Irish Odyssey – Day 2. Famine, (& what the contemporary Bristol papers said); Lough Hyne & Bristol University; Holy Water & Essential Virtues
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...
The Great Laxey Wheel & the Miners of Laxey and Snaefell
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...
An Irish Odyssey – Part 1: The Lusitania
On 9 April 2025, three of us, George, Kevin and me, were in Ireland; George is a native Irishman, Kevin, a passport holder, and me, a Brit, without a red corpuscle of Irish blood,...
“If there is a hole dug anywhere on earth, you’re sure to find a Cornishman at the bottom”
This is a version of my short article in South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group’s Newsletter 67, Spring 2025 with an added, UNEXPECTED SEQUEL. My title was filched from “Trelawny’s Cornwall”, by the BBC Radio...
The Ubiquitous Budgett family of Bristol – links to Brooklea House & the US Army in 1943
First, as the March 2025 BAFHS journal amply illustrates with its article on Ridgeway Park Cemetery, it is easy for family historians and conservationists to overlap, which is why a couple of paragraphs in...
A Shaggy Dog Story
Having watched the tail end (oops!) of Crufts the other night, (9th March 2025) I remembered one of our beloved dogs of days of yore, Kepler by name, who came second in a sausage...
The War of 1812 – Bristol’s American POWs
The fledgling United States of America declared war on Great Britain in June 1812. This war seems to be all but forgotten in this country despite our burning of the White House and possibly...
Richard Hendy, mariner, 1926-2024
In mid-December 2024 I learned the sad news of the death of my friend Richard Hendy. Our friendship alas goes back less than two years, a very short time in his long life. We...
On Giants’ Shoulders – Clifton Suspension Bridge & Museum, 26 September 2024. A personal view
My sister-in-law has just acquired a black Alsatian puppy in place of my brother’s old dog which died recently. I asked the pup’s name. She said: “Brunel! You know he was Colin’s hero?” Yes,...
The dashing, young Charles Rose Perrett!
Many thanks to John O’Connor of the Museum of Totterdown & St Luke’s Community Heritage, 2024, who kindly forwarded two photographs of Charles Rose Perrett and his wife Mary Ann. (I regret to say...
About Me
I have been researching the social history of the West Country for 45 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.
Popular Post
The Great Laxey Wheel & the Miners of Laxey and Snaefell
18 August 2025
An Irish Odyssey – Part 1: The Lusitania
25 June 2025
