Even the dullest-looking document is a record of someone’s life (or death), and can set you on a path to discovering surprising stories from the past.
Category Archives: Stories
A Herculaneum Potter
230 years ago dozens of families from the Staffordshire potteries migrated to Liverpool to become the workforce at a huge new pottery factory, Herculaneum. The family of enameller John Edwards was one of them.
Lady Criminals on the Thames
Meet three women charged with crimes in London’s east end in the 1870s — brothel keeper Ann Gilligan, smuggler Mary Jones and illicit tobacco-seller Margarethe Schmidt.
Letter From a ‘Lunatic’
A fiery letter within the correspondence of Poplar’s Poor Law Union, 1882, describes the horrific treatment of a woman in the workhouse ‘lunatic’ ward. Who was the letter writer and supposed lunatic, Catherine Bouchier Phillimore?
After the Great War — A plea for ‘lighter work’
Experienced soldier William Walter Talmer returned from the trenches in 1916 with a disabling disease. Now, he had a new fight — to persuade the Appeal Tribunal for an exemption from active service.
Becky Flood’s Gypsy Caravan
A mysterious figure in my family history — “Aunt Becky” — lived in a traditional Romani caravan. While searching for her true identity I also investigated why in 1901, numerous children from London were living in a small village in the Chilterns.
Deserted, Defaulted, Discharged
Three young men in my family tree left the British army suddenly in the 1700s-1800s. Through a variety of records I’ve investigated the causes, and outcomes, of their choices.
William Gunton Saword: Part 2 — Butler of Greenwich Hospital
William Saword was the Butler of Greenwich Hospital for naval pensioners from 1772 to 1812. He faced two government enquiries into corruption, a devastating fire and the loss of two wives, and he experienced royal visits and the lying-in-state of Lord Nelson.
Field Punishment Number 1
At the outbreak of WW1, English seaman Richard Maultby was nearly 43 when he volunteered with the CEF. His service record reveals that he was disciplined twice with Field Punishment Number 1.
The Artist and the Pacifist — Two brothers’ WW1 stories
Brothers Sidney and Algy Saword were newly settled in Canada in 1914 when war was declared. One volunteered to fight, while the other refused to be a combatant. Both served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force.
Dig Up Your Ancestors 