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Thank you everyone for help and explanations.
AJT - can you tell me how the clues 8 (pints?) and 18 (?AB) fit together?
Also 33 and 27 (lis & mile - i think?)

Yes, of course. The whole preamble sentence seems to be a multiplication sum to make up the number 1953. A couple of the answers are foreign measures. So it's the number of pints in a "cab" and the number of "lis" in a mile. Chambers gives the approximation for each.

I hope I've explained this OK. It was a long time for me this morning before the penny dropped!

Thank you JT

Hi Sodokulover - I should also have mentioned that I haven't worked out the multiplication!
It was me before - I left out the A of AJT, my initials

Sim = Simeonite = low-churchman or evangelical

39A..Who'll ape the old bowmen catcing fishes?
I've got ARC-A-SER-
Presumably "archers" is there, but I can't find a word that fits.

arch a is ers - meaning to imitate the archaic

Sorry forgot to say "ais" is the "fish" bit

Thanks S. Worked it out just after sending the earlier message. Honest!!