It was February 19th 1896 that a terrible tragedy struck a Cambridgeshire village. Wimblington, is a small Cambridgeshire village not far from March. Police constable Lee was on duty at the time and was asked to make forceful entry at a local cottage owned by a widow named Mary Ann Continue Reading
Fanny Wilkinson
Frances Rollo Wilkinson otherwise known as Fanny Wilkinson was Britain’s first female landscape gardener. Born a doctors daughter from wealthy parents Fanny was the eldest of her six siblings. She was born on the 6th June 1855 and spent a lot of her childhood growing up at Middlethorpe Hall in Continue Reading
Ally Sloper
A Victorian and Edwardian Character Charles Henry Ross was born in London around 1835 he was known for being popular comic strip author who invented a famous fictional character called Alexander Ally Sloper known as Ally Sloper. The character seemed to attract a rather large interest amongst Victorian and Edwardian Continue Reading
1911 Census
The 1911 census is considered a rather special census to a family historian as it is the first census that reveals a lot more details compared to previous censuses. I think many of us can appreciate the fact that this census is written by the head of the house which Continue Reading
Butterscotch Toffee 1946
During 1946 it was still a tough period the nation faced after WW2 where the nation had been on rations during this time and food rationing continued right up to 1954. This is a simple recipe aimed to entertain the children written by a lady called Elspeth Stuart on 2nd Continue Reading
A German Chocolate Pudding
Taken from an article on 13th May 1871 By the initials F. R. A Take 20z of fine wheat, or potato flour, 20z. of butter, ¼ lb. of a loaf sugar pounded fine, the yolks of three and whites of two eggs, and ¼ lb. of finely grated or powdered Continue Reading
The Danger of Lucifers
Who Invented the Lucifer? The word Lucifer is another word we associate with “the devil” or “Satan”. In Latin the word Lucifer means “light bringing”. It is safe to say the name fitted well with the product. In the year of 1829 a small tin containing matches with the name Continue Reading
Divorce and Our Ancestors
To put it simply, divorce was not common in comparison to modern times. It wasn’t unheard of but mostly people who got divorced had money and even then it wasn’t a thing that was considered lightly it could bring a lot of scandal and shame to people involved. To get Continue Reading
Recipe For Princess Pudding
A Manchester pudding taken from an article 28th November 1914. The first World War had not long broken out in the UK on 4th August 1914. A cheap and delicious pudding for the family. An excellent substitute for an orthodox “Christmas Pudding”. The quantities given are sufficient for five people. Continue Reading
International Mermaid Day
Yesterday the 29th March was International Mermaid Day and I thought I would share a mermaid story for those who like folk tales from the past. “The Mermaid of Zennor” which is an old popular folk tale set in Cornwall. The author was a man named William Bottrell who wrote Continue Reading
