Fenland Family History Society Journal No. 53 Spring 2021 Ag. Lab. Chronicles Member of the Federation of Family History Societies President Journal Editor The Rev Canon Wim Zwalf Susanah Farmer 18-19 South Brink Honorary Vice-President WISBECH PE13 1JQ Bridget Hunter 01945 580239 [email protected] Society Officers Bookshop Chairman P & B Thrupp Susanah Farmer [email protected] [email protected] Secretary MI Queries Co-ordinator Peter Hunter [email protected] [email protected] /Registers Co-ordinator Treasurer Ron Holmes Chris Swaine Other Committee Members: [email protected] Margaret Lake, Malcolm Bailey, Pat North, Beric Thrupp Committee members with special responsibilities Advertising Ratesce Library Barbara Holmes Membership Secretary & members’ FullBlack Page Bear Lane,£24.00 Walsoken Interests WISBECHHalf page PE13£12.00 2RU Leanne Bailey 01945Quarter 5 page £6.00 59 Westmark KING’S LYNN PE30 4RQ 10% discount for three consecutive 01553 771961 issues (one year). [email protected] Please submit copy to the Treasurer, Chris Swaine Programme [email protected] P Thrupp & C Swaine at least 21 days before the copy [email protected] deadline. The Society takes no responsibility for the quality of services offered, and members respond to adverts at their own risk. Editorial First journal of a new year … we should be looking forward to Thursday evening talks, maybe a few problems with bad weather, perhaps even planning for a Family & Local History Day. Instead, we are still feeling the effects and restrictions of Covid. Luckily, our members seem to have been busy with the family research and sent articles for inclusion in the journal, so please enjoy the fruits of their labours. We have to be grateful for the amount of information available online (if you have access to the web). It is worth searching out information resources that have become free to access at home due to the enforced lockdown. Our local library service (Cambridgeshire Libraries), and also Lincolnshire Libraries, are offering the library version of Ancestry, and Norfolk libraries have Find My Past (if you log in with your library account). The National Archives are allowing you to access digitized records free; as are some other major institutions. Have a look to see what other special offers are out there. You never know your luck, it may have that information you have been looking for (even if not, it’s a good way to get distracted for hours on end). I had an unexpected end to 2020, I started a new job! Having taken early retirement in 2019 I was hoping to do a bit of travelling (maybe even track down some of those parish registers in the West Country to sort out ancestral queries). However, a memo from the Cambridgeshire Association for Local History noting a vacancy in the library service caught my eye. Long story short, I applied and was successful and so am now the County Local Studies Librarian for Cambridgeshire. Quite a responsibility following in the footsteps of such as Mike Petty! If you have any comments, suggestions, proposals, for resources you would like to see added to the library service I’d love to hear them (can’t promise to deliver but will do my best; as the users, you are best placed to review what’s what). I am looking forward to the library being fully open again (I hope all local residents are aware Cambridgeshire Libraries are currently running a click and collect selection service), and perhaps working on joint projects with the Society. This edition has a collection of Hellos from members – a virtual group hug until we meet again. Copy deadline for the next issue – 1 July 2021 Susanah Farmer [email protected] Fenland Family History Society 1 www.fenlandfhs.org.uk Ag. Lab. Chronicles No. 53 Contents PAGE Editorial 1 Cover details: Mr V Pitbey 2 Chairman’s Chat 3 Fenland FHS meetings 4 A Wisbech Divorce 4 Members’ Stories - Snow wedding: Hazel Tachtatzis 5 Members’ Stories - Dr Who: Martin Thompson 7 Members’ Stories - Martin Thompson Family Research 8 Members’ Stories - The Tilneys: Stuart Tilney 10 Members’ Stories - Not a lot of people know that by Bev Friend 12 The Genealogist release of IR58 (Lloyd George Domesday) 13 Members’ Stories - An Orkney family story: Bridget Hunter 14 Cover details continued 15 Staff College Batch of 1896 16 Book Choice 18 Hello from members 19 Thrulines: a worked example – Susanah Farmer 22 Fenland FHS Wordsearch 29 Crossword 30 Bounders – Bridget Hunter 32 Christmas marriages King’s Lynn, 1934 33 BMD 1813 34 BMD 1827 36 Promotions and Events 41 Computer Research Sessions 42 Bookshop 43 Membership – how to join 47 Answers 48 Cover: Mr V Pitbey of Albert Street, Wisbech – or is it? If any members can prove Mr and Mrs Pitbey existed, I would love to hear from you. Continued on page 13 Fenland Family History Society 2 www.fenlandfhs.org.uk Chairman’s Chat, Spring 2021 Hard to believe it has been a year since our journal happily listed the forthcoming talks for 2020/2021. Hopefully, it will not be too long before ‘normal’ life can resume and our speakers can be re-engaged to educate and entertain us, and we can meet to swap family tales and gossip and reconnect as our society community. In the meantime, if you have access to the internet I can recommend searching out online talks and presentations. Find My Past have a weekly Friday live broadcast on Facebook, and many other useful videos to view: https://www.facebook.com/findmypast/videos Ancestry also has informative videos https://www.facebook.com/AncestryUK/videos The Churches Conservation Trust have a weekly Thursday lunchtime talk (previous talks are available to view) https://www.visitchurches.org.uk/what-we-do/online-lectures.html Perhaps there is a local group relating to an ancestral place that has online offerings at the moment – check it out. The British Association for Local History has a series of ten minute talks on various subjects https://www.balh.org.uk/ten-minute-talks More local is Fascinating Fens, Fen Folks Fridays - a new free zoom group, that meet once a month to share and learn about the fens. https://fascinatingfens.com/fen-folks-friday/ The Wisbech Society has commenced a series of talks via Zoom webinars https://www.wisbech-society.co.uk/events - currently they are free to non-members. You do not need to have a microphone or camera to watch the lecture. Once signed up, a link will be sent to you with instructions to join, or you can watch the live stream on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Wissoc/ The Fenland FHS has not completely shut down – if members have queries or just want to get in touch, please email, or join the Facebook group. If we have access to resources we will help where we can. I am especially grateful to Bridget and Peter Hunter who continue to beaver away in the background helping with enquiries, working on transcription projects, and promoting the society. Susanah Farmer, Chairman Fenland Family History Society 3 www.fenlandfhs.org.uk FENLAND FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY www.fenlandfhs.org.uk MEETINGS (when running again) Our meetings are held on the FOURTH Thursday of each month except August & December. Please remember it is not always the last Thursday of the month! Our meetings are held in Wisbech Library, Ely Place (PE13 1EU) from 7 – 9 p.m. The meeting starts with refreshments, information exchange and social chatting plus the opportunity to research your family history on-line using the libraries free facilities, our experienced researchers will be on hand to help if required; plus our Book Shop and Reference Library. Non-members – a donation of £2 is welcomed. This goes towards the costs of room hire and speaker fees and expenses. As soon as we are able to meet up again members will be informed. I would urge all members to ensure the membership Secretary has a correct, current email address for you so that any last-minute news can be circulated in the most efficient way. Subscriptions ae due on 1 April 2021 Please continue your membership to Fenland FHS. Although we are not meeting in person, there are still activities and standing costs for the society, including the production of this newsletter. ~~~~~~~ Your membership matters ~~~~~~ WISBECH DIVORCE CASE. In the Divorce Division of the High Court of Justice on the 2nd inst., before Mr. Justice Barnes, the case of Hardy v Hardy was heard. The petitioner, Mrs Leah Smith Hardy, formerly of Emneth, near Wisbech, and latterly of Nottingham, sued for a divorce from her husband, Mr. Francis Musgrave Hardy, whose position was not stated, on the ground of cruelty. The suit was undefended. Mr. Priestly appeared for the petitioner, and stated that the parties were married on the 30th July, 1878, at the parish church of Emneth. There had been three children of the marriage. The cruelty complained of began in 1894, and eventually it was found that the respondent had formed a connection with another woman. The petitioner, Mrs. Hardy, gave evidence, and said that in 1894 her husband knocked her with his knee on the back and caused her pain. ln March, 1896, he struck her with his diamond ring and cut her lip. When she spoke to him about his acquaintance, he threw bottle of stout at her. Latterly they had lived in Nottingham. Mrs. Mary Ann Bateman and Mrs. Fanny Smith, sisters of the petitioner, living in Nottingham, gave evidence to corroborate the cruelty. A witness named Harold Green spoke to having watched the petitioner.