By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions. We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Please log in or register. Registered visitors get fewer ads.
My Great Grandfather was in a pub with his brother and their cousin. Being drunk, they were asked to leave by the landlord and all refused. So the police were called.
The police attempted to arrest my great grandfathers brother and in attempting to arrest him, my great grandfather and their cousin attempted to 'rescue' him, by throwing the officer to the ground and kicking him. All 3 were arrested and sentenced to 21 days hard labour in Littledean Gaol 1886.
Did mine and the wife's during lockdown, DnA kit etc...
Bear in mind the following: 1. I was born and raised in the Black Country 2 We moved to Suffolk in '74 3. I left home to live in Hull in '89, where I met t'missus. 4. We moved to a tiny market town in North Devon in '98, where we still live.
now:
Turns out I'm a direct descendent of William The Conqueror. Yeah, s3x and mathematics, so are millions of people. But how many turn out to be married to a direct descendent of Harold?
Oh yeah, the small market town we moved to is Great Torrington where, in the 14th century, it transpires that my many-times-Great Aunt Sibylla was married to Richard De Toriton, who built the castle here, now two minutes' walk from the town museum where I'm Curator, Manager and Chair of Trustees. And where, over the past three years, we've been co-managing a community archaeological dig on the castle site. Seeing a floor tile that one of my ancestors would have walked on 6-700 years ago is quite something.
Like you, I found something very interesting (to me) about my Gt Grandfather on my maternal side which was never mentioned or talked about to us kids growing up. A good part of my early days was spent playing in or around Christchurch Park in the centre of Ipswich. As young 'brats' we'd often climb on the world wars memorial without any thoughts or respect as to what it meant. A couple of years back I've since discovered my Gt Grandfather died in the very last days of the 1st WW in Asia (Baku) and buried there. His name is inscribed on that same memorial I used to play on without ever knowing about him, which now, is sad for me. Also discovered my gt gt gt (?) grandfather on my paternal American side fought against the British during the revolution which was confirmed by the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) organization.
5
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 06:55 - Dec 11 with 1030 views
I have worked in Debenham on many occasions and loved the village and it’s people,then my Uncle in Canada sent me some information that my Mothers side came from Debenham and moved onto Dedham. On my Fathers side they came from South Wales and were miners,my Grt.Grandfather rescued a load of people from a pit accident,and his Father owned a pub which was nice.
Someone in the Shetlands has produced a website which shows the family history of anyone from Shetland, including those who have ancestors who have moved away at some stage in the past.
From it (and from books containing copies of old documents relating to the Shetlands), I have managed to find out, amongst others-
1. Two separate ancestors who drowned at sea.
2. A letter which an ancestor wrote to Queen Elizabeth I complaining about English raids on vessels in the area.
3. An ancestor who moved to Norway and whose son (a great etc uncle) became a Norwegian baron.
4. An ancestor who owned amongst other land St Ninian's Isle, where a well-known pre-Viking treasure hoard was discovered in the 1960s.
[Post edited 11 Dec 9:18]
2
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 08:30 - Dec 11 with 893 views
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 08:21 - Dec 11 by DJR
Someone in the Shetlands has produced a website which shows the family history of anyone from Shetland, including those who have ancestors who have moved away at some stage in the past.
From it (and from books containing copies of old documents relating to the Shetlands), I have managed to find out, amongst others-
1. Two separate ancestors who drowned at sea.
2. A letter which an ancestor wrote to Queen Elizabeth I complaining about English raids on vessels in the area.
3. An ancestor who moved to Norway and whose son (a great etc uncle) became a Norwegian baron.
4. An ancestor who owned amongst other land St Ninian's Isle, where a well-known pre-Viking treasure hoard was discovered in the 1960s.
[Post edited 11 Dec 9:18]
St Ninian's Isle is amongst the most beautiful places on earth. Have you been?
0
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 08:36 - Dec 11 with 884 views
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 08:30 - Dec 11 by ArnoldMoorhen
St Ninian's Isle is amongst the most beautiful places on earth. Have you been?
Sadly no. Whilst I was aware that my father's mother had Shetland ancestry, it is only in since he died that I looked into it, but it and the rest of Shetland is definitely top of my list of places to visit, although it isn't the easiest or cheapest of places to get to from southern England.
[Post edited 11 Dec 8:49]
0
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 08:43 - Dec 11 with 859 views
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 08:36 - Dec 11 by DJR
Sadly no. Whilst I was aware that my father's mother had Shetland ancestry, it is only in since he died that I looked into it, but it and the rest of Shetland is definitely top of my list of places to visit, although it isn't the easiest or cheapest of places to get to from southern England.
[Post edited 11 Dec 8:49]
There used to be a direct Loganair flight from Stansted, subsidised by the Scottish Government through some of the oil money, but I think it doesn't operate any more.
It's a gamble, weather-wise, if it is your "summer" holiday. We were exceptionally lucky and the mercury hit historic highs of around 16 degrees! The postman wore shorts. He also just came straight into my sister's house and put the post on the table without knocking.
Maybe of they locked their doors in the Shetland Kelly McDonald would have less murders to investigate!
The car hire manager told us to leave the car unlocked in the airport carpark with the keys in the glove box.
I said "What if somebody steals it?"
He said "It's an island. Where are they going to go?"
1
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 08:52 - Dec 11 with 845 views
By chance came across a newspaper cutting from the 1950s, when my Dad and his friend Robert Charlton had been stopped by the Police for riding their bikes without lights. They were teenagers and had been running film reels between cinemas for the local owner Walter Lawson who owned the Wallaw (see what he did there) chain of cinemas in the North East (he was subsequently fined for using under age workers). Of course, Robert Charlton was to become Man United and England legend Bobby.
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 08:43 - Dec 11 by ArnoldMoorhen
There used to be a direct Loganair flight from Stansted, subsidised by the Scottish Government through some of the oil money, but I think it doesn't operate any more.
It's a gamble, weather-wise, if it is your "summer" holiday. We were exceptionally lucky and the mercury hit historic highs of around 16 degrees! The postman wore shorts. He also just came straight into my sister's house and put the post on the table without knocking.
Maybe of they locked their doors in the Shetland Kelly McDonald would have less murders to investigate!
The car hire manager told us to leave the car unlocked in the airport carpark with the keys in the glove box.
I said "What if somebody steals it?"
He said "It's an island. Where are they going to go?"
I've just check flights from London to Sumburgh for next May. Even so far in advance, there are no flights less than £400 per person.
Another option is getting the boat from Aberdeen, but that takes a while, and may not be much cheaper.
Maybe the cheapest way would be to take the train to Glasgow or Edinburgh, and get Logan Air from there.
But I would also have to factor in the cost of car hire whilst there, which I imagine may not be cheap.
EDIT: it doesn't seem much cheaper from Edinburgh or Glasgow in May according to Skyscanner.
[Post edited 11 Dec 9:17]
0
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 09:19 - Dec 11 with 778 views
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 23:40 - Dec 10 by FBI
We-eelll...
Did mine and the wife's during lockdown, DnA kit etc...
Bear in mind the following: 1. I was born and raised in the Black Country 2 We moved to Suffolk in '74 3. I left home to live in Hull in '89, where I met t'missus. 4. We moved to a tiny market town in North Devon in '98, where we still live.
now:
Turns out I'm a direct descendent of William The Conqueror. Yeah, s3x and mathematics, so are millions of people. But how many turn out to be married to a direct descendent of Harold?
Oh yeah, the small market town we moved to is Great Torrington where, in the 14th century, it transpires that my many-times-Great Aunt Sibylla was married to Richard De Toriton, who built the castle here, now two minutes' walk from the town museum where I'm Curator, Manager and Chair of Trustees. And where, over the past three years, we've been co-managing a community archaeological dig on the castle site. Seeing a floor tile that one of my ancestors would have walked on 6-700 years ago is quite something.
I've found similar sorts of coincidence, although no royal ancestry as yet.
We had no idea of Ipswich connection in the family until my parents moved this way, then discovered my great-grandmother lived at the nunnery at St Mary's church in Ipswich when she was being trained to go into service, the same church where a century later we were going to midnight mass. Some of her siblings were born in Union Street in Ipswich, five minutes walk from where I lived for some years, and elsewhere around town.
Also discovered that Edward Riggs, my eight times great-grandfather, was a baker in Woodbridge, which is my local town and where I went to school for a while.
1
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 09:55 - Dec 11 with 678 views
Some cool stories on this thread, thanks all for sharing.
I found out I come from a long line of landlords and professional alcoholics which probably explains my terrible relationship with booze (which I'm doing a much better job with post Covid).
5
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 10:08 - Dec 11 with 632 views
On one side we had documents going back hundreds of years, on the other there’s very little although my cousin has managed to trace the family back a few generations.
A King of England
We have a regicide
A rumoured “close friend” of a former young prime minister who was given an estate in north Essex by the king at the time. He was also a very senior civil servant and holder of many royal warrants.
Very famous British inventor
Famous English author of mystery novels
1
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 10:14 - Dec 11 with 601 views
My wife is from Dorset, her maiden name is Honeywood. It's probable that she is descended from the same Suffollk family as Brian Honeywood, who was on Town's books as a youngster in the 60's and Lee Honeywood, on the books in the 70's. Neither of her grandfathers were from Dorset, one from Manningtree (a Honeywood), the other from Ireland. Both settled in Dorset after leaving the military. At the other end of the scale, her mother's ancestors were all illiterate Dorset farm workers, going back for hundreds of years.
The 1891 Census was taken on a Sunday, when recording was done by a visiting clerk, called the enumerator. Her maternal grandmother, at 10 months old, is recorded in the Census recorded as a visitor, with her parents, at her grandparents address, presumably her father's day off. Later on the same day, after going home, another enumerator called and recorded them all again. I can only assume that her father was to thick in the head (we are talking Dorset farm workers here) to realise that he shouldn't be counted twice.
My uncle wrote a family history book going back to the 18th century. One pub related anecdote springs to mind. My grandfather was brought up on the outskirts on London. When he was abou 9 or 10 (late 1920's) his father had a suspected heart issue. The doctor was called and he sent my grandfather to run to the local pub to get my great grandfather a nip of whisky.
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 08:43 - Dec 11 by ArnoldMoorhen
There used to be a direct Loganair flight from Stansted, subsidised by the Scottish Government through some of the oil money, but I think it doesn't operate any more.
It's a gamble, weather-wise, if it is your "summer" holiday. We were exceptionally lucky and the mercury hit historic highs of around 16 degrees! The postman wore shorts. He also just came straight into my sister's house and put the post on the table without knocking.
Maybe of they locked their doors in the Shetland Kelly McDonald would have less murders to investigate!
The car hire manager told us to leave the car unlocked in the airport carpark with the keys in the glove box.
I said "What if somebody steals it?"
He said "It's an island. Where are they going to go?"
I spent 6 months on Shetland early 2000s. Passed my driving test there. Good place to do it, there's only five roads and a roundabout, and some sheep to avoid. Examiner comes up for the week from the mainland, so he's in a holiday mood (providing he likes it).
Amazing place and friendly people though, if you like 'bleak' landscapes which I do. No trees. Get the small car ferry to Unst, walk the through the nature reserve to Muckle Flugga, and everything you see will be the most northern example in the UK (most northern bus shelter, most northern phonebox, etc). Also make sure to get your picture next to the road sign for Tvv@tt.
Got there by ferry from Aberdeen which back then was about half the price of the plane from Edinburgh. But did take in the region of 14 hours.
I've traced it back 400'000 years to my ancestor who was reported at the time to have left his flint and metal lighter at the settlement in Suffolk while he went to fetch dinner. He never returned and the tribe moved on.
But seriously I have had some decent joy on Ancestry, but only by having historic labelled pictures and extended conversations with my mother about relatives. I was able to find out her own mother lost her mother at 4 which she was not aware of fully, as things were not spoken about then, she had assumed her mother was much older when it happened.
This is a great thread with very interesting stories. Keep them coming! On my mum’s side (Yarmouth), most if not all were at the bottom of the social barrel. A lot lived in the Yarmouth Rows and one of the Rows actually carried their name along with the usual numbering.
Mariners, fishermen, corkcutters, beatsters (netmenders), a destructor (burnt rubbish for the council), a couple of ‘lunatics’, Workhouse attendees, a suicide (a butcher who hanged himself in his own shop), a great great grandfather who was jailed in Norwich for ‘petty larceny’ in other words a cr@p thief. He was in court several times before they banged him up. It didn’t end well. He died in the 1900s in the Workhouse.
On the upside, my grandmother’s (on my mums side) maiden name was Brown and she was from a well known lifeboating family that went all the way back to beachmen (see David Copperfield). Two of them died in the 1901 Caister Lifeboat Disaster when the Beauchamp boat capsized. They and their fellow crewmen are remembered on the memorial in Caister Cemetery. That tragedy gave rise to the RNLI motto ‘never turn back’.
On my dad’s side, my surname it is thought rocked up with the Normans. It’s not a ‘trade’ name like Smith or Cooper (according to the web it means something like “heart", "mind", "spirit", "bright", "famous”. Load of old cobblers probably. I suspect whoever it was rocked over with a horse, a hat and a p£ss pot for somebody important.
Most of his family back in time were farmers in the Bury, Felsham, Gislingham area and seemed to do alright. On my dad’s mum’s side her mother’s maiden name was Bevan which sounds a bit Welsh though clearly not for few 100 years from the digging I’ve done.
Ironically, my grandma’s father was a coal and corn agent in Ipswich - just like Ebeneezer Scrooge. And as with the great Ebeneezer, he made a fair bit of money only with him there were no ghosts to help him change his ways. My dad reckoned he was the meanest man he ever met to the day he died!
4
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 12:12 - Dec 11 with 374 views
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 12:02 - Dec 11 by Churchman
This is a great thread with very interesting stories. Keep them coming! On my mum’s side (Yarmouth), most if not all were at the bottom of the social barrel. A lot lived in the Yarmouth Rows and one of the Rows actually carried their name along with the usual numbering.
Mariners, fishermen, corkcutters, beatsters (netmenders), a destructor (burnt rubbish for the council), a couple of ‘lunatics’, Workhouse attendees, a suicide (a butcher who hanged himself in his own shop), a great great grandfather who was jailed in Norwich for ‘petty larceny’ in other words a cr@p thief. He was in court several times before they banged him up. It didn’t end well. He died in the 1900s in the Workhouse.
On the upside, my grandmother’s (on my mums side) maiden name was Brown and she was from a well known lifeboating family that went all the way back to beachmen (see David Copperfield). Two of them died in the 1901 Caister Lifeboat Disaster when the Beauchamp boat capsized. They and their fellow crewmen are remembered on the memorial in Caister Cemetery. That tragedy gave rise to the RNLI motto ‘never turn back’.
On my dad’s side, my surname it is thought rocked up with the Normans. It’s not a ‘trade’ name like Smith or Cooper (according to the web it means something like “heart", "mind", "spirit", "bright", "famous”. Load of old cobblers probably. I suspect whoever it was rocked over with a horse, a hat and a p£ss pot for somebody important.
Most of his family back in time were farmers in the Bury, Felsham, Gislingham area and seemed to do alright. On my dad’s mum’s side her mother’s maiden name was Bevan which sounds a bit Welsh though clearly not for few 100 years from the digging I’ve done.
Ironically, my grandma’s father was a coal and corn agent in Ipswich - just like Ebeneezer Scrooge. And as with the great Ebeneezer, he made a fair bit of money only with him there were no ghosts to help him change his ways. My dad reckoned he was the meanest man he ever met to the day he died!
Great post Churchman.
Bonus points for including the names Ebeneezer & Brown in there too :)
0
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 12:13 - Dec 11 with 372 views
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 11:30 - Dec 11 by baxterbasics
I spent 6 months on Shetland early 2000s. Passed my driving test there. Good place to do it, there's only five roads and a roundabout, and some sheep to avoid. Examiner comes up for the week from the mainland, so he's in a holiday mood (providing he likes it).
Amazing place and friendly people though, if you like 'bleak' landscapes which I do. No trees. Get the small car ferry to Unst, walk the through the nature reserve to Muckle Flugga, and everything you see will be the most northern example in the UK (most northern bus shelter, most northern phonebox, etc). Also make sure to get your picture next to the road sign for Tvv@tt.
Got there by ferry from Aberdeen which back then was about half the price of the plane from Edinburgh. But did take in the region of 14 hours.
Thanks for that. My two great grandparents on my father's mother's side were from Unst, which is further north than Bergen and closer to it than Aberdeen.
[Post edited 11 Dec 12:13]
0
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 12:18 - Dec 11 with 355 views
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 12:13 - Dec 11 by DJR
Thanks for that. My two great grandparents on my father's mother's side were from Unst, which is further north than Bergen and closer to it than Aberdeen.
[Post edited 11 Dec 12:13]
I always thought there was something not right about you. In the DNA. Flippin foreigners!
1
Anyone done the Ancestry thing and unearthed any interesting stuff? on 12:39 - Dec 11 with 319 views
I have been a subscriber to Ancestry for over 20 years and been researching my family history for years before then. My paternal family is from Northumberland & Durham and my maternal line is almost exclusively Suffolk for hundreds of years. I did not have my DNA analysed until about five years ago and was pleased to find that it completely backed up my years of traditional paper research. I have yet to find my "gateway ancestor" that connects to nobility and leads me back to Edward III or William the Conqueror. I have seen suggestions from those who share my ancestors that they have gone back to royalty, but the links are sheer guesswork and wildly inaccurate. Parish records did not begin until the mid 1500's and most of those have never survived. If anyone tells you that they have just started research and have already got back to 1066 then take it with a pinch of salt. In 30 plus years of research, the furthest back I have traced is to 1580 and that is only on one line in Hadleigh, Suffolk.
All my Suffolk line were either farm labourers or tradesmen (carpenters, blacksmiths, wheelwrights etc) and my northern ancestors were miners, shipyard workers, boilersmiths, blacksmiths and again, many agricultural labourers. However, I have found many very interesting details from prison records and newspapers. Stories of illegitimacy, bigamy and even transportation to Australia for stealing a pig! A couple of my favourites are -
My 3 x great grandmother, Hannah Ling was committed to Woodbridge gaol in 1819, aged 15 years. Her crime was "refusing to go to church on Sunday last when ordered so to do and running away from her said master and her apprenticeship." She spent two weeks in Woodbridge gaol mending stockings. I don't think she ever was in trouble again with the law.
My 5 x great grandfather, George Dawson was killed in the Heaton Colliery mining disaster, aged 36 years in 1815. The disaster occurred when water broke into the mine shaft, killing 41 men & 34 boys. Most were drowned, but a number including my ancestor were cut off from the main shaft and suffocated to death. His body was not recovered for nine months. A newspaper report on the retrieval of the bodies stated - "Most of the bodies were found in a lying posture but some were found sitting, particularly the body of George Dawson which was sitting with the arms folded, resting his back against a brick stopping and his features were so entire, that he was recognised at five or six yards distance........A striking distinction appeared in the positions and manner of those who were known to be wicked men from those who feared God and while the former seemed to have struggled hard in death, the latter appeared to have fallen asleep in Christ Jesus! The person spoken of in the former narrative, George Dawson, was an instance among others of the apparent composure with which he met the last enemy. A placid smile rested upon his countenance and even the arms had not altered their position, being folded across his breast, after remaining nine months under ground."
Genealogy is a fascinating hobby, but be prepared to put in countless hours of research if you want accuracy!
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
