Curiosities
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Crime, Punishment and other Family Traditions
Read more: Crime, Punishment and other Family TraditionsThe hidden histories in Georgian and Victorian records reveal fascinating details about family ancestors, particularly those with criminal backgrounds, offering insights into their lives, societal challenges, and the justice system’s impact.
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The Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke (c.1755 – c.1826) – Part Three
Read more: The Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke (c.1755 – c.1826) – Part ThreeThe search for my 4th great grandmother Elizabeth Harris has gradually evolved from what appeared to be an entirely ordinary piece of family history research into something resembling a Regency detective novel. What began with a straightforward baptism in Wymering quickly unravelled into a web of missing marriages, suspiciously timed deaths, an exciseman called John…
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The Family History Resources We Don’t Talk About Enough
Read more: The Family History Resources We Don’t Talk About EnoughI have spent the last few weeks immersed in a family history mystery that has reminded me why I find this hobby endlessly fascinating. It has everything I enjoy: conflicting evidence, unexpected twists, several evenings spent muttering at eighteenth-century handwriting and more cups of tea than were probably strictly necessary. It also has one rather…
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Behind the Research: Revisiting John Hardwicke through an Evidence Matrix
Read more: Behind the Research: Revisiting John Hardwicke through an Evidence MatrixWhen I published The Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke, readers were introduced to a man who sits at the centre of one of my current family history investigations. By the time I finished writing, I felt I had untangled enough of the evidence to tell a coherent story while being honest about the questions…
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What Waiting Outside a Stage Door Taught Me About Regency Celebrity
Read more: What Waiting Outside a Stage Door Taught Me About Regency CelebrityA few weeks ago I wrote an article about why historians are perfectly entitled to enjoy Bridgerton. It seemed to strike a chord with quite a few people, perhaps because so many of us feel we have to choose between enjoying history and enjoying fiction. Personally, I’ve never seen the conflict. I can happily spend…
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When the Register Says “Fever”: Understanding Illness in Family History Records
Read more: When the Register Says “Fever”: Understanding Illness in Family History RecordsOne of the most frustrating aspects of researching our ancestors is how little surviving records sometimes tell us. We spend hours uncovering baptisms, marriages and burials, yet when illness enters the story, the trail often goes cold. Before civil registration began in 1837 there were no official death certificates in England and Wales, meaning that…
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Heatwaves, Frost Fairs and Failed Harvests: Weather in Regency Britain
Read more: Heatwaves, Frost Fairs and Failed Harvests: Weather in Regency BritainThe Regency period’s weather profoundly impacted agriculture, food security, and social dynamics, illustrating the historical significance of climate.
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The Excisemen: the Regency officials no-one wanted to meet
Read more: The Excisemen: the Regency officials no-one wanted to meetA few weeks ago, I introduced you to my ancestor, John Hardwicke, a man whose family arrangements proved considerably more complicated than his occupation. While trying to untangle the various wives, children and mysteries that seemed to follow him around, I discovered that he worked as an exciseman. At the time, it was simply another…
