By September 1815 Thomas Bond was in Stafford gaol – one of 10,000 people imprisoned for debt each year during the 18th and 19th centuries. Life in the debtors’ prisons of the early 19th century could be harsh; a prisoner had to provide his own food, clothes, and water, for example, so without a supportive… Continue reading Thomas Bond Part 2 – maltster, brickmaker, potter and bankrupt
Tag: Conway
The founding of Armitage potbank
When Bill Wright wrote ‘Notes for a history of Armitage’ in 1950 he included a chapter entitled ‘The Armitage Sanitary Pottery’. He had joined the pottery in 1918 as an office boy and by 1950 he had become Sales Manager of what was then called Edward Johns Co. Ltd., (and later Armitage Ware and Armitage… Continue reading The founding of Armitage potbank
School attendance
Until 1870 the Government had not seen the need to do anything about educating any children – if the parents could afford to do so on their own account then that was fine by them. So the only schooling available to the mass of children was set up by religious groups and the Church of… Continue reading School attendance
A coronation carnival
If you are looking for events with which to celebrate King Charles’ coronation this year then why not take a look at the 1937 version and stage pillow fighting, cutting down a leg of mutton or even ‘climbing the greasy pole’? Like most towns and villages at that time a lot of effort was put… Continue reading A coronation carnival
Guilty or not guilty?
Three court cases from the 19th C – but are they guilty?
Your dog ate my tripe!
Tripe is simply a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals and most of it is from cattle, pigs and sheep but it can be from any ruminant so you might find venison tripe. It is an offal product – offal is a general term for the edible entrails and internal… Continue reading Your dog ate my tripe!
Caring for the needy – Part One
In the 16th C there was no formalised practice for relief of the poor but the Act for the Relief of the Poor 1597 began a long process of setting up a legal requirement for helping the needy of each and every Parish in England and Wales. One of the first principles established was that… Continue reading Caring for the needy – Part One
New transcriptions added
Transcriptions of the Parish Registers for St. John the Baptist church for the years 1900 to 1930 are now on the website under the Records tab.
Drunk and …
The introduction of beerhouses in 1830 led to more disorder and drunkenness and this is just a selection of the troubles our ancestors got into because of drink.
Marriage Bonds
I started looking into my family history back around the year 2000. My dad’s surname was Conway and he came from a small village called Armitage in Staffordshire.