Five Historic things you never thought you needed to know. #8

 Five Historic things you never thought you needed to know. #8




  • The Private Navy of Richard Whitworth. 


Richard Whitworth was a Staffordshire Gentleman. This one time High Sheriff of the County took on the interests of Lord Chetwynd to become MP for Stafford. Stafford Corporation did not get on with its MP, who was involved in long running legal battles over a couple of properties. 


Keen on canals, Whitworth wrote a book supporting inland navigation in 1766. He attempted to persuade the builders of the Liverpool Canal to divert over his estates at Batchacre Hall.  Whitworth was not successful. He did design a machine to sail on frozen canals.  Keen on bettering potential French invaders, Whitworth fought naval battles on his own lake in preparation. He also constructed a Martello tower with swivel guns on his estates.


  • Sebastian Raval was a 16th century Spanish composer. He declared himself the "best musician in the world", on account of which he was challenged to a musical contest first by Giovanni Maria Nanino and shortly afterwards by Francesco Soriano. Raval was defeated in both cases. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebasti%C3%A1n_Raval 



  • The advantages of the single life.


John Sparrow, leading light of Staffordshire society, bought Bishton in 1776 and constructed a hall. In 1786 his daughter, and heir, Charlotte was born. Unwilling to hand over the place to a husband she remained unmarried to death, aged 90, in 1876.  Charlotte founded Colwich School in 1827. 



  • Richard Pine-Coffin was nicknamed, in true British style, Wooden-Box.


Born in 1908, Pine-Coffin joined the Devonshire Regiment in 1928. He joined the 2nd Parachute Battalion in 1941 and moved to become 2-i-C of the 3rd Battalion in 1942. Pine-Coffin won the Military Cross during the North African Campaign and then moved to commanded the 7th [Light Infantry] Parachute Battalion, who took part in the D-Day landings - where he was awarded a DSO.  Pine-Coffin got the bar to that award during the airborne assault over the Rhine in March 1945. After the War he saw service in Palestine and the Far East.





  • The Saarland Protectorate played four World Cup Qualifying matches in 1953 and 54. They beat Norway 3-2 and drew 0-0 with them.  They lost to West Germany 3-0 and 3-1.  In 1956 the Saarland rejoined West Germany and the team folded.

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