Blog

OK, so I have become slightly obsessed with stupid names today, possibly to the detriment of the ‘to do’ list but it has certainly brought laughter […]

…. Unbelievable. Russell Ash comments in Potty, Fartwell and Knob, that ‘some are born with strange surnames, some are blessed, or cursed, with unusual first or […]

…. Turnpike roads. The first turnpike trust was established in 1663 to repair and maintain a particularly badly worn fifteen mile stretch of the Great North […]

…. Societies. Across the globe, there are simply thousands of family history, local history, genealogical societies…. call them what you will. They are often charitable (or […]

…. Relief of the poor. Until the early 1830s, individual parishes administered and paid for the welfare support for the poor and infirm. This began back […]

…. quarters. Surprisingly, despite thinking that Q might well be one of the more challenging letters to write about, there were various quality topics which could […]

….Plaques, generally blue in colour, which record the history and events of London, the capital city of England. Official plaques are nowadays administered by English Heritage […]

…. Order of the British Empire. How many of your ancestors have been awarded medals in a manner other than fighting for their country? From my […]

…. John Norden. Norden was born in Somerset. He entered Hart Hall, Oxford, in 1564 and graduated BA in 1568 and MA in 1573. He subsequently led […]