2000 Years of English History.
This book is about the remarkable people from this modest Huntingdonshire village who, over thepast two millennia of England’s history, exercised power and influence both locally and on the national stage. The book gives a detailed biography of each of these characters, setting their lives in the wider context of English history from the time of the Romans to the present day.
I mentioned last week that the book lacks a number of illustrations. This has now been partially rectified. I have obtained from the British Library an image of the will of Ælfhelm Polga which can now be found in Chapters 4 & 5: ‘Peoples from across the sea’ and ‘The will of Ælfhelm Polga.’
It’s well worth going back to Chapter 5 to have a look at this image of the 1000-year-old manuscript which contains the very first historical reference to our village. The caption accompanying the image will tell you just where to find ‘Stoctune.’
An introduction to Chapter 11
The splendid double monument to Sir James Dyer, erected two decades after his death, testifies to his reputation as a fearless and impartial judge in his position as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, a post he occupied for twenty years. His crowning achievement was to introduce the concept of legal precedents into English Common Law where it remains to this day, allowing judges to consult previous judgements in their deliberations over the case before them.
Feedback is welcome: aw.staughton@gmail.com
NEXT WEEK: Chapter 12: George Wauton's 'trayned band' and the Armada
The next chapter of the book will be uploaded to the website on Monday October 31
Click the PDF below to read Chapter 11.
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