GENEALOGICALLY LED HISTORY

I’m unusual in the field of genealogy because, rather than work with clients, I focus my time on high-intensity research projects within a very narrow area of historical interest. I  shed light on untold or mistold stories, using genealogy as a tool to understand how and why people were involved. Of course, we are the ones making history every day through our decisions and behaviour. The deeper our insight into people, the better our understanding of historical events.

My academic background is in Psychology and I’ve also been a professional genealogist for over 25 years. As it turns out, there’s a lot of overlap in the fields. Genealogy is an account of the descent of a family and the information contained in genealogical records enables me to build up a psychological profile. This profile informs my understanding of behaviour, not just at the level of an individual, but also across generations.

My research projects typically take more than three months and hundreds of hours of work to complete. The projects are not financially profitable and to work in the way I do is a labour of love. Offering my research papers via my online shop for a small fee is one way I can recover some of my costs and provide access to my research to the relatively few people who will find value in it. Over my years of genealogical research, I’ve generated hundreds of papers and I am slowly formatting them for digital download. This backlog means I probably release 2 to 3 new papers each month.

As a genealogist, I receive many requests to carry out genealogical research for clients, but I will only consider this if the budget enables me to spend the considerable time and effort needed to dive deep into the subject matter.

EXAMPLES OF PROJECTS

A Genealogically Led History of Dorset Buttony (80 pages)

The author’s 3rd great grandmother, Caroline Case (1798-1847), is a descendant of the ‘Case’ family who set up and operated a significant cottage industry in Dorset manufacturing buttons, colloquially known as ‘Dorset Buttony’. The documentary evidence proves the family’s involvement back to Peter Case (1695-1761), however, there’s a widely shared mythology that suggests Peter’s grandfather, Abraham Case, was the progenitor of the industry in Dorset. In fact, no trace of this individual has been found, and certainly no proof that he was involved in the Dorset button manufacturing industry. This paper, as well as exploring the Case family role in Dorset buttony, attempts to answer the question of whether or not Abraham Case actually existed and, if he did, whether he played the pivotal role that many sources claim for him.

A Genealogically Led History of Crang & Hancock (85 pages)

This is a genealogically led history of a small family of keyboard musical instrument makers from North Devon with whom the author has a direct familial link. John Crang (1710-1774), my 6th great-granduncle, was a well-known keyboard instrument maker and repairer in London. His sister, Joan Crang, my 6th great grandmother, married Henry Hancock and had two sons named John Crang Hancock and James Hancock. Following the premature death of their father, the two boys were apprenticed to their uncle, John Crang, who subsequently set them up in business in London. They both achieved recognition as keyboard instrument makers and repairers.

A Genealogically Led History of John Light Bennett (41 pages)

The author’s granduncle, John Light Bennett (1857-1911), was a direct descendant of the distinguished ‘Pythouse’ Bennett lineage from Wiltshire who were forced to sell their estate to pay fines levied against them by Parliament following the Civil War. John was the descendant of a cadet line whose seat was Hartgrove House, Dorset, until 1865. John grew up supporting his father in the management of their farm, but in 1879 joined the Metropolitan Police as a Constable and, in 1895, was promoted to Chief of the Gibraltar Police. In 1902, Joseph Chamberlain, then Secretary of State for the Colonies, seconded John for special duties in South Africa and he was appointed Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department in Bloemfontein. In 1903 he returned to Gibraltar and his previous role, passing away in 1911.

A Genealogically Led History of Martha Brown (116 pages)

The author’s 3rd great grandfather, George Ridgley (1804-1884), was a farmer and cheese dealer who owned freehold property in Motcombe, Dorset. As a freeholder, he was eligible for jury duty and found himself called to serve at the trial of Martha Brown née Clark. Martha’s first husband, Bernard Bearn, died in 1841 and 11 years later, in 1852, Martha married John Anthony Brown, a man almost 20 years her junior. In 1856 she was found guilty of murdering him and sentenced to be hanged. Despite pleas for clemency, the sentence was carried out on the 9th August 1856 outside Dorchester County Gaol, witnessed by the novelist Thomas Hardy. Martha became infamous as the last woman to be hanged in Dorset.

A Genealogically Led History of the Dredge Groper (64 pages)

The author’s 2nd great grandfather, William Smith Binnie, was born in Glasgow in 1851 where he trained as a marine engineer. He worked for a Glasgow firm of shipbuilders called Thomas Wingate & Company which specialised in building marine dredges. The firm won the contract to build the dredge Groper for the Queensland Government in 1875, completing the vessel in 1876. William was an engineer on the crew that delivered her to Australia and the following narrative explains how the dredge Groper became the subject of an international political dispute. It also describes William’s role in these events and how he settled in Brisbane, built a marine engineering business called W S Binnie & Sons, and eventually sold it to Evans Deakin, an engineering company that became one, if not the, most significant engineering business in Queensland.

A Genealogically Led History of the Foot Family, a Medical Legacy (13 pages)

Henry Foot (1653-1721), the author’s 8th great grandfather, inherited a substantial estate at Berwick St John, Wiltshire, from his father John Foot. Henry’s brother, John, was set up in an estate at Charlton, Donhead St Mary, Wiltshire. It was his son, Henry Foot (1682-1751), my 1st cousin 9x removed, who was the first in a long line of medical practitioners for which there is documentary evidence. In fact, both sons produced medically inclined offspring, for example, Asher Foot (1712-1779), my 6th great granduncle, was an apothecary in Hatton Garden, London, however, I have focused my research on the lineage for which there is more substantial proof.

A Genealogically Led History of the Tite Dynasty (27 pages)

Sophia Tite Toogood (1822-1895), the author’s 2nd great grandmother, was a direct descendant of a line of Tite ancestors that stretches all the way back to Walter Tite (1567-1650), my 10th great grandfather, who was steward to Mervyn Touchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven (1593-1631). Walter was the primogenitor of a line of Tites who made their money and their names as ‘worsted hosiers’ in Stalbridge, Dorset. This fine woollen hosiery was amongst the best produced in the Kingdom and would have been bought and worn by the wealthy and the aristocratic. Eventually, fashions evolved and their product lost its attraction, the trade in Stalbridge both dying out in practice as well as fading from the history books.

A Genealogically Led History of William Lander (119 pages)

This is a genealogically led history of William Lander (1763-1843), my 1st cousin 6x removed, who was born on the 30th October 1763 in Bristol, apprenticed as a brazier, but who chose to set up his business in the town of Mere in Wiltshire. A deeply religious man, he was a founding member of Mere’s Congregational Church, a prolific inventor and a highly skilled brazier. In retirement, his deep religious conviction drove him to write and self-publish a short pamphlet that challenged the astronomical physics of Sir Isaac Newton. Although this was a futile effort, William was admired by William Barnes, another great mind, for being ‘the village genius’. He was, however, like many of his time, caged by his religious beliefs. Barnes also admired Lander for his focus on education, a passion they shared and which set up subsequent generations of his family for success.

A Genealogically Led History of Huntington’s Disease (150 pages)

The author’s father, John Lewis Mervyn Binnie-Dawson, died of Huntington’s disease (HD) in 1987, aged 57 years. HD is a genetic condition inherited from an affected parent with a 50% probability. It causes progressive neurological and physical debility in the sufferer, not unlike Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, but with onset in mid-age. Due to unfortunate circumstances, my father had no idea he’d inherited the gene and fathered eight children before he was diagnosed. We now know that all but one of us dodged the genetic bullet, and the one sibling who did inherit the gene, did not have children of his own. This paper tells my family’s HD story, reaching back in time to discover its destructive path through the generations and exploring the legacy of secrecy that surrounded it.

A Genealogically Led History of William Talbot (118 pages)

The author’s 2nd great grandfather, Robert Francis Talbot (c1844-1935), joined the Royal Navy, travelled the world and emigrated to Australia in 1874. In the process, he took the opportunity to upgrade his ancestral history and, in so doing, almost completely obfuscated his father’s life. In recent years, I’ve unearthed evidence that confirms Robert was the son of William Talbot, a blind Irish piper who rose to celebrity status in Ireland during the first half of the 19th century, but who fell into poverty during the Irish famine, emigrated to Scotland around 1850 and died in a poorhouse in Glasgow in 1876. The irony is that, in trying to associate himself with more respectable roots, Robert almost succeeded in erasing his link to Irish musical royalty. Over 150 years later, I’ve finally uncovered the evidence that reveals the truth about William Talbot’s life.