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West Middlesex Family History Society

@westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social
561 followers 507 following 288 posts

We encourage and assist the study of family and local history in the western part of the ancient English county of Middlesex. Advice, monthly talks (available on Zoom) - www.west-middlesex-fhs.org.uk for all our activities!

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Reposted by West Middlesex Family History Society
Durotriges Dig @durotrigesdig.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Early #HillfortsWednesday 😊
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
#WestMiddlesexFHS talks take place in European time zones, but don’t despair! Members can watch the recording of the latest talk for the month following. Joining in October this year gets you 15 months of talks, 4 journals and a lot of new friends. Full details: www.west-middlesex-fhs.org.uk
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
When #JohnGriffithsColby dug up a WW1 medal, he determined to find the man who had earned it. Join #WestMiddlesexFHS Thursday 17 Sept to hear the full story #FindingSapperClay. Hybrid meeting St John’s Centre Isleworth and on Zoom at 7.30. Full details www.west-middlesex-fhs.org.uk.
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Allie Nickell @alliethinks.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Please don't wedge coins into the Giant's Causeway.
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
The Women Police Service during WW1 is August’s #WestMiddlesexFHS talk given by Nigel Crompton from the #WesternFront. Thursday 20 August. Hybrid meeting on Zoom and at St John’s Centre Isleworth. Meeting begins 7.30 (BST), talk begins 7.45. Full details at www.west-middlesex-fhs.org.uk
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
How well do you know or remember your #HounslowHistory? You can still brush up your knowledge at the #HounslowAndDistrictHistory display. United Reform Church, Chapel Road, Hounslow. On until Friday 22 Aug. Open 11am to 4pm. Daily talks at 2.30pm.
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Pam Brigham @pambca.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
c.org/bNKsqmGf7R Stop the closure of the National Archive sites in Chicago & San Francisco! #genealogy
c.org
Sign the Petition
Stop the Closure of the National Archives in Chicago and San Francisco!
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The Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) @themerl.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Absolute Units returns! This week we bring our rural history heads to a bunch of related topics. Like: - Bad Bunny - Stardew Valley - Star Wars - Martin Ødegaard - John Maynard Keynes - The Bloomsbury Group - Holograms Listen wherever you get your podcasts! merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/abso...
merl.reading.ac.uk
Absolute Units podcast - The Museum of English Rural Life
Come for the big sheep. Stay for the history of rural England and its people.
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Friday frivolity: did you know that London’s first #publiclavatory was built by a woman? #QueenMatilda (wife of Henry 1) built it for the use of the “common use of citizens” and it even had piped water to wash the waste into the river. Takes a woman to think of the essentials!
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Homer Simpson King Laughing
ALT: Homer Simpson King Laughing
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Alan Godfrey Maps (3,900+ publications and counting!) @alangodfreymaps.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
A draughtsman’s dream; #Bournemouth (North) 1908. Take a moment to consider how planned this map looks. The rapid but highly controlled growth of the city means time has been taken to lay things out 'just so'. There’s a kind of brutalist beauty to it. Our sampled text hints at why...
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Gillian Murphy @gillianmurphy.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
New blog for The Women's Library at 100 by Grace Parker, student at LSBU on environmental activism and the Women's Institutes. Thank you Grace! blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsehistory/2...
blogs.lse.ac.uk
Women and environmental activism: the National Federation of Women’s Institutes - LSE History
The WI is the UK's largest women's organisation, and has been campaigning to protect the environment since the 1920s. Grace Parker explored its archives at The Women's Library, to find out more.
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The Family History Society of Cheshire 🌾🌳 @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
@fhsofcheshire.bsky.social's #FridayRoundUp Two new sets of Naval records this week at @findmypast.bsky.social 🚩𝐇𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐞, #𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 🚩𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐲, 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 Link to the FMP blog with full details 👉 www.findmypast.co.uk/.../royal-na....
findmypast.co.uk
Discover life at sea with over 150,000 new naval additions | Blog
Explore medical records from Portsmouth and beyond.
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
So what are you doing on #Saturday18July? (Quite apart from watching the footie obviously). You could be attending the #BerkshireHeritageFair online. 10-12,2-3 with lots of #FamilyHistory societies to talk to. Including #WestMiddlesexFHS. And it’s FREE. Check out berksfhs.org. See you there?
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Dig for History!
ALT: Dig for History!
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Maggie Gaffney @mghistorical.com · 14/07/2026
Here's a link that works! www.ihgs.ac.uk/house-histor...
ihgs.ac.uk
House History Course | IHGS
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Jane Hough 🌳🧬🏡 @allthosebefore.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Yesterday I received the marriage certificate for Mr H’s great grandparents. It gave me the name, address and occupation of the bride’s father. I’ve now found him in the Census, identified other children, and then his wife’s name. All 16 2x great grandparents now accounted for! #FamilyHistory
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John Vigar FSA @johnevigar.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Fourteenth century stained glass to a member of the Berners family at West Horsley Church, Surrey
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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The remains of Cairn o'Get chambered burial cairn in north-east Caithness. The cairn dates to the Neolithic and is part of a rich prehistoric landscape. 📸 My own. #TombTuesday #Prehistory #Archaeology #Caithness
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British Columbia Genealogical Society @bcgs.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
The British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa has announced its annual conference, to be held on October 17 and 18, 2026. The theme: "Flittin’ Day: Forces That Moved our Scottish Ancestors" #genealogy #FamilyHistory www.bifhsgo.ca/2026-confere...
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Want to know how to trace your rural ancestors ? Join us at #WestMiddlesexFHS on Thursday 16 July and hear #ClareO’Grady on Researching Your Rural Ancestors. Hybrid meeting (Zoom and St John’s Centre Isleworth). Doors open 7.30. Zoom instructions on www.west-middlesex-fhs.org.uk. All welcome!
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The Dogs Show Aotearoa
ALT: The Dogs Show Aotearoa
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Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick @mrcwarwick.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Digitised! Some of the earliest records of UK trade unionism, containing a wealth of information for labour, social, economic, political & family history 700+ Fortnightly Returns from the Friendly Society of Operative Stonemasons online (& more to come) cdm21047.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll...
'Black list' of stonemasons who remained at work during a strike at the Army and Navy Club House, Coal Exchange and at Mr - Yard, Bell Lane, Spitalfields, in 1848.Poster for strike of stonemasons during the rebuilding of the Houses of Parliament, 1841Extract from the fortnightly return for 23 November-7 December 1848, reporting on 'an imposter' at Coventry Lodge. John Kennedy had obtained money on false pretences and "abused the hostess with unbecoming language". The report ends with the statement "Beware of him".Short messages between members of the union in the 'To correspondents' column. It includes requests for individual members to write to family members, to get in contact or "hear of something not at all creditable" to them, and to write about tools obtained "in a clandestine manner".
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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
The dragon head of Skidbladner - a replica of the famous 9th century Viking Gokstad ship which was found in a burial mound at Vestfold in Norway in 1880. Skidblander can be found at Haroldswick on Unst in Shetland. 📸 My own. #Woodensday #Unst #Shetland
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Helen Czerski @helenczerski.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Londoners, there is a webpage for you to see where your nearest "cool spaces" are when the extreme heat hits - places with water, air-conditioning & shade. Have a look and spread the word, especially to those who may need this but might not think to look for it: apps.london.gov.uk/cool-spaces/
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The Family History Society of Cheshire 🌾🌳 @fhsofcheshire.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
@fhsofcheshire.bsky.social's #FridayRoundUp Ancestry this week have added 🚩 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬, 𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝟏𝟕𝟕𝟓-𝟏𝟗𝟑𝟔 🚩𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐡, 𝐖𝐖𝐈 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐫, 𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟒-𝟏𝟗𝟏𝟗 Full list of all updates in the screenshot below with #AltText as usual
Updates to Ancestry week 26th June 2026 

Oise, France, Census, 1806-1921 (in French)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., Confederate States of America Quartermaster Department, 1861-1864
Nièvre, France, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1622-1922 (in French)
Haute Savoie, France, Census, 1861-1911 (in French)
England and Wales, Tithe Maps and Apportionments, 1775-1936
New Zealand, New Zealand Gazette, 1859-1922
U.S., Descendants of Signers of the Declaration of Independence, 1706-1900
Clay and Pope Counties, Arkansas, U.S., Cemetery and Obituary Records, 1950-2018
Vermont, U.S., Prison Records, 1809-1965
Malta Notarial Deeds, 1500-1900
Pennsylvania, U.S., Railroad Workers Relief Cards, 1886-1968
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Suffolk Family History Society @sfhs1975.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
SNAPPI/Liberty of St Etheldreda Inquests Index: We have been able to finish the index with the years 1922-33 so another c600 entries. Members can go into SNAPPI, select name search & specify the Inquests as the dataset to search. We have more material in the pipeline to add soon
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Doncaster & District Family History Society @doncasterdistfhs.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Our next Help Desk Day is on Monday 6th July 10.00am - 12.00pm at Conisbrough Library . You will have free access to Ancestry and Find My Past websites plus access to the 1921 census. So do come along and bring a friend. Do remember to bring your library card. #genealogy #familiyhistory
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
How do you cope in the #heatwave? What do you do to stay sane? I find #gentleexercise #familyhistory #water and keeping #lightlevels low helps. Plus reading novels set in cold places. What are your tips?
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Kevin Wilbraham @kpw1453.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Medieval floor tile from St. Andrew’s Priory in Northampton depicting a pair of shears; probably a reference to the textile trade. Now part of the collections at Northampton Museum & Art Gallery. 📸 My own. #TilesOnTuesday #Northampton
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John Vigar FSA @johnevigar.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Dublin Shopfront
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Silk - the very sound of luxury. But was it that good for the silk workers? To find out join the next #WestMiddlesexFHS members meeting where #AdeleEmm will tell us about #TheSilkenTrade. Thursday 18 June, hybrid meeting on Zoom and at #StJohnsCentreIsleworth. Doors open 7.30pm, talk begins 7.45pm.
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Mauve Vertical Silk Waves
ALT: Mauve Vertical Silk Waves
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Women’s History Association of Ireland @whaireland.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
If you are atteding our conference please don't forget to post on our socials. We'd love to know what you think.
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Janet Few @janetfew.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
It has been a while but I finally added Part 1 of my Smith family story to Granny's Tales #FamilyHistory #Genealogy #ThamesWatermen www.grannystales.co.uk/post/a-smith...
grannystales.co.uk
A Smith Family Story
It has been a while. Ok, it has been a long while. I've been busy making memories rather than writing about them. I've also picked off all the low hanging fruit, so it is taking longer to finish famil...
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Helen Baggott | Editor ~ Author ~ Speaker @postedinthepast.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Sent by Jim to his sister Ellen in Clitheroe was: "Pluck up this week and come down. Martha and all the lasses are going down to Blackburn on Saturday afternoon. Bring a fiver with you and have a beano." #PostedInThePast
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Durotriges Dig @durotrigesdig.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Rechalking Dorset's favourite (and happiest) giant with @nationaltrust.org.uk @nattrustarch.bsky.social Video Jim Wileman / The Guardian See 👇👇👇 www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
I love all the posts on #Romanforts that are on Bluesky. Brings back my youthful fascination with Roman Britain. Keep them coming please!
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Roman Cat Army
ALT: Roman Cat Army
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Forest Archaic Collective @forestcollectiv.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
🧵/7 but even if the physical fabric of the monuments begin to lack historical authenticity, it definitely helps you experience the sense of the site much more clearly and this was a great morning to be out & seeing it 😊 catch more in the episode linked above #RomanFortThursday
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Forest Archaic Collective @forestcollectiv.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
🧵/5 In fact - down by the railway lines of Avenches you can see what the Roman walls look like before restoration & its quite a contrast ! #RomanFortThursday
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Forest Archaic Collective @forestcollectiv.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
🧵/3 This is a reconstruction of its original form with a quadrangle & the original rectangular towers #RomanFortThursday
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Forest Archaic Collective @forestcollectiv.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
🧵/1 its a short stroll out of the town, the medieval town of Avenches is arranged at the western end of the Roman settlement around the amphitheatre, but up on the hill above what are now mostly fields is the eastern gate this was a beautiful morning for it too! 😊 #RomanFortThursday
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Forest Archaic Collective @forestcollectiv.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
🧵/ first of all you can see more of Avenches and the various more ancient parts of Switzerland in the new episode >>> www.youtube.com/watch?v=dClC...
youtube.com
The Ancient Switzerland you rarely hear about
YouTube video by Forest Archaic Collective
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Forest Archaic Collective @forestcollectiv.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
🧵/6 Its a trend we noticed in Switzerland: Roman sites not just restored with original masonry patched up, but so much new material added atop it really becomes a modern monument in the footprint of the Roman original This is the Irgenhausen Castrum which we'll talk about soon #RomanFortThursday
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Forest Archaic Collective @forestcollectiv.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Its a great day for #AncientTheatreThursday & its the frankly incredible amphitheatre of Avenches 🇨🇭 With a medieval tower built into its eastern end which also houses a roman museum See more of it in the episode >>> www.youtube.com/watch?v=dClC...
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
I never thought I would say “It’s too hot for #familyhistory” but these past few days finally got to me. How do I know? I spent 2 hours following a trail and doing really well before realising the subject wasn’t even a family member!
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Juliette Fairmont: I Am Such An Idiot
ALT: Juliette Fairmont: I Am Such An Idiot
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Past To Present Genealogy @janeroberts.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
If you missed my previous talks about the early history of St Mary’s parish & the Irish in Batley, I’ll be presenting it for Wakefield Family History Society on 6 June, 10.30am at Outwood Memorial Hall. More details below #LocalHistory #Batley #OnePlaceStudy #OnePlaceWednesday wdfhs.co.uk/meetings/
wdfhs.co.uk
Meetings – Wakefield & District Family History Society
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OldRailwayAccidents @rwldproject.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Too hot out there? Stay inside in the cool & read ... about another time it was hot, & how it left a trace in the Railway Work, Life & Death project's records: www.railwayaccidents.port.ac.uk/heatwave-jul...
railwayaccidents.port.ac.uk
Heatwave! July 1911 - Railway Work, Life & Death
How did the July 1911 heatwave affect railway work - and possibly lead to the deaths of two men? Find out in our latest blog post!
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Society for One-Place Studies @oneplacestudies.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Any turnpike roads in your #OnePlaceStudy? #OnePlaceWednesday
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Ancestral Enquiries - Tony Smith 🌳 @ancestralenq.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Kellogg's marks 88 years at its factory in Trafford Park, Manchester which is due to close later this year with an exhibition of 100 items at the Trafford Local Studies & Archive Centre at Sale, Greater Manchester. 👇 Kellogg's marks 88 years at site ahead of closure www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Kellogg's marks 88 years at Stretford site ahead of closure
The display has everything from vintage promotional materials to a plaque honouring a royal visit.
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Historical Association @histassoc.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
The CAR report emphasises local history. We are teaming up with the GA for a workshop on doing primary history and geography on your own doorstep! www.history.org.uk/primary/cate...
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Great piece by @richove.bsky.social on the value of public libraries and where they should sit in government priorities. It mentions the newly formed Libraries Alliance. Information here: librariesalliance.org.uk giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
The UK must embrace its libraries in the age of AI
As stewards of vast quantities of data, the sector could play a critical role in fuelling the digital economy
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Alan Godfrey Maps (3,900+ publications and counting!) @alangodfreymaps.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
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West Middlesex Family History Society @westmiddlesexfh.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
If you are looking for ancestors in #HarrowOnTheHill, you won’t find them in #WestMiddlesex but in the area covered by our neighbouring society #LondonWestminsterAndMiddlesexFHS. And their latest Parish Guide covers #HarrowOnTheHill.
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