Posted by andy clayton on September 19, 2000 at 17:01:45 from rooster.ordsvy.gov.uk:
In Reply to: Re: PM-Beckfoot servants. posted by Jon on September 18, 2000 at 14:30:37:
I dont think you can assume that reference to a motor launch precludes it being steam powered. The 5 ton steam tractor, permitted by legislation in 1905, was often referred to as a motor tractor at the time. It appears in the legal documents of the time and several builders included this title, cast in the smoke box door rings, e.g.'The Wallis Motor Tractor'As with much else, language develops with time and budding historians should be wary of viewing distant times through modern optical devices.