HUMBLE HISTORY
Telling the stories of ordinary people in the past
Books
Beyond the Names
- The stories of the men commemorated on St Day War Memorial
From tunnelling miners and Cornish emigrants in the First World War to an escaping prisoner of war and an airline pilot in the Second, this booklet tells the touching and sometimes surprising stories of the men from St Day in Cornwall recorded on the community's war memorial. (2016)
Selected articles
The Other Channel Islands - a dip into the varied history of the small islands in the Bristol Channel.
Book chapters
Desperate? Destitute? Deserted? Questioning perceptions of miners' wives in Cornwall during the great emigration, 1851-1891
in Cornish Studies 19, edited by Philip Payton (University of Exeter Press, 2011)
'Husband Abroad': Quantifying spousal separation associated with emigration in nineteenth-century Cornwall
in Cornish Studies 20, edited by Philip Payton (University of Exeter Press, 2012)
PUBLICATIONS
The Married Widows of Cornwall
- The story of the wives 'left behind' by emigration
One of the untold stories of 19th century emigration from Cornwall is that of the thousands of wives ‘left behind’ by men leaving to work overseas. The Married Widows of Cornwall explores the lives of these unsung heroines of many a Cornish family. (2018) Read more
REVIEWS
What people are saying about
The Married Widows of Cornwall
Gorsedh Kernow
Holyer an Gof Publishers' Award nominee 2019
"... a most engaging book, packed with fascinating stories and glimpses into past lives. It illuminates the functioning of a society under a particular sort of strain
and documents many different reactions and outcomes... whether you have Cornish ancestry or not, this book is well worth reading."
Genealogists' Magazine, March 2020
"...a volume to be heartily welcomed. It throws new light on the important topic of the Great Emigration and on the difficult lives of women and children in the mining communities... will be required reading for all those interested in nineteenth-century Cornwall."
Isobel Harvey, Cornwall Association of Local Historians Journal, Spring 2019
"...a fascinating read and an excellent in-depth study, highlighting an aspect of Cornwall's mining history that is rarely considered in such detail."
D.S, Amazon purchaser, April 2019
"...an interesting read and for anyone with Cornish ancestry whether they have close relatives or not this book will give you a feeling and different perspective on Cornish life for so many."
Amazon purchaser, February 2019