Tag Archives: letters

King’s Lynn’s trading links with Europe: King’s Lynn and the Hansa

(Or, in a travesty of the old saying, Hansa is as Hansa does) Over time, King’s Lynn’s trading links with Europe have developed and evolved and continue to do so today. Records held in the King’s Lynn Borough Archives can … Continue reading

Posted in NRO Research Bloggers, Snapshots from the Archive | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Much Ado About Nothing?

A Letter from Edward Harbord 3rd Baron Suffield, to his sixteen-year-old son starts ‘With an aching heart and a trembling hand, I take up my pen to reply to your note…’ The eleven-page letter written in 1829 and held at … Continue reading

Posted in NRO Research Bloggers, Snapshots from the Archive | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

William Curtis: an 18th century farmer, debtor and habitual complainer

Corruption always tends to capture our interest- reading the tabloids indicates that- and it is very easy to identify what looks like corruption when we research documents from the past. We tend to forget that in previous centuries different rules … Continue reading

Posted in NRO Research Bloggers, Snapshots from the Archive | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Digging for diamonds: A voyage of fortune

In the winter of 1871, twenty-one-year-old Charles Howes, son of Reverend T.G.F. Howes, set off on the R.M.S. Cambrian alongside other enthusiastic prospectors to South Africa where an event very reminiscent of the Californian Gold Rush was taking place. While … Continue reading

Posted in NRO Research Bloggers, Snapshots from the Archive | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Exploits on the Grand Tour

With the weather still cold and wet people are starting to think about their summer holiday. Many picturing warm sandy beaches and relaxing evenings. 200 years ago many of the middle classes were enjoying their first experiences of travelling abroad, … Continue reading

Posted in Snapshots from the Archive | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘I suppose you think that I am shot’: Problems writing home from the Crimean War.

‘I suppose that you think that I am shot since you have not heard from me for so long but thank God I am not yet but I have had some near escapes.’ These are the words of Private Thomas … Continue reading

Posted in NRO Research Bloggers, Snapshots from the Archive | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Mackenzie family of Scotland and a Norfolk romance

The unusual survival of some letters, found with the marriage licence bond for Henry Bathurst and Frances Mackenzie, 14 July 1807, give us a rare insight into a mother in Scotland eagerly awaiting news of her daughter’s marriage in the … Continue reading

Posted in Snapshots from the Archive | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Memories of Christmas from a German Prisoner of War

Soon after the Second World War ended German POWs were released across the country. Over 100 prisoners were released from Mousehold Camp based in Norwich. One such prisoner was Hans Dittrich who was interviewed shortly before release. Dittrich obviously appreciated … Continue reading

Posted in Snapshots from the Archive | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment