Millicent Smith

Millicent Smith was my 1st cousin twice removed. She was born on 12 October 1915 to Annie Johnson and George William Smith. She married William A Holden in Bootle in 1940 and they emigrated to Sydney, Australia in 1951. She died in Sydney aged 51 in 1966.

Margaret Saunders (Sister Mary Immaculata)

Margaret Saunders was my great aunt on my mum's dad's side. She was born in St Helens on 28 May 1922 and spent most of her life as Sister Mary Inmaculata in the Order of the Good Shepherd.
She celebrated her 50th anniversary in 1997 as a Sister at the Convent of the Good Shepherd, Blackley, Manchester before dying in the retirement home there on 2 October 2004.

Sir John Savage of Rocksavage and Clifton

My 18x great grandfather Sir John Savage 1370-1450 was knighted on 25 October in 1415 after the Battle of Agincourt.

He was one of the Savage family of Rocksavage and Clifton near Runcorn.

 http://www.runcornhistsoc.org.uk/rockandclifton.html

Æthelwulf of Wessex

Æthelwulf (Old English for "Noble Wolf"; died 13 January 858) was King of Wessex from 839 to 858. In 825, his father, King Egbert, defeated King Beornwulf of Mercia, ending a long Mercian dominance over Anglo-Saxon England south of the Humber. Egbert sent Æthelwulf with an army to Kent, where he expelled the Mercian sub-king and was himself appointed sub-king. After 830, Egbert maintained good relations with Mercia, and this was continued by Æthelwulf when he became king in 839, the first son to succeed his father as West Saxon king since 641.

St George’s Church Liverpool

St George's Church, Liverpool- scene of baptisms weddings and funerals for many ancestors in the 18th and 19th century. Now long gone the Church was located near to the castle. (Near the law courts now)

Old King Cole

Coel Hen was my 49 x great grandfather and lived c350 to after 410. Also known as Coel the Old, he is believed to be the inspiration for the Old King Cole nursery rhyme.

Deposition of Richard Kelsall

Some fascinating documents relating to the Deposition of Richard Kelsall, also mentioning other ancestors including Jonas Wilson Glenton.

St Begga

Saint Begga (also Begue, Begge) (615 – 17 December 693) was the daughter of Pepin of Landen, mayor of the palace of Austrasia, and his wife Itta of Metz. She was my 43 x great grandmother.

The marriage of Richard Henry Hindley to Rhoda Eugenie Stephens 1877

The marriage record of Richard Henry Hindley and Rhoda Eugenie Stephens in July 1877 at Christ Church, Kensington, Liverpool. Richard and Rhoda are my 2x great grandparents.

Newspaper cuttings from my ancestry

Family history records come in many forms. Births, deaths, marriages, Christening and burial records, parish records, gravestones, wills, photographs, memorabilia and much detective work. But there is another source of evidence I have found - newspaper notices and reports. Here is a selection of those relating to my family’s history.


George Edward Hindley

Edmund II Ironside

Edmund II (died 30 November 1016), usually known as Edmund Ironside, was King of England from 23 April to 30 November 1016. He was the son of King Æthelred the Unready and his first wife, Ælfgifu of York. Edmund's reign was marred by a war he had inherited from his father, his cognomen "Ironside" was given to him "because of his valour" in resisting the Danish invasion led by Cnut the Great.

Sir William Mainwaring and the Siege of Chester

Sir William Mainwaring was of the family of Mainwarings from Over Peover in Cheshire. Aged 29, he was killed during the Siege of Chester in 1644, aged 29 years. As the document below shows, his wife paid for a monument to him in Chester Cathedral, countersigned by other ancestors including Robert Brerewood and Francis Gamull.

Linda Elizabeth Smith (later Jones)

Linda Elizabeth Smith was my cousin once removed. She was born in Anfield, Liverpool on  2 April 1949 to Hilda Heywood and William Smith.

Non (Nonna)

Non (also Nonna or Nonnita) was, according to Christian tradition, the mother of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales.



She was my 47 x great aunt.

Margaret Bannister

Margaret Bannister (also known as Margery) was my great great great grandmother, born in 1816.
On 30 June 1835, she married James Heywood in two ceremonies - one at St John's RC Church, Wigan and another at All Saints C of E Church, Wigan.

Edward the Elder

Edward the Elder (Old English: Eadweard cyning; c. 874–877 – 17 July 924) was King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 until his death. He became king in 899 upon the death of his father, Alfred the Great.

Nest ferch Rhys

Nest ferch Rhys, born around 1085, was the daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr (Rhys ap Tudor Mawr), king of the Deheubarth in South Wales.

Nicknamed ‘Helen of Walesʼ she was renowned for her beauty; like Helen of Troy, her good looks led to her abduction and civil war.

Len Banana Day 7 December 2017

Today has been Len Banana Day - celebrating the life of my first cousin once removed Leonard (Len) Saunders, who was punched in an unprovoked attack while walking down the street on 21 July 2017.  Len passed away nine days later. Len would have turned 66 today.

Len was a shining star within the St Helens community and beyond, completely selfless. He worked tirelessly for many charitable, arts and environmental organisations throughout his life. After his death, his neice told the local media that:

"My uncle, Len Saunders, was a beautiful soul who dedicated his life to charity and volunteering work. He was a talented actor, poet and musician who never stopped helping people, even in his final moments."

Len was involved in so many community activities that even his family did not know until after his death about some of the voluntary work he did. Wherever he went in his every day life he created friendships.

Among the many activities he was involved with was transporting aid to orphanages in Romania, including building children'splay areas there; numerous conservation and environmental projects; poetry writing (under the pseudonym Len Banana), acting, and volunteering at the Lucem House Community Cinema in St Helens.

The cinema today acted as the focal point for a day of activities to celebrate Len. Full details of what happened today are shown below. Thank you to everyone who got involved.

Rest in Peace Len, and on behalf of everyone who was helped or worked with you, thank you Len.

TV Footage of the event.

Jonas Wilson Glenton Senior

Burial record for Jonas Wilson Glenton, my 5x great grandfather, at Holy Trinity Church, Liverpool, 2 February 1844

Sir Francis Gamul

Sir Francis Gamul, 1st Baronet (1606–1654) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1644. He supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War and was active in the defence of Chester.

William Longespee Earl of Salisbury

Below is the tomb of William Longespee, son of Henry II, husband of Ela Countess of Salisbury, founder of Salisbury Cathedral, where he is buried. My direct ancestor.