Clay Lane

The Copy Book

A Library of History and Literature in English

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1495

John Playford

In England’s brief but dismal experiment as a Republic, Playford saved traditional English dance music from destruction.

For eleven years, 17th century England experimented with being a republic. Unsurprisingly, elected politicians turned out to be just as corrupt and oppressive as unelected ones, and but for John Playford, they would have robbed us of the country’s musical heritage.

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Picture: © Sara Guasteví, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0.. Source.

1496

The Miracle of St John of the Caves

The story of an unexpected escape through the heart of a hill.

This tale is not as far-fetched as it may sound. The hills about and the ground beneath the chapel of St John are riddled with spectacular caves and passages leading away from the church.

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Picture: © Vitum, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.

1497

Season of Goodwill

‘Goodwill’ was on everyone’s lips, but the Roman Emperor and the God of Israel had very different ideas about it.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the ancient birthplace of his distant ancestor King David. He would have been born in Nazareth, had Joseph not been summoned to Bethlehem to swear loyalty to the Roman Emperor.

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Picture: From Wikimedia Commons. Licence: Public domain.. Source.

1498

The Disaster of the White Ship

The loss of the heir to the throne threw England into crisis.

William Adelin was the only male heir to the throne of his father, King Henry I. On a journey back from France in 1120, William was lost at sea, throwing the country into turmoil.

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1499

Bird’s Custard

Alfred Bird’s wife could eat neither eggs nor yeast. So being a Victorian, Alfred put his thinking-cap on.

Alfred Bird (1811-1878), a Birmingham pharmacist, did not invent egg-free custard powder to make a fortune (though he did), or because dietitians disapproved of eggs. He did it so he could enjoy eating pudding with his wife.

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Picture: © Peter Smith, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.

1500

The Fleming Valve

A Victorian children’s book inspired the birth of modern electronics.

Sir Ambrose Fleming (1849-1945) was a Lancashireman who invented the vacuum-tube diode or ‘valve’, for fifty years the essential component of modern electronics.

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Picture: © Christopher Brown, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0.. Source.