Oh Mary, thanks so much, Ive just found my maternal Great Grandfather as victim in a case of fraud - he delivered some goods from his business and was never paid for them. There are a number of other victims, all to do with the cooperage and bottling trade who had sold stuff to these brothers who were mascarading as a bona fide company. Oh, lovely stuff, got my GGF talking - oh I love that, their actual words.
OMG, my maternal GGFx2, James Horstead, indicted for murder!! 1844 but given 2 months for manslaughter.
I cant believe it - Ive just read the case and my GGFX2, my dear GGFX2 - who I have always been fond of, as the country boy gone to Stepney, imagining a kind gentle man - was drunk and had a fight with someone over one shilling!
Aah, thanks for that - it's finally solved a mystery for me! I have been searching for a William Platel, who I'd found in the Times online (he went down for murder) - but I hadn't found any BMD's for him, in order to tie him in to my tree. Thanks to the OldBaileyOnline site, the full transcript of the trial shows he was using an alias at the time, hence why I couldn't find him previously! (Platel was his paternal gm's maiden surname, so I already had him on the tree in any case!). Another little brickwall comes down!
Well it cheered me up last night finding all that information on so many of mine. OH said this morning, we'll go for a pub lunch Sunday, but I wont buy you any drinks I dont want you having a fight. LOL. I still feel totally gobsmacked at my Horstead GGFx2 - I always imagined him as a lovely country boy, gentle and kindly. I guess the area which was one of the worse in London then must have dragged everyone down.
Awww thank you Heather *blushes* It usually costs me an arm and a leg in bribes for peeps to tell me that! lol
Taken on my 50th b'day, Sept 06.
Well, I had my little sulk so will have another go at Old Bailey Online .......... :-))
I searched quite happily yesterday but today can't get through by either my favourites link or by 'Google'.
The site goes up to 1913 which is obviously less than 100 years ago. Maybe they have hit a problem with a 100 year rule or similar and have had to withdraw access?....Just a thought.
Avatar....My darling mum, Irene June Robinson nee Pearson 1931-2019.
'Take nothing on its looks, take everything on evidence. There is no better rule' Charles Dickens, Great Expectations.
I always revered my Great grandfather, a big fish in a little pond, led a very comfortable middle class and blameless life.
So I was VERY taken aback when my Uncle told me that Willie started work in a goods loading yard at the age of 12 and made up for his youth and weedy build by picking fights with anyone and everyone who worked in the yard - they called him Cock o'th' Yard.
Well, Id still love to find out why he got off so lightly and to read the "good character" reference he had. Who from I wonder? I mean he wouldnt know any influential people. The only thing I can think of which is a bit wild - is Ive mentioned before that it was strange how his cousin went down to London about the same time but married a Jewess, had a jewellery shop in the Burlington Arcade and lived in Belgravia. Now Ive always imagined they had nothing whatsoever to do with each other but I guess its just just possible that may be blood tie was still there and he may have contacted the cousin for some sort of word to be put in. Cousin obviously moving in the sort of circles which may have been able to influence a trial at that time? I wish I could find out if that reference still exists. I mean 2 months is almost laughable for that offence.
I suppose its silly how we all attach a personality to our ancestors who we have never met, but you cant help it can you?
Comment