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William English – Innkeeper, ostler and butcher
By Christine Swan When I conduct research into my family history, I begin toform a notion of the character of the subject. Unfortunately, this has led meto the conclusion that I probably wouldn’t have…
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Worcester – a jewel in the Midlands’ crown
By Christine Swan This week, I thought I would I would introduce you to my adopted home city. It’s not the city of my birth as I am a Londoner through and through. In…
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Eliza Rosina Mayes – porter’s daughter
By Christine Swan Family history never ceases to amaze me. When researching this week’s post, it occurred to me that I had never located a birth or baptism record for my great grandmother, Rebecca…
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A no-fly trip to Munich in 2019 – part two: Cologne to Munich
By Christine Swan In part one, I described how we nearly missed our sleeper train to Munich but when the drama subsided, continued our journey and arrived at our hotel in the early morning.…
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William Henry Bull – Bristolian chairmaker
By Christine Swan William Henry Bull was born in 1850 in Bristol. He was baptised Henry but, in later life, prefixed this with William. I am aware of people who prefer their middle name…
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A no-fly trip to Munich in 2019 part 1
By Christine Swan I cannot quite recall how my son and I settled on the idea of visiting beautiful Bavaria in the October half term. Sadly, due to the teaching term, it is not…
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William Betts – Cellarman and tripe dresser
By Christine Swan My great grandfather was illegitimate. I was aware of this for as far back as I can remember. His paternal grandmother was rather fond of baby George but when she died,…
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A grand voyage in 2018 – Milan to London
By Christine Swan I left Florence on a rainy afternoon and boarded a train to Milan. Unfortunately, the weather did not improve during my journey. I arrived at Milano Centrale station in pouring rain.…
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Ellen Debben – servant girl
By Christine Swan Ellen Debben, or sometimes Dibben, was baptised in 1841 in St Pancras Old Church and was my great, great grandmother. Her father, Richard, hailed from Wimborne Minster in Dorset, and her…
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A grand voyage in 2018 – Rome to Florence
By Christine Swan When my sleeper train arrived in Rome from Sicily, the morning was warm and sunny. I had given myself the majority of the day to visit sites that I had been…
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Isabella Aylott – lawyer’s daughter
By Christine Swan My grandfather was just two years old when his mother died. He was the youngest child in the family and her passing would have been a cruel blow to the large…
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A grand voyage in 2018 – Valletta to Catania
By Christine Swan In 2018, I travelled flight-free to Malta, to visit my daughter who was studying there under the Erasmus scheme. I spent the whole of Easter there and managed to visit two…
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Awful Rigours and Wretched Pay 