William Cecil, LordBurleigh, was an English statesman. He was born in 1520 at Bourne in Lincolnshire and died in 1598. He was the son of Richard Cecil, master of the robes to Henry VIII. He studied at St John's College, Cambridge, whence he removed to Gray's Inn, with a view to prepare himself for the practice of the law, but an introduction to the court of Henry VIII changed his aims. On the accession of Edward VI his interests were advanced by the protectorSomerset, whom he accompanied in the expedition to Scotland. He held no public office during the reign of Mary, and by extraordinary caution managed to escape persecution. On the accession of Elizabeth he was appointed privy-councillor and secretary of state, and during all the rest of his life he was at the helm of affairs. One of the first acts of her reign was the settlement of religion, which William Cecil conducted with great skill and prudence, considering the difficulties to be encountered. The general tenor of William Cecil's policy was cautious, and rested upon an avoidance of open hostilities, and a reliance on secret negotiation and intrigues with opposing parties in the neighbouring countries, with a view to avert the dangers which threatened his own. On the suppression of the northern rebellion in 1571 Elizabeth I raised him to the peerage by the title of BaronBurleigh. Much of the glory of the reign of Elizabeth I is due to the counsels and measures of William Cecil. Research William Cecil
William Etty was an English painter. He was born in 1787 at York and died in 1849. He studied at the Royal Academy. He worked for a long time without much recognition, but at length in 1820 he won public notice by his Coral Finders. In 1828 he was elected an academician. Among his works, which were greatly admired, are a series of three pictures produced between 1827 and 1831 illustrating the .Deliverance of Bethulia by Judith, Benaiah one of David's mighty men, Woman interceding for the Vanquished. All these are very large pictures, and are now in the National Gallery of Scotland. Others of note are The Judgment of Paris, The Rape of Proserpine, Youth at the Prow and Pleasure at the Helm. In colouring and the representation of the nude or partially nude figure, particularly females, he displays high ability. Research William Etty
Brigitte Helm was a German actress. She was born in 1908 at Berlin and died in 1996. At the age of seventeen she was asked to play the roles of Maria and the robot False Maria in the 1927 film 'Metropolis'. She was incredible not only for her natural beauty, and reluctance to work as an actress - she wanted to work with children - but also her ability to slowly close one eye, raise one eyebrow and move in a manner which appeared mechanical. Her portrayal of a robot has never been surpassed. Research Brigitte Helm
A helm was a large, heavy helmet which encompassed the entire head and face and was worn by mediaeval knights. The helm had slits or perforations to allow the wearer some vision and to be able to breathe. Research Helm
In mediaeval armour a helmet was an open-faced armour for the head. The Helmet evolved from the helm, with an opening cut into the front replacing the previous eye slits and perforations. Research Helmet
Metropolis is a sci-fi drama starring Alfred Abel, Gustav Frohlich, Brigitte Helm and Fritz Rasp in a story about an evil industrialist who rules a city for the middle-classes, under which an army of slaves labour to keep the city running, until a young woman gives them hope and leads them in revolution, only to be replaced by a robot doppelganger. Metropolis was the first film to feature a robot, 'False Maria', and for many sci-fi fans the robot is the finest ever produced. Many music videos have featured parts of the film, and it has even inspired popular songs. Metropolis was directed by Fritz Lang in 1927. Research Metropolis
A-hull was an old nautical term describing a sailing ship with the sails furled and the helm lashed on the leeside, causing the vessel to lie nearly with her side to the wind and sea, and her head inclined somewhat in the direction of the wind. This situation affording the vessel protection against the fury of a storm. Research A-Hull
In a ship, the helm is the contrivance by which the vessel is steered, usually composed of three parts: the rudder, the tiller, and the wheel, except in small vessels, where the wheel is unnecessary.
The USS Helm was an American Gridley Class destroyer of 1500 tons displacement launched in 1935. The USS Helm was powered by four Express Type oil-burning boilers providing a top speed of 36.5 knots and a range of 12800 km at 15 knots. She carried a complement of 172 and was armed with four 5 inch dual-purpose guns; four machine-guns and sixteen 21 inch torpedo tubes arranged in four quadruple arrangements. Research Helm
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research John L. Helm
