A NEW quarterly magazine about Lancashire has one big boast - it contains nowt about Yorkshire!

The magazine, entitled Really Lancashire, has been produced by ex-policeman and Accringtonian Bob Dobson, who now publishes local history books, and is packed with tales of the Red Rose County.

The front cover of the first issue has a picture of jolly police sergeant Matthew Bradshaw Butler, whose claim to fame was as "England's Biggest Policeman" early in the 1900s. The Rochdale bobby weighed in at 25 stones and had a chest measuring 58 inches.

Sergeant Butler is just one of the characters in the magazine, which also includes articles about Hyndburn and Colne's famous Wallace Henry Hartley, the bandsman who went down with the Titanic. There is also a tale about Spindle Dick - real name Richard Taylor - who took on a job at Haslingden, as the official ale taster.

Richard had to take a special oath and his duty was to visit all the pubs and beer houses to check that the ale and beer brewed and sold was good, wholesome and of proper strength.

The magazine is on the news stands now and costs £1.50.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.