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Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Local history
In the 1960s, many of the heavy industries in the North East of
England were still busy, but facing fundamental change as better
technology and foreign competition swept towards them. There is
thus a singular beauty and poignancy to the shipyard cranes on the
Tyne and the Wear, the towering blast furnaces, the chemical works
on Teeside, infrastructure for coal shipping from Seaham Harbour
and Sunderland, and home-made houseboats resting in the mud...In an
era when pollution was less of a concern, dusty furnaces, smoking
chimneys, and untreated waste went straight into the North Sea. Yet
not too far away were glorious beaches and unspoiled countryside,
and billboards advertising Roy Orbison's tour visit! People, too,
were caught up in this poignant moment of transition: young lads
looking for something to do; old men watching it all go by; workers
busy at the docks. Industry & The Coast is a gritty,
'warts-and-all' depiction of areas with a unique story to tell,
immortalised in haunting, previously unpublished images, and a
captivating narrative in which the author draws from the abandoned
emblems of our industrial history a deeper human significance and
sense of place.
Suffolk is a county renowned for the beauty of its many parish
churches, but for the average visitor the physical language in
which they speak, that of stained glass, engraved fonts, and
hammer-beamed roofs, is bewildering. Now available in an updated,
single volume, the Guide to Suffolk Churches provides a way into
this fascinating world, its architecture and history. From bells to
pulpits to centuries-old graffiti found in window sills, each
church unfolds from sealed tome to open book in Mortlock's hands.
Accompanying the entries there is an extensive glossary/index and
two useful appendices. From carvings of woodwoses to weeping
chancels, the meaning of idiosyncracies and uniformities alike
across the county are laid out in clear, engaging prose. New
photographs, line drawings, and a detailed map ensure that neither
the greatest of artefacts nor the smallest of churches can be
accidentally overlooked.Written in a voice as knowledgeable as it
is enthusiastic about Suffolk and its churches, the guide is
incomparable in both the thoroughness and charm with which it
unlocks more than one thousand years of history across the county's
hundreds of churches. There is no visit to any parish church in
Suffolk, no matter how well informed the visitor, that would not be
more enjoyable and informative for having Mortlock along. About the
author: D.P. Mortlock is Librarian to Viscount Coke at Holkham and
was, for 20 years, County Librarian of Norfolk. He is a Fellow of
the Library Association and served as an officer in the Indian Army
from 1945-7. His recent books include a new edition of 'The Guide
to Norfolk Churches', also published by The Lutterworth Press,
'Aristocratic Splendour: Money and the World of Thomas Coke, Earl
of Leicester' (Sutton Publishing), and 'Holkham Library: A History
and Description' (Roxburghe Club).
Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody were considered heroes and
the greatest plainsmen of their time. They were larger than life,
legendary characters. They knew where to locate water, good grass
for livestock, sheltered campsites, and game for hunting. They knew
how to survive the blistering heat and terrific thunderstorms of
summer and the subzero blizzards of winter. They could avoid
Indians or act as trackers following the trails of Indians as well
as desperados. They were expert marksmen and did not back down from
a fight. They rushed in where others held back. Hickok, a frontier
wagon and stagecoach driver, became a Union spy during the Civil
War, furthering his reputation after the war as a frontier Army
scout, gunfighter, and lawman. Cody, who claimed to ride for the
Pony Express, served in the Union Army, and became legendary as an
expert buffalo hunter and Army scout. Hickok and Cody were good
friends and experienced a series of adventures together. Hickok
traveled to Deadwood, Dakota Territory, during the 1876 Black Hills
goldrush where he was assassinated by Jack McCall. Cody continued
scouting for the Army and after the Battle of the Little Big Horn,
won a one-on-one duel with a Cheyenne warrior, Yellow Hair. Cody
went on to become one of the most well-known showmen in the world
with his Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo
Bill Cody: Plainsmen, the fourth book in the Legendary West series,
explores the lives of these two well-known characters.
This is a fact-packed compendium of snippets from the past and
present, including historical tales, legends and myths of the Lake
District and the rest of the region from Barrow to Carlisle. The
towns and villages all have their stories to tell of industries
past and present, of natural and man-made disasters, of battles, of
law and order, crimes and punishments. In The Little Book of
Cumbria you will read of the people, their traditions, their
heritage, language and folklore. The topics range from amusing
trivia to great events that changed things forever. You can read
the book from cover to cover or dip in at your leisure.
Quaker William Penn once described Charles Town as "a hotbed of
piracy," full of wayward women "who frequented a tap room on The
Bay and infected a goodly number of the militia with the pox."
Since the Carolina Colony was founded and named for Charles II, the
Merry Monarch, it's no surprise that Charlestonians have always had
a flair for flouting the rules. In the 18th century, Bostonian
Josiah Quincy complained that Charlestonians, "are devoted to
debauchery and probably carry it to a greater length than any other
people." In Storied & Scandalous Charleston, storyteller Leigh
Jones Handal weaves tales of piracy, rebellion, ancient codes of
honor, and first-hand accounts of the madness that ensued as the
city fell first to the British in 1780 and then to the Union in
1865. Meet some of the foremost female criminals of the day-lady
pirate Anne Bonny and highwaywoman Livinia Fisher. And learn how
centuries of war, natural disasters, bankruptcy, and chaos shaped
modern Charleston and the Carolina Low Country.
Many stories have been written about the exploits of Billy the Kid,
the charismatic outlaw of the Old West. Some have been pure
fiction, designed to entertain and excite. Purple prose writers
began chronicling the exploits of Billy as early as the late 1870s.
Others have been biographical, researched by historians or recorded
by those who knew him, including his murderer, Sheriff Pat Garrett.
But there was once a different side to the famous gunfighter, a
softer more artistic side that seems at odds with Billy's
reputation for shooting, killing, and robbing. Born Henry McCarty,
he was also known by the names Henry Antrim, Kid Antrim, and
William H. Bonney. He didn't shoot twenty-one men, as has been
claimed. Four is a more likely number, three in self-defense. In
Before Billy the Kid, author Melody Groves explores the early life
of the infamous outlaw, the teenage boy who loved to sing and
dance. The young man who was polite, educated, and popular. A boy
who had the bad luck to be orphaned at fifteen and left with no one
to guide him through life. How different history might have been if
Billy had pursued his love of music instead of a life of crime.
As she awaits her execution at Oxford Castle, a newly wed woman
from a God-fearing family, convicted for murdering her housemaid,
is pardoned at the last minute by King George II. A butcher
suddenly disappears and changes his identity after the tragic death
of his young wife. A picture-frame maker from humble origins
becomes 'the richest man in Oxford' and is at ease socialising with
the luminaries of the Victorian art world. And a lovestruck local
member of parliament with a serious gambling addiction dies in
suspicious circumstances. These are some of the stories of
individuals connected with the land and property on Middle Way in
Summertown, Oxford, where the author now lives. The book presents
an alternative history of Oxford and explores how Summertown
evolved from being primarily an artisans' village to becoming a
well-heeled suburb of Oxford. Extensively referenced and using
archival sources and interviews, a voice is also given to the
living relatives of people connected with the land and property on
Middle Way.
Experience 100 key dates that shaped Sunderland's history,
highlighted its people's genius (or silliness) and embraced the
unexpected. Featuring an amazing mix of social, criminal and
sporting events, this book reveals a past that will fascinate,
delight and even shock both residents and visitors of the city.
Take a delightful journey back in time in this historically rich
and visually appealing beach town. Displayed in over 275 precious
views of hand-tinted and sepia-toned postcards from the late 1800s
through more modern times, Ocean Grove's history comes alive.Travel
within its three natural water borders, the Atlantic Ocean, Wesley
Lake, and Fletcher Lake to view the Asbury Park boardwalk alive
with Victorian-era visitors, the first railroad station, and rare
views of the magnificent Auditorium. See its early days of
entertainment, including John Phillip Sousa and Peter, Paul, and
Mary, as well as the patriotic heritage that rumbled through its
streets. Whether looking at beautiful images of the special hotels
like the Shawmont or the wide lawns of the Windamar, busy Ocean
Grove streets and scenes will enchant you.
Los Angeles is home to the largest population of people of Middle
Eastern origin and descent in the United States. Since the late
nineteenth century, Syrian and Lebanese migration, in particular,
to Southern California has been intimately connected to and through
Latin America. Arab Routes uncovers the stories of this Syrian
American community, one both Arabized and Latinized, to reveal
important cross-border and multiethnic solidarities in Syrian
California. Sarah M. A. Gualtieri reconstructs the early Syrian
connections through California, Texas, Mexico, and Lebanon. She
reveals the Syrian interests in the defense of the Mexican American
teens charged in the 1942 Sleepy Lagoon murder, in actor Danny
Thomas's rise to prominence in LA's Syrian cultural festivals, and
in more recent activities of the grandchildren of immigrants to
reclaim a sense of Arabness. Gualtieri reinscribes Syrians into
Southern California history through her examination of powerful
images and texts, augmented with interviews with descendants of
immigrants. Telling the story of how Syrians helped forge a global
Los Angeles, Arab Routes counters a long-held stereotype of Arabs
as outsiders and underscores their longstanding place in American
culture and in interethnic coalitions, past and present.
This is the classic book on the ancient customs, crafts and
techniques of the Scottish Highlands. The past is evoked with a
fascinating blend of historical narrative and detail, with
descriptions of the fireplaces and furniture, the creels and cas
chroms which were a vital part of everyday life in the Highland
communities, but which have now become strange in the modern world
of machinery and technology. Highland Folk Ways vividly describes
the many aspects and artefacts of our ancestors' lives; the
clothes, cooking utensils, weapons, food and the implements for
fishing, farming and building are all meticulously depicted and
placed in historical context. The book has over 70 illustrations,
and is surely the definitive resource book for everyone who wants
to rediscover the lifestyle of the clansmen and crofters.
Modern-day Cambridgeshire is a county of diverse landscapes: from
the elegance of the university city and the rural delights of the
old county of Huntingdonshire Isle of Ely, each district has its
own identity and its own stories. Explore the antics of the
inhabitants of the past, including Hereward the Saxon hero; the
Fenland giant Tom Hickathrift; the pious Bricstan of Chatteris; the
raconteur and skater Chaffe Legge; and Mr Leech, who was carried
off by the Devil. You will also discover the hidden history of the
area, including how the secret Brotherhood of the Grey Goose
Feather helped King Charles I, and what really happened to King
John's treasure. These entertaining tales will delight readers both
within Cambridgeshire and elsewhere.
At the dawn of the seventeenth century, immigrants to this country
arrived with dreams of conquering a new frontier. Families were
willing to embrace a life of strife and hardship but with great
hopes of achieving prominence and wealth. Such is the case with the
Hambleton family. From William Hambleton's arrival on the Eastern
Shore in 1657 and through every major conflict on land, sea, and
air since, a member of the Hambleton clan has participated and made
a lasting contribution to this nation. Their achievements are not
only in war but in civic leadership as well. Among its members are
bankers, business leaders, government officials, and visionaries.
Not only is the Hambleton family extraordinary by American
standards, it is also remarkable in that their base for four
centuries has been and continues to be Maryland. The blood of the
Hambletons is also the blood of Maryland, a rich land stretching
from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean to the tidal basins of the
mighty Chesapeake to the mountains of the west, a poetic framework
that illuminates one truly American family that continues its
legacy of building new generations of strong Americans.
'Reg Fearman is the man who knows all of speedway's secrets ... and
is prepared to reveal them. He has taken a unique, full-throttle,
white-knuckle ride to the top as an international rider, a
world-class team manager, a successful promoter and a formidable
administrator. He has never ducked a confrontation, on or off the
speedway track; he knows the glamorous and the murky side of a
tough, fabulously exciting and sometimes cruel sport, and he spares
no one's blushes ... not even his own' - John Chaplin, speedway's
leading historian 'From humble origins in London's East End, this
is the story of how Reg Fearman became a local hero with West Ham,
the cockney giants of speedway, and went on to represent his
country, first as a rider at the tender age of 17, and then as an
international manager. A captivating mixture of sporting
achievement, politics and business and social history, it also
looks at how speedway was resurrected from the doldrums of the late
1950s and dragged into a new 'Jet Age' golden era, a time which
paved the way for the heights that the sport has enjoyed in the
twenty-first century as a global phenomenon. Including a plethora
of untold truths, revelations and a rich treasure trove of
photographs, Reg lays bare for the first time the sensational
inside story of the resurrection of speedway ... warts and all!' -
Dr Brian Belton, JP and author
In the waning days of World War I, William K. Dean was brutally
murdered, his body hog-tied and dumped in a rainwater cistern on
his farm in the quiet town of Jaffrey, New Hampshire. Suspicion
quickly fell on Dean's wife, an invalid in the early stages of
dementia. Her friends, outraged at the accusations, pointed instead
to a former tenant of Dean's, whom many suspected of being a German
spy. Others believed that Dean's best friend, a politically
powerful banker and judge, was involved. Deep Water is based on
extensive research into the Dean murder, including thousands of
pages of FBI documents, Grand Jury testimonies, newspaper accounts,
private correspondence, and the archives of the Jaffrey Historical
Society.
This fascinating and beautifully photographed guidebook follows
Cambridgeshire's waterways from leafy Huntingdon to the wide-sky
Fens, along the lovely Nene Valley down to the busy port town of
Wisbech and travels beside the gentle stream of the Cam into the
architectural glories of the university city of Cambridge. The
narrative explores the history of Cambridgeshire through its
vanished castles and abbeys, and traces the draining of the wild
marshes. Cambridgeshire is a county that is different to any other
in England, and the watery landscapes of the Fens are unique. From
the bizarre Straw Bears that lead the hosts of morris dancers
through the heart of Whittlesey every January, to the sedate Rose
Fair that graces Wisbech church and gardens every June,
Cambridgeshire has something to offer everyone.
'Whitstable is a stirring little town, with strong business
proclivities, and a history stretching far back into the remote
past.' So wrote a Kentish Gazette correspondent in 1873, although
he could have been describing the north Kent seaside town today.
Over the years, the lives of townspeople have been sustained by sea
salt production, diving, smuggling, shipbuilding and fishing, along
with copperas mining and tourism. In this pocket-sized guide,
author Kerry Mayo takes readers on a fascinating tour around
Whitstable's streets and buildings, showing how its famous
landmarks used to look and how they have changed over the years, as
well as exploring some of its lesser-known sights and hidden
corners. With the help of a handy location map, readers are invited
to discover for themselves the history and the changing face of the
town.
By the early 1900s, the poor farm had become a ubiquitous part of
America's social welfare system. Megan Birk's history of this
foundational but forgotten institution focuses on the connection
between agriculture, provisions for the disadvantaged, and the
daily realities of life at poor farms. Conceived as an inexpensive
way to provide care for the indigent, poor farms in fact attracted
wards that ranged from abused wives and the elderly to orphans, the
disabled, and disaster victims. Most people arrived unable rather
than unwilling to work, some because of physical problems, others
due to a lack of skills or because a changing labor market had left
them behind. Birk blends the personal stories of participants with
institutional histories to reveal a loose-knit system that provided
a measure of care to everyone without an overarching philosophy of
reform or rehabilitation. In-depth and innovative, The Fundamental
Institution offers an overdue portrait of rural social welfare in
the United States.
Do you think that legends are all about princes and princesses,
knights and heroes, giants and monsters? Well, they aren't always.
The stories in this book are about girls like you and girls you
might know: clever, strong, brave and resourceful. Here you can
read the story of Vasilisa, who wasn't afraid of the deep dark
forest; Mollie Whuppie, who knew how to trick a giant; Tipingi, who
was able to call on her friends to help her get out of trouble;
Seren, who used her love of singing to help others; and many more
fearless characters. Storyteller Fiona Collins has chosen the best
of the old tales from all around the world and reworked them into
new and exciting versions to be enjoyed by everyone, accompanied by
magical illustrations by talented artist Ed Fisher.
The north Cornwall seaside resort town of Bude has undergone quite
a transformation since its humble beginnings as Stratton's
unremarkable neighbour. As one local candidly put it, 'Stratton was
a market town when Bude was just a furzy down.' Initially known for
its beach sand properties, which worked wonders on soil and proved
favourable with many Cornish farmers, Bude expanded rapidly
following the construction of the sea canal in the early nineteenth
century. The Victorians sought it out as the ideal holiday resort.
Bude - known in the Cornish tongue as Porthbud - has proven a hit
with holidaymakers as an idyllic seaside destination. Whether
surfing at Widemouth Bay, exploring cliffs and hidden beach coves,
or simply enjoying a spot of fishing, the charming resort has
emerged as a tourist hotspot. Author Dawn G. Robinson has compiled
a captivating collection of postcards that capture the beauty and
charm of this seaside spot.
Polly Pullar tells the fascinating tale of one of the Hebrides
unique thriving small communities through the colourful anecdotes
of Lawrence MacEwen, whose family have owned the island since 1896.
A wonderfully benevolent, and eccentric character, his passion and
love for the island and its continuing success, has always been of
the utmost importance. He has kept diaries all his life and delves
deep into them, unveiling a uniquely human story, punctuated with
liberal amounts of humour, as well as heart-rending tragedy, always
dominated by the vagaries of the sea. Here are tales of coal
puffers and livestock transportation on steamers and small boats,
extraordinary chance meetings and adventures that eventually led
him to finding his wife Jenny, on the island of Soay. It's a book
about the small hard-grafting community of 30 souls on this fertile
island of just 1500 acres.
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