Sir,
—I read with interest about those who engineered or took part inthe Easter Rising of 1916 (HI 14.2, March/April 2006) but I would liketo know about the thousands of ordinary people who were affected indifferent ways by the fighting on their doorsteps, the bombing andburning and the loss of livelihood. My great-grandparents had a shop at16 Lower Sackville Street. This shop was completely destroyed, but whathappened afterwards? When were the buildings restored? Was there anoverall plan, or was it up to each individual owner to rebuild? Werethose owners given any compensation? It strikes me that the socialaftermath of the Rising might be an interesting field ofresearch.
—Yours etc.,
Mrs J. S. WATSON
Oxfordshire
1671 Irishman Col. Thomas Blood stole the Crown Jewels of England from the Tower of London. Having switched sides during the English Civil War, during which he gained a reputation for intrigue and espionage, Blood lost most of his lands with the Restoration and thereafter conducted a terror campaign against the Stuart establishment. None of his operations were remotely successful. A conspiracy to take Dublin Castle and stage a coup d’état was easily foiled, forcing him to flee to the Continent with a bounty of £1,000 on his head. A year later he reappeared in a kidnap attempt on the duke of Ormond in London, which was also unsuccessful, as was an attempt to assassinate the king as he was taking a dip in the Thames. The theft of the royal regalia was similarly botched. Pursued by the guards, with the crown, globe and sceptre stuffed under their clothing, he and his accomplices were promptly arrested. Yet in terms of outcome the botched robbery was his one big success. Refusing to speak to anyone except the king himself, he admitted to all of his conspiracies and warned the king that he had many friends who would ‘expose his majesty … to the daily fear and expectation of a massacre’. On the other hand, were he free to use his experience in the spying profession as a secret agent for the royal administration, he could prevent such attacks. And his arrogance prevailed. Charles was won over and accepted his offer. Blood lived in comfort on a generous royal allowance for another decade. Whether his services were of any use is not known.