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Historical coming of age 18th century prizewinning Yorkshire
By Elizabeth Hopkinson
Jul 30, 2019
·
2,950 words ·
11 minutes
From the author: A young boy learns a lesson when he tries to secure his pigeon fame and fortune at the grand opening of Halifax Piece Hall in 1779. Shortlisted in the HWA/Dorothy Dunnet Short Story Competition 2017.
They say the first heartbreaks are the worst. Whenever I find myself tempted to despair at life’s disappointments, I take myself back to the New Year of 1779, the day the new Piece Hall opened.
I was eleven years old, recently begun at the grammar school through the patronage of Mr Ingram, who thought me a bright lad and likely to go far. My father had high hopes for me, and my mother already saw me settled as a banker’s clerk, with rooms overlooking the Wool Shops and a worsted suit for...