St Pancras Gardens

Posted on December 27, 2025 | Leave a comment

Last week I dragged my son for a walk around St Pancras Gardens. These gardens are the burial ground attached to St Pancras Old Church. The burial ground contains some architecturally significant tombs, including that of Sir John Soane (one of only two Grade I listed monuments in London).

Sir John Soane tomb

The Hardy Tree

This was a famous landmark in the gardens. Thomas Hardy (the author) had worked on relocating the grave stones around Old St Pancras when the Midland Railway line was being built as part of the development of St Pancras station in the 1860s. Unfortunately the tree fell down in 2022.

the Hardy Tree

I know that my relative Sir William Mansel, 10th Baronet, was buried in the churchyard in 1829.

Death Notice in the Cambridge Chronicle and University Journal, Isle of Ely Herald and Huntingdonshire Gazette, Friday, September 4, 1829, Page 2.

His body was probably moved elsewhere when the cemetery closed in 1854.

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Posted in London, Mansel family

A little catch up

Posted on November 13, 2025 | Leave a comment

It’s been a long time since I last wrote a post here. I haven’t been doing much family research, I think achieving the goal I set myself earlier this year threw me a little. Although there was a second goal I didn’t really feel like starting it and even looked into cancelling my Ancestry subscription – yep, still haven’t done that.

However, Find My Past had free access to some of their records over Remembrance Day, so I took the opportunity to look up any military records. I found quite a few records I hadn’t seen before, for Matthew Young, Bennett Cutherbertson and John Mansel, C.B. These are all safely saved for now.

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Posted in blogging

St Mary’s Church, Harefield

Posted on July 27, 2025 | Leave a comment

We were able to re-visit the pretty parish church of St Mary’s in Harefield today. One of my relatives, Elizabeth Bell, was married to William Mansel in the church in 1791. I have been unable to find any information about her or her parents, John and Elizabeth Bell.

St Mary's Church, Harefield, Middlesex, England

We popped into the church (dog-friendly so the dog came too!) and discovered a marble monument on the wall as well as a hatchment for John Bell.

Here is the marble monument:

John Bell monument

and here is the hatchment to John Bell near by:

hatchment for John Bell 1800

The coat of arms is rather lovely, featuring three bells on the left side and three stags heads of the right, and we may be able to use this to discover more about John and Elizabeth Bell.

Edited – I contacted the College of Arms about the coat of arms of Thomas Bell. I received an immediate response that there was a charge of £350 for them to do any research on my behalf. I kindly declined the offer and will add this to my list of areas to research one day 🙂

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Posted in Bell family

Welsh Heroes of the War, 1916

Posted on July 21, 2025 | Leave a comment

It feels like I’ve had a little break from my family history research recently. However as I’m still paying a monthly fee to Ancestry I wanted to keep logging in and looking at hints, in case anything interesting came up.

The relationship between my grandfather, Henry Harper Young, and his appearance on the 1921 census in Wales, has always intrigued me. His younger brother appeared at the same address on the 1911 census, and the relationship is listed as nephew to the head of the household, John Underhill.

I found his photograph on p2 of the Western Mail, published 5th August 1916 (found via Find My Past).

heores of the war

I already have this photograph of his, but interestingly it also states”the adopted son of Mr and Mrs J Underhill”.

I don’t think this can have been a formal adoption. I’m not sure what the connection was between the Underhill family and ours, I’ve started a basic family tree but cannot find any way they could have known of each other.

When Alfred Young was killed in the First World War and the sum of 5shillings a week was paid to his father who lived in Portsmouth.

I have the next of kin memorial plaque and medals awarded to Alfred Young, alongside a couple of photographs of him in uniform. These must have been sent to his father, or claimed by his father, which surely he did as legal guardian/father.

I’m not sure what this suggests about an ‘adoption’ between the two families. The official school leaving age at this time was 14, this coincides with the death of his mother in 1909. With his father working full time as a labourer in the dock yard and a younger brother of 12 to look after, perhaps he was sent away to work with an old family friend?

 

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Posted in Young family

A snippet from the Old Bailey Proceedings Online

Posted on April 24, 2025 | 1 comment

As my family tree grows larger and larger I am fortunate to find some really interesting records outside of the usual family history sites. One such interesting record is from the Old Bailey Proceedings Online.

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 9.0) March 1846. Trial of JOHN GREENING (t18460330-828). Available at: https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/record/t18460330-828 (Accessed: 21st April 2025).

John Greening was indicted for stealing a certain post letter, containing an elastic strap and buckle, value 6d.; 3 pieces of printed paper, 1d.; 2 written invoices, 1d.; and 1 letter, 1d.; the property of Her Majesty’s Postmaster-General.—2nd and 3rd COUNTS, for embezzling and secreting the same.—4th COUNT, for stealing the said goods out of the letter.—5th COUNT, for stealing the said letter and goods; the property of the Right Hon. Edward Granville, Earl of St. Germains, Her Majesty’s Postmaster-General; he being employed under the Post Office.

The letter was sent by Lady Sarah Jeffery Medlycott, the wife of Sir William Coles Medlycott, Bart., residing at Venn-house, Milbourn Port.

The account is interesting to read and gives extra insight to the lives on my ancestors. Poor John Greening was found guilty and imprisoned for a year.

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Posted in Dorset

Medlycott family vault in the Church of St John

Posted on April 23, 2025 | Leave a comment

This is my final post about Medlycott ancestors connected to the Church of St John in the pretty village of Milborne Port. In the church graveyard we found one large grave, almost hidden by yew trees which surrounded it. It looked to be made of granite and was inscribed around the top with the following names:

W.C.R.M. 8 Jan 1887 aged 55

S.J.M. 13 May 1879 aged 72

W.C.M.  23 Dec 1882 aged 76

E.D.M. {x} Feb 1902 aged 89

M.E.M. 1 May 1912 aged 78

Medlycott family vault

Medlycott family vault

Medlycott family vault

Medlycott family vault

I will need to identify the family members who were buried here in the Victorian times.

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Posted in Dorset