Books on Hertfordshire
Number 41
Autumn/Winter 1996
This booklet contains four main articles of interest.
John Dickinson and the Brandywine. (Full Text)
Paper was first made on the River Gade at Apsley, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, in 1774, and John Dickinson, whose picture is on the front cover, came to the area in 1809, having invented a paper making machine.
The first paper mill in the State of Delaware was founder by Joshua Gilpin in 1787 and was situated on the Brandywine River near Wilmington. In 1816 Thomas Gilpin patented a machine for producing paper "in an endless length" - and this was the first paper machine in the United States. This machine had a remarkable similarity to John Dickinson's machine - and the article describes the the "industrial espionage" involved in the invention crossing the Atlantic.
Growing up in Hatfield before 1945
A personal account of life in this Hertfordshire town between 1918 and 1945.
The Leasing of Lord Burghley's Hoddesdon Woodlands in 1595
Everyday matters rarely get recorded for posterity because everyone takes them for granted, and this means that information about the management of woodland, including coppicewood, is often hard to come by. The dispute that arose from the leasing of this woodland lead to extensive documentation which throws an important light on woodland management over 400 years ago and the important place coppicewood held within the community.
George Alfred Muskett, 1788-1843 - A case of 19th century political sleaze?
A intriguing tale which ends up with George dying and leaving the St Albans Bank bankrupt.
There are also a number of book reviews.
Page updated April 2007