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

Lost and Found

Reflecting on family history, and how connections to ancestors and personal discoveries can reveal the impact of the past on our identity and understanding of life

A soldier’s return – the long road back

Ted Mayhew (1919-1982): His post-war struggles reveal the challenges faced by returning POWs, seeking reintegration while coping with trauma and change

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

Two Million Steps: Surviving the Long March of 1945

Ted Mayhew (1919-1982): In January 1945, Ted Mayhew and fellow POWs embarked on a gruelling evacuation march westward amid Europe's harsh winter conditions

Poverty, Place, and Childhood on Hayling Island

Catherine Dibben (1850–1934) early family life in a hardworking yet impoverished rural community, where illness and loss were ever present

Marriage, Mobility, and Motherhood

Catherine Dibben (1850–1934) navigating army life, delayed motherhood, and domestic service, she developed skills, patience, and resilience that would later shape her career

Raising Children in a Changing World

Catherine Dibben (1850–1934) gacing displacement and relentless domestic work, she relied on ingenuity, thrift, and endurance to keep her household afloat