Thank you, Lorraine - lovely to hear of someone from a simple background to work his way up in life! I hope you don't mind - I have forwarded your link to the lists. Thanks for your sleuthing! Petra From: Lorraine Toleikis [mailto:ttime@knowledgequest.ca] Sent: 21 October 2015 15:42 To: Petra Mitchinson <petra.mitchinson@doctors.org.uk> Subject: Re: [CUMB] Carlisle Patriot, 12 Sep 1818 - Precocity of Talent Hi Petra, Thanks for posting this interesting article. This son of a skilled tradesman did attend university. There's a Wikipaedia article about him.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Gaskin Take care, Lorraine in Canada On 2015-10-21, at 3:12 AM, Petra Mitchinson via wrote: Saturday 12 Sep 1818 (p. 4, col. 2) Precocity of Talent.-Mr. GOUGH has favoured the public with the following account of a child, nine years old, at present residing in Kendal: Thomas GASKING is the son of an industrious and ingenious journeyman shoemaker, of Penrith; and I now proceed to notice his <SNIP>