The Hampshire Family Historian | Volume 50 No.2 | Sept 2023

Local Group Programmes

people. Spanish ‘flu did not originate in Spain! This was a very informative and interesting talk from an entertaining and knowledgeable speaker and was enjoyed by all. (May) Researching Occupations, resources used etc - Members' Evening – led by Jane Hussey Jane gave a very interesting talk on her research into her ancestor Moses Smith. Her research started in Bath where, between 1827 and 1828, he was a postboy. By 1835, he was a coachman in Warminster and in 1841 he was a coachman, staying at an inn in Chippenham. She then found him again in Bath living at 4 Hoopers Buildings, still a coachman until in 1855 when he died in Bath United Hospital of pleuropneumonia. To find out more about the work of postboys, Jane’s research took her to Bath Postal Museum. Postboys were actually postmen and before the introduction of the Penny Black stamp, postboys collected post from individual houses together with the postage. This means he was literate and probably rode a horse. Jane cited the National Archives’ Discovery Catalogue as a valuable tool for researching occupations. It not only lists records held at the archive but also indicates if information is held in archives elsewhere. The NA holds listings for nurses, schoolteachers, the building industry, Midland iron and steel companies, shipbuilding, electricity boards and many more. Books are also a useful resource for finding additional information e.g. The Family Historian's Enquire Within gives some information on ancient jobs which do not exist anymore. There are books on professions covered by the Livery Companies and the Guildhall Library in London has information on London Guilds, apprentices and masters. The Victoria County Histories for each county are held in local libraries and the London Gazette contains information on bankruptcy, post office appointments etc. The evening finished with a quiz on old jobs. An inspiring talk which gave member's plenty of food for thought when researching the occupations of their ancestors. (June) From Grub Street to Fleet Street – Bob Clarke Bob gave a very entertaining talk on the early history of newspapers based on his book “From Grub Street to Fleet Street”. An historian, Bob’s interest is in early newspapers from 1641 to the end of the 19th century. His talk covered the development from news books to news sheets and then newspapers and covered the effects of censorship and Stamp Duty which imposed a tax on paper. He showed the development from eyewitness accounts of skirmishes and battles in the Civil War, to personal reports covering only the Royals, to local rather than national news with police reports, stories of highwaymen, murders and executions, smugglers, pirates and prostitutes. Local advertisements appeared in the late 1800s including those for quack medicines. The Hants and Berks Gazette for example started in 1878. By the 18th century the population was becoming increasingly literate and the availability of newspapers in the new, fashionable coffee houses helped to encourage both reading and the appetite for news. From 1875 onwards, papers were published daily and in 1885, the Daily Universal Chronicle became the Times . The Star introduced evening papers at the end of the 19th Century and in 1896, the Daily Mail started ‘easy to read’ paragraphs. A very well researched talk into the history of the 4th Estate.

100