Discover Your Ancestors

Issue 079

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A warm welcome to the November issue of Discover Your Ancestors Periodical, your monthly digital family and social history magazine.

Few of us will be unfamiliar with the svelte form of the former tea and wool clipper Cutty Sark, berthed at Greenwich – I can still remember visiting as a child, and despite the fire a few years ago the ship has survived to its 150th anniversary this month, looking better than never. In this issue Nicola Lisle tells its story. Turning to transport on the land, Nell Darby explores how public transport opened up new opportunities for criminals, and Jayne Shrimpton explores the history of bus crew uniforms. From clippers to clippies!

You can still get hold of our current print issue in WH Smith and online (see discoveryourancestors.co.uk) – and we’ll have details of the next one soon! Meanwhile, do enjoy this issue.

Andrew Chapman, Editor.

Articles

Celebrating 150 years of Cutty Sark

Cutty Sark – one of the most famous and most recognisable ships in the world – is best known for her role in the China tea trade, and indeed the 280ft clipper was built for that purpose.

Mr Elston's artistes

Tracing past family members who were in the entertainment business is often particularly frustrating. After all, singing, acting, dancing and making people laugh are all aspects of a sadly transient profession. Most performers have their short period of celebrity and success, and then disappear. In my collection of theatrical postcards, for instance, I have one of a comical trio, and the card is signed by all three. I have not been able to find any trace of their work anywhere.

A rich resource for the regiments

‘This is a story of plain men, who fought because they hated war, who voluntarily sacrificed themselves for their country and their friends and in doing of it, lost not their humour, their standard of duty, nor their faith.’ – from the Editor’s Preface of The Story of the 25th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment 1914-1918

The Thorncliffe riot

On the morning of 21 January 1870, many miners from coal pits around Worsborough near Barnsley were absent from work. This was not the only village in the locality where the workforce was sparse that morning. Around 7.15 am, while it was still dark, a crowd of 600–1,000 miners converged on Thorncliffe Colliery at Tankersley. What followed was an appalling incident in 19th-century British industrial history and a miscarriage of justice.

Travel, tourism and theft

Travel and tourism go hand in hand – but they also go hand in hand with crime. In the 18th century, those travelling to places via carriage risked being stopped by one of the nation’s many highwaymen, having their valuables stolen while they were on rough lanes miles away from civilisation in some cases, and with no regular police forces to report the offences to. Once the rail network was established in the 19th century, thieves and other criminals had a new way of committing crime. Although more serious crimes were rare – the first murder on a railway in Britain took place in 1864, shocking press and public alike – the rail network easily gave individuals the opportunity to commit crimes such as theft. Some of these people simply took advantage of travelling by train themselves, being tempted by the goods of other passengers. Others were locals who targeted train stations; but some were employed by the rail companies themselves.

News for November 2019

TheGenealogist has just released additional sets of colour tithe maps to join the previously available greyscale maps in their National Tithe Records collection. This release for Warwickshire is of high-resolution colour digitised maps which will provide the family historian with highly detailed maps, sourced from The National Archives as well as the Warwick County Record Office.

History in the details: Bus Crew Uniforms

Drivers of the first horse-drawn omnibuses that appeared during the 1820s generally wore regular outdoor coats, hats and used rugs, while conductors, whose job was more physically active, favoured short jackets. Scarcely any horse-drawn bus crews adopted standardised uniform, but metal licence badges (PSV badges) were introduced in 1838, to identify them to police and the general public.

Buckinghamshire

The historic county of Buckinghamshire has been in existence since it was a subdivision of the kingdom of Mercia in the 10th century. It was formed out of about 200 communities that jointly funded a castle in Buckingham, to defend against invading Danes. Aylesbury is known from archaeological digs to date back at least as far as 1500 BC and the Icknield Way, which crosses the county, is pre-Roman in origin. The Roman Watling Street and Akeman Street both cross the county and were important trade routes linking London with other parts of Roman Britain.

Books for November 2019

Bethlem Hospital is the oldest mental institution in the world, but to many it is famous only as ‘Bedlam’, a chaotic madhouse that brutalised its patients. This book, now in paperback for the first time, explores the 800-year history of Bethlem and reveals fascinating details of its ambivalent relationship with London and Londoners, the life and times of the hospital’s more famous patients, and the rise of a powerful reform movement which forced the government to take the issue of Bedlam seriously. Paul Chambers brings the whole story of Bethlem Hospital to a new audience, charting its well-intended beginnings to its final disgrace and reform.

Additional Information

Other Formats

You can buy a printed version of the annual Discover Your Ancestors bookazine directly from the publishers, please see www.discoveryourancestors.co.uk and click on ‘Order print copies’ at the bottom.

Editorial Office

Discover Your Ancestors Publishing,

PO BOX 163,

Shaftesbury,

SP7 7BA

E: editor@discoveryourancestors.co.uk

W: www.discoveryourancestors.co.uk

Discover Your Ancestors – The Family History Show

The Family History Show, York!

Saturday 22nd June 2024
10:00 –16:00 (GMT)

Put your research questions to an expert, watch a talk, speak to a local society, archive or genealogical supplier.

Free talks all day, held in a large lecture hall.
Free Experts on hand to help with your queries.
Many family history societies, archives and companies will be attending from all over the country.

Special Offer! Buy tickets for £8.00 (£12.00 on the day)

Buy your tickets early and get two for the price of one!

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Future Events

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Discover Your Ancestors Periodical is published by Discover Your Ancestors Publishing, UK. All rights in the material belong to Discover Your Ancestors Publishing and may not be reproduced, whether in whole or in part, without their prior written consent. The publisher makes every effort to ensure the magazine's contents are correct. All articles are copyright© of Discover Your Ancestors Publishing and unauthorised reproduction is forbidden. Please refer to full Terms and Conditions at www.discoveryourancestors.co.uk. The editors and publishers of this publication give no warranties, guarantees or assurances and make no representations regarding any goods or services advertised.