History

The Mysterious Captain Brocklehurst 'General Gordon's Unknown Aide' (price 9.99)

This work talks about the life of Major-General John Fielden Brocklehurst Lord Ranksborough 1852-1921. More than 120 years after the fall of Khartoum and the death of General Gordon, the private papers of John Brocklehurst, published here for the first time, reveal new facts and a fresh look at the familiar story. The young cavalry officer played a pivotal part in the last eight years of Gordon's life and served in the Gordon Relief Expedition. Later, he commanded the cavalry in the siege of Ladysmith during the Boer War and as Equerry to Queen Victoria and Queen Alexandra and Lord-in-Waiting to George V he was a close friend and confidant of the British Royal Family. Diplomatic ventures with the pioneering journalist WT Stead involved him in trying to end the Boer War and save Russia from revolution. Who was the young cavalry officer who became General Gordon's companion and was responsible for persuading Gordon to undertake his final mission to Khartoum? His towering height was not matched by ambition but he rose to command a crack cavalry regiment and, without the advantages of birth or wealth became the trusted friend and confidant of two Queens of England. How did he manage so successfully to combine a position in the Royal household and work with the radical crusading journalist WT Stead on diplomatic missions to resolve the Boer War and attempt to introduce democracy to Russia before the revolution? Yet his name and adventures remain unrecorded in any of the history books of his era. For the first time we have been able to access his private papers and those of his family to reveal the hitherto unknown cavalryman who was to play such an important role behind the scenes in many of the major events of his lifetime. CONTENTS:

MORE DETAILS

cover

'Maisemore' herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle' (price 5.95)

J. J. Cridlan founded his internationally famous 'Maisemore' herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle at Maisemore Park, Gloucestershire, England, in 1898. What he achieved was truly amazing; Maisemore won more awards than any other herd of any breed in the country. This book is a history of the herd and its successes. J. J. Cridlan's famous Maisemore herd of Aberdeen Angus cattle, 'The Doddies', at Maisemore Park, Gloucestershire, England, was a success story of immense proportions. When he founded his herd in 1898, little could he have thought that such fame would come to his exhibits and that the Park would later become known as the Doddies' paradise. The herd won more Championships and King's Challenge Cups at Smithfield, Britain's premier fatstock show, than anyone else. The nearest anyone came to beating his ten championships was Queen Victoria with five wins. Maisemore cattle was exported all over the world, worth tens of thousands of pounds. In 1919, the largest contingent of the breed that ever left the shores of Great Britain from a single herd, left Maisemore for the U.S.A. Today, even after all these years, J. J. Cridlan's name is still mentioned whenever the Aberdeen Angus breed is the topic of conversation and the Prefix 'Maisemore' will forever live in the history of the breed. My interest in the herd stems from the fact that my father, Alfred Cole, was his head herdsman. He joined J. J. Cridlan from Maisemore School in 1914, at the age of fourteen. J. J. Cridlan was so impressed with my father's ability and natural affinity with the livestock, that he made him his head herdsman in 1919, at eighteen years of age; a huge responsibility. It was a position he held at the Park until 1958. The number of Champions he turned out in that time was remarkable. When I was young, I would help my father wash and prepare the cattle for the shows and go with him whenever I could get time off school.I have wonderful memories of those days and my affection for the Aberdeen Angus breed has remained with me ever since. It is written by Ken Cole and published by Nicholas Reardon of Reardon Publishing.

MORE DETAILS

cover

Rural District Nursing in Gloucestershire 1880-1925 by Carrie Howse ISBN 1873877854; 208pp paperback; £14.99

Ask anyone to name a Victorian pioneer of nursing reform and the answer will probably be, "Florence Nightingale". Few people have heard of her contemporary, Elizabeth Malleson (1828-1916), founder of the Rural Nursing Association, or realise the importance of Gloucestershire as the place where her national system of rural district nursing began.

This book describes the development of district nursing in rural Gloucestershire from the 1880s, when Elizabeth Malleson moved to the area from London. The establishment of her local charity and its expansion into a national scheme is traced to its affiliation and eventual amalgamation with Queen Victoria's Jubilee Institute for Nurses, the organisation from which today's system of district nursing has evolved. The subsequent progress of the work in Gloucestershire is then followed through the lives of and relationships between three tiers of local society: the middle and upper class ladies who devoted years of their lives to the administration and management of the rural district nursing system, entirely on a voluntary basis; the specially trained nurses who delivered the care; and the poor patients who benefited from it.

Written by an award-winning historian, this book will appeal to anyone who is interested in the history of nursing in particular, and local, social and women's history in general.

MORE DETAILS

cover

Gloucestershire Worthies(price 4.95)

cover

A History of Minsterworth(price 5.95)

cover

Along the Severn from Source to Sea (price 4.95)

From Pllynlimon to the Bristol Channel follow Chris Witts as he takes you along Britain's longest river, pointing out famous landmarks and a landscape steeped in history, the book also contains many drawings by Chris of the wonderful sights you will see as you follow in his footsteps.
MORE DETAILS

cover

Bibury (price 2.50)

This guide offers so much it is hard to begin to list its contents but to try:- Its a history book taking the reader from 720 AD to the present day, Local folklore and ghost stories haunt the pages, full descriptions upon all the attractions the village has to offer along with the history behind them, places to eat and drink, places to stay, places to shop, places open to the public all are described along with a full map of the village. The book is also full of wildlife drawings and pen and ink sketches by Cotswold artist Peter Reardon, and the colour photos by Cotswold photographer Julia Craig capture the village with the world famous Arlington Row.
MORE DETAILS

cover

Castle Combe (price 2.50)

Cover Photography by Philip Pierce PROVINCIAL PICTURES Bath Familiar around the world on post cards, calendars, chocolate boxes, Castle Combe is the Archetypal English village. Text is all hand drawn and set around wonderful line drawings of this famous village.
MORE DETAILS

cover

Discovering Bath (price 5.95)

For the two million people who visit Bath each year the City needs no introduction. Or does it? visitors from around the world flock to see the magnificent Georgian terraces, the ancient Roman Baths, the extra-ordinary range of delightful shops, and the restaurants.

Paul Snowdon's love of Bath and its history comes alive with this unique little book which has over 100 detailed illustrations and maps, each with a hand written commentary and linked together to focus on the various famous aspects of this great city be it the Abbey, the Canal, the Baths, Pierrepont St etc..
MORE DETAILS

cover

Rivers Villages and Valleys (price 5.95)

Discover the wonderful area of countryside to the South of Bristol and Bath with this hand illustrated guide to the Towns, Villages and Hamlets that fill the Valleys of North East Somerset
MORE DETAILS

cover

Bourton on the Water illustrated Guide (price 2.95)

This is no ordinary book; it is a labour of love, a guide book to one of the Cotswolds most beautiful villages, scribed entirely by hand.

In sixty three illustrations, amateur Cotswold artist Paul Snowdon guides us through the geography, history and attractions of Bourton on the Water.

Through the eyes of an illustrator we see the forces which created this riverside village right through to the modern day tourist venues. All interspersed with memorable views of the river its bridges, and the wide, busy High Street.

In these days of computers, digital art and word processors, a guide book created entirely by the hand of an enthusiastic artist seems wonderfully fitting in beautiful Bourton.
MORE DETAILS

cover

Warwalks "Stop Line Green" (price 4.95)

History, Photographs and Walks around the World War 11 defenses, Pill boxes and Anti Tank bollards from Gloucester to the South of Bristol.

Stop Line Green was one of the major defenses against land invasion during the 1940's
MORE DETAILS

cover

The Cheltenham Experience (price 4.95)

This town guide not only shows you around this wonderful Spa Town but also entertains with the hidden history behind what a modern visitor can see.

Illustrated by Cotswold Artist Peter Reardon, Town Quiz, Map of the Town Centre and 5 spur maps. A must for anyone visiting Cheltenham Spa
MORE DETAILS

cover

The Cirencester Experience (price 4.95)

This town guide not only shows you around this Roman Town but also entertains with the hidden history behind what a modern visitor can see.

illustrated by Cotswold Artist Peter Reardon Town Quiz Map of the Town Centre and 3 spur maps. A must for anyone wishing to explore this Roman town.
MORE DETAILS

cover

The Cirencester Experience (price 9.99)

This boxed town guide not only shows you around this Roman Town but you can lisen to the history behind what a modern visitor can see by tape with comes with a town history booklet.
MORE DETAILS

cover

Emma Dent Diary (price 3.95)

I have often thought how much I would like to keep a journal of my every day life in England.

INTRODUCTION by LADY ASHCOMBE

Emma Dent's presence began to assert itself almost as soon as I took over responsibility of Sudeley Castle in the early 1970's. Everywhere I looked there was nothing this extraordinary woman had not had a hand in. Her achievements at Sudeley and in Winchcombe and its environs left a daunting and salutary example of Victorian philanthropy. My image of her was a stern arid intimidating matriarch. It was not until years later, when I discovered her diaries that a softer, more intriguing truth was revealed. Here was a woman with a wry sense of humour, a deep enduring love for her husband and a fiercely unconvential streak. Often alone and suffering from an oppressive sense of duty, she seemed happiest when travelling.

Besides her diaries a wealth of personal items, scrapbooks and trunks full of lace and needlework remained tucked away in the old 'Long Room', (where the exhibition is now housed) unexplored for three-quarters of a century. I felt an interesting tribute to Emma's life at Sudeley could be created from this odd assortment of memorabilia

MORE DETAILS

cover

Cotswold Romance (price 4.95)

by Phillis (Collett) Tyler

Cover design by Nicholas Reardon.

cover

Railway Walks (price 4.95)

Abandoned railway lines can offer rewarding walks through the heart of the countryside, away from roads and traffic, rich in flora and faunaand littered with dramatic examples of Victorian civil engineering. In short, there is something to the taste of the routine walker and the rainlway enthusiast.

For either type they are best done twice, once in summer and once in winter. The summer will show what grows where the plow and the sprayer to not go, while the winter will show the detail of what was built, well over a century ago. This book features walks throughout Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire.

CONTENTS: The Midland and South Western Junction railway - Withington station - South Cerney station - the Cirencester Branch line - the Malmesbury Branch line - the Tetbury Branch line - the Marlborough Branch line - the Tidworth Branch line - the Nailsworth Branch line - the Calne Branch line - the Highworth Branch line - the Fairford Branch line - the Dursley Branch line
MORE DETAILS

cover

Victorian Elver wars (price 5.95)

Transparent, threadlike, tiny flecks - the baby eel or 'elver' has annually wriggled its way to the shores of Britain ever since the retreating ice ages shaped these Islands we know today. For centuries past, the little elver gushed upwards into the Bristol Channel and onwards along the Severn and its tributaries; the springtime arrival eagerly awaited by the Severnside populations anticipating a harvest, that gave both nourishment and a little ale money from sales. Then unexpectedly; in the last quarter of the nineteenth century a law was passed prohibiting fishing for the 'elver' on the lower Severn. This law came out of the blue - nobody had ever interfered with the ordinary person's right to fish the elver before. Looking back over three centuries, the imposition of such a law in those far off times seems a very unlikely scenario, (elver abundance is naturally assumed). But to the 19th century perspectives of the newly formed 'Severn Fisheries Board' and its membership 'The Board of Conservators' things were viewed altogether differently. These 'conservators' took their responsibilities very seriously, and the attention of the Worcester conservators in particular, were drawn to a perceived problem, that seemingly prevented the elvers en masse arrival further upriver, and in wider terms, threatened the very survival of the animal itself. The villain of the piece was the City of Gloucester no less. By the 1870's, Gloucester was no longer an old market town but had metamorphosed into an industrial City. Many of the urban population lived within the old city boundaries close to the Severn - they were for the most part poor, with large families to feed. The little elver did not go unnoticed, and in the spring was eagerly sought by the burgeoning west end populous. In response to these developments, and in the year 1874, 'The Severn Fisheries Board' imposed a ban on elvering along the lower Severn. The prohibition brought unexpected resistance - and in its wake sucked the Gloucester judiciary, and politicians into a politically damaging 'vote losing issue' - in the process driving a wedge between Worcester and Gloucester conservators. By June 1876, a three day inquiry was held at Gloucester and then Worcester to look into the 'elver question'. A subsequent report recommending lifting the ban, but the Gloucester and Worcester MP's now split into opposing camps, began to argue as to what form the new law should take. Horse trading dragged on in Parliament until late July, 1876 before agreement was finally reached, and conditional elvering was once more permitted. I started out writing "Time of Trial" with a distinct bias against 'The Severn Fisheries Board ' - and I intended to base this story around 'ordinary people' standing up against the power of these who would arbitrarily impose such laws. However; upon reading the evidence given in the Gloucester and Worcester Inquiries of 1876, I found myself becoming less sure of my original position - and rather reluctantly, I became somewhat more sympathetic to the 'Worcester Board of Conservators', than I had originally intended to be. I have fully documented the main points and referenced my sources. The reader is invited to judge for themselves, as to the validity of this remarkable early attempt to conserve a species of fish, and the uproar that followed. This story is all the more pertinent, as today; the year-on-year quantity of elvers caught in the Severn diminishes steadily, whilst 'officialdom' remains complacent as to the fate of this extraordinary animal.
MORE DETAILS

cover

A Cotswold Way of Life

cover

Minsterworth in old Photgraphs

cover