74 ancestors – part 1: female ancestors on my paternal side
I’m taking part in the #Select74CharityChallenge to raise money for 2wish, an amazing charity that provides support for those affected by sudden death in young people. It probably comes as no surprise that my selected challenge has a genealogical theme. I’m aiming to write 74 brief biographies of my ancestors, each with exactly 74 words…
The Papal Dispensations for Marriage project: my role, and reflections on the project
In July 2022, while I was a student on the University of Strathclyde’s postgraduate Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies programme, I was asked if I would like to work with Graham Holton to develop a proposal for a small-scale medieval genealogy research project. At this stage, there were a couple of ideas that were being…
John Taaffe: medicine man
“Perhaps he was only one of the many who has drifted to these coral specks on the outer rim of civilization with the intention of severing their connection with the outside world and the memories it held” Origins in Ireland and emigration to Australia John Taaffe, my great-great grandfather’s cousin, was the eldest son of…
Investigating hereditary deafness in Taaffe ancestors from County Louth
In this piece I use the terms ‘deaf/deafness’ and ‘hearing loss’ in line with current guidance from the Royal National Institute of Deaf People (RNID). The terms ‘deaf and dumb’ and ‘dumb’ are referred to as used in historical documents, but not outside of that context, as they are not preferred descriptors within the contemporary…
My Cholderton ancestors and General Sir William Howe
Cholderton is a village in Wiltshire, about nine miles from Salisbury, and close to the county border with Hampshire. It is often referred to as West Cholderton, to distinguish it from the hamlet of East Cholderton. It is a small village, with a population of just 127 people by 1801, most of whom worked in…
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Jenni Phillips - Genealogy 