Absolute stab in the dark here - They are all found on some kind of flag or pennant, maybe even a trade union banner ? Am I getting closer ?
In the annals of Watford FC? A God = Graham Taylor A gift = John Barnes A torch = Ross Jenkins/Luther Blissett - the shining lights leading us out of the icy depths of the murky lake that was Div 4 Apart from that, I haven't a clue....
The expression `Mad as a hatter`is well known, but what is peculiar about this profession which could lead to the supposition that they are in fact mad ? Also, which historical hatter (prior to Lewis Carroll !) appeared to fit the bill ?
There are a few theories as to the origin of the phrase, but most seem to plump for the one that claims hatmakers suffered from the symptoms of madness thanks to the use of mercury in the felting process. Apparently we have the French to thank for that as it was the Huguenots who invented the process. Personally, I like the one from New Zealand, which attributes the madness symptoms to miners who had to work long hours alone underground.... But I've no idea which character in particular you are asking for.
The claim about mercury was what I was looking for in the first part BB, the second part is still open.
A couple of clues. He is thought, by many historians, to have been the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's `The mad hatter`. Born in Chesham and once sentenced to death, but pardoned. His name makes one think of the seaside.
He was not considered by everybody to be mad, it being rather dependent on the politics/religion of the period.
Hmm - the only reference I can find is to one Theophilus Carter of Oxford - definitely no seaside connection there though.
Theophilus Carter was actually a furniture dealer who may or not have been the inspiration for Lewis Carroll's character. However, the expression 'mad as a hatter`predates this and is based on a real hatter, or haberdasher. The character is undoubtedly modelled on Carter - so I can give you that. the original 'mad hatter' appears to have been a certain Roger Crab - an ascetic hermit type character who actually had this profession. He was thought of as mad by those who opposed his political convictions - he believed that property was a sin and sold up his business several times, giving the money to the poor. He was also an early Vegan who ate only grass, Sorrel and roots - dressing only in sackcloths, believing that by so doing he was freeing himself of being a slave to the landowners and proprieters of that period - probably the first case of political asceticism. A contemporary of the Diggers and the Levellers of the 17th Century. Over to you BB.
Sorry AK I should have waited before giving it to BB - I Didn't think anyone was going to get that one !
