With the end of April the A-Z blog challenge concludes and it seems appropriate to reflect on the month’s activities. So what have I learned?

Firstly blogging. This blog was started pretty much for the challenge but I can see its value as a place for recording interesting snippets, maybe a research log, possibly other challenges. I noted at the beginning that some of the blogs out there seem somewhat erudite and that remains but we start small and learn. That is the plan, anyway. So I need to do some research into other one-place studies blogs.

Second, one place studies. It was interesting over the month to notice how frequently I was typing the same things over again. Some of these links and concoctions were known about before, others only became apparent as the month progressed. Some are of importance and are worth exploring, others of idle curiosity only but might still be fun to consider further.

So what were these themes?
the ubiquitous Ashworths. I knew John Ashworth was important as builder of Springhill House but the name keeps cropping up. Were they related?
the links with a range of non-conformist denominations (three mentioned in the challenge, Wesley preached a mile away as well) and why such a remote, poorly inhabited place was important in the history of so many nonconformist denominations
the poor highways and failure to maintain them.
the inevitable ‘two bits of moor’ which seem to crop up in historical and modern administrative areas meaning that the different parts of the area have little contact or relation with each other. They are different bits of moor for different administrative areas as well.
how geology and geography influences events in the place: who, what, how and why? I wish I’d listened in goeg at school now...

Thanks to all who visited and commented.