Life in the Victorian Kitchen

For some reason my last post disappeared, but just to recap, late last year saw the publication of my fourth book Life in the Victorian Kitchen published by the lovely people at Pen and Sword books.

Have you ever wondered what life was like for domestic servants, the etiquette involved during upper class banquets, or simply wished for a glimpse of day-to-day life in the Victorian kitchen? During the nineteenth century,the kitchen was a place where culinary worlds collided, bridging the gap between social classes. From the rural cottage to the well-staffed country house, I aim to take readers on an entertaining and informative journey through a lost culinary world, uncovering the customs and traditions surrounding some of Britain's best loved dishes. Discover nineteenth century tips, techniques, stories and superstitions. Try your hand at foretelling the future using an egg or test recipes for everything from apple wine to sheep's head pie. Life in the Victorian Kitchen really is a fascinating place!

Why not pop over to FIRE News to read a book review and discover more about kitchen life for both the rural cottager and those who worked in the country house kitchens - http://ftnews.firetrench.com/2015/03/book-review-life-in-the-victorian-kitchen-culinary-secrets-and-servants-stories/

Ancestors on the Move

Well, I know I haven't been around for a while, but I have been beavering away behind the scenes and I'm really pleased to say that my next book - Ancestors on the Move has recently been published by The History Press.

   Packed with images of original travel ephemera from my own collection, this book is ideal if you have ever wanted to understand more about your ancestor’s sea travels, or discover what life was like aboard ship for both passengers and crew. Covering how long a journey might have taken, what kind of conditions could be expected and what exotic locations were visited along the way?

  From transportation to trade, adventure to emigration, through persecution or for pleasure, I have explained the reasons behind our ancestor’s desire for overseas travel, guiding the reader through the records and archives we can search to complete our own genealogical journey.

  'Ancestors on the Move' is available in all good bookshops and online at Amazon, WHSmiths and at The National Archives Bookshop

Are you up for a little 'Regal Research'?

        Although for many of us royal genealogical links may just be a dream, there are thousands of others who are unaware of their ‘blue blood’ connections to the royal family of Britain and by association, to the royal families of Europe. Is there talk within your family that you have such a 'regal relationship'?

   Surprisingly, this is not such a wild claim as the further back we can pursue our research the greater the prospect. Step back in time and with larger families, yet a smaller population, the likelihood of making some royal links via one of the many branches of descendants is a possibility.

Start with what you know! 

   Perhaps you have a particular ancestor in mind which links you to this claim? Consider starting at the end of their lives and work backwards. They may well have been important enough to warrant an obituary in a local, regional or national newspaper which reports a variety of details about their life, title, rank and achievements giving you other valuable avenues of research to follow. Titled males may well have had military careers, follow any leads you discover regarding this to regimental archives or museums which usually hold records such as diaries, paintings and even photographs that could help give you your first visual link to the ancestor in question.

   Family papers, bibles, correspondence and documents may unlock a few doors whilst biographical histories may have already been published on the individual; ‘google search’ the internet or ask for assistance at your local history library. Depending on their status and achievements, these biographies may have been written by professionals or likeminded historians who could also be related to the figure in question, and could also be part of your extended family tree. 

   If you're on the hunt for' Gentrified Genealogy,' get yourself access to a copy of Burke's Peerage – first published in 1826 - which lists the aristocracy and their antecedents and see if you can find any obvious links between their pedigree and yours.  If family stories of noble ties have been handed down, this may be the place to get a little more background knowledge about the surname and the location where the main families bearing that name were based.

   Your blood may not be blue, but you could have aristocratic ties.  Debrett’s Peerage and Baronetage was first published in 1769. ‘Peerage’ is the term used for ‘the hierarchy of titles of various ranks conferred by the Sovereign upon his or her subjects, which has its roots in feudal time’ whilst ‘Baronetage’ is ‘a hereditary knighthood created by James I in 1611.’  Consider checking records such as the Burkes Landed Gentry of 1906. This resource can provide details of those families who are not quite so noble but still own significant amounts of land.

 Why not pursue your family claims - who knows what you will find!

Discover Your History

Looking for a new magazine to feed your passion for family and social history? Why not try the new Discover Your History magazine?

Concentrating on 'Ancestors, Heritage and Memories', the first issue is out now and features articles on the London Underground, Mill Worker Memories, the fascinating work of plastic surgeon Archie McIndoe and explains just what it was like to travel in 'Jane Austen's England'. You even have the opportunity to 'bag yourself a free book' courtesy of Pen and Sword!

Visit the website at http://www.discoveryourhistory.net/ to find out more.

On This Day...

   So...that's it...we're officially in Autumn and Summer has hung up its hat for another year! Although the nights will gradually be getting darker, it gives us lots more long evenings to batten down the hatches and research our family tree!

   As today is the 1st of September, I thought I'd take a look at what happened on this day in history, perhaps your ancestor was there, witnessed the event first hand, or read about it in the newspapers of the time.

1532 -  Lady Anne Boleyn was made Marquess of Pembroke by her fiancé, King Henry VIII. Less               than 4 years later Henry had her investigated for high treason. She was found guilty of                  adultery and incest and was executed on 19th May 1536.

1661 - 1st Yacht race, England's King Charles vs his brother James

1752 - Liberty Bell arrives in Philadelphia

1763 - Catherine II of Russia endorses Ivan Betskoy's plans for a Foundling Home in Moscow

1831 - Charles Darwin travels aboard HMS Beagle

1865 Joseph Lister performed the first antiseptic surgery.

1870 - Napoleon III captured at Sedan

1905 - Alberta & Saskatchewan become 8th & 9th Canadian provinces

1913 - George Bernard Shaws "Androcles & the Lion," premieres in London

1914 - St Petersburg, Russia changes name to Petrograd

1914 - Lord Kitchener arrives in Paris

1939 - WW II starts, Germany invades Poland, takes Danzig

1951 - The Premier supermarket opened in Earl’s Court, London; the first supermarket in Britain.

1962 - UN announces Earth population has hit 3 billion

1971 - The British penny and the threepenny piece coins ceased to be legal tender as decimalization continued.

1979 - Pioneer 11 makes 1st fly-by of Saturn, discovers new moon, rings

1981 - Garages in Britain began selling petrol in litres.

1985 - After 73 years the wreck of the liner 'Titanic' was found, by Dr. Robert Ballard.

Researching your Ecclesiastical Ancestors

   

    Just recently I've been researching more of my own family tree and discovered a number of ancestors with connections to the church. The parish church was at the heart of every Victorian community so perhaps you've also found that your ancestor’s vocation lay within this area as there were a number of occupational paths that may have chosen to follow.

Incumbent        - this was the head clergyman who held office in the parish church, i.e. a vicar, rector, parson, etc. The parishes under his care would be known as a Benefice.

Deacon            - this individual would assist the incumbent and although was in holy orders was not yet fully ordained as a priest.

Curate              - he could hold a temporary appointment in the parish or assist the incumbent already in office.

Rural Dean       - appointed by the Bishop, this clergyman would be expected to run a small group of parishes in both rural and urban areas.

Priest                - this position was below the rank of Bishop but above that of a Deacon. Remember not all Priests were Catholics and some were appointed within the Anglican Church.

Canon              - often still holding a role as a parish priest, the Canon would also have been appointed as a member of a cathedral chapter.

The clergyman’s income would have been drawn from the weekly collections, fees for performing marriages or funerals, tithes or rent from church owned land known as a ‘glebe’ and his personality, dedication and contributions to the community would undoubtedly have had a massive impact on his parishioners and their opinion of his work.

 

Want to find out more?

  The Clergy List was published from the early part of the 19^th century and detailed all those working in the clergy at the time from prison and military chaplains to those operating all over the British Empire – county libraries will often hold a copy of this valuable book. 

   Alphabetic listings of Clergymen were produced from 1858 in the form of Crockford’s Directories which give brief biographies and the location of individuals over a certain period. A number of these have now been digitalised online at www.ancestry.co.uk and at present, allow you to search the years 1868, 1874, 1885, 1898, 1908 and 1932. Most clergy attended university in Cambridge, Oxford or Dublin so if you can track down a College Alumni record then you have the chance of discovering a wealth of details about the college attended by the individual, their graduation and degree taken as well as the churches in which they were later incumbent – excellent for tracking those who moved about the country or abroad. 

    Documenting the careers of all Church of England clergymen between 1540 and 1835, www.theclergydatabase.org.uk/index.html is an ever growing website and indispensable to family and local historians who want to find out more about the individuals connected to their parish church.

       Don’t forget! Check the front and back of the parish registers in the areas that your clergyman ancestor served – you may be surprised to find notes, inscriptions or dates relating to their incumbency providing an example of their handwriting and a glimpse into their personality.

    Perhaps your ancestor was a Churchwarden responsible for the property and moveable goods of the parish church by keeping inventories and generally ensuring that the building and its contents were well maintained. Churchwardens were usually volunteers who received expenses but no wages and were appointed each Easter from reliable members of the community that were prepared to take on the responsibilities of the role. If you’re lucky enough to discover that the Churchwarden’s Account Book has survived you can uncover a vast amount of information – not only about your ancestor but also about the parish in which he worked. 

  You can begin to establish how long he worked in the role; the labour which was employed to maintain the church and the type of renovations carried out; the names of the women (often widows) who took in church washing and other jobs to supplement their meagre incomes; payments made to local traders and the names of those who required poor relief from the parish. These are fascinating documents and help to explain parish life of the period whatever role your ancestor took within the church. 

Win a copy of' Ancestors in the Attic'

Pop over to the Federation of Family History Societies and scroll down the page to be in with chance of winning a copy of 'Ancestors in the Attic.' http://www.ffhs.org.uk/ezine/ezine1305.htm#books. This is a great site with lots of links and fantastic information for the family historian.

This is what they say:

Giveaway - 'For this month we have 'Ancestors in the Attic - Making Family Memorabilia into History' by Karen Foy, published by The History Press' To win a copy of this book, please send an email with ‘Attic’ in the subject line to competitions@ffhs.org.uk before the end of 19 June 2013.'

Bank Holiday in History

Hi All
Back with a little history trivia to get the old grey cells working! As we enjoy the little bit of sun that has been promised to us this Bank Holiday Weekend, have you ever wondered what was going on this day in history. Judging by some of the things, the least they had to work about was the weather!

25th May
1659 - Richard Cromwell resigns as English Lord Protector
1837 - The Patriots of Lower Canada (Quebec) rebel against the British for freedom.
1844 - 1st telegraphed news dispatch is published in Baltimore Patriot
1878 - Gilbert/Sullivans opera "HMS Pinafore," premieres in London
1887 - Gas lamp at Paris Opera catches fire; 200 die
1900 - Eyre M Shaw, 78, becomes oldest gold medalist in Olympics
1927 - Henry Ford stops producing Model T car (begins Model A)
1932 - Goofy, aka Dippy Dawg, 1st appears in 'Mickey's Revue' by Walt Disney
1961 - JFK sets goal of putting a man on Moon before the end of decade
1967 - John Lennon takes delivery of his psychedelic painted Rolls Royce



26th May
1647 - Alse Young becomes the first person executed as a witch in the American colonies, when she is hanged in Hartford, Connecticut.
1805 - Lewis & Clark 1st see Rocky Mountains
1805 - Napoleon is crowned king of Italy
1876 - HMS Challenger returns from 128,000-km oceanographic exploration
1896 - Last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II, crowned
1900 - British troops under Ian Hamilton attack the Vaal in South Africa
1903 - Start of Sherlock Holmes "Adventure of 3 Gables"
1906 - Vauxhall Bridge is opened in London.
1913 - Emily Duncan becomes Great Britain's first woman magistrate.
1915 - H H Asquith forms a coalition government in England
1940 - Operation Dynamo begins evacuating defeated Allied troops from Dunkirk


27th May
1703 - St Petersburg (Leningrad) founded by Peter the Great
1849 - The Great Hall of Euston station in London is opened.
1896 - Tornado hit St Louis, killing 255 & leaving thousands homeless
1936 - RMS Queen Mary leaves Southampton for NY on maiden voyage
1941 - German battleship Bismarck sunk by British naval force
1958 - The F-4 Phantom II first flight.
1964 - "From Russia With Love" premieres in US


Over the years its been a pretty eventful weekend!
Thanks for popping by.
Best wishes
Karen

Meet The Author

Afternoon All.
Sorry I've not been around for a while. If you're a subscriber or reader of the Your Family Tree magazine, you might see that I was lucky enough to be asked to do their Author Interview this month (pg 85). I've tried to cover my passions for paper ephemera and hope it inspires some of you to have a root through your old family memorabilia and see what genealogical gems you can discover.

If you've ever considered taking a DNA test to further your research and genetic connections, then there is also a complete guide which makes interesting reading from page 22 onwards. Whilst those with Irish ancestors that are proving tricky to track down, then the feature on Munster and its genealogicial resources may prove helpful. remember to pop over to the YFT website to make use of their online resources too!

Anyway, bye for now and thanks for stopping by
Best wishes
Karen

Pen and Sword Social History

A new venture from Pen and Sword is their Social History imprint. The Editor - Jen Newby - has commissioned a whole host of fascinating titles; the first three publications will be out this year with plenty more to follow in 2014.

Why not pop over to their website to find out more.
Broadmoor Revealed by Mark Stevens is due out in May 2013 with David Castleton's In the Mind's Eye: the Blinded Soldiers of St Dunstan's and The Midwife's Tale by Billie Hunter and Nicky Leap to follow in the Autumn.

Rhuddlan Revealed

If you love your Welsh history, why not take a look at the Jan/Feb issue of Welsh Country magazine. This month, I've been researching the long and turbulent history of the Rhuddlan -  a fascinating community situated in the county of Denbighshire in North Wales.

Stories of its ancient church, ruined castle and bloody battle make interesting reading and like many of our Welsh villages, if you wander through its streets, glimpses of the past lie just around the corner waiting to be discovered.

PS - Ancestors in the Attic has also had a good review in this edition in their book section!

Family and Local History Handbook 14

If you're off to the Who Do You Think You Are Live event between the 22nd and 24th February 2013 - look out for the latest addition to the Family and Local History Handbook.

Handbook 14 is due to be launched at the event packed with interesting articles to spark new lines of enquiry and a whole host of listings to help with your research. I've contributed three articles to this collaboration and I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on a copy to read what all the other researchers have been up to and what fascinating tips they have to share.

To order directly, head over to the website at http://www.genealogical.co.uk/

Calendar Calculations

   Throughout the centuries, various diaries or almanacs have been used to mark time and fix events and religious festivals within the yearly cycle

  Originally, people would set these dates to tie in with easily observed natural occurrences like the changing seasons or varying weather but the fact that these happenings were not reliable meant that an alternative had to be found.

   In 45BC, Julius Caesar established the Julian calendar which was used in Britain and the Colonies until 1751. His formula consisted of creating eleven months of 30 or 31 days and 28 in February (except on a Leap Year when this rose to 29). The calculations differed from the solar calendar by only 11.5 minutes per year but over the centuries, these minutes added up and by the 1500’s, the Julian calendar was ten days behind its astronomical equivalent.

   To correct this problem, the Gregorian calendar was created by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. Although Britain did not take on this new schedule, other countries did. One of the main differences between the two calendars is that the Julian has a Leap Year every four years while the Gregorian does not have a Leap Year if the number is not dividable by 400 or ends in 00. Therefore, 2000 was a Leap Year but 1900 was not.

   In 1751, when Britain eventually decided to adopted the Gregorian system, eleven days had to be lost in that first year to set it in line. These were taken from the month of September when the British Calendar Act declared that Wednesday 2^nd would be followed by Thursday 14^th. 

   In the old Julian calendar, the first day of the year ran from the 25^th March - or Lady Day as it was known - so to complete the calendar changeover, 1751 ran from the 25^th March to the 31^st December allowing the following year to begin on the 1^st January.

Research Top Tip 

    If you’re able to track you ancestry back to this period, be aware that events in this year were often dated as 1750/51 when the calendar conversion took place.

Don’t Forget! 

   There may be times when you come across the Latin use of Roman numerals where a number is represented by one or more letters. Below is a quick reminder of this numerical code.

  I (i or j) = 1

  V          = 5

  X          = 10

  L           = 50

  C          = 100

  D          = 500

  M         = 1000

Book Competition at Family Tree magazine

Over at Family Tree magazine this month they're running a web competition to win a copy of my book Ancestors in the Attic. So... if you fancy a little reading on these winter nights and are looking for some new ideas on how to flesh out your family history story, then head on over to their website. You've got until January 24th to enter.

Ancestors in the Attic – review by Karen Clare – Family Tree magazine.

Never fear, this has nothing to do with ghostly apparitions, but everything to do with family history at its most charming – investigating the ephemera of life that can be a treasure trove of information for the clued-up researcher. Karen Foy tucks joyfully into the treats that the family archive may hold. Whether it is an old diary, medal, trophy or jewellery, travel journals, postcards or bills and receipts, each gives us a window into our ancestors’ lives. The list of possible heirlooms is endless, but the chapters have been divided into different subject areas to give you a handle on what could be achieved. It’s usefully peppered with bite-size tips and historical info, to fill any gaps in your knowledge.  There are lots of imaginative suggestions that could take you down new and exciting research routes. It will certainly inspire you to put on your detective hat and start investigating. Ancestors in the attic? It’s right up my street.

ISBN: 9780752464282. RRP £14.99 paperback. The History Press.

A Little Welsh Reading

Happy New Year Everyone!
   I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season and a good start to 2013! Sorry all has been a bit quiet here on the blog but I've been laid low with a really awful flu bug that seems to have knocked me for six and it's only now that I'm back on the mend and thankfully returning to the land of the living!
   Anyway, I just thought I'd drop by to give you a little tip on a good local history read. Swansea Then and Now is a fab book written by Geoff Brookes and is perfect for those wishing to brush up on their Welsh history as well as for those who might have had ancestors living in this part of the country. Packed with archived images and contrasting modern photos, it will give you a real nostalgic insight into Wales's second city!

   You can find Swansea Then and Now at The History Press, Amazon or at Geoff's own website.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hope you all have a fantastic break.

Best wishes

Karen x

Morale Boosting Military Mementoes

    It is really surprising the array of items that have survived the most desperate conditions of war. Some pieces show signs of wear and tear and are slightly ‘battle weary’ whilst others look as pristine as the day they were made.

    Christmas was a desolate time during the war years. To lift military spirits a gift was given to recognise their services. Queen Victoria started the tradition during the Boer War with a tin of chocolates for each of her troops. 

   Princess Mary followed the tradition during World War One with a brass embossed tin containing a variety of items from chocolates and cigarettes to acid tablets and a khaki writing case. The contents depended upon whether the recipient was a smoker or non smoker whilst the dietary and religious requirements of the Indian troops were also taken into account. Nurses in the frontline field hospitals were also taken into account and by the third Christmas at war, the sick and wounded in hospital or in clearing stations were quite rightly included in the gift giving.

    This was a mammoth task for all concerned – from production to distribution. The Imperial War Museum website has a detailed article, illustrated with images on the whole procedure which is well worth a read. Many of the recipients kept the gift boxes as a reminder of their wartime contributions which have then been passed down within the family. Perhaps you’ve discovered such an item in your ancestor’s belonging and until now did not realise its significance. Find out more by visiting the Imperial War Museum collections at http://collections.iwm.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.994 or discover more ways to research your family memorabilia in my book Ancestors in the Attic.  

Toys, Games and Our Ancestor's Childhood

   With the festive season just around the corner many children will be eagerly anticipating what games and gadgets they’ll receive in their 21^st century stockings. Have you ever wondered what kind of toys our Victorian ancestors would have been thrilled to receive on Christmas morning?

    Victorians required their youngsters to be educated as they played, enabling them to develop skills beneficial in adulthood. Building blocks encouraged construction challenges and bricks with the addition of letters or numbers advanced a child’s spelling and numeracy. Push-along toy animals were designed to teach little ones to walk whilst rocking horses were considered useful in preparing boys for the riding skills needed in later life. Even Sunday playtime was restricted to those toys with biblical connections such as the Noah’s Ark.

   Card games provided both education and social interaction and were regularly taught to children by their parents or nannies. Dedicated playing cards for children were prevalent by the mid 19^th century when they were decorated with colourful pictures and educational symbols. Happy Familes, Old Maid and Snap! were themed with illustrations including circus acts, jungle animals and nursery rhymes opening up a child’s world with these visual images.

 The skill involved in playing the game of Marbles proved particularly popular. Dating back to cave dwelling early man, marbles in the form of small pebbles or clay balls were first found in the tombs and pyramids of the Ancient Egyptians and on Native American burial grounds. Taking their name from the materials from which they were once made, marbles have also been crafted from metal, glass, ceramics and agates.  During the Victorian era, glass blown marbles took on a more elaborate appearance. From self coloured speckled balls to those incorporating a colourful twist, the array of examples was endless resulting in a whole host of names - including keepsies, aggies, taws, and bombsies -given to their variation in sizes and their role within the game.  

      The pleasure of creating mini theatres or staging puppet performances has proved to be an enduring form of entertainment throughout the centuries. Puppet theatre performed on makeshift stages was enjoyed as far back as the Ancient Greeks but, in Britain, it was not until the introduction of Punch and Judy that their popularity really took hold. Eventually, independent craftsmen and factory manufacturers created smaller versions to be played with by children at home. Do you remember entertaining your parents and siblings with your own grand theatre productions?

   From toy soldiers to teddies, dolls to dominoes, the list of toys and games played by our ancestors is endless and provides a great way of exploring an era completely different from the one our techno kids of today are experiencing.

  If you’ve inherited an heirloom from your ancestor’s childhood, find out more about this item by visiting one of Britain’s numerous Museums’ of Childhood. Ask other relatives if they own early childhood toys and consider looking back though old family diaries where descriptions of games may well have been mentioned especially in entries made around the Christmas period.

   Open everyday from 10am to 17.45pm, admission to the V&A’s Museum of Childhood is free. Even a simple visit to their website will have you fascinated with its detailed histories of wax dolls and explanations of the occupational characters used to illustrate the Happy Families card games. 

Also - Edinburgh Museum of Childhood, West Wales Museum of Childhood and The Highland Museum of Childhood.

Loving the Library

   Growing up, my mum always encouraged me to read and regularly took me to the library to find new and exciting stories. So for me, there's nothing quite like seeing your own book on the shelf in the library! Fab!
   The second biggest thrill is looking at their online catalogue and realising that it's actually out on loan!

    So...authors...have you applied for Public Lending Rights yet?
Public Lending Rights mean that you are entitled to a small payment either each time your book is taken out of the library, or simply if a library owns your book. To qualify, you should be named on the book's title page or be entitled to a royalty payment from the publisher (you do not necessarily have to own the copyright). To find out out more visit the website http://www.plr.uk.com/

To use the supermarket quote - 'Every Little Helps' - so apply today!

Genealogical Scrapbooking

  Ever wanted to add your own personal touch to your family photos rather than simply slotting them into the plastic sleeves pages of an album? The world of papercrafting is now nearly as big a pastime as that of genealogical research so many historians are using this medium as a way of displaying their findings in a fun and attractive way which is visually appealing to the reader, and extremely pleasurable to create.

   Below is my interpretation of a family photo which helps to explain a little bit more about their lives - I've also tried to add embellishments which reflect their story.

   Scrapbooking allows you to present your family history by displaying your photos, journalling and ephemera on beautiful pages with decorative embellishments and ultimately to produce your own ‘coffee table’ book. The information is imparted in snippets and illustrated with images which can include anything from personal photos and newspaper clippings to theatre programmes, tickets and old birthday cards – in fact, any mementoes from your families past. Each page is constructed independently and then slotted into a protective plastic sleeve within the album helping to bring your ancestor's story to life.
Have you tried scrapbooking your family history photos yet? I'd love to hear how you get on!