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Poynings, Sir Edward

(Encyclopedia)Poynings, Sir Edward, 1459–1521, English statesman. After taking part in an insurrection (1483) against Richard III, he fled to the Continent, where he joined the followers of Henry Tudor, earl of R...

Posse Comitatus Act

(Encyclopedia)Posse Comitatus Act, 1878, U.S. federal law that makes it a crime to use the military as a domestic police force in the United States under most circumstances. The law was designed to end the use of f...

Bruce, Edward

(Encyclopedia)Bruce, Edward, d. 1318, Scottish king of Ireland, brother of Robert I of Scotland. He aided his brother in the war for independence from England and in 1315 was declared heir to Robert's throne. With ...

Nordland

(Encyclopedia)Nordland nôrˈlän, no͝orˈ– [key], county (1995 pop. 241,420), 14,798 sq mi (38,327 sq km), N central Norway, bordering on the Norwegian Sea in the west and on Sweden in the east. The chief towns...

Patrick, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Patrick, Saint, c.385–461, Christian missionary, the Apostle of Ireland, b. Bannavem Taberniae (an unknown place in Britain, possibly near the Severn or in Pembroke). He was one of the most successf...

Boyd, Ernest

(Encyclopedia)Boyd, Ernest, 1887–1946, American critic and author, b. Dubin, Ireland. In the British consular service, he resigned in 1920 and settled in New York City, where he became an important literary figur...

Milford Haven

(Encyclopedia)Milford Haven, Welsh Aberdaugleddau, town (1981 pop. 13,883), Pembrokeshire, SW Wales. It is a seaport on the northern side of the estuary called Milford Haven. The bay forms a natural harbor that can...

Scotia

(Encyclopedia)Scotia skōˈshə [key], originally the Latin name for Ireland. In the Middle Ages, it was used to refer to Scotland, to which the Scots had migrated from Ireland. Today it is used poetically. ...

Henson, Matthew Alexander

(Encyclopedia)Henson, Matthew Alexander, 1866–1965, African-American arctic explorer, b. Charles County, Md. He accompanied Robert E. Peary as personal assistant, dog driver, and interpreter on numerous expeditio...

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