The Copybook

Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.

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KJV Bible

1423

© Jim Barton, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Grace Darling by Clay Lane

Mild-mannered Grace Darling persuaded her father to let her help him rescue the survivors of a shipwreck.

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1424

© Lisa Jarvis, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

Sharp’s Castle by Clay Lane

At Bamburgh, John Sharp organised free healthcare and education, bargain groceries, and the world’s first coastguard service.

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1425

© David White, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

St Aidan Returns King Penda’s Fire by Clay Lane

When Penda tried to burn down Bamburgh Castle, St Aidan turned the pagan King’s own weapons against him.

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1426

© Albert Bridge, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

St Patrick of Ireland by Clay Lane

After escaping from six years as a slave in Ireland, Patrick wanted only one thing: to go back.

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1427

© Karl and Ali, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.

‘This England’ by William Shakespeare

John of Gaunt watches in despair as his country is milked for its wealth and shared out among the king’s favourites.

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1428

© racklever, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Cragside: the Home of Modern Living by Clay Lane

Lord Armstrong’s home was an Aladdin’s cave of Victorian technology.

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Clay Lane The Copybook
About Clay Lane nicholas@claylane.uk

© Nicholas Armitage / Clay Lane, 2025

May 11 NS

April 28 OS

A Thousand Commas : Assess the punctuation of this sentence, according to the author’s own principles.
Batter My Heart : John Donne gives God a free hand to do whatever needs to be done.
Window Seat : Describe the view from one of the following vantage points.
Repeat Offender :
In Two Minds : Join these ideas together to a form a single sentence, in at least two different ways.
The First Traffic Lights : The busy crossroads outside the Houses of Parliament was the testing ground for a new technology.
Good Companions : Explain what these wise classical authors are telling us.
The Rule of the Road : Being a free citizen doesn’t mean that everyone else has to get out of your way.
Blind Courage : George Santayana reprimanded politicians and military men who thought war was good for the country’s soul.
Patience : Make a single sentence out of these three ideas.
The Angel Cried : A hymn sung in the weeks after Easter, imagining how Gabriel brought the news of Christ’s resurrection to Mary.
She was a Phantom of Delight : Mary Wordsworth wasn’t pretty or bookish, but she was kind and vital, and William loved her.
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