They were years of unprecedented progress in industry, society, democracy, education and science, but of war in Europe, America and at sea. The last decades of the Eighteenth and first of the Nineteenth Centuries saw changes that ushered in the modern world.
Nowhere more so than in the Shropshire village of Coalbrookdale where, perhaps more than anywhere else at this date, technical innovation led to the use of iron in bridges, buildings, sea-going ships, steam engines and railways.
But also in the world of medicine, Coalbrookdale was subject to radical change as scientific discoveries brought new attitudes and a better understanding of life and disease.
Throughout this momentous period, three generations of one family ran a medical practice in Coalbrookdale.
Dr Richard Moore’s exhaustive research has uncovered how this medical family skilfully adopted advances in knowledge, developed their education and played their part in creating the profession of General Practitioner as we know it today. This original account demonstrates how, in the microcosm of Coalbrookdale, the experiences of one family mirror the democratic, social, industrial and scientific changes of the early Industrial Revolution.
Dr. Richard Moore is a fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners and a sometime examiner for the MRCGP, its membership examination. He was in practice in Shrewsbury for more than thirty years. His first book was Leeches to Lasers (Morrigan 2002), the story of seven (now nine) generations of his family as doctors. In 2009 he was awarded a PhD at the University of Birmingham for a thesis titled Competitors for Custom, on the development of medical practice in 18th and 19th century Shropshire. His last book was titled Shropshire Doctors and Quacks (Amberley 2011).
Reviews...
Michael Darby, descendant of Abraham Darby It gives me much pleasure to commend this book that describes so well the transition in Coalbrookdale from the work of the apothecary-surgeons to doctors “… at the dawn of the modern medical profession”
Jonathan Reinharz, Professor of Medicine, University of Birmingham, in Midland History There is enough of interest in these pages to satisfy anyone desiring a glimpse into the history of general practice over a century which saw significant changes introduced to both medical training and therapies. It is also recommended to regional historians, especially anyone with an interest in Shropshire and, of course, the Ironbridge Gorge.
In spite of failing all three sea trials, in late 1853 the SS San Francisco set off on her maiden voyage. She was carrying a US Army regiment from New York to California by way of Cape Horn and was heavily overloaded. Two days out, she had the misfortune to run into the worst storm of the century. Her engines failed and then an enormous wave swept over the decks, taking with it about 140 souls, the lifeboats and all the auxiliary sails, leaving her completely disabled.
Two ships found the SS San Francisco but sailed away and a third managed to rescue about a hundred people before the storm tore the two vessels apart. Then cholera struck.
All that stood between the survivors and almost certain death was Scotsman Robert Crighton, Captain of the Three Bells.
His ship had also been badly battered by the storm, but he stayed beside the stricken vessel for four days, risking the lives of everyone on board his own ship and jettisoning most of his own cargo. Using chalked boards held up by the crew, he sent the San Francisco a message later immortalised by Walt Whitman, ?Be of good cheer, we will stand by you?. Eventually, and with the help of another ship, all were rescued. Robert, to his great surprise, became an overnight hero - in America. What happened on his return to Scotland was another matter.
With meticulous research and using contemporary documents, Clare Abbott has pieced together Robert’s fascinating life, the life of a Victorian sea captain who sailed the world in the great age of Empire. It is a story of outstanding courage and love but also of greed, betrayal and hypocrisy.
Reviews...
Sally Gordon-Boyd "Clare Abbott has written a thrilling account of my great grandfather Robert's heroic rescue of the SS San Francisco when he was captain of the Three Bells. Her meticulous research has enabled her to chart the course of many of his remarkable exploits in a long career as master mariner and shipping agent, together with little known details of his family background.
The broad sweep of her narrative, with howls of hurricanes in the rigging, bring vividly to life this inspiring story which I had hitherto only vaguely known about as something to be proud of.
Robert Crighton's first born son (also Robert) became Deputy Chairman of Harland and Wolff, shipbuilders. His eldest daughter was my mother, Gladys. I was aware of the family shipping connection very early as a schoolboy, when I had two long voyages in the mid 1930s on a Royal Mail steamship to the Eastern Mediterranean and West Africa, on each occasion with a different captain. I particularly remember that each of them managed to run a happy ship with exceptional kindness and consideration - I like to think this had become part of a tradition started by enlightened seafarers like Captain Robert Crighton, a quality he had that the author highlights in her book.
I am most grateful to Clare Abbott for wanting to tell this extraordinary tale of my famous relative and for the immense trouble she has taken to establish the true facts.
Douglas Gordon Boyd
November 2014"
Peter Wight I am a descendent of Alexander Crighton, Robert's brother. I met Clare, through the internet, a couple years ago as she was gathering data on our family tree and have been waiting on this book to be printed for about a year.
She didn't disappoint. I read the book in 2 days. She has done a splendid amount of work assembling data and fastidiously piecing it together, even helping resolve a mystery that has eluded our family for a couple decades, which is finding out who Robert's father was. The picture painted is extraordinary and the story compelling. For any interested in maritime life during this period of history, you wont be disappointed.
Ask most people about pounds and pinfolds and they
look blank. They may not have noticed the small, round
or rectangular building that likely stands at the edge
of their village. And yet these modest structures, now often
reduced to piles of stones, were once an essential part of rural
life in what is now Cumbria. They were where stray stock, and
any animal found grazing on land for which its owner had no
proper grazing rights, were once confined - until the owner
paid a fine imposed by the local court. For hill-farmers and
others, pounds or pinfolds were indispensable for ensuring
community harmony.
In this scholarly and well-researched account, Nigel Mills
provides us with a comprehensive and unique insight into
a little-considered aspect of our rural heritage and into the
way of life of the men and women who farmed our hills in
days gone by. It will be of great interest to local historians and
to all who take an interest in the social history of Cumbria.
With Innocence and HopeA unique and vivid first hand account of a young soldier, one of the millions who fought in World War I.
Walter Williams, from Hodnet, volunteered at age fifteen and joined the Shropshire Light Infantry. After completing his initial training at the Shrewsbury Barracks, he passed through the notorious training camp at Etaples before being plunged into the horrors of trench warfare. He fought in some of the major battles of the war including Pachendaele, the Somme and Vimy Ridge – and was badly wounded during the final attack on the Hindenburg line when he was hit by machine-gun fire from an enemy plane.
Walter's story was captured on an ancient reel-to-reel tape recorder during long conversations with his two nephews, who went on to write this remarkable story.
Walter died in 1998, by which time he was one of the last veterans of World War I.
Royalties from sales of the printed book bought from YouCaxton will be donated to the British Legion and Royalties from the sale of the Kindle edition are being donated to Help For Heroes
Published:
1st April 2014
Paperback:
274 pages
Price:
£12.00
ISBN:
9-781909-644229
Amazon review......Having spent 24 years in the Army I thought I knew it all and seen it all, then I read this. I couldn't begin to imagine what he went through and all as a teenager. Wow.'Simply Excellent' Available from Amazon and Kindle e-books
£12 (+ £2 postage)
More reviews from Amazon readers Great read A really interesting and captivating read. I loved the honesty about life in the trenches and the effects on families at home. Very moving. If you like world war one non fiction this one is for you. Wonderful I highly recommended this book. I have read many WW1 books and visited more than a few of the places now infamous as killing fields that Walter experienced in the most horrendous situations. This book achieves a really good balance of accurate description and the often deadened emotional feelings which had to be engaged to get through the many challenges faced on a 24/7 basis. A most honest account written well and very well received. Thank you Mike- Well done. RIP Walter- You deserve it! An addictive read This is a must read, a wonderful insight into times past. To comprehend the courage and determination required by such people, to imagine what they experienced at such a young age and the contrast to what they had left behind is brought to life in this exceptional book. I highly recommend it.
When you have produced the final draft of your book, it is always advisable to have the text read and checked by a professional editor or proof reader.
You may have friends that are willing and competent to do this and we can advise you on the type of editing that is required.
We can offer four levels of editing as well as proof-reading.
You choose which, if any, are appropriate in your case: 1. Edit of sample pages and short report (£30)
We will edit a few pages to highlight editorial issues so that you can look for similar problems throughout the book.
This will reduce the amount of further copy-editing required when the book is finished. 2. Broad structural editing and criticism (£5 per thousand words)
A structural review is particularly relevant for works of fiction.
The structural reviewer will address the following main areas and produce a short report for the author ” Read More 3. Copy editing (£10 per thousand words)
A copy-editor takes a close look at your text, line by line, with an eye to grammatical errors, repetition, inconsistency and lack of clarity. The copy editor will make changes to the text, with suggestions for rewriting, grammar, and punctuation. When you receive the edited version, you have the final choice about accepting of rejecting the individual changes. 4. Proof Reading (£8 per thousand words)
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication. Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself. 5. Consistency Scan
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we offer an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies. This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling and inconsistencies of hyphenation and capitalisation.
We can also identify inconsistencies in the spelling of proper names. 6. Cover text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we can work with you to make sure that these are correct and effective.
Copy Edit
Copy-editors get the raw material into shape for publication i.e they edit the copy.
When they have finished, the designer can lay out or typeset the book and produce a proof.
It is quite normal for the author to make additional changes after a book has been copy-edited.
Working through the material, the copy-editor may identify errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, style and usage, but also very long sentences and overuse of italic, bold, capitals and exclamation marks.
They should correct or query doubtful facts, weak arguments, plot holes and gaps in numbering.
In fiction, they should also check that characters haven’t changed their name or hair colour, look for sudden changes from first to third person among other things.
The Copy-editor is not a proof reader and should not be expected to find all of the errors in the text particularly if the text is badly written to start with.
This is the job of the proof reader.
The final proof should be checked by a proof reader or an experienced reader friend before going to print.
It is almost inevitable (and acceptable) to miss a few errors which can be corrected in a later edition.
Proof Reading
Proof reading is a line-by-line check that the book is ready for publication.
Proof readers will make small corrections for punctuation, grammar and spelling but they will not make significant changes to the text.
A proof reader will identify any significant issues and add comments to the text so that you can make those corrections yourself.
If you have decided to complete this stage of the process yourself, we will send a detailed check-list to help you.
We ask you to try and ensure that the book is completely ready before we start the layout.
Once the layout has started, we expect that you might want to to make a small number of amendments but
if there are a significant number, we may need to charge for the extra time it takes to change the layout
so best to discuss this with us first.
Structural Review
In fiction, the main areas that a structural editor will address are:
Plot: Does the plot make sense? Is it believable? Is it satisfying or does it leave the reader frustrated? Themes: Are the themes effectively handled? Are there so many that the book lacks focus? Do they interfere with the plot or complement it?
Characterisation: Are your characters well developed and believable? Are they cast in a role that fits their personality? Do they sometimes behave out of character? Point of view/voice: Is the voice consistent or is it sometimes confused? Is the voice authentic? Are you using too many or too few POVs? Pace: Does the plot move forward at an appropriate pace? Should you cut that preface? Should the action happen sooner or should the tension build more slowly? Dialogue: Do your characters sound real when they speak? Is your dialogue cluttered with adverbs and beats? Do you use clunky dialogue to move the plot forward? Flow: Is the narrative interrupted by dead-ends and tangents? Is there so much back story that the main plot is dwarfed? Are there missing plot points that would give the narrative greater integrity?
In non-fiction, the principle is the same, but the specific issues are slightly different:
Thesis: Is your thesis relevant? Is it clearly defined or is it lost among marginal issues? Exposition: Are your arguments clear and cogent? Are they well researched and properly supported? Do they have a clear relationship with your thesis? Content: Are all the necessary topics sufficiently dealt with? Are the chapters weighted correctly? Is there superfluous content? Organisation: Is the information organised logically? Are tables and illustrations used appropriately? How many levels of subheads do you need and how should they be arranged? Tone: Is the tone appropriate for the audience? Do you need to eliminate jargon? Is the text accessible? Pace: Are there passages that are bogged down in detail? Do you spend too long on detail irrelevant to the main thesis? Are there areas that need further exposition lest they be skipped over?
Cover Text
The quality of the text on the cover is very important as it indicates the quality of the writing in the book.
The title, sub-title and back-cover blurb are all important elements and we work with you to make sure that these are as effective as possible.
Consistency check
If you decide your book doesn’t need a full proof reading, we can run an electronic scan to search for common errors and inconsistencies.
This looks at issues such as inconsistent spelling, hyphenation and capitalisation.
It also checks for consistent formatting of numbers and dates as well as undefined abbreviations.
Subsequent Script Edit
It is very normal and generally beneficial for the script-editing process to go through at least a couple of cycles
i.e. the rewritten draft to be worked through once again by an experienced script practitioner – though this would be entirely at the discretion and behest of the writer.
Full Script Edit
The script that you deliver to us will probably constitute what the industry would classify as the ‘Initial Rough Draft’, i.e. a full screenplay written without any other professional input or advice, and probably without a great deal of rewriting. We work through your draft, line by line, scene by scene, and come back to you with a comprehensive set of notes from which you can then work towards the official ‘1st Draft’. Some of our notes will be broad and general, dealing with such areas as the overall shape and structure, pacing, plot and character development; others will be far more specific, with corrections, clarifications and suggested cuts etc. It is of course entirely up to you whether or not to take these suggestions on board, and to what extent.
Ongoing Support
We aim to make your self-publishing venture an enjoyable and rewarding experience.
Publishing is a complex business and we treat every book as a separate project.
We explain all of the stages at the outset and we manage the project schedule for you. This will include all of the expert services you have requested for editorial, design, printing, distribution and collection of royalties, keeping in close contact with you throughout the process.
You will be allocated a project-sheet on the YouCaxton website so that you can monitor progress and ensure that all stages are properly completed.
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