Living by the sea...
2nd edition
Saltburn by the sea
May ON-GOING EVENT: Saltburn Arts and The Saltburn School presents SALTBURN MINIATURE RAILWAY EXHIBITION @ The Saltburn School dedicated to Reg Blacklock – photography by Ian Forsyth. March – June
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK. Saltburn Film Club After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany, a mysterious girl with problems of her own… Starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Runtime 122min. Thurs 2nd May Doors 6.30pm Screening 7pm
NEW ORLEANS HEAT Saltburn Jazz Club A seven piece band playing the old style New Orleans jazz, recreating the music of the crescent city, be it a stomp, blues, hymn, spiritual or pop song of the day.In the style of the late great, Bunk Johnson, George Lewis and Kid Thomas bands. Our motto is “helping to keep the real jazz alive. Friday 3rd May Doors and bar 6.30pm Concert 7.30pm
All or Nothing presents. BRASS NECK COMEDY CLUB. Starring Michael Fabbri – “Hilarious, clever, … and completely unrepeatable!” BBC. Sat 4th May Doors and Bar 7pm Curtain Up 8pm
Yorkshire Opera Workshop presents. DIDO & AENEAS and MUSHROOM PIZZA THEATRE. Saltburn’s newest arts group presents two fully staged operas in English, one tragically beautiful and one totally hilarious. Enjoy a fun, moving, accessible and friendly evening with the young singers of the first Yorkshire Opera Workshop. Directed by David Mosey and Nina Scott-Stoddart. With piano. Doors and bar 6.45 Curtain up 7.30pm. Tues 21st May - Fri 24th May
MARTIN TURNER’S WISHBONE ASH. In concert for one night only! Sat 25th May Doors and Bar 7.30pm Curtain up 8pm
Saltburn Film Club presents. LIFE OF PI. A young man who survives a disaster at sea is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an unexpected connection with another survivor: a fearsome Bengal tiger... Directed by Ang Lee. Runtime 127min. Thurs 30th May Afternoon showing: Doors 1.30pm Screening 2pm. Evening showing: Doors 6.30pm Screening 7pm
Welcome Sweeping beaches, cliffs, big skies, surf, seabirds, Saltburn has them all and is our favourite place to be. This month sees the publication of our second magazine, one which we hope will become a regular monthly feature bringing you news, events and features which encapsulate, accentuate and celebrate Saltburn by the Sea as part of the great British seaside – its landscape, its history, its attractions and its community. Not only do we love to be beside the seaside but it is actually good for us. Recent research has shown that those of us who live near the coast tend to be healthier than those who live further inland. Fresh air and great opportunities for exercise means we can de-stress more easily and of course it can be restful to listen to the sounds of the waves along the shore line and breath in that unique smell created by salt and seaweed. And of course, during the 18th and 19th centuries, people did not bathe in the sea for pleasure but for their health. After the publication of the Use of Seawater in the Diseases of the Glands by Dr Richard Russell in 1752, sea bathing became more fashionable. The recent loss of over one metre of sand on Saltburn beach has caused a certain amount of speculation this month with the revelation of what may be the remains of one of Saltburn's machines protruding out from the sands under the pier. An interesting relic from a bygone age bathing machines disappeared from Saltburn sea kfront after WWII although one is still in use, as a garden hut, on Hazelgrove allotments. While the authenticity of the discovery has yet to be confirmed we take the opportunity over the next few months to look at the art and practice of sea bathing and the development and use of the 'mobile changing rooms' which became a necessary component of sea-side etiquette. Sea Breezes welcomes contributions from readers. If you have a photo, story, poem, event or article of news that you would like to share please e-mail it to: saltburnbysea@gmail.com and include Sea Breezes in the subject box. Text submitted to the site may be sub-edited for the sake of clarity or readability. Images submitted to the site may be cropped or digitally enhanced (for example, to improve contrast). The editor is under no obligation to publish any text or photos submitted to Sea Breezes and may reject material on the grounds of copyright infringement, offensiveness or other legal considerations. The copyright of all photographs featured within this magazine remains with the magazine or any photographers credited. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any way without prior written consent. Sea Breezes is produced by saltburnbysea.com, an independent website which is not affiliated with, or officially sponsored by any Local Authority or Tourist Information Centre based in or near Saltburn by the Sea. saltburnbysea.com tries to ensure that the articles and announcements made on the Sea Breezes pages are accurate, but views expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the webmaster. Any offers in adverts are made by the advertiser and details should be confirmed with them. Always confirm event details with the organisers, in case of alteration or errors. Š 2006-2013 SaltburnbySea.com. All rights reserved worldwide | Created by seasalt |
The Saltburn and Cleveland Advertiser
Between the 1870’s and the 1930’s The Saltburn and Cleveland Advertiser was a free monthly publication which prided itself on being the 'Largest, Best, and Cheapest Advertising Medium in Cleveland'. It was published by The Ivanhoe Press, proprietor Joseph Parks, from its office on Windsor Road and circulated 5,000 copies gratis each month, distributed in Saltburn, Marske, New Marske, Guisborough, Brotton and the Skeltons. The following article is the first of a number of articles which were published in monthly episodes throughout 1930.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF SALTBURN BY IVANHOE CHAPTER I MUCH of the history of Saltburn remains, and will forever remain, wrapped in the mists of antiquity. But it is our intention to preserve for the benefit of future generations what information we have been able to secure; a task which has entailed considerable research. With the passing of many of the earlier inhabitants those that knew Saltburn in its infancy - much information which would now be of considerable value, has already passed away. Modern Saltburn possess but little history, but such as it is will be dealt with in full as our work proceeds. We may mention in passing however that an eminent historian, writing of a visit to the site now covered by modern Saltburn, some eighty or more years ago, speaks of it as "a desolate tract of wind-swept marshes, situated in a region of wild solitude, and fully exposed to the piercing North-East blasts." It requires but little imagination on the part of our reader to picture Saltburn as it once was. The rugged outlines and rough character of the land can stil be discerned in the few unbuilt sites upon the Upper Promenade, and the formation of the adjoining streets. In the year 1911, remains of the Stone Age were found in the vicinity of Saltburn Gardens. These remains consisted principally of animal bones and shells, known as kitchen middens, which were really the rubbish heaps of primitive man.
Several traces of Celtic origin have been discovered in the Saltburn district including several howes or burial mounds of the Bronze Age and well marked lines of entrenchments of similar antiquity, probably 3,000 to 4,000 years old have been explored, resulting in the finding of human bones and a number of flint instruments etc. Definate traces of Roman occupation have also been found including a Roman Camp, Roman coins of the time of the Emperor Valentine, and fragments of pottery. There are also indications of a Roman road running from near Huntcliffe, to Street Houses, near Loftus. During 1911, the was also discovered at Hob Hill, an Anglo-Saxon cemetary. Anglo-Saxon settlements in the Saltburn district are still traceable in the names of Brotton, Skelton, Lilton, Upleatham etc. This cemetary must have been a district cemetary, for the remains of over 100 burial urns were discovered. These urns were found deposited in long parallel rows about two feet below the surface. They were invariably broken and in which the ashes of the dead had been placed after cremation. Hundreds of jet, amber and glass beads have also been found as well as human teeth, a fine iron Saxon axe, knives, parts of spears, and several fibulĂŚ or bronze broches.
little reason to doubt that at Old Saltburn, there must have existed for centuries, scattered cottages occupied by fishermen and smugglers, and at the height of its prosperity - during the great boom in smuggling - it must have been a place of considerable importance. With the sterner measures taken during the early years of the nineteenth century, can be dated the decline of this picturesque little village, but ample evidence remains to prove that it covered a vaster area than that covered by the present surviving cottages. A century ago Saltburn was so unimportant a place that Bigland - the chattiest topographer of his time either saw nothing of it or did not deem it worth mention. Neither does John Walker Ord, in his excellent and still unsurpassed "History of Cleveland", published in 1846, consider it of much note, as he merely refers to it as "a few insignificant fishermen's cottages". The North-East coast of England has been from time immemorial celebrated as the scene of some of the boldest and most extensive smuggling transactions. The whole line of this coast was infested with bands of these adventurous and daring spirits, but it was at Saltburn that the contraband trade was most extensively carried out. The inhabitants were ostensibly fishermen - but in reality smugglers. ( TO BE CONTINUED)
The first recorded occupation of Saltburn is the existance of a hermitage in A.D. 1215, which was founded in the rock, probably somewhere behind the site of the present 'Ship Inn'. This was founded by Robert de Argentum and later it became a cell to the Abbey of Whitby. From this period until the close of the eighteenth century history remains silent respecting Saltburn, but there is
Saltburn by the Sea
The Cliff Lift
Coa!
SALTBURN CLIFF LIFT FEATURED IN BBC PROGRAMME 'COAST' The Cliff Lift will be in the next BBC programme of Coast entitled ‘The Secret Life of Sea Cliffs’ on BBC2 at 8pm on Wednesday 1st May. The programme will be repeated the following Sunday.
Due to the screening of the 'Coast' programme this month we have taken the opportunity to focus on the history of the Cliff Lift, one of Saltburn's most prominent landscape features.
A brief history: Saltburn by the Sea as a dignified Victorian resort grew up around the former smuggling village of Old Saltburn, when the industrialists of Middlesbrough needed somewhere to escape the dirt & grime and the railways could transport them easily to the coast. By 1870 Saltburn was a fashionable resort rivalling other well known Victorian watering places such as Harrogate and Bath. The town perches on top of the cliffs and access to the beach and the newly constructed pier was always going to be difficult. The problem of getting down to the beach 120ft below the town was entrusted to engineer John Anderson. His original solution was to build a wooden vertical hoist and this remained operational until 1883. THE ORIGINAL HOIST Engineered by John Anderson, the Redcar & Saltburn Gazette reported that the hoist was expected to open on June 6th 1870 but it was 1st July 1870 before it was at work daily, fourteen months after the opening of the pier. This somewhat rickety structure allowed up to 20 people in a cage to descend from the town to the beach below. The structure was 120ft high, made of wood and held down by guy ropes. At the cliff top the tower was approached by a narrow walkway. The cage itself raised or lowered by pouring water into, or out of, a tank which
was
counterbalanced the cage and its passengers.
...'for a halfpenny a head they [were] by and by dropped gently down to the beach for a bathe or a walk, and raised up again in the same easy terms whenever they wished to get back again ...'
The Pier Company was sold to the Owners of the Middlesbrough Estate in August 1883 and the hoist was inspected. The new owners concluded that the hoist, although still functional, was occasionally erratic - it is said that the cage had the disconcerting habit of sticking when halfway up - and condemned it as unsafe. Having operated for thirteen years it was demolished in 1883.
Construction of the lower promenade with the hoist in the background.
THE INCLINED TRAMWAY Its replacement was the now renowned water balanced Cliff Lift, probably the oldest of its type still in operation. Its two cars, each of which is fitted with a water tank beneath, run on parallel tracks. The car at the top of the 71% incline has its tank filled with water until it overbalances the weight of the car 120ft below and proceeds down the incline under its own specific gravity. The double steel wire ropes provide any additional control that is needed. When the car reaches the bottom its water is re-pumped to the top and the process begins all over again. The entire operation is controlled by the brake man from his little cabin at the top of the lift.
Facilities provided at either end of Saltburn Cliff Railway have always varied considerably, and passengers waiting to descend are less fortunate than those waiting to come up from the shore to the town. At the lower station there is a substantial complex, containing a ticket office, waiting room, and engine room, but the only building at the upper terminus is a small hut for the 'brakeman' controlling the operation of the cars. The original cars were of a standard design, capable of seating 10-12 passengers, with an over-body on a triangular sub-frame that housed a 1,000 gallon water tank. A striking feature of the early cars was the inclusion of stained-glass windows, but these were removed in 1955 when the car bodies were replaced. However when the new aluminium cars were introduced in 1979 (modelled on the original design), this attractive feature was reinstated.
Facts and Figures
Opened:June 1884 Height of lift: 120ft Gradient: 1 in 1.40 (71%) Length of track: 207 feet Track gauge: 4' 2 1/2" Carriage capacity:12 persons Motive power: water ballast Electric pump installed:1924
Delivers 180 gallons per minute. Previous pump powered by gas engine, worked off town mains.
Journey time: approx 55 seconds
 
OPENING DATE Although it is thought that the inclined tramway opened on Saturday 28th June 1884, the exact date is not certain. The South Durham and Cleveland Mercury published the following article on that Saturday: 'The new incline tramway which for some time past has been in course of formation, is now in working order. Several trips were made on Monday quite successfully. The enlargement of the pier is nearly completed, and the new headway, with its prettily designed wind-screen, cannot fail to be highly appreciated.'
This was the third such structure in Britain (the first two were in Scarborough) and is now probably one of the world's oldest water balanced cliff lifts still in operation.
In 1924 a new electrically operated water pump was installed and in 1998 the main winding wheel was replaced for the first time in its 114 year history as well as a new hydraulic braking system, by Skelton Engineering. Apart from these works, with regular maintenance and restoration - including the replacement of the stained glass - the lift is almost as it was when it was built.
JOHN ANDERSON As a railway contractor John Anderson was associated with the Stockton and Darlington and the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railways and was one of the first to become involved in the emerging ironstone industry in 1848. In Saltburn he saw the opportunity of making an investment and was one of the first to buy plots of land in Milton and Amber Streets but his most important acquisition was the site on Brittania Terrace/Marine Drive both now Marine Parade - where he erected the 'Alexandria Hotel', the second most important hotel in the town. In January 1867 he became resident engineer at Saltburn in conjunction with the North Eastern Railway Company, which took over the control of the Stockton & Darlington company. He was involved in the construction of the sewage system in the town, and brought pipes from the new reservoir at Lockwood Beck. Not content with this he wanted to build the first iron pier on the North East Coast.
As well as being responsible for the original cliff hoist Anderson formed the Saltburn-by-the-Sea Pier Company in October 1867 and was both designer and contractor for the project.
Saltburn's water powered cliff lift undertook a £30,000 refit over the winter of 2010 - 2011; this was the carriages’ first off site overhaul since 1992. The carriages were completely overhauled, seating improved and the lift now has an intercom system which allows the driver to talk to the passengers while the carriages are in motion.
The cars were craned back into place onto their underframes on Monday 11th April 2011, and the Lift was re-opened to passengers on 22nd April 2011 (Good Friday).
The recent refurbishment of the lift has also been featured in two short films ’55 Seconds’ and ’150′ by Jan Cawood of Tinn Mann Films. The first documentary, ’55 Seconds’ is the time it takes to travel on the lift and features views and comments from travellers. The second film follows the restoration of the carriages, by Stanegate Restorations of Haltwhistle in time for Saltburn’s 150th Anniversary.
Following its refurbishment a Guinness Book of Records event took place in the lift on Friday 1st July 2011. The record for the number of live interviews while travelling in a water powered lift was set at 114 by Alex Lewczuk, presenter for Southside Radio, based at James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough. Alex set this record with the help of residents, visitors and local business people and has earned a place in the famous Guinness Book of Records.
SALTBURN CLIFF LIFT - WINDING WHEEL
This is the original winding wheel, from 1884. It was replaced in 1998, and now forms a point of interest in a flowerbed near the top (town) station. The paired running cables pass around using the top two grooves, and the brake system acts on the lower flange.
The English trip to the coast is so customary, so fixed a part of our national annual routine, that it seems to need little explanation. The recent history of the seaside is embedded in the individual and the collective memory of the nation as a whole. A package; fish and chips, sand in egg mayonnaise sandwiches, deck chairs, wind breaks, buckets and spades, flask of tea, '99 ice creams, donkey rides, the Punch and Judy Man, candy floss, arcades, the list is endless. By 1900 millions of people had come to regard a visit to the seaside as a fact of urban life, yet a century before only the upper classes of English society had been able, or even thought it worthwhile, to visit the seaside. The most obvious attraction of the coast is the sea itself and it was the sea, with its invigorating climate, which attracted the first trickle of upper class visitors. But it was water of a very different kind which provided the first recreational centres where a wealthy minority ventured to refresh themselves, seek cures for ailments and generally enjoy themselves. Throughout pre-industrial Europe a number of 'spa' towns developed providing natural and mineral waters for bathing in or drinking. The idea that 'taking the waters' was of medicinal benefit was supported by contemporary scientific evidence and promoted by local men of science who, through the publication of a number of pamphlets, would advocate the curative powers of spring waters in general and the benefits of the particular virtues of their own town's waters. The roots of the English seaside resort can be traced back to one of the earliest publications that questioned the need to travel abroad for remedies and cures. It was published in 1562 by Dr William Turner, a leading Protestant churchman, who had sought refuge in Europe during the reign of 'bloody' Mary and witnessed the benefits obtained from bathing. His writing contributed to a new interest in bathing waters, and by the 1630’s springs had been discovered at Tunbridge Wells, Epsom, Harrogate, and significantly, in Scarborough c1626, establishing a new type of health and pleasure resort: the Spa.
Around the time of William Turner's return to England Thomas Vicary, who died in 1561, was recommending cold sea-water baths as a cure for fluxes (dysentery):... "if it be a Fluxe, and that the patient is not cured, let him stand in a cold bath of salt water of the Sea, three or four howers or more, and he shall be perfectly holpe". Swimming in salt water was also being advocated for health reasons and was promoted as a cure for a number of illnesses including the removal of headaches and opening stuffed nostrils as well as a good remedy for 'dropsies, scabbes and scurfes, small pockes, leprosies, falling away of either legge, or any other parte'. At Scarborough the discovery of a spring in the cliffs by a Mrs Farrow brought the 'spa' to the coast and seawater was soon being drunk as an additional cure. By 1660 Dr Robert Wittie, a local physician at Scarborough, was promoting the medicinal benefits of cold bathing, though he warned that the internal consumption of seawater could be injurious to health. Within a few decades the medical profession were advocating the benefits of 'taking the waters' for an amazing range of disorders which could supposedly be improved by swallowing the waters or bathing in them and by the middle of the eighteenth century resorts were developing on most stretches of the coast because, although bathing itself could take place anywhere, towns were needed to provide the accommodation, entertainment facilities and the social scene that genteel visitors expected. Three towns vie for the title of England's first major seaside resort: Scarborough, Margate and Brighton. Since the discovery of the mineral-water spring at Scarborough the spa had drawn visitors from 'The Gentry of the North Parts of England.' Scarborough A Poem, published in 1732, celebrates a town that rivals Bath and records the use of the springs and sea bathing. By 1734 the town had grown considerably and offered a number of additional facilities which could be enjoyed by the nobility, including a subscription coffee house, a circulating library and a large assembly room. While Margate could not boast a spa it's position and harbour facilities made it acceptable for visitors from London and by 1736 was advertising 'the provision of a bath', the first reference to organised sea bathing in the town. Brighton was also on the coast and like Margate and Scarborough it had to create the type of facilities expected by Georgian visitors and by the 1750's it already had a spa, an assembly room, a coffee house and library. By the middle of the eighteenth century Scarborough, Margate and Brighton were attracting sufficient numbers of visitors to encourage development in other coastal towns, initially in the south-east because of their proximity to London, but others began to prosper because of their proximity to Bath while Scarborough continued to attract visitors from the country as a whole. By the 19th century several entrepreneurs, witnessing the success of existing resorts, were prepared to invest in new schemes. Some proved to be great successes, but others were doomed to failure. The north east coast of Cleveland saw the development of the small coastal villages of Redcar, Marske and Saltburn as attractive localities and in 1869 Samuel Gordon published his book 'The Watering Places of Cleveland' offering a graphic description of Cleveland and its fashionable Watering Places from the coast as far inland as Yarm.
The following treatise on sea bathing, written by a local doctor, was published in 1869 in Samuel Gordon's book. OBSERVATIONS ON SEABATHING, &c., BY G. OLIVER, Esq., M.B., REDCAR "The natural formation of the beach at Redcar and Saltburn affords excellent facilities for good and safe bathing. The shore is smooth and sandy, devoid of angular or rocky projections, and passes so gradually into the sea that children may bathe without the least risk of accident: the water is also clean and pure. The bathing at Redcar and Saltburn (and particularly at Redcar) is equal and perhaps superior to that at any sea side health resort in England. Sea bathing is a tonic agent; indeed it is one of the most powerful tonics provided by nature. A few practical suggestions may assist the bather to obtain from it the greatest good, and avoid some of the injurious effects apt to arise from inattention to certain precautions. 1. Before Bathing in the sea, invalids and delicate persons should take one or two tepid ( about 80 degrees Farenheit) sea water baths. 2. Do not bathe (a) after a full meal; (b) In the morning fasting if the health be weakly; (c) when heated or perspiring; (d) When fatigued after a long walk; (e) If disease of heart, or lungs, or both be suspected, unless otherwise directed by medical attendant.
3. When to bathe. Early in the morning, for persons in good health. Two hours after breakfast, for delicate persons. 4. After entering the sea, endeavour to obtain complete immersion as soon as possible, preferably by throwing the body upon an advancing wave; and keep a part of the body immersed during the whole period of bathing. 5. How to judge of the effects of bathing. A feeling of warmth all over the body - reaction - or of chilliness and depression - absence of reaction - after bathing are the tests by which the bather may judge of the good or injurious effects of bathing. If, after bathing, a good reaction be established, and if the bather feel rather refreshed and invigorated, and especially if the appetite be improved, sea bathing will prove a powerful tonic and restorative agent. An uncomfortable feeling of chilliness, with slight nausea, and languor, and impaired appetite are injurious effects of sea bathing; which, however, may be avoided in future attempts by (a) shortening the period of bathing; ( a reaction in some persons can only be secured by momentary immersion) (b) preventing such muscular exertion during bathing, as, possibly by exhausting strength, diminishes the tendency to reaction. (c) keeping the body as much as possible immersed during the whole time bathing. (d) taking a few minutes before bathing, some diffusable stimulant (a glass of wine, or a little strong coffee) If, after observing these precautions, a good reaction is not secured, sea bating should be abandoned; the tepid sea water bath may then be advantageously substituted for it. 6. How long to remain in the water. As soon as reaction comes on, the bather should leave the water: do not be allures to remain longer by a feeling of warmth and comfort, for then the heat degenerated by reaction is being rapidly conducted from the surface of the body by the water, and a feeling of chilliness, accompanied by nausea, and much depression, may supervene, either before the bather leaves the water, or during dressing; sea bathing en loses its tonic properties, becomes a powerful depressant, and is then positively injurious. No amount of friction and movement can completely avert the ill consequences from too prolonged immersion; the second reaction is feeble and imperfect when compared with the first - it may, however, be encouraged by a diffusible stimulant. The lower the temperature of the air and water, the shorter should be the time allowed for bathing. Delicate persons with languid circulation, and feeble power of reaction, should specially observe the precautions contained in Paragraph 5, and should be particularly careful to limit the time allowed for bathing to even one, two or three minutes, according to the susceptibility to reaction. 7. How often to bathe:If the reaction after the first bathing be only feeble or moderate, let two or even three days pass before bathing again. Delicate persons should scrupulously avoid bathing too frequently in the sea. When a good persistent reaction is quickly established after bathing, when the bodily health is invigorated thereby, and especially when the appetite improves, sea bathing may be continued daily. 8. After bathing walk on the beach briskly for half an hour, or until a gentle perspiration is induced, and do not sit on the beach, or take food for at least an hour afterwards. In all cases in which the benefits to be derived from the sea bathing are questionable, medical advice should be taken. Sea bathing, when judiciously used by invalids and delicate persons, is, by its tonic properties, a powerful agent in counteracting and removing debility; but, when in such cases, it is used indiscriminately, and without proper precautions, it is equally powerful in depressing the system, and adding to the existing debility.
Next edition: The Bathing Machine
Join us on our reading project. Month by month we will present part of a short story from R Austin Freeman's 'Dr John Thorndyke's Cases', a collection of short stories of detective fiction first published in 1909. Richard Austin Freeman (11 April 1862 London – 28 September 1943 Gravesend) — known as R. Austin Freeman — was a British writer of detective stories, mostly featuring the medico-legal forensic investigator Dr. Thorndyke. He claimed to have invented the inverted detective story (a crime fiction in which the commission of the crime is described at the beginning, usually including the identity of the perpetrator, with the story then describing the detective's attempt to solve the mystery). Freeman used some of his early experiences as a colonial surgeon in his novels. A large proportion of the Dr. Thorndyke stories involve genuine, but often quite arcane, points of scientific knowledge, from areas such as tropical medicine, metallurgy and toxicology. JOHN THORNDYKE'S CASES (1909) (a.k.a. Dr. Thorndyke's Cases) ORIGINAL PREFACE TO 'JOHN THORNDYKE'S CASES' THE MAN WITH THE NAILED SHOES - Part 2 in this (May 2013) issue.. JTHE STRANGER'S LATCHKEY THE ANTHROPOLOGIST AT LARGE THE BLUE SEQUIN THE MOABITE CIPHER THE MANDARIN'S PEARL THE ALUMINIUM DAGGER A MESSAGE FROM THE DEEP SEA Preface...
The stories in this collection, inasmuch as they constitute a somewhat new departure in this class of literature, require a few words of introduction. The primary function of all fiction is to furnish entertainment to the reader, and this fact has not been lost sight of. But the interest of so-called 'detective' fiction is, I believe, greatly enhanced by a careful adherence to the probable, and a strict avoidance of physical impossibilities; and, in accordance with this belief, I have been scrupulous in confining myself to authentic facts and practicable methods. The stories have, for the most part, a medico-legal motive, and the methods of solution described in them are similar to those employed in actual practice by medical jurists. The stories illustrate, in fact, the application to the detection of crime of the ordinary methods of scientific research. I may add that the experiments described have in all cases been performed by me, and that the micro-photographs are, of course, from the actual specimens. R. A. F. Gravesend, September 21, 1909.
"Twelve hours, eh?" repeated the officer. "That would bring it to about six o'clock this morning."
"I won't commit myself to a definite time," said Dr. Burrows hastily. "I only say not less than twelve hours. It might have been considerably more."
"Ah!" said the sergeant. "Well, he made a pretty good fight for his life, to all appearances." He nodded at the sand, which for some feet around the body bore the deeply indented marks of feet, as though a furious struggle had taken place. "It's a mighty queer affair," pursued the sergeant, addressing Dr. Burrows. "There seems to have been only one man in it--there is only one set of footprints besides those of the deceased--and we've got to find out who he is; and I reckon there won't be much trouble about that, seeing the kind of trade-marks he has left behind him."
"No," agreed the surgeon; "there ought not to be much trouble in identifying those boots. He would seem to be a labourer, judging by the hob-nails."
"No, sir; not a labourer," dissented the sergeant. "The foot is too small, for one thing; and then the nails are not regular hob-nails. They're a good deal smaller; and a labourer's boots would have the nails all round the edges, and there would be iron tips on the heels, and probably on the toes too. Now these have got no tips, and the nails are arranged in a pattern on the soles and heels. They are probably shooting-boots or sporting shoes of some kind." He strode to and fro with his notebook in his hand, writing down hasty memoranda, and stooping to scrutinize the impressions in the sand. The surgeon also busied himself in noting down the facts concerning which he would have to give evidence, while Thorndyke regarded in silence and with an air of intense preoccupation the footprints around the body which remained to testify to the circumstances of the crime.
"It is pretty clear, up to a certain point," the sergeant observed, as he concluded his investigations, "how the affair happened, and it is pretty clear, too, that the murder was premeditated. You see, Doctor, the deceased gentleman, Mr. Hearn, was apparently walking home from Port Marston; we saw his footprints along the shore--those rubber heels make them easy to identify--and he didn't go down Sundersley Gap. He probably meant to climb up the cliff by that little track that you see there, which the people about here call the Shepherd's Path. Now the murderer must have known that he was coming, and waited upon the cliff to keep a lookout. When he saw Mr. Hearn enter the bay, he came down the path and attacked him, and, after a tough struggle, succeeded in stabbing him. Then he turned and went back up the path. You can see the double track between the path and the place where the struggle took place, and the footprints going to the path are on top of those coming from it."
"If you follow the tracks," said Dr. Burrows, "you ought to be able to see where the murderer went to."
"I'm afraid not," replied the sergeant. "There are no marks on the path itself--the rock is too hard, and so is the ground above, I fear. But I'll go over it carefully all the same."
The investigations being so far concluded, the body was lifted on to the stretcher, and the cortege, consisting of the bearers, the Doctor, and the fisherman, moved off towards the Gap, while the sergeant, having civilly wished us "Good-evening," scrambled up the Shepherd's Path, and vanished above.
"A very smart officer that," said Thorndyke. "I should like to know what he wrote in his notebook."
"His account of the circumstances of the murder seemed a very reasonable one," I said. "Very. He noted the plain and essential facts, and drew the natural conclusions from them. But there are some very singular features in this case; so singular that I am disposed to make a few notes for my own information."
He stooped over the place where the body had lain, and having narrowly examined the sand there and in the place where the dead man's feet had rested, drew out his notebook and made a memorandum. He next made a rapid sketch-plan of the bay, marking the position of the body and the various impressions in the sand, and then, following the double track leading from and to the Shepherd's Path, scrutinized the footprints with the deepest attention, making copious notes and sketches in his book.
"We may as well go up by the Shepherd's Path," said Thorndyke. "I think we are equal to the climb, and there may be visible traces of the murderer after all. The rock is only a sandstone, and not a very hard one either."
We approached the foot of the little rugged track which zigzagged up the face of the cliff, and, stooping down among the stiff, dry herbage, examined the surface. Here, at the bottom of the path, where the rock was softened by the weather, there were several distinct impressions on the crumbling surface of the murderer's nailed boots, though they were somewhat confused by the tracks of the sergeant, whose boots were heavily nailed. But as we ascended the marks became rather less distinct, and at quite a short distance from the foot of the cliff we lost them altogether, though we had no difficulty in following the more recent traces of the sergeant's passage up the path.
When we reached the top of the cliff we paused to scan the path that ran along its edge, but here, too, although the sergeant's heavy boots had left quite visible impressions on the ground, there were no signs of any other feet. At a little distance the sagacious officer himself was pursuing his investigations, walking backwards and forwards with his body bent double, and his eyes fixed on the ground.
"Not a trace of him anywhere," said he, straightening himself up as we approached. "I was afraid there wouldn't be after all this dry weather. I shall have to try a different tack.
This is a small place, and if those boots belong to anyone living here they'll be sure to be known."
"The deceased gentleman--Mr. Hearn, I think you called him," said Thorndyke as we turned towards the village--"is he a native of the locality?"
"Oh no, sir," replied the officer. "He is almost a stranger. He has only been here about three weeks; but, you know, in a little place like this a man soon gets to be known--and his business, too, for that matter," he added, with a smile.
"What was his business, then?" asked Thorndyke.
"Pleasure, I believe. He was down here for a holiday, though it's a good way past the season; but, then, he had a friend living here, and that makes a difference. Mr. Draper up at the Poplars was an old friend of his, I understand. I am going to call on him now."
We walked on along the footpath that led towards the village, but had only proceeded two or three hundred yards when a loud hail drew our attention to a man running across a field towards us from the direction of the cliff.
"Why, here is Mr. Draper himself," exclaimed the sergeant, stopping short and waving his hand. "I expect he has heard the news already."
Thorndyke and I also halted, and with some curiosity watched the approach of this new party to the tragedy. As the stranger drew near we saw that he was a tall, athleticlooking man of about forty, dressed in a Norfolk knickerbocker suit, and having the appearance of an ordinary country gentleman, excepting that he carried in his hand, in place of a walking-stick, the staff of a butterfly-net, the folding ring and bag of which partly projected from his pocket.
"Is it true, Sergeant?" he exclaimed as he came up to us, panting from his exertions. "About Mr. Hearn, I mean. There is a rumour that he has been found dead on the beach."
"It's quite true, sir, I am sorry to say; and, what is worse, he has been murdered." "My God! you don't say so!"
He turned towards us a face that must ordinarily have been jovial enough, but was now white and scared and, after a brief pause, he exclaimed:
"Murdered! Good God! Poor old Hearn! How did it happen, Sergeant? and when? and is there any clue to the murderer?"
"We can't say for certain when it happened," replied the sergeant, "and as to the question of clues, I was just coming up to call on you."
"On me!" exclaimed Draper, with a startled glance at the officer. "What for?"
"Well, we should like to know something about Mr. Hearn--who he was, and whether he had any enemies, and so forth; anything, in fact, that would give as a hint where to look for the murderer. And you are the only person in the place who knew him at all intimately."
Mr Draper's pallid face turned a shade paler, and he glanced about him with an obviously embarrassed air.
"I'm afraid." he began in a hesitating manner, "I'm afraid I shan't be able to help you much. I didn't know much about his affairs. You see he was--well--only a casual acquaintance--"
"Well," interrupted the sergeant, "you can tell us who and what he was, and where he lived, and so forth. We'll find out the rest if you give us the start."
"I see," said Draper. "Yes, I expect you will." His eyes glanced restlessly to and fro, and he added presently: "You must come up to-morrow, and have a talk with me about him, and I'll see what I can remember."
"I'd rather come this evening," said the sergeant firmly.
"Not this evening," pleaded Draper. "I'm feeling rather--this affair, you know, has upset me. I couldn't give proper attention--"
His sentence petered out into a hesitating mumble, and the officer looked at him in evident surprise at his nervous, embarrassed manner. His own attitude, however, was perfectly firm, though polite.
"I don't like pressing you, sir," said he, "but time is precious--we'll have to go single file here; this pond is a public nuisance. They ought to bank it up at this end. After you, sir."
The pond to which the sergeant alluded had evidently extended at one time right across the path, but now, thanks to the dry weather, a narrow isthmus of half-dried mud traversed the morass, and along this Mr. Draper proceeded to pick his way. The sergeant was about to follow, when suddenly he stopped short with his eyes riveted upon the muddy track. A single glance showed me the cause of his surprise, for on the stiff, putty-like surface, standing out with the sharp distinctness of a wax mould, were the fresh footprints of the man who had just passed, each footprint displaying on its sole the impression of stud-nails arranged in a diamond-shaped pattern, and on its heel a group of similar nails arranged in a cross.
The sergeant hesitated for only a moment, in which he turned a quick startled glance upon us; then he followed, walking gingerly along the edge of the path as if to avoid
treading in his predecessor's footprints. Instinctively we did the same, following closely, and anxiously awaiting the next development of the tragedy. For a minute or two we all proceeded in silence, the sergeant being evidently at a loss how to act, and Mr. Draper busy with his own thoughts. At length the former spoke.
"You think, Mr. Draper, you would rather that I looked in on you to-morrow about this affair?"
"Much rather, if you wouldn't mind," was the eager reply.
"Then, in that case," said the sergeant, looking at his watch, "as I've got a good deal to see to this evening, I'll leave you here, and make my way to the station."
With a farewell flourish of his hand he climbed over a stile, and when, a few moments later, I caught a glimpse of him through an opening in the hedge, he was running across the meadow like a hare.
The departure of the police-officer was apparently a great relief to Mr. Draper, who at once fell back and began to talk with us.
"You are Dr. Jervis, I think," said he. "I saw you coming out of Dr. Cooper's house yesterday. We know everything that is happening in the village, you see." He laughed nervously, and added: "But I don't know your friend."
I introduced Thorndyke, at the mention of whose name our new acquaintance knitted his brows, and glanced inquisitively at my friend.
"Thorndyke," he repeated; "the name seems familiar to me. Are you in the Law, sir?"
Thorndyke admitted the impeachment, and our companion, having again bestowed on him a look full of curiosity, continued: "This horrible affair will interest you, no doubt, from a professional point of view. You were present when my poor friend's body was found, I think?"
"No," replied Thorndyke; "we came up afterwards, when they were removing it."
Our companion then proceeded to question as about the murder, but received from Thorndyke only the most general and ambiguous replies. Nor was there time to go into the matter at length, for the footpath presently emerged on to the road close to Mr. Draper's house.
"You will excuse my not asking you in to-night," said he, "but you will understand that I am not in much form for visitors just now."
We assured him that we fully understood, and, having wished him "Good-evening," pursued our way towards the village. ...to be continued
Discover some of the hidden jewels Of the North Yorks Moors. This years programme of walks has everything from short family rambles to a challenging 12 mile moorland hike for experienced walkers. Each walk is guided by National Park Rangers, specialist guest leaders or a knowledgeable and dedicated band of volunteers. They will take you to almost every corner of the Park to enjoy a breath of fresh air, to look at wildlife, geology, archaeology, buildings, signs of Spring, beautiful views, in fact almost everything that makes the North York Moors the place it is. Booking is essential
Other information
All walks are FREE but donations are welcome as they help us to care for the National Park.
Unless specifically stated dogs are welcome on walks provided they are on a short fixed lead at all times.
Places are limited on all walks and each one operates on a first come first served basis, so booking is essential. To book a place call 01439 772738 What to bring
Please wear appropriate clothing and suitable footwear. Do bring sun protection in hot weather. Please bring plenty to drink and for our longer walks, the individual event details will state whether you need to bring a packed lunch with you.
1 Level 1 Walks are 30 minute walks on easy going terrain for about 1-1.5miles. Total time allowing for stops etc will be about 1hr.
Children are welcome on all walks but MUST accompanied by an adult; some of the walks stipulate a minimum age. A number of walks are accessible by wheelchair and this will be specified in the individual walk details. You can get to many of our walks by Moorsbus or public transport, check out www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/public-transport for more information.
2 Level 2 is slightly more challenging. You will be walking about 2 or 3 miles. These walks could take up to 2 hours including information stops.
3 Level 3 is the highest level and will be up to 5 miles. These walks are much more challenging and you will need to be reasonably fit; they could take up to 3 hours for the total walk including information stops.
Wednesday 1 may
wednesday 1 may
Tall tales about trees
Wykeham & Hutton buscel wander
This 2 mile walk with Tony Auckland follows riverside and woodland paths in Forge Valley there is a steep section but also plenty of stops. Along the way you'll hear lots of fascinating facts and folklore relating to the many tree species found on the walk.
There is so much to see on this short evening walk linking the villages of Wykeham and Hutton Buscel - including the unusual church, the ice house and the pinfold.
Start 2:00pm finish 4:00pm Old Man's Mouth Car Park (OS Grid Ref. SE984871 ).
Start 6:3m finish 8:00pm St Helen's Camping & Caravan Site (reception), Wykeham on the A170
sunday 5 may
Sunday 5 may
Bluebells in springtime
A 12th century planned village
A 2 mile walk led by Peter Turton.
There are some styles and uphill sections along the way.
Join Jim Hall on this 5mile route which starts with a 15 minute walk about Appleton le Moors and its development by St Mary's Abbey, York; follow ancient tracks and country lanes to explore Roman-British and early medieval sites. Enjoy a warm drink and view the History Group Archive after.
Start 10:00am finish 13:00noon Great Ayton Municipal Car Park, near the Tourist Information Centre
Start 1:00pm finish 4:00pm Appleton le Moors Village Hall (OS Grid Ref. SE735877)
Join Mike Nicholson on a lovely 3 mile walk through open fields into woodlands that - fingers crossed - should be carpeted in bluebells at this special time of year.
Sunday 2 June
Sunday 2 June
Starfish and standing stones
Sinnington through the centuries
Guest Wildlife Ranger Chris Hansell of the Hawk and Owl Trust leads you on a 2 mile walk taking in the flora, fauna and history of Latter Gate Hills and Standing Stones Rigg. There is one stile en-route.
Step back in time in Sinnington on a 2 mile walk led by Jim Hall that touches on the Norman Conquest and follows in the footsteps of Catherine Parr, while also visiting a 12th century church, medieval hall, a maypole, a strangely located packhorse bridge and a once very busy railway station.
Packed lunch required. Start 10:30am finish 12:30pm Brow Top car park, Fylingthorpe (OS Grid Ref. NZ930045
Start time 2:00pm finish 4:00pm Sinnington Village Hall
Believed to have been brought to Farndale by medieval monks from Rievaulx, Farndale is famous for its wild daffodils, attracting thousands of visitors each year. These wild daffodils (narcissus pseudonarcissus) are also known by the old name Lenten Lily, derived from the fact they normally bloom around Easter. Because of the weather they have been very late in blooming this year but were beginning to come into flower on 14th April.
The Daffodil walk runs along side the River Dove, for about 1½ miles between Low Mill, where the North York Moors National Park has an information caravan during the Daffodil season, and High Mill a few hundred yards short of Church Houses.
On April 15 1802, William and Dorothy Wordsworth take a walk and see... daffodils. He writes the poem. She writes in her journal:
Excerpt from Dorothy Wordsworth's Grasmere Journal, 15 April 1802
This excerpt taken from Journals of Dorothy Wordsworth: The Alfoxden Journal 1798, The Grasmere Journals 1800-1803, ed. Mary Moorman (New York: Oxford UP, 1971), 109-110.
Thursday 15th. It was a threatening misty morning—but mild. We set off after dinner from Eusemere. Mrs Clarkson went a short way with us but turned back. The wind was furious and we thought we must have returned. We first rested in the large Boat-house, then under a furze Bush opposite Mr Clarkson's. Saw the plough going in the field. The wind seized our breath the Lake was rough. There was a Boat by itself floating in the middle of the Bay below Water Millock. We rested again in the Water Millock Lane. The hawthorns are black and green, the birches here and there greenish but there is yet more of purple to be seen on the Twigs. We got over into a field to avoid some cows—people working, a few primroses by the roadside, woodsorrel flower, the anemone, scentless violets, strawberries, and that starry yellow flower which Mrs C. calls pile wort. When we were in the woods beyond Gowbarrow park we saw a few daffodils close to the water side. We fancied that the lake had floated the seeds ashore and that the little colony had so sprung up. But as we went along there were more and yet more and at last under the boughs of the trees, we saw that there was a long belt of
them along the shore, about the breadth of a country turnpike road. I never saw daffodils so beautiful they grew among the mossy stones about and about them, some rested their heads upon these stones as on a pillow for weariness and the rest tossed and reeled and danced and seemed as if they verily laughed with the wind that blew upon them over the lake, they looked so gay ever glancing ever changing. This wind blew directly over the lake to them. There was here and there a little knot and a few stragglers a few yards higher up but they were so few as not to disturb the simplicity and unity and life of that one busy highway. We rested again and again. The Bays were stormy, and we heard the waves at different distances and in the middle of the water like the sea. Rain came on— we were wet when we reached Luffs but we called in. Luckily all was chearless and gloomy so we faced the storm—we must have been wet if we had waited—put on dry clothes at Dobson's. I was very kindly treated by a young woman, the Landlady looked sour but it is her way. She gave us a goodish supper. Excellent ham and potatoes. We paid 7/ when we came away. William was sitting by a bright fire when I came downstairs. He soon made his way to the Library piled up in a corner of the window. He brought out a volume of Enfield's Speaker, another miscellany, and an odd volume of Congreve's plays. We had a glass of warm rum and water. We enjoyed ourselves and wished for Mary. It rained and blew when we went to bed. N.B. Deer in Gowbarrow park like skeletons.
Daffodils
I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine. And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed--and gazed--but little thought. What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils. William Wordsworth
Discover... Saltburn to Marske
Image Š and courtesy of Ebor Images. www.eborimages.co.uk On Facebook (Ebor Images) and on Twitter @eborimages
Your Route: From wooded valley to shoreline, a range of scenery awaits the rambler on this stroll through the Valley Gardens and along the coastal strip between Saltburn and Marske. Starting from the top of Saltburn cliff tramway on Marine Parade, head past the former Zetland Hotel building and opposite Dundas Street East make your way into the valley down the steps alongside the new Mary Martins building. Turning right walk down the slope towards the Albert Memorial and then turn left down steps to join the main pathway that runs away to the right. Follow the path towards the railway halt footbridge. At the footbridge, turn right up a long flight of steps to pass the Italian Gardens on your left and then bear left above the gardens.
Passing a picnic seating area on the left, continue along the Cleveland Way footpath through the woods with views of Rushpool Hall away to your left through the trees. At the junction of routes, turn right up the slope to pass Chards on your right and walk ahead along Marske Mill Lane to the junction with Guisborough Road. Turning left at this point towards Guisborough and the golf club, Saltburn Learning Campus is on your right and you will soon pass Hob Hill House, again on your right. Saltburn Golf Club is soon prominent on your left side and at this point cross the road with care and walk across the car park. Continuing beside the fence on your right walk between groups of trees to reach Woodrow Avenue and walk ahead to the junction with Marske Road.
At Marske Road turn left along the roadway to the pedestrian crossing. Crossing at this point, walk ahead down The Parkside and a tunnel takes you under the railway track before turning left alongside the railway embankment. The track runs between allotments and then veers to the left - with the railway embankment above on the left. As you reach housing, your route runs into Hambleton Crescent and, at the junction, bear right into Mordales Drive. At the next junction, head left along Windy Hill Lane and follow this wide roadway past the public library (on the right) to the junction with the High Street. Turn right and you will soon pass Winkie’s Castle (on the right) before reaching the wide frontage of the Ship Inn. Following the High Street round to the right the roadway bends gently to the left and slopes downhill past The Tithe Barn on the right. Cliff House is prominent on the headland on your left as you reach the beach where you bear right and head towards Saltburn.
Continuing along the beach you pass gullies known as Church Howle and Hunnies Howle and take in views of Saltburn pier and Huntcliff. Further along the beach you pass Agar’s Gap and Stone Gap before the wide valley of Hazel Grove. Making your way up the sloping ramp continue up the long flight of steps that leads up the hill side to Marine Parade. Turn left along this wide roadway and return to your starting point at the cliff tramway.
Fact file: Start: Cliff tramway at Marine Parade Distance: 5¾ miles Going: Pavements, woodland routes, trackways and beach (check tide times for beach section). Refreshments: Choice of venues in Saltburn or Marske Dogs: Under proper control Wheelchair access: Not suitable
A brief glimpse of the past... Marske by the Sea Marske is a Scandinavian pronunciation of the English word marsh, and thus was a settlement near marshy land. The Viking influence is demonstrated by the substitution of the English SH sound with the Viking SK. Mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1085, Marske was to become one of the most important villages along the coast. The Village gave host to Saxons and Danes before the Normans finally settled building the first St. Germains Church in 1160. It was at St Germains that Capt James Cook's father was buried 1st April 1779. Like other settlements along this coast Marske is also associated with smuggling. A certain William Stainton, sexton of the church, was said to have been an associate of the smugglers. A burial place in the churchyard bears witness to the illicit trade of Will Watch, a smuggler who was killed by one of the revenue men and buried secretly at midnight.
From 'Mr Punch at the Seaside'
Nice for the Visitors
(Sketch outside a fashionable hotel)
BLACK BULLETS Black bullets are spherical, boiled sugar sweets, of a very dark brown colour, strongly flavoured with peppermint oil. They are a very traditional boiled sweet confectionary whose origins are lost in the mists of time although the use of brown, unrefined sugar suggests an origin before the midnineteenth century when white sugar became cheap and widely available. Black Bullets themselves are a fairly typical sweet from the North East of England where the word "bullet" is a dialectic term for any hard, boiled, sugar sweet. The word itself may have been derived as a dimuniuative of the French boule, used in English in the seventeenth century for small round objects made of various substances. Apart from the fact that black bullets are small and round there may be a more direct link with sugar boiling, as petite boulĂŠ (little ball or soft ball) and gros boulĂŠ (large or hard ball) are terms belonging to the sugar confectioner. One myth surrounding Black Bullets is that they derive their distinctive shape and size from having been made in the moulds for musket balls. The 'Jesmona' brand, still made today by Maxon's in Sheffield, has been in production since 1906 and their popularity continues to increase. One theory behind the growth and popularity of Jesmona Black Bullets in the North East is down to their clean mint flavour, which was welcomed by the miners and industrial workers, who were not allowed to smoke at work. Granny Marshall was well known in Saltburn for her black bullets.
Ingredients: Black bullets are made from a syrup based on brown sugar boiler to the 'hard crack' stage (145-150째C) . The syrup is poured onto a slab and peppermint oil is kneaded through. It is Then formed into a rope , spun out and cut on a ball-spinning machine. Here is a recipe to make your own boiled sweets at home, but be aware that the mixture gets very hot and sticky and can easily burn you! 60g icing sugar for dusting 400g caster sugar 250ml water 160ml golden syrup 1 teaspoon peppermint oil, or other flavoured oil 1. Generously coat a baking tray with icing sugar, and set it aside. To make lollies, use lolly moulds, grease the moulds and then dust them with icing sugar. 2. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, stir together the caster sugar, water and golden syrup until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil over medium-high and cook to a temperature of 149-154째C, or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Remove from the heat, and stir in the flavoured oil (you can also add a teaspoon of food colouring if you want). 3. Immediately pour the sugar mixture onto the prepared baking tray or into the lolly moulds. 4. If making lollies, press a stick into each of the moulds and let them cool thoroughly before removing. If making sweets, when the mixture is cool enough for the outer edge to hold its shape, cut into bite size pieces with scissors. Let them cool completely, then store in an airtight container.
Granny Marshall 'Granny' Marshall came to 'Old' Saltburn as a bride some time around 1835 and lived there until her death in 1910. She had a small shop and was well known to the local children for her delicious 'black bullets'. Martha Marshall, known locally as Granny Marshall, was born about 1812. She came to Old Saltburn some time around 1835 married to James Marshall who was born in Old Saltburn about 1810. The notoriously inaccurate 1841 census lists a 25 year old James Marshall, agricultural labourer, and his wife, Hannah, living in Saltburn with a two year old daughter, Mary. In all subsequent census details Hannah is recorded as Martha. By the 1891 census James is recorded as an 81 year old retired gardener and the couple are living in the fourth cottage along from the Ship Inn. James died in July 1896 but Martha, then aged 89 is still living in the cottages in 1901. Her death is recorded as being in January 1910 aged 95years. The age of birth in this instance is given as about 1815, so it is impossible to determine exactly how old Martha was except to say that she was well on her way to being 100.
 
The Candyman The 'pitman's Candyman' has an interesting history... I was first introduced to black bullets by my grandfather, a Durham miner, who always had a supply handy even after his retirement. He would often slip a small paper bag of 'bullets' into my pocket before I went outside to play. It was while researching about these 'pitmen's favourites' that I came across the following article which, whilst not strictly about black bullets, lends an interesting perspective on the expression 'the Candyman's coming'. The term 'Candyman' has long been associated with the mining communities of the North East dating back to hard times when, despite the poor and dangerous working conditions, low pay and long hours, the often tyranical mine owners would not hesitate to resort to evictions to deal with miners' strikes. The `candymen' were bailiffs employed by the mine owners to evict the miners. The following is an extract from the North Eastern Daily Gazette published Friday 27th February 1891. The paper had been reporting on the Silksworth mining evictions and had received a number of questions asking why the men who were employed to evict the miners, along with their furniture and other effects, were called 'Candymen'. A correspondent of the newspaper furnished them with the following reply: "The pitman's Candyman has a history, and not an uninteresting one. In the days when Watt had not discovered the power of steam, and before George Stephenson... the Candyman was an important factor in the juvenile life of Durham and Northumberland pit villages. There were no small shops in the villages then. Men and women were born, reared, and in most
Daffodils
cases died without having been a dozen miles from where they first saw the light. There were no cheap trips or Sunday School treats to the seaside as now. Fry's multitudinous beauties in chocolate and the numberless fascination of French sweets and confectionary were all in reserve for the lads and lasses of a later time. However, the youngsters of that distant time were not without their days of hilarity. Quite an army of men swarmed the roads with their improvised wheelbarrows, hand-carts (home-made), bringing with them a good supply of windmills, tops, skipping ropes, round black bullets, white mints, black Spanish sticks, and, above all, a tremendous amount of candy, made of course brown sugar and butter, or common treacle. There was no mistake as to the time they entered the village, for they blew a horn that might have been used before the fall of the walls of Jericho, and this, mingled with the shouts of the bairns, 'Here's the Candyman,' made quite an event for the day. They would trade their candy &etc. for anything in return. Empty bottles, rags, bones, old shoes, old clothes, or ha'ppenies nothing ever came wrong - and many of these men shuffled off this coil comparatively rich. But they were mostly men of mean, grovelling souls, and would stoop to anything if money was at the end. In 1832 ( I am not quite sure I am strictly accurate as to the date) a great crisis took place in the Durham coal trade. ...There was a general strike throughout the county... Thousands of men and their families were turned out of their homes in a terrible winter. No regard was paid to age, sex or condition. And who were the chief allies of the masters and their dragooned in this terrible work? Who were those who took such a prominent part in wrecking the pitmen's home? It was the candymen. Yes; there they were with their old unwashen familiar faces. "
50 Spades of Clay...
Growing your own fruit and vegetables.
May May is a busy month on the allotment, seeds need sowing, seedlings need thinning, weeds need hoeing and early crops reward us with early harvests. There is a lot to get through, but everything depends upon the weather and it may be worth holding back until at least the end of May to avoid the danger of frosts. It only takes a few minutes to earth up those sprouting potatoes and yet it makes such a difference to your crops. Not only does a lovely covering of soil protect those tender little shoots from any late frosts lurking about, it also encourages more tubers and prevents them from going green. Many gardeners use a hoe to pull up the earth although some prefer a rake to gently ease up the soil over the shoots.
Hoeing means you can weed a lot of ground quickly, and if you do it little and often, it means annual weeds won’t have the opportunity to establish. Now that the weather is warming up the sowing of tender crops destined for planting outside can begin, such as beans, squashes and outdoor cucumbers. Swiss chard and its close cousin perpetual spinach can also be sown this month with less fear that plants may run to seed now that the soil and air temperatures are a little higher. Sow direct in the ground in drills 2.5cm (1in) deep or singly into cell trays or small pots. If sowing outside into drills, sow the seeds thinly, but if germination is good and the rows need to be thinned, the thinnings are delicious when added to salads.
Strawberries are a great crop for growing in containers from patio tubs to hanging baskets providing they are given enough water, so why not consider planting up some pots for the patio now? There is a lot to sow this month and with many crops you can sow one set and then a few weeks later resow to give you a succession of fresh vegetables at the peak of perfection. The other cultivation job outdoors this month is to thin out. We sow our carrots and parsnips and it seems a shame to remove seedlings we were so happy to see appear but it needs to be done. Don't forget the slugs are about, if you find an entire row of seedlings have vanished overnight you can bet it was slugs. With your carrots, covering with a fleece and ensuring the edges are buried will stop the carrot root fly from gaining entry to lay eggs by your carrots. The eggs hatch in larvae that burrow into the carrot root, killing the plant or at least spoiling the crop.
â?Ż Sow now... Runner, dwarf, climbing beans, courgettes, marrows, squashes, lettuces, chicory, radicchio, carrots, radish, coriander, kale, parsley, summer and winter cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, spring onions, salad leaves, melons, cucumbers, sweetcorn, beetroot, Swiss chard, Swedes, turnips, sage, thyme, basil, coriander
â?Ż Plant now... Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, celery, celeriac, pot-grown cane fruit, strawberries.
Carrots
Sow: Early spring onwards 2 inches apart. Soil: To produce the best crop possible, double-dig your planting area or build up a raised bed. Loose, rock-free soil is the goal. If you have heavy soil, add plenty of mature compost. Sun: Full sun or light shade. Grow: Weed regularly, and don't overwater. Harvest: Dusting back the soil around the plant's base will show you how thick the carrots are. Ease out of the soil using a hand fork. Problems: One of the main threats to your carrot crop comes from carrot fly. This pest is drawn to the carrots by the smell of crushed foliage, so reduce the risk of an attack by thinning plants in the evening on a still day, removing any thinnings and watering afterwards. Carrot fly are also low-flying insects: erecting a 'wind-break' style shield around a crop will also help deter these pests. Growing in raised beds or pots is also an option.
First published in the 1940’s (c) Express Newspapers these extracts may contain suggestions involving the use of chemicals and other substances now known to be dangerous and/or harmful. These extracts are provided for interest only and readers should seek up to date guidance on anything they intend to put into practice. We disclaim any liability arising from any misuse of the information contained in these snippets.
Backdraft Things you might have missed...
Breaking news, events and happenings you might have missed last month.
In 2007 the BBC broadcast an adaptation of an Alan Hunter crime novel, 'Gently Go Man', under the title George Gently with the role of George Gently played by Martin Shaw. The series differ markedly from the books, being set in Northumberland and Durham rather than in Norfolk, where the original stories were set. Hunter said "these are detective stories, but not a ‘whodunit’. Their aim is to give a picture of a police investigator slowly building up his knowledge of a crime to a point, not where he knows who did it -both you and he know that at a fairly early stage- but to a point where he can bring a charge which will convince the jury."
Gently by the sea... Chart-topping star Pixie Lott joined the cast of the BBC1 drama Inspector George Gently last month as they filmed on Saltburn beach. The singer plays a holiday camp entertainer in a feature-length episode for the detective drama series, which stars Martin Shaw as the title character. For her appearance in the show, set in 1969, she plays Megan, a worker at the Blue Bird holiday camp. Producer Matthew Bird said: "Pixie is very excited about joining the cast and we are delighted that she is making her TV acting debut in Inspector George Gently - we know she will bring something very special to the role." Written by Jess Williams, this feature-length episode, the second in a series of four, takes Gently and Bacchus to a family holiday camp to
investigate staff and holidaymakers when the body of one of the entertainers is washed up nearby. The colourful inmates of the holiday camp, from the flamboyant owner and his sister, to the chalet girls, performers, lifeguards and guests, throw the investigation sideways as Gently and Bacchus uncover a story of jealousy, ambition and the dark underbelly of the permissive society. Producer Matthew Bird said Saltburn was “ideal” for the show. "This is a beautiful landscape here," he added. "That’s why we picked it - for something set in 1969, it’s a great location." Pixie Lott said: "I love the fact that Inspector George Gently is a period drama set in the Sixties. It is great to be filming in the North East, and playing a role that gives me a real feel for the period." During the filming, when asked what she thought about Saltburn, her response was simply, "Wet, sandy and cold," - hardly surprising when the series kicks off with a dead body washed up on the beach and you're it!
Local Notes... Gently by the sea... April saw a body on the beach at Saltburn and police flooding the area. However there was no need to panic - it was all part of the filming for television period drama series Inspector George Gently. Filming took place on the cliffs, the beach and around Saltburn pier with the star of the series, Martin Shaw investigating. This is not the first time a body has turned up on the beach however. Saltburn has experienced a number of deaths by drowning in its long history including the tragic accident of 16 year old John Conyers Trotter as reported here from The Northern Echo, Thursday September 11th 1879. FATAL BATHING ACCIDENT AT SALTBURN A young gentleman named John Conyers Trotter, sixteen years of age, son of Mr Trotter, solicitor, of Stockton, met his death yesterday morning whilst bathing from the beach at Saltburn. The circumstances connected with the sad affair are of a most painful character. Mr Trotter removed to Saltburn, and took up his residence at the villa formerly occupied by Mr W Whitwell, J.P. overlooking Hazelgrove and the magnificent stretch of sands between Saltburn and Redcar. On his sons coming home from school three or four weeks ago on their summer holiday they took keenly to bathing and put off almost daily from the machines of Mr Pitchforth in front of Hazelgrove. Yesterday morning they were out earlier than usual, having left their father's house a little before seven o'clock; and William Houghton Trotter, Charles Gordon Trotter and the deceased, who was the eldest, undressed, left their clothes on the sands, and immediately entered the water. The tide was rising, and, the sea being rough, William and Charles were not long in coming out. As Charles was leaving he got into a hole, and was in danger of sinking, when the deceased came to his assistance and took him out. The deceased, evidently with the intension to have some more swimming exercise, returned to the water, and shortly afterwards suddenly disappeared. The belief of those who know the place is that he had got in another treacherous hole, and in rising had been struck by a breaker. The alarm was instantly raised, but although a boat was at once launched nothing could be seen of the deceased. One of the brothers having run home with the sad news, Mrs Trotter was immediately on the sands, and whilst almost beside herself at the loss of her eldest son, had to be forcibly removed by her servants. Mr Tuck, chief of the coastguard at Saltburn, the officers under him, and Chief Officer Kenyon, of the Saltburn police, were soon on the spot, and with others spent all morning in a fruitless search for the body. About three o'clock in the afternoon the body of the deceased was observed by one of the coastguardsmen, named Long, to wash up under Huntcliffe, at a point known as 'penny hole,' and it was removed without delay to his father's residence. The inquest will be held today.
The inquest was held on the Thurday afternoon at the Zetland Hotel before Mr Arthur Buchannan, coroner. Mr John Trotter, the father of the deceased, had been away from home and was recalled from Doncaster by a telegram. At the inquest he stated that his son John was able to swim but was not rash in his bathing. He had been at school at Marlborough and during his time at home for the holidays he had bathed every day except Sundays. The boys were not in the habit of using the bathing machines but always bathed in the locality in which they were bathing on the Wednesday The two brothers confirmed that they were used to bathing in the area in front of Hazelgrove where they were living, at a place about a hundred yards from the bathing machines. They said that no one was bathing from the machines at that time and the boat wasn't out. William said that the sea was rough that morning and the tide was coming in but they all went in together. William also told the coroner that there was a hole near where they bathed where the drains ran in but they thought they were far enough away from the hole to avoid trouble. However, he said the current was strong and that he himself had been surprised by a hole and taken out of his depth. He had shouted out to his brothers to try to warn them. John had shouted something back but he had not been able to hear what he said and that he last saw his brother holding up his hands before he went down. Henry Long, the coastguardsman stationed at Saltburn, informed the coroner that he had been on duty on that Wednesday afternoon when he saw, by means of a glass, something floating in the water near Cranedale, at the side of Huntcliffe Point. He then ran down and found the body floating in three or four feet of water. He said he got the body out and, with help, took it to Mr Trotters house. He also informed the jury that he had been at Saltburn three or four years and was well aquainted with the condition of the beach and currents. He said that in some places near the mouth of the sewer the beach was full of holes but that these were caused by the tides and winds and not caused by the sewer itself. He also expressed the opinion that, as the sewer was only visible at low water mark, and the tide would be high at ten o'clock, the boys could not have been swimming so far out as to be near the mouth of the sewer and it could not have been the cause of the accident. The jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict that the deceased had accidentally drowned whilst bathing.
Snippets
On this day in May... 1st - 1851, the Great Exhibition opens to wide acclaim in the Crystal Palace in London. Inside the giant glassand-iron hall designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, more than 10,000 exhibitors set up eight miles of tables. 2nd - 1982 The Argentinean warship 'General Belgrano' is sunk by the British submarine HMS 'Conqueror'. 3rd - 1926 The only General Strike in British history begins over fears of pay cuts and increased working hours. 4th - 1859 The Cornwall Railway opens across the Royal Albert Bridge linking the counties of Cornwall and Devon. 5th - 1821 Former emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, dies in exile on the South Atlantic island of St Helena. 6th - 1954 British athlete Roger Bannister becomes the first man to run a mile in under four minutes, in Oxford. 7th - 1429 The English siege of Orleans is broken by Joan of Arc. 8th -1660 Parliament proclaims Charles II king of England, restoring the monarchy after more than a decade. 9th - 1671 Thomas Blood, an Irish adventurer better known as "Captain Blood," is captured attempting to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. 10th - 1893 The United States Supreme Court ruled that the tomato was a vegetable and not a fruit. 11th - 1812 Waltz introduced into English ballrooms. Most observers consider it disgusting & immoral. No wonder it caught on! 12th - 1926 The only General Strike in British history fizzles to an end after nine days, but the miners stay out. 13th - 1787 The 'First Fleet' of 11 ships carrying convicts sets sail for Australia, where it will set up the first penal colony at Botany Bay. 14th - 1796 Edward Jenner, an English country doctor from Gloucestershire, administers the world's first vaccination as a preventive treatment for smallpox. 15th - 1649 The 'Rump Parliament' under Oliver Cromwell declares England a 'commonwealth' or free state. 16th - 1943 The 'Dambusters Raid' by the RAF's elite 617 Squadron breaches two huge dams in Germany's Ruhr valley.
The Great Exhibition was opened on 1st May 1851 and it came to end on 15th October 1851. Organised by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, the main aim of The Great Exhibition was for Great Britain to show off, demonstrating its inventiveness and modern industrial designs and ideas to the rest of the world. Over 6 million people visited the Great Exhibition. It was a massive success and the money it raised was used to set up the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Over 100,000 objects were on display in The Crystal Palace – half of these were from Britain. The Crystal Palace featured the first public toilet cubicles. The inventor of these, George Jennings, charged a penny. This is where the expression ‘spend a penny’ comes from.
Edward Jenner was the first doctor to vaccinate people against smallpox, a disease which killed thousands each year. Jenner experimented with cowpox. He asked a dairymaid named Sarah Nelmes to help. Sarah had had cowpox. She'd caught it from a cow named Blossom. Jenner took a little cowpox pus from sores on her arm. Then he made a small cut on the skin of an 8-year-old boy, James Phipps. He smeared the pus into the cut. This was the first vaccination. James Phipps caught cowpox. Eight weeks later, Jenner gave James a mild dose of smallpox, by inoculation. He waited to see if James got sick. However, James did not get sick, the 'vaccine' worked.
17th - 1865 Thomas Cook begins conducted tours to the continent - the first overseas 'package holiday'. 18th - 1991 Helen Sharman becomes the first Briton in space, as a passenger aboard the Soviet Soyuz TM-12. 19th - 1536 Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, is executed on probably fabricated charges of adultery and incest. 20th - 1932 Amelia Earhart leaves Newfoundland to become the first woman to fly solo across Atlantic. 21st - 1916 Britain begins "Summer Time" (Daylight Savings Time). 22nd - 1455 The Wars of the Roses begin with Richard of York's victory at the Battle of St Albans. 23rd - 1701 The notorious pirate William Kidd is hanged in London (at the second attempt) for piracy and murder. 24th - 1844 Samuel Morse taps out "What hath God wrought" (1st telegraph message). 25th - 1660 King Charles II landed at Dover on his way to London to secure the throne after the restoration of the Monarchy. 26th - 1868 The last public execution in Britain - the hanging of murderer Michael Barrett - takes place at Newgate. 27th - 1941 The German battleship 'Bismark' is sunk by the Royal Navy, with only 110 survivors from its 2,192 crew. 28th - 1588 The Spanish Aramada set sail from Lisbon to invade England. 29th - 1953 Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first men to climb Everest, the world's highest mountain. 30th - 1881 Death of Henry Pease, founding father of Saltburn by the Sea. 31st - 1859 Big Ben rings out over the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, for the first time.
In 1841 Thomas Cook had the idea of arranging an eleven-mile rail excursion from Leicester to a Temperance Society meeting in Loughborough on the newly extended Midland Railway. Cook charged his customers one shilling which included the cost of the rail ticket and the food on the journey. The venture was a great success and Cook decided to start his own business running rail excursions. In 1845 he organised a trip to Liverpool. Not only did he provide tickets at low prices he also published a handbook of the journey which was a forerunner of the modern holiday brochure. By the end of 1850 he was persuaded to offer cheap railway excursions bringing workers from Yorkshire and the Midlands to London for the Great Exhibition of 1851. In 1855 an International Exhibition was held in Paris for the first time and Thomas seized an opportunity which opened up the way for a grand circular tour to include Brussels, Cologne, the Rhine, Heidelberg, Baden-Baden, Strasbourg and Paris, returning to London via Le Havre or Dieppe. By this route Thomas escorted his first tourists to Europe and the foreign package tour had been born.
On the morning of 19th May 1536 Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII, climbed the steps of the scaffold where the expensive French executioner swung his sword and "divided her neck at a blow." The woman for whom Henry had waited seven long years to marry, for whom he eventually abandoned his wife of 24 years, lost her head on the block just three years after her marriage. Her death remains one of the great mysteries of British history. Charged with adultery, incest and conspiring the kings death, to this day historians still cannot agree on the reasons why Anne had to die. Evidence is limited but there is still enough to support a variety of different conclusions. There are a number of undisputed facts which led to Anne, her brother and four courtiers from the kings privy chamber being found guilty adultery and of high treason, but what could explain this rapid turn of events? One answer, quite simply, is that she was guilty of the charges against her although there is insufficient evidence to prove either guilt or innocence definitively. The key piece of evidence was undoubtably that of Mark Smeaton's confession of being intimate with the queen on three occasions. Though probably obtained under torture, and highly unlikely, he never retracted it. However it did serve to taint all further evidence with a presumption of guilt. Further evidence of Anne's guilt is unclear the trial documents do not survive and many of the charges telating to adulterous liasons can be diiscredited, even 500 years later. Certainly Anne herself maintained her innocence, swearing on the 'peril of her soul's damnation' on the night preceeding her execution, both before and after receiving the Eucharist - a serious act in that age. Was Anne a victim of a conspiracy by Thomas Cromwell and a court faction involving the Seymours? This requires the view that Henry was a pliable king who could be manipulated. And why, after being allies, did Anne and Cromwell fall out? Did Anne's proud and abrasive character soon became intolerable to her husband? Again, this alone seems unlikely. Ultimately, charged with treason, it seems likely that the evidence used to demonstrate her guilt - a reckless, conversation of courtly love between herself Norris (you lok for ded men's showys) - in a time when even imagining the death of the king was treasonous, proved fatal and was the real reason for Anne's fall.
Henry Pease This month is the 206th birthday of Henry Pease, (1807 -1881) founder of Saltburn. He is buried in the Friends Burial Ground, off Skinnergate in Darlington, behind the Friends Meeting House. This tranquil area has been in use as a graveyard since the 17th century and is estimated to contain around 1000 burials.
He is buried, with his second wife Mary, alongside his father, brother and other family members.
The Leeds Mercury, Tuesday 31st May 1881 announces the death of Henry Pease who died at 5.50pm the previous evening. We regret to record that Mr Henry Pease, of Pierremont, Darlington and Stanhope Castle, died at his residence, 23, Finsbury-square, London, last night. He was seized with illness about a fortnight ago, and has gradually been sinking since. He died very calmly. Mrs Pease and all the members of the family were present. Mr Henry Pease was born on the 4th May 1807. His first wife was Miss Anna Fell, who died in 1839. In 1859 Mr Pease was married a second time to Miss Mary Lloyd of Birmingham. Mr Henry Fell Pease was the only issue of the first marriage. From the second marriage there are three sons and two daughters. Mr Henry Pease was the only surviving son of Mr Edward Pease, who projected the first railway - the Stockton and Darlington - his elder brother, the renowned Joseph Pease, having died in 1872, and Mr John Pease, the other surviving brother, a year or two previously. Mr Henry Pease was therefore the last of the older portion of the family who saw the introduction of the railways under the fostering care of their enterprising father, supplemented by the mechanical and inventive genius of George Stephenson. Mr Pease was in his eighteenth year when the Stockton and Darlington line was opened in 1825, and had just left his apprenticeship, having been placed in a large tannery establishment in Darlington. He never, however, followed this business, but at a very early age took an active part in connection with the railway. Mr Pease was, in fact, down to the time of his death, the only active railwayman still living who was engaged in the earliest times of railway management. He was in at the birth of railways, having ridden in the first railway carriage, and was an object of interest at the railway jubilee, held at Darlington in
 
Daffodils
A guide to help visitors locate some of the graves of the prominent members of Darlington's Quaker families, along with a map which can be downloaded, can be found here: h t t p : / / w w w. a b o u t d a r l i n g t o n . c o . u k / friends_burial_ground.htm
1875, on this account, and because also of the name he bore, and his connection with the past generation of railway pioneers. The deceased gentleman was especially identified with the conception and carrying out of the scheme of taking a line of railway from Barnard Castle to Tebay over Stainmoor. This line, which was called the South Durham and Lancashire Union Railway presented great engineering difficulties. ... Mr Pease was also the means of extending the railway in another direction, viz., from Redcar to Saltburn-by-the-Sea. He may, in fact, be truly stated to be the father of Saltburn as it is now known, there being previously but a few fishermen's houses. ... Mr Pease was a general favourite with all who knew him. He was ever courteous; of unruffled temper, and possessed an essentially genial and kindly nature, and commanded respect from those who differed from as well as those who sympathised with his views. The deceased gentleman was an unusually tall and well-built figure - he must have been three or four inches over six feet in height ... He will long be remembered, no less on this account, than for his kindly, considerate and charitable disposition, and the leading part he took in all the great enterprises of his time in the South Durham and Cleveland district. Mr Pease's illness had occasioned the most widespread sympathy, and great interest was daily shown in the bulletins received in Darlington as to the state of his health. ... Mr Pease, as was his wont, proceeded to London about three weeks since to be present at the annual meetings at the Society of Friends and the Peace Society, in both of which he usually took a prominent part, being the president of the latter. He had been subject to some peculiar form of heart disease, which first appeared over two years ago. He recovered then. ... It is feared that the excitement which more or less attended his being in London, added to the anxiety respecting the illness of his son at Cambridge, may have caused a return of his old complaint.
Les Très Riches Heures A Spring Pageant. May Day, the first day of May, was a time to celebrate the arrival of spring. In the Middle Ages it was the custom to gather wildflowers and green branches, weave floral garlands, and dance around a Maypole. Here a group of young folk are depicted ready to set forth on a jaunt through the countryside to collect foliage.