Author Archives: ActonBooks

Between the lines

Posted on June 18, 2018

In 1864 a Cambridge gentleman farmer and agricultural scientist, Philip Howard Frere by name, wrote up his experiments in feeding various combinations of fodder. He shared with the readers of the Journal of the Bath and West of England Society … Continue reading →

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Women fitter both to rule and write

Posted on June 12, 2018

“Cave” and “Aladdin’s”, not words you associate with a place to park your car. But let he (or she) who has not turned their garage into a room for the temporarily unloved and yet too precious to be parted with, … Continue reading →

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Consequences; January 1812

Posted on May 7, 2018
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“He had no debt, no creditor”

Posted on April 11, 2018

There is a time when ‘principles’ become not a good thing but an obsession. Like jealousy or revenge, stubborn adherence to ‘principles’ taken to a point where they are self-harming can erode the mind. This old man does not sound … Continue reading →

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Sailing too close to the wind

Posted on February 22, 2018

Eupion Oil is slippery stuff. It’s one of many hydrocarbons bearing classical sounding names that they could so easily be diaphanously-clad minor spirits partying with old Zeus disguised as a bull. Not wishing to sound like a Tom Lehrer tribute … Continue reading →

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Climate change by any other name

Posted on February 1, 2018

Global warming started early — 1869 in fact — but our foolhardy ancestors denied the obvious signs of climate change… 

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Feelin’ alright? Not Feelin’ too Good Myself

Posted on January 25, 2018

Ailments can so easily be politicised. Where there is any kind of pain or suffering, weasel politicians smelling blood gravitate to the scene like the hyenas you always knew they were. It was so back in history when the British … Continue reading →

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This time it’s the gabby cabby

Posted on January 7, 2018

By coincidence another cab-related case from 1862 that I just had to share. This time it seems as if the boot is on the other foot. There is more than a hint of irony that after driving like a crazy … Continue reading →

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It’s the rich wot gets the pleasure

Posted on January 6, 2018

And the poor knew their place. This is the story from the Bow St Magistrate’s Court in 1862. It’s the tale of a cheapo toff who was embarrassed when a short-changed cabby chased him and shouted at him in the … Continue reading →

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Let them eat paint!

Posted on December 21, 2017

Around the end of the Napoleonic War, there was a rich gentleman on business in the West Country. As he was rich, he stayed in a nice hotel.  He liked a snack for his supper if he arrived back from … Continue reading →

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