Local History
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King Charles: A Royal Reprise
Read more: King Charles: A Royal RepriseIn revisiting the life of my fifth great-grandfather, King Charles, a Gloucestershire labourer, I uncovered significant details about his family and life challenges. Key findings include his imprisonment for neglecting family support, unexplained parentage issues for some children, and discrepancies in marriage records. These discoveries highlight the complexities of genealogical research.
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The Genealogy Road Trip: Results from the (Literal) Field
Read more: The Genealogy Road Trip: Results from the (Literal) FieldA couple of weeks ago, I wrote about my plans to take the family on a genealogy road trip. My husband had a week off work, the children were still on their summer holidays, and rather than disappearing on my own to investigate dead relatives, I decided it would be much more sociable to take…
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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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Before the Suburb: Regency Acocks Green, Birmingham
Read more: Before the Suburb: Regency Acocks Green, BirminghamAcocks Green, now a suburban area of Birmingham, was once a rural hamlet rich in Regency history. Initially part of Worcestershire, it featured coaching roads, farms, and inns. Rapid industrialisation reshaped its landscape over time, while canals connected the community to Birmingham’s economy. Traces of this history linger beneath the modern environment.
