from the Gibraltar garrison, while Byng was executed in March 1757. The heavy drinking that left Blakeney with "a paralytick disorder" and "nervous tremors", was portrayed as the virtues of a simple soldier, but many considered his surrender premature. Although rewarded by being appointed to the Order of the Bath and made 'Baron Blakeney' in the Irish peerage, delirium tremens left him barely able to write his name, and this ended his military career. He died on 20 September 1761 in Ireland and later buried in the nave of Westminster Abbey; the gravestone still exists, but the inscription is now very faint.

Legacy
Weapons drill and infantry training was a common topic among professional officers; Blakeney suggested using puppets to demonstrate drill positions to recruits. After Culloden, he was invited to demonstrate 'firings and evolutions of my own design' but in 1748, a new standard infantry drill manual was issued and Blakeney dropped his suggestions.

In 1759, a statue of Blakeney by sculptor John Van Nost and paid for by the Friendly Brothers of Saint Patrick was erected in Dublin on the location where Spire of Dublin now stands. The statue was removed in 1763 after having been severely damaged.

title: William Blakeney, 1st Baron Blakeney