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Category: Paternal Family Stories

“Present at the Death”

Charlotte Mayhew (c1816–1899): a silenced life recovered through the records

Natalie Mayhew Charlotte Mayhew (c1816-1899) January 16, 2026January 17, 2026 9 Minutes

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

Natalie Mayhew Henry Mayhew (1812-1881), Priscilla Mayhew (1812-1886) January 13, 2026January 14, 2026 7 Minutes

Discovering the Missing Mayhew Child

A young woman wearing a coat, scarf, and hat is shown in profile with a low light background of terraced streets at dusk

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

Natalie Mayhew Lily Violet Dorothy Mayhew (1907-1942) December 13, 2025December 13, 2025 14 Minutes

The Good Mother

Leah Ellen Mayo (1847–1927) a young widow, navigated poverty, prejudice, and impossible choices - then reinvented herself to keep her family together

Natalie Mayhew Evan William Edward Wackrill aka William Banfield (1870-1940), Leah Mayo (1847-1927) June 11, 2025July 3, 2025 19 Minutes

What’s in a name

Julia Lane? (c.1840–1925): Illiterate but resilient, she rose from famine-era Ireland to hardship in London, through her inner strength and determination

Natalie Mayhew Julia Lane? c1840-1925 April 20, 2025April 20, 2025 17 Minutes

Religious persecution in Suffolk: The 1810 Wickham Market riots

Watercolour painting of The Hill, Wickham Market, flanked by cottages with cows standing around, in the background is a horse and cart with two men chatting. Artist was Grace Hastie c1894

Wickham Market, a historic Suffolk village, faced intense religious conflict in 1810, leading to riots and eventual legal reforms protecting religious freedoms

Natalie Mayhew Michael Mayhew (1777-1855) January 15, 2025January 15, 2025 6 Minutes

The Levens family and Croydon’s bells

Levens family members were key figures in Croydon’s bell ringing tradition, elevating the art over several generations

Natalie Mayhew Allingham Levens (1706-1772), Joseph Levens (1710-1751), Richard Levens (1671-1748), Thomas Levens (1708-1797), Thomas Levens (1748-1805) October 9, 2024October 15, 2024 6 Minutes

Ted Mayhew (1919-1982)

Ted Mayhew (1919-1982): His wartime experiences reflect nearly five years as a POW, enduring brutal conditions, starvation, and the perilous Long March in 1945

Natalie Mayhew Edwin George Albert 'Ted' Mayhew (1919-1982) September 1, 2024February 2, 2026 1 Minute

Ted’s Wartime Journey Begins

Ted Mayhew (1919-1982): His WWII journey began in France, and he survived the breakout from Cassel before being captured

Natalie Mayhew Edwin George Albert 'Ted' Mayhew (1919-1982) July 22, 2024January 30, 2026 22 Minutes

Missing: a Journey From Capture to Captivity

Ted Mayhew (1919-1982): A young soldier's journey from capture to captivity, as his family faces the uncertainty of his fate during the Blitz

Natalie Mayhew Edwin George Albert 'Ted' Mayhew (1919-1982) June 22, 2024January 30, 2026 7 Minutes

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Bailey Baker Banfield Banfield aka Wackrill Barrett Booth Bovill Bowes-Lyon Brevoort Bristow Brock Chaldecott Collingwood Conway-Gordon Coolidge Cooper Cotton Courtauld Daley Dibben Dowman Down Earle Finch Fitzgerald Gibbs Gordon Hall Harvey Hill Irving Kirby Krug Lane? Levens Mayhew Mayo Napier Obee Payne Poulton Rose Saumarez Sheldrake Todd Twohey Wackrill West Whetten

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