Day 6 #bfotc sources

Dec6 by thehistoryinterpreter

Day six of the ‘advent calendar’ focusing on some of the historical/genealogical sources that I used in the writing of Barefoot on the Cobbles.

Writing a novel that is set in the early twentieth century means that there are a number of fascinating issues that can be explored; the fight for women’s suffrage is just one of these. By chance, suffragette activity in the area presented me with the opportunity to weave the campaign seamlessly into the novel. The excellent Breaking the Mould, by Pamela Vass, describes the actions of the suffragettes in North Devon and kindly, Pam allowed me access to her appropriate chapter, which was still in draft at that point. This helped to make sense of the conflicting newspaper accounts of what happened in Clovelly in 1909. In the end, my interpretation is one that I felt best fitted the evidence but equally valid versions were possible.

More information about Barefoot on the Cobbles can be found here. Copies are available at various events and at all my presentations. You can order from Blue Poppy Publishing or directly from me. Kindle editions are available for those in the UK, USA, Australasia and Canada.

Day 5 #bfotc sources

Dec5 by thehistoryinterpreter

Day five of the ‘advent calendar’ focusing on some of the historical/genealogical sources that I used in the writing of Barefoot on the Cobbles.

Dr Toye Western Times 28 January 1938

Several medical men grace the pages of the novel and in my quest to learn more about them, I came across Plarr’s Lives of the Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons. Using their database, it is possible to search for RCS members and find details of their lives and careers. Plarr’s Lives started life as printed volumes, published between 1930 and 2005, the first of which were compiled by the then College librarian Victor Plarr. More recent obituaries have been added since. Entries vary in the amount of detail that is given and many are based on family contributions.

Day 4 #bfotc sources

Dec4 by thehistoryinterpreter

Day four of the ‘advent calendar’ focusing on some of the historical/genealogical sources that I used in the writing of Barefoot on the Cobbles.

View from the Wharves

Two chapters of the novel are set in Bideford. The resources of the Way of the Wharves project were very useful. I was able to see one of their exhibitions, go on a guided walk and access their website, in order to learn more about the history of East-the-Water, where Polly was in service. The volunteers, who have been working with the help of Heritage Lottery Funding, have amassed a significant amount of material about the history of this part of Bideford. If you are local, I recommend joining one of their tours.

Day 1 #bfotc sources and other news

Dec1 by thehistoryinterpreter

Well it is advent and I usually offer an ‘advent calendar’. After the 100 days posts, I am not sure I can commit to 24 ‘windows’ for you to open but we will see how we go. I have decided to focus on some of the historical/genealogical sources that I used in the writing of Barefoot on the Cobbles.

When you are trying to recreate a geographical past, old maps are invaluable. For the scenes set in Bideford and Torquay, I made use of reproduction, large-scale Ordnance Survey maps issued by Alan & Godfrey. Their output covers a range of British towns, with maps from the 1860s to 1910s. They say, ‘Most of the maps are highly detailed, taken from the 1/2500 plans and reprinted at about 14 inches to the mile. They cover towns in great detail, showing individual houses, railway tracks, factories, churches, mills, canals, tramways and even minutiae such as dockside cranes, fountains, signal posts, pathways, sheds, wells, etc.. Each map includes historical notes on the area concerned. We also publish a series of smaller scale Inch to the Mile maps.’ There are maps available for more than one date for some towns.

Using the 1904 map for Bideford, I planned a courting scene set in Victoria Park, clearly depicted on the map. Fortunately, I double-checked in the newspapers and discovered that the park was created for Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee, not her golden jubilee. I was writing of the early 1890s; the park was not there at the time, so the scene had to go.

Walter Henry's 24 Nov 2018 In what passes for normal life, I have been busy book promoting. This week has meant talks in five locations (who thought that was a good idea?) from Taunton, to Plymouth, to Bude. I have also sat in Walter Henry’s lovely bookshop signing books.

I have chatted to my lovely Pharos online students, giving advice on writing up their family history. Their course is coming to an end but January will bring the start of my course on tracing people and places in the early twentieth century, a period that I enjoyed focusing on for Barefoot. Family historians often neglect the twentieth century as being ‘not really history’ but there is plenty to be discovered about individuals and the communities in which they lived between 1900 and 1945. Twentieth century research brings with it the difficulties of larger and more mobile populations as well as records that are closed to view. This course sets out to provide advice for finding out about our more recent ancestors and the places in which they lived, so it is ideal for family historians and local historians alike. You will be surprised how much progress you make if you concentrate on a small time-frame.

Of Kindles, Witches and Poppies: or how to buy books

Nov3 by thehistoryinterpreter

Amidst all the #100daysofbfotc blogs, it has been a while since I wrote of other things. Life has been busy; what‘s new? There have been visits to and with descendants, articles to write, courses to run and presentations to give. With All Hallows Eve in mind, my talk about Seventeenth Century Witchcraft has been requested a couple of times, always one that leads to fascinating audience discussion. Also with a seasonal flavour, my colleagues have been out and about recreating life at the time of the Great Fire of London; although I am never quite sure why schools think it is appropriate to book these sessions to coincide with Guy Fawkes Day!

On the subject of anniversaries, preparations for our parish commemoration of the centenary of Armistice day have reached fever pitch. Our village green is bedecked with knitted poppies, we have recruited volunteers to represent almost all of the 90 service personnel from the parish (and have hopes of getting the full complement before next week). Songs of the era are being sung, communal food is being prepared. Every service person has a mini-biography hidden on our history group website, ready to go live at 11am on 11 November (I hope!). I have been in to the local school to chat about Remembrance and the children have produced some wonderful art and written work. It has been four years in the making and next week, all that hard work, by many people, will come to fruition. Someone was heard to mention that next year is the 75th anniversary of D-day and should we be celebrating that? I did turn a deaf ear; someone else can organise that one!

Now to my own personal excitement. Although I finished writing Barefoot in the Cobbles in March, in the few weeks I have been at home since then, the time has been spent editing and marketing. This week, I conquered the learning curve that was necessary to convert Barefoot into Kindle format. I do hope I have got it right. It looks ok to me. So, you can now pre-order copies for your electronic device here. Having said that, I am really hoping that potential readers will opt for paper copies too. There are 54 boxes of books in my very small house. I do need to sell some – please. If you are thinking of buying this book I have been harping on about for forever, please do read a bit more about it first. It won’t be to everyone’s taste and I don’t want people to be disappointed.

If you still think you might enjoy my creation, can I make a plea that you purchase a copy directly from me, either at one of my many events or other talks, or by emailing me. Alternatively, I would encourage you to order online from my lovely publisher, Blue Poppy Publishing and for the next 13 days, you get £1 off and free postage to the UK. These options deplete my stock, as would ordering from your local independent bookshop. When buying my book, or indeed any other, please make the convenient ‘buy it now’ Amazon button your last resort. It is the easiest option and if you qualify for free postage, it has great appeal. In the past, I have been as guilty as anyone of taking advantage of this immediacy. In my case and that of many other authors who are not working with major publishing houses, it means that you will get a print-on-demand, slightly inferior quality, version and that the stock pile in my house remains the same. You don’t need me to tell you where almost all of the, already very meagre, profits go in this case. The position is obviously different for overseas readers, who will need to use the links on their own versions of Amazon to avoid the horrendous postage costs. Actually, at the moment, I am still struggling to upload a version for Amazon orders of the printed copy but hopefully I will get there by launch day, another learning curve. Two weeks to go!

Day 6 – At Sea

Sep26 by thehistoryinterpreter

Another full day of lectures, although I miss the first one in order to prepare for my own. All in all I have attended all but two of the sessions on offer during the week. There have been some difficult choices, as for the most part, there have been two and sometimes three, streams of lectures. I begin the day with Helen Smith on ‘Begotten by Fornication’, an interesting look at illegitimacy. Then Jan Gow with ‘Remember the WWW. No, not the world wide web but the Who, Where and When’. It is over twenty years since I last heard Jan speak, when she was in the UK. This is really a talk about one-place studies so very interesting for me. I follow this with my session on the mental health of our ancestors, a talk I always enjoy presenting. A short break and then it is Pat Richley-Erickson aka Dear Myrtle with ‘Seven Habits of Highly Effective Genealogists’. I volunteer to represent one of the points although I am not sure I quite qualify as ‘highly effective’ as much of my information is still on index cards. Next, more DNA with Maurice again. This time his title is ‘Using Triangulation to Break Through Brick Walls’. The afternoon ends with my Facebook Generation talk, which was very well received and sparked many questions and comments.

An interesting incident in the toilets by the Windjammer. The doors to the cubicles open inwards and an injudiciously position toilet roll holder makes it quite difficult to exit, for even an average sized person. One of the cruise-goers has got herself in but is struggling to extricate herself. She attempts to sidle out facing the toilet roll holder. This fails, so she turns round and gives it a go facing the other way. I have to say she was a lovely lady and was laughing at her various ineffective attempts. We wonder if she will have to do a Winnie the Pooh and remain there until she is thinner but no, somehow she squeezes past the obstacles and is free.

The evening sees the presentation of the prestigious Prince Michael of Kent Award to Cyndi Ingle for her decades of tireless work on Cyndi’s list. Mia has somehow managed to successfully bring this glass vase from the Society of Genealogists without mishap and there are a few tears as it is handed over. Very well deserved it is too, if you haven’t consulted Cyndi’s List then you can’t call yourself a family historian. Caroline Gurney follows with ‘Are you Related to Royalty?’. The answer is probably yes, so Maurice, who has been trading on his distant relationship to Princess Diana all week, now has to deal with competition from the rest of us.

Day 5 – Tracy Arm

Sep25 by thehistoryinterpreter

066 11 September 2018 Tracy Arm.JPG Icebergs prevent us from getting right up Tracy Arm but we still have beautiful views to admire. It is too chilly to sit outside for long so we spend the morning in the Windjammer again, as breakfast blends in to coffee and then into lunch. Great to relax and chat as the scenery and icebergs flash by. I later realise that I spectacularly failed to get any close up iceberg photos. I seem to keep missing out on this trip.

An afternoon of lectures. A double dose of Michelle, firstly on getting the most out of our DNA matches and then a really brilliant talk, ‘The Facts, Fun and Fiction of Family History’. Maurice follows on Y DNA projects. We have certainly been well informed about various aspects of DNA. Having scoffed pizza and chips for lunch, I restrain myself with a small vegetable curry for tea. Allegedly, the average weight gain whilst cruising is a pound a day. The amount of food that is consumed and wasted on board is obscene, one of the aspects of cruising that makes me uncomfortable. Another is the servility of the lovely staff. I am not better than them but they clearly feel I am. I can’t quite define what gives me this impression but it definitely goes far deeper than a customer/employee relationship.

The evening is spent with Michelle, Maurice, Helen and Cyndi contributing to a DNA ethics panel, leading to some very interesting discussions. It seems that the northern lights were on display last night. No one warned us to look, so that is something else we have failed to experience. The problem with watching for the northern lights is that it involves the unappealing combination of being somewhere cold and staying up until way past my bedtime; we missed them when we were in Finland too. Bravely, we wrap up in multiple layers and join several other hardy souls to see if they will reappear tonight. It soon becomes obvious that it is far too cloudy so we give up.

We work out a cunning way of accessing the balance on our sea pass cards using our TV. Our refunds from the bear watching trip have arrived in our accounts. We have benefited from currency exchange rates, which have fluctuated heavily in our favour since booking the trip, so the dollars we have received back are worth significantly more than they were when we paid for the trip. This will be a good start for our Mediterranean excursions next year.

Day 2 – At Sea

Sep19 by thehistoryinterpreter

Towel Art

It is 3.50am. My body thinks it is time to get up, so I bow to the inevitable. Today is a conference day so we settle down to some excellent lectures. Firstly it is Maurice Gleeson on ‘Commemorating the Missing’. I have heard this before but this was a slightly different version and my particular interest is because it centres on a battle that has Barefoot on the Cobbles connections. Next, is Caroline Gurney with a very informative presentation, ‘Lost in London’, followed by Susan Brook speaking on the English Poor Law. Cyndi Ingle is as entertaining as usual, this time on ‘Being your own Digital Archivist’.

I am feeling the ship’s motion rather more than I was expecting and have a throat that resembles rough grade sandpaper, add to that the lack of sleep and I am wondering how my session on the impact of non-conformity will go. Go it did, although I didn’t really feel as if I was on fire with it. After a short break to chat, it was time for Helen Smith’s DNA talk and then back to deck 11 to encounter ‘washy washy’. Today she has added ‘happy happy’ to her exhortations. It is Mongolian day in the restaurant. I opt for that well known Mongolian dish – pizza. There has been heavy rain all day so we haven’t missed an opportunity to sun ourselves on deck.

In the evening, Mike Murray gave a hilarious DNA presentation. With a great ‘punch line’ when he revealed that the relatives that he had been talking about were in the audience.

Introducing 100 Days of Barefoot on the Cobbles

Jul22 by thehistoryinterpreter

0U9A3415 On 9 August it will be 100 days until Barefoot on the Cobbles is launched. Each day, from 9 August onwards, I will be posting a short item about one of the characters you will meet in the novel, or one of the locations that is mentioned. This will give readers an opportunity to learn more about some of the people and places that grace its pages. These will be accompanied by lines from the book. I will continue to bore you with other elements of my rather eccentric existence but these posts will be separate. I hope you will enjoy getting to know the people who have been part of my life for the last couple of years.

More Writing – by me and by Others

Jan30 by thehistoryinterpreter

My students on the Pharos Writing and Telling your Family History online course have begun submitting their assignments this week. The option to request feedback on a portion of their story is a new initiative and about half the students on the course took this up. It is a real pleasure to read these and to feel that I have had a very small part in their creation. Some of them are even signing up to do the course again, to motivate them for chapter two! It you want to join the party, there are one or two spaces left on the presentation of this course that starts in three weeks. Definite warm fuzzy feeling time and some great comments on the course to add to my testimonials page. Not that anyone ever reads my testimonials page and understandably so. After all, I could have made them all up. I haven’t, I hasten to add but I do wonder sometimes why I have that particular page lurking unread on my website. I suppose it does serve a purpose, in that I could look at it in moments of self-doubt and be reassured that people do enjoy and benefit from what I do. I don’t actually do this but the option is there!

Ebeneezer On the subject of self-doubt, as Barefoot on the Cobbles nears completion (it does, really), I am consumed with fears that everyone will hate it. I never had this crisis of confidence with my non-fiction books. Maybe it is because fiction is somehow much more personal and although none of the characters are based on me, I have invested myself in their emotions and shared their anguish for the last couple of years. It isn’t all anguish of course, although I have to say that their tragedies do outweigh their joys.

Today I have one fewer chapter left to complete than yesterday. This is not because I had some turbo burst of creativity and wrote 5000-6000 perfect words yesterday. Instead, I looked again at my planned structure and decided to axe the proposed chapter one, which weirdly I hadn’t yet written. If you’d asked me before I started this fiction journey, I would never have believed that I wouldn’t begin at the beginning and finish at the end. Anyway, the realisation that I had very little to say in the proposed first chapter, means the old chapter two is now chapter one – I hope you are following this. There is a prologue, which at one point was itself chapter one but ignore that added complication. The new arrangement means that I need to ensure that the old chapter two is robust enough to be the first full chapter. I think it is, I hope it is. I just need to run the principle by a few people. Poor Martha, who is reading it all, in the wrong order, has been sent three totally different chapter 11s during the course of her proof reading marathon. She is an ace proof reader, not just spotting errant semi-colons (oh yes, along with the plethora of adjectives and adverbs it does have that endangered piece of punctuation) but telling me that I have used a particular phrase before, often in a chapter she read six months previously; she is rarely wrong. She claims she is looking forward to starting at the prologue and reading through to the epilogue but I wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to read any of it ever again.

So, now I have a choice of chapters 3, 4 and 12 left to work on, although by the time I’ve finished with them they could have different numbers altogether!

The History Interpreter – Janet Few

Presenting and Preserving the Past

Tag Archives: Family History