KESWICK'S historic place at the heart of global pencil-making began in Borrowdale in the 1500s, when a Cumbrian shepherd discovered clumps of a soft, black substance in the roots of an upturned tree. He began using it to mark his sheep and the practice caught on. With characteristic lack of pomposity, the Lakeland farmers called this handy stuff 'wad'. Sixteenth-century scientists concluded that wad was some form of lead and dubbed it plumbago (Latin for lead ore).
It wasn't until nearly 200 years later that a German geologist, Abraham Gottlob Werner, determined that wad had nothing whatsoever to do with lead and gave it the modern name of graphite (from the Ancient Greek graphein, meaning to write, draw or record).
By that time, the first Cumbrian graphite mine had been operating near the hamlet of Seathwaite for some 150 years. At first, nobody was quite sure what to do with graphite, beyond daubing sheep and rust-proofing cast-iron stoves. Quack doctors tried to help by mixing wad with wine and claiming it cured colic and gallstones (it didn't-in fact, if ingested, graphite can cause severe gastrointestinal irritation, which is why your teacher told you not to lick the tip of your pencil).
Denne historien er fra May 08, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra May 08, 2024-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
