Intriguing Blog
The Age of Reason…dawns
The dawning of the age of reason, how would it impact on our families lives and those of the communities our relatives lived in…
Read MoreBletchley Park Buckinghamshire Roll of Honour
Bletchley roll of honour, did your relatives work at Bletchley ParK? Checkout the online roll of honour…
Read MoreLord Shaftsbury built on John Pounds Ragged School idea…campaigned to improve the lot of working children
“The future hopes of a country must, under God, be laid in the character and condition of its children;…” Inspired by John Pounds and his own increasing religious conviction Lord Shaftsbury was a leader in social reform for children as the best way to improve society overall…
Read MoreFirst Ragged School Portsmouth
In all history there are unsung heros and one of these must surely be John Pounds. Born in Portsmouth Hampshire, in 1766, John Pounds was crippled after a fall in the dockyards where he was an apprenticed shipwright. He became a shoemaker and was known as the crippled cobbler. There were many destitute children living…
Read MoreWarwickshire Family History
Warwickshire UK, is probably best known around the world for it’s most famous son William Shakespeare. It is a fascinating county, largely rural to the south, the North became more industrial as the Industrial Revolution unrolled. It’s industrial heart contains a mixture of mining, clay and cement working, textiles and engineering. It is crossed by…
Read MoreTension between East India Company & British Government 1784
Tension East India Company and British Government The East India Company Act of 1784 The British presence in India was a result of the trading opportunities grasped by the East India Company way back at the start of the C17th. The company monopolised trade, had it’s own armies and ruled and regulated itself. The 18th century saw…
Read MoreBritish Prison Hulks New York Harbour 1776
During the American War of Independence, British prison hulks were moored in New York harbour. Many of the prisoners died on board these dismal and wretched ships. A list of some 8000 names of those who were on board can be searched online using the link To find other connections between your family history and…
Read MoreLast Battle on British Soil Culloden 1746
The last battle on British soil, the Battle of Culloden
Read More1754 The war between New England and New France
Did your ancestors take up arms against the French in Canada?
Read MoreSilk making machinery 1745
The silk making machinery of Jacques de Vaucanson revolutionized French silk production but ironically held back the French industrial revolution because of the Luddite attitudes of the French workers.
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