First Published: 1948
1st published by:- Robert Hale Ltd, London, 1948
“The County Books”
Hardcover 229 pages with dustjacket
Illustrated and with a Map
size 22.3cm x 14.6cm x 2.8cm approx
weight 550g approx
Book Description:
HERE is a personal, almost an intimate book. The author feels strongly about the district where he was born and bred, and he is as unfeignedly proud of the toil-worn scars of his beloved Black Country as of the rugged grandeur of the scenery of the North. He attributes the almost abrupt independence of the people to centuries of strife with authority, and, among other things, he tells of fugitives who have found a characteristic welcome, whether they were the nameless wanderers of Prehistory or persecuted Royalty in the form of Charles II.
No attempt has been made to produce a guide book; there is no list of famous people, no catalogue of places of historical interest. Instead the author has selected facets which are of personal interest to him. He has tried to show the reasons for the reserve, which strangers find, by delving into the history of men who were hounded into the fastnesses of Cannock Chase or defended Lichfield against the bullying hordes of Cromwell. There are tales of druids and saints, and monks being driven from their monasteries. There are customs which fell into disuse centuries ago or are mere parodies of their original splendour, and others which still linger on. But this is a book by no means devoted to the past.
The true man of Stafford is inveterately attached to sport. They are still almost childishly superstitious and it is surprising to discover that there is more than a grain of reason in some of the beliefs which seem most fantastic.
The crafts of the County die almost as hard as the superstitions or dialect or sports. The author resents the intrusion of the mass produced goods, which can be imitated anywhere in the land, as bitterly as penny-in-the-slot entertainment and characterless speech. He strives to show that all that is past was not bad and that the future could be better if it would retain some of the qualities from which such individuals are fashioned.
CONTENTS:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
LANDSCAPE
EARLY HISTORY
PAGANS AND CHRISTIANS LEGENDS AND CUSTOMS
THE SPORTS THAT ARE GONE
DIALECT AND SUPERSTITIONS
THE BASIC TRADES
POTTERY AND PUBS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
GLOSSARY
INDEX
ILLUSTRATIONS
1 The Potteries
2 Thor's Cave
3 The Manifold at Wetton Mill 4 Milldale
5 Dovedale
6 Wild goats in Bagots Park
7 Coalpits in the South
8 Castle Ring
9 Tamworth Castle
I0 The Castle at Stafford
11 Queen Mary's Tower, Tutbury
12 Essex Bridge
13 The Leek Road from Ramshaw Rocks
14 Barr Beacon
15 Cannock Chase
16 Lichfield Cathedral-the shrine of St Chad
17 Lichfield Cathedral-the famous West Door
18 Croxden Abbey
19 An imitation Gothic ruin at Mow Cop
20 John O'Gaunts Gateway at Tutbury
21 Bilston Enamelware
22 Gifford's Cross
23 Abbots Bromley
24 The Bargain Stone, Wolverhampton
25 The Horn Dance
26 Big Jack's Cottage
27 Men still take their dogs to work
28 Whippet Racing
29 "A quiet sport" The gamebirds loved by Billy Tip 30 Pigeon Racing
31 A fishing contest in the 'cut'
32 The Packhorse Bridge at Milldale
33 Big Gatne trophies in the Tithe Barn at Little Wyrley Hall
34 The Trent at Trentham Gardens
35 The Manifold at Ilam Hall
36 Russell lupins at Codsall
37 Blithfield Hall, the home of Lord Bagot
38 Modern steel production
39 Jubilee Pit at West Bromwich
40 Watt's First Condensing Engine built in 1777 41 A Canal Reservoir at Norton Pool
42 Surface coal
43 The temporary houses of World War I at Wyrley 44 Country near U ttoxeter
45 Leather shaving machines
46 A Craftsman forging heavy chain
47 Trotting ponies at Wisemore
48 The last of the Cottage Industries
49 "The 'boozer' that I use is Mallen's"
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
MY sincere thanks are due to the many Staffordshire people who have co-operated unstintingly in my quest for knowledge about themselves and their ancestors; to those who have allowed me access to their homes and lands; to my friends who have made no objection to their names and affairs being committed to cold print. I am especially grateful to my friend Professor A. A. Forsyth M.R.C.V.S. D.V.S.M. for his laborious correction of the proofs and to my wife for her tireless help and encouragement. P.D.
ASIN : B0007J3TR0
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Drabble
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/staffordshire/6922526.stm
