Old Newspaper Reports
Young Lovers in Alton
April 4, 2019
A brief paragraph in the 15th of February 1873 issue of the Hampshire Telegraph announced the death of Ellen FOWLER in Alton, the wife of George who was a millwright’s apprentice. On the face of it this was nothing unusual except that the report gave the ages of the couple; Ellen was only 15 – read more…
Home Guard Names in the Hampshire Record Office
March 1, 2019
Did anyone in your family serve in the Home Guard during WWII? They may be included in the number of members in the Hampshire Home Guard who have been mentioned in the HRO catalogue and either appear in documents and photographs. Check out the table below. – read more…
Discord in Marriage
February 10, 2019
Interesting little snippets from some of the old newspapers include brief advertisements where husbands have declared that they will not be responsible for their wife’s debts. One item from James LINDSAY appeared in the Hampshire Chronicle printed on 4th September 1820. He said that he would not be answerable for any debts incurred by his […] – read more…
Bigamy in 1820
November 19, 2018
The Hampshire Chronicle printed on 5th June 1820 carried a brief article on page 4 referring to three prisoners who had been committed to the County Gaol. One of the prisoners had been accused of bigamy but whereas most bigamists were men this was a woman. – read more…
Tragedy off Hurst Castle
August 18, 2018
Identical reports in the Hampshire Chronicle and Hampshire Telegraph, both published on 14th February 1820, describe a tragedy that happened off Hurst Castle on Friday 5th February. – read more…
Poor Law Union Gazette – 1
March 29, 2018
Newspapers are a very good source of information on some of our ancestors but they rarely give such detailed information on individuals as that found in the Poor Law Union Gazette. – read more…
Hardship Cases in a Portsmouth Court – Correction
June 26, 2017
HGS member David Hall has kindly pointed out an error in the original post I added to the website in October 2014. I had incorrectly stated that William Jeremiah ATRILL married Elizabeth GRIFFITHS on 2 July 1808. These details are correct but the William in the court case was a labourer who married Elizabeth THOMPSON in Alverstoke […] – read more…
Inquest verdict of Visitation of God
January 27, 2017
Term used in a coroner’s verdict to explain an unexplained death Hampshire inquests The Hampshire coroner’s records were all destroyed which means that no official records exist. The best remaining source is from local newspaper reports though not every inquest and verdict was reported. When reported the content varied from very brief to quite detailed. Examples of […] – read more…
Harmony Hall later Queenwood College
October 23, 2016
Two unique educational establishments in East Tytherley Harmony Hall In 1839 Sir Francis GOLDSMID leased land at East Tytherley to socialist reformer Robert OWEN. His aim was to create a pioneering project in community living. The house he built could accommodate 700 but never reached this number. Harmony Hall was one of several similar places […] – read more…
Fordingbridge rabies death
September 30, 2016
Fordingbridge boy dies from rabies The Hampshire Telegraph published on 17 July 1826 reported the death of James HASKEL. On 18 June he was attacked by a rabid dog. The bites around the face were so severe that treatment was difficult. At that time treatment for rabies was very limited. The surgeon Mr. BUDD from Fordingbridge […] – read more…
Death notices in old Hampshire newspapers
November 17, 2015
Death notices in old Hampshire newspapers can reveal useful information about the deceased. Among the deaths listed in the Hampshire Advertiser of 22 December 1855 were several interesting announcements of deaths home and abroad. Combine the details with information from HGS parish indexes and a personal story emerges. – read more…
West Meon infanticide 1830
November 10, 2015
On 28 January 1830 Frances MARCH aged 32 drowned her infant child Amelia and then herself. The drowning occured in a tub of water usually used as a foot-bath. Her husband Lancelot Foquett March and mother-in-law Mary March were absent at the time. – read more…
Greywell re-marriage in 1855
June 15, 2015
Francis FREEMAN and Sarah Ann ROGERS from Odiham, Hampshire had legally married in 1854. The Hampshire Advertiser reports how they were then induced by their local curate in Greywell to a re-marriage in 1855. – read more…
Hampshire Murder in Swanwick, 1899
March 1, 2015
The 1899 Hampshire murder of young Dorcas HOUGHTON resulted in nationwide publicity.
Eighteen year old Dorcas was killed in Swanwick by her jilted boyfriend Charles MAIDMENT aged 22. Despite a plea of insanity Charles was found guilty and hanged 3 months later. – read more…
1855 Portsea hospital bed shortage
February 22, 2015
An 1855 Portsea Hospital bed shortage raised concerns when a man who was turned away later died. – read more…
Portsmouth police gas explosion in 1855
December 13, 2014
This account of an explosion in a Portsmouth dockyard police station in 1855 should serve as a cautionary tale of the dangers of mixing gas with a naked flame. – read more…
Hardship cases in a Portsmouth court
October 19, 2014
After the Napoleonic wars many suffered hardship that often resulted in lawbreaking and people being taken to court. William ATRELL and John CHAMBERLAIN were two such cases reported in the Hampshire Telegraph in 1817. – read more…
Solent tragedy of Gosport men 1810
April 14, 2014
An 1810 Hampshire newspaper carried an appeal for information by the wives of two Gosport men who drowned in a Solent tragedy. Who were these men? – read more…
Early cremation of a Portsmouth man 1900
February 17, 2014
In 1900 the body of a Portsmouth man was taken to Woking by train to be cremated in the first crematorium in the country. – read more…
Destitute woman transported by Portsmouth court – 1810
January 13, 2014
This destitute Portsmouth woman stole and sold a coat and was punished with seven years transportation. – read more…
Portsmouth bigamy intrigue
October 22, 2013
Bigamy cases can be very interesting but are more intriguing when the accused is a woman. On this occasion the offending marriage took place nearly thirty years before coming to court. – read more…
English man dies in Newburgh New York – 1850
August 26, 2013
The death was reported in 1850 in Portsmouth local newspaper of George Burton, an English immigrant living in New York. So, who was George Frederick Burton? – read more…
Family Tragedy in 19th Century East Tisted
July 16, 2013
See how HGS resources were used to research the EAMES family of East Tisted who were affected by a series of tragic events that began in 1810. – read more…
Punishment in Hampshire Quarter Session Courts – 1800
July 9, 2013
Criminals were often sentenced to whipping in Hampshire Quarter Sessions courts. Here are some examples from the 1800s. – read more…
Portsmouth couple married in India, 1899
June 20, 2013
A couple from Portsmouth married in Bombay in 1899. The announcement was in a Hampshire newspaper nearly three months later. Who were they and why were they in India? – read more…
Quarter Sessions Court Report 1817
June 6, 2013
Online newspaper articles can be a valuable research tool that when linked with HGS indexes can provide remarkable details. – read more…
Death of farmer Budd Hampshire – 1800
May 23, 2013
Yeoman farmer of Medstead, William Budd met an untimely death when thrown from his horse. Reported in an old Hampshire newspaper in 1800, there is a puzzle about his death and burial date. – read more…
Old newspaper articles and research
May 22, 2013
Snippets from old newspaper articles can add interesting detail to your family history project. HGS researcher Roy Montgomery shares a story he unpicked connecting Hampshire and the Anglo Boer War. – read more…
The Internet Library of Early Journals
May 10, 2013
Researching family history means having to explore many avenues, one useful free resource is the Internet Library of Early Journals – read more…