Occupational Hazards – Levant Mine

Jul7 by thehistoryinterpreter

I always encourage my family history students to investigate the working lives of their ancestors and Levant Mine is a ‘must see’ for those with mining ancestors. My own Cornish ancestors worked on the land, rather than under it but it was fascinating nonetheless. Today was a great opportunity to learn more about Cornwall’s industrial heritage.

We arrived at the mine just in time for a guided tour by the indefatigable Richard and boy did he know his stuff. If you plan on visiting the mines, do try to coincide with a guided tour. Tours like this enhance a visit, as there is only so much you can learn from guide books and interpretation boards. Richard talked to us about the mine’s history, without the aid of notes, for two hours. No one dropped out of the tour, not even the two year old or the dog. We gained a real insight into the working lives of the miners. Any errors in what follows are mine and not Richard’s.

There are 1000 mine shafts and hundreds of miles of tunnels on the ‘tin coast’ in the far south-west of Cornwall and commercial mining, notably of copper and tin, has been going on here for 2000 years. There are several Zawns (wave-cut clefts) in close proximity and these might have revealed surface ore that encouraged the early miners. Written records of mining in this area date back to 300BC. The first documentary evidence of speculative mining at Levant is a map of 1748. This mining was by tunnel, rather than shaft and the tunnels were upward sloping, to allow water to drain out and also so gravity would aid the carts loaded with ore. The ore was then taken up to the dressing floor by horse whim. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries there were several small-scale copper mining ventures in the area but in 1820, twenty investors got together to fund the sinking of the first shaft. Their collective initial investment was £400. The shaft was quickly profitable and further shafts were sunk. As they went deeper, water became a problem and a series of increasingly large, steam-powered pumps were purchased over the ensuing years. By 1836 they were not only pumping water but also raising ore by engine.

In 1840 they purchased a beam engine from Harvey’s, the famous foundry in nearby Hayle. This engine remains in situ and running; the oldest engine to be in working order and still at its original site. In the early 1850s a depression resulted in the mass emigration of Cornish miners to hard-rock mining areas throughout the world. They took Cornish customs and the iconic Cornish mine architecture with them to places such as Mexico, South Africa and Moonta in South Australia.

There was some economic recovery in the late 1850s and in 1857, a man engine was installed. This was a hugely significant innovation as no longer did men have to climb 1200 feet of ladders at the beginning and end of the shift. With the engine, they descended in 12 foot increments, in time with the engine’s piston. In this way they made the descent in 130 stages and it took 26 minutes. The structure also allowed the out-going shift to come to the surface and the in-coming shift to descend simultaneously. Previously, there was only space for a single ladder, so it was not possible for miners to be going up and down at the same time.

The mine closed briefly in 1870 as removing water and digging through granite to follow the lodes was becoming prohibitively expensive but new investors were found and it re-opened. This decade saw an increasing use of steam engines and by 1880, pneumatic rock drills were use. These were huge and required several operators. They also created a great deal of dust, that led to lung complaints amongst the miners. Pit ponies were also used. They spent eighteen months continually underground before being retired to the surface, rehabilitated and sold.

In 1919 the man engine collapsed and thirty one miners were killed. This was followed by the bottom dropping out of the tin market. Treasury loans were taken out but they could not repay them and the mine closed in 1930. The workings were in use in the 1960s, as an extension of nearby Geevor mine but this too closed in 1990 and the shafts were allowed to flood.

Conditions underground were harsh, with 30 degree temperatures and debilitating levels of humidity. Add to this the smoke from the tallow candles, which were the only form of lighting and the dust and it is no wonder that the health of the miners was compromised and life expectancy was about forty. Surface work was undertaken by the bal maidens who worked the rock to extract the pure ore. Ragging, spalling, cobbing and bucking gradually reduced the rock in size and finally it was buddled to leave crushed ore. This had to be graded, or jigged, using a pumping action to force water through the ore. Copper smelting took place in Swansea, to save the cost of importing the coal. Tin however was governed by the ancient stannary laws and had to be smelted in Cornwall, so was taken to Penzance.

024 6 July 2019 Levant Mine

The noise of the mechanical tin stamps must have been overpowering. After the tin was buddle, a calciner was used to drive off the impurities, largely arsenic and sulphur. The smoke from the calciners would drift over local villages with resulting ill-effects on health. It was discovered that arsenic was a useful ingredient in insecticides that were used to combat the cotton bol-weevil. This meant that the arsenic was now a valuable by-product. There was an awareness that arsenic could be absorbed through the skin so exposed areas were coated with a thick, white clay paste to combat this. Working with arsenic also caused infertility and allegedly, men volunteered to work with arsenic as a method of family planning.

Richard is going to take us down a tunnel. This is slightly scary but we are up for (almost) anything. It is suggested that we remove our sunglasses as visibility is poor. I have recently acquired glasses that are also sunglasses for the first time. I am proudly wearing them. Great, so now I have the choice between not being able to see because I am wearing sunglasses and not being able to see because I have taken them off. I go for keeping them on. We wander down the tunnel and it certainly is quite dark. Then Richard realises that the lights aren’t working, so all we have is the emergency lighting. He fiddles with the fuse box a bit. We have already walked down the tunnel. I am wondering how we will get back if all his fiddling somehow extinguishes the emergency lighting as well. Never fear, a few messages on his radio and full lighting is restored. The trip ends with a visit to the engine room where we can see the 1840 engine in action, aided by Ron and Tim. Despite all this engagement with mining heritage, there is no sign of Aiden Turner.

I had originally planned to move on to Hayle but decided to go to Trengwaniton Gardens instead. We find this with no trouble but I had failed to check that the opening times would allow for this rearranged itinerary. They don’t. We may or may not return tomorrow. So it is back to the van for more relaxing, more fish and chips (fortunately for the ‘diet’ they only visit twice a week) and some Wimbledon on TV.

For more information about historic Cornish mining see here. If, like me, you are interested in the history of medicine and the ill-health of our ancestors, next month sees another opportunity to take part in my five week online course, ‘In Sickness and in Death: researching the ill-health and death of your ancestors’; there are still a few spaces.

A Genealogical Conundrum – In search of the 32: who was John Hogg?

Jun25 by thehistoryinterpreter

[Updated 6 July & 14 July 2019 and 12 September 2020] Recently, there have been various posts on social media, with family historians naming their 32 3 x great grandparents. At present, I can only name 29 of mine, or does this story reveal two more? I have always known that my great great grandfather was John Hogg. His son’s original 1885 marriage certificate was handed down through the family and is now in my possession and that tells me his name and that John was a gardener. After forty two years of genealogical research, I am still not absolutely certain who John’s parents are. I am almost sure I know but I have still not ‘inked in’ the next generation. I know my genealogical friends like a bit of a brain-teaser, so I thought I would outline the story so far and ask the question – if John were your ancestor, would you be adding another generation to your family tree? I am probably doubly cautious having nearly got my fingers burnt earlier this year. I was very close to expanding one of my ancestral lines (the one that involved the third of my missing 32). In that instance, I realised just in time that I would have been climbing the wrong family tree. For that sad story see here. This is an abbreviated account of the story so far but I am afraid that what follows is a long post; I hope you will persevere.

So, back to John Hogg. Working backwards from the most recent document, the twenty five pieces of evidence that I have for great great grandfather, John Hogg are as follows:

According to his death certificate, John died on 23 January 1876. He was a farm servant of Well Way, Morpeth, Northumberland and was then aged 76, meaning, if this was accurate, that he was born between January 1799 and January 1800. The informant was his son, also called John, who was my great grandfather, of the same address.
On 2 April 1871, the census for Well Way, Morpeth, Northumberland (RG10 5164 folio 50) records that John was an ag lab aged 68 (i.e. born April 1802 – April 1803) and his birthplace was given as birthplace Bavington, Northumberland. (Little Bavington is in the parish of Thockrington and Great Bavington is in the adjacent parish of Kirkwhelpington). With him were his wife Elizabeth and 3 children, John, Jane & Margaret.
On 7 April 1861 the census for Newgate Street, Morpeth, Northumberland (RG9 3871 folio 27) lists him as an ag lab age 56 (i.e. born April 1804 – April 1805). This time, the birthplace was Kirknewton (Kirknewton is on the Scottish border, so, looking at the evidence in the other records, it seems possible that the birthplace was an enumerator error and should have read either Kirkwhelpington or Kirkheaton; the latter borders Thockrington.). He is with his wife Elizabeth and four children, Frances, John, Jane and Margaret. A slight spanner in the works is that, in this census, ‘John’ is enumerated as ‘George’. Given that the details of the rest of the family are consistent and they are at Newgate Street, where his son was born in 1855, I am happy that this is the same person. There are no Georges baptised in Kirknewton around 1804/5 and there is no George who fits with this George in 1851 or 1871. After extensive research, I am confident that ‘George’ is indeed the man who appears in every other record as John.
On 1 January 1860, the index to the baptism register tells us that John’s daughter Margaret was baptised at St Mary’s Morpeth and that her mother was Elizabeth. I need to get a copy of the original entry which would give John’s abode and occupation.
26 October 1859 the birth certificate shows that his daughter Margaret Newgate Street, Morpeth (later calls herself Margaret Catherine) father an agricultural labourer mother Elizabeth Pearson
On 7 February 1858 an index to the baptism register records that John’s daughter Jane was baptised at St Mary’s Morpeth, her mother was given as Elizabeth. Similarly to Margaret, I could get copy of the entry.
4 September 1857 the birth certificate shows that his daughter Jane was born at Newgate Street, Morpeth, father an agricultural labourer, mother Elizabeth née Pearson.
On 9 March 1856 the original baptism register records that John’s son John junior was baptised at St Mary’s Morpeth. John senior, was a labourer of Morpeth and the mother was Elizabeth.
According to the birth certificate, John junior was born on 4 November 1855 at Newgate Street, Morpeth. John senior, was an ag lab and the mother was Elizabeth née Pearson.
On 14 March 1854 the birth certificate for John’s daughter Frances Isabella, shows that she was born at High Espley, High and Low Highlaws, which is in Mitford parish, John, her father, was a husbandman and her mother was Elizabeth née Pearson.
A newspaper item in the Newcastle Journal of 16 April 1853, records the marriage of Mr John Hogg and Miss Elizabeth Pearson, both of Espley, which took place at Lamberton on 13th April. This was an irregular Scottish marriage at Lamberton Toll, a less well known version of Gretna Green. The records for this date have been lost.
27 July 1851 death of son James High Espley, High and Low Highlaws. According to the death certificate, the informant was Elizabeth Hogg, his sister. Note that four months earlier his sister Elizabeth was in service in Rothbury and not at home with the family; perhaps she returned home to take care of James. The eldest sister Mary Jane was at home in March 1851.
27 July 1851 the Bishop’s Transcripts record the burial of John’s son James in Netherwitton. James was of High Espley, Mitford. His age was 18.
30 March 1851 the census for Glororum, Stannington, Northumberland (H107 2413 folio 34) lists John as a farm labourer aged 42 (born March 1808 – March 1809) birthplace Kirkheaton (Kirkheaton borders both Thockrington and Kirkwhelpington). John is a widower living with two of his children (Mary and James). See below for why I believe that this is the same John Hogg as the John Hogg who has children with Elizabeth Pearson.
10 July 1849 the Bishop’s Transcripts record the burial of John’s ‘wife’ Cecily Hogg of Glororum at Netherwitton, Northumberland. Inexplicably there is no death registration in Northumberland for any Cecilys/Sisilys with any surname or any Hoggs who could be Cecily. I asked the local registrar to check in case the record was lost between local and central registration but there is no local registration and she suggested, as this was before the 1874 Birth and Death Act, there may be under-registration of deaths at this period. I am aware of this in relation to births but not deaths. An Act for registering Births, Deaths, and Marriages in England 17 August 1836 6 & 7 Will. IV. c.86, which introduced civil registration required a death certificate to be produced before burial, so how did the incumbent get away with this (there are also two other burials in the extended family for whom no death certificates survive).
29 January 1844 the Bishop’s Transcripts suggest that John’s ‘wife’ Cecily may have had a child, John, by Mark Ainsley. The child was baptised in Hartburn on 28 April, with the mother given as Cecily Hay. There is no birth registration as Ainsley (or variants) Hogg or Hay. He was possibly buried in January 1848 as John Hay, with the address of Cecily’s brother. There is no corresponding death certificate as Hay, Hogg or Ainsley (and variants). There is no birth or baptism record for John Hay b. c. 1844. There is no record of any other Cecily Hays at this time in Northumberland. Given the propensity for this family to avoid appearing in the records however it is possibly that Cecily Hay, mother of John Ainsley, was in fact an otherwise unrecorded niece of Cecily ‘wife’ of John Hogg.
6 June 1841 the census for Ashington and Sheepwash, Bothal, Northumberland (HO107 834/1 folio 2) lists John as an agricultural labourer age 40 (rounded down age so born 1796-1800 BUT he was younger than his wife so may have adjusted his age). With him are ‘Siscely’, Elizabeth, James and George.
10 August 1837 the birth certificate shows that his son George was born at Ashington, Bothal. father as husbandman, mother Sisceley Hogg née Hay.
5 November 1837 the index to the baptism register, records John’s son George being baptised at Bothal, John was a hind of Ashington. I could get a copy of the entry.
19 April 1835 the Bishop’s Transcripts show that John’s daughter Margaret was buried at Netherwitton ‘of Buckshaw, Mitford’.
13 April 1835 the index to the baptism register shows that John’s daughter Margaret was baptised at Mitford. John was a labourer of Buckshaw, Mitford.
14 October 1832 the index to the baptism register shows that John’s son James was baptised at Mitford. John was a labourer of Edington, Mitford.
31 October 1830 the index to the baptism register shows that John’s daughter Elizabeth was baptised at Bothal. John was a hind of Ashington, Bothal.
31 August 1828 the index to the baptism register shows that John’s daughter Mary Jane was baptised at Netherwitton. John was a husbandman of Ruffles, Netherwitton.
1820-1827 The 1841 census, the baptisms of their children and the burial of John’s ‘wife’, indicates that there was a ‘marriage’ to Cecily Hay but no record has been found. In England or Scotland.

So why do I believe that John ‘husband’ of Elizabeth Pearson and John ‘husband’ of Cecily Hay are the same person? I have followed up all John and George Hoggs who were born between 1797-1808 anywhere in Northumberland, who appear in the 1851 English census (anywhere in the country) and I have looked for them in 1841 and succeeding censuses, to see which one could be the ‘George’ Hogg in Newgate Street in 1861. I have also tried to relate these to baptisms. The John ‘widower’ of Cecily Hay is the only one not accounted for. In addition, his stated birthplace of Kirkheaton in 1851 is not inconsistent with Bavington, his stated birthplace in 1871. After exhaustive research, I am happy with the conclusion that the John Hogg, father of my great grandfather, also had children by Cecily Hay. An added link is that his son James by Cecily Hay was buried in Netherwitton in 1851 and was at the time of High Espley, Mitford (a handful of cottages), which is where John’s first child by Elizabeth Pearson was born in 1854.

I believe that my great great grandfather, John Hogg, was almost certainly the son of Robert and Mary Hogg of Hallington, St John Lee but who was baptised in neighbouring Thockrington. According to the baptism register, was born and baptised in 1804. There are no John Hoggs baptised in Kirknewton 1795-1814 and the Thockrington baptism is the only one within 10 miles of Bavington. I can find no plausible alternative future for the John baptised at Thockrington. If I have identified the correct baptism, John was orphaned at a very young age, which may account for him being unsure of his birthplace and age. It must however be noted that, as an orphan, this child will presumably have been brought up with another family and could possibly have taken their surname. There is no obvious relative who might have taken John and his younger sister Mary, on. There are no surviving poor law records for Thockrington.

So what do we know of the John Hogg, son of Robert and Mary?

18 June 1808 the burial register records the burial of John’s mother Mary in Thockrington, of Great Bavington, which is in the neighbouring parish of Kirwhelpington, late of Hallington.
31 August 1806 the baptism register records the baptism of John’s sister Mary in St. John Lee, of Hallington.
3 December 1805 the burial register records the burial of John’s father Robert in Thockrington, of Hallington.
2 September 1804 the baptism register records the baptism of John son of Robert and Mary in Thockrington, of Hallington.
23 June 1804 the baptism register gives this as John’s birth date

This family are non-land-owning, agricultural labourers who move around frequently. They do not appear in newspapers (as per British Newspaper Library index). There are no surviving poor law records for the relevant parishes at the appropriate times. They do not leave wills (Northumberland Archives, Prerogative Court of York and The National Archives indexes checked) or own land. They do not appear in electoral rolls nor did they serve in the army or navy. There is nothing in the catalogue at Northumberland Archives that relates to the family, leaving me with vital records only. There is a tantalising mention in the Quarter Sessions court records to John Hogg, alias Willes Jock of Redeswood, yeoman; at Chollerton, who stole eight ewes worth 6s. 8d. each, the property of Edward Reed of Chollerton but this is two hundred years earlier and the absence of seventeenth century parish records means that I am very unlikely to get this far back. I have taken a DNA test but there are no matches for any members of any Hogg family. This is unsurprising because there are no known living descendants of Robert and Mary Hogg apart from those who potentially descend from John (‘husband’ of Cecily and Elizabeth).

So are Robert and Mary of Thockrington my 3 x great grandparents? What do you think?

Thockrington Church – was my great great grandfather baptised here?

So what is Rootstech all about? How to win a free ticket

Jun22 by thehistoryinterpreter

So Rootstech is coming to the UK. Unless you are involved in the international family history world you may not be aware of Rootstech. Or you may have heard of it and are wondering what it is all about. If you are trying to decide if this event is for you, then read on. Even if you are a die-hard Rootstech attendee and have already purchased your ticket, read on, as here is an opportunity to get a refund on your ticket price.

Rootstech, hosted by Family Search, is quite simply the biggest genealogical event in the world. It has been running for several years in the US and is getting bigger and better each year. From 24-26 October Rootstech will be in London. There will be some modifications to the US model to suit a British, or as they hope European, audience but do not expect this to be in the same mode as national events you may have attended in the UK. There will be some similarities but it will be unique is several respects. For a start, the US and the UK are two nations divided by the same language and you will need to familiarise yourself with some different terminology. What we would call lectures, or presentations, are ‘classes’. Don’t be put off by this, you won’t be going back to school but there will certainly be an abundance of learning opportunities.

With the exception of the keynote sessions (of which more later) there are ten, yes ten, sessions, sorry ‘classes’ to choose from at any one time. You will find classes by presenters who are well-known in the UK alongside names that will almost certainly be new to you. The important thing to note is that there is no additional charge for any of these. Once you have paid for your ticket (oops, must remember to call it a ‘pass’) everything, including the keynote sessions, is open to you at no further cost. This means that it is an ideal opportunity for you to try out speakers whose names you do not recognise, as well as your ‘must see’ favourites. I shall certainly be going along to some of the classes on more niche topics; maybe those that I don’t feel will be directly related to my research but nonetheless sound fascinating. I will be speaking on Thursday 24th on Remember Then: memories of 1946-1969 and how to write your own. If you think you’ve heard me give this talk before – you haven’t. This will be a different version, more directly related to compiling your own reminiscences.

There is no booking system for the talks. I am assured that the area set aside for the keynotes will fit in everyone who has a pass for the day but the rest will be first come first served. The excellent and varied programme – or schedule – is already available, although do check back nearer the time for any minor amendments or additions. With ten sessions running simultaneously, I think we can expect smaller arenas than we might be used to at UK national events, so it might be a good idea to choose a reserve, when planning which sessions you will attend, in case your first choice is full. There will be an app available to help you organise your visit but as regular readers will know, I scarcely recognise an app when it bites me on the nose. As an aside, I am still congratulating myself for managing (at the fourth attempt) to top up my pay-as-you-go mobile (that’s a cell phone to US readers) with credit. It has taken me 13 years to use £25 worth!

Back to the translations. You many find handouts referred to as ‘the syllabus’ or ‘speaker notes’. The concept of keynote speakers seems to be something that some of the UK potential audience are finding it difficult to get their heads around. We are used to these sessions being the opportunity to bring out the genealogical heavyweights. Not so at Rootstech. They embrace the cult of celebrity and choose keynotes who will provide inspiration and motivation, as well as embodying family values. Another reason for choosing non-genealogical keynotes is to encourage attendance from fans who might not otherwise come along. So far, Donny Osmond has been announced as a keynote. He has spoken at the US version of the event and was very well received. So, if you were one of the sceptics, keep an open mind on this one. There will be more razzamataz than we Brits are used to but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

There will be ‘booths’ – think ‘stands’ or ‘exhibitors’. These have not yet been announced but there will be a mixture of commercial vendors selling products of interest to family historians and societies offering advice and services. The balance between these will become clearer nearer the time. There will be plenty of chance to visit the booths in the ‘vendors’ area’, as a time is set aside each day when there are no classes scheduled. Oh and a word about timing. The first classes start at 9am. Believe it or not, that is later than at the US equivalent. So be prepared for some early starts as you will need to allow time to register on arrival, in the same way as you might expect at a conference – another difference. Just think of all that extra family history time each day.

Now the price; currently, early bird passes are £49. This may seem more than we are used to in the UK but remember this is an all-in payment for all events on that day. Once you walk through those doors, you only need to spend money on refreshments or purchases from the stands. If you are the sort of person who thinks twice about a 30 mile journey and a £15-£20 spend (and that includes your lunch) for your county family history society day conference, why not embrace a different mind-set and make Rootstech your big genealogical adventure. What you glean from those classes or learn from the stall-holders could break down those brick walls and save you time and your research budget. If travel to London really is not for you, keep an eye out for the virtual passes, as some sessions will be being recorded and will be available to you at home.

So how can you avoid paying altogether? Over the next few weeks, Rootstech Ambassadors, myself included, will be offering the chance to win one three-day free pass (full-price value £149). This includes access to any virtual sessions that you may have missed during the three days. If the winner has already purchased a ticket, then they will get a full refund. For my give-away, there is a little more involved than just jumping up and down and saying ‘Me! Me!’ as I know how many people follow this blog and I don’t want a trillion emails. To enter please contact me janetfew @ hotmail.com (without the spaces) with the answers to these five questions all of which can be found on the Rootstech website or on my own webpages (not including the blog posts) or both. I am accepting one entry only from each email address and it must be sent to the email address on the above link, not to any of my other manifestations. The winner will be drawn at random from all correct entries at 12.00 midday British Summer Time on Monday 12 August 2019. The decision is final and I will not enter into any discussion about the competition – though I will try to remember to tell you the answers to the questions! Good luck!

What is the venue for Rootstech London 2019?
I am giving a talk with the same title as my Rootstech session (although it is a different talk) at another venue in the next year. What group am I giving this talk to? (At the moment there is only one answer to this question – if I get another booking there may be more than one – any will be accepted)
The blurb to my novel Barefoot on the Cobbles begins ‘In the euphoria of the armistice a young woman lay dying.’ What eight words follow this? Hint this phrase is obviously on the book itself but is also used elsewhere to advertise the book, including on this website – it is the same 8 words.
What time will the Expo Hall open on Thursday 24 October? (it seems that there have been two advertised times in different places – I will accept either)
What is airport is the nearest to the London Rootstech venue?

Capture

THE Genealogy Show

Jun10 by thehistoryinterpreter

We set off early to beat both rain and traffic and accomplish this successfully. In the absence of shuttle buses from South Car Park we walk down to Hall 2 at the NEC. There was a happy, gentle atmosphere with a real international vibe. It was lovely to meet several world-renowned genealogists who had only been virtual friends until now. Unfortunately, I had places to be and people to see, so I was unable to spend more than a few minutes in the ever-widening circle of heavyweight genealogical chat that continued in the meeting area throughout the two days of the show.

As a show speaker, I was given two tickets to talks of my choice and I had opted for those by genealogical crime writer, Nathan Dylan Goodwin. His first session described how he researches and writes his books. Very interesting and I appropriated a few ideas. Next, I was acting as a ‘wizard’ attempting to help show-goers with their problems and brick walls. Unfortunately, I was not provided with the required magic wand but I hope I that most people left with a few things they could try. There did seem to be a preponderance of people with Suffolk queries. I coped with foundlings and German ancestry but was a little bemused by the client who spent the twenty minute slot showing me forty or so documents but despite my repeated ‘how can I help?’ comments, didn’t actually appear to have a question or problem. I was reduced to ‘mmm lovely’, as yet another document was whisked past my nose. If you plan to take the opportunity of seeking expert advice in the genealogical equivalent of speed dating, please do come prepared and come with a succinct limited question, or indeed I’d settle for any sort of question!!

Then my allocated two hours on the stall of the Society for One-place Studies, to which I drifted back and forth throughout the day. We had a steady stream of enquiries and a pleasing number of people decided to take up the one-place challenge. The thought of taking on a new, tiny, place did cross my brain, like I have so much spare time! I sold almost all my stock of Putting your Ancestors in their Place and a few other books, despite having issues with the credit card machine. On the downside, my voice was beginning to disappear – cue the Strepsil overdose.

Day two and this time there was no avoiding the rain. Be-decked in waterproof trousers, wielding an umbrella and with spare socks and shoes in my bag, we set forth into the downpour. On arrival, we advise the security staff on tracing ancestry in India. This was more along the lines of ‘we know a man/woman who does.’ My talk was up first. Let us just say the audience was more noted for its quality than quantity. Judging by the ‘I wanted to hear your talk but …’ comments that I received later in the day, a significant reason for this was because I was scheduled half an hour after the show began. At this point, folk were still shaking raindrops from coats and getting their bearings. The real shame was not for me but for the missed opportunity. I was speaking about ideas for engaging young people in history and heritage. This is a crucial topic. On an almost daily basis, I hear people moan that younger generations are not interested in their genealogical research, yet often they are not willing to make any efforts to spark that interest.

A quick gap and then I was part of a three-woman panel chatting about surname studies, to a larger audience this time. At least my voice held out. Then back to more wizardry, fielding questions about dancing masters and apprentices amongst other things. The event ended as it had begun, with another talk from Nathan Dylan Goodwin, this time a fascinating account of his own family history research. All too soon, it seemed to be over. I really wish I had had more time to network with people. I had brief chats with so many friends. It is great to be at an event like this, when you know almost every other person. There were evening get-togethers but evenings and I do not get on. Next year and there is to be a next year, I will make more effort to stay awake beyond 6pm and join the fun. The next big genealogical event is Rootstech, of which more later.

Speaker

The job we must not mention is about to hit the fan so there may be radio silence for a few weeks but I will do my best to keep in touch.

Pillories and Preparations

Jun7 by thehistoryinterpreter

In the brief week at home, idleness has not been an option. Firstly, my home village staged a re-enactment to commemorate the 200^th anniversary of the arrival of Methodism in the village. William Reed and Samuel Thorne chose the day of the revels to preach on the village green, were duly arrested and fined. I have to admit that being part of the action, exactly 200 years later, was a ‘hairs standing up on the neck’ moment. Mistress Agnes was present in Victorian guise and a few reprobates were pilloried in the newly acquired community pillory – every home should have one. There was also a truly spectacular flower festival. As someone whose idea of successful flower arranging is remembering to put water in the vase, I was in awe.

1 June 2019 William Reed Commemorations (4)

I did briefly get back to writing novel number two, after a gap of a few weeks. This has necessitated me buying a book. Thanks to Martha’s research, I did get it half price but it is still the most expensive book I have ever purchased. Then, with assistance, I tried to rediscover my garden. The grass had to be scythed and the weeds still have to be tamed.

Then it was onward and upwards and back ‘up north’ to THE Genealogy Show. Yesterday was spent setting up and greeting friends from across the world, some of whom I have only previously ‘met’ online. My two (well one and a third) presentations are tomorrow so today will be more relaxing. A talk to hear, some brick-wall bashing for attendees who have booked appointments with an expert (a few of them have got me – oh well) and helping out on the Society for One-place Studies stall in between. It is going to be a good day.

TheGenShow

Hearse Houses, Herons and Hauberks

May26 by thehistoryinterpreter

On a day ear-marked for treading in my ancestors’ footsteps we set off round numerous villages and hamlets across the wilds of Northumberland. Great great grandfather, John Hogg, led an itinerant life, so we had a long list of places to cover. Chollerton was first on the list. This small village is sited on the ‘Corn Road’ from Hexham to Alnmouth, which opened in 1753, enabling produce to be shipped to London. Outside the church was a ‘hearse house’ used, as the name suggests, to store the village hearse and to provide stabling for the vicar and others coming to church. It now contains a small, unmanned museum. Interestingly, the font at Chollerton church has been created from a former Roman altar.

Amongst other stops, we go to Thockrington, officially one of my favourite places in the world. Believe me, it is not a place you are likely to encounter unless you make a deliberate effort but the awe-inspiring landscape is worth the effort. We called at Great Bavington, Mitford and Netherwitton, with a supermarket stop in Morpeth in between. The main road north of Morpeth was closed due to an accident and fortunately we noticed this as we approached and whilst we still had time to take avoiding action. This sent the sat-nav into ‘turn around where possible’ mode, so it was back to the trusty map. I actually really enjoy tracking journeys on OS maps. It doesn’t seem to make me feel as unpleasantly unwell as it used to do. Unfortunately, this did mean we had to miss out three of our intended destinations.

130 25 May 2019 Gravestone St. Mary Magdalene, Mitford

Not one of my ancestors! Reverse says John Pots (sic) d. 1724 age 30 Mitford, Northumberland

Ten out of ten for Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre today. The forecast was a little uncertain but indications were that the early rain would pass over, so we ventured out and were very glad that we did. This coastal nature reserve is run by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust and is excellent. The only charge is a donation towards the car parking. The 1km walk round the lake gave access to several bird hides and I don’t think I have ever seen so many different birds at one location. I believe the lake has been created from a landscape that was a legacy from open cast mining. To top it off, the café, with its views of the lake was lovely too. If you are interested in this sort of thing here are the birds and wild flowers that we encountered:- great tit, robin, black-headed gull, mallard and ducklings, magpie, Canada geese and goslings, grey heron, oyster catcher, house martin, barnacle geese, greylag geese, lapwing, mute swan, moorhen, goldfinch, crow, blackbird, jackdaw, shelduck, little grebe, cormorant, house sparrow, wood pigeon, blue tit, pheasant, tufted duck, gadwall, shoveler. Red campion, primroses, dandelion, buttercup, daisy, iris, bluebells, hawthorn, cleavers, gorse, cowslip, violet, stitchwort, white clover, speedwell, bird’s foot trefoil, red clover, stinging nettle, broom, dog rose.

132 26 May 2019 Hauxley Nature reserve Canada geese and goslings

We debated whether to go straight back to the van but decide to call in at nearby Warkworth Castle on the way and again this was the good choice. We hadn’t realized there was going to be a fifteenth century living history event underway. This was a real bonus and we enjoyed chatting to armourers, bow-makers, shoemakers, stained glass artists, candlemakers, rope-makers and potters. We watched dancing and combat and listen to music. I was amused that the compere attempted to disguise his anachronistic microphone by covering it with hessian. All in all, two great destinations today.

133 26 May 2019 Warkworth Castle

#FamilyTreeLive Adventures

Apr29 by thehistoryinterpreter

I have, rather belatedly, managed to access the photos from my camera, thanks to being reunited with the ‘big’ laptop. The feet still ache, the back is a little dodgy but I have recovered sufficiently from the two brilliant days at Family Tree Live and am now just about fit to post about our adventures.

The first issue was to leave our caravan site at a sufficiently early hour. We have no problem with getting up early but a 2.2 metre high barrier is in place on the site from 10pm to 8am, to prevent people being disturbed by moving caravans. Despite knowing that our car will easily fit under this barrier, I am still worried that it will somehow have grown overnight and we will not be able to escape. Needless to say, we exit unscathed and with car roof intact. We have left early to avoid the worst of the rush hour traffic so arrive just a tad early. We are the first to park in the exhibitors’ dedicated car park. The free parking is a real plus at this show. Alexandra Palace is looking beautiful in the early morning spring sunshine.

Alexandra Palace.JPG

We remove the covers from our stand and are pleased with the way it is looking. This is our first time with a stand and we are excited to share seventeenth century life with show-goers.

Family Tree Live 2019 Open for business.JPG

I manage to sell a book before the show even starts! Then the doors open and there is a steady stream of visitors stopping to chat. The Ally Pally security team are amongst those who are enjoying trying on armour. The morning passes swiftly. I take time to circulate the stands and it seems that every other person is an old friend. I make sure I buy a copy of Nathan Dylan Goodwin’s latest novel. I have all his others on Kindle but have deliberately waited to buy this in hard copy and in person, so I can get it signed. There are also newcomers on the block. I am particularly impressed with Twiggli Trees’ attractive charts.

There are plenty of networking opportunities and our supply of business cards is seriously depleted. It was great to see that every stand was family history/history related and that local societies outnumbered the commercial giants. Family Tree Magazine organised several admirable add-ons, such as their ‘Crack the Code’ activities’ stand, the goody bags containing vouchers that allowed show-goers who purchased a magazine package to get discounts on certain stalls and the children’s packs. Obviously, most children were in school on Friday but it was sad that there were not more in attendance on the Saturday. Encouraging the next generation (or the generation after next) is one of my hot topics, that I speak on regularly. Although many family historians moan that their younger relatives do not take an interest in family history, I wonder how many of these actually take the trouble to make the hobby appealing. A case in point. Our stand was particularly popular with the young people who did attend. Mother, grandmother and grandson stop by. Grandson clearly wants to try on the armour. Grandmother misses this opportunity and heads off determinedly in another direction! It is a chicken and egg situation. If there is nothing provided for young people, young people won’t attend but it must be dispiriting to make provision and then have so few children there. Please show-organisers, do keep trying to encourage young people to take an interest in family history by providing child-friendly activities at shows.

Next, it is time for me to time travel to the twenty-first century, to deliver my workshop on reading Victorian handwriting. This workshop element is a new offering for this type of show in the UK and worked very well. Our stand was next to the workshop area, so we could see how engaged the visitors were throughout the show. This was followed by my presentation on twentieth century research, which was sold-out and well received. Next, I was interviewed by the Family Tree Live team and then it was back to the seventeenth century.

Day two could be spent wholly in costume, although I did miss the opportunity to sit down that the workshop had given me. Ally Pally does have rather unforgiving concrete floors and we were unsure if our feet or legs were hurting most. Nonetheless we were sad when the event drew to a close and then there was the logistical nightmare of trying to fit all the kit back in the car. At this point, I am wishing that it had expanded overnight! Even having fewer books to take home than we arrived with it is not easy. Our team had a great time. Would we do it again? In a heartbeat. If you are amongst those who enjoyed our contribution, please tell the organisers, as we would love to do this all again but probably not until our feet have recovered.Now to tackle the 68 things on the ‘to do before the end of May’ list. This sounds do-able until you know that I only have five free days in that time!

Rose Window Alexandra Palace.JPG

And We Are Off #FamilyTreeLive

Apr26 by thehistoryinterpreter

This post is meant to be the first about our Family Tree Live adventures but before I launch into my account of the event, I want to share the ‘experience’ that was applying to renew our passports. No longer the trip to the Post Office’s photo booth, now we can download our own digital photos. We understand the need for a plain background. All my walls are plain, this should be a breeze. Unfortunately, finding a sufficiently large space on said plain walls was more tricky. We take two half decent (by passport photo standards) pictures of our heads, then read the bit that says they need half your body as well. We are advised to take picture from five feet away. Getting five feet away from the plain wall – trickier still. We have a series of photos that are either too dark, too light, too blurry, too shadowy (this is getting to be reminiscent of the Goldilocks story). The instructions insist that the photos cannot be edited IN ANY WAY. This means I can’t crop off window frames, furniture or other unwanted extraneous items. We have long since abandoned any idea of looking half presentable. Finally, photos are acquired. I upload one on behalf of the fisherman of my acquaintance. Up comes a warning notice ‘we cannot discern the outline of a head. Do you still wish to use this photo?’ Well I would hardly have uploaded a picture of a vase of flowers would I? I tick yes, I do wish to use this photo. I have to provide a reason why! Restraining the temptation to put ‘there’s no discernible head outline because he has a beard you muppet’, I put an edited version of that comment and we are waiting with trepidation to see if there are any issues with our applications.

Now to our adventures. With almost literally everything but the kitchen sink packed in the car (we are taking a kitchen sink but that’s in the caravan), I am due to drive to Bideford to commence our journey. Not a peep out of my car. Clearly the battery has breathed its last. I have to be fetched before our adventure can begin. Despite mist and rain, the journey is uneventful until we leave the M25, when an accident reduces our progress to a crawl and necessitates a diversion. Nonetheless we arrive at our campsite and set about conserving our energy ready to set up tomorrow.

sir-basil-sepia1 Set up day dawns. We wend our way to the iconic Alexandra Palace. We have strict instructions to check in for our vehicle passes, no problem. Other instructions stress that hi-viz jackets MUST be worn at all times whilst setting up. Some of our fellow stallholders seem to have failed to grasp this. Apart from a few issues with hanging our brand new, super publicity banner and more than one change of plan, regarding our table arrangement, we arrange our seventeenth century artefacts to our satisfaction, wondering how on earth it all fitted in the car. We exchange greetings with friends and manage to escape before the worst of the London rush hour sets in.

Annoyingly, although photographs were taken, I have neglected to bring the vital cable that is required to transfer said photographs from camera to computer, in order for me to upload it. This means you have a gratuitous photo of Sir Francis instead and you will have to wait to see the wonders of our stand.

Come and Meet Mistress Agnes at #FamilyTreeLive – a chance to buy my books at reduced prices on stand 167

Apr23 by thehistoryinterpreter

Just to say that I will be on duty at Family Tree Live as Mistress Agnes, in company with various disreputable characters, on stand 167 – so do come and experience the lives of your C17th ancestors. See Swords and Spindles website for more details of what is in store. All my books will be on sale on that stand. I don’t want to fiddle with 1ps and 5ps so there will be an opportunity to save a few pennies. Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs: the lives of your seventeenth century ancestors will be 15% off with the voucher that will be in your Goody Bag.

CCCC front cover There is a limit to what you can get in a Landrover (there really is – I was surprised too), so what with armour, instruments of torture, costumes of various sizes, toys and a multitude of household items, I will not have an infinite number of every book title – so if you were hoping to relieve me of one of my publications, let me know and I will save you a copy. I would advertise my workshop and presentation but I am afraid (well, afraid for you, glad for me) that they are fully booked.

Looking forward to seeing you all.

Nearly my Ancestors: or how I almost climbed the wrong (very exciting) family tree

Apr19 by thehistoryinterpreter

Mary Ann Cardell, born c. 1817 in Highgate but who were her parents?

Recently, I issued a challenge to help me find the parents of my great great grandmother, Mary Cardell. Thanks to helpful fellow family historians I confirmed that she had a sister, Catherine. The marriage records of these ladies revealed that their father was called James. Mary and Catherine consistently claimed to have been born in Highgate, Middlesex c. 1817 and c.1813 respectively. In Highgate, in 1813, a James Cadwell married a Mary Ann Gutteridge, who, despite the slight spelling variation, were prime suspects as the next generation. I was tempted to follow Mary Gutteridge further, in the hope that going back a little and then coming back forward might give me the confirmatory evidence I needed. Mary Ann Gutteridge’s ancestry proved fascinatiing. I have already mentioned the royal clockmaker, the vicar of the neighbouring parish, the one who was captured by pirates and the Huguenots. Add to this a poet and an inventor of an early form of shorthand and I was set to add the most fascinating branch ever to my family tree.

I was heard to say, rashly, ‘I am so sure that this is right I just need a little more evidence.’ I purchased four certificates I downloaded wills, I looked for and failed to find, DNA matches with the surnames of these putative ancestors. I wrote an eight page rationale considering the likelihood that these people were my ancestors. For days I followed this line when I should have been doing other things but still I hesitated. I reassessed the evidence again and again. Finally, I returned to the witnesses of the Cadwell marriage, who I had initially dismissed as not seeming to be relevant. One had the unusual name of Thomas Knackston (elsewhere Kneckston/Naxton et. al.). It turned out that he married an Ann Gutteridge. Surely she should be a relative, probably a sister, of Mary Ann Gutteridge? Via her second marriage, I traced Ann née Gutteridge. She had a sister Mary Ann. She was emphatically not the Mary Ann I had spent time and money tracing.

I sighed and returned to the proverbial drawing board. I very quickly discovered that, not only had I got the wrong Gutteridge family but that James Cadwell and Mary Ann Gutteridge were definitely not the parents of my great great grandmother.

I am now investigating a James Cardell and Maria Withinbury who married in Worcester in 1798 and then moved to London. I am not really convinced that these are going to be right either but I have no more likely candidates. What I really need is a baptism for Mary or Catherine, daughters of James Cardell, or even their probable sisters Eliza and Lucretia in the 1820s.

Thankfully, after 42 years of researching, I am by nature thorough and cautious. I was so close to claiming the wrong family as my ancestors. I wonder how many people would have grafted them on to their pedigrees without further thought? I’ll admit that I was very close to doing so. I don’t suppose I will ever find a family as exciting as those who were almost my ancestors. In the meantime, feel free to seek the right ones on my behalf as I have rather lost the motivation for this search. Oh and if anyone wants to know about the ancestry of a Mary Ann Gutteridge, daughter of George and Sarah Gutteridge née Mudge, born in Shoreditch in 1783 and probably married not to James Cadwell but to William Rhodes, you know where to come.

The History Interpreter – Janet Few

Presenting and Preserving the Past

Category Archives: Family History