'A Little Book of Laxey'
Press
Release
“A Little Book of
Laxey”
Incidents, Accidents
& Hot Topics in the Victorian Era!
Shipwrecks, daring rescues, medical emergencies, furious
driving – the dramatic highlights, you may think, of a new action movie. But
they’re actually the meaty bones of a fascinating new book which sheds a whole
new light on nineteenth century Laxey, as detailed in contemporary newspaper
reports.
‘A Little Book of
Laxey – A Miscellany of Incidents, Accidents and Hot Topics from Manx
Newspapers 1793-1899’ has been compiled by local writer Sue King from many
hundreds of Laxey-focussed newspaper articles held in the digitised archives of
the Manx National Heritage iMuseum.
Living in Laxey, Sue has long been fascinated by the human background to
its industrial history and, while researching another subject in the iMuseum,
found herself drawn to numerous references that painted this ‘quiet’ little
mining village in a whole new light. Before long she began to realise that, as
well as making a great read, these long-forgotten stories held a wealth of
historical interest across a huge range of subjects. The result, compiled in
chronological order, is a revealing look at what our Victorian forefathers
REALLY got up to, how they viewed themselves and the rest of the world, and how
they dealt with the challenges they faced.
Sue says “The iMuseum - behind the main Douglas museum - is
an amazing resource for local history. The free research facilities offered to
the general public allow you to find an incredible amount of information about Manx
people, places and events at the click of a button. I simply typed in the words
‘Laxey and Lonan’ and within seconds was presented with thousands of articles.
After months of trawling I’d still only worked my way through to 1899 so
decided that might be a good place to stop!”
Sue says she has tried to maintain a fair balance in the
book’s subject matter – which ranges from drunken brawls to tea-drinking
temperance rallies, and covers everything from births to marriages and deaths
(albeit the most newsworthy ones!). She says she did hesitate over some of the
more tragic and what some readers may consider offensive stories but felt they
all deserved to be included as they highlight the attitudes and practices of a
very different era. Throughout the book, any archaic terms, place names or
curious words that may puzzle the reader are explained in short postscripts.
‘A Little Book of
Laxey’ is out now, priced at just £6.99 and is available direct from
sueking@manx.net (phone 07624 474231),
Presence of Mann at the Laxey Woollen Mills, and the Laxey Post Office.
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