Book review: The Royal Palaces: Secrets and Scandals

With its beautiful watercolors, The Royal Palaces is the perfect keepsake for the places you’ve visited in Britain or ones that you wish to. But it’s more than that. Kate Williams is an expert on the British monarchy and she’s filled the pages with fascinating details—beyond when and which royals lived at each location, when it was built and in which architectural style, who made renovations, and if it’s still in use or in ruins and why.

For example, Windsor Castle was first built by William the Conqueror of 1066 fame and today is the oldest inhabited castle in the world. Henry VIII and his favorite bride Jane Seymour are buried there, but without all the pomp that he had planned. Windsor also was a favorite of Queen Victoria, even though she almost met her demise there eight times!

With Edward VI on the throne, young Elizabeth lived with her father Henry VIII’s widow Katherine Parr until improprieties forced her to leave. She was at Hatfield House when she found out sister Mary had died and she had become queen.

At Lochleven Castle, Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate her crown, shortly after a traumatic miscarriage of twins fathered by a man she’d been coerced into marrying. Yet George I and his son George II blithefully kept their mistresses and illegitimate offspring at St. James Palace while on the throne. And, not surprisingly, there’s at least one secret passage from one royal residence to another.

Amid the opulence or decay of these 30 royal homes, you’ll learn of intriguing stories that will bring history to life.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group for the ARC.

 

Book review: Evolution of Religions

Think your family genealogy is complex? Imagine creating a family tree of organized religions! 

Evolution of Religions: A History of Related Traditions by Lance Grande (New York: Columbia University Press, 2023)

Comparative religion books are often written by religious scholars or historians. But this one has a twist: It’s written by a scientist—an evolutionary biologist and systematist to be exact. There’s beauty in having a scientist write such a book. Lance Grande remains neutral, or agnostic if you will, to the different religions. His purpose is to analyze how organized religions came into being, how they change and evolve over time, and how they create new groups and subgroups—or become extinct.

Organized religions developed from early supernaturalism into Asian cyclicism, Old World polytheism, linear monotheism, traditional and reformation Christianity, gnosticism and Biblical demiurgism, and Islam. Grande focuses on each group’s origin and development, doctrines, rituals/practices, and supernatural beings/deities from prehistoric times to today. 

From that evolutionary perspective, Grande discovers the history of related traditions (as in the title). He shows how, for example, the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) are historically and ideologically intertwined, but also how they diversified—by using historical and scriptural records. The amazingly detailed charts help us visualize the relationships between religions and the subgroups that grew out of them, while the sidebars, images, and glossary provide additional context.

It’s an imperfect science due to changing archaeological interpretations and new discoveries, variables in oral traditions and written transcriptions, and the physical destruction or recovery of scriptures. That's why Grande created the framework and then invites others to fill in the missing pieces and build upon his work.

Evolution of Religions is a big book, but it’s written in such a methodical way that you’ll understand the broad concepts behind many organized religions around the world.

Prerelease book provided for review consideration.

Book review: Crime and Punishment in Tudor England: From Alchemists to Zealots

 

Although witches, or the fear of them, date to Biblical times, it wasn’t until 1542 that the first English statute on witchcraft was enacted by King Henry VIII (1491-1547). His son Edward VI (1537-1553) repealed it, but then Elizabeth I (1533-1603) put her own 1563 statute on the books. She divided witchcraft into greater and lesser crimes. Invoking evil spirits or killing someone through sorcery was punishable by death, while injuring people or property meant a year of imprisonment and time in the pillory. Second acts meant death. However, it was during the Stuart dynasty when witchcraft accusations ran rampant, since King James I (1566-1625) not only added his own statutes, he wrote a book on the subject.

English laws and the penalties for breaking them were harsh. While the Tudor era ended before the Winthrop fleet arrived on the shores of Massachusetts Bay Colony, some of the crueler penalties were not abolished until the 19th century. Fortunately, the Puritan colonists created the first 100 rules of 1641's Body of Liberties based on the Bible—and used more humane treatment compared to what they left behind in England.

In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, however, when Giles Corey refused to enter a plea in court, he was pressed to death for it. This gruesome punishment, also known as Peine forte et dure, was only used once stateside. But it was not abolished in England until 1772. In fact, in English courts the accused was not given the option of pleading “not guilty” until 1827. 

Other examples include a thief who steals bread could get a hand cut off, while a vagrant could get branded with the letter V. Some punishments were designed for maximum humiliation, with the crowds throwing rotten foodstuff at convicts in the cart or at the pillory. That was tame compared to being drawn and quartered, then hanged—again, with crowd participation.

If you’re looking for more details on Crime and Punishment in Tudor England, pick up the new book by April Taylor. The author provides background information on lawmaking, prisons, and courts systems—and 23 pages of punishments, from beheading to whipping. In the second half of the book, crimes from sumptuary laws to treason are covered in alphabetical order, each followed by case studies. You’ll learn what evidence could be used against the accused, what tortures could be applied to gain a confession, and even the strategies used for the criminal’s demise.

Taylor turns crime and punishment in the Tudor period into a fascinating read, while the alpha-order format makes it easy to browse through or do research.

Prerelease book provided by NetGalley and Pen & Sword History for review consideration.

Understanding Rose's story by reading a book

Recently, I've been doing research on a friends's family. His grandmother Rose was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in her early 40s, around the time when her only child was graduating from high school. The disease went into remission for a short while but by the time Rose was in her late 50s, her husband no longer could provide the specialized care she needed. Rose moved into the local nursing home, where her husband visited her every day. 

Whenever her out-of-state grandsons visited, Rose always reminded them that she once was a registered nurse. Clearly, her status as an RN meant a lot to her, especially since the boys only saw her disabled body lying in a hospital bed in a depressing nursing home. Unlike some of her peers, Rose graduated from high school and was accepted as a nursing student at a hospital 30 miles away. It was one of the few careers open to women at the time. The hospital, like many others, expected much of their female students. Besides studying, for three years the nursing students worked at the hospital before graduating. Six months later, the trained nurses had to pass a board-certified examination in order to become a Registered Nurse. Of the 102 nursing students, Rose was one of 33 who received an honor seal on her RN certificate for having an average grade of 90 percent or more in all subjects. 

Rose had fallen in love with her future husband long before she became a nurse. I know because I have a box of letters that she she wrote to her hometown beau during the entire time she lived in the hospital students' dormitory 30 miles away. Yet Rose put off marriage and having children to follow her dream of being a nurse. After all, one of the hospital rules (and other institutions like it) was that anyone who marries while in training was expelled from the nursing program. One year after she was officially an RN, Rose married.

Book review: The Shortest History of Europe

Unless you're just collecting names and dates, your genealogy research becomes richer the more you know about history, religion, and culture. Putting your ancestors in context not only helps you understand their lives within their own times, but gives you better direction on what to look for in sources and what to research next. 

If you need a refresher, check out The Shortest History series published by The Experiment LLC. Current books in the series include Europe, England, Germany, Israel and Palestine, India, China, and Greece, with more in the works. Promoted as “Thousands of years of history. One riveting, fast-paced read,” the series is written by expert historians who are also international bestselling authors.

The title says it all: The Shortest History of Europe: How Conquest, Culture, and Religion Forged a Continent—A Retelling of Our Times. This is not a sprawling narrative filled with name-dropping and stringent timelines. Instead, John Hirst’s narrative explores how Greek and Roman learning, Christianity, and German warrior culture created modern Europe. 

At first, it’s hard to absorb how only three elements determined the course of European history. But Hirst shows how all the monumental events happened because of conquest, culture, and religion. 

For example, the Catholic Church banished or executed great thinkers like Copernicus and Galileo because their interpretations of how the universe worked contradicted the Greco-Roman view. Martin Luther and his followers wanted to return Christianity to its basic form—the Bible—without the Greco-Roman trappings and started the Reformation. Many years later, Isaac Newton and Einstein explained their scientific discoveries by following the Greek theory that answers would be “simple, mathematical, and logical.”

Throughout the book and its many revolutions, Hirst synthesizes European history in a way that went beyond my college classes, yet is simple and accessible.   

 

Smallpox in Massachusetts Bay 1689-1692

While researching an article for my Witches of Massachusetts Bay website, I wanted to find out if Martha (Allen) Carrier brought “that contagious disease, the smallpox” with her when she moved from Billerica to Andover in the summer or early fall of 1690. 

Like my previous smallpox post, the data is limited by who recorded the deaths in each town and whether they included a cause of death. After the 1678–1679 outbreak, the period from 1689 to 1692 had 55 cases. The earliest death was Dr. John Smith in Charlestown on 21 October 1689 and the last was Thomas Rand who died on 17 June 1691, also in Charlestown. Of all the recorded smallpox deaths, Charlestown had the most prolonged time period between the first and last smallpox deaths and the largest recorded deaths (34). The remaining smallpox deaths were in Andover (10), Haverhill (7), Billerica (3), and Salem (1). Clearly, the Charlestown town recorder was more diligent than the Salem one, since we would expect a busy seaport such as Salem to have more cases.

The records did not supply a timeframe for when the virus raged in each community or how many had the disease and survived. However, we do know from the selectmen's records that by mid-October 1690, Martha Carrier and some of her children had smallpox, and all recovered. But, all of the people who died of the disease in Andover were related to Martha, including her father, two brothers, and two nephews.

The Andover selectmen blamed Martha Carrier for bringing the contagion to Andover. The records show that the first smallpox death recorded in Andover was on 24 October 1690, while the first one listed in Billerica occurred two months later, on 24 December 1690. This suggests—but does not prove—that the disease hit Andover first, and Billerica later.

Andover

Andrew Allen jr., small pox. 24 Oct 1690

Andrew Allen Sr., small pox 26 Nov 1690

John Allen, small pox, Nov. 26, 1690.

Francis Ingalls, s. Henry and Mary, small pox, Dec. 9, 1690.

James Holt, "father of James," small pox, Dec. 14, 1690.

James Holt, s. James and Hannah, small pox, Dec. 13, 1690.

Mercy Allen, w. John, small pox, Dec. 25, 1690.

Sarah Marks, w. Roger, small pox, Dec. 22, 1690.

Thomas Allen, s. Andrew and Elisabeth, small pox, Dec. 18, 1690.

Stephen Osgood, smallpox, Jan. 15, 1690-1.

Billerica

Daniel Shed, small pox, Dec. 24, 1690, a. abt. 41. [Dan[ie]ll Jr., M.R.]

Dorothy Shed [dup. Dorithy], d. Daniel Jr. [dup. omits Jr.] and Ruth, small pox, Dec. 23, 1690.

John Dunkin Sr. [h. Johannah], small pox, Dec. 19, [16]90.

Charlestown

Dr. John Smith, smallpox, d. Oct. 21, 1689.

Abigail Kettle, wife of Jonathan Kettle, (smallpox), d. Jan. 25, 1690.

John Damman, about 40, (smallpox), d. Jan. 20, 1690.

John Hett, son of Tho. & Dorothy Hett, (smallpox), d. Jan. 8, 1690.

Susanna Codman, dau. of Stephen & Elizabeth Codman, (smallpox), d. Jan. 8, 1690.

James Miller, son of James Miller, the Scotchman, smallpox, d. July 14, 1690.

John Hale, about 26, (smallpox), d. Sept. [Dec, Co. Rec. 4:182] 30, 1690.

Mary Cutler, dau. of Timothy & Elizabeth Cutler, smallpox, d. Sept. 12, 1690.

Sarah Cutler, dau. of Timothy & Elizabeth Cutler, smallpox, d. Sept. 5, 1690.

Henry Bowers, son of Benanuel Bowers, about 25, (smallpox), d. Oct. 16, 1690.

Mary Hill, dau. of Samuel & Elizabeth Hill, smallpox, d. Oct. 4, 1690.

Sarah Shoorin, wife of Thomas Shoorin, (smallpox), d. Oct. 17, 1690.

William Wilson, son of Paul Wilson, (smallpox) Oct. 4, 1690.

John Hurry, son of Wm. & Hannah Hurry, smallpox, d. Nov. 22, 1690.

Elizabeth Het, dau. of Tho. & Dorothy Het, (smallpox), d. Dec. 14, 1690.

Henry Davis, a sojourner at Jno. Chamberlin's [a stranger, Co. Rec. 4:183], (smallpox), d. Dec. 20, 1690.

John Chamberlain, (smallpox), d. Dec. 22, 1690

John Ryal, son of Joseph & Mary Ryal, 11, (smallpox), d. Dec. 21, 1690.

Joseph Hopkins, about 32, smallpox, d. Dec. 27, 1690.

Alice Dam, servant to Capt. Joseph Lynde, smallpox, d. Feb. 18, 1690/1.

Hephzibah Codman, dau. of Stephen & Elizabeth Codman, (smallpox), d. Feb. 22, 1690 [1690/1, Pro. 1].

Sarah Mirick, wife of Benjamin Mirick, smallpox, d. Feb. 14, 1690/1.

Abigail Orton/Horton, wife of Ebenezer Orton, (smallpox), d. Mar. 27, 1691.

Edward Paine, brickmaker, (smallpox), d. Mar. 13, 1690/1.

John Kettle, about 30, smallpox, d. Mar. 17 [18, Pro. 2], 1690/1.

Thankfull Austin, wife of Ebenezer Austin, (smallpox), d. Mar. 4, 1690 [1690/1, Pro. 1].

[blank] of Jno. Smith, (smallpox), d. Apr. 29, 1691

George Luke, son of George & Hannah Luke [smallpox, Pro. 1], d. Apr. 11, 1691 [altered from 1690].

Samll. Carter, smallpox, d. Apr. 1, 1691.

[blank] of Jno. Smith, (smallpox), d. May 11, 1691.

Anna Ballat, wife of Mr. Samll. Ballat, smallpox, d. May 14, 1691.

Mary Smith, wife of Jno. Smith, (smallpox), d. May 22, 1691,

Thomas Rand, son of Nathaniel & Abigail Rand, (smallpox), d. June 17, 1691.

John Smith, ship carpenter, (smallpox), d. 1691.

Haverhill

Tho[mas] Mash, s. Onisophorus, of Canada, pox, Nov. 21, 1690.

Abraham Hendrick, s. Daniel and Mary (Stockbridge), smallpox, Dec. 1, 1690.

Jonah Sterling, s. William and Mary, small pox, Dec. 21, 1690.

Jonathan Davis, s. Ephraim and Mary (Johnson), small pox, Dec. 7, 1690.

Ruth Hartshorne, w. John, small pox, Dec. 12, 1690

Mary Ford, w. Robert, small pox, Jan. 27, 1690-91.

Mary Ford, d. Robert and Mary (Kent), small pox, Feb. 3, 1690-91.

Salem

Jacob Phillips, small pox, Sept. 19, 1690. C. R. 2.

*Data only included information from Massachusetts Vital Records 1620–1850 database at AmericanAncestors.org, which does not include records for every town. Boston Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths 1630–1699 were searched separately, though the keywords “smallpox,” “small pox,” and “pox” were not found. 

See also: 

Smallpox reported in Massachusetts Bay 1676-1688 (GenealogyInk)

A pox on Martha Carrier (WitchesMassBay)

Book Review: Aunt Edwina's Fabulous Wishes by Lynne Christensen

Located in a fancy spa town in England, Fizzleywick Hotel is a grand place for the wedding of your imagination. That's right, Canadian author Lynne Christensen has set her family history novel in Plumsden and Brambleford and other quaint towns in Kent that you won't find on the map. After all, it's more about the adventure than the destination. You shouldn't be seeking the help of Amelia Georges of the Pixleton Family History Society anyway; just know that volunteers and staff in real places will provide you with resources to uncover genealogical clues—but it's your job to do the work. So call ahead to make reservations and don't be daunted by unexpected events, untimely closures, and not finding everything you need in one place. 

Thanks to Aunt Edwina, Julie and her cousin Gertie embark on a family history treasure hunt. They need to find scattered clues left behind in family papers, paintings, and even the landscape itself. With the help of friends in high and low places, the two women find secret stashes hidden in everyday objects and within people's memories. The people they meet, from a pawn shop owner to aristocrats turned B&B hosts, all help them solve the puzzles. 

From charming characters to precise descriptions of imaginary locations, this book is an entertaining but smart read. Did you ever think about attending an antiques market to learn where an old key fits? Or taking the time to meet with the locals who have all sorts of stories to tell? In the end, Julie and Gertie are successful, but like all family trees, there's always more to discover. That's why Aunt Edwina's Fabulous Wishes is book 1 of a series. 

(received free book to review)