‘Wilfully murdered by his mother’: In 1851 Fanny Talmer was accused of murdering her nine week old son Henry in Amersham workhouse.
Author Archives: DigUpYourAncestors
‘Peculiar’ & ‘Unnatural’ Crimes (Part 2)
In 1867 Richard Talmer was charged with an ‘unnatural crime’ along with fellow workhouse inmate William Jennings.
Blazing Dresses (Part 1)
A look at the dangers that fire presented to 19th century women, such as my ancestor Anne Benwell, whose dress caught fire in 1818.
Blazing Dresses (Part 2)
In the 19th century, numerous women were injured and killed when their dresses caught fire, like my ancestor Eliza Maultby.
Alfred Munday: ‘an expert orchid grower’
Alfred Munday led Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s orchid collection for 36 years.
My Bucks Posse
The 1798 Buckinghamshire posse comitatus gave me a valuable window into my deep Bucks ancestry.
From Suffolk to Scotland Yard
The life and career of George Read (1832-1919), a Detective Inspector with the Metropolitan Police Thames Division
Who Was Harriet Horlock? Part 1: A Genealogical Puzzle
Family lore said that Harriet Horlock was a nurse who had a baby with the King of England. But where did she fit in the family tree? Follow my journey as I unravel a truly tangled family tree.
Who Was Harriet Horlock? Part 2: The Skeleton in the Cupboard
Did Harriet Horlock have a royal baby? And did her daughter Violet become a silent movie star? I turn detective, and look for the truth behind our family stories.
James Benwell – a Humble Son of Science
Meet James Benwell, gardener in the Oxford Botanic Garden for nearly 40 years. Uneducated, yet an expert on Oxfordshire plants, a legendary leach-finder, and celebrated hollerer.
