David: One of Job's sons is played by a very promising young actor called Ty Tennant. He's got a great future ahead of him, I hope, because I'm hoping he'll pay for my old folks home when I retire. This is my father-in-law, Peter.
Peter: Hello.
David: And this is my son, Ty. And Peter is playing Ty's father in this particular scene.
This is a memorial from Roussay on Orkney to James Leonard, an early tennant organiser. He was ultimately evicted from his land by the infamous landlord Frederick William Traill-Burroughs. Following his eviction, three of his children died of diphtheria. But his work in organising the tennants and giving evidence to the Scottish government ultimately got more protections for the crofters and may have helped prevent other clearances on Orkney.
Despite this he failed to win protection in time for the crofters of Roussay, and the island's population has gone from over 1000 at the time of the clearances to less than 100 today.
James Leonard's words still ring true today: "I am prepared to speak the truth and will not be cowed by landlordism" and "We are under the despotism and terror of the landlord and we want that removed ; even though I should fail in this battle, I will fight it out."
Today, James Leonard's farm stands derelict, and the land he rented unfarmed. Meanwhile, Burrough's grand house was gutted by a fire in the 1980s and also currently stands empty.
honestly? that one David Tennant Richard II Kiss™ is my favourite acted kiss in history
look how ridiculously tender and how achingly desperate it is. so gentle, so kind, and yet so selfish at the same time. i've never seen anything quite so human
just. just look at these
there's something so genuine and chaste about this kiss, while also being gorgeously passionate and heated and...... it's just perfect