Harold Davidson (1875–1937), rector of the Norfolk parish of Stiffkey (church pictured), was a Church of England priest who was convicted in 1932 on charges of immorality and defrocked by the Church. Ordained in 1903, he worked among London's poor and homeless. Styling himself the "Prostitutes' Padre", his declared mission was to rescue young girls he considered in danger of falling into prostitution. In this role he approached and befriended hundreds of women, and although there was little evidence of improper behaviour, he was often found in compromising situations and his neglect of his parish and family caused difficulties. A formal complaint led to church disciplinary proceedings, in which his defence was damaged beyond repair by a photograph of him with a near-naked teenage girl. Davidson then pursued a career as a showman to raise funds for his reinstatement campaign, performing novelty acts such as exhibiting himself in a barrel on the Blackpool seafront. He died after being attacked by a lion in whose cage he was appearing. Later commentators have accepted that however inappropriate his behaviour, his motives were genuine and he did not deserve the humiliations he endured.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Davidson
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1540:
King Henry VIII of England had his chief minister Thomas Cromwell executed for treason and heresy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cromwell
1794:
French Revolution: Maximilien de Robespierre and Louis Antoine de Saint-Just (pictured left and right respectively), architects of the Reign of Terror, were executed after having been arrested the previous day. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Antoine_de_Saint-Just
1932:
U.S. President Herbert Hoover ordered the eviction of the "Bonus Army"—a group of veterans who were occupying government property to demand immediate payment for money owed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonus_Army
1995:
Two followers of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh were convicted for the attempted assassination of the United States Attorney for the District of Oregon. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Rajneeshee_assassination_plot
2005:
The Provisional Irish Republican Army announced an end to its armed campaign to overthrow British rule in Northern Ireland to create a United Ireland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
doula: A support person, usually female, who may not have medical or midwifery training, who provides emotional assistance to a mother or pregnant couple before, during or after childbirth. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/doula
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
One man can make a difference and every man should try. --Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Jacqueline_Kennedy_Onassis