By Tim Lambert Occupational Surnames Many surnames are taken from jobs e.g. if a man was a carpenter he might be called John Carpenter and because sons very often followed their father’s occupation the surname stuck. Some occupational surnames are obvious e.g. Smith, Potter, Cooper, Mason, Tailor or Taylor, Spinner, Weaver (Webb was another word… Continue reading The Origin of Surnames
Category: Articles
Life in the Old Testament
By Tim Lambert The Israelites were monotheists. They worshiped only one God. One of the 12 tribes of Israel, the Levites, were priests. Since they did not own land the other tribes gave the Levites one-tenth of their crops and domestic animals. Furthermore, 48 towns in Israel were set aside for the Levites. In return,… Continue reading Life in the Old Testament
19th Century London
By Tim Lambert The population of London grew from 950,000 in 1800 to 6 million in 1900. At the beginning of the 19th century, rich men built estates at Somers Town, Camden Town, Walworth, Agar Town, Bromley, and Pentonville. Growth also spread to Battersea, Clapham, Camberwell, Brixton, Bayswater, and Peckham. By 1850 Deptford was part… Continue reading 19th Century London
A History of Leisure in the 19th Century
By Tim Lambert Several new sports and games were invented during the 19th century. Although a form of tennis was played since the Middle Ages lawn tennis was invented in 1873. Snooker was invented in India in 1875. Volleyball was invented in 1895. In the early 19th century working people had very little leisure time.… Continue reading A History of Leisure in the 19th Century
A Brief Biography of Geoffrey Chaucer
By Tim Lambert His Early Life Geoffrey Chaucer was a great English writer of the 14th century. Chaucer was born between 1340 and 1343 but we don’t know the exact date. His father was a wine merchant in London. Little is known about the early life of Geoffrey Chaucer. He was first recorded in the… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Geoffrey Chaucer
The Cathars
By Tim Lambert The Cathars were a religious sect that flourished in Southern France and Northern Italy in the 12th and 13th centuries. (They became very common after about 1140). The name Cathar comes from the Greek Kathori, meaning pure ones. In France, they were called Albigensians after the town of Albi. The Cathars were… Continue reading The Cathars
A Brief Biography of Millicent Garrett Fawcett
By Tim Lambert Her Early Life Millicent Garrett Fawcett was a famous suffragist. She was born on 11 June 1847 in Aldeburgh, Suffolk. Her father Newson Garrett was a merchant. His wife was named Louisa. The couple had ten children. Millicent was eighth. When she was 12 Millicent was sent to a private school in… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Millicent Garrett Fawcett
A Brief Biography of Henry Cavendish
By Tim Lambert His Early Life Henry Cavendish was one of the great scientists of the 18th century. Cavendish was born on 10 October 1731 in Nice in France. He was born into a rich family. His father was Lord Charles Cavendish, who was himself a noted scientist. Henry’s family moved to London in 1738… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Henry Cavendish
A Brief Biography of Edmund Halley
By Tim Lambert Edmund Halley was a great astronomer of the late 17th century and early 18th century. Edmund was born in London on 8 November 1656. His father was a wealthy soap-maker. Edmund went to St Paul’s School. In 1673 he went to Oxford University. He left there in 1676 and sailed to the… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Edmund Halley
A Brief Biography of Captain Scott
By Tim Lambert The early life of Scott Robert Falcon Scott was a great Antarctic explorer. He is sometimes called Scott of the Antarctic. However, he died tragically in 1912. Robert Scott was born on 6 June 1868 in Devon. He was one of 6 children. His father was a brewer and the family was… Continue reading A Brief Biography of Captain Scott