Allan Gibson Steel was an English cricketer. He was born in 1858 and died in 1914. Educated at Marlborough and Trinity Hall, Cambridge he played cricket for his school and university, being captain of Cambridge in 1880, and then of the Lancashire eleven. On nine occasions he represented England against Australia, and also toured in Australia. Both a batsman and a bowler, he scored 135 and 148 not out against Australia, and in 1879 bowled unchanged throughout both innings for the Gentleman against the Players. In 1883 he became a barrister, in 1901 a KC and in 1904 recorder at Oldham. Research Allan Steel
John Oldham was an English colonist. He was born about 1600 and died in 1636. He went to Plymouth, America from England in 1623. His murder by Indians on Block Island in 1636 was a chief incident leading to the Pequot War. Research John Oldham
William Cobbett was a British author and politician. He was born in 1762 at Farnham and died in 1835. In 1783 he went to London where he became a solicitor's clerk, but after nine months he joined the army, enlisting into the 54th Foot, and shortly after went with the regiment to Nova Scotia. He obtained his discharge in 1791, married and after a visit to France went to America in 1792 to commence as a political writer and opened a book shop in Philadelphia, occupying himself also with teaching and translating.
He established a newspaper, 'Peter Porcupine's Gaxette', but his trenchant articles resulted in him being sued and he left America in disgust, arriving back in London in 1801 where he started another newspaper, the 'Porcupine' in support of Pitt's policy but which failed. He then started the Weekly Political Register, which soon acquired a great circulation. The Register had started as a Tory paper in support of Pitt, but gradually changed its politics until it became known as the most daring and uncompromising of the government's opponents. Three times heavily fined for libel, William Cobbett continued his attacks on the government, in consequence of which he deemed it prudent to retreat to the United States in 1817, transmitting his articles regularly, however, for the Register.
In 1819 he returned to England, and made an unsuccessful attempt to get into parliament for Coventry. About the same period he commenced a series of papers entitled Rural Rides, afterwards reprinted, which contain charming pictures of English country scenery, and are among the best of his productions. In 1824-1827 appeared his History of the Reformation, in which he vilifies Queen Elizabeth I and the leading reformers. On the passing of the Reform Bill in 1832 he was returned as member for Oldham, but was indifferently successful in the House. Research William Cobbett
William Stott was an English artist. He was born in 1858 at Oldham and died in 1900. He studied under Gerome in Paris, and for some time afterwards lived in France, chiefly near Fontainebleau, before settling in London where his art attracted great attention, particularly his figure-subjects, though he also painted landscapes, particularly mountain landscapes. Research William Stott
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was a British statesman. He was born in 1874 at Blenheim Palace and died in 1965. He was Britains Prime Minister during the Second World War. He was educated at Harrow and Sandhurst before entering the British army in 1895 where he served in Cuba, India and the Sudan. He was a war correspondent during the Boer War and entered politics in 1900 as a Conservative MP for Oldham, before defecting to the Liberal Party in 1905. After a series of ministerial posts he became First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911 where he remained for the earlier part of the Great War. During the post-war period his principal position was that of Chancellor of the Exchequer, a post he held from 1924 to 1929. He was excluded from the national governments of 1931 to 1939 on account of his opposition to the policy of appeasing Germany and Italy, but was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty on the outbreak of the Second World War. After the resignation of Neville Chamberlain in May 1940, he became Prime Minister
of an all-party coalition. As the supreme director of the war effort, and the main architect of the alliance with Russia and America, he led the nation to victory over Germany and Japan, but was defeated at the polls in 1945 and did not again become Prime Minister until 1951, resigning the position in 1955. Research Winston Churchill
Abbreviations
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