Did I meet Turner?

I wandered lonely as a cloud o’er ….no, that was Wordsworth… back to the plot – TURNER..

Joseph Mallord William Turner, no less

He lived from 1775-1851, did I meet him? In  a way, yes, because there he was, large as life, and very pretty, on one of the family projects I was working on yesterday.. ‘hello, Joseph, pleased to meet you’ I thought. But when my eyes skimmed across the chart I was compiling, I discovered another personage… and this time it was a different kettle of fish – it was one Lord Chief Justice John Passmore Widgery – on the same family tree no less. He had a bit of a reputation if you care to look, Bloody Sunday and all that.

Google both of them, why don’t you? and see the sort of people I spend my working day with, as I sit here travelling in time here, there and everywhere.

I have simply no one of note on my own family tree, well, that is a lie, as they are all of note to me, but, no one historically of note – although my Mother would say otherwise, if she were still here with us. One Ezekiel Pilkington, now that is a name for you, was a ships artificer, if that is of interest. His career record is at the National Archives, but other than that we are bog Irish and proud of it I am too…

Do you know what, it’s been a long sort of day, it’s pouring down outside, and here I am sat inside the conservatory with my umbrella up – and that in itself is a tale – all to do with sunshine, not enough blinds and computer screens, oh well.. tomorrow is another day

 

Forget about staying at home, let’s go up in a helicopter!

Does your mind fly?  oh, it should, but sometimes I think I think too much… know what I mean?

Sometimes flying around in your mind is good for you – like why there are yew trees in a church yard, or rowans – some modern people do not understand this – I think it is the Celt in me again..

‘Any road’, as we say up north, ‘how did I end up in a helicopter’ – by thinking out of the box.

I was researching a family history for a lady in Dawlish here in Devon, and became quite enamoured with George Last b 1856 in the middle of nowhere. I know he must have been tall and good looking because this field hand, was grabbed and moved into the Big House by her Ladyship in the style of Mellors no less.

He was eventually passed to her betters in a bit of social climbing and hobnobbing and ended up working at New Lodge, Windsor – go on Google it.  I did, and that’s what I call thinking out of the box.

End result was that the premises in those days had just been bought by a corporation who were keen to find out the history of this Gothic pile which was a neighbour to the really big pile at Windsor. I knew more about it than they did.

I got an invite up there, was interviewed on TV and taken up in a helicopter to view the whole area, which included George’s cottage where he was allowed to live once he married in late middle age.

New Lodge was lived in by the Van de Weyer family, and George was the Valet – Van de Weyer was the Belgian Ambassador to the Court of St. James, and was a close friend of Queen Victoria who planted some of the trees in his drive and was God Mother to some of his little ‘uns.

I had photographs taken inside New Lodge by the then owners, and one in particular, showed me surrounded by mysterious orbs…  if you have ever watched ‘Most Haunted’ you will know what they are…

So, friend, that is thinking out of the box and where it will get you…. wonder where we will go next time

The Loneliness of the stay at home Genealogist……..

Why stay at home, when I once had a lovely shop on the High Street?

Well, it’s that thing called life getting in the way, of my searches into the dark and distant past.

Let me tell you a little about Plantagenesta – The Family History Shop – you do like a story don’t you?

In 2006, I had one of those BRILLIANT ideas that you later wish you had not had. At a visit to Pembroke’s lovely Castle, I saw a lady doing Brass Rubbings  for children. You know the type of things, Knights and their Ladies. ‘What Ho!’ thought I. ‘I could do that’

And so I did. I was leased a small sales area within the grounds of the superb Powderham Castle, here in beautiful Devon. I bought brasses, and papers and set up ‘Plantagenesta Brass Rubbing’ thinking I was on to a winner….errrrrmmmm … but the answer was a resounding FAILURE!

There was JOUSTING at the Castle and bold  Knights and frivolous Ladies, and I thought it was the ideal setting for my new business venture… did you notice the word ‘was’ in there?

At precisely the same time I set up my Brass Rubbing business the Knights mounted their horses and rode into the wild blue yonder, taking their Ladies with them.

Result?

A business that was no business. I was flabbergasted really, and disappointed.

And, you know what?

Just as I was about to throw the proverbial towel in, a man, name unknown, said to me ‘If I give you a name can you trace a Family History’ and I said ‘No, that is not what I do’ and he walked away.

Hey!

I thought about this, I knew how to trace family histories, and thought, nothing to lose, the Brass Rubbing was rubbish, let’s put up a poster advertising Family Histories.

So, with no business plan, no money, no real thoughts on how to make this work, PLANTAGENESTA THE FAMILY HISTORY SHOP was born………in March 2006.

Find out more about the rise and the rise and the BBC Radio and TV and Helicopters next time if you feel you must………

Why?

 

Good Question….

You know the old saying ‘best laid schemes …’ and all that, well was there ever a scheme that went right? For me?

Right or as planned I should say.

But more of that later, reader, whoever, wherever you are.

Let’s get to know each other first – perhaps you are in this country ( England) or not, are you going to let me know? I am new to this blogging lark, but there is so much to say about families, and so much has happened to me, without me realising it or planning it.

Are you on board for a bit of a bumpy ride?

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