Failed to keep up the momentum from T.P.W. and C. 19, so here are a couple of pictures, somewhat late.

At the south-east corner of the curtain wall at Fort Paull some old hawthorn shrubs but in full flower this spring, a mass of white blossom and hopefully a mass of berries in autumn.

Separated from Fort Paull by an arable field is the Thorngumbald Marsh area of managed retreat – the reedbeds in the middle distance having once been arable land.

In the foreground the first cowslips of spring, as here, often associated with edge of wetland locations.

A walk taken this afternoon following a very familiar circular route from the Humber side car park just south of Paull village, alongside the Humber following the footpath seen above to near the two old lighthouses (s.p.b.s), then north along a footpath with arable field on one side (oilseed rape in flower but some seed pods already formed) and the Camerton Marsh area of managed retreat on the other. Then along the road to Paull church and a bench under the avenue of young trees between the entrance gate and the north door. Along the road again and back down a lane to the car park.

The photo shows small colonies of hoary cress in flower along the base of the embankment at Fort Paull. Hoary cress is a perennial plant with sprays of small white flowers at this time of year. In that sense it is similar to cow parsley with its lovely white flower heads this time of year; however the cow parsley is much taller and of the umbellifer family, whereas hoary cress is of the wallflower family. Hoary cress is classed as a noxious weed as it can be mildly poisonous to grazing animals and it is very invasive, spreading usually by spreading root systems. It has the capacity to smother out other native flora, although in my experience that does not seem to happen.

Hoary cress is not a wetland loving plant but in my experience I have only found it near river or here the Estuary. Going back a couple of decades it was dominant along the River Hull bank in the Oak Road playing fields area, but now seems to have almost disappeared.

Section of Immingham Dock in the distance seen above.

There is much positive comment re David Attenborough’s 100 birthday, and quite rightly so. There is no doubt that over the past 100 years there has been a great social change in attitudes towards animal welfare, although there remains a long way to go particularly re factory farming, mostly pigs and chickens, and agribusiness in general. Although this government has passed legislation related to animal welfare it is cautious, encouraging good practice but carrot rather than stick. There has not been a post-war government that has really challenged the farming lobby, and that was also true in the European Parliament. However the fact that landowners are custodians of land and its wildlife rather than out and out please yourself owners is now mainstream.

By coincidence I heard a religious broadcast on Radio 4 this morning while having breakfast; its theme was much along the lines of Man as God’s special creation has a duty of care towards the natural world rather than we’re God’s children so we can do as we please. It seemed to me that here was a point where atheism and Christianity came very close. Atheism asserting that all lifeforms on Earth are a product of evolution, and will continue to be so. For the last three millennia or so homo sapiens (homo erectus if we go back further) has been able to attain domination around the planet through his unique physical and mental capabilities. It is this very dominance that is the danger. less than a century ago a weapon was invented the descendants of which sit waiting on delivery systems and capable of destroying life on Earth. Now AI, which could be beneficial but which could make human thought unnecessary.

So the main objective should be to make sure the dominant animal uses its power and knowledge to preserve life on Earth for its intrinsic value, not for personal gain. We are not entitled to sit back and say we are made in God’s image so all will be well. It will not, its a myth.

Photo of a section of the lowland coast at Cleethorpes, view east with Spurn Point, East Yorkshire in the distance, (not taken recently). Two days ago went on the train from Barton to Cleethorpes, fine morning but cold wind. Bit of lunch at Darracoates cafe beside the pier then walked the long promenade south to the Leisure Centre. As often stated before I love walking the dog along this section of classic lowland coast towards Humberstone Fitties. Took a stop at a hut that sells refreshments which 20 or so years ago was run by a man from Malta called Leo, it was a total junk shop then but is now nicely done up with some exterior pictures painted by a local artist. It always amused me that a man from Malta, a place to which millions of holidaymakers flock, should be running a down market establishment near Cleethorpes Park. On the way back looked into Banana Leaf shop which sells nice things if one has a nice house. Why this name and what Cleethorpes legend about the ‘Leaking Boot’ is I don’t know.

The ornamental gardens running parallel to the promenade are all being uprooted and going to made nicer, in time for the peak season, or not as the case may be.

Having mentioned Thomas Sheppard in the previous blog I initially wondered if any of his publications would be listed here. Foolish idea as Thomas was only 9 years old when this ‘Catalogue’ was printed; he left the elementary school four years later, all his qualifications and credits being gained in manhood. Staying on this theme a moment, the Wikipedia info. on Thomas is relatively short but very informative and with good further research sources, particularly an article by M.R.D. Seaward published in the journal Humberside Geologist in 2008 entitled ‘The Amazing Mr Sheppard’; it is a cataloguing of all his writings, positions held , qualifications awarded etc. Thomas Sheppard died in 1945, just four years after an enemy bombing raid, and resultant fire, destroyed most of the municipal museum and its exhibits.

The Municipal Library Catalogue of 1885 cost 50p. from the ‘no longer needed’ shelf at Hull History Centre. The central coat of arms shows the three crowns/coronets in the shield and the outer words read ‘Bibliotheca Municipali, Kingston Super Hull’. The list includes some familiar titles, e.g. Poulson, George History and Antiquities of the Seigniory of Holderness, 2vols, 1840-’41, Frost, Charles Notices of Town and Port of Hull, 1827. Also, Sheahan, J.J. History of the Town and Port of Kingston-upon-Hull.

The Catalogue is up to date for its time listing 24 story books by Sir Walter Scott (The Waverley Novels).

Equally interesting as the list are the terms and conditions of lending as listed on the first three pages. In fact it lists nine such rules, of which here are just three:

‘All works borrowed must be returned within seven days’

‘Each renewal may be for three days’

‘Only one work shall be lent to the same person at the same time’.

On page one it implies that books are being lent to ‘Members of the Corporation’, while on page two on page two it refers to ‘Every person borrowing a book …’.

Even without television, and given that the borrower (always referred to as ‘he’) had to earn a living, getting through any one of these in a week was good going.

No cost is mentioned except if the book was damaged or lost.

Above is the cover page of a reprinted book first published in 1912. The author ‘Tom’ Sheppard was the first curator of Hull Museums located on Albion Street in a large building, never rebuilt after being bombed in 1943. A large volume of the exhibits were also destroyed, for example the long log dug-out canoe, thought to be Neolithic or earlier, found in the anaerobic muds of the River Ancholme in the early 20th century (maybe 1890s).

The occasion of the public talk I went to hear today was the annual Chris. Ketchell Memorial Lecture, given in the nave of Hull Minster (Holy Trinity) by Mike Horne F.G.S. Honorary Research Fellow, University of Hull. The presentation was about Thomas Sheppard with particular reference to Sheppard’s geological studies in East Yorkshire and resulting publications. Th presentation was thoroughly illustrated and very informative. One of the angles of Mr. Horne’s presentation was Sheppard’s dubious reputation as a collector/thief(!) of artifacts found elsewhere for display in Hull Museum, particularly in north Lincolnshire, then the county of Lindsey. There is ample evidence (I words, not Mr. Horne’s) of Tom often crossing the Humber on the steam ferries to New Holland, visiting sites of interest, particularly archaeological digs, and arranging for the transport of items back to Hull. He knew the region well having been brought up in modest circumstances in South Ferriby. Having left the village school (surviving) at the age of 13 he progressed in life by developing his interests and working at a number of jobs. He was clearly not slow in coming forward.

To be fair, in the 1920s I don’t think there were proper museums in Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Barton or Brigg, and anyway these were in the ‘thirding’ of Lincolnshire called Lindsey with its hq in Lincoln, a place far away and loath to spend public money on all but the bare essentials.

Sheppard published many papers while Curator of Hull Museum and a few books including the one shown above. His critics claim that even here he may have been plagiarising an earlier unpublished work. If this earlier work was George Poulson’s ‘History and Antiquities of Holderness’, published 1840, and he must surely have had copies, then he was using the researches of others without crediting them, arguably a form of plagiarism.