Touring ’bout my generations: a photo-essay

One of the best bits about a holiday is the journey home. We had a few very happy days in the Lake District last week, camping amidst glorious mountainous scenery, allowing our Patterdale terrier Maude to get overexcited by sheep, and reading lots of books. The journey up was grim - a vehicle fire in …

The good death of Lawrence Britcliffe: reflective microhistory

This is a summary of the last five posts on the life and death of Lawrence Britcliffe of Cliviger, Lancashire. You can read about the sources and inspiration for these posts here; about Lawrence's birth, life and religious trials here; about his murder of John Hindle and subsequent escape here; about his trial and incarceration …

The good death of Lawrence Britcliffe, part five: the end

This is the fifth post in a short series about Lawrence Britcliffe, a distant ancestor of mine and a murderer. You might want to read the introduction then the posts about Lawrence's youth, crime and incarceration first, for a bit of context; or you might not. The last morning The Sheriff called at Lawrence Britcliffe's …

The good death of Lawrence Britcliffe, part four: dark nights of the soul

This is the fourth part in a series about one of my long-distant ancestors. There's also been an introduction, a post on Lawrence Britcliffe's family and youth, and on the murder he committed in 1739. Much of the story in this post is found in the sermon preached at his funeral service at Bacup in …

The good death of Lawrence Britcliffe, part three: crime and flight

Cliviger Valley, by Alan Rayner. The path Alan describes here includes some of the Burnley Way via Holme, the Ram Inn and Dodbottom Woods. This post is the third in a series on the unfortunate life of Lawrence Britcliffe, a distant ancestor of mine. The introduction is here; Lawrence's youth and young manhood are here. …

The good death of Lawrence Britcliffe, part two: Lawrence

This is the second in a series about the fall of a long-distanct ancestor of mine, Lawrence Britcliffe. The first part, outlining how we know what we know about him, is here. Old and new religion It's Boxing Day, 1701, and all over the world, everyday life goes on. Jacobite fears rumbled away on the …

The good death of Lawrence Britcliffe, part one: the funeral

This is the first in a series about an episode in my own family history - apologies, but it's a long way from the Black Country. One of the things that stuck with me most in Alison Light's description of family history research was the idea of making great bold leaps back through time (this …