medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
I hope that someone on the list might be able to help me with a query on the 'lost 11 days', of the 1751 Calendar change from the Julian to Gregorian calender. I apologise if this not about the medieval period, or religion, but it seems like the best place to get an answer.
Basically, I don't understand what happened, no matter how I work it through in my mind, and must be missing some detail or other. I always thought that the year must have been 11 days longer before 1751, but have discovered (looking in my Book of Common Prayer of 1703), that this was not the case. Of course, that makes sense, as that is how long the earth takes to orbit the sun.
So, why take off the 11 days, if you measured the year as 365 days anyway. And, what did happen to the 11 days. I know that St Swithin's day 1753, was on July 15th, the same as in 1703, and not of July 26th. But if this is the case, then why change anything? Is it also true that 1751, in England ended on September 1st, and went straight to January 1st 1752? What was the reason for this. Surely this constitutes a loss of 90 days?
The answer to this is probably easy, and I've made myself look silly, but I do seem to have a mental block on this subject. I can understand why the 'lost 11 days' caused riots.
Apologies again if this is considered irrelevant.
--
'"The secret of a joyful life is to live dangerously." A joyful life is an active life - it is not a dull, static state of so-called happiness. Full of the burning fire of enthusiasm, anarchic, revolutionary, energetic, daemonic, Dionysian, filled to overflowing with the terrific urge to create - such is the life of the man who risks safety and happiness for the sake of growth and happiness.'
Frederick William Sanderson, 1857-1922.
Graham Mallaghan
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