Why the past matters: Emma Whipday & Freyja Cox Jensen at TEDxGoodenoughCollege
The speaker argues that studying "tiny histories" through the lens of ordinary people, like the 1594 murder of Master Beach, is vital because it illuminates shared societal dynamics—from community self-policing to economic struggle—that inform contemporary issues like "Big Society" concerns. The enduring evidence of this micro-event is the 1600 play, *The Tragedy of Thomas Mary*, which highlights that community response and human resilience are key to understanding modern life.
## Speakers & Context
- Speaker: Presenter detailing a murder case from 1594 and its resonance.
- Performer (Freya): Took the role of Thomas Mary in the revival performance.
- Performer (Emma): Played the role of the onstage prompt during the modern staging.
- Context: Comparative exploration between 16th-century London society and contemporary issues.
## Theses & Positions
- The study of "micro history" (or "tiny history") focusing on ordinary people reveals fundamental truths about humanity and society.
- The past matters because it explains "how we got where we are today" and informs potential improvements for the future.
- True community function relies on ordinary people policing themselves through care for one another, not solely on state institutions.
- The value of the humanities lies in exploring the anxieties and hopes of the average person, not just "Great Men" or grand historical narratives.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Micro history / Tiny history:** Focus on small, local events and the lives of ordinary people.
- **Big Society:** Concept suggesting community management and self-policing within neighborhoods.
- **Fuel poverty:** The inability to afford heating required to keep a home warm.
- **Social inequality:** Disparity examined, concerning wealth distribution.
- **Gender relations:** Societal standing of women examined.
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Homicide mechanism:** Thomas Mary struck Master Beach repeatedly over the head with a hammer.
- **Evidence removal process:** Mary forced Rachel to clean up the blood and dispose of the body.
- **Evidence disposal mechanism:** Mary dismembered the body into component parts (head, legs, arms, torso) and placed them in bags.
- **Community investigation process:** Neighbors searched drains, found body parts, and investigated who owned the hammer.
- **Community resolution mechanism:** Neighbors banded together, laid out the body parts, and deduced the identity of the murderer.
## Timeline & Sequence
- **1594:** Murder of Master Beach and Thomas Winchester in London.
- **1590s:** Period when the crime occurred; characterized by England being at War, high prices, a debased currency, and terrible inflation.
- **1600:** The Admirals men staged *The Tragedy of Thomas Mary* at the Rose Theater, based on the crime.
- **Post-1600:** A version of the play was published in *Two Lamentable Tragedies*.
- **Few weeks ago:** Speaker and Freya staged the first performance of the play in over 400 years.
- **2011:** Analogous to the 1590s unrest, when London's youth took to the streets in a riot.
## Named Entities
- **Master Beach:** A prosperous London shopkeeper who was the victim of the 1594 murder.
- **Thomas Winchester:** A young servant of Master Beach and victim of the murder.
- **Thomas Mary:** Neighbor of Master Beach, perpetrator of the murder.
- **Rachel:** Master Beach's young servant's sister, who helped cover up the crime.
- **David Cameron:** Politician who suggested the concept of "Big Society."
- **Admirals men:** Theater company that staged the play in 1600.
- **The Rose Theater:** Location where *The Tragedy of Thomas Mary* was staged in 1600.
- **London Metropolitan University:** Institution that conducted a study on British gang culture.
- **Bankside:** Area where remains of the play's staging can still be found.
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Hammer:** Weapon used by Thomas Mary to repeatedly hit Master Beach over the head.
- **Newspaper pamphlets:** Medium used to report the crime after it occurred (none survive).
- **Ballads:** Form of street entertainment used to sing about the crime (none survive).
- ***The Tragedy of Thomas Mary*:** Play staged by the Admirals men in 1600, based on the crime.
- ***Two Lamentable Tragedies*:** Compilation containing a version of the play, published in 1600.
- ***The Script*:** Book kept by the onstage prompt in the modern staging.
- **iPad:** Device given to a sister of a gang member, suggesting hidden finances.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Micro history / Tiny history:** Focus on local events and ordinary people, valuable for understanding contemporary life.
- **Big Society:** Concept describing self-policing and mutual care within neighborhoods.
- **Fuel poverty:** The state of being unable to afford necessary heating fuel.
- **Social inequality:** A persistent societal problem evident in wealth disparity.
- **Gender relations:** The societal constraints and roles concerning women.
## Numbers & Data
- **1594:** Year the murder of Master Beach and Thomas Winchester took place.
- **1600:** Year *The Tragedy of Thomas Mary* was staged and published.
- **400 years:** Duration elapsed since the murder.
- **2011:** Year of the London youth riot, serving as a contemporary comparison.
- **450th:** Birthday celebration of Shakespeare mentioned.
## Examples & Cases
- **Case Study 1:** The murder of Master Beach and Thomas Winchester by Thomas Mary in 1594.
- **Case Study 2:** The modern reenactment, featuring Freya and Emma, replicating Elizabethan performance structure.
- **Poverty Example:** Inability to afford beer, bread, meat, coals, or other necessities due to lack of coin.
- **Modern Poverty:** Current reports of people accessing food banks that provide un-cooked food.
- **Gang Study Example:** A sister choosing not to ask where her brother obtained an iPad, accepting the situation quietly.
- **Community Investigation:** Neighbors pooling resources to locate and identify Master Beach from dispersed body parts found in ditches.
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Alternative to State Policing:** Community self-policing, demonstrated by the 1594 neighbors uniting to restore order.
- **Focus on Micro History vs. Big History:** Choosing to focus on individual, lived experiences over the narratives of "Great Men" or grand universal systems.
## Counterarguments & Caveats
- **Survival Rate:** No news pamphlets or ballads about the 1594 crime survive.
- **Modern Staging Caveat:** The onstage prompt setup is "quite peculiar" for modern audiences accustomed to visiting the Globe or RSC.
- **Improvements/Stagnation:** While sanitation, the NHS, and the welfare state have improved, many systemic issues persist.
- **Historical Differences:** Elizabethan London was drastically different—unsafe water, prevalent plague, and severe legal penalties for infractions.
## Methodology
- **Performance Reenactment:** Replicating Elizabethan staging practices (using an onstage prompt) to convey past methods.
- **Comparative Analysis:** Drawing parallels between the 1590s crime response and current concepts like "Big Society."
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- Future focus in historical study should shift toward "Tiny histories" to build a fuller sense of "who you and I are and how we all work together."
- The study of literature and history is valuable in its own right, independent of immediate contemporary political relevance.
- The past provides lessons on how to improve societal structures, particularly regarding community bonds and preventing systemic collapse.
## Implications & Consequences
- Ignoring the past means failing to identify the root causes of current societal challenges ("what we did wrong").
- The failure to maintain community trust can have fatal consequences, as shown by Rachel's fate.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"It was the murder of a London shopkeeper named Master Beach and his young servant Thomas Winchester by one of their neighbors Master Beach."*
- *"The only reason that we know that the crime took place at all is because it survived in another form in 1600 the Admirals men the theater company that staged many of Shakespeare's early plays staged a play called The Tragedy of Thomas Mary based on the crime at the Rose Theater."*
- *"We don't do that today when you go to the globe or the RSC you don't see the person sitting there with the book The Script on stage ready to pick up the pieces."*
- *"Mary turns to Crime out of desperation and sad economic circumstances."*
- *"let others open what I do conceal he is my brother I will cover it and rather die than have it spoken."*
- *"if we focus on Tiny histories we're going to get more of a sense of who you and I are and how we all work together in today's England today's Britain today's Global joined up world."*
- *"We'd like to think that the past matters because it tells us something about who we are."*