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...yes, think I will avoid January 6th for accessing the 1921 census - I'll just be patient for a couple of days (she said -  gnawing her knuckles!!)

Don't forget to revisit the British Newspaper Archive from time to time - they are constantly adding material - and now (hurrah!) seem to be digitising material which, technically, are not newspapers - such as weekly Chronicles and Journals.

It's difficult for most of us to appreciate how life was like before the NHS and free schooling - the constant worry about financing both must have been a tremendous strain.

Happy New Year to us all...

Very interesting. Thank you Alan.

Full members can see all the videos on the site.  When you have logged in, under your name on the left hand side of the home page you will find "My details" and "Videos".  

For those of you who are unsure of the location of York Street - it runs between Regent Street and Richmond Street

Hello John, Is this online meeting from Oct 2021 about the Temperance Society available to view somewhere on this site? 

Thank you to all the helpful responses. York Street seems to be the location of the Temperance Hall at the time of George’s lecture here, on or about Monday 3rd Oct 1859.

According to the ‘Bridgwater Mercury’ from a few weeks later, he may have given another lecture on the ‘Goldfields of Australia’ at the Town Hall, so he was rather busy while on his return visit ‘home’ to Weston-super-Mare.

These newspaper reports give a wonderful insight to his character.  The knowledge of him speaking at a Temperance Hall is fascinating as George SUMMERS, prior to this time has been portrayed (perhaps incorrectly) as a drunk who was ‘easily induced to enter a public house.’ He was obviously a reformed character by 1859 to be lecturing at the Temperance Hall.   

I have attached a screenshot of the newspaper article from WSM Gazette Oct 8, 1859 for anyone who might be interested. (I hope this is permissible?) 

Our on line meeting Oct 2021 on the Temperance Society mentioned the sale of a Temperance Hall in York Street

which sounds like it would fit the year in question