Minis
Mini Copy Book

Character and Conduct

‘Come in and Know Me Better’

Mill owner William Grant was deeply hurt by a scurrilous pamphlet circulated by a fellow businessman, and vowed the miscreant would live to regret it.

Length: 115 words

Discovery and Invention

The Iron Seamstress

William Jerrold saw the new-fangled sewing machine as an opportunity to get women into the professions — but time was of the essence.

Length: 115 words

Extracts from Literature

A Literary Mystery

In 1798, ‘Plays on the Passions’ appeared in London bookstores, but no one seemed to know who had written them.

Length: 110 words

Music and Musicians

The Adjudicator

Composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor recalls his experiences as a judge in the distrustful world of music festivals and brass band contests.

Length: 114 words

Tudor Era

Hector’s Cloak

When the Rising of the North went all wrong in 1569, rebel leader Thomas Percy turned to trusted ally Hector of Harlaw for help.

Length: 116 words

Northumberland

Crowley’s Crew

The blacksmiths of Crowley’s ironworks in Winlaton and Swalwell took it upon themselves to regulate prices in the markets of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Length: 96 words