2008 Publications

 The Harnham Water Meadows, by Hadrian Cook, Michael Cowan and Tim Tatton-Brown (Sarum Studies 3).Watermeadows are a fascinating part of England’s landscape heritage. Located at the heart of Salisbury, the Harnham Water Meadows today provide a range of natural habitats. Like watermeadows elsewhere, they are a complicated system for sustainable grassland production that played a major role in the economic development of Wessex. This work presents an account of the history and archaeology of the world famous Harnham system that affords the famous view of Salisbury Cathedral. Hadrian Cook is a hydrologist and soil scientist and an expert on watermeadows. Michael Cowan and Tim Tatton-Brown contribute their knowledge about Harnham and Fisherton Mills respectively. September 2008, 44 pages, illustrated (some colour), paperback, £5.95, ISBN 978-0-946418-67-1.

  Footsteps 2: the Cream of Walks in North-East Wiltshire, by Chris Cole.Well known for his monthly contribution to Wiltshire Life magazine, Chris Cole is the doyen of writers on walking in the county. In Footsteps 2, the sequel to Hobnob Press’s acclaimed Footsteps: the Cream of South Wiltshire Walks, Chris explores the spectacular countryside of the Marlborough Downs and Upper Thames Valley, around Swindon, Cricklade, Marlborough, Devizes and Pewsey. His twenty chosen walks are described with clear instructions and a wealth of information about the places and sights encountered on the way. They offer a memorable variety of walking in landscapes remarkable for their ancient sites, wildlife and literary associations. November 2008, 130 pages, maps and illustrations, paperback, £8.95, ISBN 978-0-946418-80-0.

  Joseph Priestley in Calne, by Norman Beale.Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen, one of the most significant advances in the history of Chemistry. The breakthrough came during the seven most productive years of his life, while he was living in Wiltshire, at Calne and Bowood. Priestley’s personality and family life have remained something of a mystery. Now, Dr. Norman Beale, retired Calne GP, tells the full story of Priestley in Calne,how it was that he came to Wiltshire, what he then did (not just the science): the effects on his family life; why he had to leave under a cloud and the surprising extent of the legacy he left. At last it is possible to fully appreciate an important eighteenth-century figure in science, religion and politics who turns out to be as fickle and fallible as the rest of us. November 2008, 96 pages, illustrated, paperback, £7.95, ISBN 978-0-946418-81-7.

  If I Did it, I Don’t Remember: Salisbury’s Edwardian Murder Mystery, by Jeremy B Moody and Bruce S Purvis. Salisbury, October 31st 1908. This date heralded Salisbury’s most infamous murder case, unsolved to this day. A young boy lay dead, his mother was arrested for the murder, and Scotland Yard was brought in to help investigate. Enter Chief Inspector Dew, who had hunted Jack the Ripper, and two years later would arrest the notorious Dr Crippen to gain worldwide fame – Scotland Yard’s first international superstar! The authors have spent three years researching this case, which attracted international media attention for many months a century ago. Their meticulously documented account includes previously unidentified scene of crime photographs, the personal thoughts of Chief Inspector Dew and fascinating new evidence. October 2008, 264 pages, maps and contemporary illustrations, paperback, £12.95, ISBN 978-0-946418-78-7.

 From Ceylon to Corsham, by Commander Pat Hoare, RN. The son of a tea planter, Pat Hoare was born in 1917 and determined on a naval career from the very early age of eight. After Dartmouth College and a training ship he became a Midshipman in the Royal Navy in 1935 and a Lieutenant after war broke out in 1939. A skilled navigator, his naval career took him all over the world, to the South Atlantic, Norway, the Sicily and Normandy invasions and Korea, as well as shorebound postings at H.M.S. Dryad near Portsmouth and H.M.S. Royal Arthur in Corsham. He rose to the rank of Commander in 1950, had command of his own ship in the Falkland Islands and retired from the Navy in 1960. Commander Hoare’s witty and entertaining memoir, of naval and social adventures on board ship and in port, continues through his subsequent civilian career, when living near Corsham, and ends with the death in 1974 of his beloved wife, Peggy, whom he had married in 1941. December 2008, 206pp, illustrations, paperback, £9.95, ISBN 978-0-946418-82-4.

 Fillet of Place: More Memories around East Knoyle, by Anthony Claydon.In his first book The Nature of Knoyle, published by Hobnob Press in 2002, the author sought to portray Wiltshire village life, in words and pictures, as it has evolved against the background of a wider world. Since publication, new material has come to light through further research and from contact with readers having present or past associations with Knoyle and its neighbouring villages. Stories told include the life and times of Admiral Edward Pellew, second only to Nelson in service to his country; sustained by his loyal and talented wife Susan from Sedgehill.There is the heart-warming tale of Emily, rescued from an appalling environment to flourish as first resident of a small cottage ‘Waifs and Strays’ Home in the village, leading to a fulfilling life. Other studies explore the wide range of shops and services in Knoyle in the 1930’s, its post war decline and the recent initiative of Wren’s Shop and Post Office, saved from extinction by the community’s voluntary effort. December 2008, 100 pages, illustrations, paperback, £7.95, ISBN 978-0-946418-66-4.