Search results for ""Author Giles Wilcock""

Forgotten Pioneers tells the extraordinary tale of the world''s first professional women cricketers. Founded in 1890, the ''Original English Lady Cricketers'' played exhibition matches all over Britain. Enormous crowds flocked to see them and sceptical journalists were gradually won over by their obvious skill. However, the women were more than just cricketers: most evenings, they performed in local theatres and music halls, singing, dancing, fencing and putting on acrobatic displays.But after their triumphant first season, something went wrong; midway through 1891 the organisation collapsed acrimoniously. Although poor weather and changes in personnel played a part, there was a strong suspicion of fraud by the team''s (largely male) managers. A court case followed in 1892 and the OELC vanished from the headlines.As women''s cricket continues to reach new heights in the 21st century, this book tells the story of the forerunners of today''s professi

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On 3 April 1832, a twelve-year-old girl visited her grandfather''s house, a public house known as Bill''s o''Jack''s on the edge of Saddleworth Moor, only to find her uncle dying on the floor of a room saturated with blood. Upstairs, her grandfather lay in his bed having suffered mortal injuries. Neither man lived long enough to explain what had happened. The story of the murders of William and Thomas Bradbury quickly spread throughout the local area and beyond, precipitating a frantic hunt for suspects. No-one was ever charged and the case remains unsolved, but the story never quite went away, becoming a legend that long outlived those directly affected.The Bill''s o''Jack''s Murders took place at a time of great change, and the background to the case encompassed many issues, including political reform, enclosure and the growing influence of newspapers. It was a crime very much of its time, shaped by contemporary issues and concerns. Yet the legend took on a life of its own, removed f

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