All articles in Local & Family History
23rd August, 2018 in Local & Family History, Society & Culture
The history of street photography
The saying goes, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ and street photography certainly lives up to this reputation. Since its inception in Victorian times, humankind has had a fascination with capturing not only the real, raw and gritty but also the mundane. Forms of photog…
20th July, 2018 in History, Local & Family History
The Pendle witches
In August 1612 ten people were charged with witchcraft and sentenced to death. The key witness in the case was a nine year old girl, and three of the people executed as a result of her testimony were her own mother, sister and brother. The witch-hunting craze swept across Europe…
12th July, 2018 in History, Local & Family History
Yorkshire versus Henry VIII
The defeat of the north was one of Henry VIII’s less-well-known achievements. Never heard of it? It was not achieved by battle but by rather less expensive methods: fear and impoverishment. Until his reign, the north (and Yorkshire in particular) had been thorns in the sides of E…
12th July, 2018 in Local & Family History
Walthamstow: Beating the bounds
Most people, even if they’ve never visited, know that Walthamstow is somewhere in the suburbs sprawling across north-east London, and most Londoners know that it’s a last stop on the Victoria Line of the Tube. They’ve all probably heard of the area’s famous associations: William…
5th June, 2018 in Local & Family History
10 facts about County Galway
Galway is a county in the West of Ireland located in the Connacht region. With the Atlantic Ocean on one side, the mountains of Connemara to the north and the vibrant city of Galway in the middle, this county provides rich and numerous tales of smugglers, ancient ruins, eccentric…
31st May, 2018 in Local & Family History
10 facts about Merrion and Booterstown
Merrion and Booterstown is one of the most fascinating, as well as one of the most affluent and interesting areas of south Dublin, a prime residential spot. But it also has an equally fascinating history, going back to the middle ages, a history that’s often been overlooked. Here…
22nd May, 2018 in Local & Family History
10 little known facts about Cumbria
Cumbria has only existed since 1974 when the counties of Cumberland and Westmorland were brought together under a local government act of 1972. Cumbria is the second largest county in England with an area of 6,768 sq km. Cumbria is exceptional in that there are three distinct typ…
21st May, 2018 in Local & Family History
Top five Bristol mysteries
The city of Bristol is, for reasons I have not yet properly deduced, a very special place for stories. The land itself seems to ooze with them. They crawl out of the muddy banks of the Avon, or they crouch in the caves along the gorge, muttering filth to the climbers and the gull…
18th May, 2018 in Local & Family History
An expert guide to local history from THP’s authors
Local history is a fascinating topic but it can often seem overwhelming when you are a beginner. Whether you are trying to piece together your family tree or starting your research for writing a local history book you are likely to have similar questions. Where should you start y…
3rd May, 2018 in History, Local & Family History, Women in History
Aethelflaed in nine places
Daughter of King Alfred the Great and sister of Edward the Elder, Aethelflaed, Lady of Mercia was one of the most powerful and influential women in Anglo-Saxon England, yet she is one of the great forgotten figures in British history. Aethelflaed (also known by the Victorian…
1st May, 2018 in Local & Family History, Military
Liverpool during the First World War
In 1914, Liverpool was an attractive and prosperous place. It has been said that there are more Georgian buildings, terraces and squares in Liverpool than exist in Bath. Liverpool’s population in 1700 was about 6000; by 1800, it was nearly 80,000. By the beginning of the twentiet…
24th April, 2018 in Folklore, Local & Family History
Finding the folk tales
‘How do you find your stories?’ is the most common question asked of storytellers. The answer is simply, ‘everywhere’: by opening a book, searching the internet, but most of all from other people. The oral tradition, the passing on of stories and songs to one another, is es…