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.
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.
What began as a short piece about my great-great-grandfather Thomas Edwards, a cabinet maker in Wrexham, soon became something much more. First mentioned in the newspapers in connection with keeping animals in unsanitary conditions, the story took an unexpected turn as I followed the records.
Tracing the family through the streets of Wrexham revealed a picture of everyday life in the Victorian and Edwardian years, a hardworking family raising children and building their lives. Along the way, it became clear that Thomas wasn’t the man responsible for those animals after all.
But the research uncovered far more than I expected, including a family secret that had remained hidden for a generation.
Born exactly one hundred years apart, my great-grandfather John Hinton and I entered two very different worlds. By setting his life alongside mine — from Victorian farm service to nurse training, from the Suez Canal to the Moon landing — this story explores how much changed between 1865 and 1965, and how much quietly stayed the same.
Some parish registers offer little more than names and dates. Others, very occasionally, tell stories so vivid they feel almost intrusive. The burial register for Prees, Shropshire (1782–1799) records causes of death, burial locations within the churchyard, and — unusually — family relationships, even for adults. Together, they reveal lives, losses, and clerical honesty rarely preserved for this period.
A long-standing family mystery about my mum’s great-aunt, Martha Parry, and the twin daughters she gave up during the First World War seemed impossible to solve. It was only when I turned to a Facebook genealogy group that the pieces finally came together, proving that collective knowledge can break down even the strongest brick walls.
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.
When researching family history, you sometimes come across surprises that make you stop and double-check the records. One such moment came when I realized that a couple in my family tree—John Lee (1805–1853) and Margaret Maddocks (1804–1883)—were not just husband and wife, but also first cousins. This discovery was one of those classic genealogy research […]
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.
