One of the interesting headstones which survive in St Mary in Arden’s graveyards is this one: Sacred To the Memory of William Bryan Late of Spode in the Parish Of Clun County of Salop Who died Suddenly In Harborough The 31st Day of July 1832 In the 42nd Year of his Age And was Buried […]
- Gravestones
- ...
Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook was born in Melbourne, Derbyshire, in 1808, the son of John Cook and Elizabeth Perkins. He was only four years old when his father died in 1812 and later that year, his mother married James Smithard. When his step-father died in 1818, Thomas was taken out of school to supplement the family’s income […]
- Gravestones
- ...
Welford Road Cemetery, Leicester
There is something special and atmospheric about cemeteries, especially Victorian ones with their gothic monuments. Towns and cities grew rapidly during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with people migrating from the countryside, looking for work in the factories and industries. Overcrowding, dirty drinking water and poor (or non-existent) sewerage systems fuelled epidemics such as Cholera […]
St Mary in Arden
A short walk from the train station at Market Harborough, Leicestershire and you find an old ruined church surrounded by old headstones and trees. St Mary’s in Arden has fascinated me from the first time I saw it. I have always liked churchyards and cemeteries so an abandoned church without a roof was always going […]
Measures Lumley
I have always loved rummaging around in shops full of old junk and curios so when I came across a shop named ‘Stuff’, it was heaven. Although my house is already crammed with books and curios, it only took a few minutes and 2 medieval stained glasses, 5 painted wood panels and a bunch of […]
Gem in the Parish Register
Every now and then you come across a gem in the parish registers. I came across this entry in the registers of St Paul’s Church, Leicester: Gertrude Vernon Harper ch. 1 Oct 1874; parents – Herbert and Ethel Vernon; Occupation – Gentleman. In the abode column it looks as though ‘deceased’ has been written. Also […]
British Library Releases Images
The British Library has released over 1 million images onto Flickr. The images are from out of copyright books from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries which the library digitised in partnership with Microsoft. There is a mix of illustrations; maps, geological diagrams, comical satire, landscapes, wall paintings and more. The British Library blog states […]
Overseers Accounts
Overseers Accounts can be full of information. I came across the example below while researching a member of the Gibbs family for someone. Thomas wasn’t a member of their family but the account below gives a fascinating insight into his life. It also gives us a lot of leads to follow up if we were […]