Killed in a Coal Pit – Tragedy at Golden Valley, Bitton 1882
On Sunday 26 March 1882, smoke was seen billowing from the top of the New Pit, in Golden Valley, Bitton. Abraham Cook, 55, the bailiff, insisted on going down the pit, against the better...
The Life of Edwin Fray, 1833-
I am now starting on a short history of my early life of what I remember about the District of Keynsham where I worked and what I did, also some of the chief events...
Alas, poor Pretty One
In the summer of 1788 Henry Watts sued William Luton in respect of Rights of Common on Rodway Hill, Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire. The court heard that in 1754 the estate was let to Luton’s father...
Diverted by the Bristol “L” – a tale of the Keynsham Workhouse
My great great grandfather Henry FRAY was so afraid of being incarcerated in Keynsham Workhouse that he fatally cut his throat with a razor in 1900. “The Workhouse” cast a terrible shadow over the...
Some Commonwealth marriages 1653-1660
During the English Civil War and Commonwealth period between 1653 – 1660, births, marriages and deaths were poorly kept and those recorded by civil officers, confusingly called Parish Registers, in place of the dispossessed...
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.
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