Comments on: Crooked Mile by Ben Bealzey http://www.picnic-publishing.co.uk/blog/index.php/2008/07/29/crooked-mile-by-ben-bealzey/ Picnic Books Sun, 22 May 2011 14:10:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Ben http://www.picnic-publishing.co.uk/blog/index.php/2008/07/29/crooked-mile-by-ben-bealzey/comment-page-1/#comment-123 Ben Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:17:12 +0000 http://www.picnic-publishing.co.uk/blog/?p=58#comment-123 Thanks Caroline, I have replied to you in the body of next day's blog. Thanks Caroline, I have replied to you in the body of next day’s blog.

]]> By: Caroline Rance http://www.picnic-publishing.co.uk/blog/index.php/2008/07/29/crooked-mile-by-ben-bealzey/comment-page-1/#comment-112 Caroline Rance Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:58:40 +0000 http://www.picnic-publishing.co.uk/blog/?p=58#comment-112 That's interesting about the names. I had access to similar records (e.g. lists of patients), and 18th-century spellings were a lot more hit and miss. What sounds particularly interesting about your workhouse records is not so much the standarisation of names in itself, but what it implies - that the inmates had no opportunity to say "no, actually, it's Anne with an 'e'", either because of illiteracy or because the officials simply didn't want to know. There must be some fascinating underlying issues about identity (or lack of) among the poor. Did you use many real-life names for your characters, or did you mix up first names and surnames to make them authentic but fictional? That’s interesting about the names. I had access to similar records (e.g. lists of patients), and 18th-century spellings were a lot more hit and miss. What sounds particularly interesting about your workhouse records is not so much the standarisation of names in itself, but what it implies – that the inmates had no opportunity to say “no, actually, it’s Anne with an ‘e’”, either because of illiteracy or because the officials simply didn’t want to know. There must be some fascinating underlying issues about identity (or lack of) among the poor.

Did you use many real-life names for your characters, or did you mix up first names and surnames to make them authentic but fictional?

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