General Chat

Here goes. (And I had not the first clue of this until a year ago when a distant cousin in England, descended from the same greatx4 grandmother by a different husband, discovered it.)

My father's father's mother's father's father's mother's brother's son's son -- my greatx4 grandmother's brother's grandson, my second cousin four times removed -- was a Law Lord (Labour peer) and Lord Chancellor of England 1929-35.

As a member of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, which was the final court of appeal for Canada in 1929, he wrote the famous Canadian constitutional law case we call the Persons Case. He and his fellow judges overruled the Supreme Court of Canada and held that women *were too* "persons" who were qualified to be appointed to the Senate of Canada.

Well, here's me, feminist since I could read, socialist / social democrat almost as long, called to the bar in 1979, practised in various human rights-related fields, no longer practising but still working on constitutional law stuff.

In the Persons Case, the Viscount called Canada's constitution "a living tree" -- a tree that had to grow along with the society it had been planted in. That line was referred to when the Supreme Court of Canada came down against the prohibition on same-sex marriage a couple of years ago.

So when the mother of my nephew (my brother's son) married the woman of her dreams, she had her son's greatx5 grandmother's brother's grandson to thank for it!

Other than that ... nobody in any of my families seems to have handled what money they did have well ...

Oh yes ... that having children without getting married thing. That's been passed on quite well!

Hahaha! Nice one Kathryn

;o)

OH adores horses and loves the land - win the lottery he would buy a large piece of land with stables! Discovered his g.gfather was a groom and 3xgfather was a coachbuilder (must have had connection with horses) and prior to that they had farms!

My great grandfather was one of a family of ecclesiastical woodcarvers. He also painted.

I've always loved art and I've got two commissions lined up to engrave some large glass screens in a couple of churches. It feels a bit as if I'm carrying on a bit of a family tradition.

There's one branch of my family which contained a lot of scoundrels........a rare surname but many of them were very dodgy and specialised in fraud. I have NOT inherited this trait and very much hope it died out several generations ago!

Sue
x

I must try building a wall. In the 1841 census 16 families in Romsey related to me by my g x 8 grandfathers were in the building trade in some way or another!! No-one since has become a bircklayer!!! Or even bricklayer LOL

maggie

Oh -- I forgot -- my grx2 grandfather whose son married the Viscount's cousin was a prosperous cabinetmaker. My first brother is an accomplished cabinetmaker.

The cabinetmaker's grandson married my grandmother whose father was a shoe factory worker in Northamptonshire. (Those ones were indeed all ag labs before that.)

I'm quite fond of shoes.

Sue in Somerset -- do you know what churches your gr-grfather worked on?

If there's one still around, you should donate a little glass objet of your creation, of some sort. Just a candleholder or some such. It would be a cool thing for the church and you both!

This is a very interesting thread. On my mothers side grand father and great grandfather were in the navy, my brother joined, couldn't swim and hated water.

On my dads side they were in the army, like wise with us.

But further back they were all ag labs (boring) but I am the only one that i no off that has returned to some sort of ag life.

I'm rather fond of shoes too. Apparently my grandad (never met him) talked a load of old cobble... you get the gist.

the only trait I have found is that both myself and my great grandfather were both in the Royal Navy, both of us were Pompey based and both of us had 'digs' in the same Portsmouth street....just hundred years apart

Hi Kathryn

I know the family were responsible for a number of church carvings all over southern England but they didn't sign their work so I can't tell if great grandfather did any of it or his father and brothers. I need to hope that churches kept a record of work done.

The large church in my local town has carvings done by the family (a local history book records this) and the church recently had an open day to show plans for future changes. I popped in and looked at the historical displays and boards with building plans. I did give my name to the person in charge to say if they had any glass needed doing I'd like to feel I was carrying on the tradition.
The idea of a small glass something is a nice one and worth thinking about.

I don't think my local villages have any carvings by great grandfather or siblings but I am gradually contributing to various churches. Over the years I've done a baptismal roll, a calligraphic map, a church bells dedication certificate, list of war dead, engraved a cruet set for one church and done a number of commissions for retiring locals.

If my descendants go looking for me they ought to be able to trace some things I've done.

Sue
x

My maternal great grandfather hated to cut flowers, and much preferred to see them growing. I am the same.

I have to say ' How lovely' when someone buys me flowers, but I would much prefer to have a packet of seeds, and see them grow.

Mo

We have lots of sailors and writers/journalists a publisher and a couple of property developers in the family and it wasn't until I did the family tree that I found we come from a long line of mariners/ master mariners, property developers and writers and not an Ag Lab in sight

Forgot to say I have butchers in my family tree on a couple of branches. Also railways and mining.

Only found that our recently.

Tina xx

We have all sorts of occupations in our family history. Most seemed to start as the old ag lab! On my side they were mainly miners, but on my hubby's side, stonemasons and carpenters as well as the miners. My hubby has always loved carpentry (even though the carpenters were before his time) and is always looking for projects to build - hence we have various sections of the garden with raised decks, gazebos etc.
More strangely, whilst I sing around the house and love to listen to music, I'm not much good at playing it!! My children however, have an incredible talent for writing and playing music. They seem to be able to play all sorts of instruments without too much trouble. It was only recently that i found out from my dad as he was writing in his Nutshell (his online life history book) that his grandfather was a talented musician who played many instruments. Obviously their talent for music missed my generation!!

Nad