THE new republican Government sorely needed iron, and Oliver Cromwell ordered his trusted Sergeant Buck to devise a smelting process fired by coke rather than charcoal.
But Parliament soon discovered that industrial progress depends on individual genius, not on Government policy.
Cromwell’s men sought Dud out in Bristol, but he resolutely refused to give up his secret process to those who had assassinated his King.
He managed to hold out until the Restoration in 1660, but if he expected his old employer’s son, Charles II, to remember his father’s friends, he was disappointed.
Dud’s iron-smelting licence was not renewed, despite repeated applications to the King. Lucrative patents were however granted to others, such as one Colonel Prodger.
But the Colonel Prodgers had as little success as the Sergeant Bucks, and it would be several years before Dud’s process was matched, and bettered, by Abraham Darby - the great-grandson of his sister Jane.
The End
Archive
Word Games
Spinners Find in Think and Speak
For each group of words, compose a sentence that uses all three. You can use any form of the word: for example, cat → cats, go → went, or quick → quickly, though neigh → neighbour is stretching it a bit.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Buck. Father. Year.
2 Assassinate. Dare. If.
3 Civil. Depend. Parliament.
Variations: 1. include direct and indirect speech 2. include one or more of these words: although, because, despite, either/or, if, unless, until, when, whether, which, who 3. use negatives (not, isn’t, neither/nor, never, nobody etc.)
Adjectives Find in Think and Speak
For each word below, compose sentences to show that it may be used as an adjective. Adjectives provide extra information about a noun, e.g. a black cat, a round table, the early bird etc..
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1 Friendly. 2 Several. 3 Abrupt. 4 Useful. 5 Old. 6 Left. 7 Novel. 8 Matchless. 9 Patent.
Variations: 1.show whether your adjective can also be used as e.g. a noun, verb or adverb. 2.show whether your adjective can be used in comparisons (e.g. good/better/best). 3.show whether your adjective can be used in attributive position (e.g. a dangerous corner) and also in predicate position (this corner is dangerous).
Subject and Object Find in Think and Speak
Use each word below in two sentences, first as the subject of a verb, and then as the object of a verb. It doesn’t have to be the same verb: some verbs can’t be paired with an object (e.g. arrive, happen), so watch out for these.
This exercise uses words found in the accompanying passage.
1. Business. 2. End. 3. Great. 4. Pain. 5. Government. 6. Year. 7. Fear. 8. Progress. 9. Refuse.
Variations: 1.use your noun in the plural (e.g. cat → cats), if possible. 2.give one of your sentences a future aspect (e.g. will, going to). 3.write sentences using negatives such as not, neither, nobody and never.
Add Vowels Find in Think and Speak
Make words by adding vowels to each group of consonants below. You may add as many vowels as you like before, between or after the consonants, but you may not add any consonants or change the order of those you have been given. See if you can beat our target of common words.
ndd (6)
ended. endued. indeed. needed. unaided. undid.
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