Childhood meals remembered through everyday food, family habits and changing tastes - a glimpse into domestic life in the past
A Smörgåsbord of Food Memories
Author: Natalie Mayhew
Originally a London girl, now living in Rochester, Kent. Fascinated by social history and passionate about equality, diversity and inclusion
The Man Who Bent New York’s Broadway
Henry Brevoort (1747–1841) resisted change, influencing Manhattan's layout while practicing Native American folk medicine
“Present at the Death”
Charlotte Mayhew (c1816–1899): a silenced life recovered through the records
Twins and the Paths of Poverty and Prosperity
Henry Mayhew (1812-1881) and Priscilla Mayhew (1812–1886): born together, lives apart - twins in an age of change
A Woman of Her Own Making
Catherine Dibben (1850-1934) rose from a poor Hayling Island childhood to running a successful boarding house and inspiring four generations of women
Discovering the Missing Mayhew Child
Lily Violet Dorothy Mayhew (1907–1942) vanished from the records as a baby, only to re-emerge as a young woman whose life was shaped by loss, work, and war
The Weight of Silence
A detour through Staffordshire leads to a profound encounter with history, humanity, and remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum.
Each Name a Story: The Lives Behind a Forgotten War Memorial
Fifteen young men, lost too soon, rediscovered from a forgotten Second World War memorial in Rochester. These are stories of courage, sacrifice, and the people behind the names
Luck of the Irish
Joseph Twohey (c1838–1913) an Irish-born soldier whose career spanned Crimea, India, and near-miraculous survival, honoured with Hayling’s first military funeral
A Ruptured Life
James Twohey (1794-1866) an Irishman who served with the British Army and endured hardship in India before being discharged through injury
