LIFE IN A BERKSHIRE VILLAGE 1819-1919
What was life really like in days gone by and what did local
people gossip about after church or in the alehouse? As today, the news and scandal centred on
local crimes, personal disasters and the external changes that would affect
lives. This book features some of the untold
stories of the people and events concerned.
Over 100 years, they range from the spat between the vicar
and his clerk in 1819, to the decimation of local men in the Great War that
formally ended in 1919. Some of those
who committed crimes were desperate, such as the family where all four sons
offended, while other sinners were more a source of tittle-tattle, such as the
curate who was the godson of the King of Prussia, committed adultery with the
schoolmistress, and absconded from the village after running up gambling debts.
Most of the crime was minor, but the village also saw
assault, rape, arson, infanticide and manslaughter. Even more common was the personal tragedy
arising from sudden death, whether by disease, accident or suicide. Villagers also had to cope with major change
through agricultural reform, the coming of the railway, the building of the
lunatic asylum and the rise of democracy.
All these events are related through the stories of our
predecessors, many of whom lived and worked in the streets and buildings that
we still see today. Full of references
to local people and landmarks, this book will enrich your understanding of
Cholsey’s history and change the way that you view the locality.
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