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Books > History > History of specific subjects > Local history
County Limerick is a place of kings and commoners. It is where Donn
Firinne, king of the Munster fairies, is said to have once roamed
and where Sean na Scuab, a poor broom seller from the wrong side of
the river, was chosen to be mayor of the city. It is a land filled
with stories, poetry, music and drama. In these pages you can read
about Sionainn, who was carried away by the flowing waters of the
River Shannon; the bright and beautiful goddess Aine, the fairy
queen, who knits the earth's green mantle below Lough Gur; Finn
MacCool and his band of warri ors, the Fianna; the wise woman Joan
Grogan and her ingenious cures; foolish Tadhg who outwitted a gang
of thieves; and the poet-magician, Gearoid Iarla, on his horse with
silver shoes. In this unique collection, storyteller Ruth Marshall
recounts tales of mystery, music and magic from across the rich
tapestry of the folklore of County Limerick.
Travel north from the upper Midwest's metropolises, and before long
you're "Up North"-a region that's hard to define but unmistakable
to any resident or tourist. Crops give way to forests, mines (or
their remains) mark the landscape, and lakes multiply, becoming
ever clearer until you reach the vastness of the Great Lakes. How
to characterize this region, as distinct from the agrarian Midwest,
is the question North Country seeks to answer, as a congenial group
of scholars, journalists, and public intellectuals explores the
distinctive landscape, culture, and history that define the
northern margins of the American Midwest. From the glacial past to
the present day, these essays range across the histories of the
Dakota and Ojibwe people, colonial imperial rivalries and
immigration, and conflicts between the economic imperatives of
resource extraction and the stewardship of nature. The book also
considers literary treatments of the area-and arguably makes its
own contributions to that literature, as some of the authors search
for the North Country through personal essays, while others
highlight individuals who are identified with the area, like Sigurd
Olson, John Barlow Martin, and Russell Kirk. From the fur trade to
tourism, fisheries to supper clubs, Finnish settlers to Native
treaty rights, the nature of the North Country emerges here in all
its variety and particularity: as clearly distinct from the greater
Midwest as it is part of the American heartland.
From Lake Coeur d'Alene to its confluence with the Columbia, the
Spokane River travels 111 miles of varied and often spectacular
terrain-rural, urban, in places wild. The river has been a trading
and gathering place for Indigenous peoples for thousands of years.
With bountiful trout, accessible swimming holes, and challenging
rapids, it is a recreational magnet for residents and tourists
alike. The Spokane also bears the legacy of industrial growth and
remains caught amid interests competing over natural resources. The
contributors to this collection profile this living river through
personal reflection, history, science, and poetry. They bring a
keen environmental awareness of resource scarcity, climate change,
and cultural survival tied to the river's fate.
With a history as rich, yet bloody, as Northumberland has, it comes
as little surprise that the county is widely regarded as being one
of the most haunted in Britain. In 'Paranormal Northumberland',
local author Rob Kirkup draws on contemporary and historical
sources to investigate some of the famous and lesser-known haunted
locations in the county today. This compilation includes ghostly
monks that walk the grounds of Blanchland Abbey after being killed
by bandits and the Pink Lady of Bamburgh Castle who is seen
eternally falling from the castle to the rocks below. He also
explores Chillingham Castle, regarded as one of the scariest places
in the country, if not the world, where the torturer John Sage
lurks in its ancient dungeons to this day. Illustrated throughout,
this book will be of interest to anyone who wants to discover more
about the county's haunted and hidden heritage.
Banbridge gets its name from the bridge built across the River Bann
in 1712. It's a thriving modern town, rife with history and
culture, surrounded by beautiful scenery that provided an iconic
location for the internationally acclaimed television series Game
of Thrones. It's the setting of the well-known folk song 'The Star
of the County Down', contains Europe's first flyover bridge and an
ancient church founded by St Patrick himself. Travel from Ballievey
along the Lower Bann, discover ancient Celtic sites, the remains of
old linen mills and a Second World War aeroplane factory. Look,
too, for the famous names attached to Banbridge, including Ernest
Walton, the first person to see an artificially split atom; F.E.
McWilliam, the renowned sculptor; and Captain Francis Crozier, the
explorer who discovered the North West Passage.
"I am here. You will never be alone. We are dancing for you." So
begins Cutcha Risling Baldy's deeply personal account of the
revitalization of the women's coming-of-age ceremony for the Hoopa
Valley Tribe. At the end of the twentieth century, the tribe's
Flower Dance had not been fully practiced for decades. The women of
the tribe, recognizing the critical importance of the tradition,
undertook its revitalization using the memories of elders and
medicine women and details found in museum archives,
anthropological records, and oral histories. Deeply rooted in
Indigenous knowledge, Risling Baldy brings us the voices of people
transformed by cultural revitalization, including the accounts of
young women who have participated in the Flower Dance. Using a
framework of Native feminisms, she locates this revival within a
broad context of decolonizing praxis and considers how this
renaissance of women's coming-of-age ceremonies confounds
ethnographic depictions of Native women; challenges anthropological
theories about menstruation, gender, and coming-of-age; and
addresses gender inequality and gender violence within Native
communities.
The First World War was won not just on the battlefields but on the
Home Front, by the men, women and children left behind. This book
explores the lives of the people of Pershore and the surrounding
district in wartime, drawing on their memories, letters, postcards,
photographs, leaflets and recipes to demonstrate how their hard
work in cultivating and preserving fruit and vegetables helped to
win the Great War. Pershore plums were used to make jam for the
troops; but ensuring these and other fruits and vegetables were
grown and harvested required the labour of land girls, Boy Scouts,
schoolchildren, Irish labourers and Belgian refugees. When
submarine warfare intensified, food shortages occurred and it
became vital for Britain to grow more and eat less food. Housewives
faced many challenges in feeding their families and so in 1916 the
Pershore Women's Institute was formed, providing many women with
practical help and companionship during some of Britain's darkest
hours in history.
Press photographer Graham Gough has collected humorous photographs
of the Black Country in his portfolio over many years. This is a
collection of his best and most amusing photographs spanning the
past few decades. Styles may change but humour remains eternal.
This book is a timely antidote to current tribulations as readers
can escape into a past where wrestling vied with Kenny Ball and the
Merry Widow at the Dudley Hippodrome, seven bobbies on a bike
promote the National Cycle Festival, Royals are stuck in the mud
and a cheeky hen night provides the inspiration for Beryl Cook. In
Have a Loff! Graham Gough has collected around 180 of his favourite
photographs of the Black Country which will appeal to all those who
know and love this corner of the world.
Renowned historian Annette Atkins presents a fresh understanding of
how a complex and modern Minnesota came into being in "Creating
Minnesota. "Each chapter of this innovative state history focuses
on a telling detail, a revealing incident, or a meaningful issue
that illuminates a larger event, social trends, or politics during
a period in our past. A three-act play about Minnesota's statehood
vividly depicts the competing interests of Natives, traders, and
politicians who lived in the same territory but moved in different
worlds. Oranges are the focal point of a chapter about railroads
and transportation: how did a St. Paul family manage to celebrate
their 1898 Christmas with fruit that grew no closer that 1,500
miles from their home? A photo essay brings to life three
communities of the 1920s, seen through the lenses of local and
itinerant photographers. The much-sought state fish helps to
explain the new Minnesota, where pan-fried walleye and walleye
quesadillas coexist on the same north woods menu. In "Creating
Minnesota "Atkins invites readers to experience the texture of
people's lives through the decades, offering a fascinating and
unparalleled approach to the history of our state. Annette Atkins
is a professor of history at St. John's University in Collegeville
and the author of "Harvest of Grief: Grasshopper Plagues and Public
Assistance in Minnesota, 1873-1878 "(MHS Press) and "We Grew Up
Together: Brothers and Sisters in Nineteenth-Century America."
15th August 1903 - On this day Aberdeen Football Club played its
first match, holding Stenhousemuir to a 1-1 draw. 21st April 1943 -
Luftwaffe bombers dropped 130 bombs on Aberdeen, killing
ninety-seven civilians and twenty-seven soldiers. 15th August 1963
- On this day Henry John Burnett was hanged at Craiginches Prison,
Aberdeen - the last execution to take place in Scotland. Experience
100 key dates that shaped Aberdeen's history, highlighted its
people's genius (or silliness) and embraced the unexpected.
Featuring an amazing mix of pivotal, social, criminal and sporting
events, this book reveals a past that will fascinate, delight and
even shock both residents and visitors to this Scottish city.
The author, well known as the writer of more books on the city than
anyone, explores Coventry's history from Roman times through Earl
Leofric, Godiva and the Norman castle, to monastic houses,
including St Mary's priory. Coventry has a rich medieval heritage,
and rose to power in the Wars of the Roses, when the royal court
moved there. Major themes in the city's history are discussed,
through previously unknown source material, covering the Siege and
Civil War, education, health, the church, crime and punishment, and
industries from medieval weaving to modern car-building.
Located mainly across Portsea Island on the south coast, the city
of Portsmouth is best known for its maritime heritage and
association with the Royal Navy. Its strategic location presented
obvious importance in wartime, which saw Admiral Lord Nelson
sailing from the harbour to his victory at Trafalgar and his doom.
Today it is still a busy port, but the ships that set sail are for
tourism, business and friendship, not war. In this book, authors R.
J. Cook & K. C. Close provide a fascinating visual chronicle of
how much the city has changed across the last century. Using sepia,
black-and-white and colour photographs they show how the city
expanded and developed across the decades. Readers will glimpse
lost and forgotten scenes from the Victorian and Edwardian eras,
through both world wars and right up to more recent times. In
addition to the streets, buildings and industries, together with
the naval and military connections, the book offers a fascinating
record of the people of the city and their constantly changing way
of life. Lost Portsmouth is an engrossing look back in time that
will appeal to residents, visitors and all those with links to the
city.
The county of Staffordshire has an impressive military history and
heritage that stretches back well over 1,000 years. In this book
the authors explore the military heritage of the historical county
of Staffordshire, including the heavily populated urban areas of
Stoke-on-Trent, Wolverhampton, Walsall and West Bromwich and the
more rural parts of the county from its Anglo-Saxon and Viking
legacy to the present day. As well as Staffordshire's historic
fortifications, airbases and other military structures, the authors
tell the story of Staffordshire's experiences on the Home Front in
the world wars. Its military heritage also encompasses military
hospitals, munitions, armaments and aircraft production, as well as
the military units and regiments associated with Staffordshire,
significant military personalities and awards and the foreign wars
its soldiers were involved in through the centuries, as well as the
county's memorials to these conflicts. This book will be of
interest to all those who would like to know more about
Staffordshire's remarkable military history.
The sight, sound and smell of animals are a part of the story of
every great city - and are also part of its hidden history. The
royal standard of Scotland features a lion rampant, and Edinburgh
can trace its earliest depiction of the beast to the Roman
occupation - long before Scotland evolved into a nation. As marks
of prestige and respect, animals are highlighted in many public
sculptures, bas-reliefs and other artworks throughout the city. For
centuries animals such as horses were a crucial part of the
economy. Horses transported goods and people in and out of the
city, while the growth in ownership created a demand for saddlers,
coach makers, grooms, fodder suppliers, horse trainers, farriers,
smiths and riding schools. Animals were also a source of wonder and
amusement, such as the elephant housed in a tenement in the 1700s
and the legendary Greyfriars Bobby, who spent fourteen years
guarding the grave of his owner and is now immortalised in words,
films and monuments. The travelling menagerie of the Regency era
gave the ordinary citizen a taste of the exotic and within a few
decades Zoological Gardens Association landscaped gardens and built
structures to house animals for the city's latest attraction.
The historic cathedral city of Canterbury has traces of its Roman
past. The oldest church in England, St Martin's, can trace its
history back to this era but it is the cathedral founded under
Anglo-Saxon rule which still dominates the city close by other
surviving Saxon buildings, the Burgate and St Augustine's Abbey.
Canterbury became an international pilgrimage destination in the
Middle Ages after the assassination of Thomas Becket and although
the population plummeted after the Black Death, the city wall with
its gates was rebuilt. Huguenot weavers helped to revive the city's
fortunes and the town grew again in the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries, although some of the town's old buildings such as the
castle and the towers in the walls fell into disrepair. Although
the Baedeker Blitz in the Second World War destroyed many
buildings, Canterbury has retained its historic core but today's
city is also graced by noteworthy examples of modern architecture,
not least at the University of Kent and the recently redeveloped
Marlowe Theatre. Canterbury in 50 Buildings explores the history of
this fascinating city in Kent through a selection of its most
interesting buildings and structures, showing the changes that have
taken place in Canterbury over the years. The book will appeal to
all those who live in Canterbury or who have an interest in the
city.
Storyteller and author Jen Foley brings together stories from the
dark forests, ruined castles and magical green pastureland of
Bedfordshire. In this treasure trove of tales you will meet
Anglo-Saxon heroines and lascivious monks, as well as restless
ghosts, conniving highwaymen, demons and witches - all as
fantastical and powerful as the landscape they inhabit. Retelling
each story in her engaging style, and richly illustrated with
unique line drawings, these humorous, clever and enchanting folk
tales are sure to be enjoyed and shared time and again.
This folded map (890mm x 1000mm when unfolded) is an ideal souvenir
for tourists to Shropshire and also a valuable reference resource
for local and family history research. It includes 4 Historic maps
of Shropshire, John Speed's County Map of Shropshire 1611, Johan
Blaeu's County Map of Shropshire 1648, Thomas Moule's County Map of
Shropshire 1836 and a Map of Shropshire detailing the route of the
Severn Vale Railway 1889. All the maps have been meticulously
re-produced from antique originals and printed on 90 gsm "Progeo"
paper which was specially developed as a map paper. It has high
opacity to help reduce show through and a cross grain giving it
greater durability to as the map is being folded.
This folded map (890mm x 1000mm when unfolded) is an ideal souvenir
for tourists to Worcestershire and also a valuable reference
resource for local and family history research. It includes 4
Historic maps of Worcestershire, John Speed's County Map of
Worcestershire 1611, Johan Blaeu's County Map of Worcestershire
1648,Thomas Moule's County Map of Worcestershire 1836 and the
detailed Plan of the City of Worcester by Cole and Roper 1805. All
the maps have been meticulously re-produced from antique originals
and printed on 90 gsm "Progeo" paper which was specially developed
as a map paper. It has high opacity to help reduce show through and
a cross grain giving it greater durability to as the map is being
folded.
The burial grounds, graveyards and cemeteries of Fife contain many
fascinating historical tales, often with interesting superstitions
attached. All walks of life are represented - from the burial place
of ancient kings, queens and saints in Scotland's ancient capital,
Dunfermline, to the only known grave of a witch in Scotland, on the
foreshore of the Firth of Forth. In this book local historian
Charlotte Golledge takes readers on a tour through the history of
Fife's burial grounds, graveyards and cemeteries. She explores the
history of the royal burials at Dunfermline Abbey and the resting
place of the bishops at St Andrews Cathedral, with the graves of
Old Tom Morris and Young Tom Morris nearby who designed many of
Scotland's iconic golf courses. Lesser-known locations include the
secluded St Bridget's kirkyard in Dalgety Bay where bodysnatchers
would row across the River Forth to claim freshly buried bodies for
the anatomist's table, and the lovingly restored kirkyard at
Tulliallan Old Kirk with its gravestones going back to the
seventeenth century, many of which have been brought to the surface
recently, showing the everyday trades of those interred, including
nautical connections. Together, these are the tales of real people
of Scotland told through their deaths and burials. This fascinating
portrait of life and death in Fife over the centuries will appeal
to both residents and visitors to this region of Scotland.
A collection of stories covering the early lives of two lads
growing up in the Warwickshire village of Studley during the 1940s,
50s and 60s. Humorously they speak of their adventures and of other
villagers, together with their school days and pastimes. They share
with the reader their passion for the countryside and tales of
roaming around the village. Also recalled are their memories of the
industrial centre of Studley, the cinema and other places of
entertainment, now long gone. The text is illustrated with over
twenty beautiful paintings and drawings by Roger Thomas and more
than forty photographs of 'Old Studley'.
Colchester's history goes back to the Iron Age and the Roman
settlement that was for a while the capital of Britain. There are
extensive remains of Roman Colchester that can still be seen today,
as well as from its medieval and later history, including its
Norman castle built on Roman foundations. The wool trade brought
prosperity and many buildings date from the Tudor period, but much
of today's Colchester dates from its expansion in the nineteenth
century. In the years after the Second World War, areas of the town
were redeveloped and this has continued in recent years, including
its extensive garrison area. Colchester Reflections features an
exciting collection of historic and modern pictures that are
individually merged to reveal how the area has changed over the
decades. Each of the 180 pictures in this book combines a recent
colour view of Colchester with the matching sepia archive scene.
Through the split-image effect, readers can see how streets,
buildings and everyday life have transformed with the passing of
time. Local author Patrick Denney presents this fascinating visual
chronicle that ingeniously reflects past and present glimpses of
Colchester. This book will be of interest to residents, visitors,
local historians and all those with links to the area.
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Scotland
Douglas Skelton
Hardcover
R313
R211
Discovery Miles 2 110
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