Latest news with #Nicholl
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
A personal journey: Tracing Richmond's roots back to the Nicholl family
RICHMOND, Calif. - Nicholl is a prominent name in Richmond. There is beautiful Nicholl Park. Nicholl Nob boasts amazing views of the bay. And that's not too far from Nicholl Avenue, where Erika Madsen has lived just a block away for 23 years. It's named after John Nicholl, who was a farmer-turned-East Bay-real estate maven and philanthropist. In the late 1800s, Nicholl bought most of what is now Point Richmond, betting the railroad would be coming thru to San Francisco. It paid off. He taxed the Sante Fe Railroad $80,000 for the right away, and cashed in, putting both Richmond and Nicholl family on the map in the early1900s. "He was domineering and is considered the father of Richmond," historian James Cheshareck said. "He was also the Duke of Richmond. How much was he worth when he passed? Around $3 million. What is that in today's money? Around $94 million." That got me curious. Because tucked away in my storage was an 1895 photo of my mother's grandmother, Ruth Ann Nichol Wells of Richmond. I also have a family portrait of Mary E. Nicholl dating back to the 1800s. So I took the portrait to the Richmond museum of history to donate it and get confirmation. Could these two women be a relative of John Nicholl? Richmond's historian said yes. "This has to be the mother," Cheshareck said. "I've seen pictures of Mary Emma. People aged quicker back then. She has a resemblance to him. The expression is similar." That portrait that has hung in my family home for decades is John Nicholl's Irish mother, Mary. So that would make her my great-great-great grandmother, which makes John Nicholl my great-great-grandfather. Who knew?! The final piece of the Nicholl puzzle was my great-grandmother, Ruth Anne Nicholl Wells, who was Nicholl's fourth of eight children. She had five children of her own including my grandfather, R.A. Wells. And, as fate would have it, we discovered inside the museum a photo of my then 10-year-old grandfather and his siblings circa 1909 – a photo I had never seen before. John Nicholl died in 1914 at age 92 and is buried in Oakland's Mt. View Cemetery along with many of his children.
Pink Villa
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Meghan Markle Allegedly Berated Wedding Caterer Until Queen Elizabeth Stepped In: ‘She Got Quite Upset'
Meghan Markle reportedly lashed out at a wedding caterer during a tense tasting session ahead of her 2018 royal wedding — prompting Queen Elizabeth II to intervene. The alleged incident is detailed in royal author Katie Nicholl's book The New Royals, adding fuel to longstanding rumors of Markle's fraught relationship with palace staff. According to Nicholl, Meghan visited Windsor Castle for a menu-tasting session in the lead-up to her nuptials to Prince Harry. It was during this event, a source claims, that she became upset upon detecting egg in a dish that was supposed to be vegan and macrobiotic. 'She got quite upset, saying that the dish was meant to be vegan,' the source recounted, suggesting that Markle's reaction went beyond disappointment. Nicholl writes that the duchess 'berated' one of the caterers, which led to the situation escalating enough to reach the Queen herself. 'Suddenly the Queen walked in and said: 'Meghan, in this family we don't speak to people like that,'' the insider alleged, adding that the monarch felt compelled to step in and correct the duchess's behavior. This wouldn't be the first time Markle has been accused of clashing with palace staff. British journalist Tom Quinn previously reported that she had earned the nickname 'Duchess of Difficult' among aides, and palace insiders have described her as sometimes 'overfriendly' one moment and 'irritated' the next when staff didn't respond promptly. One former staffer, quoted anonymously, offered a more sympathetic view: 'She could be difficult because she was finding life difficult — trying to feel her way and work out the intricacies of a positively medieval, labyrinthine system.' Markle, now 43, was also previously accused of bullying a young palace employee in 2018, claims she has denied. A representative for the Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to a request for comment. While Markle and Prince Harry have since stepped back from royal duties and resettled in the United States, stories from their time inside the palace walls continue to resurface — often painting a picture of tension and cultural clash within the monarchy. As revelations from royal biographies like The New Royals keep emerging, the debate over Markle's time as a working royal shows no signs of fading.
Sky News AU
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Meghan Markle ‘berated' wedding caterer so aggressively Queen Elizabeth had to step in
A royal biographer has alleged Meghan Markle 'berated' her wedding caterer so harshly that the late Queen Elizabeth had to step in. Royal biographer Katie Nicholl claimed the Duchess of Sussex had a tense exchange with her caterer leading up to her wedding with Prince Harry. Nicholl's claim about the Duchess of Sussex came in her book 'The New Royals', per the Daily Mail. 'On one occasion in the run-up to the wedding, Meghan went to Windsor Castle for a menu tasting and ended up having a tense exchange with a member of staff,' Nicholl wrote. A source told Nicholl that the tense exchange came when the duchess said 'she could taste egg' when tasting some of the dishes. 'Meghan was at the castle to taste some of the dishes, and told one of the caterers she could taste egg,' the source revealed. 'She got quite upset, saying that the dish was meant to be vegan and macrobiotic.' According to the source, Markle's behaviour towards the caterer was so bad that the late Queen Elizabeth had to intervene. 'Suddenly, the Queen walked in and said: 'Meghan, in this family we don't speak to people like that,'' the source said.
Daily Record
11-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Former Rangers boss warns Ibrox chiefs what will catch up on them if they haven't done their homework
Ex caretaker boss Jimmy Nicholl insists it's vital Rangers get their manager situation sorted out pronto. Jimmy Nicholl has urged Rangers to get a move on with appointing a new manager - or risk an unsettled start to next season. The Northern Irishman had a spell as caretaker boss for the final three games of the 2017-18 season as Steven Gerrard waited in the wings to take over. But with the US consortium still weeks away from completing their boardroom buyout at Ibrox no decision has yet been made on Philippe Clement's permanent successor. Interim manager Barry Ferguson called for a quick decision in the immediate aftermath of last Sunday's Old Firm draw at Ibrox. And he doubled down on that on Friday - claiming he was in a "sticky situation" and his players were finding it hard too. There's still no clarity over the situation with newly appointed sporting director Kevin Thelwell not officially starting in his role until the end of his Everton contract in the summer. And Nicholl said: 'Sometimes when you're interim manager you just sit tight and see how things work out. But in Barry's case, he's come out and said it - here's the importance of appointing a manager now. 'Listen, if you don't have things in place, then all of a sudden next season catches up on you. 'If there's going to be some sort of clearout or a big turnaround of players then, unless they've been doing their homework well in advance of what people know, then I think they're going to find it really, really difficult to get a squad settled before the first game. 'Nobody wants to see this dragging on. Barry doesn't want it. The players don't want it. Nobody wants to see this dragging its feet. 'It just shortens your time of working. And getting down to business. That's all it does. 'Do I think Barry has done enough to deserve it? Well I don't think he's out of the race for the job. If the club have three names before Barry then good luck to them.' Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers Enterprises are closing in on their powergrab at Ibrox and will hand whoever is in charge funds to boost their squad. Nicholl reckons a big turnaround is needed after a season that's missed the target on every front domestically. But he has warned supporters they'll need to be patient with Celtic so far in front. The Northern Ireland icon - who had two spells as a player at Ibrox - said: 'An overhaul? Oh aye. But this is another case of the supporters going to have to be patient. 'Supporters don't want to hear that! It's different down in England but when there's only two clubs competing for the league. You have to make sure you're competing the best you can. 'And in my opinion, it's going to be a wee while unless something really dramatic happens.' Nicholl never felt he got the respect required from his players when he was handed the caretaker job at Rangers. It's not a problem he imagines Ferguson has had to deal with in his short time as interim. Former Gers defender Nicholl only had three games at the helm of his boyhood heroes after being promoted from assistant boss following Graeme Murty's axeing in May 2018. But the parallels between then and now are striking. A trophy-less season limping towards the finish line with a caretaker in charge while their greatest rivals storm towards a clean sweep of silverware. Even the final game of a torrid season is the same: at Easter Road. There is, however, one big difference to the situation Nicholl found himself. Back then everyone at Ibrox knew who the new manager was going to be. Steven Gerrard was waiting in the wings to take over and to all intents and purposes was well down the road with his plans for overhauling the footballing side of the club. Right now Rangers fans are rightly excited at the prospect of an American takeover at the very top of the club. But everyone is in the dark over who will be leading the footballing side. Nicholl said: 'They've got to make a decision on Barry or somebody else - and I think it's got to be announced as soon as possible. 'I wouldn't wait. I don't see any harm in people knowing somebody's coming in. 'For the last three games, a player may be thinking, 'oh, jeez, this new guy must be watching, getting films of the games, I'm going to see if I can impress him before the season ends'. 'Listen, they'll have more respect for Barry than what the players at that time had for me. I was just a nobody as far as they were concerned. 'And I just let it all out. I just let them know what for, you know. It didn't bother me because I knew Steven was coming in. 'You've just got to get the best out of what you got, but the respect wasn't there. 'Listen, Barry will have the utmost respect of this squad but it doesn't help when there's uncertainty over who is going to be in charge beyond the end of the season. So I feel for him in that sense.' Ferguson wasn't mincing his words after last week's Old Firm draw when he urged the Ibrox decision makers to make an appointment asap. With Champions League qualifying set to kick off on July 22/23 then time is of the essence to get a squad assembled and tactically tuned ahead of the new campaign. Seven years ago Nicholl simply had to steer the side over the finish line with as little fuss as possible before handing over to Gerrard who was already working away in the background on his overhaul. Nicholl, who had two spells as a player at Ibrox in the 1980s and won the title twice under Graeme Souness, said: 'I had no dealings with Steven Gerrard but obviously I knew it was happening. 'He would have been working on things in the background while Jonathan Johansson and myself took charge of the team for the last three games in which we beat Kilmarnock and drew with Aberdeen and HIbs. 'I didn't have to worry, in a sense, about upsetting players. Because I knew I wasn't going to be working with them in the future. 'Everyone remembers that Hibs game. We were 3-0 down after 22 minutes and I threw on a defender, Bruno Alves, and he scored a free kick to make it 3-3 before half time. 'The second half was just as mad. It finished 5-5, Neil Lennon did the aeroplane celebration and that was it over. 'After the Hibs game, there was a meeting at the ground on the Monday to see who was losing their jobs and all this carry on. 'So I just told them after the game, I said, thanks for the opportunity, I loved my time, thanks for giving me the three games, but I'm not going to any meeting. 'I wasn't back in the club after that game. At least Steven was getting the time to put things in place.' Time will be in short supply to whoever does become Philippe Clement's permanent successor. And Nicholl reckons every day counts ahead of the new season. The former Manchester United and Northern Ireland icon said: 'You just have to look at Ruben Amorim at Man United. He's gone in there saying, I'm playing 3-4-2-1. I don't care what anybody says. This is a system that I'm going to play. 'He's stuck with it. But it takes time. They're 17th in the league! 'Now up here, you've got what, six weeks to prepare for the qualifiers? 'If the recruitment's done and the manager's been part of it, he knows what positions he needs and he knows his system then fine. 'But time-wise then, it's really cutting it fine and you don't want any sudden failures at the beginning of next season.' Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
The Independent
09-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Three times more Davids than Sarahs: Staggering level of gender inequality exposed ahead of local elections
There are more than three times as many local election candidates named David as there are Sarahs, shock new figures laying bare the level of gender inequality show. A breakdown of those standing to become councillors next month reveals the 11 most common names are all male, while just two of the 30 most common names are female. Overall, just a third of local election candidates are women, a slight drop from the 34 per cent of candidates last year. And there are 20 times more all male ballots than all female ones, the figures revealed. Charity 50:50 Parliament, which campaigns for greater female representation in politics, said the imbalance feels like 'banging our heads against a brick wall'. 'Equality in politics is essential – and whilst all parties talk the talk on levelling up their female candidates, the truth is in the numbers, and they aren't walking the walk,' chief executive Lyanne Nicholl said. The charity's breakdown of candidates showed that just over one in five (22 per cent) of Reform's candidates are women, meanwhile just over a quarter (28 per cent) of Conservatives standing are women. By contrast, almost half of Green Party (44 per cent) and Labour (33 per cent) candidates are women. Ms Nicholl added: 'The idea that we might never reach gender parity is shocking; the political parties should be pulling out the stops to make things right, not burying their heads in the sand and hoping that selecting endless Davids will work out.' Its analysis of candidate data found that the 11 most common names are David or Dave, John, Paul, Mark, Richard, James, Andrew, Michael, Peter, Stephen and Chris. The 12th most common, and first woman's name on the list, is Sarah, with 80 candidates. The next most common woman's name is Jane, with just 49 Janes standing for election, making it 28th on the list. Davids and Daves make up 3 per cent of all candidates, with 257 altogether. Ms Nicholl said: 'Women's representation is as important in local politics as it is in national politics. Women are often more heavily impacted by local decisions and need to have a seat at the table. It is clear from the data that some parties are streets ahead on their gender balance, but not a single party has reached 50 per cent.
