What’s in a Name? – Rediscovering the Field-names of the Rusland Valley and Fells

A few weeks after the #AllAboutThatPlace event I came across the Map Histories Project, organised by Rusland Horizons. I enquired about the associated published book, Rediscovering the Field-names of the Rusland Valley and Fells and was advised it was out of print. A few weeks later, I was advised that a short print run was to be organised and did I want to order one? I did want to order one, and a few days before Christmas the book arrived.

The book is much bigger than I anticipated, both in physical size and page contents. The book measures 33cm x 28cm (approximate) and contains 80 pages. The book is in full colour and contains:

  • Map of the area
  • What’s in a name – this explains the clues and associations of the names of fields and why they exist, in actuality.
  • Cultural history of the Rusland landscape
  • Field Name Project – this is the explanation of the broader project. Why it was being undertaken, how the investigations took place, how the collecting data occurred, through
    • Maps
    • Estate maps and property records
    • Oral history regarding the fields
    • Recording the data
    • Interpretation of unfamiliar names
    • Presenting the findings and archiving it
  •  Maps and the field names
    • This section makes up the bulk of the book, pages 14-76. Each section focuses on the name of the location, a bit of the history and then the names of the fields, with background to the naming of the fields.
  • Resources & Source index
  • References
  • Contact information

You can read about the project HERE and read the newsletters HERE, including subscribe to future editions.

(I purchased my own copy of the book, and was not paid or requested to write this post.)

Posted in Genealogy, Local History, One-Place Studies | Leave a comment

Happy Christmas & Festive Season 2023

Copyright – Julie Goucher, December 2023

Wishing everyone a lovely Christmas and festive season, however you choose to spend it. 

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Workshop – Journaling Your Place – SOG Online Event

Created by the SOG and used with permission.

Journaling Your Place is a two hour workshop scheduled for me to deliver at the Society of Genealogists (SOG) in August 2024.

Starting off with an extended version of the session delivered as part of the #AllAboutThatPlace event in late September 2023 and concluding with an extended Q & A session and discussion.

For more information and to book a place visit HERE.

To see what other talks I offer click HERE.

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Talk – Beyond the Marriage Certificate – SOG Online Event

Image created by the SOG, and used with permission

Beyond the Marriage Certificate is one of the talks scheduled for me to deliver at the Society of Genealogists (SOG) in February 2024.

For more information and to book a place visit HERE.

To see what other talks I offer click HERE.

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European & Surnames Courses at Pharos for 2024

Copyright Pharos Tutors 2023, used with permission.

I have finally managed to get the dates for the Pharos courses uploaded to this site.

The Introduction to One-Name Studies course (901) will run twice during 2024 and booking for both courses is available by clicking HERE.

  • 23 January 2024
  • 9 July 2024

The Practicalities of a One-Name Studies course (903) will run twice during 2024 and booking for both courses is available by clicking HERE.

This course began to be taught in 2020. It sits between the existing courses, Introduction (901) course and the Advanced (902) course, and builds upon the learning and practice of the Introduction course.

  • 5 March 2024
  • 10 September 2024

Advanced One-Name Studies  course (902) which runs typically once a year.  There are two options available for this course, either as an assessed student or not assessed.

  • awaiting date

The assessed element is the preparation of an essay and those students who successfully complete a 2 – 3,000 word written article about one-name studies will be awarded the Guild Certificate of Attainment. The best articles will be submitted for publication in the Journal of One Name Studies.

The Researching Ancestors in Continental Europe course (750) typically runs once a year.

  • 7 May 2024
Posted in Advanced One-Name Studies (Pharos Course 902), European Ancestors, Introduction to One-Name Studies (Pharos course 901), One-Name Studies | Leave a comment

Past and Future Meets

© Julie Goucher, 2023 created with greenvelope.com

At the end of August my niece gave birth to a little girl.

Now almost four months old, and she will be blissful unaware of the whole Christmas hype. Her Mum shares regular photos with us.  She is changing every day, as she grows and develops. Weather allowing, we should see her before Christmas.

In addition to her Christmas gift, her Mum will receive something special from me, as past and future meet.

 

© Julie Goucher, 2023

In early 1970, my maternal great Grandmother gave my Mum a shawl for my Christening. After the event, Mum kept it and eventually gave it to me. Subsequently I kept it, initially for any children that I might have, and then as something treasured. It is now time for it to move on, to a future generation, as past meets with the future.

One of my precious memories is cuddles with my great grandmother, she died in 1973, in her early nineties, I was about three and a half.  

#happymemories

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Desk Ramblings (31)

Created by Julie Goucher, July 2019

Hello everyone, Happy December!

I have had a reasonably long break from posting, that said, I note that I have had a surge in followers, so if you are new here, thanks for joining me!

Why the break? Well this year has been quite busy – I have taught the usual amount of courses for Pharos, delivered 112 talks to various international audiences. All of these were virtual which is my preference these days. I have created a few new talks, retired a few talks and had a bit of a change on this site in how they appear.

The list of talks was becoming wieldy, I therefore updated the list of the talks on this site, with a full synopsis available as a downloaded file. Each talk is updated before it is given. I firmly believe that if I am asked to give a talk then that talk should be up to date with a fresh look, and a syllabus or handout is available for all talks. If genealogists attend a talk then they should get something from that talk, because time is something that each of us probably finds in short supply.

We managed a few breaks away this year, charging the batteries is important, as they say, a change is as good as a rest. One of those breaks away coincided with the #AllAboutThatPlace event and I was fortunate that while I listened to those talks, all freely given by genealogists and historians, my spouse was wandering about a river in the north east of England with a fishing rod – all the fish caught were returned to the river to live another day.

For reasons I cannot explain I thoroughly enjoyed the #AllAboutThatPlace event, more so than any other event in recent years. There were more than 130 short talks, all created in celebration of the Society of One-Place Studies 10th birthday, I was a founder member and still support the society, contributing three talks which can be viewed here (along with the handout). The associated Facebook Group that was set up for the event, generated lots of interesting discussion, debating and knowledge sharing. The group continues to receive posts and I recommend it.

Two other things I have been working on is my poor filing system, both paper and digital formats, and my pile of completed notebooks for the current year. My current notebook I began on 14 November is from my stash and I might have enough to last the rest of the year – more on both of those topics in the next day or so.

 

Posted in Desk Ramblings! | 1 Comment

Remembering William James West (1898-1918)

© Julie Goucher, 2023

Today is 11 November 2023, and a day when we acknowledge the sacrifice that a generation of men made, for the benefit of all. There was a great many families, mine included that bore the effects of that sacrifice. The tragedy is that War continues in the world, despite the millions of lives lost.

This post is in Remembrance of

William James West, 1898-1918

William James West was born in Aldershot Hampshire in 1898, the son of William Arthur West, a military man and, Emma Jane Ellis (Harris).

I had always known that my Grandfather’s first cousin had died in the First World War, and then I was presented with a photograph of William, such a handsome young man! The moment I saw that photograph I wanted to know all I could about William.

William James West 1898-1918. From the personal collection of Julie Goucher.

Private William James West served with the 1st Battalion Cheshire Regiment. He is Commemorated at: Ligny-Sur-Canche British Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. He died of wounds on 5th September 1918, aged just 20 years.

He is commemorated on the War Memorial at Stony Stratford Buckinghamshire, where his parents, William Arthur and Emma Jane West lived & ran their newsagents business at 63 High Street, established when William Arthur left the Army.

I submitted the details for William James to the First World War Digital Archive whilst material could be submitted. As I wanted to further preserve the details of William.

William James had two army numbers and was Private T4/212898 William James West, Army Service Corps, and later was 51275, 1st Bn. Cheshire Regiment. His T4 Army Service Corps prefix indicates he once served in transport.

As I said I submitted his details to the Digital Archive and they further spotted a detail I had not known about the photograph, as he is rather oddly, pictured above wearing a ‘lamb and flag’ cap badge, relevant to neither unit he was known to have served in, (unless he served for a time in the small Army Service Corps Armoured Car Companies, recruited from transport personnel. Their ‘Light Armoured Motor Batteries’, operative in Palestine, wore a similar badge unofficially).

Bombing during the Second World War destroyed some of the records from the First World War, though, I was lucky. William James’s record survived and is a total of 24 pages detailing when he enlisted, his service and which regiment he was attached to and then, finally his gun shot wound to the chest leading to his death in 1918, just months before the war ended.

I have a copy of his Service Record and have just noticed a mention of the Devonshire Regiment that I had been unaware of. His medal card, confirms what medals his family were entitled to claim after his death and this corresponds with the Service Record.

May he rest in peace and know that even though he paid the ultimate sacrifice he is still firmly in the heart of his family.

Posted in Genealogy, Harris, West | 1 Comment

Getting Ready for #AllAboutThatPlace

As a founding member of the Society of One-Place Studies I am delighted to be supporting and taking part in All About That Place, a collective and unique challenge event. Don’t forget to join the Society of One-Place Studies, £10 for a year which represents excellent value.

The image here provides a glimpse into my talks.

Courtesy of Julie Goucher, 2023

The event begins on 22 September and runs until 1st October. You are able to enjoy the evetn free of charge. Sign up to the Facebook group, it is a great informative group with a mixture of genealogists – some just starting their one place study, others have been working on theirs for years, others are, like me, viewing material and planning on taking their material and making it available to others.

In the Facebook group there is a copy of the Event calendar and speaker bios, plenty of discussion and the sharing of hints and tips.

Posted in #AllAboutThatPlace Event, One-Place Studies | Leave a comment

Beyond the Death Certificate – SOG Talk 23 September 2023

Looking forward to talking about Beyond the Death Certificate – 23 Sept 2023, 2pm BST

In this session, a 1 hour talk, hosted by the Society of Genealogists, we focus on several key elements relating to death certificates and you will likely not look at a death certificate in the same way again!

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