Property:Block Notes
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This is a property of type Text.
E
<p>The lecturer was clearly referring to English baseball as he unlikely would be including American baseball among the “old games” or the “old sports and pastimes.”</p> +
<p>The likelihood is that this was English baseball, not American.</p> +
<p>The location of this match is unclear. The article states it took place at the “North Camp,” which research suggests was part of the Aldershot military encampment in Surrey. Yet other indications in the article, including its headline, seem to place the activity in Broadwater, a village near Worthing on the West Sussex coast. It is more likely that the type of baseball being played here was of the original English variety rather than American, given that the score was tallied by points rather than runs, and that the teams were comprised of seven players each. And whether the venue was in Surrey or Sussex, it fell within the traditional territory of English baseball.</p> +
<p>The location of this reference is much farther to the north than would be expected for English baseball. Notwithstanding this, and despite its appearance shortly following the 1889 tour, it most certainly is not referring to American baseball. The latter would never have been called a "customary game;" nor would it have been found in such a small, remote village.</p> +
<p>The monument referred to is a tower on the estate built in 1832 in memory of Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater. It is 108 feet tall, with 172 steps inside.</p> +
<p>The novel appears to be set in a small fictitious village along the southern coast of Kent.</p> +
B
<p>The novel presents the girl, Rebecca, very positively, suggesting she is the smartest and best looking student in the school.</p> +
E
<p>The novel was also serialized in the Birmingham Weekly Post. In the second half of 1885 it was published in two-volumes by F.V. White, London, with the baseball reference appearing in Vol. II, p. 209. Of note is that William Hutton, the real-life subject of this novel, lived and worked in the 18th century, with the scene mentioning baseball likely taking place in the 1750's or 1760's. There is no mention of baseball in William Hutton's actual autobiography.</p> +
<p>The novel was set "back some hundred years" in a fictitious Midlands village named "King's Marston."</p> +
"
<p>The original of this letter cannot be located and may no longer exist. The copy in the Suffolk archive appears to date to the 18th century but whether it was taken at the same time as the original cannot be determined. It is not in Lady Hervey's hand. Frederick's son George, age 10, (the future George III) was almost certainly among the ball players. Although Lady Hervey observed the prince's family playing baseball at Leicester House in London, they spent most of the year at Cliveden, their estate on the Thames at Taplow in Bucks.</p> +
E
<p>The person speaking this dialog was describing events that happened "a great many years ago." The story appears to be set in Hampshire, near Upham.</p> +
<p>The precise nature of this "base ball" is far from clear, especially given that the winner was identified as an individual and not a team.</p> +
<p>The suggestion of baseball in 17th-century London is an intriguing one, but there is no supporting evidence for the claim. The article was the second of a three-part series that was taken from a speech given by a local alderman to the blind members of the Hull Mutual Improvement Society.</p> +
<p>The village name “Carrow” no longer exists, with the site and the ancient abbey having been incorporated into Bracondale, a neighborhood of northeast Norwich.</p> +
W
<p>The word "base-ball" appeared at the end of a line of text and wrapped to the next line, so it is not clear if the writer intended it to be hyphenated or if the hyphen was inserted solely for the wrap.</p> +
E
<p>The words "from the Daily News" appear at the top of the article, but further down, in an open space between paragraphs, appears the seemingly contradictory words: "from the Saturday Review." Both of these newspapers were based in London. I tried to determine which of these statements was true, but could not locate the article in either one of the papers. Also of note, this article suggests that English base-ball was a manly sport for young men, which is not how it was typically portrayed.</p> +
<p>The words “manly spirit” suggest that baseball was played by men on this occasion, something not usually noted about English baseball during this time period.</p> +
<p>The “Brethren” could refer to any one of several religious organizations that adopted that title.</p> +
<p>The “Ranters” and “Blue Ribbon people” scorned by the complainant were members of evangelical Christian organizations who proselytized aggressively in the streets.</p> +
<p>There is a possibility that “base” in this instance could be prisoner's base, but that game had faded in popularity by the 1850s whereas baseball, by comparison, had become well established in East Anglia. I also note that the author referred to the game of camp-ball by the single word “camp.” The author's use of “æsthenic” is a bit confusing. It is not in the dictionary. The word “asthenic” means “weak” but it seems what the writer probably had in mind was the word “sthenic” which means “tending to produce vital energy.”</p> +