Tag Archives: history

An Islington murder

Posted on October 21, 2011 by

Or should I say, TWO Islington murders…. Readers of my blog might know that I have been undertaking research on the area around Clerkenwell and Islington generally as I work to understand the life my London ancestors led. I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, History | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Calling Clerkenwell home – roots in roguish & revolutionary soil

Posted on October 12, 2011 by

The line between ‘family’ and ‘social’ history is becoming ever more blurred. For me, studying my tree has always been more about the history surrounding the lives of my ancestors than finding each and every distant relation. I know I … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, History, London | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The mystery of the missing grandmother – or ‘O Bessie. Where Art Thou?’

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

I wrote this post last year and although I have recently discovered a little more about the strange dynamic of the Hardiman family I still cannot trace my Grandma. There are hints that as ‘Bessie’ she might be the daughter of her … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, History, Random musings on family life, love the universe and everything, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Competing for belief: Seances, Spiritualism & The Church between the wars

Posted on August 8, 2011 by

Editor’s note: This is the 11th in a series of monthly mental health guest posts. This month we have a slightly different perspective. After reading my guest post on Spiritualist Helen Duncan for the Kith & Kin Research blog, Counsellor … Continue reading →

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Liechtenstein – life, beauty, history and THAT national anthem…

Posted on July 30, 2011 by

Whilst on my recent trip to Liechtenstein I sent a postcard to my blog. It was written as I felt a little homesick one evening, and included some ‘fascinating facts’ that might help a few pub quiz enthusiasts out there: … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Random musings on family life, love the universe and everything, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Durham Cathedral & Castle – a creative viewpoint

Posted on July 2, 2011 by

I have visited Durham just once – it is a long journey from the south of England – and it is time I went back. My friend Anna has inspired me by showing me a short piece she wrote for … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wordsworth, Whistler and a Waterloo Sunset – the beauty of London Bridges

Posted on June 17, 2011 by

  The Thames is a river that takes me on imaginative journeys, some of them reflecting my real life and others a dream world that I have inhabited regularly since I left London in the late 1980s. From the Oxfordshire … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, London, Music, Poetry, Random musings on family life, love the universe and everything, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

The Clerkenwell Outrage of 1867 – Irish Republicanism in London

Posted on May 17, 2011 by

In 1868 Queen Victoria wrote a disturbing note to the then Home Secretary. She was deeply unhappy ” to see the failure of the evidence against all but one of the Clerkenwell criminals… it seems dreadful for these people to … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

‘This enormous Babel of a place’ – On learning of London before the Victorians

Posted on April 26, 2011 by

I have recently been looking into the history of London between 1810 and 1830 to add some context to my blog posts on the poet John Keats. It is a period in the history of the metropolis that I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, History, Keats, Random musings on family life, love the universe and everything | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

On finding real truth, peace and reconciling ourselves to the future

Posted on April 22, 2011 by

It is Good Friday. I once again maintained a Furneaux family tradition quite alone by eating far too many Hot Cross Buns. I am anticipating chocolate eggs on Sunday and looked forward to having the family around me for a … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental health, Random musings on family life, love the universe and everything, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments