A History of a Family - Part 3. Brass Weigh Scales

 The BBC recently ran a radio series with the help of the British Museum on 100 objects that shaped or contributed to the history of the world. These ranged from statues to coins and from toys to modern technology. I have tried to achieve the same sense of significance but in relation to our family for a few objects lying around the house currently or remembered from growing up.

Part 3- Brass Weigh Scales

In movies depicting major narcotics rings there is always a massive array of cash counting machines churning through the ill gotten gains of illicit business. The hoodlums and their lackies bring in grubby high denomination notes and in the first stage of laundering, call it a pre-wash, these are shovelled into the ticky-clicky machines, totted up and then wrapped in an elastic band in wads of say, £1000. Beyond that process is not always shown but usually involves a small bespectacled man walking away,with a limping gait, with an attache case.

In most supermarkets there sits in the entrance or in the corner near the toilets, a large Coinstar machine into which all ages of customers pour their loose-change for noisy counting followed by an often pleasant smile at how much has been accumulating in the Bells Whisky bottle or oversized pasta jar. The only disappointment is where a small accompanying child participates by pressing the 'Donate' button rather than the 'Collect' one.

On the fairly regular visits to the branch of Lloyds Bank where my father was Manager in the 1970's I would marvel at the swift manual counting skills of the staff. The essential tools to perform this skill were a ribbed rubber thimble and/or a small petrie dish sized glass bowl with a moist sponge. Fingers flashed through the paper notes with great dexterity and mental concentration only briefly interrupted by the need to dip a forefinger in the water in order to lubricate the process.

Just along the counter and for the weighing and bagging process of coins was a magnificent set of brass scales.

This stood about 2 feet high, originally bright and brash but with the metalwork having built up an immunity to the abrasive polishing by Brasso or other treatments over many decades. The colour was now tarnished but faintly gold in hue.  The scales were a tripod in appearance but embellished with mouldings and brazings which added to the majestic status. Chain links were looped at the top over a hook and run down equidistant to a tea plate sized dish on both sides. The central armature could be adjusted to balance out the scales with the fine tuning of a metronome. The two dishes rested just above counter level but could be raised with a pivoted lever to give a visual confirmation of a balance.

Complimentary to the scales was a full set of cast brass weights. These were fascinating to play with. The graduated weights could be carefully stacked one in another to form a small but dense pyramidal tower. These ranged in our young minds from miniscule polo mint sized through to a hefty Burtons chocolate wagon wheel size. The weights were actually engraved in antique script and imperial measures from half an ounce to 1 ounce , 2 ounce and then at regular increases through 4 and 8 ounces up to the 1 pound, 2 pound and 4 pound weights. The combination of these eight weights could be used to assess the customer assembled contents of small pre-printed coin bags. This rapidly speeded up the counter process and made for happy customers. The set of scales were, in the modern banking age, surplus to requirements but represented a very strong symbol of commerce and banking that gave reassurance to savers and borrowers, investors and shareholders.

My father worked in banking for 40 years at a time when it was a greatly sought after and respected career. I was very conscious of the very high regard in which my father was held in our town and community as Branch Manager. He was trusted by personal and business customers, small and large Corporate concerns and gave good, sound and impartial advice.

Those were the days of banking when the Manager was able to endorse any request for a loan or a mortgage because there was a long term relationship with the customer and an understanding of what was really required and not as today an opportunity to cross sell everything from life insurance to car and health insurance.

Like a set of scales my father was a steady and dependable pair of hands in a fast changing and, unfortunately, an increasingly distrustful world.

A History of a Family- Part 2. Nautical Chart

 The BBC recently ran a radio series with the help of the British Museum on 100 objects that shaped or contributed to the history of the world. These ranged from statues to coins and from toys to modern technology. I have tried to achieve the same sense of significance but in relation to our family for a few objects lying around the house currently or remembered from growing up.

Part 2- Nautical Chart

The true environment for a Nautical Chart would be rolled up cocooned in others on a table in the wheelhouse of a seagoing vessel. Whilst treasured and meticulously preserved each chart would be able to convey its own story through signs of wear and tear, wind whipped edges, pencilled scribblings by way of observed amendments, the faded stains of a well earned fortified cup of tea, salt spray, sweat and tears and perhaps a few traces of fish entrails.

It was a hard decision to make but the May 1974 Gnonomic issue for England-East Coast at a scale of 1:50000 is now framed up and takes pride of place in our dining room.Whilst produced under the Superintendence of Rear Admiral G P D Hall, Hydrographer of the Navy, the chart belonged to George Brown, my father in law. He knew the area of coverage extremely well as it figured significantly through his lifetime. The northern landfall extremity of the chart shows just above the East Coast town of Withernsea and with the bottom right hand corner the dunes and marshes of the Lincolnshire coast below Grimsby. Farthest west is an inset panel of how to navigate up the Humber to Goole and below that a further extract of the entrance to the River Trent.

The course of the Humber meanders mightily as befits its role of draining one fifth of the landmass of England. To the east, the North Sea with navigation guidance as far as the former mooring position of the Humber Lightship. George was born in the port city of Kingston upon Hull in 1929. In his teens he was working on the river on low slung commercial barges which plied between the thriving Hull docks and the inland riverside towns. These vessels were the HGV's of their time carrying coal, fuel oil, grain and bulk goods in large and regular shipments.

George was on the river during the early part of the second world war and will have witnessed and indeed been exposed to the incessant airborne bombing raids on the docks and wider urban area in the peak blitz years of 1941 to 1943. His maritime experience, even though he was still under the age for conscription to the military was important and he was soon to be working much more hazardous waters on the lifeline provided to wartime allies by the Arctic convoys.

After the war George took again to the sea but in a much warmer climate and was stationed in Malta in RAF Air Sea Rescue aboard what will have been former motor torpedo boats and also as flight crew on the Sunderland Flying Boats.

George was a grafter and provider for his family working, in civilian life in the large industrial plants of Hull and also on the Blackburn Aircraft production line at Brough some 7 miles west of the city. The 1974 navigation chart was acquired by George to go with his ownership of a sea-cobble fishing boat maintained and shore-berthed at Tunstall on the Holderness Coast.

The North Sea was still a very productive fishing ground at that time and the vessel provided access well offshore to reach the stocks of fat fleshy Cod, in particular, now very sadly depleted and emaciated by comparison.

Beach angling was also a favourite pursuit of George and the chart illustrates the sheer size and scale of the annual competitions which would attract participants from all over the country, Europe and the world who would draw pegs at regular spots along the full length of the Holderness Coast from Spurn Point to Bridlington.

The chart is a technical document essential to an understanding and safe negotiation of a major and very busy watercourse but for George it was also the key to a very active and enjoyable lifelong association with things maritime.

A History of a Family Part 1= Africa

 

History of a Family (Part 1)

The BBC recently ran a radio series with the help of the British Museum on 100 objects that shaped or contributed to the history of the world. These ranged from statues to coins and from toys to modern technology. I have tried to achieve the same sense of significance but in relation to my family for a few objects lying around the house currently or remembered from growing up. The series is repeated from some time in 2011.

Part 1; Africa

I never really knew and have great difficulty actually remembering my Grandfather on my father's side of the family. He died when I was about 4 or 5 years old. My only recollection is of a very strong smell of cigarettes in his presence and how he would produce from his cardigan a packet of sweet cigarettes for us when it was time to leave and go home. Other fragments of information came from my late father and a few bits of furniture or inherited objects that came with Gran when she moved in for the last 10 or so years of her long and generally healthy life. My grandfather worked for the Bank of British West Africa which helped to introduce modern banking to that part of the African continent. He travelled widely and had associations with business and trade in Liberia and I think Sierra Leone. Two objects that fascinated me as a small child epitomised the myths surrounding my grandfather.

The first is actually a pair of crocodiles. I am not sure if I contributed to loss of the lower jaw of one of the figures but I was not to know that carved ivory was quite brittle when roughly handled in play. They are about 6 inches long, perfectly straight, and with a girth of about the middle finger. The jaws have cerrated teeth and a gaping hole of a mouth that served well as a rest for a pencil or rolled up balls of plasticine but for which it was never intended. The reptiles had a flat belly underside and could sit flat and level on display. The tail tapered to a sharp point and the whole body had a raised series of scales. I would usually head for the crocodiles first in visiting the rather dark and grim inter war semi detached house where my grandparents lived.

The second object of fascination is a carved upright figure, standing about eight inches tall. It was skillfully carved by a native African out of a single piece of light, almost balsa or cork wood. This will have been sourced from what remained of a once extensive equitorial forest but decimated under a two pronged attack to clear land for farming and to provide fuel for a village hut or smallholding farmstead. The figure is very much a caricature, comic but authoritative, of a Colonial Officer, perhaps a Civil Servant or even a Missionary or Teacher. I liked to think, when young, that it was loosely based on my grandfather. The uniform includes a pith helmet in white pigment but now very much faded to a pale washy hue. The hat is removeable and has done well to accompany the figure through many Spring Cleans and a few house removals.  His facial features are sharp with a regular but dominating nose starting well up on the forehead. The eyes are almond shaped, almost feminine in appearance. Thick fleshy lips sit above a proud chin. There remains some trace of a sunburnt skin tone but with bleaching and blotching from catching the sunlight after close to a century of exhibition and play. Attired in a khaki safari suit the figure is quite dapper. The skill of the carver has produced faint folds of linen and the suit is well tailored but cool for the sweltering climate. Incongruously the man is wearing boots with quite a Cuban heel and retaining a bright burnt-umber shade to depict leather. The pose is sitting or rather perching on a bench and at a desk to symbolise a position of relative power and control in the Colony. The desk is typical for a Board School furnishing. Stout vertical supports, low bracing bar doubling up as a footrest, hinged heavy lid, inset ink well and a groove for a writing implement. The front face of the desk has symbols of a circle and triangle, almost masonic but not thought to be of any significance or menace.

The figure is a personalised souvenir of Empire because it was individually carved with patience and artistic understanding. It may well have been one, however, of thousands of similar brought to the river bank or quayside, city square or hotel steps, railway platform or other embarKation point to be thrust into the view or hands of departing Civil Servants, Financiers, Businessmen, Private Tourists and my Grandfather.

Turbine or not Turbine?

 

Windy Miller

There was uproar amongst the villagers when proposals became known for the erection of a wind powered turbine in their very back yard.

The usual emotional sentiments were expressed chiefly on the theme of why it had to be in their otherwise unspoiled area when there were plenty of wide open and unpopulated spaces elsewhere in the county. Rumour and hearsay thrived amongst the residents. There was an unfounded story from another parish where the constant whirring of just such a turbine drove man and beast to a state of demented frenzy and the weaker amongst the respective species threw themselves to an untimely death in a canal or a quarry or under the wheels of some vehicle or other or died of natural causes some years later .

Another tale was of a lady renowned for her special powers in things future and unworldly who claimed that the rotation of the turbine interfered with signals to her from the 'other' side.

In particularly stormy conditions in a southern county someone recalled hearing about  turbine blades which had become severed from their tower and had pirouetted and spiralled through the village causing considerable damage to property and possessions.

Sporadic combustion of similar buildings was quite well known and could be substantiated in fact rather than being a subject of fiction.

The representatives of the Consortium, out of town Land Agents, behind the project put their case to a meeting around the village pump amongst barracking and jeering from an almost full contingent of the residents and a few curious by-standers who happened to be out  rambling from the city.

The proposed location, it was argued,  was ideal on the basis of its elevation and exposure to the prevailing westerly winds.

There was good access to the road network and for the benefit of those for whom the turbine would provide a mechanism for wealth and amenity.

There was to be direct employment for one operator and a house to be built adjacent for occupation by their family.

The spin-off prospects for other jobs in the village and surroundings were expected to be good particularly for those in the transport, haulage, distribution and marketing sectors.

Aesthetically the tower would be quite unobtrusive. Painted black the slender 74 foot high structure with a traditional ogee cap and the four bladed turbine atop would blend in with the hillside and be a mere vertical stripe against the skyline. Such was the design that it was anticipated that the building would attain local landmark status and reflect well on the forward thinking members of the village as being progressive and modern.

When put to a vote the motion to build the structure was passed unanimously. This was not really surprising as the only persons eligible to put their signatures on the paperwork were the Consortium comprising the main land owners and financiers. The rest of the population were largely silent as they were in the employment and tied housing of the aforementioned privileged few as agricultural workers, domestic staff or otherwise beholding for their livelihoods in trade and commerce.

The wind turbine as mentioned , more quaintly called a windmill was erected at Skidby Village, East Yorkshire in 1821 by Robert Garton, a millwright of nearby Beverley. It was heightened in 1878-1879 but any protests at that time were not recorded for posterity. The windmill was restored to operation in 1974 and is regularly open to the public to this day. 

The arguments against and for a wind turbine remain ostensibly the same from the early 19th Century to the present day

A Bridge Too Near

An idyllic cottage. Newly built but in sympathetic external rendering and under a smooth slate roof. In a few years and with a bit of natural weathering the house will look as though it has been there for a century.

It would not look out of place on a seafront promenade or on one of those steep sided coastal locations running down to a picturesque harbour. 

It is the style that appeals to those seeking a weekend or seasonal holiday rental promising a bit of character but at the same time providing all of the mod cons that would make it a home from home for the duration.

The architectural style is Victoriana. A flaunched stack, corbelled stringer course to the upper wall, reconstituted stone cills, pebble dash and a cutesy timber porch with weatherboarding and finial post.

For those who would purchase outright it is something a bit different to that available in the brochures of the big National builders. It is far from a box even though the interior would vary little from most off the peg offerings on the large bleak residential estates which fringe our cities or infill our old industrial and manufacturing sites.

As with most things to do with property the key factor is location. The photograph below shows the view of the house from the rear garden. There is the same appeal in terms of individuality and style and with a nice feature being a traditional single storey off-shoot providing a utility room rather than a pantry or outhouse loo. The eye is however drawn to the concrete structure just visible above and to the left of the roof and a collection of thin cables running paralell.

In a more expanded view the purpose of the imposing structure is clear. It is the north tower of the Humber Bridge.

What are the implications for the residents of the picturesque cottage as a consequence of the proximity to this major estuary crossing point? 

It is hellishly noisy. 

The elevated carriageway is some 150 feet above the house roof level and there is a constant clanging as vehicles hit the expansion strip between the road section where it becomes part of the suspension sections.

The view from the front of the property is interesting but possibly a bit of a deal breaker.

Oh, and did I mention it is at high risk of being flooded whenever the mighty Humber (which drains some 25% of the surface area of the UK) has a surge and breaches its current defences?

Buying a House by Text Messages

This piece celebrates the 11th  anniversary of moving into our new home. The transaction was almost entirely progressed through text messages. 

They took place in real time between July 4th 2013 and 5th September 2013

Some names have been changed but other details are authentic 

(For those living in the London, UK catchment, yes, it is possible to buy a great house for what we paid)

Hello. My wife has seen your For Sale Board in the front window. We are very Interested in your Town House. Own property under offer in Hessle, Any Chance to view? Peter

Hi Peter, thanks for the text. I am away in Greece at the moment. Of course a viewing would be fine. Are you interested in sale or renting? Jill.

Looking to buy. Do you have a guide price in mind?

The house is being updated with full double glazing, full insulation and it has a new condensing boiler. Looking for offers around £165,000.

Definitely interested. What would be arrangements to view?

I am back late weds next week so anytime thursday or friday would be fine.

I will contact you thursday morning if that's ok

Yes, that's fine.

Hope your travelling was ok. Is it possible to arrange a viewing say 6.30pm to 7.00pm

Yes Peter.That will be fine.7pm would be good for me. The house is still in the middle of being worked on so it's upside down at the moment. It should be finished in a couple of weeks for a true impression. Look forward to seeing you later, 7pm at the back.

See you then. Thank You.

Jill, Thank you for the tour of the house. We love it. It would suit us ideally and will be making an offer in a few days if all on track with our sale. If you want to check our progress our solicitor is Heather Midwinter at Sandersons. I would like to instruct my Surveyor next week but will be guided by you with the works underway. Thanks. Peter and Allison.

Hi Peter and Allison. It was very nice to meet you and your family last night. Whilst I am happy with your interest in the house and the ideas you have put forward regarding your solicitor, etc I feel I must point out that I do have other viewings from buyers which I must continue with until your offer comes in. Again, if you would like a surveyor to visit an offer would naturally have to be agreed first. I don't want to rush you in any way  however I need to have something constructive to work with just as you do with your property. Kind Regards, Jill.

Jill, We would like to make an offer of £165,000 for your property subject to contract and survey. Regards, Peter and Allison.

I would like to accept your offer. What is the timescale for completion? I would like it to be ASAP. I will let you know how the building works are progressing re the surveying. If you would like another viewing just let me know, I will let you have details of my solicitor.

Jill, we are looking at 8 to 10 weeks to completion. Our estate agent can give information but we are in a small chain with first time buyers for our buyers. Speak soon

Hello Peter. I need to instruct my solicitors which will incur me costs. Please can you confirm you wish to proceed, Can I have your names and any other relevant details please. If you would like another viewing let me know. The windows should be finished towards the end of next week so a surveyor could inspect thursday/friday.

Jill. Full ahead now. I will e mail you the requested information this evening, We are away next week but contactable. Peter and Allison.

Thanks Peter

Did you receive the e mail with our details?

Hi Peter, yes thank you. I did reply to your email this morning, It was very helpful. I have a new contact at my solicitors.

Jill, Hope you are well, Is it possible to have another look around say late afternoon or evening on saturday. Regards. Peter and Allison.

Hi Peter and Allison. I am very well thank you. I hope you had a good trip. Would 7pm saturday be a suitable time to meet up?

That would be ideal,thank you

Hi Peter. It was good to meet you all again on saturday. Do you have any idea when the surveyor will be visiting the house this week. Kind regards Jill.

Jill. I have contacted the Surveyors and hope to agree terms tomorrow, I will provide them with your details to liaise direct if convenient.

That will be fine, thank you.

Has my Surveyor contacted you yet Jill?

Hi Peter. Yes he came today for about an hour. I asked him if everything was satisfactory and he said everything was in order and couldn't see any problem areas. When do you plan for the Building Society/bank one to visit.

I have paid the Valuation Fee so just appears to be down to availability of the Valuation Surveyor. I will chase up.

Thanks. That would be appreciated. I can be free to show them around to suit as soon as possible is good for me as I am planning to book a holiday in the very near future. Jill

Our buyers want to complete on 22nd August ( 3 weeks). We are working towards this for our sale but if it is not possible to synchronise the purchase of your house we will make arrangements to store furniture and stay with family. Our solicitor has been instructed to try for simultaneous transactions but will keep you informed of progress.

Hi Peter. Thank you for the update on how things are progressing. I am able to move quickly but have a mortgage tie-in until 31st August which is around £3000. I have spoken to my solicitor to ask if there is anything I can do to help the situation along. At the moment I have no problem exchanging on the 22nd August with a completion as it stands on 2nd September. I will keep in touch with any further proposals/ideas. Have you any news on the Surveyor? Jill

The appointed Surveyors should be contacting you shortly

Thanks Peter

Jill. Has the mortgage valuer been in contact yet? Peter and Allison

Hi Peter and Allison. Yes they did. Yesterday late PM, They will visit next tuesday at 11am. Kind Regards Jill.

The Surveyor came today.He said everything was fine re; the house price. He will send his report to your Building Society today, Do you have any update on exchange?

Jill. We are at our solicitors tomorrow to sign on our sale for 23rd August. For the purchase of your property I will check on status whilst at the same meeting. Your timescale is still ok so hopefully exchange pretty soon. I will update you late tomorrow,

Hi Peter. Regarding your storage and moving things twice if you would rather move things into the House on the 23rd then I am sure we can come to some arrangement after checking it out with my solicitor.

Jill. That does sound a very good proposal. I will discuss with Allison and run it past our solicitor. Speak tomorrow, thanks again. Peter

Hi Peter. Just to update you my solicitor has invited me to sign the necessary paperwork next monday 19th. Do you have any updates?

If you are signing monday we should be doing the same within a couple of days so would hope to exchange next week. Our solicitor is doing our sale and purchase so is aware that we both want to exchange at earliest date possible. Can you spare some time for Allison to view again?

Hi Peter. Allison is welcome to view, I am available next week now. Does she want to visit during the day or in the evening/tea time-ish?

I will get Allison to ring you.

Jill, Is it possible for Allison to view monday or tuesday early evening?

Peter. Tuesday early evening would be fine, Say 6.30pm

That would be great. Allison will see you then.

Jill. We have now moved out of our house following completion today. I will press our solicitors on tuesday after the Bank Holiday as everything is in place for Allison and myself to sign. We are shacked up near York for this week but contactable. Regards

Hi Peter and Allison. Thanks for the update. Do you have any news on the signing of the contracts. Jill

Jill. One local search being chased but available to sign tomorrow with exchange and completion for monday as per your timescale. On the road again from tomorrow. Peter and Allison.

Thank you, That's great.

Jill. Sorry but our solicitor is off work ill and her caseload has been passed over to a colleague. The Local Search has also been delayed until tomorrow, If you Solicitor rings ours everything will be clear.

Yes, thank you I will do so. Regards Jill

Peter and Allison. My Solicitor advises me that everything is now in order for you to proceed with exchange and completion tomorrow. Given the previous confusion please can you tell me if you are going ahead with this tomorrow and I can sort out the keys, etc.

We are all ready for tomorrow. Did you want to meet up at the house late afternoon or evening?

Can I get back to you today.I am just travelling back from Rome. Got up at 3am and don't know what/s happening tomorrow yet. I will text you around 6pm tonight. Kind Regards Jill.

That's fine Jill. Look forward to hearing from you. Hope journey goes well.

Hi Peter and Allison. Would tomorrow be ok. I can meet you anytime after 4.15pm. Jill

We can be there for 5pm

That is fine. Look forward to seeing you then. Jill

Hi Peter and Allison.Can you update me on what's happening. Are you exchanging and completing today as arranged?

Jill. In our solicitors at 1pm today, I understand our side sent over a few questions to yours yesterday. We expect everything to go through today as planned, We will contact you in a couple of hours. Peter and Allison.

Thank you both. I was just unsure how things were progressing. Jill

All signed up. Can you solicitors confirm that we have exchanged?

Hi Peter. They cannot confirm it yet, I am unable to move ahead at the moment. They have advised me that your solicitor is asking for a number of details some of which date back to 1978 and others where information was forwarded to them several weeks ago. I think this is because of the illness issue and another solicitor taking things over, Unfortunately I cannot give you the keys until completion. If all goes ahead we could meet up. I could do 4pm if that;s any good to you or after 6.30pm Please let me know your thoughts.

We have instructed our solicitor that we are happy with all of your responses and have signed to indicate this. We still expect to exchange today or simultaneously tomorrow. We are as frustrated as you are but 8 weeks from first viewing is pretty good progress.

I agree Peter. I can make 6.30pm if that's ok

Jill. Our solicitors say we have completed , Is that confirmed on your side?

Hi Peter. Yes, subject to funds arriving all is completed.

Hello Peter and Allison. Congratulations! We will meet you at the front of the house if that's ok, We will need to take readings and a screwdriver to open the water meter on the footpath. Do you have one in your car?  We are on our way now, Jill

Sounds like a good plan. Will find implement for water meter.

Two weeks later.............Jill, Hope you are well. We are loving everything about the house. Do keep in contact. Perhaps a coffee and cake on Prinny Ave some time, Peter and Allison.

Glad you are happy. Yes, cake would always be nice, (smiley face) Jill.

Paws for thought (one from the archive)

Paws for Thought

I admit that I had never heard this particular phrase before.

It was drawn to my attention in the dialogue of a radio dramatisation of PG Wodehouse's "Ring for Jeeves" which was first published in 1953.

The principal character feels that he has been duped into an action by another and describes his role as being "a cats paw".

As they say curiosity killed the cat or in my case the feline reference caught my attention and imagination and I just had to find out where it came from.

Its most well known origins are generally attributable to a famous French fable of the late 17th Century by Jean de La Fontaine although there is some debate about it being even earlier than that. There are 15th Century tales along the same theme and later in the sixteenth century where the protagonists are a monkey and a puppy.

The sight of a monkey will have been very rare to the majority of the population throughout Europe in those periods excepting of course a seaport or other trading centre where the creatures will have been introduced as pets or for entertainment and commercial gain. 

This gave them a sort of demonic association helped by their colouration and humanesque character traits with any sinister or corrupt doings not therefore being a surprise. Legend has it that the townspeople of Hartlepool on the North East coast of England found a monkey, dressed in military clothes as the mascot of a French ship which had washed up on the shore. It was a time of heightened tension between the two nations with Napoleon threatening invasion. Unsure of what they had captured , a Frenchman or a monkey they held a trial and executed the poor animal by hanging.

Wherever a fable features a challenge or conflict involving animals then it can have even more potentially ancient sources as in Greek or Egyptian literature. The fable may even have been by the slave and master of storytelling, Aesop who was around between 620 and 564 BC.

The Fontaine tale has a monkey, Bertrand, who fancies a snack of delicious chestnuts which are enticing him as they cook slowly in the embers of a fire. Not wanting to risk being scorched or burnt the monkey looks around for a way to get the feast.

Here the storyline varies a bit depending upon the date of the version.

In one Bertrand promises the cat, Raton, a share of the spoils if he pulls the chestnuts out of the radiant heat of the hearth with his paws. The other more horrifying one is where Bertrand manipulates the paw of the cat whilst it sleeps to the same end.

In both scenarios there is a clear winner and an unfortunate and no doubt smouldering victim.

Over the ages this dramatic scene has led to the popular French idiom of "Tirrer les marrons du feu" translated very crudely as grasping the chestnuts from the fire and meaning to benefit from the dirty work of others.

Once embedded in popular culture the basic scenario can be adapted for many purposes, one of these in the 18th century being political in nature.

In England satirists and pamphleteers used illustrations in cartoon form to show the cats paw influence of, for example. the Lord Chancellor, Henry Brougham in his manipulation of the monarch of the time, William the 4th to pass the 1832 Reform Act inspite of opposition by heavyweights such as the then Prime Minister and national hero, Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington.

The same characterisation was cited in the political turmoil of Napoleonic France and in Holland.

As for that loveable but feckless Bertie Wooster, the "Cats Paw" label suits him superbly.