Post by mrfatso on Dec 1, 2016 14:47:28 GMT
I know that quite a few of us are Terry Prachett fans, and knowing how he kept files of historical trivia to include in his Diskworld novels I wonder if this story might have some relavence.(Lex might also be interested in it for other reasons)
According to,the QI elves.
The village of Shillington in Bedfordshire was in the 18th and 19th century one of the hearts of the Coprolite mining industry, fossil faeces that were mined for their high phosphate content and used in making fertilisers. In fact the village used to be called 'Shi*lington but the 't' was removed from signs and the extra l added when Queen Victoria came to inspect the workings so as not to offend her.
The seam from which the coprolites where mined was thick black sticky clay and so the mine became known as 'The Treacle Mine '.
This is the local history page about the industry.
www.shillington-history.org.uk/Introduction1.htm
According to,the QI elves.
The village of Shillington in Bedfordshire was in the 18th and 19th century one of the hearts of the Coprolite mining industry, fossil faeces that were mined for their high phosphate content and used in making fertilisers. In fact the village used to be called 'Shi*lington but the 't' was removed from signs and the extra l added when Queen Victoria came to inspect the workings so as not to offend her.
The seam from which the coprolites where mined was thick black sticky clay and so the mine became known as 'The Treacle Mine '.
This is the local history page about the industry.
www.shillington-history.org.uk/Introduction1.htm
