Wikipedia:Reference desk/Humanities

[[Category:Wikipedia help pages with dated sections]]

[[Category:Wikipedia help pages with dated sections]]

[[Category:Non-talk pages that are automatically signed]]

[[Category:Non-talk pages that are automatically signed]]

= April 4 =

== Baron Burnes de Montrose ==

[[James Burnes (surgeon)|James Burnes]] was a German baron.A.M.F. Gritzner, A.M. Hildebrandt, J. Siebmacher's grosses und allgemeines Wappenbuch. Band 2, IV. Abtl. Der Adel der Fürstenthümer Reuß, p. 2. Ever since I came across this fact by chance, I try to find out more about this unlikely title.

*Can anybody find out why Burnes was ennobled, by Fürst Reuß of all princes? I can't find any connection between him and Reuß*. Even more curious, his coat of arms features the city walls of "Cabool", as if the title was created with Burnes' brother in mind. *) Side note: Reuß later became notorious for sensational ennobling when Henry XIV, son of Henry LXVII, created a new count - in consequence, the Emperor basically forbid the lesser princes to create new titles without his consent.

*James Burnes died less then half a year later, so for some time I was under the impression that nobody really knew about the ennobling. However, apparently he informed his six sons.see [https://yourscottisharchives.com/catalogues/2ac3fc4c-5d75-35cd-a4aa-1fc58266d99b GB 237 Coll-1932] at yourscottisharchives.com. So the sons did know, or were the letters lost? By German law, all six of them became barons (Freiherrn) the moment James became one, although by British tradition, only the oldest son inherited the title, and only when James died. Did they/he ever use the title in the UK? Did James or one of his sons ever applied to the Foreign Office respectively Home Office for a Royal Licence to bear the title? I found [https://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/foreigntitles.htm this on the process], and Burnes is neither mentioned there nor listed [https://www.heraldica.org/topics/britain/TNA/HO_45_13725.htm on the accompanying list that claims to be complete]. Even without Royal Licence, I can't find any mention of a "Baron Burnes" in the UK.** Can anybody shed light on why the family was seemingly not interested in the title? I am very curious what exactly James wrote to his sons in the letter. Did he advise them against taking up the title? **) The title is included in the Dictionnaire des Figures Heraldiques of 1899 (tome IV, p. 29) and in [https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-e&hs=o5dp&sca_esv=7705f747b7e8ef38&channel=entpr&q=%22Burnes+de+Montrose%22&udm=36&source=lnms&fbs=ADc_l-YGrpJMQtvjQ6h14rj-dfIrOPc3KDFvbkoWSmxm37-5ZzvkNGUgcupCt7IlNUESMkkDMtkeLmLlqvNosIz1Q5dFNhX2T52oQnCG1LT89p4SSHCGIeX8RaQj2rxnr87W_pLUuoP6MiMxwPIaCAAjeZ1ZTUuvvnoOB1Yf4vBC8evtbZe5o52izz_1Ur_pz5RjnL5YzKa_7ZIkwzE4NvpurONEfGe43Q&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjxxd-e9dOTAxV6VfEDHeLeBbYQ0pQJegQITBAB&biw=1280&bih=531&dpr=1.5 several other heraldic books], but all of them are in German, French, or Spanish language, not English.

[[Special:Contributions/~2026-20716-05|~2026-20716-05]] ([[User talk:~2026-20716-05|talk]]) 09:23, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

{{reflist-talk}}

::{{xt|In 1862 James gained a title; he was created a Baron of Saxe Coburg Gotha by Duke Ernest II , brother of Prince Albert. Why Duke Ernest did this is yet another mystery, but Ernest was certainly a Mason .}}

::[https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Sikunder_Burnes/42_tDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22James+Burnes%22+1862+baron&pg=PT119&printsec=frontcover ''Sikunder Burnes: Master of the Great Game'' (2016) Ch. 14]

::[[User:Alansplodge|Alansplodge]] ([[User talk:Alansplodge|talk]]) 18:50, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

:::So was he two barons? Once by [[Heinrich LXVII, Prince Reuss Younger Line]] and once by [[Ernest II, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha]]? [[User:DuncanHill|DuncanHill]] ([[User talk:DuncanHill|talk]]) 19:07, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

::::Interesting. Heinrich LXVII was a Mason, too, so that could be the missing link to give at least part of the answer to my first question. Although I highly doubt the title coming from Ernest, all sources I found, both German and French language, only mention Reuß. — Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/~2026-20819-85|~2026-20819-85]] ([[User talk:~2026-20819-85#top|talk]]) 20:40, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

:::@[[User:Alansplodge|Alansplodge]]: I can't read the reference you gave via Google Books. Could you please you give me the reference given there? I's like to follow on this and try to find out how this claim was founded. — Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/~2026-21346-44|~2026-21346-44]] ([[User talk:~2026-21346-44#top|talk]]) 06:42, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

::::Sorry, what do you mean by "reference"? I have quoted the only sentence visible that refers to his enoblement. There is no footnote for it. [[User:Alansplodge|Alansplodge]] ([[User talk:Alansplodge|talk]]) 09:09, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

:::::Thank you for checking. I was asking for the footnote, I hoped I could learn from what source or archive this claims comes from. Could it be that it was originally intended to make Burnes a baron via the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha? That would make sense, Ernest II being Albert's brother, and Burnes apparently telling his sons that title comes from a German prince "allied to the Royal Blood of England" (see letter in the Scottish archives). Maybe then some political obstacle occurred, making it impossible for Ernest to do it, and he asked his fellow freemason Heinrich to do him a favour. This story is really interesting! I still doubt that Burnes got ennobled twice, and the title from Reuß is registered in the Reuß archive (now Staatsarchiv Greiz, 00678 : 3-12-4200). So how does Ernest come into the story? — Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/~2026-21346-44|~2026-21346-44]] ([[User talk:~2026-21346-44#top|talk]]) 09:24, 7 April 2026 (UTC)

== BBC documentary ==

The 2001 (aired in january 2002) BBC documentary How to build a human (specifically episode 3, The secret of sex) features the transition process of a FtM transgender person. How progressive was it in that time period? Something tells that if they were MtF, it would be more comtroversial, because masculine women were always more accepted than feminine men. [[Special:Contributions/~2026-24671-3|~2026-24671-3]] ([[User talk:~2026-24671-3|talk]]) 11:47, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

:Not particularly 'progressive'. Since the 1972 MtF transition of the already-well-known journalist and travel writer [[Jan Morris]] that was detailed in her best-selling autobiographical book ''Conundrum'' (1974), the British public was aware of such procedures, and to my recollection (I was an adult when the book was published) was in the main not particularly exercised about them. By 2002 they were a commonplace. {The poster formerly known as 87.81.230.195} [[Special:Contributions/~2026-76101-8|~2026-76101-8]] ([[User talk:~2026-76101-8|talk]]) 14:39, 4 April 2026 (UTC)

= April 5 =

= April 5 =