George Siegenberg (also spelled Seigenberg) was born on 21 February 1913 in Salford, Lancashire. He was the son of a dock labourer, Benjamin Siegenberg, who had been born in London in 1863 and used the surname Carter, possibly after marrying Mary Carter in 1890 (no marriage record has been found). Most of their twelve children died young. These [Click to continue…]

On 13 September 1827, at London’s central criminal court, the Old Bailey, Thomas Baker Sackett was found guilty of assaulting and robbing a bank clerk. His sentence for this crime was death by hanging. His execution was set to take place two months later on 22 November at the notorious Newgate Gaol. There being no right of appeal, Thomas’s only [Click to continue…]

Millions of people have ridden to the top of Blackpool Tower, Lancashire, since it opened as a tourist attraction in 1894. It takes centre stage every year in the ‘Blackpool Lights’ festival in this seaside resort. Few visitors will know however that this iron structure, the 135th tallest free standing structure in the world, was made possible by [Click to continue…]

Matthew Corr was my great, great uncle and the third son of James Corr and Margaret Barber in Gateshead, County Durham, born on 7 Jan 1878. He was a coal miner and married Harriet Gaul on 6 Jan 1909, a spinster who already had four children,  at St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Newcastle Upon Tyne. They had three more children. Matthew joined the [Click to continue…]