"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation" - Henry Thoreau
"A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams" John Barrymore
"No sane man will dance." Cicero (106-43 B.C.)
The Chris Hobbs Site

The above photograph is of the author and was taken at the side of Piazza del Campo in Sienna, Italy - August 2007. I wonder why Crookes, or even Sheffield for that matter, does not have a Palio or similar type of event?
The site is divided into sections that are listed in the Table of Contents.
The Genealogy Pages "Family History" are quite extensive. To facilitate the additional information I have created a Family History Index that should assist in the navigation of that section. I have also included in the index, a general section that contains articles that are associated with the history of my family. Nearly all the people who appear in the Family History pages are no longer living and so this section of the site is in effect a Memorial as well as a Resource.
I hope that you'll find the Family History Pages interesting and informative. I will of course be delighted to hear from anyone who can provide me with further insights and information with regard to my ancestors.
In November 2010 I decided that I would create a "blog" to accompany this website. The site is now over twelve years old, and I wanted to expand the content of the site to include information that I have come across but was not detailed enough to warrant an article. It would also allow me to comment on more contemporary matters that effect the area I live in, and also keep people updated on the articles posted. With a nod to Crookes in particular, and Sheffield in general, the blog is called "View From A Hill" .
November 16 is my date of birth and so that section of the site deals naturally enough with the births, deaths and events that have occurred on that date. I have also provided an account of a murder that occurred on that day that ended in a judicial execution. School Days - incidentally they were not "the happiest days of my life" gives a personal view of what it was like to attend a provincial Grammar School in the 1960's as well as providing a counterbalance to many of the wild and inaccurate claims surrounding post war education in the U.K.
Britain and the World since 1953 is intended to put a perspective on the events that have occurred in my lifetime. It is in effect a chronology and almanac with links to other websites and areas of information. The content is continually being extended and it is hoped that it will become a useful reference tool when completed. There is also a page compares the Britain of 1953 with the Britain of 2003
The Location Map is a directional guide for those visiting the area where I live. This section has also been extended to include a brief history of the road I live on (Spring Hill) and the area of the city ( Crookes - Walkley district ) I live in. I have posted to that section, details extracted from the various UK Census' for Spring Hill as well as excerpts from a number of Kelly's Directories - a full index of photographs and articles has been also been posted to the section.
I have also added my acknowledgements to people who have spared me their time and effort in providing me with content and information. It is greatly appreciated. Two such resources that are particularly useful are the Sheffield History Forum and the newer Sheffield Soldiers of the Great War. I would encourage readers of this site to visit both websites as they both contain a mine of information
There is also a copyright notice which I hope will ensure that the information on this site is not sullied by crass commercialism. Any errors are of course mine and mine alone.
"To remain ignorant of what happened before you were born is to remain always a child" - Cicero
"One of the deepest impulses in man is the impulse to record, to scratch a drawing on the tusk or keep a diary, to collect sagas and heap cairns. This instinct as to the enduring value of the past is, one might say, the very basis of civilization" - John Jay Chapman
"To the living we owe our respect, to the dead we owe nothing but the truth." Voltaire.
I should add that I update the "Sheffield" articles as and when relevant information becomes available. Most of them are based on information I came across whilst researching in the local archives and reading old newspapers. I have tried only to put material on the site that is not easily available elsewhere and so that is why there are no articles on The Sheffield Flood, Charlie Peace, The Hillsborough Disaster etc. I am also conscious of the need not to compromise the privacy of the living and so the articles are definitely historical in perspective. I try to adhere to the "forty year rule."
"We are ceasing to regard smoke and filth as necessary evils and are striving after remedies. Perhaps our children will once again see roses blooming in Attercliffe and trout on the rise near Lady's Bridge". J.D. Leader (1891)
THERE ARE FURTHER ARTICLES WITH A SHEFFIELD CONNECTION ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE
Some cities love their antiquities, Sheffield has few to boast of, and therefore treats them with scorn. Someday it will regret it
Sheffield Daily Independent (1906)
"Each
Generation imagines itself more intelligent than the one that
went before it and wiser than the one that comes after it"
George Orwell
"Any life when
viewed from the inside is simply a series of defeats"
-- George Orwell, "Benefit of Clergy: Some Notes on Salvador
Dali
This website has been operative in its various guises since 8th November 1999. After six years I decided to upgrade the Guestbook. Unfortunately due to the activities of spammers I have had to remove the feature. And so if you have any comments, suggestions and information relating to the Site, please contact me directly by EMAIL and where necessary, I will reply to any requests etc.
The old Guestbook has been relocated and is there for reference purposes only
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This page was last updated on 01/02/12 12:26