I have been reading Ann the Word, an interesting book lent to me by Martin (nearly finished, still looking at the picture book and Aimo hasn't even started the Neil Young book yet). It makes mention of The Manchester Potato Riots of 1757 and the Nottingham Goose Fair Great Cheese Riot in 1762.
That put me in mind of the disastrous Treat Stampede of 1883 when 183 children died at Victoria Hall, Sunderland in a scramble for sweets and prizes. The scramble took place at a variety show presented by "travelling entertainers Mr and Mrs Fay". Sounds to me suspiciously like a dastardly fairy trick practised on mortal children, don't you think?
Fleams has not escaped its share of catastrophes. The Great Button Explosion of 1801 was in many ways an accident waiting to happen. Some Button Gypsies had made an "arrangement" to share transport costs with The Gunpowder Factory. By night they added their cargo of button-cards to the packhorse caravans carrying loads of gunpowder. The packhorses set off on the old button lanes, carrying their mixed load of buttons and gunpowder. As the driver crossed the bridge out of Fleams too quickly the train swerved, hit the side of the bridge, and some packs collided.
The resulting Great Button Explosion took out the bridge, and peppered the surrounding trees with button shrapnel.
Even to this day, if you look closely enough, you could find a fragment of button from the 1801 disaster embedded in the bark of an ancient fir by the rebuilt packhorse bridge.
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