(From my great-grandmother's 1909 publication of 'Mrs Beeton's Every-Day Cookery' - see this post for more information.)

Today's the day William & Kate tie the knot so here's a recipe to toast the Royal couple...

WEDDING PUNCH
INGREDIENTS.-I quart of champagne, I bottle of claret, I bottle of seltzer water iced, I wineglassful of curaçoa, sugar to taste, ½ pint of crushed ice, strips of cucumber, sprigs of young mint.

METHOD.-Mix all the ingredients together, and serve with the mint and cucumber floating on the surface.

(Image: my wedding bouquet - 1987.)

[Why Family Recipe Friday? This phrase has been included in the title in order to take part in Daily Blogging Prompts at Geneabloggers]

Click the image above to see a larger version.
Continuing the Royal theme, this photo of Buckingham Palace was most likely snapped by my gran, Ivy Alice Hibbitt (nee Dando), some time during the 1950's. The crowds were gathered perhaps to watch the Changing of the Guard, Trooping the Colour, or some other event. Buckingham Palace looks much cleaner these days, compared to the grey facade seen in this picture.

(From my grandpa's collection of old slides - see this post for more information.)

[Why Those Places Thursday? This phrase has been included in the title in order to take part in Daily Blogging Prompts at Geneabloggers]

(From my great-grandmother's 1909 publication of 'Mrs Beeton's Every-Day Cookery' - see this post for more information.)

Continuing on the Royal theme, here's a recipe with a regal title. Somehow I can't see William and Kate eating this on their big day...

ROYAL PUDDING
INGREDIENTS.-I oz. of fine flour, I oz. of butter, I gill of milk, 4 yolks of eggs, 5 whites of eggs, I dessertspoonful of castor sugar, 2 ozs. of crushed Savoy biscuits, vanilla essence.

METHOD.-Melt the butter, stir in the flour, add the milk, and cook and stir until it leaves the sides of the stewpan clear. Cool slightly, add the sugar and vanilla, the yolks of eggs one at a time, beat well, and then stir in the biscuit crumbs. Whisk the whites stiffly, stir them lightly in, and pour the mixture into a well-buttered souffle mould. Cover with a buttered paper, and steam very gently for 40 minutes, or bake in a hot oven for 25 minutes. Serve with wine or jam sauce.

TIME.-To cook the souffle, from 25 to 40 minutes. AVERAGE COST, 10d., exclusive of the sauce. SUFFICIENT for 3 or 4 persons.

[Why Family Recipe Friday? This phrase has been included in the title in order to take part in Daily Blogging Prompts at Geneabloggers]

As Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her 85th birthday today, I thought I'd check my family tree to see if anyone in it celebrated a special event on the same day.

I couldn't find any specific birthdays although that's not to say there aren't any (for most individuals, I just have an estimated birth year). However, I did notice a double wedding celebrated on the 21st April 1919 in Blakeney, Gloucestershire. Sisters, Annie and Helen Fryer married Stanley Dutton and Francis Henry Andrews Pow respectively.

According to my family tree software, Annie and Helen were my half second cousins 4 times removed. Put another way, they were the grand-daughters of my 5 x great-grandfather, John Fryer (abt 1762-1816). Stanley Dutton was a commercial traveller and Francis Pow was a Lt. in the Durham Light Infantry.

I think at 85, the Queen has done and continues to do a marvellous job. Thank you Ma'am for your dedication to serving the people of the Commonwealth.

[Why Thankful Thursday? This phrase has been included in the title in order to take part in Daily Blogging Prompts at Geneabloggers]

Ancestry have launched Catholic Registers, 1750-1900, and Church of England Parish Registers, 1659-1974, for the city of Liverpool.

In addition, Ancestry have also launched the Royal Navy and Royal Marine War Graves Roll, 1914-1919. This collection remembers over 40,000 sailors who lost their lives during World War I and in many cases tells you where they're buried.

Click the image above to see a larger version.
With the forthcoming marriage of Prince William & Catherine Middleton, I thought I'd post on a Royal theme with this image of the Coronation Coach located at the Royal Mews. This old picture was probably taken by my gran, Ivy Alice Hibbitt (nee Dando), some time during the 1950's.

(From my grandpa's collection of old slides - see this post for more information.)

[Why Wordless Wednesday? This phrase has been included in the title in order to take part in Daily Blogging Prompts at Geneabloggers]

(Continuing the series from my great-grandmother's 1909 publication of 'Mrs Beeton's Every-Day Cookery' - see this post for more information.)

CIDER PUNCH
INGREDIENTS.-I quart of cider iced, I bottle of iced seltzer or soda water, I wineglassful of brandy, 2 ozs. of sugar, or to taste, I lemon thinly sliced.

METHOD.-Mix all the ingredients together in a glass jug, and serve in small glasses.

[Why Family Recipe Friday? This phrase has been included in the title in order to take part in Daily Blogging Prompts at Geneabloggers]

(From my gran's 1894 publication of 'Mrs Beeton's Cookery Book and Household Guide' - see this post for more information.)

Last week, we saw what Mrs Beeton had to say to the mistress of the household. Now we can see what advice she has for the servants...


SERVANTS.
ACCORDING to their duties and position in a household so are the responsibilities of servants, but in every situation there are responsibilities. A cook has to a great extent the health of the family in her hands. Ill-cooked food is not only wasteful and distasteful, it is positively injurious ; pots and pans not properly cleaned have often caused illness, if not death. Want of cleanliness in a kitchen is not only bad for the cook herself, but for those who have to share the room. A housemaid has a great deal to do with the comfort, if not health, of the household. Fresh cleanly rooms, well-made beds, dust conspicuous by its absence are healthful and pleasant......Read more »

Last Tuesday, I retraced the steps of my great-great-grandparents, William Elbert Dando and Sarah Louisa Oliver, when I paid a visit to St James's Church, Westminster, where the couple married on 11th October 1875.


St James's Church, Piccadilly, London
My visit to London was a fleeting one but I managed to spend 20 minutes inside the somewhat ornate church with its impressively high, decorative ceiling. There was a small service taking place in the side chapel so I didn't feel at liberty to move around the building. As I sat, I tried to imagine my ancestors standing before the altar more than 135 years ago......Read more »

Gallery > Places > Westminster, London - St James's Church, Piccadilly section

• William Elbert Dando and Sarah Louisa Oliver married at St James's Church, Westminster. Photos of the church can be viewed in my web gallery.

I was recently asked by Heather Rojo, a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of New Hampshire, if I'd write an article about my home town of Plymouth, England, for their newsletter, The Shallop. I'm no historian but I was very happy to oblige. The full newsletter is available at their website and the article can be viewed by clicking the image on the right. I've also reproduced it below with additional photographs...

There are many references to the Mayflower and the Pilgrims here in Plymouth, England. Our local football team (that's soccer to you) is called Plymouth Argyle but its nickname is the Pilgrims, and the local sports centre is known as The Mayflower Leisure Centre.

The Mayflower Steps Memorial is situated on the Barbican, one of the oldest parts of Plymouth, much of the city having been heavily bombed during WWII. The actual steps that the Pilgrims departed from no longer exist. A granite block set in the pavement was the original memorial, although this was previously set in the roadway. A plaque commemorating the voyage was erected alongside in 1891 and the Doric portico was added in 1934. This in turn is flanked by the American and British flags. Taking a couple of steps through the portico leads to a mini-balcony, built in 2000, which has views out towards Plymouth Sound, the city's vast natural harbour, and to the sea beyond.


The Mayflower Steps  
The Barbican is a popular attraction for tourists with its Tudor buildings and cobbled streets, and the Plymouth Gin Distillery, then a monastery, is said to have been where some of the Pilgrim Fathers spent their last night before leaving on the Mayflower. Others stayed at Island House where there is a plaque on the wall listing the names of the passengers who sailed on the voyage......Read more »

(From my gran's 1894 publication of 'Mrs Beeton's Cookery Book and Household Guide' - see this post for more information.)

Here's some sound advice given by Mrs Beeton to the mistress of the household! Next week, we shall see what she has to say to the servants...


Illustration from the book.
WHETHER cottage or mansion, whether there are many servants or only one or two, in the way household duties are performed there need be but little difference.

Cleanliness, neatness and regularity should be the ruling qualities of the good housekeeper and her subordinates, and there can be as much comfort and order in homes where labour is scarce as in those where there is a full staff of servants.

A great deal, of course, hinges upon the management ; and if this is good there is always time for everything......Read more »

Family Tree section

• Added John Horn and his wife, Jane, nee Burdon (my 7 x great-grandparents). Also added their children:
  http://www.hibbitt.org.uk/familytree/fam76992.html
• Added Thomasin Horn's husband, James Parsons:
  http://www.hibbitt.org.uk/familytree/fam77510.html
• Added Humphrey Horn's (b.abt 1752) wife, Alice, nee Bowden. Also added their children:
  http://www.hibbitt.org.uk/familytree/fam77553.html
• Added Humphrey Burdon Horn's (b.abt 1786) wife, Grace, nee Larkworthy. Also added their children:
  http://www.hibbitt.org.uk/familytree/fam77655.html
• Added Jane Burdon's father, John Burdon of Gorford in Black Torrington (my 8 x great-grandfather):
  http://www.hibbitt.org.uk/familytree/fam77420.html

Relevant place names: Black Torrington, Sheepwash and Shebbear in Devon.

Resources > Reports Section

• All the family tree reports on this page have been updated:
  http://www.hibbitt.org.uk/treereports.html