Clay Lane

The Copy Book

A Library of History and Literature in English

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1195

The Story of ‘Charlotte Dundas’

The invention of the steamboat was a formidable challenge not just of engineering, but of politics and finance.

Steam power came to rivers and lakes even before it came to railways. Exactly who was ‘first’ is often debated, but the short answer is that a Frenchman was the first to try it, a Scotsman was the first to make it work, and an American was the first to make a profit from it.

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Picture: By D. M. Duggan Thacker, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.

1196

The Railway Clearing House

All but forgotten today, the RCH was one of the most important steps forward in British industrial history.

The humble Railway Clearing House (RCH) brought real co-operation to Victorian Britain’s many different private railway companies, and gave yet further impetus to the country’s accelerating industrial revolution. Its success should be a reminder to private companies that they and their passengers actually share very similar interests.

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Picture: Railway Clearing House (1914), via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.

1197

The Judgment of Solomon

The tenth-century King of Israel demonstrated his legendary wisdom in a delicate custody battle.

A ‘judgment of Solomon’ is an ultimatum that reveals what someone’s priorities really are. The term comes from a tale about King Solomon, who inherited the throne of his father David in 970 BC.

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Picture: From the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, via Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.

1198

Character Witness

A former convict told Henry Morley about his debt to Thomas Wright, the prisoner’s friend.

Thomas Wright (1789-1875) was a foreman in a Manchester iron foundry and a father of nineteen, who never earned above £3 10s a week in his life. But he helped hundreds of ex-convicts back into society, using his own money to indemnify their employers against any relapse.

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Picture: © Steven Lek, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0.. Source.

1199

The Great Baby

Charles Dickens rails at the way Parliament and do-gooders treat the public like an irresponsible child.

In 1855, a Bill to restrict Sunday trading provoked riots in Hyde Park; Charles Dickens hosted his own in ‘Household Words’. His objection was not to Sunday Observance, a venerable Christian custom which he actively encouraged, but to politicians and campaigners who treat the General Public like a helpless child.

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Picture: © wfmillar, Geograph. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.. Source.

1200

The Prisoner’s Friend

Thomas Wright never earned more than a foreman’s wage, but he helped hundreds of prisoners back into society.

Thomas Wright (1789-1875) was an ordinary Manchester workman who dedicated his life to helping former prisoners back into society, all on his own time and using his own money. Yet he never earned much over £150 a year, roughly £15,000 today.

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Picture: © Steve Fareham, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.