The Project Gutenberg EBook of Fragments of Two Centuries, by Alfred Kingston

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Title: Fragments of Two Centuries
Glimpses of Country Life when George III. was King

Author: Alfred Kingston

Release Date: May 8, 2007 [EBook #21352]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FRAGMENTS OF TWO CENTURIES ***

Produced by Al Haines

[Frontispiece: King George III.]

FRAGMENTS OF TWO CENTURIES.

GLIMPSES OF COUNTRY LIFE

WHEN

GEORGE III. WAS KING.

ILLUSTRATED.

WITH AN APPENDIX SHOWING THE RISE AND FALL
OF THE RURAL POPULATION IN 45 PARISHES IN THE
ROYSTON DISTRICT, IN HERTS., CAMBS., AND
ESSEX, FROM 1801 TO 1891.

BY

ALFRED KINGSTON.

ROYSTON: WARREN BROTHERS.

1893.

PREFACE.

Though the town of Royston is frequently mentioned in the following
pages, it was no part of my task to deal with the general historical
associations of the place, with its interesting background of Court
life under James I. These belong strictly to local history, and the
references to the town and neighbourhood of Royston simply arise from
the accidental association with the district of the materials which
have come most readily to my hand in glancing back at the life of rural
England in the time of the Georges. Indeed, it may be claimed, I
think, that although, by reason of being drawn chiefly from local
sources, these "Fragments" have received a local habitation and a name,
yet they refer to a state of things which was common to all the
neighbouring counties, and for the most part, may be taken to stand for
the whole of rural England at the time. For the rest, these glimpses
of our old country life are now submitted to the indulgent
consideration of the reader, who will, I hope, take a lenient view of
any shortcomings in the manner of presenting them.

There remains for me only the pleasing duty of acknowledging many
instances of courteous assistance received, without which it would have
been impossible to have carried out my task. To the proprietors of the
_Cambridge Chronicle_ and the _Hertsfordshire Mercury_ for access to
the files of those old