Family History Fun
Friday, 18 July 2025
Friday, 11 July 2025
Relax with a Convivial Drink - Sepia Saturday
Raise your glasses with a convivial drink is this week's popular theme from Sepia Saturday's prompt photograph. Some fresh images from me alongside favourites from past blogs.
With work colleagues after a hard day at a training conference.
I took this photograph in a cafe bar
in Munich Square, in Bavaria, Germany. The two men looked so genial
sitting there with their huge beer tankards. Combined with the sign,
this seemed such a good photograph to take to typify the Bavarian scene.
Meanwhile we were indulging in a drink and "kuche" - (cakes).
Here raise your German Beer Stein!
This ornate one, with a pewter lid is decorated in the Bavarian
colours of blue and white. And yes - it was bought as a holiday
souvenir.
We enjoyed the good life in Bavaria and Austria and loved to eat outdoors (not a regular occurrence in Scotland!) , visiting beer gardens and Konditorei - the equivalent of a French patisserie with absolutely delicious cakes and pastries.

The Cafe/Konditorei Zauner, founded in
1832 in the spa town of Bad Ischl, Austria. It more than met my expectations of
an elegant, old fashioned Viennese style cafe.
Below - another invitation to indulge with a cream cake, coffee or hot chocolate.
Celebrate the grape - with this wall mural on an inn in Austria.


Or have a drink with this fellow in a restaurant in France.

Or follow the signs for the Beacon Hill pub in Boston
that inspired the TV programme launched in 1982.
Much nearer to home - visit the old Black Bull Inn in my home village of Earlston in the Scottish Borders.



Enjoy a dram! A sign painted by my father-in-law, who was a painter & sign-writer in Edinburgh .
I have only one truly vintage photograph that relates to this week's topic - and one that has featured before on my blog.
This is the only photograph I have of my great grandfather James Danson (1852-1906), the bearded figure on the left, sitting
merrily in the ancient stocks at Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire. By all accounts of his
family, he was a bit of a ne'er do well, but clearly having fun in what
could well be a staged photograph.
And finally - James great great great granddaughter enjoying her mug of milk.
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Friday, 4 July 2025
An Array of Arches - Sepia Saturday
This week’sSepia Saturday prompt picture shows a street busy with
traffic, but my eye was caught by the striking arch above advertising nearby theatres. So take an historical journey through an array of arches down the centuries.

An archway across Carnaby Street in central London. Just off the
thoroughfares of Oxford Street and Regent Street, it became in the
1960's the centre of "Swinging London" with its pedestrian area of small
boutiques and cafe culture.

The graceful late 18th century bridge spanning the Leader Water links the neighbouring estates of Carolside and Leadervale, neqr Earlston in the Scottish Borders.
"The Statistical Account of Scotland" of 1834 gives us a beautiful description of Carolside.
"The Statistical Account of Scotland" of 1834 gives us a beautiful description of Carolside.
"Poised on a green plateau beside the River Leader and sheltered by surrounding slopes of its own extensive woodlands, as a sweet and secure asylum from the toils and troubles of the world'."
How could that final phrase not but apply to us today?
A fine row of arches in the gardens of Abbotsford House, Melrose, once the home of Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). He was a noted Scottish novelist, poet, historian and collector of Border ballads. His home is now a popular visitor attraction.

The
bridge over the River Tweed marks the boundary between Scotland and
England and opened in 1767, built at a cost of £6000 - £725,000 in
current values. (www.measuringworth.com). It was paid for by a government grant, local
subscriptions and loans from Edinburgh Banks, to be paid back from the
bridge tolls.
But
Coldstream
Bridge Tollhouse at the north end of the bridge, was more than just the
location for collecting taxes. For it was akin to Gretna Green towards
the west as the location for a Scottish "Irregular
Marriage". This was in
the form of a verbal declaration by the couple
giving their consent before
witnesses and did not require a clergyman, but anyone who took on the role for
a fee. No notice, such as banns, was required, no parental consent and no residency requirement. Such marriages were valid in Scotland but
were increasingly frowned upon and became less
and less acceptable.
In
the meantime, however, many English couples in particular, eloped
to places just across the Border, to
escape the stricter English marriage laws and obtain a quick, easy and cheaper
marriage.
It was on the bridge that Scottish bard Robert Burns had his first glimpse of England, as marked by a plaque. (Wikipedia)
It was on the bridge that Scottish bard Robert Burns had his first glimpse of England, as marked by a plaque. (Wikipedia)

The Scottish Borders is a region steeped in history with four ruined abbeys built in the
12th century, and in the Middle ages, it saw years of Anglo- Scottish in warfare and border raids. The ruins of castles and towers bear witness to this turbulent period, many with arches a feature of their architecture.

Hermitage Castle, near Hawick century. Built in the 13th century on the Scotish-English Border, it witnessed murder and mayhem. Once a stronghold of the Douglas family, William Douglas imprisoned and starved to death Sir Alexander Ramsey. In 1566 Mary Queen of Scots rode across the moors from Jedburgh to visit James Bothwell,wounded in a raid. Soon after he became her third husband - and set in train the events that led to her execution.
Jeburgh Abbey was one of four Border Abbeys established in the 12th century by King David 1 of Scotland. Lying only 10 miles
north of the Border, the abbey was repeatedly sacked by English forces,
most notably in 1544 when the Earl of Hertford's army raided the region
in what was known as the "Rough Wooing" - an attempt by Henry VIII to
enforce the marriage of the young Mary Queen of Scots to his son, the
future Edward VI. After the Protestant Reformation
in 1560, the monks were allowed to stay, but the abbey was used for a
long time as the parish kirk for the reformed religion until a new
parish church was built in 1871.

Three miles from my home is Leaderfoot Viaduct spanning the 90 mile long River Tweed near its junction with one
of its many tributaries - the Leader Water. The viaduct, built to carry the Berwickshire Railway, stands 116
feet above the river bed and each of its 19 arches has a 43 foot span.
The railway bridge opened in 1865 with the last train running over it
just a hundred years later. when the line was closed

Hundy
Mundy - an 18th century Gothic folly at Mellerstain, near Kelso, built
by William Adam, the famous architect who also designed Mellerstain
House.

A bridge with family connections - my brother standing in front of the cast iron arched Ironbridge in Shropshire, where our father spent his childhood. It was the first ironbridge built In 1799 and often described as "the birthplace of the English Industrial Revolution. It is now a World Heritage Site. My grandfather walked for 35 minutes each day to cross the bridge to get to his work at the Coalbrookdale Power House.

This photographs comes from my father's album. During the Second World War, he served in the RAF Codes & Ciphers Branch and was seconded to General Bradley’s US 12th Army Group
HQ. He was
stationed in Luxembourg in winter 1944 prior to the Battle of the
Bulge. Dad had fond memories of the city and the people he met
there. The
Bridge, here built between 1900 and 1903, became an unofficial national
symbol, representing Luxembourg's independence and was named after
Grand Duke Adolphe who reigned Luxembourg from 1890 until 1905.

I love photographing decorative details on buildings and here is an arch pattern on the entrance gate to Floors Castle, Kelso.
. 

London and the gateway into St.James' Park, near Buckingham Palace.

From a city to the countrywide and an archway of trees near my home.
And Finally

Image from Wikipedia.
Sheet music cover of the popular music hall song "Underneath the Arches" written by Bud Flanagan in 1932 with many artistes recording it since.
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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity
to share their family history through photograph
Click HERE to see more of this week's tales from
Sepia Saturday bloggers.

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Friday, 27 June 2025
Lads in Short Trousers - Sepia Saturday
This weeks’s Sepia Saturday prompt picture is of a young boy in shrrt trousers. I have quite a collection of vintage images from the turn of the 19th-20th century to more recent times.
In the first half of the 20th century, for boys the main fashion characteristic was short trousers, worn whatever the weather, with knee length socks. Boys did not go into long trousers until the age of around 13-14 - something of a rite of passage. I remember this upgrade with my brother in the 1950s.
The note on the back of this photograph says "Arthur in his first pair of trousers", c.1910. This wording referred to the fact it was the custom to have baby boys in dresses - see below - though I thought the practice had died out by the early 1900s. Arthur was my cousin's father.
Young Athur looking none too happy posed in his tartan dress, reflecting his Scottish heritage - his grandfather was born on the Scottish northernmost island of Unst in the Shetland Isles.
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Harry Rawcliffe Danson, (my Uncle Harry), born 1912 |
Harry's middle name came from his grandmother Maria Danson, nee Rawcliffe. This
is a section of a larger family photograph taken in 1916 when his father William Danson went off
to war in Flanders. 24 years later Harry survived the Battle of Dunkirk. He retained his good dark looks all his life.
My husband's uncle Matthew Iley White, born 1915.
Photograph taken by T. W. H. Liddle, Photographer, South Shields.
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Frederick Henry Weston (my Uncle Fred), born 1905. in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire |
This
photograph came to me via a connection of my cousin and is one of the very few early photographs I have of my
father's Weston family. The story was that photographs were thrown out following a death. What a crime!
In
the 1911 census the Weston family were living in Lunt Lane, Lunt
Gardens, Bilston, Wolverhampton in the industrial English Midlands. A
photograph in Wolverhampton Archives indicated that Lunt Lane was the
location of the Bilston Sewers - so not exactly garden country.
Surely
Fred must have been dressed up for a special occasion in this fancy
coat and white socks and big hat? Unfortunately there is no longer
anyone alive from the immediate family to ask.

A
photograph from my husband's family collection - but he does not know
who it is. The only clue - it was taken by a photographer in South
Shields, County Durham. The guess is, it could be his grandmother's half
brother - Robert William Hibbert, born in 1896.
The sailor suit was a uniform traditionally worn by enlisted seamen
in the navy, characterized by its distinctive collar. It gained popularity and
developed into a popular clothing style as worn by the children of Queen Victoria and the Russian royal family.
Arthur Smith again in his sailor suit - and what a wonderful mop of curls,
![]() |
Taken by ? Watson, 13 Wellington Terrace, Blackpool.
A photograph from the large collection left by my Great Aunt
Jennie Danson, who grew up in Poulton-le-Fylde, near Blackpool, Lancashire. She had
written names on the back, but otherwise little is known about them. I
suspect they are the children of friends, and taken around 1918. I was unable to make much
headway in searching for the surnames in the 1911 census.

Onto the 1950s. My brother, looking very angelic, in short trousers bar
sandals and short white socks. I am all dressed up with my hair in
ringlets, for taking part in Staining Gala, near Blackpool,.
Lancashire.

A family group of my parents with m aunt Fran, with my little brother in his shorty trousers. I have my plaits tied up over my head Austrian style.

My husbad in his winter coat. with short trousers hidden.

Warm enough for icecream - but husband still dressed in his pullover and jacket over short trousers.

My cousin Stuart with his sister and how angelic they look, with their blond locks obviously inherited from their father Arthur (see above). I remember my brother wearing similar short trousers held up by straps.
Adapted from an earlier post
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Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity
to share their family history through photograph
Click HERE to see more of this week's tales from
Sepia Saturday bloggers.

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Thursday, 12 June 2025
A "Must Have" Man's Accessory - A Pocket Watch: Sepia Saturday
A
miner, a ship's riveter, a general labourer, two business men, a group
of schoolboys and a station bookstall manager - all feature in my post
for this week’s Sepia Saturday challenge. What is the link? They are
all wearing pocket watches on a chain.
This
week's Sepia Saturday prompt photograph shows a man, formally dressed, standing across the wall of a house, with a chair nearby - well, I did "chairs" the other week My eye caught the
pocket watch chain that the man was wearing, so I turned to my family
collection to see what I could find.
Pocket watches were invented in the 16th century and were the most common type of watch until the First World War and the introduction of wrist watches. They generally had an attached chain so they could be secured to a waistcoat, lapel or belt loop. The casements varied from brass to gold, so they appealed to a range of budgets. Pocket watches were often a prized family possession, passed down through the generations.
I remember my grandfather wearing one on a Sunday with his best suit -
but unfortunately I do not have any photograph of him wearing it.
From the extended family of my cousin:
The period 1917-1918 was a tragic time for Edward, with sons Percy and William killed in the First World War; the death of his wife and of his daughter Lilian. Edward died in 1922, aged 65.
The photograph above of William Dower and his wife Jesse was taken in 1913 when they visited Jesse’s sister in Blackpool, Lancashire.
I was lucky to get this photograph from an Ancestry contact and it is the oldest photograph we have of my husband's ancestors.
And Finally - photographs from my Danson family collection of my great uncle George Danson (1884-1916).
Edward Henry Coombs(1857-1922) was the great grandfather of my cousin' s wife. In 1879 Edward married 19 year old Ann Elizabeth Shaw and in 18 years, they had a large family of 10 children. He was foounder of Coomb Bros - a wholesale brocery business and manufacture of sweets and jams in Essex.
The period 1917-1918 was a tragic time for Edward, with sons Percy and William killed in the First World War; the death of his wife and of his daughter Lilian. Edward died in 1922, aged 65.
As you can see from this photograph, Edward was an extremely big man, said to take up two seats on a bus - and his pocket watch is very evident in this photoraph.
Anna Holt and Charles Oldham (c.1861-1937)
Charles Oldham was brother of my cousin's great grandfather Joseph Prince Oldham (1855-1917). Born in Blackpool, he
joined the family business and in the 1891 census was described as a
self-employed coal merchant. But by 1901 he had had a complete change of
both address and occupation, setting up a mineral water manufacturing
business in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Looking here very much like a
serious businessman, and wearing his pocket watch and chain.

Wiiliam Dower (1837-1919) and his wife, Jesse Edward.
Jesse who was sister to my cousin's great grandmother, married William
Dower, born in Banchory, Aberdeenshire. William worked as a joiner
before training as a minister of the church. He was appointed as a Wesleyan Missionary in South Africa and he and his new wife Jesse set sail there in 1865.
In
March 1870, William and Jesse set out on an ox wagon journey to East
Griqualand and the town of Kokstad, where he was asked to take on
the role of pastor. William helped build both his own home and the church there. He went on to write a definitive history of the area in "The early annals of Kokstad and Griqualand East".
The photograph above of William Dower and his wife Jesse was taken in 1913 when they visited Jesse’s sister in Blackpool, Lancashire.
William died in Africa in 1919 at "Banchory" - his home named after his Scottish birthplace. He left behind a legacy in the country he had come to love and a family who made their mark i many different fields.
William Bailey Bastow - my mother's second cousin.
Elizabeth
Bailey born in Poulton-le Fylde, Lancashire was William's mother. She
married Peter Bastow, a Blackpool stone mason, and they had three
children. But Peter could not have survived much beyond the birth of
his youngest son in 1882, as by 1890 Elizabeth married her second
husband Henry Robinson. In the 1901 census William was described as
stepson, 20 years old and a general labourer.
Here he is dressed formally in the traditional style of waistcoat and pocket watch.
From my husband's family:
Alice Armitage and Matthew Iley White -
my husband's grandparents of South Shields, County Durham.
Matthew
(1886-1956) and Alice (1888-1967) married in 1908 and this photograph
is thought to mark their engagement, with Matthew wearing a watch
chain with the watch itself hidden in his waistcoat pocket.
The
couple had a background of mariners and miners. Matthew, a ship's
riveter, was named after his father Matthew Iley White; his mother
was Louisa Moffat,and both came from a family of seafarers.
Alice
hailed from South Kirby, Yorkshire where her father Aaron Armitage
(1851-1889) was a miner, the eldest of a family of ten children born to
Moses Armitage and Sarah Galloway.
Aaron
aged 36 married 19 year old Sarah Ann Cuthbert in 1887 but within two
years he was dead, leaving fatherless his infant only daughter Alice.
His widow Sarah remarried a year later another miner George Hibbert and
the family moved to the Durham minefields, settling in South Shields.
The 1901 census saw the family there, with Alice now 13 years old with a
step brother Robert and step sister Violet. The two half-sisters
remained close throughout their lives.
Moses Armitage, (1824-1878), Alice's grandfather.
I was lucky to get this photograph from an Ancestry contact and it is the oldest photograph we have of my husband's ancestors.
Moses
was a Yorkshire miner and in 1844 married Sarah Gallaway (1826-1896)
and in the next 20 years between 1845 and 1868 they had 10 children
in Barnsley. It was a hard life both at work and home, and Moses, like his son Aaron, made frequent appearances in the law courts, because of their criminal activity - well recorded in the local press.
And Finally - photographs from my Danson family collection of my great uncle George Danson (1884-1916).
Young George Danson, my great uncle is on the left of this group of boys and three of them are wearing watch chains, yet they look only around 12-13 years old.
George
has featured many times on my blog. He was the youngest of eight
sons of William Danson and Alice English of Poulton-le-Fylde,
Lancashire and worked on railway station bookstalls, run my W.H. Smith.
He served as a stretcher bearer in the First World War and was killed
on the Somme in 1916,. aged just 22.
Is this the same watch - found in a box of Danson memorabilia?
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Adapted from an earlier post published in 2018.
Sepia Saturday gives bloggers an opportunity
to share their family history through photograph

Click HERE to see more of this week's tales from
Sepia Saturday bloggers.
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