From laidlaws at hotkey.net.au Wed Sep 8 21:35:24 2010 From: laidlaws at hotkey.net.au (Doug Laidlaw) Date: Wed, 8 Sep 2010 21:35:24 +1000 Subject: [Boykett-announce] Church Rate Message-ID: <201009082135.24473.laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> I have taken the plunge and gone to Wikipedia, but not in a big way. There is a brief article about the Church Rate at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Rate It summarises what I have found out. Wikipedia says that it "may need to be updated," but since the rate was abolished in 1868, I can't see what further history it can have. I have added a comment offering the benefit of my knowledge. The confirmation page thanked me profusely for giving URLs, but they are only to my site. I still don't think that Thomas needs his own biography on Wikipedia, although it seems that these days, anything goes. Wikipedia is almost up there with links to Facebook and Twitter, as part of a commercial Web presence. You can read my note by clicking on the "Discussion" tab. Doug. From laidlaws at hotkey.net.au Thu Sep 9 00:38:33 2010 From: laidlaws at hotkey.net.au (Doug Laidlaw) Date: Thu, 9 Sep 2010 00:38:33 +1000 Subject: [Boykett-announce] Church Rate In-Reply-To: <201009082135.24473.laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> References: <201009082135.24473.laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> Message-ID: <201009090038.33423.laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> On Wed, 8 Sep 2010 09:35:24 pm Doug Laidlaw wrote: > Wikipedia says that it "may need to be > updated," but since the rate was abolished in 1868, I can't see what > further history it can have. On reflection, the "further history" would include the present status of the Church Rate. It wasn't abolished; it was merely made voluntary, and those who didn't pay lost their rights to say how it was spent. It is still being collected in England: http://www.hampsteadparishchurch.org.uk/data/vol_rate.php Doug. From laidlaws at hotkey.net.au Fri Sep 17 22:08:21 2010 From: laidlaws at hotkey.net.au (Doug Laidlaw) Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 22:08:21 +1000 Subject: [Boykett-announce] New Member; John Boykett Message-ID: <201009172208.21834.laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> We have had a new family member join us, Jennifer O'Reilly, daughter of David Boykett, the Olympic rower. Welcome to the group, Jennifer! I thought that we had over 25 registrations, but the latest count is about 23. I have been wondering about John, whether he really did go off for months at a time. Any evidence would have to be anecdotal, anyway. Certainly he wrote the Lord's Prayer on a threepenny bit, but who would buy one? According to Charlotte's letter, Downer's sent a coach to his funeral. I can't imagine them doing that for an employee as unreliable as John is made out to be. I would love to find his birth registration, but it was before the civil registers started in 1837, and he doesn't seem to be on the Nonconformist register kept at Dr Williams' Library, where we found Caroline's birth, and which is now available at the U.K. National Archives. A father as religious as Thomas would have arranged a christening, but he moved around so much that it could have been at any church. The address on the 1831 letter is "12 Curtain Road" which is in Shoreditch, while Hannah was buried in 1833 at St Alphege's, London Wall. Without looking, I have a feeling that St Alphege's may have been her family's church. My wife, who has been copping it from me again, has suggested that if Thomas suffered from depression, that would have been another burden for Maria, and an added reason for her to leave. It has been said that no marriage where one party is depressed, can ever be normal. A lengthy marriage can withstand it, but for a 19-year-old, coming into a ready family with four active boys, it could have been the last straw. I have added to my book a sentence to that effect, with a cross-reference to a chapter about depression, yet to be written. Doug. From laidlaws at hotkey.net.au Fri Sep 17 22:40:07 2010 From: laidlaws at hotkey.net.au (Doug Laidlaw) Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2010 22:40:07 +1000 Subject: [Boykett-announce] Mailing List Archives Message-ID: <201009172240.07766.laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> (Jennifer, the mailing list is what you called my "blog".) Google, to whom no doors are closed, has archived all posts to my mailing list, but anybody, member or not, can search them. Go to http://douglaidlaw.net/pipermail/boykett-announce_douglaidlaw.net/ You can get there by clicking the link to the list admin page (the bottom one at the foot of each email,) then choosing Archives from there. Unfortunately, the archives are not readily searchable. You can expand each month's listing and look for a likely header, but you may find it easier searching Google. If you really want something, do not hesitate to contact me directly. Doug. From laidlaws at hotkey.net.au Sun Sep 26 02:59:41 2010 From: laidlaws at hotkey.net.au (Doug Laidlaw) Date: Sun, 26 Sep 2010 02:59:41 +1000 Subject: [Boykett-announce] Change of program mooted Message-ID: <201009260259.41320.laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> Struggling with phpGedView. Development seems to have lost momentum; there were several updates in 2009 and none in 2010. As I read the forums, a lead developer has resigned over some issue of principle, the founder hasn't got time to resume control, and the future of the program is unclear. I can't use the edit screen; I can't type into it; I can't even press the Close button. That is only on the Web, and seems only to apply to my account. I can still edit data directly, or upload it from my computer. I posted about this on the Help forum a couple of days ago, but have had no reply. I am looking into "The Next Generation" (TNG), a shareware program that does much the same. Its Home Page is at http://lythgoes.net/genealogy/software.php, and it hosts "user sites" - you can click on the link. I am considering "Related Families" http://www.relatedfamilies.com/ They will host my entire site, and they have numerous options. Doug.