Thomas Fitzgerald Renounces Cousin King Henry VIII

Dublin Castle, with the Medieval tower circa 1228, courtesy http://www.cityscouter.com/travelguides/dublin/Dublin-Castle.html.

In February of 1534 Gerald Fitzgerald, the 9th Earl of Kildare, was summoned to London and appointed his son, Thomas Fitzgerald, later known as Silken Thomas, as deputy governor of Ireland.  The following June, Thomas heard rumours that his father had been executed in the Tower of London on order of his cousin, King Henry VIII.  Thomas summoned the council, along with 140 gallowglasses, with silk fringes on their helmets (hence the nickname), and headed to St. Mary's Abby in Dublin where he publicly renounced his allegiance to King Henry VIII.  The Chancellor , Archbishop John Allen, tried to persuade Thomas to have a change of heart, but the deputy governor was undeterred.  The council issued a warrant for Thomas' arrest.

Dublin Castle alone supported the King of England.  In July of 1534, Silken Thomas attacked Dublin Castle, but his army was routed.  He ordered the archbishop to be executed, a move that lost his favour with the church.  In the meantime, Thomas' father, who turned out to still be alive, passed away from an illness and Thomas became the 10th Earl.  He retreated to Maynooth Castle.

Sometime between 1535 and 1538, King Henry the VIII was excommunicated and no longer posed a threat to Thomas. Thomas, after seeing his army dissipate, and seeing his allies submit one by one, requested a pardon of the English government.  He was sentenced to prison time in the Tower of London with the promise that his life would be spared.  Later, however, the prison time was commuted to a death sentence and Fitzgerald was hanged, along with his five uncles, in February of 1537.  While Thomas' uncles were hanged, beheaded and quartered, Thomas was hanged, beheaded and properly buried.  Silken Thomas' revolt played a major role in the creation of the Kingdom of Ireland in 1542.

Silken Thomas attacks Dublin Castle circa 1534 courtesy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_FitzGerald,_10th_Earl_of_Kildare.

Gentlemen Behaving Badly

"Clubs and gaming houses were patronised by the social elite, politicians and royalty." 

(http://www.nationalcasinoforum.co.uk/a-brief-history-2/)

Thomas Rowlandson's The Hazard Room courtesy https://janelark.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/rowlandson_the-hazard-room.jpg.

Bath to London was like Atlantic City to New York City.  Both cities, located two hours away, were vacation resorts which offered gambling.  Both locations used to attract an elite crowd.

Gambling dates back a full millenium according to one blogger.  Early gamblers used to use sheep knuckle bones as dice.  Gambling was taken to the next level in Britain when the country's elite began to see it as a sport.  "Clubs and gaming houses were patronised by the social elite, politicians and royalty."  British royalty was in the habit of visiting spas for health reasons.  With an extravagant amount of money, they looked for ways to spend it.  Gambling was one such pastime.  Casinos opened in resorts such as Bath, Cheltenham, Leamington, Tunbridge Wells and Brighton.  

Antigambling laws in 1739 and 1745 tried to curb the gentlemen's activities.  A 20 pound fine was implemented for illegal gambling activities, which was to be donated to the local hospital in Bath.  However, the British gentlemen argued that they were in a private club and that public laws should not affect them.

Because Britain's lower classes were banned from the casinos, they found a venue for gambling in the London coffeehouses.  "Like Noah's ark, every kind of creature from every walk of life [frequented coffeehouses]." Thanks to British puritanism, intoxicants were forbidden at coffeehouses.  Conversation was encouraged and anyone could participate, regardless of their social status. Coffee house rules "forbade games of chance, such as cards and dice".   However, in reality, gambling did take place.  

Painting "Four Times of the Day" in front of Tom King's Coffee House courtesy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_coffeehouses_in_the_17th_and_18th_centuries#/media/File:FourTimesMorning.jpg.