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por 1 1864 the Arlidge medical report.

£4.00

This government report is a major contribution to the health issues of the times and the state of the potteries. A huge contribution to the social and health issues of the potteries and the industrial illnesses and deaths as a result of the time.

On the Sanitary State of the Staffordshire Potteries, with especial reference to that of the Potters as a class, their Mortality, and the Diseases ;prevalent among them. By J. T. Arlidge, M.J3. and A.13 Lond., M.K.C.P. Lond., Senior Physician to the ‘North Staffordshire Infirmary, formerly Physician to the West London Hospital,

Great help to Humanities students and social working conditions.

Report PDF Fifteen Pages

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per 2 The Winter of 1962 – vivid memories of the Big Freeze.

£2.00

Guess winters have now changed from when I was a boy and I recall vividly in 1967, memories of the freeze that lasted for six weeks. Most of all I recall the experience of walking across Trentham Lake with a friend along with many other people and also watching skaters doing their stuff. Followed by a hot drink in the Ball Room cafeteria. Probably will never happen again, even if it does with H & S no one would be allowed to get onto the ice. Never happen again with global warming making this a worthwhile contribution to the history of the UK.

Two Pages

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per 1 Christmas in the workhouse. Were children as victims of the misfortune?

£3.00

An article compiled from factual information on how Christmas was celebrated in the two potteries workhouses, one Stoke upon Trent, and Wolstanton and Burslem situated at Chell. Yet another great contribution in social history.

four x A4 pages

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pen 1 Penkhull Cottage Homes – A full and moving account of life.

£6.00

This contribution is a full account of the history of what was known as Penkhull Children’s Homes situated off Newcastle Lane in Penkhull dating from the early 19^th century. The first reference of a cottage home records the pressing need for home for children away from the workhouse community which was not conducive to a good upbringing for young children. It covers every aspect of home life, from accommodation, punishment, food, education, religious worship, birthdays, Christmas, V E Day celebrations, Muster Community Hall, brass bands and their importance, and lastly what happened to the children when they reached sixteen years of age. It’s a huge contribution to social history, never previously attempted in North Staffs being the children’s largest home in the area.

Thirty-two x A4 pages and pictures

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mou 2 The Mount, a history of the home built by Josiah Spode.

£5.00

The history of the new family home of Josiah Spode II, The Mount built in Penkhull in 1808 and still stands as a testament to his wealth of a potter. The beautiful dome covered entrance stand proud as it overlooks Clayton and Newcastle under Lyme, and importantly away from the grime and smoke from the town of Stoke, where his factory stood and contributed to the serious issue of pollution of the area.

This is a comprehensive history, covering many documents, photographs, sales documents and contents as well as details of the Mount Farm and the importance of its location. From the death of Spode in 1827 the story continues with the number of tenants who occupied the home from pottery manufactures, a girls posh finishing school, a home to one of Stoke on Trent leading solicitor Mr. Frederick Bishop who sold of much of the land. A huge amount of original research has gone into this over a long period of time and is a much-valued contribution both to the social and economic history of the area but to the important development of Penkhull itself from around the 1870s.

twenty four pahes including phiotographs

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mou 1 Girls Finishing School at The Mount.

£2.00

The 1851 census provides and unique account Mrs Allbut’s Ladies Finishing School which occupied the Mount from that date. Again, much material has been un-earthed to capture and provide an insight of its development; problem with having a son in a female institution; fees; lessons taught and where the ladies came from – one even from Calcutta. A great contribution to the history of the largest house in the district and a good product to stimulate discussion is schools or colleges. Three x A4 printed pages.

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mis 30 The Barracks at Newcastle started as a militia stores.

£3.00

Origins of this old building, the Newcastle under Lyme Barracks is reminiscent of a buy-gone age and remains much as it was when built. The first mention of significance is found in Keates Directory of 1882/3, nearly thirty years after the date that it states the barracks were built – 1855. An opening of a donation list commenced with the donation of £100 from the North Staffordshire Colliery Proprietors followed by numerous pottery owners and people of importance totalling twenty-eight who donated a total of £595, a huge amount in 1842.

Moving on in 1881, there were eleven resident families under the leadership of Sergeant Major William Dickinson, 3^rd Staffordshire Militia, aged forty-nine, and his wife Mary aged forty-three occupied No.1 The Barracks. They had four children, the eldest was James aged fourteen, a tailor’s apprentice in the town. There were two families with five children, Joseph Payne, aged forty-three, Colour Sergeant 3rd Staffordshire Militia, and his wife Jane and five children aged from ten months to eight years. The second was John Walton, Colour Sergeant 3rd Staffordshire Militia, aged forty-two and his wife Jane aged thirty-five. Their children were aged from one year to 13 years of age.

Its a facinating study to read of its development from 1855 until the Militia finally left the barracks. Four pages long and a facinating read of an important feature of the town of Newcastle under Lyme.

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mis 29 Strange case shows perils of Blasphemy.

£2.00

On a typical early November morning in 1842 a group of friends and relatives stood around and open grave in St John’s churchyard, Burslem, to pay their respects to Thomas Roe, a well-known shoemaker of the town.

But this was not a typical death as it was clouded in mystery and disbelief. Whispers between mourners as to the cause of death almost beggared belief as the word ’blasphemy’ remained unspoken but rather mild in fear of the consequences.t is interesting to read the ’view upon death’ (inquest) held in Burslem three days after the funeral of Thomas Roe, especially following the 1913

As to the cause of death it was agreed that he died by the visitation of God ‘. One witness at the inquest stated that, while arguing with people in a pub he stated: 2 I would rather go to hell than to heaven. I intend to go there!” At another public house he observed:” someday the devil will come to me, and say, ‘I’m come for the now’ and I shall say to him, ‘well, I’m ready for thee!

Such remarks, it was reported, could scarcely be believed to have come from a sane mind. In the case of Roe, it was literally exemplified in the passage ‘in the midst of life we are in death’. All this was within an hour after being in the street in apparent good health. Following the enquiry, the inquest jury returned a verdict of ‘died by the visitation of God ‘- so be aware!’ 1 page.

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mis 28 When Stoke nearly lost its identity to Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1831.

£2.00

The thought of Stoke town being transferred to Newcastle in 1831 nearly happened.

The 1830s was a critical time in local and national history with Parliamentary reform top of the agenda. In March 1831, a proposal to abolish the old system of parliamentary elections and to make the voting system dependent upon a £10 per annum rental value of household property to qualify for a vote and then only for men which became the Reform Act of 1832. There was no representation of the six towns by an M.P. The Borough of Newcastle had one. Within the proposed John Russell’s Reform Bill, it empowered a commission to add populous districts such as the six towns to existing Boroughs.

Leading business men in the town including Herbert Minton thought that Stoke would prosper far more by being part of Newcastle. Boothen and Penkhull (Stoke-upon-Trent) would be transferred to the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme . A a public meeting held on April 6th 1831 in the old town hall in Hill Street.

It was first suggested that the proposal for uniting Stoke with Newcastle would be in opposition to the wishes of the Burgesses of Newcastle. The only benefit, as advocated to Stoke was that it would provide an effective police force and a local magistrate. Also, there was the advantage of the union with Newcastle. The debate continued with one speaker after another. Large numbers tried to get into the town hall, so the meeting tyransferred to a piece of aloping ground just above. One page only but worth a read to follow just what could have happened that would affected the development of Stoke on Trent as a whole.

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mis 27 Stoke Wakes – the Annual Potteries Knees-Up.

£3.00

By the 1840s the annual Wakes festival became an intrinsic part of the Potteries calendar as each town was described as “full of jollity”.

The “wake” of the Parish of Stoke in 1847 was, in reality a continual series of pleasure fares, and merrymaking, for the towns of Stoke, Fenton, Longton, Hanley and Shelton. Even by then Hanley had become the centre of attraction. Here were tents, sideshows, stalls, food, and drink outlets and shows with performances every thirty minutes with their own individual gimmicks to attract a person to spend just 2 pence.

It was until recently that it was fashionable for those considering themselves the ‘upper classes’ of society to speak of the sovereign people as the “unwashed”, but in the potteries save and except stray collier in his working dress it would be difficult to find a man, woman, or child, when from their employment, with an unwashed faces or unclean hands as they are all well dressed and scrupulously clean in their Sunday best as they promenaded around town centers and above all wanted to be seen as such. Four x A4 pages full of atmosphere.

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mis 26 Roman Stoke – the evidence explored.

£2.00

This article includes all the known ‘finds’ dating from the first century AD within the area known as Stoke-upon-Trent.

In the late 1920s and early 30s there were numerous Roman finds in the area, mostly documented by the late Thomas Pape of Newcastle. It was a further twenty years later in July 1955, when a group of volunteers excavated a series of trial holes in which Pape had worked. Two excavations were made, the first showed signs of occupation as a post hole were discovered. Adjacent to this lay a charcoal deposit, intermixed with pottery sherds and on the floor lay pottery consisting of lamp-holders, cooking pot lids, platters, flagons, and an incense burner. A crude hearth was found together with an iron poker. The pots were fashioned from local clay but at this point no kiln was unearthed. It was possible to deduce that the post holes supported a wattle and daub structure and with the profusion of potsherds, indicated a potter’s workshop. The building it would seem had been burnt to the ground suggesting a sudden vacation of the site perhaps the rebellion of Boudicca (A.D.61) demanding the return of all Roman outposts. Two x A4 pages and photographs.