Slimbridge Turned Upside Down
After the Civil War At Slimbridge Waste A ragged band they called the Diggers came to settle with good haste, They defied the landlords They defied the laws They were the dispossessed reclaiming what was theirs We come in peace they said to dig and sow We come...
The East India Company
The information boards at Chalford intrigue, Because of the lack of information: At Chalford Vale and along the canal, We are told about the local links With the East India Company, But we are not told about the practice Of the East India Company; The information...
The Cragg Vale Coiners
Does the story of the Cragg Vale Coiners Remind you of the moral economy – Back in the 18th century when Citizens would register anger At unjust wages and unfair prices, With protests, demonstrations, gatherings, Rioting, strikes, and beating pots and pans, In a...
The Moral Economy
Remember the moral economy? Back in the 18th century when Citizens would register anger At unjust wages and unfair prices With protests, demonstrations, gatherings, Rioting, strikes, and beating pots and pans In a cacophony of rough music, With carnival skimmington...
Toll Houses and Turnpike Gates
Toll Houses and Turnpike Gates There’s no rhyme or reason in my turnpike, Toll house and mile post investigations, I just walk or ride out on a whim, But recording rather than re-imagining the past, Just like a true old school antiquarian – Armed with my 1967...
Chartism and Voting 1839-2024
(With thanks to Deborah Roberts for the memories above from our tribute to the Chartist meeting at Selsley in 1839) Getting the Right to Vote Wasn’t Easy An Easy Guide to this History In 1819, in Manchester, a perfectly legal peaceful meeting of over 60,000...