Smallburgh: A Story of the Trorys
Nestled between Wroxham and Hickling, just under 15 km north east of Norwich, Smallburgh misses much of the tourist traffic heading to honey pot locations. Perhaps for that reason, this is a lovely part of the world. Today the village is, as it’s name might lead you to believe, a small place in terms of […]
Working lives: choices, opportunities and that beyond our control
As I reflect on a tumultuous year in which Your Local History has gradually grown from a idea into a successful business; in which my old career was shattered by the spending review; in which I have spent many months in an ‘un-chosen’ job and finally achieved my longstanding dream of working full time in […]
200-year-old advice from a Norfolk yeoman
I have a ‘motto’ stuck to the divider around my desk. When I was about ten I diligently learnt it off by heart and have tried to live by the sentiments ever since. The motto came from a family letter written by my Great Great Great Grandfather’s brother and I first became aware of it […]
A drink on them: Pubs and Breweries of Norwich past
It was with sadness that I noted another pub – The Marquee in Norwich – closing its doors a week or so ago. Once the Shirehall and then the One & Only, the Marquee provided a haunt for me throughout university and since. Unfortunately it’s not such an unusual occurrence these days to hear about […]
What’s in my name? In the footsteps of my namesakes.
It’s very odd to see your name on a gravestone. The first time this happened to me I was still at Primary School, exploring the old stomping grounds of my family with my parents. It was a weird sensation. More recently I have been back to the same churches, taken photographs and done a lot […]
Aunt Carrie: School Mistress at Framlingham, civilian on the town memorial
Day three of my week of ancestor blogs brings me to my first foray into my maternal family history and a civilian on Framlingham’s war memorial, my Aunt Carrie. Framlingham is close to my heart. It’s where I lived for the first two years of my life, where I went to high school and where […]
Uncle Thomas: Legend of Happisburgh (in more ways than one)
For this, my second blog installment of the week denoting memorable ancestors, I turn to an uncle by marriage, Rev Thomas Lloyd. Those that have heard of Happisburgh (pronounced ‘Hayes-brough’) often first think about homes at the top of cliffs and coastal erosion. However, there is of course far more to the village. A couple […]
Cousin Albert Septimus: Queen Victoria’s Consul in Cairo
To celebrate a few days of uninterrupted research, this week I hope to make up for a couple of weeks’ blog absence with a series of posts about a few of my more intriguing ancestors. While I am fascinated by people of all places, occupations, walks of life and circumstances there are some that for […]
The Walnes and Warnes of Kirby Bedon
One parish in Norfolk was home to two very different lines of my family. These lines didn’t connect – at least to my knowledge to date – for nearly 200 years and finally converged when my paternal grandparents married (via Bermuda, Shropshire and Rutland!). The parish in question was Kirby Bedon. The village is known […]
