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Midlothian Mayhem

Murder, Miners and the Military in Old Midlothian

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Midlothian Mayhem

By: Malcolm Archibald
Narrated by: Frank Meaden
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About this listen

Murders, riots, strikes, and runaway horses. Midlothian in the 18th and 19th centuries was an interesting place to live.

This book introduces the listener to the hard lives of the colliers, the birth of the rural police force, and the impact the army had on life in the county south of Scotland’s capital city.

Highwaymen and grave robbers, footpads and murderers, illicit distillers and murderous poachers - all lived or worked in Midlothian at a time when Scotland was changing from a rural to an industrial nation.

Midlothian Mayhem opens the door to this time and place, giving you a view of this fascinating area through different eyes.

©2020 Malcolm Archibald (P)2020 Malcolm Archibald 19th Century Europe Great Britain Modern England Scotland Village

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A fairly solid and entertaining tome which admittedly will only appeal to a niche market ( of which i am part) but the narrator not only mispronounces place names by the score, he also cannot seem to say the simplest words e.g wary is pronounced weary. 3d ( thruppence) is pronounced three dee. And he continually tries a scottish accent with remarkable lack of skill before reverting to his southern english before the sentence is complete. Spoiled it for me.

Spoilt by mispronunciations

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Great book full of really good story’s wish it was longer. Could Leo with more books like it.

Top drawer

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The book really reached out to me. As a Dalkieth man, my people, my history, if not for a quirk of timing, me. Historical recollections, stories of old but well told by both author and narrator. It seems extraordinary that we have come so far in such a short time, but it's important we remember who were when my grandmother's grandmother was a girl.

Five stars all round.

This is how history should be told.

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For anyone keen on history, especially those from the area or who are interested in Scotland. It begins very strong with interesting insights into some of the various groups that made their mark on the county, but I found the criminal element to e just a litte bit to drawn out towards the end.
The narrator does a very good job and is clear to understand, keeps your attention and is full of character (albeit with a few odd pronunciations & accents).
An enjoyable listen that encourages you to dig deeper.

A glimpse into 17th & 18th century Scotland.

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This is an insight into the lives of the ordinary working people during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in Midlothian. There is also some significant historical detail indicating the importance of its fertile land and location being close to Edinburgh. It then goes on to describe vividly how life changed dramatically for the ordinary people in the county with the transition from a mainly rural to a mixed rural and industrialised way of life. The book covers in some detail the lives and working conditions of colliers, the inherently dangerous nature of that working environment and the almost inevitable disasters. It shows particularly that colliers were historically tied to the mine owners and not free to move to other mines. The subsequent efforts to break the bondage proved to be difficult which is hard to understand today. Another implication of industrialisation meant that the workers and their families came together in larger communities with the increased chance of disagreement and conflict. There are many examples of the rough and ready aspects of maintaining law and order and the dispensing of justice which led in turn to the development of a more effective police force. Midlothian’s long association with the military of the time probably resulted in a more hardened outlook on life and living for the population. Although the title does concentrate on “Murder and Mayhem”, it does concede that, in common with the times, most people were decent and hard working. All in all, it is an interesting story, effectively narrated, about the life and times in Midlothian during those centuries.

It's a hard life for the working man and woman.

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