Back and Forth Across the Pond

I took a little adventure up to Carlisle today. I have lots of pictures to share and I will in the next blog, along with the usual travelogue-esque commentary. For now, I just want to talk about the actual experience of going to Carlisle. This was my first solo adventure here in England. Well, I suppose that's not technically true. My research has been a solo adventure, but this was my first trip away from Preston all by my lonesome. And I had a very nice time. But I had issues. When traveling, I am used to being a pair. I'm also used to Steve carrying most of the stuff, because he's a gentleman like that. Although I wasn't over burdened with stuff, I was carrying a camcorder bag, my handbag, and eventually a carrier bag of purchases. So that was a bit annoying, especially since I pretty much hate carrying anything - including a handbag. But the big issue with me being a onesy and not a pair was I was forced to multitask and I was really bad at it. My father-in-law offe...

I finished my research in the Harris Library today. It was a very weird feeling when I scratched the last item off the list. My time here really is coming to an end. Next week I'm in the Lancashire Records Office. And after that, I'm done. Ten weeks of research will draw to a close. Yes, it's a very weird feeling.

When I came to England, I knew I would be knee-deep in history. If I wasn't researching my thesis, I imagined I would be rummaging in the branches of Steve's family tree. And for fun, I was sure I would visit a castle or two - at the very least. What I didn't expect to do this trip was make a journey through my own history. But that is exactly what I did yesterday. First off, a little background. When I was a youngster, my great uncle Robert Beaumont (my Dad's mother's brother) began researching the family tree. He began with his parents, Albert Saunders Beaumont and Dorothy Darling Beaumont of Massachuseets, and managed to take the branches back beyond the Mayflower. I am descended from several of those brave Pilgrims (such as Isaac Allerton and William Brewster). After Robert's death, other family members continued the work. When my Aunt Jody (one of Dad's sisters) found out I was visiting the British National Archives during this trip, she suggested I see...

Several of Steve's siblings own caravans in the Lake District, and this past weekend Jackie and Nick (Steve's sister and her hubby) invited me to spend the weekend with them at theirs. Tina and John (one of Steve's other sisters and her hubby) were also up there with their youngest, Kiara. The caravan site is in or near Silecroft and is just a few minutes' walk from the sea. This is the view from the kitchen window of Jackie and Nick's caravan. A thick cloud crowned the summit of the tall hill there for the entire weekend. The hill has a name, but I don't know it. You hear a lot about the Lake District when you're in England. It's a huge holiday spot reknowned for its incredible beauty. Beatrix Potter lived in the area and worked to preserve it. I agree that it's lovely, but I must admit I didn't see what all the fuss was about. To me, the area was just as pretty as anywhere else in England. And then we took a drive to Keswick and I discovered wh...

I got an email from Dr. Closmann over the weekend telling me about a GTA symposium being held by the history department in August. I know he sent it to me, because I was the one who first approached him about the issue of not having any kind of training for the next round of GTAs. What's being offered sounds really good and I'm very happy that we're getting some instruction before we're thrown to the wolves. And the reception being held sounds lovely, too. But I don't want to think about school right now. All I want to do right now is finish up my research, visit the church my ancestor once ran in Odell, buy whatever goodies I can get into my suitcases without having exceeding my weight allowance, and get home to my sweetie. Once I accomplish that small list of tasks, I would like a nice week of tv time. I have A LOT of shows that need viewing. And, of course, squeeze in as much time with Steve as possible. After that, I will quite possibly ponder Year 2 of grad sch...

I have developed an unpleasant side effect to being apart from Steve for so long. I have become rude. I have become one of those people surgically attached to their cell phones. I am not anti-cell phone. I am quite fond of my little "pinkberry" (so called because it's a Blackberry and it's pink - duh). But I find it very rude when people are gathered together and someone spends that time texting or otherwise fiddling with the mobile rather than being engaged with the people with them. That's why I try not to do it. Granted, I'm not perfect with it. When a bunch of us is gathered waiting for our 6 o'clock class to commence, I will take a call from Steve. But in my defense, it's usually because he's on his way home and we've not talked much all day. It's our chance to connect before I head off to class for three hours. So I suppose it's not really a surprise that I've become a rude cell phone user now that I'm apart from Steve. It...

One lesson this trip to England has taught me is that just because a document or book sounds promising does not mean it will hold any value to your research. More often then not, the book or document I am chasing winds up a dead end. Every time I go to the library or records office, I am armed with a long list of items to investigate. When that list is exhausted, I consider myself really lucky if a third of the items prove useful. On days where I'm not that lucky, I often find myself copying down information "just in case." For instance, I wrote down information from the Earl of Derby's rent receipt books for 1839, 1840, and 1841 "just in case." But, to be honest, I don't see needing to know that Paul Catterall failed to pay his annual chapel pew rental of four pounds in 1839 for my thesis. In reality, the "just in case" is really a so-it-looks-like-I-got-something-accomplished-today maneuver. There's nothing worse than returning from a day...

When I travel abroad, I make every effort not to fall into the it's-wrong-because-that's-not-how-we-do-it mindset. I know a lot of my fellow Americans do fall into that trap, and that's one reason we have such a miserable reputation. So I try to appreciate the differences - even if they baffle and/or annoy the hell out of it. One of the latter is the issue of personal space. In general, Americans prefer a larger area of personal space than Europeans. In Europe, especially on the continent, the personal zone is very small. I have no idea where this cultural difference originates. Is it because we come from such a big country? Or is it something else? Whatever the reason, the result is if you're in Europe you end up with people standing or walking really close together and, here's the rub, close to you. This is a problem for me, because I like a big circle of personal space. And I like strangers to stay well out of it. Having it violated tests me to my last nerve. Las...

We've had some glorious weather here lately. And I try to take advantage of it by walking as much as I can. So Friday, after I finished at the library, I decided to walk home from the city centre. I took pictures as I walked and have posted them on Facebook. You can see them here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2039236&id=29803339&l=e89ed51b18 When I post photos on my Ashton Land website, I take time to research the history of featured buildings and locales. I didn't do that with these photos and it feels . . . wrong. It's like I'm failing viewers by not providing the who, what, where, when, why, and how. The photos I posted are not all the photos I took, though. I have some shots of churches and pubs, too. But I'm saving those up and will publish individual albums of them later. But I want to share a story about St. Wilfrid's. St. Wilfrid's was an ancient church in Preston that was eventually torn down. It was rebuilt in a new location in the...

A couple of weeks ago, Kiara, our 12-year-old niece, asked me why I'm writing about Preston. To her, Preston is boring. Her mum, Steve's sister Tina, explained that it may be boring to Kiara, because she lives here, but others who don't may not agree. She used Disney as an example, saying that Kiara would be super excited about going there, but where I've been so many times, it wouldn't be as exciting for me. Although Tina's reply was a good one, I admit Kiara's question stuck with me, because she's got a definite point. I ride the bus a lot, as folks here know. I drive at home, but I'm not about to attempt the whole left-side-of-the-road thing. One day . . . just not now. Although I must admit that I'm getting used to the road reversal to the point that when I think about driving at home, it seems odd. Anyway, I'm traveling further afield on the bus now, and I'm seeing many sides to Preston. The result: Preston is not all that great. It ...

After several productive hours in the Records Office today, I've learned one thing: Newsprint in the 19th century was tiny ! I don't know if Prestonians in the 1800s had bionic eyesight or what, but reading the three days' worth of newpapers I read this morning just about did my eyes in. But it was worth it, I guess, because I did get some information that may be useful. I also found a map from 1835 today that spoke of recommendend changes to the River Ribble. The Ribble was eventually dredged, which changed its course. While my thesis is a social history and, thus, unconcerned with environmental issues, I am taking an environmental history course in the fall. So I thought I'd do some work in that field, as well, in anticipation of a research paper for the class. While the map, itself, is interesting, the main thing I discovered is the cost of getting copies is outrageous !!! The map was too big to copy, so it would have to be scanned. It's actually the largest type...