Search results for ""author michael caton""

An engaging account of the Cocks family and their life at Napton Lock as carpenters on the Oxford Canal for more than a hundred years. Painstaking research over many years, including parish registers, canal records and family recollections, has enabled Michael Caton to compile a detailed history of his family’s role as lock carpenters from 1833 to 1937. Combining social, family and canal history, the book provides an insight into the day-to-day work of a lock carpenter and of a family living by the canal, as well as introducing history of Napton and the surrounding area. Illustrated with photos dating back to 1866, The Cocks of Napton Locks will be enjoyed by those with an interest in our canals, social and local history.

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Twenty eight walks varying in length from 2 to 7 1/2 miles. Photographs illustrate many of the features to be seen on the walks. Using over sixty years of knowledge of Dartmoor, Michael Caton leads you on a series of 28 walks based on paths and trackways over the moor. Some of these walks are based on those led by the author for the Dartmoor Preservation Association. Many of the walks have not been described in previous guidebooks or are not shown on the OS 1:25,000 map. The walks are for those who wish to venture well into the open moor without having to negotiate the rough Dartmoor terrain. A section has been included on the origin and history of the tracks including special comment on the route of the well known Abbot’s Way. There is also a section describing briefly what to see on the walks, including prehistoric monuments, medieval and later remains such as mining and granite crosses, as well as flora and fauna. The walks have been arranged in order around the southern and then the northern moor. Each walk starts at a suitable parking place. The routes are described in detail with appropriate grid references and brief information on the scenery and features to be seen. The start of all the walks is shown on an overview map of Dartmoor. About half of the routes are circular whereas others are more suited to a linear course. The walk descriptions are accompanied by maps in which the route has been sketched out on the appropriate section of the 1:25,000 OS map. A separate section gives advice to walkers and explains how to use this guide. It also draws attention to safety issues of walking on Dartmoor, including the dangers of military firing and adverse weather conditions.

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