Counties Of England Research Articles

Book Reviews

Book Reviews

Marketing leisure services over the Web in a county council

This paper describes the provision of a feasibility study for the development of a county leisure information service for a shire county in England, and discusses how the structural and political issues that arise are likely to be generic to any service of this type. Analysis is given of the current provision of leisure and tourist information systems, both on traditional forms of media and on the World Wide Web. A solution is proposed that enables the Local Authority and other information providers to avoid unnecessary duplication of existing databases. The argument is developed that existing leisure services must become integrated with Web developments if they are to reach potential customers, who are defined as belonging to two separate categories — county residents and visitors. Recommendations are made that would enable the target audience to be reached by establishing a Leisure Information Web System to reach audiences who maybe anywhere on the Net; and to develop Web kiosks, for use in public places, which may operate offline. The paper also discusses the possible managerial and financial implications of running this service.

Mortality from aortic aneurysm in migrants between counties of England and Wales: evidence for causes acting early in life.

We assessed whether the causes of aortic aneurysm underlying its distinctive geographical distribution in England and Wales act early or later in life from the OPCS data on deaths in England and Wales during April 1969-December 1972. From these data, we calculated proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) for aortic aneurysm by county of birth and county of death, for men and women aged 45-74. Among people resident in the county of their birth, PMRs for aortic aneurysm by county ranged from 31 in Pembrokeshire to 194 in Surrey. Among 'migrants', who died in a different county from that in which they were born, PMRs by place of death varied from 85 in the group of counties which had the lowest mortality in non-migrants to 111 in those with the highest mortality in non-migrants, and PMRs by place of birth varied from 74 in counties with lowest mortality in non-migrants to 113 in those with highest mortality in non-migrants. After adjustment for place of residence at death, the relation of mortality to place of birth was highly significant statistically (P < < 0.001). These findings indicate important causes of aortic aneurysm acting early in life, perhaps related to the formation of elastin in the arterial wall.

To be as a Looking Glass to their Estates: the early 17th century surveys of William Senior

William Senior, during the years 1600 to 1640, surveyed private estates totalling over 285000 acres located in a dozen counties of England. The result – written surveys (“terriers”) and over 150 maps (“platts”) – is a minor Domesday Book for the early 17th century.

To be as a Looking Glass to their Estates: the early 17th century surveys of William Senior

AbstractWilliam Senior, during the years 1600 to 1640, surveyed private estates totalling over 285000 acres located in a dozen counties of England. The result – written surveys (“terriers”) and over 150 maps (“platts”) – is a minor Domesday Book for the early 17th century.

Janet Cooper (ed.), The Victoria History of the Counties of England. A History of the County of Essex. Volume IX: The Borough of Colchester. Oxford: Oxford University Press for the Institute of Historical Research, 1994. xxiv + 439 pp. 20 plates. 37 figures and plans. Index. £70.00.

Janet Cooper (ed.), The Victoria History of the Counties of England. A History of the County of Essex. Volume IX: The Borough of Colchester. Oxford: Oxford University Press for the Institute of Historical Research, 1994. xxiv + 439 pp. 20 plates. 37 figures and plans. Index. £70.00.

Some Aspects of Sugar Beet Production in England, 1945–1985

Sugar beet occupies only a minor proportion of the total area of agricultural land in Britain, but it is of major importance to mixed cropping farms in the Eastern Counties of England, where soil and climate combine to give ideal growing conditions. This region produces more than half the annual United Kingdom output, and forms part of the major beet producing area in the European Community, which stretches from the Ile de France and Champagne-Ardenne in France, through southern Belgium to the western regions of the Netherlands. This paper is based on an extensive series of studies of beet production and reports on farming in the Eastern Counties of England, prepared since the mid-1920s by the Farm Economics Branch, and later by the Agricultural Economics Unit, of the Department of Land Economy at the University of Cambridge. After sketching the historical background, it discusses some of the more significant developments – in crop husbandry, structural change, in the substitution of labour for capital and specialisation, and accession to the European Community – which took place in the four decades of unprecedented progress up to 1985.

Association between incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and solar ultraviolet radiation in England and Wales.

To examine whether the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in different areas of England and Wales is associated with levels of solar ultraviolet radiation. Geographically based study examining the association between incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and estimated levels of solar ultraviolet radiation, controlling for social class and employment in agriculture. 59 counties in England and Wales. All registered cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma during the period 1968-85. Age and sex adjusted odds ratio for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in each county. Incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was significantly associated with solar ultraviolet radiation levels (P < 0.001), even after social class and employment in agriculture were controlled for (P = 0.004). In a comparison of counties in the highest and lowest quarters of solar ultraviolet radiation, the relative risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was 1.27 (95% confidence interval 1.24 to 1.29), rising to 1.34 (1.32 to 1.37) after adjustment for social class and employment in agriculture. The incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in different areas of England and Wales is positively associated with levels of solar ultraviolet radiation. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Gender Power and Property Relations Within Entrepreneurial Wealthy Families

This article challenges the popular image of middle and upper class women as beneficiaries and consumers of wealth and correspondingly of men as the central agents in the creation of wealth. Rather this paper demonstrates that women are active in the generation of wealth, but are not given the recognition they deserve, and are increasingly marginalized in the management and ownership of wealth. In seeking to explain this, wealth formation will be identified as a process constituting three stages: wealth creation, wealth accumulation and wealth preservation, whereby gender relations underlined by patriarchal practices propel male kin to positions of power and influence whilst overshadowing female kin. Data for this paper have been drawn from the findings of a study of 70 rich families in one of the midland counties of England and includes industrial, commercial, landed and ‘old’ and ‘new’ wealth.

Radon in Devon and Cornwall and paediatric malignancies

Exposure to radon in dwellings may cause cancer including paediatric malignancies. Devon and Cornwall have the highest exposure to radon of the counties of England. However, within these counties there is considerable variation in exposure. Exposure to radon in the 283 postcode sectors of the two counties has been published. The incidence of childhood malignancies between 1976 and 1985 was studied to compare postcode sectors of radon exposures ⩾ 100 Bq/ m 3 with sectors < 100 Bq/m 3. No significant difference in the incidence rate of 106.7 per million child years in the high radon postcode sectors and 121.7 in the low ( P = 0.29) was found. When the incidences of individual tumours were examined, a significantly increased rate of neuroblastoma ( P = 0.02) and a non-significant increased rate of acute myeloid leukaemia were found in the high exposure postcode sectors. No association between radon exposure and overall rate of childhood malignancy was found.

Ecological correlates of motor neuron disease mortality: a hypothesis concerning an epidemiological association with radon gas and gamma exposure.

This study investigates variations in motor neuron disease (MND) mortality rates between the counties of England and Wales from 1981 to 1989, and their relationship with gamma-ray dose rates, indoor radon gas concentrations and enhanced general life expectancy. A strong correlation was confirmed between age-adjusted rates of MND mortality and life expectancy. Weaker, but statistically significant, associations were observed between indoor radon gas concentrations, terrestrial gamma radiation and marginal variations in MND mortality. Life expectancy and radon gas concentrations were positively associated with MND mortality rates whilst gamma radiation was negatively associated. The negative correlation of gamma radiation with MND mortality may be understood with reference to its negative effects on overall population life expectancy. Radon gas concentrations seemingly account for a small elevation in MND mortality, amounting to at most 4% of total deaths. Further research is required to investigate this association.

The Middle Cornish Interlude: Genre and Tradition

Historical records Cornwall, the southwesternmost county in England, detail the presentation after 1500 of a number of called interludes.1 Churchwardens' accounts, borough records, and mayors' accounts, particularly between 1550 and 1583, make specific reference to such performances. While the St. Ives borough accounts 1572-73 note income received for ye enterlude, historical records more commonly denote payments performance. For example, the churchwardens' accounts of St. Breock, in 1566-67, record payment to enterlwd who travelled from St. Dennis to perform; the Launceston borough accounts in 1574-75 paid Enterlude i September; the mayors' accounts of Liskeard in 1575-76 record payment on two occasions during that year performances by Enterlyde players; and the churchwardens' accounts of Cambome 1577-78 cite payment for expences payed to the interlude players. Additionally, some of the payments recorded undesignated plays in Camborne, Bodmin, West Looe, Liskeard, and St. Columb Major may have also been interludes, as may have been some of the payments to unspecified players in Bodmin, Launceston, Stratton, Antony, Cambome, St. Ives, and Liskeard.

John Marsh and Provincial Music Making in Eighteenth-Century England

During the past few years the extensive manuscript journals of the Georgian amateur composer and musician John Marsh (1752–1828) have become increasingly recognised as valuable source material which provide a unique insight into provincial musical making in the southern counties of England. For long known only in the heavily abridged (by Marsh's youngest son Edward Garrard) and incomplete version in the Pendlebury Library, Cambridge, the emergence of the original version in 1990 has brought about a substantial re-evaluation of Marsh's career and personality. Subsequently sold at Christie's in December of that year, the original is now housed in the Huntington Library, San Marino, California. The complex history and a description of the journals and their contents can be found in an article by the present writer in the Huntington Library Quarterly, an issue which also includes an article on the social importance of the journals by William Weber. My purpose here is to provide an introduction to Marsh's experiences as a concert manager and leader in the cities in which he was resident.

John Marsh and Peregrine Project: A Tour through Some of the Southern Counties of England (1804)

A n amiably forgettable novel called A Tour through Some of the Southern Counties of England (London: Printed for Vernor and Hood, Poultry, By W Blackader, 10, Took's Court, Chancery Lane, 1804) lists the authors (or at least the pedestrians) on the title page as Peregrine Project and Timothy Type. Cataloguers of the British Library, the Bodleian Library, and the National Union Catalog, among others, shrewdly perceived that these names are pseudonyms, but they were unable to hazard a guess as to the real author.

Comparison of Ward Population Estimates from FHSA Patient Registers with the 1991 Census

"Postcode addresses from National Health Service patient registers for Norfolk and Suffolk [counties in England] current on census day 1991 were assigned to census wards, and estimates of populations in wards were produced for the total population and for twelve age-sex groups. These were compared with adjusted counts of usual residents from the 1991 Census." The results indicate that family health service authority registers "are an acceptable alternative to the census for population estimation purposes. This supports recent arguments for wider use of population registers and suggests that they may be particularly valuable as a source of intercensal information."

Contrasting geographical distribution of mortality from pneumoconiosis and chronic bronchitis and emphysema in British coal miners.

To explore whether the characteristics of coal mine dust that predispose to chronic airways obstruction are the same as those associated with pneumoconiosis, mortality from the two disease was compared in coal miners in 22 counties of England and Wales during 1979-80 and 1982-90. The proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) for coal workers' pneumoconiosis varied from 135 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 16-488) in Leicestershire to 3825 (95% CI 1538-7881) in South Glamorgan. The PMRs for chronic bronchitis and emphysema were consistently higher than those in other occupations, but showed much less geographical variation and did not correlate geographically with those for pneumoconiosis. These findings indicate that the pathogenetic mechanisms by which coal mine dust causes chronic bronchitis and emphysema depend on different features of the dust from those producing pneumoconiosis. Also, they suggest that current social security regulations in Britain, which require evidence of pneumoconiosis as a condition of compensation for chronic bronchitis and emphysema in coal miners, may discriminate unfairly against claimants from some regions.

D.A. Crowley (ed.), The Victoria History of the Counties of England. A History of Wiltshire. Volume XIV: Malmesbury Hundred. Oxford: Oxford University Press for the Institute of Historical Research, 1991. xx + 267pp. 52 plates and illustrations. 22 maps and plans. £60.00.

D.A. Crowley (ed.), The Victoria History of the Counties of England. A History of Wiltshire. Volume XIV: Malmesbury Hundred. Oxford: Oxford University Press for the Institute of Historical Research, 1991. xx + 267pp. 52 plates and illustrations. 22 maps and plans. £60.00.

Personal networks and firm competitive strategy—A strategic or coincidental match?

This article is based upon the premise that the personal network of the owner-manager is the most important resource upon which he or she can draw in the early days of the firm's development. This is particularly the case as the concept of personal networks is sufficiently general to include dimensions that include, for example, attention to customers, understanding of the business, market orientation, or stress on quality. As such, it is intuitively obvious that the nature and use of these networks must impinge upon the resultant strategy adopted in the firm, albeit often implicit rather than explicit. However, as yet there is no empirical evidence to support this conclusion. Therefore, this article probes one question: how do the characteristics of the owner-manager's network relate to the competitive strategy of new ventures? Clearly, within this, we expected to find relationships that were logically consistent. The research was conducted in two counties in England that possessed similar industrial structures and equal rates of new firm formation. A list of firms was obtained from local business directories, and all 629 firms that fit the criteria were contacted by telephone. Validation of the firms at this point resulted in a significant reduction in those that fit the sampling criteria.Four hundred twenty-three firms were mailed an 11-page questionnaire resulting in a 52% response rate. Preliminary analysis of the strategy variables identified six components that were consistent with previous literature. These were labeled as marketing differentiation, product innovation, market segmentation, distribution, growth through outside capital, and differentiation through quality. Correlation of these components with the networking characteristics of propensity to network, network activity, network density, network intensity, and content of network exchanges supports our proposition that entrepreneurs differ in their networking activities according to the competitive strategy pursued by the firm. Further classification of the owner-managers into strategic clusters demonstrates that most firms appear to follow multiple patterns of strategic behavior. Moreover, the comparison with the networking characteristics shows that owner-managers appear to differ in a logical manner in the use of their networks. Bailey, Montera, and Cardow (1992) argue that a firm's resource base consists of financial, physical, and human resources, and that the manner in which those resources interact is determined by the firm's strategy. Previous research on entrepreneurial networks has shown the amount of time and energy the owner-manager devotes to the development and maintenance of contacts. The underlying assumption of social-network theory is that through a personal network, the owner-manager of a new venture gathers access to critical resources, which for a variety of reasons the new firm does not possess internally. Consequently, this research has argued that this resource base cannot be ignored when attempting to understand the concept of “strategy” among new and small firms. In fact, this resource base may play a dominant role in formulating as well as implementing “strategy.”

Lancashire Catholics, Protestants and Jacobites During the 1715 Rebellion

Historians are generally agreed that Lancashire was the most Catholic and the most Jacobite county in England at the time of the 1715 rebellion. Indeed, final confirmation of this connection would seem to have been established by Professor Paul Kléber Monod. In his book,Jacobitism and the English People 1688–1788,Monod has stated that ‘Lancashire had the largest [Catholic] recusant population in England’ at the end of the seventeenth century, and that of the 688 listed English Jacobite rebels captured at Preston in 1715, 366 were from Lancashire, 227 from Northumberland, 78 from other counties, six from Ireland and eleven from unidentified places. Monod also discovered the religious affiliations of four-fifths of the Lancashire rebels and noted that 76 per cent of them were Roman Catholics. With these vital statistics in our possession it would seem that there is no need for further research on Lancashire Catholicism and Jacobitism in the early eighteenth century. But certain questions, ignored or barely touched on by Monod and other historians, need answering. First, how many Catholics were there in Lancashire in about 1715, what was their geographical distribution and social composition, and how far were they dominated by the gentry? Secondly, what was the social composition of the various Lancashire Catholic groups: the active Jacobites, the passive Jacobites and those of unknown allegiance? Thirdly, how do the Catholic and Protestant Jacobite rebels of Lancashire compare from a social and political standpoint? Finally, and confining ourselves mainly to the Catholic gentry, how strong a link was there in Lancashire between the Royalism of the Civil Wars (1642–48) and the Jacobitism of the 1715 rebellion?

Non‐statutory sites of importance for nature conservation in the West Midlands

Abstract Many counties in England have systems of non‐statutory sites of importance for nature conservation in addition to the statutory National Nature Reserves, Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Local Nature Reserves. The paper describes the evolution of such a system over the past 20 years in the metropolitan county of the West Midlands. The system has been recognized by the local planning authorities who have included appropriate policies for the conservation of these sites in statutory development plans. The authority of such a system derives from the use of published criteria for the selection of sites, consensus over the application of these criteria, and consultation with the owners and occupiers of the sites.