Clay Lane

The Copy Book

A Library of History and Literature in English

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1117

A Pledge to the People

Edmund Burke pleaded with Parliament to emerge from behind closed doors and reconnect with the British public.

1118

The United States of the Ionian Islands

The British liberated the Ionian islands from Napoleon, then gave them fifty happy years and the game of cricket.

1119

The Battle of the Standard

Scottish King David I hoped to exploit the unpopularity of the Normans by trading on his own English heritage.

1120

Captain Charles Fryatt

A civilian ferry captain was court-martialled by the Germans for thumbing his nose at their U-Boats.

1121

The Rainhill Trials

To prove that steam power was the future of railways, George Stephenson held a truly historic competition.

1122

Collateral Damage

Richard Hannay reflects on the innocent lives lost, when the lust for power or the desire for revenge makes us less than human.