2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Harwich-Zeebrugge train ferry service. The opening ceremony, on 24 April 1924, was performed by Prince George, the future Duke of Kent. During 2017-2018, extensive alterations and renovations were made to the interior of the train station at Harwich, culminating in the Harwich Railway and Shipping … Continue reading Inside Harwich Station
Woe to Drunkards
Drunkennesse, I meane, that hatefull Night-bird which was wont to waite for the twilight, to seeke nookes and corners, to avoide the houting and wonderment of the boyes and girles The Internet Archive brings us another historic window to peer into, this time in the form of "Woe to Drunkards. A Sermon by Samuel Ward … Continue reading Woe to Drunkards
Dictionary Corner
What better activity to do on the 5th of November than sit around the bonfire and browse two 18th century dictionaries? Oh. Regardless, that is what this post is about, two historic dictionaries that happen to mention Harwich, so let's jump right in. An Universal Etymological English Dictionary (1726) Source: https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_an-universal-etymologica_bailey-n-nathan_1726/mode/1up By no means the … Continue reading Dictionary Corner
General Election Preview
It is getting to that time again when we look forward to TV programmes ending five minutes early, an increase in leaflet-shaped paper recyclables, the relative serenity of purdah, then finally engaging in the process of exchanging one band of miscreants for the next. Yes, the next General Election is likely but a year away. … Continue reading General Election Preview
Poetry Corner: A Knight Sans Pareil
Revisiting an old solace, that of the poem. I had fun writing this, and I hope that comes across to the reader. I've tried to make it historically accurate to the time, although it's probably best to take the events within with a pinch of salt. Sir Anthony Deane, a knight sans pareil,One evening met … Continue reading Poetry Corner: A Knight Sans Pareil
The Birth of Richard Leake
It is generally accepted that Richard Leake, former master gunner of England, was born at Harwich in 1629. In fact, searching for the phrase "born at Harwich in 1629", on the Internet Archive, gives 61 results a the time of writing, all about Leake - and these do not include entries where the OCR has … Continue reading The Birth of Richard Leake
Absence and Plans
Apologies for my absence, I have been experiencing pretty significant burnout lately and something had to be a casualty, so it ended up being my niche history blog. My historical research time has been mainly spent focusing on the Little Pub Books, with other little snippets found here and there that have not warranted their … Continue reading Absence and Plans
The Vassall Family
In my previous post, I considered the implications of bringing an obscure resource to the Internet, and thus the mainstream. To that end, it seems only fitting that I plagiarise myself. In 2017, I wrote a post for a long-dead blog about the Vassall family, who had several connections to the Mayflower. I recently found … Continue reading The Vassall Family
Navyard Wharf, As Told By Hitchman & Driver
"Harwich the versatile Seaport" One of the rarer and more substantial publications in my collection is "For England and Europe", by Harry G. Hitchman and Philip Driver. With a foreword written in November 1977, this sits as part of a golden era of Harwich history resources, with the "Mayflower 350" celebrations in 1970 sparking a … Continue reading Navyard Wharf, As Told By Hitchman & Driver
Twitter Highlights
As is the nature of all things, in the online marketplace of ideas, social media is the great convenience store. In other words, I tend to use Twitter to post little snippets of info or items of interest that aren't significant enough to warrant their own blog post. Let's have a look at some of … Continue reading Twitter Highlights
Harwicensis 