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Black Country Living Museum

The Black Country Living Museum (formerly the Black Country Museum) is an open-air museum of rebuilt historic buildings in Dudley, West Midlands, England. It is located in the centre of the Black Country, 10 miles west of Birmingham. The museum occupies 10.5 ha of former industrial land partly reclaimed from a former railway goods yard, disused lime kilns, canal arm and former coal pits.

The museum opened to the public in 1978, and has since added over 50 shops, houses and other industrial buildings from around the metropolitan boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall and the City of Wolverhampton (collectively known as the Black Country); mainly in a specially built village. Most buildings were relocated from their original sites to form a base from where demonstrators portray life spanning 300 years of history, with a focus on 1850–1950.

The museum continues to evolve, as further buildings and other exhibits are added.

Background

The museum is close to the site where Dud Dudley first mastered the technique of smelting iron with coal instead of wood charcoal and making iron in large enough quantities for industrial use. Having a claim to be "the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution", the Black Country is famous for its wide range of midsteel-based products from nails to the anchor and anchor chain for the Titanic.

The site's coal mining heritage is shown by an underground drift and colliery surface buildings. The museum has a working replica of a Newcomen atmospheric engine. Thomas Newcomen's invention was first successfully put to use in Tipton in 1712. The museum's reconstruction was based on a print engraved by Thomas Barney, filemaker of Wolverhampton, in 1719.

Electric trams and trolleybuses transport visitors from the entrance to the village where thirty domestic and industrial buildings have been relocated close to the canal basin. The museum is one of three in the UK with working trolleybuses. The route to the village passes the Cast Iron Houses and a 1930s fairground. A narrowboat operated by Dudley Canal Trust makes trips on the Dudley Canal and into the Dudley Tunnel.

On 16 February 2012, the museum's collection was awarded designated status by Arts Council England, a mark of distinction celebrating its unique national and international importance.

The museum is run by the Black Country Living Museum Trust, a registered charity under English law.

Exhibitions
By the main entrance in the old Rolfe Street Baths from Smethwick (1888) are displays of local artefacts encompassing some of the many products which were made by Black Country industry, cast iron hollow ware, animal traps, vehicles, chain, anchors, enamels, weighing scales, laundry irons, nails, locks and fire clay products. The exhibition includes more fragile items such as glassware, reflecting the centuries-old industry that produced lead crystal glass and the Joseph Chance glass works between Oldbury and Smethwick.

Mining and lime kilns
The museum site contained 42 disused mine shafts, most of which had been filled in. Two are preserved, one at the Racecourse Colliery and Brook Shaft.

In 1712, Thomas Newcomen built the world's first successful steam engine which was used for pumping water from coal mines on Lord Dudley's estates. In 1986, after ten years of research, the museum completed the construction of a full-scale working replica of the engine. The "fire engine" is housed in a brick building from which a wooden beam projects through one wall. Rods hang from the outer end of the beam and operate pumps at the bottom of the mine shaft which raise the water to the surface. The engine has a boiler, a cylinder and piston and operating valves. A coal fire heats water in the boiler which is little more than a covered pan and the steam generated passes through a valve into the brass cylinder above it. The cylinder is more than two metres long and 52 centimetres in diameter. The steam in the cylinder is condensed by injecting cold water and the vacuum beneath the piston pulls the inner end of the beam down causing the pump to move.

Lime working and processing was carried out on the site from medieval times. Evidence of quarries and underground remains, the canal, and preserved lime kilns are parts of a scheduled ancient monument which has features from the medieval, Industrial Revolution and 20th century. Standing alongside canal arm are the lime kilns, built by the Earl of Dudley to process limestone quarried from Wren's Nest workings. The earliest of the three surviving kilns dates from the late 18th century.

Metal working
The trap shop was built in 1913 in Rookery Street, Wednesfield. It was offered to the museum in 1982. Sidebotham's Steel Trap Works was not rebuilt in its entirety and the original structure was shortened. The exhibit, set around 1930, contains the office, trap shop and the machine shop.

The nail shop is a replica of a back-yard workshop, built in the 1880s from 17 Chapel Street, Halesowen. It houses equipment from the Halesowen workshop operated by Sidney Tether in the 1940s. It is in use on a regular basis by the resident nail maker who demonstrates the skill of forging nails by hand.

The brass foundry was built in 1869 in Shaw Street, Walsall and closed after the Second World War but re-opened in 1964 by James Powell and used until his death in 1973. The building and its equipment were relocated to the museum in 1986. It can be seen in operation when the brass caster demonstrates traditional skills in casting horse brasses, pot hooks and other small items.

The rolling mill installed at the Birchley Works in Oldbury in 1923 ceased to operate in 1976 and it was moved to Lord Ward's Canal Arm. The museum operates it from time to time using volunteers.

The Anchor Forge was rescued from Isiah Preston's in Cradley Heath. The steam-hammer was installed second hand in the 1920s to forge parts for ships' anchors and the other equipment including furnace and boiler also came from Prestons. The building was saved from Johnson's Rolling Mill site in West Bromwich.

The chain maker's shop represents one of the many workshops that made small and medium size chain. By the mid-1800s the chain industry was mostly associated with Cradley, Cradley Heath, Old Hill, Quarry Bank and Netherton. It is operational and the skill of making chain by hand can be watched daily.

An Oliver hammer was a treadle-operated hammer that forged bolts by forcing red hot lengths of iron into a die. The machine shop contained several Oliver hammers used to forge special parts to order. It was founded by Onan Lowe and taken over by T. W. Lench Ltd.

Village
On the low ground at the northern end of the site, houses, shops, workshops and public buildings have been dismantled and rebuilt brick by brick to create an early 20th-century village. Activities in the buildings are demonstrated by staff in period costume. The village preserves a cross section of social and industrial history.

The village shops include Gregory's General Store, Emile Doo's chemist shop, a sweet shop and cake shop with a bakery at the back. There is a hardware and ironmongers shop from Pipers Row in Wolverhampton. and a pawnbroker's shop that was relocated to the museum in 1991.

Brook Street back-to-back houses, built in the 1850s, were relocated from Woodsetton and were the homes of colliers, farm workers and ironworkers. The anchor maker's house from Lawrence Lane in Old Hill was the first to be relocated to the museum and is an example of late-Victorian housing.

Public buildings include Providence Chapel from Darby End/Hand near Netherton, one of the first buildings to be rebuilt, and the Bottle and Glass Inn, a working public house set out as it would have been in 1910.

The village postbox stood on the corner of Baker Street and Blandford Street, London in 1865. It was designed by architect J W Penfold and made by Cochrane, Grove and Company.

The Carter's Yard from Ogley Hay Road Burntwood, Cannock was built around 1900. It was dismantled and brought to the museum in the 1990s.

1930s Street (Old Birmingham Road)
Old Birmingham Road links St James's School with the Cradley Heath Workers' Institute. Here buildings have been set in the 1930s to tell the story of the years leading up to the Second World War.

Museum staff in St James's School demonstrate lessons and school life from the turn of the 20th century. The school building opened in Eve Hill, Dudley in 1842 for pupils aged 5–11. It was decided to transfer the building to the museum in 1989 and relocation was completed by October 1990, with the exhibit opening the following year.

Hobbs & Sons fish and chip shop and H Morrall's gentlemen's outfitters have been returned to 1935 condition. The shops come from Hall Street, Dudley and date from the late-18th century and refaced with bright red pressed brickwork in 1889. The tiled interior of Hobbs features restored hand-painted tiled wall panels. The frying range is of a design patented in 1932 made by E.W. Proctor of Huddersfield. In the 1930s many of Joseph Hobbs's customers worked in factories or shops.

Four buildings were rescued from Birmingham Street, Oldbury and date to about 1860. The block is dominated by the green painted fascia of Humphrey Brothers, builders' merchants, who occupied the premises from 1921. It has a replica shop front from about 1932. Humphreys sold fireplaces, sanitaryware and building supplies including Walpamur, a flat paint used for internal walls. The motorcycle shop is based on the business of A. Hartill & Sons which was located in Mount Pleasant, Bilston. The window displays six locally made motor bikes dating from 1929 to 1934. Next door is Alfred Preedy & Sons tobacconist shop, established in Dudley in 1868. James Gripton's radio shop is from the 1920s and this reconstruction, set in 1939, contains 'new' and second radios.

The brick tunnel and cart entrance provide access to a late 1930s kitchen with an electric cooker made by Revo of Tipton. There is a radio workshop behind Gripton's and then the stairs lead to two first floor living rooms and two bedrooms which are all set in the late 1930s and furnished with original 1930s style furniture and wall paper.

The Cradley Heath Workers' Institute was built with surplus funds raised in 1910 during the strike for a minimum wage by women chain makers. The Arts and Crafts style building was designed by architect, Albert Thomas Butler, and opened on 10 June 1912. It became a centre for educational meetings, social gatherings and trade union activities in Cradley Heath. Re-erected at the museum it is a monument to Mary Macarthur and her campaign to establish a national minimum wage in the "sweated trades" where people worked long hours for poverty wages typically in appalling conditions. The building contains reconstructed offices, a news room with a digital interpretation of the background to the strike and a large hall which is used for a wide range of activities including theatre performances and concerts.

1930s fairground
The 1930s fairground located behind the school represents a travelling fairground that would have brought entertainment to people in the early 1900s. Such fairs set up on waste ground and for a few days provided thrills, entertainment and a change for those who might never go on holiday. The collection of historic rides includes a helter skelter and the Ark, the latest thing in high-speed rides when introduced in the 1920s. It was updated over the years but not converted into a waltzer. It remains one of the few "fourlift" Arks in the country.

Lord Ward's Canal Arm
Work began on the boat dock in 1976 and the museum aimed to recreate a typical dock that would have been found on the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN). Docks like the one at the museum would have been formed from recycled wooden boats. They were used to build wooden boats or maintain iron and composite boats.

Adjacent to the museum is the Dudley Tunnel. Visitors can take a 45-minute skipper-guided trip into the tunnel through the historic limestone mines and caverns on a boat operated by the Dudley Canal Trust.

Boat collection
The museum's boat display consists of boats that it owns, are on loan or have mooring agreements.

The museum owns: Prosper

Edna Irene

Admiral Beatty

Warehouse (GKN14)

Ham

Amp (GWR 19)

Stewarts and Lloyds 100

Matty Butty

North Star II

Diamond

Bessie

Eustace

President

Kildare

Stour

Birchills

Other boats at the museum: District Number 1

Peacock

Coventry

GWR 15

BHP 2

FMC 138

BHP 3

Ross

Transport collection
The size of the museum site provides the opportunity to demonstrate many of the road transport exhibits which were both used and made in the Black Country.

Trams

 * Dudley, Stourbridge and District Electric Traction Company No. 5 Tividale single-decker built in 1920. This was the museum's first tram. It has worked much more at the museum than for its original owners. Returned to service in December 2017 after a £120,000 overhaul.
 * Wolverhampton District Electric Tramways Company No. 19 works car built in 1902. Stored awaiting restoration. Originally operated with Dudley, Stourbridge and District as open-topper no. 36.
 * Wolverhampton Tramways Company Horse Tram No. 23 open-top double-decker built in 1892. The museum's oldest tram, and is currently on display at the back of the Tram Depot.
 * Wolverhampton District Electric Tramways Company No. 34 Tividale single-decker built in 1919. Commenced in service at the museum in 1997 after restoration. Stored awaiting overhaul after 20 years of operation.
 * Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways open-top double-decker No. 49 built in 1909. Returned to traffic in 2004 after a 25-year restoration, is now in service in the museum.
 * Dudley, Stourbridge and District Electric Traction Company No. 75 Tividale single-decker built in 1919. Stored awaiting restoration.
 * Wolverhampton Corporation Tramways No. 102 Tividale single-decker built in 1920. Was used as a tram shelter at the museum in the 1980s and 1990s, currently stored awaiting restoration.

Motor buses

 * West Bromwich Corporation Daimler CVG6 GEA 174 built in 1948. Operational following completion of restoration in 2013.
 * Midland Red BMMO D9 6342 HA built in 1963. Operational following completion of restoration in 2007.
 * Guy Motors KTT 689 built in 1948 and delivered new to Court of Torquay. Operational.
 * West Bromwich Corporation Dennis E-Type EA 4181 built in 1929.

Trolleybuses
The museum operates a trolleybus service on certain days, unlike the tram which is usually operated seven days a week. The route is one of the few double deck trolley bus services left in the world, as most of the world's trolley buses are single deckers.

The museum's fleet numbers three resident trolleybuses from the Black Country's two former trolley bus networks, and one which has been painted to resemble a local trolleybus. Unlike Birmingham's tram service, Birmingham Corporation Trolley Buses never operated in the Black Country. The Resident Fleet is listed below;

 * Wolverhampton Corporation Transport 78 – A Guy built 1931 Trolleybus that still requires restoration.
 * Wolverhampton Corporation Transport 433 – A Sunbeam with body work by C. H. Roe, this time a W4 built in 1946 which was retired with the rest of Wolverhampton's trolley buses in 1967. Operational.
 * Bradford Corporation Transport 735 - A Karrier W built in 1946. Though it worked with Bradford for all its working life, it has been painted in Walsall Corporation blue in order to resemble trolleybuses that would have operated nearby. Operational.
 * Walsall Corporation Transport 862 – Another Sunbeam F4A with a Willowbrook Body, it was built in 1955 and retired from Walsall in 1970 on the closure of the trolleybus network. Operational.

Motor cars
Wolverhampton was home to some early manufacturers of motor cars, such as Sunbeam, Clyno, AJS and Star. Frisky cars were also made in Wolverhampton, while the Black Country town of Kingswinford is home to Westfield cars.

The museum collection includes a 1903 Sunbeam, a 1912 Star and a 1931 AJS as well as examples of later vehicles such as the Kieft, Frisky and Westfield Topaz.

Motorcycles
There are approximately 40 motorcycles in the museum's collection, all of which were made in the Black Country. A large proportion were manufactured by Sunbeam and AJS, but there are also examples by firms such as Wearwell Cycle Company and Rockson. The museum is affiliated to the British Motorcycle Charitable Trust.

Other vehicles
The museum does not have an extensive collection of Black Country bicycles, but there are examples by manufacturers such as Harry Albino and Star.

Unusual vehicles in the fleet include a 1924 Guy-Morris fire engine, a Model T Ford van used by Willenhall firm Brevitt's and a Bean of Tipton flatbed truck.

Other collections
In addition to the wide range of displayed collections, the museum has extensive research collections held in store. These include historic objects, archival material and library books, all of which can be viewed by appointment.

Filming location
The museum has been used as a set for many film and television productions, particularly the first season of Rosie & Jim and the BBC dramas WPC 56 and Peaky Blinders. Stan & Ollie, a feature film on the life of Laurel and Hardy, shot some of its scenes on the museum's 1930s Street.

Future plans
On 15 June 2017 it was announced that the museum had been awarded £9.8 million from the National Lottery towards their £21.7m project BCLM: Forging Ahead, which will allow the museum to tell the story of the Black Country up to the closure of the Baggeridge Coal Mine in 1968. Plans include the translocation, recreation or replication at the Museum of Wolverhampton's Elephant & Castle pub, Dudley's Burgin's Newsagents, a hairdressers, an NHS clinic, West Bromwich Gas Showroom and Dudley's Woodside Library, and a butchers all dating from the 1940s to the 1960s. The new plans will see the museum space increase by one third. The plans were due to be completed in 2022. It is expected that 60 jobs would be created directly as a result of the expansion.

Rail Access

 * Tipton railway station

title: Black Country Living Museum


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User talk:Wonderer

Hello "Wonderer" and welcome to Wikipedia. A few tips for you:

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 * Happy wiki'ing, -- Infrogmation 17:49, 22 Nov 2003 (UTC)

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User talk:Ojigiri~enwiki

Hello, welcome to Wikipedia. Here are some useful links in case you haven't already found them;

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If you have any questions, see the help pages, add a question to the village pump or ask me on my talk page. I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian!

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Article Licensing
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 * Multi-Licensing FAQ - Lots of questions answered
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To allow us to track those users who muli-license their contributions, many users copy and paste the " " template into their user page, but there are other options at Template messages/User namespace. The following examples could also copied and pasted into your user page:

 * Option 1
 * I agree to multi-license all my contributions, with the exception of my user pages, as described below:

OR
 * Option 2
 * I agree to multi-license all my contributions to any U.S. state, county, or city article as described below:

Or if you wanted to place your work into the public domain, you could replace " " with "  ". If you only prefer using the GFDL, I would like to know that too. Please let me know what you think at my talk page. It's important to know either way so no one keeps asking. -- Ram-Man (comment| talk)

Your account will be renamed
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The developer team at Wikimedia is making some changes to how accounts work, as part of our on-going efforts to provide new and better tools for our users like cross-wiki notifications. These changes will mean you have the same account name everywhere. This will let us give you new features that will help you edit and discuss better, and allow more flexible user permissions for tools. One of the side-effects of this is that user accounts will now have to be unique across all 900 Wikimedia wikis. See the announcement for more information.

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Ojigiri. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Ojigiri~enwiki that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name. If you think you might own all of the accounts with this name and this message is in error, please visit Special:MergeAccount to check and attach all of your accounts to prevent them from being renamed.

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ArbCom elections are now open!
Hi, You appear to be eligible to vote in the current Arbitration Committee election. The Arbitration Committee is the panel of editors responsible for conducting the Wikipedia arbitration process. It has the authority to enact binding solutions for disputes between editors, primarily related to serious behavioural issues that the community has been unable to resolve. This includes the ability to impose site bans, topic bans, editing restrictions, and other measures needed to maintain our editing environment. The arbitration policy describes the Committee's roles and responsibilities in greater detail. If you wish to participate, you are welcome to review the candidates' statements and submit your choices on the voting page. For the Election committee, MediaWiki message delivery (talk) 22:13, 30 November 2015 (UTC)

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Batman and Robin

Batman and Robin are a superhero duo appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics.

Batman and Robin may also refer to:

Comics and literature

 * Batman and Robin (comic strip), a newspaper comic strip, started in 1943
 * All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder, a comic book series, started in 2005
 * Batman and Robin (comic book), a 2009 comic book ongoing series by Grant Morrison
 * "Batman and Robin Have an Altercation", a 2012 short story by Stephen King
 * Batman and Robin Eternal, a comic book limited series, started in 2015

Film and television

 * Batman and Robin (serial), a 1949 fifteen-chapter serial film
 * Batman with Robin the Boy Wonder (animated series), an animated television series, started in 1969
 * The Adventures of Batman & Robin, the second season of Batman: The Animated Series, renamed in 1994
 * Batman & Robin (film), a 1997 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, George Clooney, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman, and Alicia Silverstone
 * Batman vs. Robin, a 2015 animated film

Video games

 * The Adventures of Batman & Robin (video game), a 1994 video game based on the television series of the same name
 * Batman & Robin (video game), a 1998 video game based on the film of the same name

Other uses

 * Batman & Robin (soundtrack), the 1997 soundtrack album for the film of the same name
 * Batman & Robin: The Chiller, a roller coaster in New Jersey themed after the film Batman & Robin, opened in 1998

title: Batman and Robin


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User talk:Marc Girod~enwiki

bonjour Marc, et bienvenue :-) user:Anthere
 * Bonjour Anthere. Plus de six mois décidément. Marc Girod 19:21, 8 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Marc, I've worked extensively on Age of Extremes. Please have a look at the article and its talk page (as I write this, I'm having trouble saving the talk page, but I imagine it should be OK by the time you are liable to read this). -- Jmabel 22:33, 12 Jan 2004 (UTC)

 * Sorry -- It took me too long to come back, only a similar disappointment in the French Wiki. Marc Girod 19:58, 8 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Vandalisation
I found to my surprise that somebody with an anonymous IP from Australia: CPE-138-130-8-11.nsw.bigpond.net.au (138.130.8.11), had found it funny to vandalise my user page on Sept 4th. Marc Girod 19:58, 8 Sep 2004 (UTC)

NPOV and Discussion
When you say the discussion pages impede neutrality, are you perhaps referring to the problem where consensus sometimes becomes a replacement for neutrality, and the majority view is endorsed rather than leaving all views unendorsed? I have noticed this can be a problem on controversial issues whenever a group of editors feels passionately about something. I see it happening in articles on a wide range of topics as I roam about Wikipedia. — Cortonin | Talk 08:38, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Right. Also, people feel --incorrectly in my view-- that POV belongs to discussion pages, which soon look only like a verbose cemetary... Thread style and verbosity are killers in practice. MG

 * I'd like to better understand this. Can you give a more specific example?     — Cortonin | Talk 19:02, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

It seems we need some greater clarification regarding the process of writing neutrally here. — Cortonin | Talk 08:38, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Thanks. I agree and look forward to finding means to make progress there. MG

 * Well, when User:172 left Wikipedia a short while ago, he said something intriguing in his parting message. He pointed out that there are mechanisms in place for enforcing process (such as enforcing the 3RR and other such simpler rules), but no mechanisms in place for enforcing product (such as interpreting what NPOV means in various specific cases).  I've seen people talking about those comments, and while he left in the midst of some turmoil, those things he said struck a nerve with some people it seems.  Currently the only mechanism we have for enforcing NPOV is consensus of the most active, and unless they are willing to write against their own opinions (which it seems most people aren't), then this just reduces to the popular view of the most active being dominant.  The arbitration committee often responds with "we don't engage in content disputes" when such are brought up to them, which is fine, because someone has to take care of dealing with all the cases about rules of process.  But this means that we are left with no committee which ensures the NPOV of the product.     — Cortonin | Talk 19:02, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Someone once told me that an unenforced rule isn't really a rule, and I think there's wisdom in that.    — Cortonin | Talk 19:02, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

 * Thanks for pointing User:172's comments. What I understand and retain in them is that the community does not work in a responsible manner, by positioning on the contents, but rather leaves the field to administrators and the like who focus on applying more or less formal rules. The problem is thus both passivity of the majority, and activity of a minority. Do we need rules? As few as possible... Rules have also one important function: break, i.e. help practical understanding to emerge, by being proven inappropriate and counterproductive.
 * But what is the suitable --since my talk page is not-- place to develop on the failure of Wikipedia's enlighted democracy? Marc Girod 07:02, 1 May 2005 (UTC)

 * I don't know, maybe Neutrality Committee and Wikipedia talk:Neutrality Committee? I think the reason rules break so much here is twofold.  One, half of them aren't enforced, so people just wiggle out of them and put what they want anyway.  And two, the rules are simply written text, and pieces are selected here and there from the text (often out of context) to support various interpretations, many of which don't match the intended spirit of neutrality as laid out by Wales.  I think the latter problem would be fixed if there were some sort of judicial panel whose role would be to interpret the meaning of NPOV as it applies to specific examples, so that people have someone to turn to for an authoritative explanation of what true neutrality means in specific cases.     — Cortonin | Talk 11:36, 1 May 2005 (UTC)

 * In addition, it might be helpful to read How to create policy.    — Cortonin | Talk 11:42, 1 May 2005 (UTC)

 * I'm afraid I simply disagree here. No need for any committee. Normal users should play this role. If they don't, we are doomed. We should try to make it sexy for normal users to behave in a responsible manner. That's all we can do. And it is not by making or enforcing policies. Marc Girod 18:34, 3 May 2005 (UTC)

 * And when they would rather label their own views as true rather than follow NPOV, despite its clear demarcation as a policy? What then?  An unenforced rule isn't a rule.     — Cortonin | Talk 19:42, 3 May 2005 (UTC)

 * There are other strategies than suicide. Marc Girod 16:50, 6 May 2005 (UTC)

Your account will be renamed
Hello,

The developer team at Wikimedia is making some changes to how accounts work, as part of our on-going efforts to provide new and better tools for our users like cross-wiki notifications. These changes will mean you have the same account name everywhere. This will let us give you new features that will help you edit and discuss better, and allow more flexible user permissions for tools. One of the side-effects of this is that user accounts will now have to be unique across all 900 Wikimedia wikis. See the announcement for more information.

Unfortunately, your account clashes with another account also called Marc Girod. To make sure that both of you can use all Wikimedia projects in future, we have reserved the name Marc Girod~enwiki that only you will have. If you like it, you don't have to do anything. If you do not like it, you can pick out a different name. If you think you might own all of the accounts with this name and this message is in error, please visit Special:MergeAccount to check and attach all of your accounts to prevent them from being renamed.

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Renamed
 This account has been renamed as part of single-user login finalisation. If you own this account you can |log in using your previous username and password for more information. If you do not like this account's new name, you can choose your own using this form after logging in: . -- Keegan (WMF) (talk) 15:53, 22 April 2015 (UTC)

title: User talk:Marc Girod~enwiki


text:
FA

FA, Fa or fa may refer to:

People

 * Fa of Xia, King of China 1747–1728 BC
 * Fa Ngum (1316–1393), founder and ruler of the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang
 * Fa Ziying (1964–1999), Chinese serial killer

Places

 * Fa, Aude, a commune of the Aude département in France
 * Friends Academy, Locust Valley, New York, USA

Arts and entertainment

 * Fa (musical note)
 * Fa Yuiry, a fictional character in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
 * Fantasy Advertiser, later FA, UK fanzine
 * Firearms (video game), 1998
 * Fur Affinity, a furry fandom-centric art community website

Government, law and politics

 * Fa (philosophy), a Chinese concept
 * Falange Auténtica, a Spanish political party
 * Fisheries Agency, Taiwan

Languages and alphabets

 * Fa (letter) of the Arabic abjad
 * Faʼ language, Bantu language of Cameroon
 * fa, ISO 639-1 code of the Persian language

Mathematics, science, and technology

 * Factor analysis, a statistical method
 * Fanconi anemia, a genetic disease
 * Fayalite, an olivine mineral
 * Femtoampere (fA)
 * Fluorescein angiography, for eye examination
 * Folic acid, a B vitamin
 * Fractional anisotropy, degree of anisotropy
 * Friedreich's ataxia, a genetic disease
 * Nikon FA, a camera

Military

 * Forschungsamt, Nazi German intelligence agency
 * Frontal Aviation, Soviet Air Forces battlefield air defence
 * Fleet Admiral, usually the highest rank of naval officers

Sport

 * The Football Association, regulatory body, England
 * First ascent, of a mountain
 * Football association, a governing body for an association football

Transport

 * ALCO FA, a US locomotive
 * Toyota FA, a truck
 * Area forecast, in aviation
 * Ferrocarriles Argentinos, Argentine railways
 * Safair, a South African airline, IATA code
 * NZR FA Class, New Zealand locomotive class

Other uses

 * F.A. or Intermediate of Arts, an academic diploma
 * Fa (brand), of personal care products
 * fa’ or Fall (unit), obsolete Scottish length unit
 * Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous (FA)
 * FurAffinity, an art sharing website.

title: FA


text:
Przemysł I of Greater Poland

Przemysł I (4 June 1221 – 4 June 1257), a member of the Piast dynasty, was Duke of Greater Poland from 1239 until his death, from 1241 with his brother Bolesław the Pious as co-ruler. He was able to re-acquire large parts of Greater Poland, ruling as Duke of Poznań and Gniezno from 1247 and, upon several inheritance conflicts with his brother, as Duke of Poznań and Kalisz from 1249, sole Duke of Greater Poland from 1250, and Duke of Poznań from 1253 until his death.

The numeral primus ("The First") was given to him in the almost contemporary Wielkopolska Chronicle.

Life and rule
He was the eldest son of the Greater Polish duke Władysław Odonic by his wife Jadwiga (Jadwiga), who was likely a daughter of the Samboride duke Mestwin I of Pomerania, or a member of the Bohemian Přemyslid dynasty (a supposition supported by the name given to her son, the first in the Piast dynasty who bears it), or of the Bavarian House of Andechs. Duke Władysław Odonic ordered that his son be given a comprehensive education; as attested in the Wielkopolska Chronicle, young Przemysł was able to read Latin psalms with ease.

Beginning of his government
Przemysł first appears in official documents signed by his father from 1232 onward, and after Władysław Odonic's death on 5 June 1239 he began his own rule, during the time of Fragmentation of Poland (1138 - ca. 1314). Two years later (in 1241), Przemysł approved his younger brother Bolesław as an official co-ruler, though this was merely a formality. In reality Przemysł reigned alone.

The principality inherited from his father was composed of northern Greater Poland, which included Ujście and Nakło (although some historians believe that Władysław Odonic lost Ujście and Nakło before his death). Subsequently, he strove to recover the remaining part of Greater Poland. In 1241, after the death of his Silesian cousin High Duke Henry II the Pious at the 1241 Battle of Legnica, Przemysł recovered Poznań and Gniezno, and subsequently managed to conquer also the parts of Greater Poland previously controlled by Dukes of Silesia.

Reconquest of lost lands
In 1242 Przemysł I reconquered Zbąszyń and Międzyrzecz from Bolesław II the Bald. The presence of Przemysł in Silesia forced the intervention of Duke Swantopolk II of Pomerania, who captured Nakło. However Przemysł quickly took back the control of the district from the Pomeranian ruler.

Despite his success, Przemysł sought to end his disputes with the Silesian Piasts and in 1244 he married Bolesław II's sister Elizabeth, at the monastery in Trzebnica. Contrary to his plans, this marriage did not calm the situation on the Silesian-Greater Poland border, but it did allow Przemysł to recover Kalisz from Duke Władysław of Opole. He failed however in his attempt to recover Wieluń, which was only annexed to Greater Poland in 1249. The actions against the sons of Henry II the Pious were completed in 1247 when Santok was recovered.

War in Greater Poland against the opposition, fight with the Silesian Piasts
In 1247 Przemysł I was forced by the local knights to give his brother Bolesław the district of Kalisz as a separated Duchy, but in foreign policy he retained full authority over Greater Poland. It was not the final division. A year later, the ruler of Greater Poland crushed the opposition by imprisoning its leaders, the Castellan of Poznań Thomas of Nałęczów and his sons. Przemysł I released them in 1250, when he was involved in the conflict between Bolesław II the Bald and his brother Konrad (husband of Przemysł I's sister Salomea). The intervention of the Greater Poland Duke helped Konrad to obtain the district of Głogów as his own independent Duchy.

In 1249 Przemysł I exchanged again territories with his brother, giving him Gniezno and becoming Duke of Poznań and Kalisz. In 1250, for unknown reasons, Przemysł had Bolesław arrested, becoming in this way the sole ruler of Greater Poland (Poznań, Gniezno and Kalisz). Only at Easter of 1253, after the Church intervention, the brothers were finally reconciled and Bolesław received the Duchy of Kalisz-Gniezno.

During the first half of the 13th century, Przemysł I promoted a more peaceful policy, working closely with his brother-in-law Konrad I of Głogów and giving his sister Euphemia in marriage to Duke Władysław of Opole. Also, he received the help of his brother Bolesław with troops against Duke Casimir I of Kuyavia for the possession of Ladzka. In 1254 he organized an armed expedition against Henry III the White, destroying part of the Bishopric of Wrocław goods (i.e. Oleśnica), for which Przemysł I was excommunicated, and the penalty was only removed after the Greater Poland Duke repaired the damages in the Church states. The next campaign against Henry III was launched in September of the same year, but this time the joint expedition of Przemysł I, his brother Bolesław and Konrad I of Głogów avoided damages of Church goods.

War against Brandenburgian expansion
In foreign policy, Duke Przemysł's main concern was the expansionism of the Ascanian margraves of Brandenburg in the west. Although he stopped the advance of Brandenburg troops into his domains (Santok in 1247, Zbąszyń in 1251 and Drezdenko in 1252), the situation remained tense on the western border. To address this problem, between 1254 and 1255 Przemysł I tried to establish warmer relations with the House of Ascania through the betrothal of his eldest daughter Constance with Conrad, son of Margrave John I (the marriage took place after Przemysł I's death, in 1260). However, this strategy ultimately back-fired politically as the Ascanians used the marriage to claim rights over the western region of Greater Poland as their "New March".

Poznań, capital of Greater Poland
In 1253 Przemysł I chose as his capital the city of Poznań, situated on the left bank of the Warta River. He also began the building of the Royal Castle on the hill overlooking the town.

Religious policy
The political line of Przemysł was based on closer cooperation with the Church (especially the Bishops of Poznań, Bogufał II and Bogufał III) which caused the opposition of the knighthood. In 1244 local knights rebelled against him and tried to abolish the judicial and tax immunity gained by the Bishops from Władysław Odonic. Przemysł initially accepted the request, but in 1252 he reestablished the former privilege, and even expanded them even further.

Despite periodic troubles with his lay subjects, Przemysł I had the support of a large group of trusted advisers, such as the Governor of Poznań Przedpełk Łódź, the castellan of Poznań Boguchwał, the Judge Domarat Grzymalita, and the master of the hunt Pakosław Awdaniec.

On 8 May 1254 Przemysł took part in the national Congress of Piast princes at Kraków which convened for the canonization of St. Stanislaus. Among the princes who participated were his brother Bolesław, Casimir I of Kuyavia, Siemowit I of Masovia, Władysław of Opole and the host, Bolesław V the Chaste. The establishment of friendly contacts with his relatives proved useful one year later, when Duke Mestwin II of Pomerania captured the district of Nakło. After the following war Przemysł was only able to recover Nakło after paying 500 pieces of silver in 1256.

Death
Przemysł I died in Poznań on 4 June 1257 and was buried in the Wawel Cathedral. The head was displayed in the vault of the Church of Holiest Heart of Jesus and Mother of God of Consolation in Poznań. A painting in the Historical Museum of Poznań City Hall is believed to be Przemysł I's portrait, but this has been questioned by art historians.

Marriage and children
In 1244 Przemysł I married with Elisabeth (ca. 1232 – 16 January 1265), daughter of Henry II the Pious, Duke of Wrocław. They had:
 * 1) Constance (1245/46 – 8 October 1281), married in 1260 to Conrad, Margrave of Brandenburg-Stendal.
 * 2) Euphrosyne (1247/50 – 17/19 February 1298), Abbess of St. Clara in Trzebnica.
 * 3) Anna (1253 – aft. 26 June 1295), Abbess at Owińska.
 * 4) Euphemia (1253 – 5 September 1298), twin of Anna; a nun at St. Clara, Wrocław.
 * 5) Przemysł II (posthumously, 14 October 1257 – 8 February 1296).

At the time of Przemysł I's death, his wife was five months pregnant with their last child. His brother Bolesław took over the government of all his domains. After his birth, young Przemysł II remained under the tutelage of his uncle until 1273, when he received Poznań as his own district. Eventually, Przemysł II inherited the whole of Greater Poland after his uncle's death in 1279, subsequently becoming King of Poland in 1295. With his death one year later, the Greater Poland branch of the Piast dynasty, descendants of Duke Mieszko III the Old became extinct.

title: Przemysł I of Greater Poland


text:
Talk:Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

Comments
Might as well list the other poems in this book since the list of cats accounts for a large number of them. Pimlottc 05:17, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

This article is about the book, not the musical, so the link should be to The Great Rumpuscat, as the character is described in the book. krc 16:36, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

Scheffler illustrations
Can the material in this March 30, 2008 TimesOnline article be incorporated into the Wikipedia article? http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/poetry/article3646292.ece WikiParker (talk) 12:53, 28 April 2008 (UTC)

Redirect
The link for "Bustopher Jones" always redirects back to this page. WHY?????? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.163.83.62 (talk) 23:12, 9 June 2016 (UTC)
 * the article Bustopher Jones was subject of an afd, the result being 'redirect', here is the discussion - Articles for deletion/Bustopher Jones. Coolabahapple (talk) 14:38, 10 June 2016 (UTC)
 * have just delinked bj from the article. Coolabahapple (talk) 14:40, 10 June 2016 (UTC)
 * What does AFD stand for?24.163.83.62 (talk) 23:26, 10 June 2016 (UTC)
 * afd is articles for deletion, here is a link to what it entails - Articles for deletion. Coolabahapple (talk) 14:45, 11 June 2016 (UTC)


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Dover, Massachusetts

Dover is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,923 at the time of the 2020 United States Census. With a median income of more than $250,000, Dover is the wealthiest town in Massachusetts.

Located about 15 mi southwest of downtown Boston, Dover is a residential town nestled on the south banks of the Charles River. Almost all of the residential zoning requires 1 acre or larger. As recently as the early 1960s, 75% of its annual town budget was allocated to snow removal, as only a mile and a half of the town's roads are state highway.

Dover is bordered by Natick, Wellesley and Needham to the north, Westwood to the east, Walpole and Medfield to the south, and Sherborn to the west.

For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Dover, please see the article Dover (CDP), Massachusetts.

The "Dover Demon" is a creature reportedly sighted on April 21 and 22, 1977.

History
The first recorded settlement of Dover was in 1640. It was later established as the Springfield Parish of Dedham in 1748, and incorporated as District Dedham in 1784. Dover was officially incorporated as a town in 1836.

The Benjamin Caryl House at 107 Dedham St. dates from about 1777 and was the home of Dover's first minister, Benjamin Caryl, his son George, who was the town's first doctor, and their descendants until 1897. It has been owned by the town and operated by the Historical Society since 1920. The house retains its architectural integrity and has been carefully restored to reflect life in the 1790s when the first two Caryl families lived and worked there together.

The Sawin Building has housed thousands of Dover relics, books, photographs and artifacts since the beginning of the 20th century. Benjamin and Eudora Sawin willed land and funds into the Dover Historical Society along with their old household goods so that the building could be erected, and it was dedicated on May 14, 1907, by members and friends of the society. In the early years, it was used for meetings and to house Dover's historical memorabilia, but eventually members became disenchanted with the society and the building was seldom opened. In the 1960s, there was a renewed interest which led to the general overhaul and refurbishing of the building. The Sawin Museum, located at the corner of Centre and Dedham Streets in Dover Center, is owned and operated by the Dover Historical Society and is open to the public free of charge.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 15.4 square miles (39.9 km2), of which 15.3 square miles (39.7 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km2) (0.52%) is water. It is bordered by the towns of Natick, Wellesley, Needham, Dedham, Westwood, Sherborn, Walpole and Medfield.

Demographics
At the 2000 census, there were 5,558 people, 1,849 households and 1,567 families residing in the town. The population density was 362.6 PD/sqmi. There were 1,884 housing units at an average density of 122.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup was 95.18% White, 0.41% Black or African American, 0.04% Native American (2 people), 3.63% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.19% of the population (approximately 105 people).

There were 1,849 households, of which 46.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 77.0% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.2% were non-families. 12.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.29.

31.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.

The median household income was $141,818 and the median family income was $157,168. Males had a median income of $100,000 and females $56,473. The per capita income was $64,899. About 2.3% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Historically, Dover was one of the few communities in metropolitan Boston to have more registered Republicans than Democrats, with the most recent Republican nominee winning the town being former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney in 2012, defeating Barack Obama 56% to 43. However, as of 2021 the town had more registered Democrats than Republicans. In 2016, the town flipped, with Democrat Hillary Clinton defeating Republican Donald Trump by 57% to 32%. In 2020, Joe Biden improved Clinton's margin by 16 points, winning it 69% to 28%.

Climate
In a typical year, Dover, Massachusetts temperatures fall below 50 F for 195 days per year. Annual precipitation is typically 46.9 inches per year and snow covers the ground 52 days per year, or 14.2% of the year (high for the US). It may be helpful to understand the yearly precipitation by imagining nine straight days of moderate rain per year. The humidity is below 60% for approximately 25.4 days, or 7.0% of the year.

Education
Dover's public schools are considered among the best in Massachusetts. According to research conducted by Boston magazine in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, the town's schools scored No. 1 in the state. - - - - - - - Dover has three public schools: Chickering Elementary School (grades K–5), Dover-Sherborn Middle School (grades 6–8) and Dover-Sherborn High School (grades 9–12). The private, independent Charles River School (grades Pre-K–8) is located in the town's center.

Located near Caryl Park and the entrance to Noanet Woodlands (also known as Miss Peabody's Woods), Chickering School is under the elected Dover School Committee, while the two secondary schools are the responsibility of the regional school system, under the elected Dover-Sherborn Regional School Committee, with costs and governance shared with the neighboring town of Sherborn. The regional schools share a campus on Farm Street in Dover, near the borders with Sherborn and Medfield.

Dover-Sherborn High School has impressive results with regards to graduation rates, college admission rates and standardized and Advanced Placement exam scores. DSHS was ranked third in cost efficiency and seventh in academic performance by Boston magazine. U.S. News & World Report named Dover-Sherborn a Gold Medal School, ranking it 65th in the US.

Dover used to have two elementary schools, Chickering for grades K to 3, and Caryl Elementary School for grades 4 to 6. In 1970, Caryl School was gutted by fire. It was rebuilt and remained open until finally being closed in 2001 after the expansion of Chickering.

Notable people

 * Mark Albion, author, social entrepreneur, Harvard professor and faculty founder of Net Impact
 * Ian Bowles, environmentalist, businessman, politician, and former Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs
 * Robert Darragh, Poet
 * Katherine Doherty, child actress
 * Joseph F. Enright, submarine captain in the United States Navy, commanded the USS Archer-Fish and sank the Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano
 * Kenny Florian, UFC fighter, Fox/UFC analyst
 * Carl J. Gilbert, United States trade representative from 1969 to 1971
 * Adam Granofsky (stage name Adam Granduciel), American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer, lead singer of the band The War on Drugs
 * Jeffrey Harrison, poet
 * Mark Hollingsworth, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio
 * Brian Hoyer, Quarterback of the New England Patriots
 * Bob Lobel, local news sportscaster
 * Don MacTavish, stock car driver and winner of the 1966 NASCAR Sportsman Series Championship
 * Melinda McGraw, actress
 * Dorothy Morkis, Olympic medal-winning equestrian
 * Chris Murray, minor league ice hockey player
 * George O'Day, Olympic gold medal-winning sailor, 2-time winner of the America's Cup, Sailing Hall of Fame, Founder of O'Day Boats
 * Bohdan Pomahač, plastic surgeon who led the team that performed the first full face transplant in the United States
 * Matthew A. Reynolds, Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs
 * Leverett Saltonstall, U.S. Senator
 * George P. Sanger, lawyer, editor, judge, and businessman
 * Francis W. Sargent, Governor
 * Brian Scalabrine, former player of the Boston Celtics
 * Milt Schmidt, former player, coach and general manager of the Boston Bruins, member of the Hockey Hall of Fame
 * Ronald B. Scott, journalist, biographer of W. Mitt Romney, and author of the novel Closing Circles: Trapped in the Everlasting Mormon Moment
 * Jeff Serowik, former player of the Boston Bruins
 * John Smith, American football placekicker
 * Karen Stives, Olympic medal-winning equestrian
 * Dominique Wilkins, former professional basketball player and NBA Hall of Famer

Historic places

 * Benjamin Caryl House (1777)
 * Elm Bank Horticulture Center (1876)

Dover Sun House
Dover Sun House was one of the world's first solar-heated houses, it was designed in 1948 by architect Eleanor Raymond and had a unique heating system developed by physicist Mária Telkes.

The project was funded by philanthropist and sculptor Amelia Peabody, and built on her property in Dover, Massachusetts. Dover Sun House was demolished in 2010.

Popular culture
The town is known for the sighting of a humanoid since the 1970s on Farm Street, which gives access to it. There have been six unrelated sightings so far. The creature has a large and long head, epidermis without fur beyond feet and long hands that fix on the surface. It was named the Dover Demon by one of the cryptozoologists who investigated the case. Although some believe it is an alien, to others it is no more than an animal like a primate. There have been no modern reports.

title: Dover, Massachusetts


text:
Bolesław the Pious

Bolesław the Pious (1224/27 – 14 April 1279) was a Duke of Greater Poland during 1239–1247 (according to some historians during 1239–1241, sole Duke of Ujście), Duke of Kalisz during 1247–1249, Duke of Gniezno during 1249–1250, Duke of Gniezno-Kalisz during 1253–1257, Duke of the whole of Greater Poland and Poznań during 1257–1273, in 1261 ruler over Ląd, regent of the Duchies of Mazovia, Płock and Czersk during 1262–1264, ruler over Bydgoszcz during 1268–1273, Duke of Inowrocław during 1271–1273, and Duke of Gniezno-Kalisz from 1273 until his death.

He was the second son of Władysław Odonic, Duke of Greater Poland by his wife Jadwiga, who was probably the daughter of Mestwin I, Duke of Pomerania, or a member of the Přemyslid dynasty. His name was very popular in the Piast dynasty, so it's unknown exactly after whom he was named. Very soon Bolesław received the nickname of "the Pious" (Latin: Pius, Pobożny), given to him during his lifetime by the Chronicle of the Chapter of Poznań. In 1264, Bolesław granted the first written privilege to the Jews of Greater Poland.

Early years
The first years of Bolesław saw him share the fierce dispute of his father against Władysław III Spindleshanks (his own uncle) for his inheritance. However, Władysław Odonic took care properly for the upbringing of his offspring, evidenced by the fact that Bolesław, like his older brother Przemysł I, was able to read and write Latin.

Guardianship of Przemysł I
Because Bolesław was a minor when Władysław Odonic died on 5 June 1239, his elder brother Przemysł I ruled alone at first. Historians agree the territory the brothers inherited started out small, but disagree as to whether it extended beyond Ujście and Nakło in northern Poland. In 1241, Przemysł and Boleslaw began reclaiming the lands their father had lost. By 1243 the brothers regained most of the Duchies of Poznań and Gniezno, in 1244 Kalisz, in 1247 Santok, and in 1249 Wieluń. In 1244, Bolesław supported his brother in a conflict between the local nobility and the clergy led by the Bishop of Poznań Bogufał II for the privileges their father had granted shortly before his death. On 24 April 1245 Przemysł I acknowledged Boleslaw's coming of age by knighting him during a solemn Mass in honor of St. Adalbert of Prague in Gniezno, celebrated by Archbishop Pełka Liz.

The indivisibility of the Duchy was not to Bolesław's liking, and in 1247 he persuaded his brother Przemysł I to provide territory for his sole leadership: the land between the Prosna River and Przemęt, north of the Warta River and thence to the Odra River; in short it was the Duchy of Kalisz. This division, though rather unjust for Bolesław, was approved by the Church, and after he protested, he was threatened with the excommunication. Despite the fact that he now had his own district, Bolesław did not pursue a foreign policy; this would continue to be the responsibility of his brother. This was revealed during the dispute with Duke Casimir I of Kuyavia regarding the possession of Ladzka, which was given to him by Henry II the Pious as a dowry for his daughter Constance, Casimir I's second wife. This decision was not recognized by Władysław Odonic's sons, but eventually they reconciled and even signed an alliance with the Kuyavian Duke, which effectively ended any attempt to change the ownership of the disputed land.

In 1249 Bolesław, dissatisfied with the tutelage of his older brother, persuaded him to make a new division of their patrimony. He received the Duchies of Kalisz and Gniezno, with the addition of Wieluń, which had recently been returned to the rule of Władysław Odonic's sons. This new division was apparently made peacefully, because later in that same year the brothers together gave support to Konrad I of Głogów against his brother Bolesław II the Bald. However, on 19 May 1250 an unexplained event took place, which was related in the Chronicle of Greater Poland:

 * Przemysł captured his brother Bolesław and took all his lands and castles.

The conflict certainly was not trivial, since Bolesław did not regain his freedom until 20 April 1253, thanks to the pressures of the powerful Greater Poland clergy. The final reconciliation between the brothers occurred in May of that year at a meeting in Pogorzelica near Giecz, where thanks to the mediation of Pełka, the Archbishop of Gniezno Bolesław recovered his Duchy of Kalisz-Gniezno. After that the brothers cooperated without problems, but Bolesław was still removed from the foreign policy of Greater Poland. On 8 May 1254, Bolesław took part in the national Congress of Piast princes at Kraków on the occasion of the canonization of St. Stanislaus, where they decided to form a coalition against Swantopolk II, Duke of Pomerania. Among the princes who participated were his brother Przemysł I, Casimir I of Kuyavia, Siemowit I of Masovia, Władysław of Opole and Bolesław V the Chaste. In September of that year Bolesław participated in an expedition against Henry III the White launched by his brother and Konrad I of Głogów.

Foreign policy
On 4 June 1257 Przemysł I died, aged only 36. With his brother's death, new horizons opened to Bolesław. He became in the undisputed sole ruler over the whole of Greater Poland. Although the posthumous son of his brother, Przemysł II, was born on 14 October of that year, Boleslaw was his guardian until he was declared an adult. The first of Bolesław's new foreign politics was his marriage in 1258 to Princess Jolenta (Helena), daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary. This union resulted in a permanent bond between Bolesław and Hungary, reflected in the assistance given in the conflict with Bohemia after the extinction of the House of Babenberg. For Bolesław, this alliance cost him the devastation of Greater Poland during the winter of 1267-1268 by troops of King Ottokar II of Bohemia during his return from an expedition against the Prussians. One of the stages of this war was also the trip taken by Bolesław together with Bolesław V the Chaste and Leszek II the Black in the autumn of 1273 in order to visit Władysław of Opole, an ally of the Přemyslid dynasty.

Relations with Masovia and Kuyavia
During 1258-1261 Bolesław was involved in a long and destructive war against Casimir I of Kuyavia and his ally Swantopolk II for the castellanie of Ladzka. To this end, the Greater Poland Duke allied with Wartislaw III, Duke of Pomerania-Demmin, Siemowit I of Masovia, Bolesław V the Chaste and Roman Danylovich, Prince of Navahradak. The war ended in a full victory and Ladzka returned to Greater Poland. The formal treaty was signed on 29 November 1259; however, Casimir I delayed in fulfilled the provisions of the agreement, which led in 1261 to a new military expedition.

On 23 June 1262 Siemowit I was killed at the hands of the Lithuanian troops and his eldest son Konrad II was taken prisoner. Both Konrad II and his younger brother Bolesław II were minors at that time; for this reason, Bolesław became regent of their domains (Duchies of Masovia, Płock and Czersk) for the next two years, until 1264, when Konrad II obtain his freedom and return to Masovia.

In 1268 Bolesław interfered again in the Kuyavian affairs. Casimir I's son, Duke Ziemomysł of Inowrocław, followed a policy of close contacts with the Teutonic Order and Duke Sambor II of Pomerania, who became in his father-in-law. This caused a deep dissatisfaction among the local nobility, who called on Bolesław for help. The Duke of Greater Poland quickly took Radziejów, Kruszwica and the castle in Bydgoszcz; however, rapid action by Ziemomysł regained temporary control of this lands.

Despite this success, Ziemomysł continued with his German-Pomeranian politics, which caused a new revolt by his subjects, who called again Bolesław for help: in 1271 he invaded the Duchy of Inowrocław and forced Ziemomysł to flee. Bolesław retained the Duchy until 1273, when he gave it to Ziemomysł's brother Leszek II the Black, except for Radziejów and Kruszwica, which remained in Greater Poland.

War against Brandenburg
From the beginning of his sole rule, Bolesław established contacts with the Margraviate of Brandenburg, ruled by the House of Ascania; in this, he followed the policy of his brother Przemysł I, who even betrothed his eldest daughter Constance with Conrad, son of Margrave John I. Three years after Przemysł I's death (in 1260), Constance and Conrad were formally married. As a dowry, Brandenburg received the castellany of Santok (but without the important main city) with the consent of a wiec reunited in Greater Poland, which took place on 1 July 1260 in Poznań.

However, the expected peace due to this marriage was short-lived. In early 1265 Brandenburg occupied the main city of Santok and broke the previous agreement. Thanks to an immediate diplomatic intervention, Bolesław soon signed a new treaty with Brandenburg, under which Greater Poland burned the fortress built in Drezdenko, and Brandenburg also burned his fortress in Santok. But in 1269 war with Brandenburg erupted again. They built a fortress in Sulęcin, and in response Bolesław did the same thing in Międzyrzecz. The invasion of Międzyrzecz launched by the Margraves of Brandenburg was successfully repulsed by Bolesław, who in December 1269 could advance to Lubusz and in addition, during this expedition burned several fortresses, included the one newly built in Sulęcin. Both sides made a new agreement and were restored the fortress in Santok (from Brandenburg) and Drezdenko (from Greater Poland). The latter was captured by Brandenburg in 1270. For this reason, in the spring of 1271 Bolesław organized a major military expedition against Santok and Neumark, ravaging this land terribly, but he could not recover the lost domains.

The war with the House of Ascania wasn't limited to the border areas of Greater Poland. By 1272 Bolesław entered in an alliance with Mestwin II, Duke of Pomerania-Gdańsk; one year later (in 1273), he renewed his homage to Brandenburg and promised his help to the Margraviate against all his enemies, except the Duke of Greater Poland. In the same year was launched another expedition against Brandenburg. Although nominal leadership of the troops was given by Bolesław to his young nephew Przemysł II, the expedition was actually headed by experienced commanders such as the voivode of Poznań, Przedpełk Łodzia, and the castellan of Kalisz Janek. They successfully reconquered both Drezdenko and Strzelce. The last campaign against Brandenburg during Bolesław's lifetime took in the summer of 1278, when Greater Poland troops advanced to Myślibórz and eventually recovered Santok.

Internal policy
Bolesław continued the policy of Przemysł I and maintained in their positions the nobles appointed by him. He also developed good relations with the Church while also trying to influence the appointment of the most important religious posts. His generosity to the clergy, allowed the Franciscans to establish a post in 1259 in Gniezno. Also during his rule the monastery of Poor Clares in Gniezno was started, which remained unfinished even at the time of Przemysł II's death.

On 16 August 1264 Bolesław granted the first written privilege to the Jews of Greater Poland (the Statute of Kalisz). It regulated the judicial authority over the Jewish population, and Jewish credit and trading activity. The comparatively liberal statute served as a basis for Jewish privileges in Poland until 1795.

Last years
In 1273, after the victorious expedition against Brandenburg, Przemysł II began to claim his own separated Duchy. Unable to face the powerful pressure, Bolesław agreed to this and given his nephew the district of Poznań. To bind Przemysł II with his politics, Bolesław arranged the marriage of his nephew with Ludgarda, daughter of Henry I the Pilgrim, Lord of Mecklenburg. In addition, Ludgarda was a granddaughter of Duke Barnim I of Pomerania, and thanks to this union the alliance with Western Pomerania was reinforced. Dukes of Greater Poland political path, however, soon spread, as Przemysł II became involved with Henry IV Probus, and Bolesław, using the imprisonment of Henry IV in 1277, tried to force financial concessions. Bolesław supported this policy with the marriage of his firstborn daughter Elisabeth with Henry V the Fat, Duke of Legnica.

Bolesław died on 14 April 1279 in Kalisz and was buried in the Archcathedral Basilica of St. Peter and St. Paul in Poznań.

Marriage and issue
In 1258 Bolesław married Jolenta (Helena) (b. 1244 – d. 16/17 June aft. 1304), daughter of King Béla IV of Hungary. They had:
 * 1) Elisabeth (b. 1261/63 – d. September 1304), married in 1273 to Henry V, Duke of Legnica.
 * 2) Jadwiga (b. 1270/75 – d. 10 December 1339), married in January 1293 to Władysław I the Elbow-high, Duke of Kuyavia and after 1320 King of Poland.
 * 3) Anna (b. 1276/78 – d. bef. 1300), a nun in Gniezno.

After Bolesław died without male heirs, all of the Greater Poland Duchy passed to his only nephew Przemysł II, who was crowned King of Poland in 1295 but murdered the following year. With his death the Greater Poland branch of the Piast dynasty became extinct.

title: Bolesław the Pious


text:
Clarice Cliff

Clarice Cliff (20 January 1899 – 23 October 1972) was an English ceramic artist and designer. Active from 1922 to 1963, Cliff became the head of the Newport Pottery factory creative department.

Early life
Cliff's ancestors moved from the Eccleshall area to Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, around 1725. Cliff was born on the terrace of a modest house in Meir Street on 20 January 1899. Her father, Harry Thomas Cliff, worked at an iron foundry in Tunstall. Her mother Ann (née Machin) washed clothes to supplement the family income. They had seven children.

Cliff was sent to a different school than her siblings. After school, she would visit her aunt, who was a hand-painter. She made papier-mâché models at school for a local pottery company.

At age 13, Cliff started working in the pottery industry as a gilder. She added gold lines on pottery of traditional design. Later, she learned freehand painting at another potbank. She also studied art and sculpture at the Burslem School of Art.

Early career
In 1916, Cliff relocated to the factory of A.J. Wilkinson in Newport, Burslem, to increase her career opportunities. Most of the young women in the Staffordshire Potteries would continue working in the area of the task they had first mastered in order to raise their income above the rate of 'apprentice wages'. Cliff chose not to follow this traditional path; instead she acquired many skills, such as modeling figurines and vases, gilding, keeping pattern books, and hand-painting ware. Hand-painting included outlining, enameling and banding (drawing radial bands on plates or vessels). In the early 1920s, decorating manager Jack Walker brought Cliff to the attention of one of the factory owners, Arthur Colley Austin Shorter. Shorter nurtured her skills in ceramics and gave her space to explore her own ideas. He was married, but later married Cliff after his wife died (Cliff and Shorter were married in December 1940). Over time, Cliff developed her skills and succeeded in studying at the Royal College of Art and visiting Paris.

In various styles, the first printed 'Bizarre' back stamp was used on Clarice Cliff ware from 1928 to early 1936. Cliff was given a second apprenticeship at the age of 25 (1924). She worked at A.J. Wilkinson's, primarily as a 'modeler' and worked alongside factory designers John Butler and Fred Ridgway. They produced conservative, Victorian-style ware. Eventually, Cliff's wide range of skills was recognized, and in 1927 she was given a studio at the adjoining Newport Pottery, which Arthur Colley Austin Shorter had bought in 1920. Here, Cliff was allowed to decorate some of the old defective 'glost' (white) ware in her freehand patterns. She used on-glaze enamel colors for these, which enabled a brighter palette than underglaze colors.

She covered the imperfections in simple patterns of triangles, in a style that she called 'Bizarre.' The earliest examples had a hand-painted mark, usually in a rust-colored paint: 'Bizarre by Clarice Cliff," she wrote, and sometimes she added 'Newport Pottery' underneath. To the surprise of the company's senior salesman Ewart Oakes, it was immediately popular when he took a carload to a major stockist. Clarice was joined by young painter Gladys Scarlett, who helped her with the ware. Soon, a more professional 'back stamp' was made, which carried Cliff's facsimile signature, and proclaimed "Hand Painted Bizarre by Clarice Cliff, Newport Pottery England."

This back stamp led to Bizarre being used as an umbrella name for her entire pattern range, so the factory had to refer to the first pieces with the simple triangles as Original Bizarre.

In March 1927 Shorter sent Cliff to the Royal College of Art in Kensington, for two brief periods of study in March and May. These dates are recorded in the Royal College of Art archive and were also remembered by Gladys Scarlett in 1982, as she was briefly left alone at Newport to paint the new 'Bizarre' ware.

Starting in 1927, Cliff was credited for shapes she designed, such as her Viking Boat flower holder, though her modeling for the factory is recorded in the trade journal only as far back as 1923–24. From 1929 onward, the shapes took on a more 'Modern' influence. They were often angular and geometric, and some got, what was to be later termed Art Deco, designs. Abstract and cubist patterns appeared on these shapes, such as the 1929 Ravel (seen on Cliff's Conical shape ware), which was an abstract leaf and flower pattern named after the composer. The image shows a conical coffee pot as well as a sugar bowl and cream holder with four triangular feet, another of Cliff's Bizarre shape ideas which proved popular with 1930s customers. Ravel produced between 1929 and at least as late as 1935.

In 1928, Cliff produced a simple, hand painted pattern of Crocus flowers in orange, blue and purple. Each flower was constructed with confident upward strokes and then green leaves were added by holding the piece upside down and painting thin lines amongst the flowers. The Crocus pattern was completely hand-painted, and the vibrant colors led to large sales.

Initially, Cliff had just one young decorator produce Crocus, Ethel Barrow. But by 1930, a separate decorating 'shop' was established underneath the top floor of the building which housed the 'Bizarre' shop, and Ethel trained young painters on how to paint the pattern. Twenty young women painted nothing but Crocus for 5½ days a week for much of the 1930s. Crocus was unusual because it was produced on tableware, tea and coffee ware, and 'fancies' (which included novelty items made primarily as gift ware). The pattern had many color variations, including Purple Crocus (1932), Blue Crocus (1935), Sungleam Crocus (1935), and Spring Crocus. Crocus continued to be produced after WW2, and the final pieces with Clarice Cliff marks were made in 1963. However, Midwinter bought the factory and continued to paint the pieces to order until as late as 1968.

By 1929, Cliff's decorators had grown to a team of around 70 young painters. Of those, 66 were women (called 'Bizarre girls') and 4 were boys. Many of these workers were traced in the 1980s and 1990s and they totaled over 100. Their names and work for Clarice Cliff were recorded in the centenary book.

The factory produced a series of small color printed leaflets (quite unusual for this time) which could be obtained by post, or picked up from stockists. This promotional device was successful, and one young girl's only task was to put the leaflets in stamped self-addressed envelopes sent to the factory. At this time, many women would buy pottery by 'mail order' picked from advertising magazines. The series of leaflets, each of which covered a range of pieces in a similar style or set of colors, included the patterns Bizarre, Fantasque, Delecia, Appliqué, Inspiration, Crocus & Gayday, but contained other design patterns as well. The original leaflet for the Appliqué patterns featured just two, Lucerne and Lugano, but Cliff's career witnessed 14 Appliqué patterns that had been designed by 1932: Avignon, Windmill, Red Tree, Idyll, Palermo, Blossom, Caravan, Bird of Paradise, Etna, Garden, Eden and Monsoon in addition to the original two.

The Fantasque range evolved between 1928 and 1934 and mainly featured abstracts or landscapes of cottages and trees, as well as some Art Deco inspired patterns. The first Fantasque landscape pattern was Trees and House, which sold well from 1930 until at least 1934. However, it was the slightly later, more sophisticated Autumn pattern issued near the end of 1930 which was more popular. Originally created in red, coral-green, and black, from 1930 to 1931 many colorway variations appeared. The rarest is the red colorway, shown on a 13 in wall plaque. The best selling version at the time was one with trees in blue, green, and yellow. All these variations are seen as collectibles.

The 1930s
In 1930, Cliff was appointed as art director at Newport Pottery and A. J. Wilkinson, the two adjoining factories that produced her wares. Her work involved spending more time with Colley Shorter, and this gradually developed into an affair, conducted in secrecy. The couple worked closely together on creating awareness of 'Bizarre ware' to catch the attention of buyers in the middle of a major financial depression. Colley Shorter registered Clarice's name and even some of her shapes. It was her ability to design both patterns and also the shapes they were to go on that distinguished Cliff above any other designers in the Staffordshire Potteries at this time. Her first modeling in the mid 20s was of stylized figures, people, ducks, the floral embossed Davenport ware of 1925. But in 1929 at the same time as she started the colourful cubist and landscape designs, Cliff's modeling took on a new style. This was influenced by European originals by Désny, Tétard Freres, Josef Hoffmann and others, that she had seen in design journals including 'Mobilier e Décoration'.

Between 1929 and 1935 Cliff issued a mass of shape ranges, including Conical (see photo below), Bon Jour/Biarritz, Stamford, Eton, Daffodil, and Trieste. In each of these there were tea and coffee ware shapes, but the first two were so popular that biscuit barrels, sugar sifters, bowls and vases were issued to enlarge the range. Bon Jour had 20 shapes created during 1933, with about 10 more being added in 1934. There were also many other innovatively shaped vases, bowls and 'fancies', such as the Liner vase, Flower tube vase and the (now rare) Lido Lady ashtray and Age of Jazz musicians and dancers.

Through the depths of the Great Depression Cliff's wares continued to sell in volume at what were high prices for the time. Her Bizarre and Fantasque ware was sold throughout North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, but not in mainland Europe. In Britain many top London stores sold it, including Harrods. Some of the other London stockists have long since closed, but the list is impressive: "& Co., Lawley's, Bon Marche, John Lewis Peter Robinson, Selfridges, John Barker & Co., Warring & Gillow and Gorringe's". However, the extant order books of the period confirm that Bizarre ware was never sold at Woolworths as some have erroneously stated.

Further vividly colored patterns, such as Melon and Circle Tree appeared in 1930. Cliff devised many ways of marketing these: in-store painting demonstrations, for which Cliff chose just the prettiest of her painters and most famously she and Shorter had the idea to actually pay major 1930s celebrities to endorse the ware. This was done both in magazine articles and by appearances at large stores. The celebrities included "actresses Adrianne Allen, Marion Lorne, Marie Tempest, the BBC presenter Christopher Stone, musical comedy star Bobby Howes". Even Sir Malcolm Campbell who had just broken the world land speed record appeared at a promotion at the First Avenue Hotel, London in 1930.

Cliff's worldwide impact was made clear by a story in the Pasadena Evening Post in California. It pictured her with a five-foot-high 'horse' made entirely of Bizarre ware which had been made to promote the ware in Britain. It was in this article, that Cliff made what has become her most famous quote: "Having a little fun at my work does not make me any less of an artist, and people who appreciate truly beautiful and original creations in pottery are not frightened by innocent tomfoolery." Between 1932 and 1934 Cliff was the art director for a major project involving nearly 30 artists of the day (prompted by the Prince of Wales) to promote good design on tableware. The 'Artists in Industry' earthenware examples were produced under her direction, and the artists included such notable names as Duncan Grant, Paul Nash, Barbara Hepworth, Vanessa Bell, and Dame Laura Knight. The project 'Modern Art for the Table' was launched at Harrods London in October 1934 but received a mixed response from both the public and the press, though at the same time Cliff's own patterns and shapes were selling in large quantities around the world.

Cliff's patterns are highly stylized and interpreted in strong colors, such as the 1933 Honolulu pattern. The trees are enameled in red (coral) orange and yellow. Cliff produced a colorway variation on this by simply changing the trees to shades of blue and pink, and this was then called Rudyard after a local Staffordshire beauty spot.

Clarice Cliff's fame and success in the 1930s are hard to fully appreciate now, but at that time there was no such thing as 'career women'. The publicity she received in the national press was unprecedented. Research by a PhD student into the contemporary press between 1928 and 1936 found "360 articles about Cliff and her work were published in the trade press, women's magazines, national and local newspapers." This was put into context when he pointed out that in the same period, Susie Cooper, another Staffordshire ceramicist and designer, had "fewer than 20 reviews, all bar one in the trade press".

Despite all the publicity she received, Cliff was actually camera shy, and in most cases the images of her pottery were what dominated the women's magazine of the day. One picture which shows Cliff informally was taken when a South African stockist of her ware, from Werner Brothers, visited the factory on a buying trip. Cliff is seen with the 3-year-old daughter and wife of the stockist. After the visit Cliff sent the daughter a present of a child's miniature tea set painted in her Honolulu pattern.

In the mid 30s tastes changed and heavily modeled ware came into vogue. The My Garden series issued from 1934 onwards led the way, with small flowers modeled as a handle or base on more rounded shapes. These were fully painted in bright colors – the body of the ware was covered in thin color washes – 'Verdant' was green, 'Sunrise' yellow and so on. The range included vases, bowls, jugs, a biscuit barrel, and proved very popular as gift ware. It was produced in more muted colors, right until the start of the war in 1939.

Other modeled shapes included the 1937 'Raffia' based on traditional basketware by Native Americans, decorated in a similar style to them with small blocks of color. More popular was the heavily modeled Harvest ware, jugs and bowls modeled with corn and fruit. After the war this range was heavily marketed in North America (very patriotically) as England. This later modeled ware attracts relatively low prices at auction.

The 1940s
In 1940, after the death of Ann Shorter, Colley's wife, he married Cliff and she moved into his home at Chetwynd House on Northwood Lane in Clayton, Staffordshire. This Arts and Crafts home had been designed in 1899 and was one of the earliest commissions of the British architects Parker and Unwin (Richard Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin) who were later heavily involved in the Welwyn Garden City project.

During World War II only plain white pottery (utility ware) was permitted under wartime regulations, so Cliff assisted with management of the pottery but was not able to continue design work. Instead she concentrated her creative talents on gardening and the massive 4 acre garden at Chetwynd House became her shared passion with Shorter.

After the war, although Cliff was occasionally nostalgic for the 'Bizarre' years, as witnessed in personal letters to friends, she seemed to be realistic and accepted the commercial taste was for conservative ware. Clarice seemed to enjoy playing a lesser role at the factory, knowing that she could not recapture those crazy days of the thirties. Much of the postwar production went to Australia, New Zealand or North America, where the taste was for formal ware in traditional English designs such as Tonquin rather than the striking patterns and shapes that had established Cliff's reputation; thus she was never to return to creative work. The postwar ware has little value at auction.

Later life
A. J. Wilkinson and their Newport Pottery continued to sell ware under Cliff's name until 1964. The death of Colley Shorter in 1963 led Cliff to sell the factory to Midwinter in 1964 and she retired, becoming somewhat of a recluse. However, from December 1971 to January 1972, the first exhibition of Clarice Cliff pottery took place at Brighton, East Sussex. Cliff reluctantly provided comments for the catalogue, though she refused an invitation to go to the opening.

The exhibition was prompted by enthusiastic collectors, including Martin Battersby, an early devotee of 20s and 30s design, the first author on that period to publish major works, and a devotee of Cliff's ceramics. Then, on 23 October 1972, Cliff died suddenly at Chetwynd House.

Revival of interest in her work
The exhibition and the first book published privately in 1976 'Clarice Cliff' by Peter Wentworth-Sheilds [sic] and Kay Johnson (L'Odeon publishing) marked the start of a major revival of interest in Cliff's work, which has continued to be sought after by Art Deco ceramic collectors ever since.

In 1982 the original Clarice Cliff Collectors Club was formed and promoted her and her work throughout the world. The club founder had appealed in the Staffordshire Evening Sentinel for anyone who worked with Cliff to contact him and was delighted when he found 28 former workers. Still calling themselves the 'Bizarre girls' even in their mid-1970s and early 1980s Cliff's former painters were delighted in the interest in the pottery they had hand painted 50 years earlier. They attended the annual meetings of the club, and were to be involved in many television and radio programs about Cliff, and a mass of books that appeared. Many of their memories were recorded in the CCCC Reviews from 1982 to 2004. The club also held meetings and exhibitions in Britain, North America, Australia and New Zealand.

The Stoke-on-Trent meetings visited the old painting shop of Bizarre ware by the canal at Newport, Burslem, from 1987 to 1997, ironically the only building left standing on the site. It was demolished by Wedgwood in 1997, and the land sold for housing.

In 1985, a series of pieces were produced under the title The Bizarre Collection, with the mark for the "Royal Staffordshire Pottery by Clarice Cliff", and marketed by the Midwinter pottery. These pieces were all hand painted, unlike some of the later production Wedgwood, and faithfully respected the original designs and production methods with the exception of the crocus conical sifter. The production actually took place on the same premises as the original production line of the Newport pottery.

The three principal designs produced were Honolulu on a 12-inch Mei Ping vase, Summerhouse on a 13-inch wall plate and a striking version of Umbrellas and Rain on a conical bowl. These pieces can be identified with a tiny impressed "85" for the year of manufacture. There was also a selection of six conical sugar sifters, again hand-painted, with the exception of the aforementioned Crocus which was lithographed. Whilst the purists still scoff at these pieces some 30 years later they are actually a very accurate representation of the originals they were copied from and in themselves are now becoming sought after not least because they allow collectors to acquire excellent pieces and a more affordable price.

A chain of mergers finally led to Wedgwood owning the Clarice Cliff name, and from 1992 to 2002 they too produced a range of reproductions of the highly sought 1930s pieces. These were made to a high quality, and were produced in small numbers for sale to collectors who could not find (or perhaps could not afford) the most striking original pieces.

The first pieces produced included a ginger jar in House and Bridge, a large shape 14 vase in Solitude, a Stamford shape teapot milk and sugar in Pink Roof Cottage, a Conical bowl in Tennis, and a wall plaque in Lightning; there was also a Latona large shape 14 vase that was exclusively available to members of the CCCC. From 1996 to 2002 pieces were made for CCCC members and these were also sold at major Wedgwood rooms. The hand painted pieces ceased production in 2002 but ware with printed (not hand painted) patterns were made in larger quantities by Wedgwood during and after this time.

These reproductions should not be confused with forgeries (of which a number are found), the Wedgwood ones are clearly marked as 'Wedgwood Clarice Cliff'. An original Cliff painter Alice Andrews, then in her 80s, was employed to appear at launches of the ware in stores throughout Britain.

Status as an artist
In the mid-1990s Cliff's position as a major artist of her era was confirmed when she was included in major international reference works: the massive Dictionary of Art by Macmillan Publishers, and Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon by K. G. Saur Verlag.

The work of the CCCC culminated with the centenary exhibition Clarice Cliff, the Art of Bizarre at the Wedgwood Museum, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent. Nowadays, with 26 years of experience the club is based online (see below). It should not be confused with an organisation who used the same name from 2001 after registering it in 1997.

The CCCC was then the consultant for the BBC Radio 4 drama The Bizarre Girl, written by Lizzie Slater which was described as "an uplifting drama exploring the dramatic rise of Clarice Cliff from the shop floor to Company Art Director – illustrating how a working-class Staffordshire girl brought modern art to the people." The drama was broadcast in December 2000.

A film of her life, titled The Colour Room and directed by Claire McCarthy, was released on 12 November 2021. Cliff is played by Phoebe Dynevor.

In April, 2024 a blue plaque was placed at the flat where Cliff lived in 20 Snow Hill, Shelton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. The blue plaque scheme is run by Historic England to mark the lives of inspirational people.

Collecting Clarice
In 2002, Peter Wentworth-Sheilds [sic] and Kay Johnson, the authors of the original 'Clarice Cliff' book from 1976, returned to Britain to lecture at a CCCC event at Christie's, South Kensington. They spoke about the early days of collecting when their first purchase had been "a Summerhouse Athens jug for 7 shillings and 6 pence, 35 pence". Peter had actually spoken to Cliff on the phone, but she had declined to be interviewed. They revealed that they had both been working for Stanley Kubrick when they wrote their book; Kay was Kubrick's personal assistant, and as set designer Peter had been able to decorate a room in A Clockwork Orange with a frieze he has designed based on original landscapes by Cliff.

Rare combinations of shape and pattern attract very high prices at auction. The world record price for a piece of Clarice Cliff is held by Christie's, South Kensington, London, who sold an 18 in 'charger' (wall plaque) in the May Avenue pattern for £39,500 in 2004. Shortly after this the same auction house sold an 8 in vase in Sunspots for £20,000.

A rare Red Autumn shape 369 vase sold for £4900 at Fielding's auctioneers, Stourbridge in the West Midlands, and Woolley and Wallis auctioneers Salisbury sold a 3 in high miniature vase in Café (used as a salesman's sample in the 1930s) for a staggering £3000. In May 2009 an eighteen-inch charger in the May Avenue pattern sold for £20,500 at Fielding's auctioneers.

In 2009, Will Farmer of the BBC Antiques Roadshow and members of the Clarice Cliff Collectors Club unveiled three plaques. These were on her birthplace, Meir Street, Tunstall, her second home on Edwards Street, Tunstall and the site of Newport Pottery by the canal in Burslem where her Bizarre ware was decorated. These were featured in special Antiques Roadshow programme that December.

In September 2009, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London opened its 'New Ceramics Galleries' and Cliff's work was chosen to be included: "There will be two rooms displaying 20th-century collections. One will show ceramics made in a factory context and will include objects by designers such as Susie Cooper and Clarice Cliff".

title: Clarice Cliff


text:
Google (verb)

Owing to the dominance of the Google search engine, to google has become a transitive verb. The neologism commonly refers to searching for information on the World Wide Web, typically using the Google search engine. The American Dialect Society chose it as the "most useful word of 2002". It was added to the Oxford English Dictionary on June 15, 2006, and to the eleventh edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary in July 2006.

Etymology
The first recorded usage of google was as a gerund, on July 8, 1998, by Google co-founder Larry Page himself, who wrote on a mailing list: "Have fun and keep googling!". Its earliest known use as an explicitly transitive verb on American television was in the "Help" episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (October 15, 2002), when Willow asked Buffy, "Have you googled her yet?".

To prevent genericizing and potential loss of its trademark, Google has discouraged use of the word as a verb, particularly when used as a synonym for general web searching. On February 23, 2003, Google sent a cease and desist letter to Paul McFedries, creator of Word Spy, a website that tracks neologisms. In an article in The Washington Post, Frank Ahrens discussed the letter he received from a Google lawyer that demonstrated "appropriate" and "inappropriate" ways to use the verb "google".

It was reported that, in response to this concern, lexicographers for the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary lowercased the actual entry for the word, google, while maintaining the capitalization of the search engine in their definition, "to use the Google search engine to seek online information" (a concern which did not deter the Oxford editors from preserving the history of both "cases"). On October 25, 2006, Google sent a request to the public requesting that "You should please only use 'Google' when you're actually referring to Google Inc. and our services."

Ungoogleable is something that cannot be "googled" – i.e. it cannot be easily found using a web search engine, especially Google. If a word or phrase is ungoogleable, it means it cannot be googled. In 2013, the Swedish Language Council attempted to include the Swedish version of the word (Ogooglebar) in its list of new words, but Google objected to the definition not being specifically related to Google, and the council was forced to briefly remove it to avoid a legal confrontation with Google.

title: Google (verb)