Short passages for reading, drawn from history, legend, poetry and fiction.
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From the John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
William Jerrold saw the new-fangled sewing machine as an opportunity to get women into the professions — but time was of the essence.
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By James Whittle and James Laurie (1812), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
In 1798, ‘Plays on the Passions’ appeared in London bookstores, but no one seemed to know who had written them.
© Simon Speed, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
Composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor recalls his experiences as a judge in the distrustful world of music festivals and brass band contests.
© Andy Stevenson, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
When the Rising of the North went all wrong in 1569, rebel leader Thomas Percy turned to trusted ally Hector of Harlaw for help.
By Thomas Rowlandson (1756-1827), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.
The blacksmiths of Crowley’s ironworks in Winlaton and Swalwell took it upon themselves to regulate prices in the markets of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
© Barry Wood, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
In 1770, agriculturist Arthur Young published his diary of a six-month tour of the north of England, which included a visit to the coalfields and ironworks of the Tyne.