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Coloured print showing the departure of the Bermuda floating dock from Porto Santo on 4 July 1869
I recently catalogued a small collection of papers relating to Rear-Admiral James Francis Ballard Wainwright (1820-1872), numbered ADL/Z/63 in the Archive Catalogue. Some of the items shed light on a notable event at Bermuda one hundred and fifty years ago.
Letter written by Brunel to his grand-daughter Sophia Hawes in 1842
2019 marks the 150th anniversary of the opening in 1869 of the East London railway line, which now forms part of the London Overground network. The initial stretch of track ran between Wapping and New Cross, and made use of the Thames Tunnel, which had been completed over a quarter of a century earlier, in 1843, with the help of pioneering technology invented by Marc Isambard Brunel.
BGY/E/3
BGY/E/3 is a file containing small collections relating to two members of the same family. It’s been difficult to determine exactly how James and Edward Everard are related, however. We know that Edward Everard (1739-1819) had six children, and that his youngest, Rebecca, married Henry Prescott Blencowe, whose daughter Elizabeth was James Everard's mother. They are likely to be cousins of some kind as well.
Night sky highlights - August 2019
Discover what to see in the night sky during August 2019, including the spectacular Perseid meteor shower.
Front page from the September 1931 issue
My dad is a diehard Union man and in his working life, was heavily involved in negotiations for better contracts for civic employees. Our family heard a lot about the discussions and the delicate balance of arguing for fair recompense and the importance of the union for the ‘working man’. In the case of the Mercantile Marine, the journal collection at the National Maritime Museum holds numerous copies of ‘The Seaman’ although the early copies have distinct titles. This publication records the activities and decisions surrounding the Merchant Navy and its workforce.
Early 17th Century map of the North Pole drawn by Geradus Mercator
John Dee (1527-1609) was a philosopher and scholar whose work during the Tudor period has been overshadowed by his alleged sorcerous and occultist activities. He is best known for having conversations with angels through his scryer Edward Kelley, his interests in astrology, alchemy, calendar reform and suggesting the date for Queen Elizabeth I’s coronation. What John Dee may not be as well-known for is his influence on English navigation and being the first person to coin the term ‘British Empire’.
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The first thing that strikes you about Hugh Percy Wilkins’s Map of the Moon is the detail.
Illustration to Falconer's Shipwreck.jpg
Are you interested in family or local history? Do you like visiting churches or are you interested in the lives and deaths of seafarers? Explore our Maritime Memorials database.
Night sky highlights - July 2019
Find out what you can see in the night sky tonight, from a partial lunar eclipse on 16 July to the Delta Aquiariid meteor shower at the end of the month.
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In the Armada Portrait, Elizabeth I is adorned with multiple strings of pearls, sumptuous velvets, silk ribbons and gold embossed designs. It is a painting packed with symbolic meaning - and Renaissance bling!