The Newgate Calendar of Prisoners, 1785-1845 contains a notice of Harriet’s crime, the theft of three silver spoons valued at 20 shillings (£1), a sum of course, far greater in value then than today. On the Ancestry & Find My Past websites there are a ridiculous number of references to Harriet Guest all referring to the same small crime but adding nothing much. From the 17th century, the theft of a silver spoon which could easily be slipped into a pocket was...
Having once got into hot water over the word “Bog” which was taken as a slur, I was wary about “The Kerry Bog Village – 18th/19th Century”, and doubly so when we neared the...
When it comes to the actualité of Day Four, I have a memory lapse and here, I shall commit sacrilege: I can take or leave views. I like to be in among them rather...
“Around 1700, a strange noise began reverberating around British mineshafts. That noise – harbinger of the Industrial Revolution – was subtle at first, but it grew louder with each passing decade until it enveloped...
Contrary to opinion, I don’t spend all my time chained to a computer, and I am trying to write shorter blogs. This is a small, interesting Museum about one of my niche subjects where...
This short entry is in the grand tradition of Serendipity, or “One thing leads to another”. Elsewhere in this blog, you will find the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, on Day 3 of the...
“By Ros, Car, Lan, Tre, Pol and Pen shall ye know Cornishmen”. (Survey of Cornwall, Richard Carew, 1602) The white walls and plain, utilitarian lines, (none the worse for that), tell a tale. In...
I refer you back to the teasing trailer elsewhere on this blog called “If there is a hole dug anywhere on earth, you’re sure to find a Cornishman at the Bottom”. At Allihies, the...
The second day of our Irish Odyssey, 11 April, along the Wild Atlantic Way started at Skibbereen. George’s expression in these photos could represent “Before” and “After” though they were taken seconds apart. In...
Caroline said “What about the Isle of Man? I’ve always fancied going there.” We were planning a few days away, somewhere not too arduous, for around the time of my 86th birthday in June...
I have been researching the social history of the West Country for 50+ years. During this time I have collated information on a wide range of people living and working in the West Country including miners, ethnic minorities, petty criminals, sailors, tommies, benefactors, brassmakers and many more. The thing that I find amazing is that ordinary people always lived extraordinary lives. I hope you like my blog that brings together my lifetime of research.
The short sad story of Harriet Guest, once of Brislington
07 October 2025
Irish Odyssey, Day 5: Pure Nostalgia and Family History
21 September 2025
Irish Odyssey Day 4. The Gap of Dunloe
21 September 2025
Irish Odyssey Day 3 concluded. The Engine House
13 September 2025
