Irish Odyssey Day 6, Part 1: Valentia Island and the Richards Family of Kingswood
In our house, Valentia Island is iconic. If you knew the hair-raising, but much mocked, story of George’s first visit there, more than 70 years ago, with his Mum to buy a pig’s head...
Killed in a Coalpit updated
The picture above is me with my man George at Big Pit National Coal Museum, Wales for my birthday treat 13 June 1986. I wish we were young again, but I think I’m still...
“The railroad ran through the middle of the house………”
The railroad comes through the middle of the house. The railroad comes through the middle of the house. The trains all come through the middle of the house Since the company bought the land....
The short sad story of Harriet Guest, once of Brislington
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....
Irish Odyssey, Day 5: Pure Nostalgia and Family History
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...
Irish Odyssey Day 4. The Gap of Dunloe
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...
Irish Odyssey Day 3 concluded. The Engine House
“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...
The Museum of Bath Stone (the story of Combe Down and its stone)
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...
The Loss of the Barque “Wilson” of Bristol, 1833. Everyone aboard SAVED!
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...
Irish Odyssey Day 3, Part 2
“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...
About Me
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.
Popular Post
13 October 2025
“The railroad ran through the middle of the house………”
12 October 2025The short sad story of Harriet Guest, once of Brislington
07 October 2025
