Roots of British History Wiltshire Writers

1. Roots of British HistoryWiltshire Writers Apprenticeships • What is an apprenticeship today and what are the different skills that can be learnt on an apprenticeship in Wiltshire. Extreme childhood poverty • What did living in poverty mean at the time that Edward Slow was born in the Wilton Union Workhouse? • What does living in poverty in Britain look like today? • How did he manage to become a published poet despite having such an impoverished childhood? These authors had careers in addition to being writers • priest • wheelwright • teacher Diversity of writing styles • poetry • devotional lyrics • novel Celebrating Wiltshire Writers • Celebrating the achievements of Wiltshire writers.

2. Roots of British History Wiltshire Writers

3. Edward Slow was born in Wilton in Wiltshire in the Wilton Union Workhouse. • Edward Slow’s father died in the 1849 cholera epidemic when Edward was 11years old and the family struggled with poverty. • Edward Slow was given a scholarship to the Wilton Free School. • On leaving school, Slow became an apprentice wheelwright. Wiltshire WritersEdward Slow1841 – 1925 Gramfer’sCrismus (extract) ...Then Father Crismus mead a spache, A wishenael good cheer; Likewise a merry Crismis tide, An happy, bright new year. An atter that, they ate an drunk, As much as they wurwillin; Then ut comes grammer, an she gies To every man a shillin • By 1867 Slow was trading on his own as a coach builder, wheelwright, spring van, trap and wagon builder. • Slow wrote poetry both in English and in dialect (i.e. he wrote phonetically to emulate the rural Wiltshire accent). For further Information about Edward Slow please go to http://edwardslow.wordpress.com/

4. Poetry on the Franco-Prussian War, entitled 'Voices from Salisbury Plain, or, Who's to Blame, a Dialogue between Willum an Jeames (Wiltshire labourers),‘ (extract) Edward Slow WILLUM I tell 'eewat 'tis, naighbour Brett, Th' Germans be a cowardly zett, Ta vier on zich a helpless city, Where is their piety and pity, I raaly hope th' Vrench will yet, Gie'msich a tannen they wont vorget. JEAMES Well Will, I can't agree wi' you, Vor if wat I have yeard is true, They Vrenchvoke they declared thease war, And diddenzeemta know wat var. If this is zo, as zays the peapers, 'Tis time 'twurstopp'd, zich wicked caapers, But, Willum, you radesmwore than I, And be a scholard quite as high, If dwon't mind as here we zit, Do jist explain your thoughts ov it. The tightrope walker ‘Blondin’ Blondin at Wilton Park. (Bank Holiday, August 4, 1873) (extract) ...An then to aelthavokeszaprize,He tied a bandage roun his eyes.An all his head an half his back,He put into a girt thick zack:An once agean he took pole in han,An tried upon tha rope tastan,Purtendin two or dree times ta slip,Bit that wur all a bit a flip;Var on a went as blinds a bat,An steady as a mouse or cat.An zome did cry, “Zure, zure, he’ll vall,Var he can’t see a glimpse at all”...

5. Wiltshire WritersGeorge Herbert1593- 1633 • George Herbert was a Welsh-born English poet, orator and Anglican priest. • In 1629, until his death in 1633, Herbert became an Anglican priest in the Wiltshire rural parishes of Fugglestone St Peter and Bemerton. • Although he was a priest for only 4-years he was hugely influential and: • is commemorated on 27 February by the Church of England/Wales • has windows honouring him in Salisbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey • and a statue on the outside of Salisbury Cathedral. • Herbert is best known for the hymns he wrote and is one of Britain's important writers of devotional lyrics. • It is thought that his poems/hymns were mainly written while he was living as a priest in Wiltshire.

6. Hymns written by George Herbert ‘Let all the world in every corner sing’(Lyrics by George Herbert) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwUGpRG1rSI Lyrics:Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King!The heavens are not too high, his praise may thither fly,the earth is not too low, his praises there may grow.Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King!Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King!The church with psalms must shout, no door can keep them out;but, above all, the heart must bear the longest part.Let all the world in every corner sing, my God and King!

7. Hymns written by George Herbert ‘Teach me my God and King’ Lyrics by George Herbert. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lx8s3ReeUEA Lyrics: Teach me, my God and King,in all things thee to see,and what I do in anythingto do it as for thee.A man that looks on glass,on it may stay his eye;or if he pleaseth, through it pass,and then the heaven espy.All may of thee partake;nothing can be so mean,which with this tincture, "for thy sake,"will not grow bright and clean. A servant with this clausemakes drudgery divine:who sweeps a room, as for thy laws,makes that and the action fine.This is the famous stonethat turneth all to gold;for that which God doth touch and owncannot for less be told.

8. Wiltshire WritersSir William Golding1911 - 1993 • Sir William Golding was a novelist, poet & playwright. • Golding spent his childhood and school years in Wiltshire. • He attended Marlborough Grammar School and later taught at Bishops Wordsworth’s school in Salisbury. • He was awarded a Nobel Prize in Literature and a Booker Prize for literature. • Golding is best known for his novel ‘Lord of the Flies’. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnCn2VTzY90 Vignette by William Golding Demos, ruddy, round, and short Made bolder by the inky port, With slobbered mouth and frantic eyes, Urges revolt and “Onward!” cries, “The barricades!” But still the squire, Didactic by the flapping fire, Puts back the ticking clock of heaven And keeps the world at half-past seven.