Local author Mick Davis has published three historical books in the past year. The books explore a variety of historical themes, from the history of Frome from the Stone Age to life aboard prison ships.
Frome Through Time is best described as a popular guide to the town’s history and traces the area back to Stone Age times and on through its first appearance as a settlement during the Saxon period.
“The book covers the entire period of its growth into an important Somerset market town, from the dawn of history near a huge forest to the Foo Fighters at the Cheese and Grain. Its unique history is told in short, easy-to-read sections, with many of the illustrations being published for the first time,” says Mick.
“Along with the serious history, there are some quirky characters and freaky events: coin hoards, crime and punishment, long-lost pubs, a tank, ancient maps, witchcraft, riots and rebellions, a lost head, ancient customs and even a few skeletons and some flying saucers. It is a book to be dipped into at leisure, finding little nuggets that might lead to further research or stimulate new interests.
“My next book was Henry ‘Orator’ Hunt and the Ilchester Bastille an in-depth account of the ‘hero’ of the Peterloo Massacre and a study of his two and a half years in Ilchester Prison. The book explores his complex relationship with William Cobbett the radical author but its main focus is on the interplay between Hunt and the governor of the jail, William Bridle, who was dismissed for running a brutal regime and went down in history as a complete scoundrel.
“Recent research for this book has revealed that he may well have been the victim of political forces beyond his control, using Hunt as an innocent dupe in a far bigger game. William Bridle’s life after leaving Ilchester for a new life in Bath is no less fascinating.”
Mick’s third book is The English Convict Hulks, 1600-1868. “It is one of the first in-depth studies of life aboard the prison ships, how they came to be, who ran them, their day-to-day activities, the punishments and floggings,” says Mick. “There are many case histories of the rogues and villains that were imprisoned on board, as well as the odd gentleman thief. All this is set against the background of a government trying to avoid spending money on land-based jails by clearing the rogues and vagabonds off to foreign parts. The American Revolution closed off that avenue and other options were considered in various parts of Africa until eventually settling on Australia. The book has many contemporary graphics.”
Mick is now working with others from the Frome Society for Local Study in conjunction with Frome Museum on a history and exhibition of The Clearances of the 1960s in the Trinity Area of Frome and how a local revolt saved many ancient buildings.
All three books are available from Winstone’s Hunting Raven bookshop in Cheap Street.
