The Westcotes

The Westcotes PDF Author: Arthur Quiller-Couch
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fiction (English)
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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The Westcotes

The Westcotes PDF Author: Arthur Quiller-Couch
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Fiction (English)
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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The Westcotes

The Westcotes PDF Author: Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
Publisher: Library of Alexandria
ISBN: 1465594264
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Endymion, the elder, (who took the lead of Narcissus in all, things), was the fine flower of the Westcote stocks, and, out of question, the most influential man in Axcester and for many a mile round justice of the Peace for the county of Somerset and Major of its Yeomanry, he served "our town," (so he called it) as Overseer of the Poor, Governor of the Grammar School, Chairman of Feoffees, Churchwarden, everything in short but MayorÑan office which he left to the tradesmen, while taking care to speak of it always with respect, and indeed to see it properly filled. The part of County MagistrateÑto which he had been bornÑhe played to perfection, and with a full sense of its dignified amenity. (It was whispered that the Lord Lieutenant himself stood in some awe of him.) His favourite character, however, was that of plain citizen of his native town. "I'm an Axcester man," he would declare in his public speeches, and in his own way he loved and served the little borough. For its good he held its Parliamentary representation in the hollow of his hand; and, as Overseer of the Poor, had dared public displeasure by revising the Voters' List and defying a mandamus of the Court of King's Bench rather than allow Axcester to fail in its duty of returning two members to support Mr. Percevall's Ministry. In 1800, when the price of wheat rose to 184s a quarter, a poor woman dropped dead in the market place of starvation. At once a mob collected, hoisted a quartern-loaf on a pole with the labelÑ"We will have Bread or Blood," and started to pillage the shop's in High Street. It was Endymion Westcote who rode up single-handed, (they, were carrying the only constable on their shoulders) and faced and dispersed the rioters. It was he who headed the subscription list, prevailed on the purchase a wagon-load of potatoes and persuaded the people to plant themÑfor even the seed potatoes had been eaten, and the gardens lay undigged. It was he who met the immediate famine by importing large quantities of rice. Finally, it was he, through his influence with the county, who brought back prosperity by getting the French prisoners sent to Axcester. We shall talk of these French prisoners by and by. To conclude this portrait of Endymion Westcote. He was a handsome, fresh-complexioned man, over six feet in height, and past his forty-fifth year; a bachelor and a Protestant. In his youth he had been noted for gallantry, and preserved some traces of it in his address. His grandfather had married a French lady, and although this union had not sensibly diluted the Westcote blood, Endymion would refer to it to palliate a youthful taste for playing the fiddle. He spoke French fluently, with a British accent which, when appointed Commissary, he took pains to improve by conversation with the prisoners, and was fond of discussing heredity with the two most distinguished of themÑthe Vicomte de Tocqueville and General Rochambeau.

Q's Historical Legacy - XIX - The Westcotes (Napoleonic Prisoners of War in Devon)

Q's Historical Legacy - XIX - The Westcotes (Napoleonic Prisoners of War in Devon) PDF Author: N. P. Cooper
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 0244537259
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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In this volume, Q recounts the lives and experiences of Devon and Somerset residents who were forced to accommodate French prisoners of war and the daily routine and behaviour of the prisoners, many of whom were used to build Dartmoor prison. This volume contains an annotated edition of The Westcotes, a tale of daily life in Devon and Somerset in the times of the Napoleonic Wars and of potential romance between a prisoner and a wealthy gentlewoman. It also contains extracts written about prisoners of war and a summary of the actual lives of the 'parole town' prisoners of war in towns and villages in Devon and Cornwall as well as a brief history of Dartmoor Prison which held thousands of French prisoners and a history of Wincanton in the times of the Napoleonic Wars. This volume concludes with the tale of one escapee, Louis Vanhille, who after his escape travelled a complicated route back and forth across England, perhaps to drum up support for a mass uprising of the detained men.

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine

Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 896

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Blackwood's Magazine

Blackwood's Magazine PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : England
Languages : en
Pages : 892

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The Era

The Era PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : American literature
Languages : en
Pages : 1106

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Digest; Review of Reviews Incorporating Literary Digest

Digest; Review of Reviews Incorporating Literary Digest PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 924

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The Literary Digest

The Literary Digest PDF Author: Edward Jewitt Wheeler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literature
Languages : en
Pages : 920

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Digest

Digest PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : American wit and humor
Languages : en
Pages : 918

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Literary Digest: a Repository of Contemporaneous Thought and Research as Presented in the Periodical Literature of the World

Literary Digest: a Repository of Contemporaneous Thought and Research as Presented in the Periodical Literature of the World PDF Author: Edward Jewitt Wheeler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 924

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