One speaker … 28 guests … heaps of history ..... and you have a Library Walk for Chorlton Book Festival

The sun shone the turnout was excellent and so another walk through our past sponsored by Chorlton Book Festival came and went.

In between we did the story of the library, how New Chorlton came to be and on the way looked in at the Isles, the Ice Rink and Mrs Crump, the first women to speak on Women’s Hour.

Nor did we miss the bit of Manchester Road which was stolen, Lord Egerton’s new road named after his relative Wilbraham, and the emergency telephone installed in the Lloyd’s Hotel in 1881 to alert the fire brigade to a domestic fire which failed to stop the fire.

I would like to thank Gail and Lee from the Library service who did the admin and kept me from talking for ever, Janine and the staff at the Edge which supplied the cake and drinks and of course the 28 guests who walked the walk, asked good questions and said nice things at the end.

And a special mention to Juliette who asked the question which led me to talk for 20 minutes, and Ed from Welling who told us all about the connection between Keppel Road and the Isle of Man.

Nor is that quite all because in the twenty minutes before the walk started, I got to look at the faces carved above the pillars of Chorlton Library.

Location; New Chorlton

Pictures; Chorlton Library, 2025, from the collection of Andrew Simpson 

Tomorrow ..... the history walk that's got the lot ..... Sunday 2 pm at Chorlton Library

 Join us on Sunday for a walk through Chorlton's history and discover how a sleepy rural hamlet called Martleldge was transformed within three decades into a busy urban centre.

The Isles from Manchester Road, circa 1882

Along the way there will be the story of the mysterious and frightening figure of Duffy who inhabited the brick works, the long lost Ice Rink and the murder of a father of six which shocked the community.

It is September that time when conkers fall from the trees, furious debates ensue about turning on the central heating and Manchester Libraries show case interesting authors and fun events during the annual Chorlton Book Festival.*

The history walk has been a feature of the festival for the last fourteen years, and this September we will explore the story of New Chorlton which was the area around the former Four Banks, down to the library and across to Longford Park.

The Royal Oak, circa 1900

And so, it is fitting that the walk will start at the library, which was once Red Gates Farm, dating back to the 18th century, and from there gently amble along Longford Road to Oswald Road and then on via Nicolas, Manchester and Barlow Moor Roads to Wilbraham Road and the Edge Theatre for tea and cake.

And on such a historic stroll there will be much to discover, including that ice rink and brick works, as well as a place called the Isles, the first Sedge Lynn, and Kemp’s Corner with the tale of the awful slaying of young Francis Deaken, strange goings on in the Lloyds and the roads that were made and stolen.

So, as the advert used to say ….. it’s got the lot.

The Dressing Room, 2025

The walk starts tomorrow at Chorlton Library on Manchester Road, at 2pm, lasts for just over an hour and concludes at the Edge Theatre.

Tickets cost £8.50 ….. for which you get heaps of history and the excellent cake in the Dressing Room Café of the theatre.

Book through eventbrite by following this link. 

The rest is a romp through our past taking in the serious, the not so series and some bits of fun. 

Location; Chorlton’s past …. starting at the Library 

Pictures; the Isles, circa 1882, by Arron Booth, the old Royal Oak pub, circa 1900, from the Lloyd Collection and the Dressing Room Café at the Edge, 2025, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Chorlton Book Festival, September 9th-September 27th,  https://chorltonbookfestival.co.uk/#home

**eventbrite, https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/andrew-simpson-presents-the-forgotten-bits-of-chorlton-tickets-1457310086699?aff=odcleoeventsincollection

The forgotten bits of Chorlton ….. the history walk Sunday

Join us on Sunday for a walk through Chorlton's history and discover how a sleepy rural hamlet called Martleldge was transformed within three decades into a busy urban centre.

The Isles from Manchester Road, circa 1882

Along the way there will be the story of the mysterious and frightening figure of Duffy who inhabited the brick works, the long lost Ice Rink and the murder of a father of six which shocked the community.

It is September that time when conkers fall from the trees, furious debates ensue about turning on the central heating and Manchester Libraries show case interesting authors and fun events during the annual Chorlton Book Festival.*

The history walk has been a feature of the festival for the last fourteen years, and this September we will explore the story of New Chorlton which was the area around the former Four Banks, down to the library and across to Longford Park.

The Royal Oak, circa 1900

And so, it is fitting that the walk will start at the library, which was once Red Gates Farm, dating back to the 18th century, and from there gently amble along Longford Road to Oswald Road and then on via Nicolas, Manchester and Barlow Moor Roads to Wilbraham Road and the Edge Theatre for tea and cake.

And on such a historic stroll there will be much to discover, including that ice rink and brick works, as well as a place called the Isles, the first Sedge Lynn, and Kemp’s Corner with the tale of the awful slaying of young Francis Deaken, strange goings on in the Lloyds and the roads that were made and stolen.

So, as the advert used to say ….. it’s got the lot.

The Dressing Room, 2025

The walk starts at Chorlton Library on Manchester Road, at 2pm, on September 21st, lasts for just over an hour and concludes at the Edge Theatre.

Tickets cost £8.50 ….. for which you get heaps of history and the excellent cake in the Dressing Room Café of the theatre.

Book through eventbrite by following this link. 

The rest is a romp through our past taking in the serious, the not so series and some bits of fun. 

Location; Chorlton’s past …. starting at the Library 

Pictures; the Isles, circa 1882, by Arron Booth, the old Royal Oak pub, circa 1900, from the Lloyd Collection and the Dressing Room Café at the Edge, 2025, from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Chorlton Book Festival, September 9th-September 27th,  https://chorltonbookfestival.co.uk/#home

**eventbrite, https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/andrew-simpson-presents-the-forgotten-bits-of-chorlton-tickets-1457310086699?aff=odcleoeventsincollection

Walking Chorlton’s Past ….. book the date

Location; Chorlton

Picture; Andrew Simpson & Peter Topping

How do you write a novel?

Now writing fiction alludes me.

 I can do the factual stuff, supported by research and heaps of maps and pictures, but the skill of making real historical names come to life is beyond me.

So I went to the Edge yesterday to hear Juliette Tomlinson talk about her debut novel, "Longford", which charts the lives of Enriqueta and John before they met and takes the reader on that journey that eventually saw the two of them married.

It is the first of a trilogy which will span the decades from 1864 into the twentieth century and on the way offers up glimpses into the lives of the two, set against provincial France and Manchester, with of course sideways looks at Longford Hall, Stretford and other bits of south Manchester.

The book came out on September 1st and yesterday we got to meet the author and hear about her passion for Enriqueta, how she came to write the book and her plans for the two subsequent books.

The room was packed and the presentation started with Juliette engaging with the audience to explore what makes fiction and then by degree we were led into the story of the Rylands, from their origins, to their lives before and after they met.

All of which was supported by a power point presentation and a reading from the novel.

But what I especially found fascinating was the question and answer session which allowed Juliette to develop why she chose the Rylands, the tension with portraying once real people who may have descendants, and her favourite character.

One of which was a disagreeable owner of a house the author stayed in durimg a holiday in the French town where Enriqueta had lived in and who became the equally disagreeable woman  Enriqueta worked.

And alongside that answer was the equally revealing question about how Juliette took each of the characters and brought them alive mixing the known evidence about them and that skill of making real historical names come to life.

So there you have it .... almost two hours in the company of the Rylands, the 50 or so who attended, and of course Juliette in what was a smashing afternoon.

Leaving me just to acknowledge the work of Beverley from library who supervised the talk as part of   Chorlton Book Festival the staff at the Edge and Linsey from Chorlton Bookshop who did the business of selling Longford after the event was over.

Location; Chorlton

Pictures; cover of Longford, courtesy of the author and Chorlton Book Festival courtesy of Manchester Libraries, and other images from the collection of Andrew Simpson, 2024

Longford, A Manchester love story, Juliette Tomlinson, 2024, The Squeeze Press

 The Squeeze Press, www.woodenbooks.com

And having said all of that ..... which includes how much I enjoyed the talk, and what I learned about the Rylands and writing fiction, my final comment is that simple one that it was fun.

Juliette had a light engaging way of presenting the story which never detracted  from her deep knowledge of the subject, or commitment to the project, and yes it was ...

.... fun.

Chorlton’s Hall of Fame goes out to ……

So, on a day which pretty much rained all the time the Chorlton Hall of Fame inducts the 27 guests, two friends of the Chorlton Book Festival and my two friends who joined today’s History Walk.

Me and an umbrella, 2024

Not only did they turn up at the Narnia Lamppost at 2 pm, braved the rain and accepted the change of itinerary due to the graveyard being closed but stayed the course.

Gail and Mathew from the book festival saw that everyone stayed safe, Bill chose Chorlton instead of a “dry” Trafford history festival held indoors, and Juliette came with wellies and camera from Stretford.

Juliette caught me in full stride on the green managing to include the necessary umbrella, but pride of place goes to her picture of her wellies.

Mathew also snapped away just minutes from the Edge café demonstrating that despite the rain we held the course.

Leaving me just to thank Janette and the staff at the Edge for the delicious food and of course the 27 who came along and said they liked the talk.

Juliette's fine wellies, 2024

Location; Chorlton

Mathew proving we stayed the course, 2024

Pictures; courtesy of Juliette Tomlinson and Mathew Benham

Books … authors and lots more to come …. from Chorlton Book Festival

 It’s the book festival that just keeps giving.

So last night it was the turn of Brian Groom to introduce his new book "Made in Manchester A People’s History of the City Shaped the Modern World".

Brian gave a fascinating historical account of our city from the Palaeolithic to the 21st century, featuring people who shaped the city from the great and good to those who history has tended to ignore and along the way raised questions about the nature of some of the developments.

What I particularly liked was the way Brian tailored his presentation to include aspects of Chorlton’s history, making it a more personalized and unique talk which was appreciated by the 50 or so people in the audience.

Brian signs his new book, 2024

And not to be outdone some of the neighbouring areas got a look in including praise for many of Rochdale’s working class who during the American Civil War stood behind the cause of the North, and offered up the surprising fact that other towns had held meetings in favour of the south which is that sort of insight which shakes the trees of established and received history.

After which there was time for questions some of which fell back on the history of Chorlton and in the course of which Brian revealed he was born in Stretford Memorial and grew up in Whalley Range, which rather caped the night for many who were there.

Waiting for Brian's talk, 2024

So having enjoyed Brian’s talk I will be at Benito Lounge, on Tuesday September 24th between 12 and 2pm to hear Jo Somerset will introduce "Mission find Mum" which is aimed at children  Chorlton and is an "introduction to the adventures of Isla and Lac in a mission that takes them 500 miles from home to an island of secrets". 

The old Parish church and graveyard, circa 1860-1884

And lastly Juliette Tomlinson will be at the Edge on the 24th between 2 and 4pm to introduce her new novel on the John and Enriqueta Rylands.

But it would be remis of me not to mention the history walk at 2 pm from the Narnia lamp post on the green.

When we will walk our past from the village green to the old parish church and by degree on to the Edge Theatre, via the Great Chorlton Burial Scandal, bull baiting and other illegal practices as well a visit from the army of the Young Pretender, a lost water course and the murders of Mary Moore and Francis Deacon.

As they once said .... "What's it got? .... its got the lot".

Narnia on the green, 2024

All events are bookable through Chorlton Book Festival, https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/chorlton-book-festival-2024-3536319

Location; Chorlton

Pictures; books, authors, a festival and the Narnia lamppost, 2024 from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and the old Parish church and graveyard, circa 1860-1884, courtesy of Tony Walker

Walk Chorlton's past .... Sunday September 22nd ...... still time to book tickets ......

 Chorlton Book Festival is back and with it comes that ever popular history walk which takes a stroll across Chorlton, exploring our past.

The graveyard, 2008

It has been a feature of the festival for the last decade and a bit, lasts for about an hour ending in the café at the Edge Theatre for a light meal.

During the make over, 1981

This year by popular request we will be back in the graveyard by the village green uncovering the history of the old parish church, and the stories of some who were buried there.

They include Thomas Walker who campaigned against the slave trade, supported the French Revolution and was tried for sedition, along with a mix of the “good, the bad, and the ordinary". 

Along with the good and worthy, will be the Nixon family who ran a beer shop on Beech Road, the last women to do penance in the parish church, and the story of the Great Chorlton Burial Scandal.  There will be news about the efforts to improve the graveyard, and the restoration work on the Lych Gate.

All this and a look at the archaeological digs in the 1970s and 80s which offered up some gruesome discoveries, followed by a preamble via the village green and other historic spots to the Edge.

Narnia on the Green, 2022

There will be a few stops to top up the stories and heaps of opportunities to ask me interesting historical questions about things no one else will tell.

We will meet at the Narnia lamppost on the village green at 2pm and aim to be in the Edge roughly an hour and a bit later. 

Tickets cost £9.92  and include oodles of Chorlton stories and a meal in the café.

All events are bookable through Chorlton Book Festival, https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/chorlton-book-festival-2024-3536319

Location; Chorlton Green

Pictures;  Chorlton graveyard, and village green 1978- 2022 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

OK everyone …… you’ve got eight days of our own book festival starting today ......

The Chorlton Book Festival is back.*

It starts tomorrow and runs through till the 28th in venues across the township.

If I have got my sums right this will be the 20th year when Manchester Libraries have invited heaps of authors to talk about their work and share readings from their books.

I am a great fan, not least because since 2009 I have hosted a history walk and talk during the week.

But to say more would be outrageous self promotion so I will leave a gentle plug for me till the end.

As it is still the middle of August, events and venues are still being finalised.

That said I have already booked tickets for two shows.

On September 21st Brian Groom will be speaking about his new book "Made in Manchester" which is a “A rich and vivid history of Britain's second city through the people who made it.

Long before Manchester gave the world titans of industry, comedy, music and sport, it was the cosmopolitan Roman fort of Mamucium. 

But it was as the ‘shock city’ of the Industrial Revolution that Manchester really made its mark on the world stage. 

A place built on hard work and innovation, it is no coincidence that the digital age began here too, with the world’s first stored-program computer, Baby.

A city as radical as it is revolutionary, Manchester has always been a political hotbed. 

The Peterloo Massacre is immortalised in British folklore and the city was a centre for pioneering movements such as Chartism. Suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst hailed from here and the city still treasures its wilful independence.

Manchester’s spirited individuality has carried through into its artistic output too, bringing the world Anthony Burgess, L.S. Lowry, Jeanette Winterson, Joy Division and Oasis. Mention United or City almost anywhere and you’ll find fans, and opinions.

Until now, this magnificent city did not have its definitive history. From the author of the bestselling Northerners, this work of unrivalled authority and breadth tells the story of a changing place and its remarkable people".

The event takes place at the Chorlton Central Church on the corner of Zetland and Barlow Moor Roads stating at 6.30pm

And having renewed my knowledge of the city’s history, on the 27th I will be in the Edge Theatre to listen to Juliette Tomlinson introduce her debut novel, "Longford", which is set in the year “1864, in the great city of Manchester was Cottonopolis, rising with the sound of industry, and the boom of a hundred mills.

At the heart of its energies was John Rylands. 'the greatest merchant prince the world has ever seen'. 

This is the story of an empire built by a true Manchester man, given meaning and worth by the extraordinary woman who loved him.

Juliette Tomlinson has worked as a bookseller, and then in publishing. 

She lives in Stretford, Manchester, yards from Longford Park, which was a part of her childhood. 

The story will continue in a second book, Sunnyside”.

The talk starts at 2 pm till 4pm in the Edge on Manchester Road.

Which just leave me, and that history walk on Sunday the 22nd.

This year by popular request we will be in the graveyard by the village green exploring the history of the old parish church, and the stories of some who were buried there.

They include Thomas Walker who campaigned against the slave trade, supported the French Revolution and was tried for sedition, along with a mix of the “good, the bad, and the ordinary". 

Together they offer up a rich history of how Chorlton was from the late 18th century into the 20th.

After the talk we will have “light refreshments" at the Edge Theatre.

So there you have it.

All events are bookable through Chorlton Book Festival, https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/chorlton-book-festival-2024-3536319

Location; Chorlton

Pictures; book covers by permission of the authors, Chorlton graveyard, 1978 and 2008 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

Walk the Chorlton history walk with Andrew Simpson ……Sunday September the 22nd …..

Chorlton Book Festival is back and with it comes that ever popular history walk which takes a stroll across Chorlton, exploring our past.

The graveyard, 2008

It has been a feature of the festival for the last decade and a bit, lasts for about an hour ending in the café at the Edge Theatre for a light meal.

During the make over, 1981

This year by popular request we will be back in the graveyard by the village green uncovering the history of the old parish church, and the stories of some who were buried there.

They include Thomas Walker who campaigned against the slave trade, supported the French Revolution and was tried for sedition, along with a mix of the “good, the bad, and the ordinary". 

Along with the good and worthy, will be the Nixon family who ran a beer shop on Beech Road, the last women to do penance in the parish church, and the story of the Great Chorlton Burial Scandal.  There will be news about the efforts to improve the graveyard, and the restoration work on the Lych Gate.

All this and a look at the archaeological digs in the 1970s and 80s which offered up some gruesome discoveries, followed by a preamble via the village green and other historic spots to the Edge.

Narnia on the Green, 2022

There will be a few stops to top up the stories and heaps of opportunities to ask me interesting historical questions about things no one else will tell.

We will meet at the Narnia lamppost on the village green at 2pm and aim to be in the Edge roughly an hour and a bit later. 

Tickets cost £9.92  and include oodles of Chorlton stories and a meal in the café.

All events are bookable through Chorlton Book Festival, https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/chorlton-book-festival-2024-3536319

But it would be remiss of me if I didn't mention some of the events I will be attending.

On September 21st in the Central Church at 7.30, Brian Groom will be talking about his new book on the history of Manchester.

On the 24 between 12-2pm at Benito Lounge, Jo Somerset will introduce "Mission for to find Mun which is aimed at children  Chorlton and is an " introduction to the adventures of Isla and Lac in a mission that takes them 500 miles from home to an island of secrets. 

Set on a remote Scottish island, the novel explores climate activism, heritage, disability, betrayal and family secrecy. 

Fighting hostile weather, wild elements and suspicious adults, they find Mum and discover her secret about their missing Dad"

And lastly Juliette Tomlinson will be at the Edge on the 24th between 2 and 4pm to introduce her new novel on the John and  Enriqueta Rylands.

Location; Chorlton Green

Pictures;  Chorlton graveyard, and village green 1978- 2022 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

One book … three events …….. and a heap of history

 The story of John and Enriqueta Rylands is one that I am not really familiar with, other than that the couple lived in Longford Hall and on his death his wife commissioned and built that magnificent library on Deansgate.

Longford House, 1914

So, I have fallen on Juliette Tomlinson’s debut novel, "Longford", which charts the lives of Enriqueta and John before they met and takes the reader on that journey that eventually saw the two of them married.*

It is the first of a trilogy which will span the decades from 1864 into the twentieth century and on the way offers up glimpses into the lives of the two, set against provincial France and Manchester, with of course sideways looks at Longford Hall, Stretford and other bits of south Manchester.

The book came out on September 1^st and already there are three opportunities during the month to meet the author and hear about her passion for Enriqueta, how she came to write the book and her plans for the two subsequent books.

The official launch will be in the Horse and Jockey that ancient pub on Chorlton Green on September 19^th at 7pm.

I have no idea whether John and Enriqueta visited the place which first opened its doors to paying customers in the 1790s in a building which was already into its second decade when Henry VIII walked down the aisle with Anne Boleyn.

The book signing, 2024

But I bet some of the individuals who walk across the pages of the book will have been familiar with the Holland family who ran the pub from the 1840s into the 1890s.

And after the launch Ms Tomlinson will be at Waterstones in Oldham for the official book signing event from 1pm till 3 on Saturday September 21^st.

The novel, 2024

Leaving just an appearance at our own Chorlton Book Festival at the Edge Theatre on Manchester Road on September 27^th between 2 and 4 pm.**

That said I know there are other events including one at the Portico and no doubt more will follow as local organizations get to hear of the publication of Longford.

Like all of us who write, I know that the story of John and Enrique has occupied a big chunk of Juliette’s time so much so that last month the family holidayed in the town of Beziers in southern France which is where her novel begins.

Added to which she lives in Stretford, yards from Longford Park, which was a part of her childhood.

 At which point I could include the opening lines of the novel, but I won’t  ….. the book costs £9.99 and is available from Chorlton Book shop, Waterstones, and The Squeeze Press.***

Location; France, Manchester and of course Longford Hall

Pictures; Longford Park and Lake 1914 from the series Longford Park, issued by Tuck and Sons, courtesy of Tuck DB, http://tuckdb.org/, book launch advert, courtesy of Waterstones, and cover of Longford, by permission of the author.

Longford Park and lake, 1914

*Longford, A Manchester love story, Juliette Tomlinson, 2024, The Squeeze Press

**Chorlton Book Festival, All events are bookable through Chorlton Book Festival, https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/chorlton-book-festival-2024-3536319

*** The Squeeze Press, www.woodenbooks.com

  

 

 

Walking the past ….. the bits I never tell anyone

 I have lost track of the number of history walks I have done over the last 15 years but along with the talks there have been a lot.

The parish graveyard, 1979

It starts with the research and a focus on the lives of people, along with events and buildings which history has forgotten or didn’t even bother with in the first place.

Sutton's Cottage, 1895

People like Sarah Sutton who lived for over half a century in a wattle and daub cottage on Beech Road, Mary Crowther the last woman to do penance in our parish church, or Samuel and Elizabeth Nixon who ran a beer shop for over 50 years.

Each offer up a fascinating insight into our community and were as important as the wealthy and powerful who lived here.

Their stories emerge from a heap of different sources, and include census returns, parish records, the Rate Books and if we are very lucky the odd folk memory.

So it is with Caleb Jordril who lived at Lane End* and who was a prime instigator in the practice of Riding the Stange or as it was known in the south Rough Music.  It was a practice which dates back to the Middle Ages and was common across Europe and involved the public humiliation of those who the community thought had transgressed correct behaviour. 

Inside one of our old cottages, 1930s

These might include “a man was known to beat his wife, or if he allowed himself to be henpecked; if he was unfaithful to her, or she to him, the offending party, if living in the village, was serenaded with a concert of music, consisting of cow's horns, frying-pans, warming-pans, tea-kettles, &c., in fact, any implement with which a loud, harsh, and discordant sound could be produced.   

This hubbub was generally repeated several times, and seldom failed to make a due impression on the culprit.”**

The story of Caleb and Riding the Stange was collected by Thomas Ellwood who wrote 25 articles on the history of Chorlton-cum- Hard in the winter of 18885 and the spring of 1886**.   

Looking into the graveyard, 2023

And once the research has been done and all the bits fitted into the sequence of the walk, there is that necessity in compiling a risk assessment which some will deride but which is essential given that we will be walking the historical walk along narrow Chorlton roads, crossing junctions where cars whizz about and stand in open spaces which were not all designed to accommodate up to 40 people.

That done, on the day there is the all important task of explaining the day, welcoming people and thanking those who have helped with the organization.

And this last consideration is particularly important with next Sunday’s walk which has been commissioned by the Library Service as part of this year’s Chorlton Book Festival.

The walk always ends with a light meal in the Café at the Edge Theatre, and those who have bought tickets need to be checked off.  This year I am indebted to Mathew and Gail who will not only do the last but assist in guiding what can become a long crocodile of participants from the village Green to the Edge.

And finally, it is their task to ensure I keep to time, and on occasion Mathew has had that onerous task of holding up the coloured cards …. green “keep talking”, amber “almost out of time”, and red “stop”.

The Narnia lamppost, 2022

Which I have always found difficult to adhere to, but Mathew remains a tenacious holder of the cards, so we shall see.

The talk is on the history of our parish church, the graveyard and those buried there with tales of strange goings on, celebrations of the lives of some of my favourite people and a peek at the way we lived in the 1850s.

Meet by the Narnia lamp on Chorlton green at 2 pm, Sunday September, 22nd, 2024

All events are bookable through Chorlton Book Festival, https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/chorlton-book-festival-2024-3536319

Location; Chorlton

Pictures; Sutton’s Cottage circa 1892, photograph from the Wesleyan Souvenir Handbook of 1895  and interior of the cottage on Maitland Avenue in the collection of Philip Lloyd, the rest from the collection of Andrew Simpson

*Lane End, the junction of Hardy Lane, Sandy Lane, and Barlow Moor Road

** Thomas Ellwwod, The History of Chorlton cum Hardy, Chapter 8 December 12 1885