A bowler’s truly Hardy
QUESTION What was the Billycock hat and why was it so named?
A Billycock hat is actually the same thing as a bowler hat and is said to have been designed in 1849 by london hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler.
The hat was created to fulfil an order for hatters James lock & co of St James’s, who had been asked for a close-fitting, low-crowned hat to protect gamekeepers at Holkham Hall, the Norfolk estate of Thomas coke, first Earl of leicester, from low-hanging branches while they were riding on the estate.
The nickname is thought to be derived from Thomas William coke (1822-1909), second Earl of leicester, known as ‘Billy’ coke, and a renowned sportsman. George osbaldeston (known as Squire osbaldeston, MP and cricketer) said he was: ‘A thorough gentleman and very agreeable. He was an extraordinary rider, and a good but not first-rate shot. His uncle was very proud of him and he thought no man in Norfolk could beat young coke at partridge shooting when he used setters of a particular breed which he possessed.’
other evidence suggests the hat was ordered by his younger brother, the Hon Edward coke (1824-1889), a captain in the Royal Scots Fusiliers, MP for Norfolk West and High Sheriff of Derbyshire from 1859. it is said that when he went to london to view the hat, he stamped twice on the crown to determine its durability, nodded in approval and paid 12 shillings (60p) for it. on shoot days, Holkham’s gamekeepers still wear bowlers.
Wilbur Astley, Lincoln.
QUESTION What is the law regarding the time scale under which local authorities must clean up rubbish after a complaint?
SECTION 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 says local authorities have a duty to keep public land and highways clear of litter.
Anyone aggrieved by large amounts of uncleared litter can, under Section 91 of the same Act, give their local authority a minimum of five days’ written notice to clear the litter or apply for a litter abatement order at a magistrates court.
The order will normally specify how long the authority has to comply. Most local authorities deal with the complaint before an order is sought. i used it a few years ago and the council’s undivided attention was spectacular. D. J. Smith, Pershore, Worcs.
QUESTION British cinema names from a certain period seem to come from a pool that includes The Odeon, The Curzon, The Savoy, The Adelphi etc. Where did these names come from?
THE names have various origins but many were chosen because they were synonymous with luxury.
An odeon was an Ancient Greek amphitheatre. When oskar Deutsch opened his first cinema in 1928 in Brierley Hill, Dudley, he decided to call it The odeon. Soon there were 250 odeons.
The first curzon opened in 1934 and today they are best known as small, arthouse cinemas. The curzon family came here with the Norman conquest and took their name from the town of NotreDame- de-courson in Normandy. The chain began as Picture House cinemas and 23 still operate under that name.
The Savoy cinema chain probably stems from the Savoy family, which was dominant in italian and French politics during the medieval and renaissance periods.
The family owned several luxurious palaces, leading to hotels, theatres and, ultimately, cinemas taking the Savoy name.
Adelphi cinemas probably took their names from the Adelphi Theatre in london, which in turn took its name from the Adelphi Buildings, a group of neoclassical terraced houses built between The Strand and the Thames, just across the street from the theatre.
Adelphi comes from the Ancient Greek for ‘siblings’, derived from a + delphi, ‘from the same womb’.
The name of the Ritz cinema chain was taken from the Ritz hotel group, whose hotels were a byword for luxury. The hotel chain took its name from its owner, Swiss hotelier césar Ritz (1850 – 1918).
less prosaic in its origins was the ABC cinema chain, the initials standing for Associated British cinemas. The chain was founded in 1927 when a solicitor, John Maxwell, merged three small independent Scottish cinema circuits. it was ABC which set up the first children’s Saturday morning cinema clubs in the Forties. Bob Cubitt, Northampton.
QUESTION Is burial at sea still legal? If so, what are the requirements? Are there any undertakers that still provide the service and at what cost?
FURTHER to the earlier answer, in 1977, i was second officer on a merchant ship accompanied by my wife. While we were berthed in chittagong, Bangladesh, one of the crew died.
Normal practice would have been to either land the body for burial ashore or to place it in the freezer for carriage back to the uk. Neither option was practical as the authorities would not undertake a christian burial and we had no available freezer space.
on this basis the captain decided to bury the sailor at sea.
The bosun wrapped the body in canvas, along with two steel bars, and stitched the two edges together. in keeping with tradition, the last stitch was passed through the sailor’s nose; the theory being that if he was still alive he would certainly let us know at this point.
We buried him just over the 200-fathom line off the coast of Bangladesh with a formal ceremony. Larry Collier, Capt MN retired,
Clifton, Manchester.
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