User talk:Rev Paul Hutchinson

I thought it prudent to ask you whether you contemplate more edits to History of St Neots in the near future? As you probably saw (in "History") I've been working on this more or less full time for four weeks or so. Let me say at once you have every right to change anything -- or everything -- I have written. Wikipedia rules, of course.

I thought I was getting near the end of what I wanted to do -- a bit more about industry; the bypasses, and overspill and other housing expansion. I was planning some images to cheer it up, and a final copy edit and completion of the citations, but above all thinning down the text: it already amounts to 43,000 characters. There is some "nice to have" information on the page that I was thinking might have to go.

I don't want to go into detail about your edits, but may I just mention that I was surprised you excised the Danelaw reference.

Whatever, I don't want to work against you; is there some way we can collaborate?

PS In the interest of full disclosure, I am working on Eaton Socon, St Neots (non-history!) and Eynesbury as well; and St Neots Quads, and Eaton Socon Castle, which I think I have plateaued. Obviously my "you have every right to change" comment applies to those articles too. Afterbrunel (talk) 17:28, 26 May 2021 (UTC)

Hi Afterbrunel - I am unlikely to be looking to make lots of edits. It's years since I last edited an article. My intention was to make sure the church history info (including very recent history - I do have a copy of the relevant Pastoral Scheme that unites the parishes on 1/3/2020 and appoints me as Rector) was as accurate as it could be, giving the right sense of context where appropriate. I am, after all, the current parish priest.

I'm not a specialist on later Anglo Saxon history (seventh and eighth century Northumbria is a different matter), but I thought your reference to the Danelaw - which came into existence in the later 9th century, and whose boundaries were grey at the edges, not least around Bedford - was not helpful in an understanding of early 11th century history (by which time England had had Danish monarchs anyway). I couldn't find a way of confidently writing something better, so it seemed wiser just to take it out.

Because I'm not a regular editor, I'm not fluent in citation. I could if I have to, but some of the changes were simply to give a better understanding of what had been written by e.g. Rosa Young anyway.

I hope that helps.Rev Paul Hutchinson (talk) 20:00, 26 May 2021 (UTC)