All articles in Local & Family History
25th August, 2020 in Local & Family History
Wokingham: The essential English market town
At first glance, there is little noteworthy about Wokingham. It is a market town in southern England, much like many other towns and villages. And yet its history stretches back over a thousand years. A history that is distinct from and yet interwoven with the history of the nati…
20th August, 2020 in Folklore, Local & Family History
Exploring Gloucestershire in search of stories
The summer holidays may be nearly over, but there are still plenty of nice weekend days ahead! Come on a journey that will take you far into the past, deep into other worlds and through the seasons of the year – all without leaving Gloucestershire! To the Forest! That’s the…
20th August, 2020 in Local & Family History
Banbridge: The star of County Down
‘Banbridge town in the County Down’, as mentioned in the traditional folksong The Star of the County Down, is surrounded by stunning scenery. Its name comes from a bridge built over the Upper Bann in 1712. Originally the ancient King’s Road, leading from northern to southern Irel…
4th August, 2020 in Local & Family History
Of priests and parishioners: Holy Trinity, Sutton Coldfield
The story of an old parish church in the West Midlands reveals a long and close relationship between church and town. The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield was in a bad way when its successful son Bishop John Vesey of Exeter returned home for his mother’s funeral in 1523. Vesey was…
2nd July, 2020 in Local & Family History
Stay Local, Shop Local
As I write this, as some shops re-open post-COVID, it seems to me that the doom and gloom surrounding the future of the high street might be more complex than I thought. Let’s take a closer look. Nearly all traders apart from butchers, bakers and essentials have been shut for mon…
9th April, 2020 in Local & Family History
The Celtic Literary Revival in County Galway
On a wet summer day in 1897 Lady Augusta Gregory of Coole Park was visiting Doorus House near Kinvara. The inclement weather kept her and fellow guests, William Butler Yeats and her Coole Park neighbour, Edward Martyn of Tulira Castle indoors. Their conversation got around to dis…
17th March, 2020 in History, Local & Family History
St Davids Cathedral’s famous faces
St Davids Cathedral is one of the UK’s most famous cathedrals, right at the heart of its smallest city, but did you know it’s the resting place for some of Welsh history’s most well-known figures? St David Stained glass window of St David in Castell Coch The son of St Non and a p…
19th February, 2020 in Local & Family History
The rich history of Somerset
One of England’s best-loved counties, Somerset has a rich history to offer visitors. Often thought of as the county of cream teas, cider, old-world villages and friendly locals, Somerset nonetheless has a past which has sometimes seen unrest, violence and stubborn resistance to a…
12th February, 2020 in Local & Family History
Shameless Herefordshire
Visit Herefordshire today and you’ll wonder at its slow pace of life, its olde worlde charm. But beneath this naïve veneer thrums a shameless history of lust, murder and greed. Take Sweyn, King Harold’s brother who, in c. 1046, abducted Leominster Nunnery’s Abbess Edgiva. Togethe…
11th February, 2020 in Local & Family History
Just how different was Norfolk?
The motto of the University of East Anglia in Norwich is ‘do different’. This strapline has subsequently been associated with the wider county of Norfolk as a distinct place with its own special character. This leads us to consider to what extent, and on what occasions, Norfolk a…
16th January, 2020 in Local & Family History, Society & Culture
Strange customs in the Garden of England
Every county of the UK has its own peculiar customs, such as the annual Cheese Rolling festival in Gloucester, the Welly Wanging from the West Country or the absurd Gurning Trials of the North East. Kent, the so-called ‘Garden of England’, tucked away in the bottom south-east cor…
20th December, 2019 in Archaeology, Local & Family History
Cotswold Arts and Crafts architecture
Arts and Crafts design and craftsmanship flourished in the Cotswolds between 1890 and 1930. This achievement is now widely acknowledged and there is plenty of opportunity to appreciate its impact throughout the region. Chipping Campden and Broadway are ideal starting points, wher…