Projectkin Special Livestream: All About That Place 2026
More details coming soon
Unfailing Remedies and Pills Worth Their Weight In Gold
Pharmacist LV Bond’s preparations offered the people of Tiverton a cure for all ills. This talk uncovers the rich picture of people, places and medicine to be found in his advertisements.
Walking Past the Largest Private “Madhouse” in the Country
Growing up in Salisbury, I regularly walked past the gates of The Old Manor, knowing it vaguely as a hospital for long-term patients and giving it no more thought. Years later, when I took up genealogy and local history, I learned that The Old Manor was Fisherton House Asylum and reputedly the largest private “madhouse” in the UK. I’ve never researched it before, nor even stepped beyond the Old Manor gates. So join me on my research journey – why here, who ended up inside, what records survive, and what legends lie literally beneath the surface.
A Shark Ate My Lunatic Ancestor
How do we tell a story that is at once bizarre, tragic and almost impossible to believe? My ancestor travelled to Australia, was declared a “lunatic” and, while being transported to an asylum, jumped into shark-infested waters. Behind the sensational headline lies a vulnerable man whose life might otherwise have disappeared into official records. This talk explores how research, imagination and a family archive can restore his humanity—and make someone seemingly lost to history unforgettable against the odds.
The Dastardly Dentist of Dogpole
Victorian Britain was a formative time of widespread changes in the education, registration and regulation of dentists. Many practitioners adapted to dentistry from other professions, and worked with considerable freedom.
George William Gregory was a Shrewsbury based dentist, living there from approximately 1876 to 1911. His troubled life was clearly portrayed by regular appearances in both local and national newspapers.
Exploring the Impact of Family History on Wellbeing
This presentation shares findings from an interdisciplinary study by the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Psychological Sciences and Health and the Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies, working with Historic Productions Ltd and YourTour. It explores whether taking part in family history activities can improve wellbeing. Participants joined a live, interactive online genealogy session and received a written report afterwards. Based on YourTour’s service, the sessions are described as like having a personal online episode of *Who Do You Think You Are?* The partnership combines genealogical expertise with psychological assessment methods.
Moral Therapy? Experiencing mental health treatment in the past
Join David Luck, archivist at Bethlem Royal Hospital, the oldest mental health hospital in Britain, as he looks at what life would have been like for those living in psychiatric hospitals across history. From the dark days of ‘bedlam’ to modern outpatient services of the 1960s David will discuss how treatment changed and evolved, and how different methods and ideas developed over the years.
Dr Albert Napper
The Napper name is synonymous with the village of Cranleigh, Surrey, where streets and buildings commemorate his legacy. But who was Dr Albert Napper? Discover the story of the Victorian surgeon who founded England’s first cottage hospital in 1859, pioneering a movement that transformed local healthcare and influenced the development of the NHS.
Lunatic Asylum & Mental Health Records in County Record Offices
Modern mental health records are understandably heavily restricted, but what can we learn from historical mental health records? This talk gives a brief guide to lunatic asylums, the medical records they created and what we can learn from them.
Writing the Lives That Time Forgot: Our Ancestors Who Died by Suicide
Storytelling is our great power as family historians. How can we use that power to rewrite the lives of our ancestors who faced stigma? Dai’s talk focusses on how we can implement the guidelines set by suicide prevention a safer, more supportive community.organizations to preserve our ancestors’ dignity and create a safer, more supportive community.