Discovering England: The Peak: 4: History, Legend and Custom
Patrick Monkhouse
Today, in his last talk on the Peak, Patrick Monkhouse is to tell listeners some important things that have happened in that historic district of England. For instance, he will refer to Charles Stuart's march to Derby, to the plague at Eyam, and to the cotton pioneers. Then he will describe some
Peak legends and customs, say something of that hero of English legend, Robin Hood, and something of fairies.
And finally, he will describe the Tissington well-dressing on Ascension Day, Winster Morris dancing, and â¢itrouf^l^m/^'log-book,
Then out will come that log-book, and the boy and girl who are making a chart of their village will dot down old rhymes or sayings, and make a list of local words or phrases a stranger might not understand. Have they ever seen their parish records? Is there any mention in them of the plague? Have any great inventors lived in their particular district? What did they invent? And did Robin Hood ever ride through their village? And did fairies ever frequent it before motorcars came?
2.25 Interval
2.30 World History: 4: The Birth of Science
Eileen Power, Professor of Economic History in the University of London
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, there was growing up a new approach to the phenomena of the universe, and what we now call the 'scientific spirit' came into being. In this period were born Copernicus, Galileo, and William Harvey. And not long afterwards, in 1642, the great Isaac Newton first saw light of day. Soon the triumph of science was almost complete: scientific investigation was launched on the lines on which it has continued ever since.
All this will be discussed by Professor Eileen Power this afternoon. In the course of her talk, moreover, she will mention such great research workers as Tycho Brahe, the astronomer, and William Harvey, whose experiments on living animals led to the formation of the modern theory of blood circulation.
2.50 Interval
