Fry's Island
| Fry's Island | ||
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| Waters | Thames | |
| Geographical location | 51 ° 28 ′ N , 0 ° 58 ′ W | |
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Fry's Island , also known as De Montfort Island , is an island in the Thames in England. The island is upriver from Caversham Lock at Reading in Berkshire .
Fry's Island can only be reached by boat. On the island there is a private house ( Demontfort House ), a boat repair shop and apartment ( Caversham Boat Services ) and a bowling club ( Island Bohemian Club ). Each of them has its own ferry service.
history
Fry's Island is the site of a court battle between Robert de Montfort and Henry d'Essex , the standard bearer of Henry II. The battle was fought when the court was located in Reading Abbey in 1163 . Robert had accused Henry d'Essex of cowardice and treason for dropping the royal standard during a battle with the Welsh and shouting that the king was dead. The accused protested against this charge.
The king decided that the dispute should be resolved with a fight in what is now Fry's Island. In the course of the fight, Henry d 'Essex fell to the ground wounded and was considered dead. The king ordered the monks of the abbey to bury the body. But Henry was not dead and the monks nursed him to health. Having lost the fight, he was found guilty as charged and lost his property and titles. However, he was allowed to become a monk in the abbey, where he spent the rest of his life.
The Island Bohemian Club was first mentioned in 1908 when it held its general meeting under the name Old Codgers Club . The current name was adopted in 1909. The club acquired the land from its property on the island in two steps in 1961 and 1968.
Demontfort House was built in 1897. During World War II it was an American Army club. In the 1960s it was the Blue Beat Island Club
Caversham Boat Services was founded in 1970. The apartment and workshop are located in a building that once belonged to the Reading Rowing Club from 1893. The adjacent Bridge Boats shipyard was founded in 1958 as a shipyard for wooden boats and converted into a boat rental company in the 1980s. The company was acquired by Caversham Boat Services in 2009.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Iceland Bohemian Location .
- ^ A b Ford Robert Nash: Trial by Combat at Reading on: Royal Berkshire History
- ↑ Island Bohemian: Club History .