I'm sure someone once told me 'Never turn a somersault while holding an unsheathed bayonet.'Or maybe not. . . Anyone researching COX and PAYTON in Dundry, please? Kind regards Joy > Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:24:26 +0000 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: [B&D] From my library: A Grim Almanac of Somerset > > I had several interesting local history books as Christmas presents > including Nocola Sly's "A Grim Almanac of Somerset" which is a series > of small pieces about events in the county ranging from murders, > accidents, tragedies, the bizarre and accidents of various types. > > These tales are arranged in diary fashion meaning there are 366 of > them. For instance the one for today relates to a gunshot that woke > the residents of South Hill Farm, Withycombe in 1858. Three people > died that night but not from gunshot injuries. The farm gun had > exploded in a fire. The father, younger son and a servant died. The > elder son, his badly burned wife and a labourer escaped albeit with > difficulty. > > Tomorrow's is about another fire, this time of the one that destroyed > the pavilion on Weston super Mare pier in 1930. > > Yesterday's told the story of a man who collapsed in the road in the > hamlet of Woolston Moor in 1876 but was considered to be the worse for > drink by three people who tried to help him and he was left in the > road. The coroner condemned them for their "brutal and inhuman conduct". > > One bizarre tale I've yet to find is that of a soldier who, in 1879, > stabbed himself with his own bayonet whilst turning a somersault! > > The Grim Almanac is published by The History Press whose website can > be found at www.thehistorypress.co.uk > > -- > Charani (UK) > OPC for Walton, Greinton and Clutton, SOM > Asst OPC for Ashcott and Shapwick, SOM > http://wsom-opc.org.uk > http://www.savethegurkhas.co.uk/ > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message