I’ve been putting the finishing touches to some forthcoming presentations. Decided that Roast Cow’s Udder should form part of my slot on Seventeenth Century Food and Drink for Cleveland, North Yorkshire & South Durham Family History Society’s Family History Day in April. This really shouldn’t be missed so here it is for the benefit of those who can’t attend:- Take a cow’s udder and first boil it well, then stick it thick all over with cloves. Then when it is cold, spit it and lay it to the fire and apply it very well with basting of sweet butter and when it is sufficiently roasted and brown dredge it and draw if from the fire. Take vinegar and butter and put it on a chafing dish and coals and boil it with white bread crumbs, till it be thick. Then put to it a good store of sugar and cinnamon and putting it in a clean dish lay the cows udder therein. Trim the sides of the dish with sugar and so serve it up. Thanks to Gervase Markham for this. Horse pales into insignificance somewhat doesn’t it?

184 pages of an edited Family Historians Enquire Within are now with the publishers. I shall miss my daily stint with various letters of the alphabet. There will be a talk of the book!

97 excitable year 6 children with us in the seventeenth century, in a space that is better suited to 60. Fortunately it was a day when spring was almost here (sorry you must have missed it as it is winter again today) so we were able to get on with chopping off their limbs, shooting them etc..

I have delegated the research into the Clovelly Methodist Roll of Honour – yes, me, delegating – you did see the airborne porcine vision did you not? Some very interesting discoveries none the less. I have also contributed to Friends of Devon Archives Roll of Honour transcribing project, revealing more Clovelly men to research (Anglicans presumably!).

Exciting news on the Braund front, with additional evidence that two of our existing branches are probably linked and a new branch (also almost certainly connected) created. It is at that frustrating – this is the way these families are related but I just daren’t ink it in – stage. Will we, with missing early parishes registers and no probate material, ever prove this satisfactorily?

A real Clovelly fest this week. Saturday I went to the Methodist Church, with the intention of helping to clean it but actually spent most of the time discussing what can be done to enhance visits to the Church. We plan to investigate the stories of the thirty Clovelly men whose names appear on the First World War Roll of Honour in the Church. A meeting of Clovelly Community Archive Association yesterday, with attendees bringing in some fascinating material. Indexers welcome!

The Proposed Archive Database is Explained

One of the Pictures Brought in to Share – Clovelly Girls’ School

The Buried in Buckland team have now uploaded all the gravestone transcriptions – just those inside the church to do.

And Family Historians’ Enquire Within is complete – still needs proof reading and then it is on to the next project.

Along with all this, several days in the seventeenth century and Mistress Agnes features in the Wellington Weekly. A little concerned when I asked a pupil at another of the schools we visited to read the Lord’s Prayer from a horn book. ‘Do you recognise this?’ I ask. ‘Yes’, says the pupil – ‘it is Shakespeare’.

Last night we transported all the seventeenth century gear back home ready for a school visit. Normally we don’t take pikes on these occassions – bit tricky fitting them in the car. A special request for pike drill meant we gave it a go, with shorter than authentic pikes. A little problematic this – every time we went down hill the pikes threatened to shoot through the windscreen. I now have a halberd in the hall – as you do of course. Good job we weren’t stopped and accused of carrying an offensive weapon. Most of our swords are blunted in the interests of health and safety but this halberd is the real macoy – I’m sure I can put it to good use.

Today my copy of Poxed and Scurvied: the story of sickness and health at sea that I ordered at Who Do You Think You Are? Live arrived – looking forward to reading that.

My work editing Family Historians’ Enquire Within is nearly done. Just struggling with the last few ‘R’s – rather a lot of Royal somethings. A couple of websites caught my eye – a list of royal warrant holders and those who have been awarded medals by the Royal Humane Society. Don’t you just love lists? Not begining with R of course but a good one for those with an interest in Maritime Heritage is Portcities. Finally, a couple of favourites from the English Heritage stable are Pastscape  and Images of England.

I always suspected that commercial television overdid the adverts. I can now reliably state that it is possible to index ten years’ worth of Buckland Brewer burials just using the advert breaks in one episode of Dancing on Ice.

The Neolithic House build is underway – can’t wait for my stint in April. My last attempt at cob was constructing a model medieval village with year 7s. We used PVA glue to hold it together – not exactly authentic!

Excited to hear that I am to interviewed on the Geneabloggers website sometime soon.

The Saturday and Sunday at Who Do You Think You Are? Live passed in a whirl. More chat with folk from the English Civil War Society and The Methodist Heritage stand. The latter could be very exciting. There are many activities planned for the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Bible Chrisitains in 2015. A very interesting and well delivered lecture on Richard III’s DNA test from Dr Turi King.

Then I felt morally obliged to spend money on books – rather a lot of books. These included Kirsty Gray’s new book from Pen and Sword on Tracing West Country Ancestors. From the same stable I purchased a book I should have written about how our ancestors died and I have on order another about illness on board ship.

Just to prove that Chris really does get everywhere, friends from the Guild of One Name Studies appear with a magazine for RBS pensioners. They open it up and lo and behold, there he is, in fishing guise this time. His portrait has been commended in a photographic competition! On the subject of portraits, a young friend of mine has produced wonderful portraits of Master Christopher and myself for her school work.

Tired after a busy weekend Master Christopher and I morph back in to our 21st century selves and prepare to leave the hall ten minutes before the end of day three. With a mind to the mile walk from station to camp site, our belongings are strapped to the trolley – that’s the trolley whose wheel is still secured by a nappy pin. We are stopped by a security man. We cannot leave because we have a trolley and it is not yet ‘break down’ time. We explain that our stall is still fully functioning, that we need to get a train and that the bag contains our clothes. Now an advantage to being ‘memorable’, the security guard remembers seeing Chris in costume. He wants to feel our bag to ensure it contains clothes. This he duly does and we are able to escape. Strangely he has no interest in the box of books under the bag……..

Home again and time to catch up. First absorbing the contents of the Chancery document acquired at the National Archives that so nearly extends one branch of the Braund family tree and links other branches to it. After a day’s work on this I reluctantly decide that there still isn’t quite enough proof.

More Buckland burial indexing and two lovely friends are busy checking  this. A meeting preparing the Devon Family History Society‘s Summer Special, which sadly the job I must not mention will prevent me attending.

Three talks to prepare – busy busy – so much history so little time.

We leave for the mile long walk to the station, complete with a trolley load of Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs and our C17^th gear. This is not quite an old lady’s shopping trolley but pretty close. Chris is wearing his C17^th hat. I try to work out whether this is more or less conspicuous than full C17^th rig. Within ten seconds I decide he is not the most incongruous person on Crystal Palace High Street. We have our usual yokels in the big city moment when the aforementioned trolley gets stuck in the automated station entrance thingy – you know, the one where you shove your ticket in (if you are me usually upside down) and it gets swallowed and the spongy bits open – in this case not far enough. We are released by a long suffering staff member. Typically, platform 1 is up and down lots of steps. Chris copes manfully with the trolley. Then, as we get on the train, the wheel falls off said trolley. I attempt, unsuccessfully, not to dissolve in hysterical laughter and Chris gets stuck in the closing train door as he fails to retrieve the wheel’s retaining split pin. Once a girl guide however (that would be me not Chris – he was a lifebouy, or should that be life boy?). I have a handy nappy pin. No one in my household has worn a nappy for 25 years but I have a nappy pin – as one does. A temporary repair is effected. At the first stop, Chris risks life and finger to extract the wheel’s washer from the train’s door runner. We do miss the Olympic ‘transport for London’ spirit and the helpful types pointing the way with their sponge fingers but the rest of the journey is uneventful. The inability to move on the morning rush hour train is another reminder why we live where we do.

We are early for Who Do You Think You Are? Live but are soon busy greeting old friends. I have a ticket for the Gregg Wallace chat. Brilliant as anticipated. I brave it to re-introduce myself at the end. Shame they didn’t show a clip of ‘my’ bit. Staggered to see a huge Coffers, Clysters poster behind the Family History Bookshop stall. I sign a few copies and one purchaser thinks he can get it publicised with the Civil War Society – hurrah! More ‘networking’, gleaning information and trying not to spend money! A quick change and then the tedious journey home through freezing temperatures and flakes of snow.

No time for a lie in and I am greeted by an exciting email from friends in Canada with the news that they had found one of my missing emigrants. Interesting too that she married a fellow North Devon emigrant and that he was one of the Bible Christian Thornes.

Left home in good time, driving through freezing fog as we went through the Somerset Levels. Arrived at Crystal Palace and set up the van. Ventured out on a cold sunny day to relive my childhood. Within five miles of the site, we were able to visit the house where my mother was born and where my grandparents lived for almost all their married life. This was really special for me as I don’t believe I had been past the house since I was seven. Strangely, although I have vivid memories of the inside of the house, I had no recollection of the outside at all. One of the attractions of the garden for both me and my train buff grandfather, was the train line that ran along the bottom. Coincidentally, just as we drew up a train went past just for me!

The trouble with this ancestral house visiting is that it involves a certain amount of skulking about trying to take photographs without being either arrested for stalking or mugged by irate householders. We managed to avoid these eventualities and even the law that says it will be bin day when participating in this type of activity was not in force. All we had to encounter were inconveniently parked cars. We then travelled through my childhood to visit, in chronological order, my three former homes. It struck me that, whilst these are now considered to be in London, forty years ago there is no way I would have considered myself a Londoner. It is important to be aware that cities spread and while we might think of our ancestors being city dwellers, they probably thought they lived in a leafy suburb. The route invoked many memories, sadly now though there is no one who shares these. I really must put ‘write my autobiography’ higher up the to-do list. On the way back we searched for more homes that figure earlier in my ancestry. One road escaped the notice of the sat-nav but I spotted it, rather too late, as we drove past. Following a manoeuvre that showed Chris’ driving is not out of place in the metropolis, we were outside my great grandmother’s house.

The next day and another early start because I was convinced that The National Archives would be full within five minutes of opening time. First stop the book shop to try and persuade them to sell Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs. They are ahead of me and I was pathetically excited to see it in a prominent position on the shelf, next to Debbie Kennett’s surnames book. Even managed to sneak a quick out of focus photo!

Our visits to TNA are spaced to ensure that a) our reader’s tickets have just expired and b) everything has been moved and systems have changed since we were here last. We managed to pass the ‘are you fit for a reader’s ticket?’ online test. I don’t know what happens if you get a question wrong – does the computer explode? Having managed to order some documents, we decide that we need to ask questions and approach ‘triage’. Our query is obviously one for the ‘too hard’ basket and we are referred to the ‘red desk’. Is this akin to the naughty step? We are directed  to the microfiche drawers where our documents are stored. Bit of an initiative test to find drawer 2 but we manage it. Then to see if we can remember how to use this style of film reader and more complicated still, the reader copier.

Next a back breaking couple of hours photographing all the IR58s for Clovelly. I just love these under-used records. One entry created for each property with owner, occupier and description, as part of Lloyd George’s Valuation of 1910. Great excitement next with some Admiralty Records relating to applications for boys to attend Greenwich Naval School. The details of these have newly arrived in TNA catalogue. In the course of this, I find yet another one of my extended family who fell off something – in this case a fall from ‘aloft’ on HMS Trafalgar. I’ll add this to the fall from the scaffolding, the fall in the dry dock and the falling off the ship when forgetting to let go of the anchor – there are more!

Lunch time and an indifferent luke-warm ‘curry’ from what is described as a ‘Genuine menu’. Genuine what? – horse probably. I think ‘Genuine’ is the name of the franchise. We climb back to the second floor for a Chancery document, which document production in the map room, can’t quite seem to locate. Back and forth past the security scanners – the staff are starting to become our new best friends. We use the time before ‘coming back in 15 minutes whilst they search for it’ trying to locate our final document. The computer says they are unable to retrieve this document and to seek help. Seeking help seems to involve me telling the assistant how to use the document ordering system. We try elsewhere and a really helpful staff member says she thinks a member of staff has it can we ‘come back in fifteen minutes’ – you will have noticed a theme developing here.. Back past two sets of security staff AGAIN on the trail of missing document one. They have found this and it is a real gem. A Chancery petition from 1714 and it contains evidence that may bring some separate branches of the Braund family closer together. Something to work on when I get home. Finally, missing document number two. This has also been located and to view it we have to enter an inner sanctum; in order to escape we have to summon help. We also have to wear white gloves. Chris has no chance of finding any to fit his Braund hands so I have to do this alone. A great day and hopefully this will give me some material for a few more Braund journals. An hour to drive the 12 miles home and it isn’t even rush hour. Not that I need any reminding of reasons why I live in the middle of nowhere.

Mistress Agnes was very excited to be included on Gerald the Herald’s blog. In truth she was a little confused as to what a blog was and even more puzzled when she heard that Gerald featured on something called a Kindle. Fortunately Mistress A was prevented from setting fire to said Kindle (she mistakenly thought it was kindling) and was able to read the exciting adventures of Gerald and Roger Knight. Roger lives, as all good Medieval knights do, in suburban Croydon, where Mistress Agnes’ alter ego Janet grew up. A wonderful story for young and old, written by one of my school friends. Read it history friends, friends with children, friends who can read – and revel in the tale of the joust on the local rec, with the defeated knights travelling home on the 119 bus.

On the neolithic front, we have received our briefing and have had to return our ‘in case of death’ forms. Although the project is to be accomplished using period tools ‘elf and safety’ requires us to be equipped with not very authentic ‘safety wellingtons’. Usual shoe dilemma when asked to nominate the required size. Have gone with foot width (5) rather than foot length (3) this time and may live to regret it.

Last night Mistress Agnes marched and drummed not very efficiently, to commemorate the 367th anniversary of the Battle of Torrington and to pay tribute to those who fought for political freedom then and since. This is real hairs standing up on the back of the neck stuff, as we trace the route of the army in to town and lay a wreath on the mass grave of the Royalist prisoners. Lovely to meet with many old friends on a similar journey. ‘We are with you’. Have to say though that The English March gets a little tedious the nth time round. The following day one knows one’s been drumming continuously for an hour. During the course of this, yet another North Devon Journal photographer risked life and camera to capture Master Christopher’s image – so be warned NDJ readers.

Great bit of detective work by one of my fellow Buckland Brewer gravestone transcribers and we have identified a fragment that is now in a private garden and can add it to our Buried in Buckland records.

Just to report that Mistress Agnes and Master Christopher will be in attendance on Devon Family History Society stand at Who Do You Think You Are? Live over the weekend. Plenty of great Devon related goodies. Copies of Coffers, Clysters, Comfrey and Coifs will be available – stop me and buy one. Janet has managed to persuade Mistress A and Master C not to ‘appear’ until after the fair opens – Master Christopher was particularly keen to travel on the train from Crystal Palace but Mistress Agnes on a Friday commuter train is probably more than bears thinking about!

Exciting news today that I have been accepted as a volunteer on English Heritage’s Project to build some neolithic houses. Don’t you just love experimental archeology! Nearest I’ve come to this is building cob cottages with my former history students – have to confess though that these were only three inches high.

Train and entrance tickets for Who Do You Think You Are? Live have arrived. Still wondering why I had to give my debit card a nickname before thetrainline.com would process my order.

Another 20 years of Buckland Brewer burials indexed this morning, about 150 years to go. And finally, after nearly a year, our Heritage Lottery application for the Clovelly Community Archive is in. Now to busy ourselves indexing whilst we wait.

I really can’t sign off without commenting on the tragic news of the death of Fisherman’s Friend Trevor Grills and the band’s tour manager Paul McMullan. Truly awful what can I say? I do hope that the remaining Friends will find the strength to continue to entertain us in their unique style.

Getting back in the old routine post Finland now and realising just how busy the upcoming months are likely to be.

Most of my time has been spent putting the final touches to the Buried in Buckland project, so that the transcriptions of the stones in Buckland Brewer’s three graveyards can be made available online. No soon than I did what I understand is known as a ‘soft launch’, than my website went mad, creating my second busiest day ever, with 90 visitors looking at 324 pages. There are still quite a number of stones to double check and add for the main churchyard. The precipitation and temperatures (albeit warmer than Finland) are not conducive to running round churchyards in force quite a lot gales.

In the meantime, we have about half the burials left to index. These have already been transcribed but not in a way that is searchable and we are combining this information with that from the gravestones.

Last week saw the official opening of Buckland Brewer Community Shop; the sun shone, the crowds flocked in and I somehow ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Spotlight TV cameras were panning round.

A day in the seventeenth century at a local High School this week, as enjoyable as ever. Good to get back in the school groove before March when we have school bookings almost every day.

At last the interminable ‘A’s are done for the Family Historian Enquire Within edit. Pages of the wretched things and many of them not near the top of my own knowledge bank – Army, Australia etc. etc.. It will be good to get to the comparative calm of the ‘W’s this week.

Not yet had time to get excited about the forthcoming Who Do You Think You Are? Live but looking forward to catching up with old friends. Last year I met the Janet Hovorka, another warrior in the campaign to encourage the next generation of family historians. She has just launched the website Zap the Grandma Gap and I hope to get a copy of her book of the same name at the show. I need to be circumspect with my purchases, unless that is someone can tell me how to install elastic sides in my cottage.

Luke warm berry juice to wake us up. Breakfast is at 9. 9!, that’s lunch time, I have issues with waiting for breakfast; usually I pass out. We have brought ginger nuts with us to sustain me while we are waiting. It seems keeping ginger nuts at minus 5 over night makes them more gingery. Fortunately breakfast is available early so I am fine. Then comes the task of persuading the minibus driver, with no English, to take an additional passenger home. First he denies that he IS the minibus driver then no, he had brought two ladies and he wants to take two ladies home. Surely I can’t be the first person to woose out? Even our guide of the previous evening is off sick because of the cold, though the assistant guide, who looks about 14, doesn’t even seem to be wearing a padded coat. The receptionist comes to my rescue and persuades the driver, if his existing passengers have no objection, to take me as well. Result! I collect our diplomas for having survived the night and hurry to the minibus before anyone can change their mind.

Back to Levitunturi, where I promise not to complain about the excessive heat in the room again. I make use of our drying cupboard to wash out the clothes in which I have just spent the night. The drying cupboard is what it says on the tin and not really designed for a weekly wash, so I end up with large puddles on the floor. I am very relieved to see Chris arrive back from his return ski-doo trip. The rest of the day is spent in hot showering, warm drinks and catching up on sleep.

We make the most of our last evening meal in the hotel. Chris has a variety of fish and I have pasta. Then we try the beef in red wine and creamed potatoes. This is followed by quark and more chocolate and almond cake. The diet starts next week.

Sunday norning and there has been some real falling snow and for once we do not see a beautiful sunrise. We take a last walk round Levi. We spot a squirrel, a cross between our greys and reds.

We return to the hotel to wait for our transfer coach. I play cards and we chat. Some folk have recognised Chris from one of his television appearances. Being less memorable, I escape incognito.

Six of us debate whether we can have an evening meal. It is rather a grey area as we checked out at lunch time but we are entitled to seven evening meals and we have only had six, leaving a space on our ‘service card’. We decide to send Chris in as a test case. He doesn’t return so he is either eating or has been interned. Feeling a bit like we are about to nick sweets from Woolworths (not that I’ve ever done that) we advance. There appears to be no problem, although we do eat quickly before someone decides we shouldn’t be there. This does mean we can escape the very expensive airline food.

Kittila airport is not famed for its facilities but we take off slightly early. After an uneventful flight we arrive at Gatwick and are through customs before we realise it. One of the few advantages of inter EU travel. A taxi seems preferable to waiting 50 minutes for a shuttle bus, although it does seem extortionate. Finally, we arrive at Gatwick Manor at 11pm, or 1am Lapland time. The receptionist, remembers us from last week and greets us like long lost friends. This is what you get for having a ‘memorable’ travelling companion.

Monday dawns and after the ‘all you can eat’ (well it would be rude not to) breakfast the interminable coach journey starts. Shuttle bus first. This basically means we sit on a bus for 15 minutes and then are back where we started but eventually we arrive at the coach station. Another circuitous journey to Heathrow to transfer to the 502 for Bideford. The coach driver has obviously been to Finland as the coach is ridiculously hot. We sit, this isn’t as easy as it sounds as I still have post horse/ski-doo related injuries. We doze. We endure. It has all been worth it though. More adventures from my historically related home life when I have recovered.