Fenwick
Life
George Lee Fenwick (1836/7-1911)) was born in Ryhope, Durham and became the second Chief Constable in Chester, from 1864 to 1898. He was an educated man, believed to have been a schoolmaster before he became cheif clerk of Leeds City Police at the age of 23 in 1860, and then moved to Chester as Chief Constable at the age of 27. He read for the OED and was credited with 2,200 quotations in 1884.
Fenwick was involved personally in several actual historical events including the "Black Sunday" confrontation between the "Skeleton army" and the Salvationists, and the Fenian attempt on Chester Castle.
Works
Fenwicks history of Chester is well informed and quite readable. Apart from the purely factual, he has some good quotes. One in particular relates to the effect of the Industrial Revolution on Chester:
- "..for a long time [Chester] lay almost motionless upon the great tidal wave of progress which was sweeping past, but at length a movement became apparent, and even ancient Chester.. ..could no longer withstand the onward rush of events. The turning point dates from the accession of Queen Victoria." (A History of the Ancient City of Chester, 1896)
It contains a useful summary of artists and writers from Chester.
Sources and links
