Don B, I am finding the Imperial Ethiopian website brilliant.  So much we did not know (or that which I did not know)

What a wonderful discovery, John. I remember my Grandma Lou (the pianist) showing me a photo in a library book about early recordings - it was her Aunty Lily sitting at a piano, who was the unacknowedged accompanist in so many recordings, including those of Dame Clara Butt. Although the libray book incident was about 30 years ago, the name John Steane springs to mind - I should see if he was the author of a book on early recordings and try to obtain a copy.

Sorry to be so off-topic. 

MJ,

This is the Church of my forebears, see those tombstones?  Them is us.  From 1740 onwards front of pic, prior to that history goes back to 1699 at least, we have a Will of that date but family dates back to earlier, two of them Parish Clerks, all left Wills and owned property.  By 1840 in the Workhouse and children Paupers.  Still, it's nice to look back and think, my family made that Churchyard as it is.

That is a nice thought.

This is the church of St Mary the Virgin in Horsell, Surrey. My brother is buried here. I haven't been back for something like 20 years but feel I should.

Well he died before I was born so there's not a direct emotional connection.
I'm all in agreement with the fact that the grave is only a focal point. When we moved, it caused my mum a lot of grief until she suddenly realised that it just didn't matter. As she put it, he wasn't there, he was with her. Anyway, this is probably all a bit personal and inappropriate, but your comment struck a chord with me. Tomorrow I have to be singing in the cathedral of St Giles in Edinburgh, which, given that tourist season is upon us, will be a freak show and a half.

I feel a very strong emotional connection with my ancestors. We're lucky to have a good collection of photographs from the late Victorian and also the Edwardian decade when my grandfather was married, when he looked very Elgarian. The photos include my great-grandfather who looked then what my dad was like in the 1970s. Grandad was certainly the poshest of our family, having built up his own business and become the Victorian gentleman of a little border village. He died before I was born. Previously our family had been blacksmiths north and south of the border, and my dad was a master joiner who decided, when I was small, to move north for more work as the village populations were decreasing. So I do very much feel a connection with my family and the places where they lived, even though it's only rare I might visit the little villages of their time. People there still remember our family (none of the Wrights there now are direct family members).

John

Indeed, and I'm thankful my retired brother has taken it on, and in a big way by looking at the big families on our mum's side, and of our grandad's wife which takes us to families from Glasgow and Balfron, cotton mills and we can just wonder at the work/living conditions experienced. There's an old story of a family member eloping with an earl's daughter late 18thC, which would relate us to Robert the Bruce but alas nothing has been confirmed. The 18thC Wrights are all buried in the parish of Arthuret, near Carlisle.

As I said earlier we have a long history of blacksmiths which brought the family in contact with the gentry and many females in the family worked in country houses, and we read of one great uncle who as a teenager worked on the estate of the Carlyle family near Gretna, probably the same family as essayist Thomas Carlyle who was born in Ecclefechan. I remember grandad/grannie on mum's side living in a flat opposite Carlyle's birthplace and wonder if any of our family met Robbie Burns when he visited Ecclefechan.

Sorry going off-topic, so getting back on-topic 18thC Wrights are buried here





John W

It seems no one has been to Church lately! 

This is what was my family's Church when I was growing up in London, designed by S.S. Teulon who enlarged the original Church and consecrated in 1866.  My parents married there, we were all Christened there.  It has recently had extensive renovation.  I see from its website that 8pm second Saturday of the month: alternative worship service with contemporary music and visuals, meditations and art in Grace style and fourth Sundays ditto in Grace.  That's a new one on me.  Perhaps Don B. knows more about this?  It seems to be a bit arty-farty Evangelical.  Forgive me if I  am wrong.  Evening services also include Taize and Celtic style services.