Inscription in pen on first page.

Lord Macaulay once declared that `the only true history of a country is to be found in its newspapers.' Clifford Morsley decided to compile a book from old newspapers, to give a `true history' of the English countryside, and chose the period from late George II to early Victoria in which to do so. The result is a riveting document, including stories of murder and smuggling, witchcraft and old customs, rustic characters and a fair amount of good country humour. National events are covered, but only to demonstrate how much, or how little, they influenced the lives of country people. Nearly all the stories are compiled from provincial papers...