The History and Directory of Walsall - Couverture rigide

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0946652171 ISBN 13 : 9780946652174

Synopsis

Thomas Pearce was a very active figure in Walsall around the beginning of the 19th century, being at various times churchwarden, borough constable, vestry clerk, overseer of the poor, clerk to the races and insuranc agent. Pearce also has two main claims to fame. He compiled a detailed census of householders in Walsall in 1801 and 1811, both of which survive among the Borough's archives, and his History and Directory of Walsall, reprinted here, was the first really local history of Walsall. The shortened title of the book does not do justice to the wide range of information contained in it. His account of Walsall's antiquities is drawn from Shaw's work on Staffordshire but his work really comes into its own when examining the contemporary scene in Walsall in 1813. The directory section itself is a fascinating record of Walsall's inhabitants and their occupations, while the articles on the different trades provide unique evidence of the emergence of the leather trade as distinct from the lorinery trade. Many other aspects of Walsall life are illuminated ranging from churches and other institutions to clubs and societies, or limestone and coal mines to recreational facilities, whether Walsall Racecourse or the local cock pits. The two pictorial features of the original work are reproduced here, namely the view of Walsall Grandstand and an insurance company advertisement. Both arose out of Pearce's personal interests, for he was a Clerk to the Races and an agent to the insurance company, which no doubt paid a handsome sum for their advertisement. This reprint of the book is embellished with a front cover featuring a nearly contemporary map, namely Mason's map of the Borough of 1824, which still refers to Bridge Street as 'New Road' more than 50 years after it was built.

Détails de l'édition

• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0946652171
• ISBN 13: 9780946652174
• Reliure: Hardcover
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible