A thirteen-year-old boy in the 1881 census appears in the Oswestry workhouse at Morda, while his siblings were placed elsewhere. His story, and a visit to Llanfyllin, reveal how close this history really is.
For things like Gresford Colliery disaster, wars, epidemics, etc. Disasters/wars
A thirteen-year-old boy in the 1881 census appears in the Oswestry workhouse at Morda, while his siblings were placed elsewhere. His story, and a visit to Llanfyllin, reveal how close this history really is.
The Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial commemorates Jews who were murdered on this stretch of river during the winter of 1944–45. They were killed by members of the Arrow Cross Party, a Hungarian fascist militia operating during the final months of the Second World War.
A moving encounter with the World War I Ossuary at Passo Tonale, reminding me that history and sacrifice are never far from the places we travel for pleasure.
The Church of Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption in Orgelet is a fortified 15th–17th-century church preserving a rare 17th-century clock mechanism, an unusually shaped tower with an octagonal belfry, and a remarkable 13th-century tiled pavement displayed inside. Together, these features make it one of the most historically layered landmarks in the Jura.
Something a little different this week as Frederick Purslow isn't from my own family tree. My friend Christine had asked me to research her own family, and this was her Uncle Fred. It was such a lovely story to uncover I wanted to add it to my blog. Frederick Volance Purslow was born on 6 […]
A troubled figure from Hanmer, Haughton Hinton was sentenced to transportation for horse theft in 1822. His journey from the English borderlands to Van Diemen’s Land reveals the harsh realities of convict life in 19th-century Australia.
Born in Shropshire in 1699, Mary Wiggin married in Fleet Prison—a centre of clandestine marriages in 18th-century London. Her story links rural parish records, legal drama, and her brother’s life in Exchange Alley.
Linda's 1st cousin 4 x removed Emma Boliver was born in Liverpool in 1869, the daughter of David Boliver and his wife Emma, née Smith. Her name might not be found in history books, but her life reflects the quiet complexities faced by many women in Victorian England—stories of love, loss, and starting over that […]
When Elizabeth Craven’s husband died in 1854, she tried to marry his brother—but the Church called it “illegal.” What followed was a quiet act of defiance, a hidden wedding, and a glimpse into how family, faith, and survival collided in Victorian Britain.
[Stephen Wiggin was the brother of Thomas, Linda's 6th great-grandfather.] The life of Stephen Wiggin, wax chandler of London, is tightly woven into the commercial fabric of 18th-century England. If you haven’t read it yet, check out Stephen Wiggin: The Wax Chandler of Exchange Alley — a deep dive into his fascinating life story. To […]
