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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Calais
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The nearest town to England on the mainland of Europe, and for several centuries the token of England's claim to the French crown. In 1347, during the *Hundred Years' War, Calais was captured by Edward III after a long siege (the occasion of the heroic offer by the six burghers of Calais to give up their own lives in return for the safety of the town). It remained for two centuries an English enclave in France, surrounded by its *pale. The final loss of it to the French in 1558 caused the English queen, *Mary I, to declare: 'When I am dead and opened, you shall find "Calais" lying in my heart.'
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