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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

“Nan Pam, have you got any books about the workhouse? It’s for my homework.” Have I? He’s come to the right house. 🤣 📚 📚 📚 Could this be the grandson who takes up my interest in history? Trying not to get ahead of myself. First, the homework. #OnePlaceWednesday

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Really interesting about planting mulberries for silk. We’re proud of ours on Waterside, Knaresborough, reputedly planted by James I. Quite a contrast with the town’s flax and linen heritage! Still fruiting, too. #OnePlaceWednesday

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Did the Civil War pass Rillington by? Not quite. Baptisms become births. Marriage goes civil. Soldiers are active nearby. The King returns & a couple marry “according to the Cannon”. A small Yorkshire village meets national upheaval. #OnePlaceWednesday 🔗 www.rillingtonhistory.com/did-the-civi...

rillingtonhistory.com

Did the Civil War Pass Rillington By? - Rillington History

At first glance, the English Civil War seems to have passed Rillington by. There was no battle here, no siege and, as far as we know, no famous commander rode dramatically through the village at the h...

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Reposted by Pam Smith LHG

Society for One-Place Studies @oneplacestudies.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It’s #OnePlaceWednesday! Coming up from us today: ❖ 4 new #OnePlaceStudies ❖ Our OPS blogging & social media prompt for October ❖ The September issue of our journal Destinations ❖ New blog posts from 3 one-place studies ❖ And more! Share your OPS news, views, pics, links and chat with the hashtag!

#OnePlaceWednesday.
Image: Colour photo of part of an old, stone-built country house built in stages over several centuries, some parts of two storeys and others of three, with with varying window and chimney styles. In front of this part of the house is a large, sloping lawn, with a large Cedar of Lebanon tree on the right, and a smaller, deciduous tree (probably a Sycamore or a type of Maple) standing closer to the house, on the left. The pale blue sky above is largely covered by white clouds.
One-Place Studies, where family history and local history unite.

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Gargoyle or grotesque? Gargoyles carry rainwater; grotesques just sit there looking alarming. This one caught my eye in York Minster’s stonemasons’ yard. Its carver gave the frog a demonic meaning & the fish a Christian one. There are mushrooms in a bag. And who is the little face between his legs?

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Reposted by Pam Smith LHG

Merchant Adventurers’ Hall @merchantshallyork.org · 24/09/2026

We are a very old building. We have lots of keys. We have lots of keys that don’t open anything. Join us for a one off installment of, “Keys of the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall that are pretty but completely useless”. 🔑 🧵

We are looking at two pewter plates with an assortment of large brass and iron keys in various shapes and sizes.

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

📍On the ground in #Rillington Original chapel deeds, red wax seals, trustees, emigrants and 170 years of Rillington #Methodist history. The latest blog follows the people behind the former Wesleyan Chapel on Low Moorgate. #OnePlaceWednesday 🔗 www.rillingtonhistory.com/methodists-i...

rillingtonhistory.com

Methodists in Deeds - Rillington History

On Low Moorgate in Rillington stands a red-brick building with three tall, round-headed windows. Today it is a private home, but for generations it was the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel. Its history survi...

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

My best move for #Rillington #OnePlaceWednesday? Involving villagers near & far. They talk to me & each other, filling gaps in records. Today brought memories of one of the last trains to stop at Rillington & of Ray Buckton ASLEF shovelling coal for a local driver. www.facebook.com/profile.php?...

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

By 1851 a new community was living around #Rillington Station: former labourers, an ostler, a coach proprietor, railwaymen & families plus a bonesetter! The records prove where they came from & where the railway took them next. 🚂. #OnePlaceWednesday 🔗 www.rillingtonhistory.com/the-new-neig...

rillingtonhistory.com

The New Neighbours: Who Came with the Railway? - Rillington History

On 7 July 1845, the York and North Midland Railway opened its new line between York and Scarborough. For Rillington, the railway brought far more than trains passing through the parish. It brought a n...

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Society for One-Place Studies @oneplacestudies.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

It’s #OnePlaceWednesday! Today we’re sharing info on: ❖ 6 new #OnePlaceStudies ❖ An OPS Wordpress plugin ❖ An OPS-themed podcast episode ❖ #31DaysOfGraves in October ❖ Surrey History Centre’s new online catalogue ❖ #HouseHistory resources: St Louis, #Missouri ❖ #AATP 2026 Join in with the hashtag!

#OnePlaceWednesday.
Image: Colour photo of a view looking across a lake. In the foreground are reeds fringing the nearside of the lake. On the far side is sheep pasture, gently sloping upward, with small trees and shrubs dotted along the water's edge, a few more trees in the pasture, and even more trees on the horizon, below a pale blue sky with white cloud.
One-Place Studies, where family history and local history unite.

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

A village doctor, a mysterious skeleton, two private patients, a “fiery dragon” on the railway and a Victorian with a wonderfully dry sense of humour. Meet Dr Thomas Allanson, who spent more than 50 years watching #Rillington change on #OnePlaceWednesday 🔗 www.rillingtonhistory.com/dr-thomas-al...

rillingtonhistory.com

Dr. Thomas Allanson - Rillington History

Some people appear only briefly in the records of a village. Others seem to be everywhere. For more than fifty years, Dr Thomas Allanson was one of the best-known figures in Rillington. He was the vil...

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Thanks for this post! Lovely to read about one of my favourite places in #Harrogate #RHSHarlowCarr

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

💡When did the lights come on in #Rillington? Electricity didn’t arrive across the village all at once. In 1937, the Parish Council was still asking for the supply to be extended to Rillington Fields. A little investigation … #OnePlaceWednesday #LocalHistory www.rillingtonhistory.com/when-did-the...

rillingtonhistory.com

When Did the Lights Come On in Rillington? - Rillington History

Exactly when electricity first reached Rillington has proved surprisingly difficult to establish. We know that it was available in parts of the village by the 1930s, but the evidence suggests that the...

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

For anyone who needs to hear this and especially for those who love their rural #OnePlaceStudy on #OnePlaceWednesday

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

☕ A longer #OnePlaceWednesday read today, so put the kettle on. An 1827 memoir takes us inside Rillington’s Bethesda Chapel: its minister George Sykes, the villagers who sought him out, chapel debt, family tragedy and trouble within the congregation. 🔗 www.rillingtonhistory.com/rev-george-s...

rillingtonhistory.com

Rev. George Sykes - Rillington History

Today Bethesda Chapel stands quietly on Low Moorgate, its datestone recording the year 1818. It is now a private residence, but two centuries ago this substantial stone building was at the centre of a...

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Rillington is going to #AATP26! 🚂 I’m speaking at All About That Place 2026 with ‘All Change? What Happened When the Railway Came to #Rillington?’ A ten-minute journey through railway arrival, village life and the value of a #OnePlaceStudy. Free and online: 🔗 sog.org.uk/welcome-to-a...

sog.org.uk

Welcome to All About That Place - Society of Genealogists

What is All About That Place? A unique free learning event brought to you by the Society of Genealogists, and supported by the Society for One Place Studies, A Few Forgotten Women, British Association...

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Looking forward to speaking at this wonderful ‘Place’ event! Recording my presentation today. 👩🏻‍💻 #OnePlaceWednesday

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

📍 On the Ground in #Rillington #LocalHistory isn't always found in an archive. Sometimes it’s as simple as erecting a bench, inscribing your name and adding an invitation to “Enjoy the View.” A small mark on the landscape by a current villager in living memory. #OnePlaceWednesday

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Looking forward to sharing a virtual stage with the #AATP2026 speakers and presenting my talk about “All Change?” 🚂 in mid nineteenth century #Rillington #OnePlaceStudy

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Why does St Andrew’s Church stand so high above #Rillington? This week’s #OnePlaceWednesday explores centuries of burials, a possible Saxon burial ground, the churchyard extension and Dr Thomas Allanson’s wonderfully irreverent memories of village life. 🔗 www.rillingtonhistory.com/st-andrews-c...

rillingtonhistory.com

St Andrew's Church - Rillington History

Standing at the crossroads on Westgate and Low Moorgate, St Andrew’s Church has occupied the heart of Rillington for centuries. Long before road signs or house numbers, this was the place around which...

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James Wright @jpwarchaeology.bsky.social · 08/08/2026

Only 2 months until The Buildings Archaeologist is released! It's tricky to get word out online these days so a reshare would be hugely appreciated 🙂 Order details here: thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/... Tickets for the book tour here: triskeleheritage.triskelepublishing.com/the-building...

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

I first met Thomas Binks in a jury book after livestock destroyed his turnip crop That single entry led thru manorial rentals, deeds, poor relief records, census returns & parish registers, gradually reconstructing the life of an ag lab #OnePlaceLabourers 🔗 www.rillingtonhistory.com/thomas-binks/

rillingtonhistory.com

Thomas Binks - Rillington History

Reconstructing the Life of an Ordinary Agricultural Labourer Agricultural labourers are among the hardest people to recover from the historical record. They rarely left diaries or letters, few owned s...

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Society for One-Place Studies @oneplacestudies.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

#Northumberland Archives will be running a free 2 hour event House History: An introduction to researching your property in #Morpeth on October 20th, introducing the types of documents used in researching #HouseHistory. Free, but booking essential. #OnePlaceWednesday

eventbrite.co.uk

House History: An introduction to researching your property

Northumberland Archives staff will introduce the type of documents used in researching house history.

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

💡Did you know? Where was #Rillington’s Poor House? This week’s blog follows the evidence through parish registers, maps and a rare old postcard to rediscover a forgotten corner of the village. #OnePlaceWednesday Read more here: 👇 www.rillingtonhistory.com/where-the-po...

rillingtonhistory.com

Where the Poor Found Shelter - Rillington History

Today, there is little in Low Moorgate to suggest that this quiet corner of Rillington once played an important part in the administration of poor relief across a wide area of East Yorkshire. The buil...

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Reposted by Pam Smith LHG

Society for One-Place Studies @oneplacestudies.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

Back to my local #OnePlaceStudy of Fawsley, in the very dry Summer of 2022, to kick off #OnePlaceWednesday! As always, please join us in using the hashtag to share anything and everything OPS-related, at any time today. What is a One-Place Study? | Registered One-Place Studies | Join us

#OnePlaceWednesday.
Image: Photo showing part of Horse Pond, a small lake, with trees including a large Cedar of Lebanon amid dry, brown grass on the far bank, and, in the foreground above on the near bank, flowring Red Campion and Meadowsweet with the leaves of reeds and rushes behind them. The trees and the blue sky above are reflected in the still waters of the lake.
One-Place Studies, where family history and local history unite.

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IHGS - The School of Family History @ihgs.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Our latest newsletter is now available and its the Awards Day special! mailchi.mp/ihgs/julynew...

mailchi.mp

IHGS July Newsletter

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

Quiet ponds are more than just part of the landscape, they’re the last visible traces of Rillington’s brickmaking industry. This week’s blog explores the people, places & bricks that helped shape the village we see today #OnePlaceWednesday Read more here 👇 www.rillingtonhistory.com/the-day-rill...

rillingtonhistory.com

The Day Rillington Turned Red - Rillington History

Today, the ponds at Low Moor seem a natural part of the landscape. Surrounded by fields and hedgerows, they sit quietly on the edge of the village, giving little hint of their origins. Yet these pools...

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

This sounds great and will be useful for a #OnePlaceStudy 🏠

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

📮 History comes in all shapes and sizes. From the soaring stones of Canterbury Cathedral to a humble wall post box still doing the job it was designed for, both remind us that the past is woven into everyday life. #PostBoxSaturday #LocalHistory

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

A day to remember. 🎓 Received my Licentiateship in #Heraldry & #Genealogy (LHG) today. The greatest gift has been the @ihgs.bsky.social community. Qualifications are earned individually, but rarely achieved alone. 15 years of friendship and support made this a truly special journey. #OnePlaceStudy

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Rillington’s story didn’t begin with the Domesday Book or even its earliest settlers. It began thousands of years earlier, when ice, water and the landscape created the conditions that made the village possible. #OnePlaceWednesday Read more here 👇 www.rillingtonhistory.com/before-there...

rillingtonhistory.com

Before there was a village - Rillington History

Looking down across the Vale of Pickering from the Yorkshire Wolds. Thousands of years ago this landscape lay beneath the waters of glacial Lake Pickering.

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Delighted to be speaking at #AATP2026 on Innovation Day. All Change? What Happened When the Railway Came to Rillington? I’m looking forward to sharing the story of one small North Yorkshire parish and perhaps encouraging others to look at their own place a little differently. #OnePlaceWednesday

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Not just a genealogical source, chancery records are ideal for #OnePlaceWednesday Read more here 👇

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

For over sixty years, Enos Piercy served as parish clerk & sexton of St Andrew’s Church, #Rillington. His obituary remembered him as the village’s “most important link with the past.” Read more about him here: www.rillingtonhistory.com/a-name-in-th... #OnePlaceWednesday #FamilyHistory #Genealogy

rillingtonhistory.com

Enos Piercy - Rillington History

Few individuals embody the continuity of nineteenth-century Rillington as completely as Enos Piercy. Although remembered principally as parish clerk and sexton, he was also a tailor, property owner, h...

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Delighted to have researched the life of Frances Foxcroft (1888–1968), the English-born telephone operator whose courage during the 1918 #GingerGoodwin General Strike is now recognised by BC Labour Heritage Centre 🇨🇦 #LabourHistory #Genealogy #FamilyHistory www.labourheritagecentre.ca/collection/f...

labourheritagecentre.ca

Frances Foxcroft: An Englishwoman in Vancouver's Labour Movement

Explore the intersection of personal upheaval, resilience and industrial conflict during the early years of Vancouver's labour movement.

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Society for One-Place Studies @oneplacestudies.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

Have you used inquisitions post mortem for your #FamilyHistory, #LocalHistory or #OnePlaceStudy research? #OnePlaceWednesday

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

A coat of arms on an old farmhouse plan prompted a simple question. The answer uncovered the story of Sir Richard Etherington, a lawyer, royal official and one of Rillington’s most remarkable former residents. #OnePlaceWednesday #LocalHistory Read more: 🔗 www.rillingtonhistory.com/people-of-ri...

rillingtonhistory.com

People of Rillington: Sir Richard Etherington - Rillington History

Most people would not expect to find a knight living in Rillington. Yet during the seventeenth century, Rectory Farm was home to the Etherington family, one of the most influential families in the reg...

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Fields on top of the #Yorkshire #Wolds near #Rillington #OnePlaceStudy This is how the landscape rolls.

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Market towns didn’t just serve themselves, they influenced the surrounding villages too. Before railways transformed travel & trade, local economies revolved around these centres. An invaluable perspective when studying the history of any place, including #Rillington. #OnePlaceStudy #LocalHistory

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

I do have a soft spot for tithe barns! This podcast features the #tithe barn at #Dunster. It also reminded me that Dunster is the subject of a #OnePlaceStudy proof that every place has stories waiting to be discovered. #LocalHistory @willsmanonename.bsky.social

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

Today the Rill was filled with laughter as the annual duck race brought the community together once again. Sometimes local history isn’t about looking backwards. It’s about recognising today’s traditions as tomorrow’s history. #Rillington #OnePlaceStudy

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Association of English Cathedrals @englishcathedrals.co.uk · 24/06/2026

We're having a #heatwave (most of us) but you can always escape the heat in a #CoolCathedral #AllWelcome

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

This is me! Except the families concerned weren’t even mine. How bonkers is that? Yet here we are. #Rillington #OnePlaceStudy

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Family Tree Plus @familytreeplus.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

What do you do when the paper trail for an ancestor dries up? Where did they go? What happened to them? Check out our guide for tracking down those elusive ancestors who appear to have completely disappeared from the records f.mtr.cool/hzijqgwdhs

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

📍On the ground in #Rillington My latest blog explores a small stream which may have contributed to the place name. It’s one of many stories from the landscape, people & history of the parish from earliest origins to the railway age. #OnePlaceWednesday www.rillingtonhistory.com/on-the-groun...

rillingtonhistory.com

ON THE GROUND IN RILLINGTON: THE RILL AT SLEDGATE - Rillington History

The footbridge at Sledgate crossing one of the small streams (Rills) that run through Rillington.

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Pam Smith LHG @genejean.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

To celebrate Miners’ Memorial Weekend, Cumberland, #VancouverIsland download your free PDF of the story of my great great uncle, Albert (Ginger) Goodwin #familyhistory The Story of #GingerGoodwin www.labourheritagecentre.ca/collection/t... 🇨🇦 Never forgotten

labourheritagecentre.ca

The Story of Ginger Goodwin | Article

Download the story of Albert "Ginger" Goodwin, a miner, union leader and socialist killed while resisting conscription in 1918.

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