Beyond the Internet: Week 47 Police and Railway Staff records

Continuing the weekly theme, inspired by Family History Across the Seas

In the United Kingdom, British Rail existed until the 1980s when the Government of the time privatised it. Now our rail networks are covered by a series of different companies and your prompt this week has made me wonder exactly what happened to the employment records of those companies.

I have a Great Uncle who worked on the railways in Dorking Surrey England. I have never really explored into his working life and should!

As to Policemen in the family. My Great Uncle was in the army and after he left the force he remained working at a military base as a Policeman during the second world war. His service records are sealed and because it was secret work he was undertaking his police experience is also hard to track.

The Prison Service in England and Wales was in it's early development structured loosely on the Police force. When we married in 1994 we both had to ask the Governor of the prison we worked in if we could marry. There was never any question of us being refused, it was simply in the Prison Standing Orders and had never been removed!

Beyond the Internet: Week 25 Gaol records

Continuing the weekly theme, inspired by Family History Across the Seas

Back in April I explored as part of the A-Z Challenge the life of convict Henry Goucher. You can read these posts HERE and HERE. I also explored a new piece of research which pertains to the convict Robert Turpin.

In both of these cases, the two convicts were tried at the Old Bailey in London and sentenced. In the case of Henry Goucher he was sentenced to death, but this was commuted to life and Robert Turpin was sentenced to life. Both were transported to Australia.

As part of the research I found that they had been held in hulk ships before being transferred to larger vessels in order to make the long passage to Australia. Once they arrived there is further documentation which shows where there were held and we can gain a rough idea of the work they did.

Henry Goucher was to eventually gain his freedom in Australia when he was in his late 50s. Robert Turpin is rather more complex - there are two Robert's in the same area, during the same time frame and I need to do some further digging to establish the fate of "my" Robert.

Not all prisoners were transported. Some served their sentence or perhaps sentences within English prisons. Records that have survived the test of time are usually at the National Archives or the County Records Offices. Records are closed for 100 years and should you research the destiny of a prisoner convicted since 1912 his (or hers) record will be closed which does rather limit the scope for research, but there may well be a reference in the newspapers of the time.

Beyond the Internet Week 13: Lest we Forget: War Memorials

Continuing the weekly theme, inspired by Family History Across the Seas.

I always feel a sense of sadness when I come across a War Memorial. As I stand and reflect upon the names that appear on the Memorial, I have an acute sense of awareness that the names reflect not just a sacrifice made by the named individual, but beyond that there is a deep sense of loss to the families left behind. In some cases families suffered more than one loss. How do you recover from that?

Following the First World War there was an obvious increase in the amount of War Memorials. Each Memorial reflecting a generation lost.  The photograph below is from the Parish of Enstone in Oxfordshire.

As you can see there are two families that have multiple entries, these are the Hawtin & Sheffield families. 

I have a slight interest in the Sheffield family. My Great Grandmother's sister, Mabel Harris married into the Sheffield family. They resided in London in the docks areas as that is where they worked. They raised a family of three daughters and one son. One of the daughters married a cousin so she was a Sheffield all of her life, which was a long one. She, like many of the girls from this part of the family lived well into their 90s.

Beyond the Internet Week 12: Church Histories

Continuing the weekly theme, inspired by Family History Across the Seas.

Many parishes produce a small history of the Parish and the Church. Over the years I have collected a small group of these histories.

The histories give us a really good understanding in the history of the Parish and the importance that The Church and Religion played in the lives of our ancestors.

We are then cast back into a time when the bells rang out across the parish calling parishioners to Church where they could give thanks for the the lives they had. The significance of the bells is important, many people could not read, and even if they were able to afford a clock the chances are they could not tell the time. Even now, when I hear bells ringing out on a Sunday I have a lovely feeling!

The depth of the booklets and histories varies considerably. I have several where a brief history is given, acting as a leverage to a published book. Others give more depth to the history of the parish. Whatever the data they provide they are a welcomed addition to understanding the environment that our ancestors lived in. They often provide further stepping stones to other archives.

One thing that does seem consistent is that each book provides brief details of Memorials and Pews within the Church and it is that information that can provide further data. Memorials are often made to substantial members of the parish - wealthy landowners and alike. Very often those same families had their own pews in the Church. It is well worth checking the archives of the records office and to see if there are any papers that relate to the well known family.

My own ancestry is in the Guildford area of Surrey. There were well known family archives and it is worth checking these papers and diaries to see if there is any references made.

• Loseley Papers
• Victorian County History (Surrey)
• Percy Wood Manuscripts (Godalming)
• Smallpeice Family Records

As I said, the parish was intricately interwoven with the Church. Establish the name of the Rector and Curate and other Parish Officials. Did any of them leave a collection of papers, or a diary?

In the Village of Puttenham Surrey, the Curate called Charles Kerry kept a series of manuscripts which have survived. They are currently in the Records Office in Derbyshire which is where Kerry was born, but there are copies available. I hold some of the data relating to Puttenham in my one place study.

Beyond the Internet Week 11: Church Archives

Continuing the weekly theme, inspired by Family History Across the Seas.

Over the last few weeks I have spoken about the Parish Chest at Puttenham and the Church Records also at Puttenham. I don't believe that Puttenham is a unique village. There are probably rural communities across the UK where an amazing amount of data relating to early parishioners has survived. Perhaps a curious Religious man who loved his adopted parish, as in the case of Charles Kerry of Puttenham. The Parish Records for Puttenham are fairly generous. Early records exist within the Records Centre and later records are held at the Church for those who wish to visit.

My Grandfather was born in the neighbouring parish of Wanborough, so having spent quite a lot of time in Puttenham and received nothing by hospitality and generosity, I toddled off to the church at Wanborough to seek the details of the Church Warden. I telephoned him and made an appointment to visit and look at the records.

I have to say, this was around 1988 and before the worries of identity fraud had really taken off, so I had, based upon experiences from a parish 2 miles away that I would be met with friendliness and would be welcomed. The was huge reluctance to let me see the registers.

These were not especially modern births, they ranged from 1900 until the 1920s, and at that point, the majority of my Great Aunts and Uncles had passed away, with the exception of 3 of them. There was one chair, so I moved it and sat down with a pencil and my note book to write down the details, the Church Warden hovered behind me then started pacing. I have no idea what his worries were. I suddenly announced that I would be at least 3 hours and that I was more than happy for him to leave me and come back after a time. He did and I breathed a sigh of relief. I continued on my quest and wrote down every single baptism, marriage and burial detail relating to my family names. I had no intention of returning for a while. I mentioned this to my contact in Puttenham who informed me that the Church Warden always behaved like that. I heard a few years later that he had passed away and returned to the parish again, to view the records and meet the then Church Warden. It was a completely different experience.

Regardless, of how I was made to feel, I was adamant that I was not going to be put off looking at the records for my relatives. The moment I saw the entry for my Grandfather in 1908 was a very special one and I was not going to let a stranger spoil it for me. The experience of visiting the Church and simply absorbing the atmosphere, holding the register, looking at the font is a real experience and was well worth the hassle that I had experienced. Time has passed now and the register completed, so the Church have deposited it with the Surrey Records Centre.

The visit was aimed at a completion of seeing the records. I had the data - the names of my Great Aunts & Uncles and when they were born already from the oldest sibling of the family, yet I learnt several new things that day. Firstly, that my Great Grandparents had lost three children, two boys and a girl, all of whom had died within their first year. The little girl had died of convulsions. I also learnt that my Great Aunt who we had all called Doll, because she was christened Dorothy and was so small as a baby that her siblings called her Doll, was in fact not Christened Dorothy, she was formally Christened as Lillian Dorothy.

In the parish of my own Christening, like my Mum and Grandmother before me, I was held, apparently at the font by my Godparents and Christened. I have my original Baptism Certificate which records me as Julie Joyce, which is actually incorrect, although the Baptism record does record the details correctly.  Joyce is the middle name of my Mother, so perhaps it was the same rector who carried out the service.

In these two instances, we have an official record, given to the parents and Godparents that is incorrect, supported by a correct recording in the register along with my birth certificate. We also have family history which conflicted what the official documentation says. Even my Great Aunt, who would have been 15 years old at the time her sister was born was adamant that her sister was christened Dorothy.

We should view the records, both those retained at the church and those given by the church and oral family history in tandem, in this case there is any inconsistencies such as in my case.

Beyond the Internet Week 10: Church records – the life and times of a parish and its parishioners

Continuing the weekly theme, inspired by Family History Across the Seas.

I believe that we are only limited on where to look for ancestors and their paper trail, by our imagination of where to look for those ancestors!

Poor Law records for one of my ancestral villages of Puttenham shows very clearly that the Budd girls were often pregnant and husband less! Did there parents shake their head and hold their head in their hands as they were informed of another mouth to feed and another absent father? Some things we shall never know, but is true now and I dare say then, if money, and especially other people's money has to be given to someone then there is probably a trail of paper to support the fact.

Within each parish was a wonderful item called the Parish Chest. Within the walls of the box was kept the documents of the parish and contained therein the hopeful details of our ancestors. This included the Poor Law Records which include Bastardy Bonds and Settlement Records.

Here are the details of the Bastardy Records for Puttenham Surrey
1823 Harriet Budd of Puttenham & Daniel Dolly of Ash
1827 Charlotte Budd of Puttenham & Stephen Hall of Farnham
1827 Harriet Budd of Puttenham & Samuel Harding of Puttenham
1839 Sarah Budd of Puttenham & Henry Nicholls of Aldershot

Also contained within the box would be details of the Parish Clerks, those individuals who were of a certain standing within the village who would ensure that the "right thing" would be done by the parishioners. The Church Warden records and other miscellaneous records relating to the village. 

In 1824, the Village boundaries of Puttenham were walked by various parishioners and this record has survived within the confines of the Poor Law records. The date the boundaries were walked was the 9th April 1824 and I can see that several of my Budd ancestors walked. Richard Budd along with others. They were joined at Pond Head by Richard Budd (Richard Budd's father) and George Budd.

The Curate of Puttenham was a curious and interesting chap, by the name of Charles Kerry. During the time he was Curate, Kerry recorded all sorts of details about the parish, its parishioners and various other historical details in a series of manuscripts. The manuscripts have survived and were returned to Kerry's home County of Derbyshire upon his death. Surrey Records Centre have a microfilmed copy of them and I am lucky enough to have photocopies of the manuscripts.

Here is an example of one of the gems, from within the manuscripts


What is wonderful about this pedigree, written by Kerry is the incidental facts that it mentions. Facts that would otherwise be completely unknown to me and fellow researchers. William Budd is recorded as having been bitten by a snake when he put his hand into a rabbit hole. As a result of the bit, William became crippled. Kerry tells us that he attended Sarah Budd (nee Chalcraft) during her last illness and that Richard Budd, my direct ancestor had a fine tenor voice. I can confirm that sometime in the last couple of hundred years, the fine singing voice has been lost within the family! Who says the dead don't speak?

There might be diaries left by land owners, or jotting parishioners? Perhaps people that do not relate to your specific ancestry, but whose lives would have co existed with ancestors. Are your ancestors written within those pages? 

There are so many places to explore within the parish archives, that perhaps go beyond the official records of the time. Did you ancestor pay a tithe? Did the land owner hold lands in nearby Parishes or Counties? Are there diaries, papers and manuscripts of people in those parishes? Have there been books written about your ancestral parish? If so, look through the bibliography as that might reveal a document or a source that has not been looked at.

What treasures exist in your ancestral parishes?

Beyond the Internet: Week 9 – Baptisms, Banns and Burials

Continuing the weekly theme, inspired by Family History Across the Seas

Civil Registration in the UK did not begin until 1837 and even then that is not a absolute certainty that you are going to find the person you are seeking. Victorians were uncomfortable with sharing data for the Civil Registration and therefore some did not comply.

Beyond that attention must be turned to the Parish. Have records survived? and how much further you can research will vary parish to parish. Sometimes, it is necessary to look at the parish in a wider context.

My family were in the village of Puttenham Surrey from around 1724. We know this from the Church Records, with a Baptism of Martha Budd in 1724 which reads daughter of Henry and Martha "First of the Budd's". That indicates that the Budd's were elsewhere prior to 1724 and this is confirmed in the church records. Certainly the marriage of Henry and Martha is not in Puttenham, it was found in the parish of Chertsey in 1723, which was the bride's place of birth.

On seeking a birth place for Henry I used a map and gradually searched each and every parish within a 5 then 10 mile radius. Given the proximity to the border with Hampshire I concurred that he came from the parish of Binsted and was born 1699, but I can not prove that this is "my Henry" on that there was a Henry in Binsted in 1699. Sometimes, there is a gut feeling that what documentation is found is not actually correct. I added a tentative Henry born circa 1699 to my working model tree, along with a question mark and carried on researching.

A chance posting on a mailing list mentioned a Henry Budd in a nearby parish to Puttenham. In reviewing my notes with a map realised that I had overlooked the records for Shackleford, a village a few miles across the fields. Shackleford is linked to Peper Harrow and the survival of records prior to 1837 is scanty. I have since established that a Henry Budd in 1720 was in Elstead, (another local village within walking distance), witnessing a marriage. I have also established that a Henry Budd was living in Shackleford, at a house called Cobblers in 1720. My gut feeling tells me that this is my Henry, but I need further proof to confirm this.

In this instance, it is important to look beyond the immediate Parish Records for that named person, perhaps your ancestor like mine appears on a parish record as a witness to someone else's happy day.

Hugh Wallis's fabulous and very useful set of links relating to the various parishes within Family Search is invaluable.

The details for Puttenham Surrey are available HERE. It is also worth checking if there is a One Place Study for a particular parish via the Index site HERE and some parishes are covered by the relevant County On line Parish Clerk Scheme. These have been rather usefully linked into the One Place Study site.

Beyond the Internet: Week 8 - Certificates

Continuing the weekly theme, inspired by Family History Across the Seas.

The early marriage certificate featured below, is the marriage of Richard BUD, who is my 4 x Great Grandfather.  Richard married Sarah Kemp in Stoke Next Guildford on 21st July 1796. This record was copied from the early church records which have been filmed by the Church of Latter Day Saints.

What is truly wonderful is that I can see the writing of Richard and his sister Elizabeth. Guildford was only about 5 miles from Guildford and was a bigger market town than nearby Godalming. It was also Sarah Kemp's parish. After the wedding Richard and Sarah returned to Puttenham where they raised their family.

Once Civil Registration came into force in 1837, the amount of data a certificate increases as you can see here, from the Marriage certificate of my Great Aunt in 1902, Edith Matthews to Charles Jelley.




Whilst the Certificates can provide details on the name of the father, perhaps the witnesses give a clue to family members, or the address. Even the occupation, nothing can be assumed to be 100% correct. In this case, it does not reflect that Edith and Charles had met whilst he recovered from an injury in the Boer War. So, whilst he perhaps was a labourer, he should have put soldier, as he was not discharged from the Army until June 1902.

Across the border into Scotland and the certificates provide much, much more information. In 2010, I accompanied my husband to register the death of his father. The registrar asked for details of my late father in law's occupation and that of his wife and any previous wife's. Had my sister in law registered the death she would not have provided accurate details and my mother in law would have had a an absolute fit at being asked for details of his first wife, whether she was deceased or not.  I should mention that clearly on the certificate it states that failure to provide correct information is subject to a £1,000 fine. Having registered the death we were issued with a small certificate, free of charge, which gives next to nothing in regard to genealogical data (this is the same in England). We paid for a full certificate.

Beyond the Internet: Week 7 and the days of the old school yard.

Do you remember having school photographs taken about yearly? I do and still have my photographs that were taken of the whole school year.

I remember watching Mum writing the Christmas cards to my Aunts and enclosing one of the small photos of me from School. When my Aunt died a few years ago we came across a set of school photos of myself and my cousins. Happy memories!

My senior school has formed a Alumni Society. I became aware of it a few years ago via Friends Reunited, where the groups seems rather active. They also have a Facebook page. They have recently starting sending out newsletters by email and I noticed today on the website there was a few I had missed, so I caught up on my reading. The was a summer reunion of all pupils last year, which I missed as it clashed with our holiday, but I have plans to attend this year and am looking forward to it.

The girls shirts were apple green. Gosh they were dreadful. As each year pupils around the age of 16, left or moved into the 6th form, we watched in envy as the girls had messages written on their green shirt of that final day. At last it was my turn and whilst I carried on into the sixth form I still had my shirt written on by friends and teachers. I still have my shirt and the badge which I removed from the blazer.

I do not recall any year books being published, but perhaps they were. I have shared some of my school photos via Facebook with friends from those days. One could even remember when the senior photograph was taken - very impressive!

Beyond the Internet Week 6: School administration records

A few years ago I was researching a suburb of Guildford called Merrow. The area is situated on the outskirts of Guildford and was the home to some of my Elstone ancestors.  The records centre was then based at Guildford and when I called for some of the Parish Registered for Merrow it arrived with some of the school records. I went through the school records and made notes for all the related surnames. I still have those notes I made that day and from following visits. I suspect that I may transcribe what Merrow information I have and place it upon a blog in the future.

What does sadden me is that whilst I have those details for a more distant relative I have no references to my Grandmother's school years at St Nicholas School. I know that my Grandmother left the school when she was 14, in 1926. I know nothing of my Grandfather's school years, in fact now I think of it I don't know where he went to school and despite the series of notebooks of questions and answers to my Grandfather's sisters, all now deceased, I still don't know. It was a question that I never asked.

In Surrey, during the 1950s a two school system was operated. My Mum went to Sandfield Primary and then onto Stoke Secondary School. There are no school photographs, but Mum's school reports have all survived.
By the time I went into the education system in Surrey in the mid 1970s there was a three tiered system. I like Mum, went to Sandfield Primary, then Holy Trinity Middle School and finally Guildford County School. From my School days I have rather a lot of information including some that I had forgotten I had!

From my school days I have every school report. This photo shows the reports from my first two schools.

Reports from  my Senior school, Guildford County were presented in a small booklet format with an apple green cover on the front. I still have those, but they are in a box that I can not reach!

Guildford County issued pupils with commendations at the end of each term. Here is a photo of all mine!

I also have the programme for Prize Giving Presentation and for my success in the Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme. I still have the little green book and badges also awarded to me. I had forgotten about those, but now recall they are with the County school reports

I really enjoyed this week's prompt. A trip down memory lane and sad wishes of questions that I wished I had asked.

Beyond the Internet Week 5: Off to Schools

I can remember starting school, just before my 5th birthday and knowing how to write my name and read. I was greatly encouraged by my Mum and my Grandmother. I have wonderful memories of sitting on my Grandmother's knee and her reading to me. 

I went to the same primary school as my Mum. We were even taught by the same teacher. My Grandmother went to a church school. One of the things on my to do list is to seek the school records and see what I can establish. One of the things my Grandmother told me that that her Mother had a cousin who was a school inspector. He would call and say "Mrs Matthews, I am here to discuss....." My Great Grandmother would always apparently interject and say "What have my boys been up to now....."

On reflection, I don't know I have waited so long to find the school records, and now on remembering this I really ought to try and establish just who this cousin was.

Inspired by Family History Across the Seas

Beyond the Internet Week 4: Donations and Subscriptions

I can not recall where I have found any evidence that my family made a donation to a public subscription. So I shall use a modern example.

A few years ago, I found on line a reference made to an ancestor - William Arthur West. William had been in the Army and was stationed in what was known at the time as Zulu land. His wife accompanied him. While in South Africa his wife passed away and is the only white female buried in the cemetery. 

The reference I found on line was in relation to the Rotary Club for the town where William lived in England with his second wife after he left the army. The Rotary Club had links to the town in South Africa where William's first wife was buried. As you might expect, modern provisions and schooling in the local area is not brilliant. I had reciprocated the details with the Rotary Club about William and when I sent off the CD of data for their archives enclosed a cheque in memory of William and his first wife. The Rotary Club has strong links with the local community and has provided financial assistance in relation to the school and running water. 

A second modern example is The Families for Genealogists Project organised by Judy Webster. I joined the team back in October and knew that I wanted to contribute, but I also wanted my contributions to mean something. My first loan was made in December in memory of my Grandmother's 99th Birthday and I plan to commemorate various family events during the year. To join the project click HERE.

Beyond the Internet Week 3: Houses wrapped in red tape.

I stood in the archives building, in the days of when Surrey Archives were divided between Guildford and Kingston. I had called for a document - I can't even recall what it was. I waited, not exactly patiently. You know how it is, you get a thought flowing and the document has to be NOW! While I was waiting, I went over to the huge index cabinet. A lovely wooden unit, within each draw a metal rod which held the index cards.

I flicked through to the surname of Butcher and meandered through the forenames. I got to John and read the card. I am sure my heart stopped beating. On the card in front of me read "John Butcher 1877 house documents". The archivist returned with my request. I saw the look of irritation as I said, do you think I could order this please? and presented him with a request slip. He placed the archive I had originally requested on the table and took the slip from me. 

I read through the document in front of me and made various notes. When he returned with my new found treasure I ordered a copy of the original document and started looking and absorbing the new document. In front of me was the details of my 3 x Great Grandfather John Butcher (1795 - 1877). 

The document was actually a series of papers. Held together by a dark pink ribbon. The ribbon and documents had a musty smell and were faintly dusty, but I didn't care. I undid the ribbon and read the note that accompanied the documents. The details it revealed was that the documents had been found at Wonersh post office and had been submitted to the museum for general keeping. Interesting. I wonder why?

The documents revealed John's will including the original envelope. 

Envelope containing the will of John Butcher
Surrey Archives PSH/WON/20/19

It identified that the house that had been left to him by his father would in turn pass to son Henry. I descended from John's son Charles. It also revealed what I had already established. John had been illegitimate. Born to James Butcher and Sarah Woolgar in 1795. In 1801 James and Sarah would marry and in 1802 they had another son Thomas. Thomas was recognised as James legitimate heir to his father's estate. John inherited a cottage in Wonersh Street and a few hundred pounds. 

There were a series of other documents -  I ordered copies of the lot. There was a strange sentence within the documents - "A son born of blood". An indication that John was indeed the son of James Butcher. His birth is recorded as John Woolgar, but he spent the rest of his life, as was indeed his right as John Butcher. It does seems sad, that until the end, despite his parents marrying he was in fact illegitimate.

Inspired by Family History Across the Seas

Beyond the Internet Week 2: Ancestral homes and their history

One part of my family owned a great deal of property. Some was passed down through lines of direct descent, others through childless Aunts and Uncles. Nonetheless, the family had property and that means that somewhere there will be some documentary evidence, which is good news for a researcher.

The Butcher family were well known in Surrey. My several times Great Grandfather Daniel Butcher owned with his brother Richard a property in Guildford High Street that traded as a pub called The Nags Head. The building still exists, no longer a pub, but trades as a retail shop. There is much more research to be done on this part of the family and specifically the building that was owned by the family. Other documentation reveals that a branch of the family owned a farm called Scotlands which is in the village of Bramley, about 5 miles from Guildford.  Ironically, about 20 years ago I knew the lady who owned and farmed at the same farm. Whilst I knew her, I didn't like to be too familiar and ask her to look a the deeds. With hindsight, I wish I had!

Moving onto more recent times. My Grandmother was born in a specific road in Guildford. After her parents died my Grandmother went to live with her older sister. After she married in 1939 her and my Grandfather rented a property in Guildford and in 1940 they returned to the road of my Grandmother's birth where they spent the rest of their lives. I have the rent books from 1940 up until the mid 1990s. This particular road has been a source of interest to me and I now have a small archive of documents relating to it.

About 16 years ago my husband and I met up with a distant Australian cousin of mine. She and her husband were on a research and holiday to the UK and naturally she wanted to visit the rural parish were out Ellis family originated. My branch of the family moved two miles to Puttenham, the village that is the subject of my One Place Study, and her family migrated in the mid 1850s to Geelong Victoria. We managed to locate the address of Church Street and was standing outside the house that her family had lived in. We decided to ring the bell and speak to the occupier. Now, there is nothing like having an accent and asking to take photos, its a bit like it okay to say hello to strangers if you are walking a dog, if there is no dog and you say hello it seems odd! So, we rang the bell and waited. We had just thought that no one was home when the door was answered by a very elderly lady. We explained who we were and our quest and mentioned the photo. Next thing the door was opened and we were invited in. The lady had lived there with her husband and was at the time widowed, of course, I expect that she has since passed away, but she allowed us to take photos of the inside and outside of her house and we snapped away, including one of the then occupant. I do have a photo or two of the events of that day, but they are tucked away in the study and a rather large box of files - a result of the filing process of another blog post and I can not reach them!

In the absence of having photographs taken at the time of our ancestral links to a particular parish, the next best thing is postcards produced at the time. Over the last 20 odd years I have collated an archive of the parishes around the Guildford area that perhaps have specific reference to my ancestry. I launched a small project, for my own amusement last October, whereby I share a postcard a day. You can see them HERE

This postcard is one of my favourites. It shows the Church where I was christened, as was my Mother and maternal Grandmother. This same Church is also where several of my Aunts married in the 1930s.

Postcard from my Guildford and District Collection

Blog theme Inspired by Family History Across the Sea

Beyond the Internet Week 1: Church interiors

On the very first visit I made to Puttenham in Surrey I just knew I belonged. There was a feeling of completeness.

I walked up the main isle of the church towards the alter and stopped and sat down at one of the pews. Had my ancestors sat in that very spot?

I walked along towards the windows and looked at the stained glass. So vibrant with the sunlight bursting through.

I then looked at the various plaques littered indiscriminately on the walls.

Upon the plaques were the names of people that I had seen in the Parish Records and upon the Census. I remember being so excited I could have burst!

I then walked up to the font. How many ancestors had been Baptised at this very font? I could, time and fingers allowing have worked it out. My earliest known ancestor was Baptised at this font in 1724. This photograph was taken in 2004 - 280 years after that first Baptism.

What struck me as I stood at that font was the powerfulness of it. In years gone by parents would have struggled from their meagre earnings to have the money to pay for their child to be Baptised. There would have been no hesitation. The money would have been found.

So on that day in 2004 I remember telling Stuart exactly how I felt on that very first visit. The feelings of excitement, wonder, completeness. He didn't exactly say I was obsessed, but he did show me a particular look just before his eyes glazed over.

My fascination of the Village has not gone away. I host a One Place Study for the Village and during 2012 the Puttenham Archives that I hold will be placed upon their very own blog. I also need to up date the photographs including taking some of the stained glass windows.

Inspired from Family History Across the Seas.