A new page is devoted to the importance of the ponds of Preston. Link: Pond
When Preston first won the “Herts Best Kept Village” competition in the twentieth century. Link: Best Kept Village
Note: If anyone would like to submit their memories and photographs concerning Preston in the twentieth century, please contact me. Link: Contact page
February 2008:
This page contains a list of recent additions to the site starting with the latest items
Right This is Ezra Boston (1892 -
(I am grateful to Natalie Davies for kindly giving permission to include this photograph)
There is a catalogue of almost 1,300 children who were born at or who were living
at Preston in the nineteenth century. There are two listings -
The history of Minsden chapel is recounted. Link: Minsden chapel
A page is devoted to the Currell family who lived around Hitchin and who lived in parishes such as Willian, Norton, Baldock, Aston and Graveley. Link: The Currells around Hitchin.
January 2008:
The Fairey family of Preston is featured: Link: Fairey.
December 2007:
News stories: 43 new reports of Preston people have been added to these pages including
an additional page of news stories of theft, felony and robbery. Link : News Stories
-
Following some correspondence, I have decided to include the names of those who feature in news stories (with two exceptions).
As part of an ongoing project to feature Preston Farms, the first farm page has been created dealing with Preston Hill Farm. Link: Preston Hill Farm.
There are some additional paragraphs concerning Bunyan’s Chapel in the nineteenth century. Link Bunyan’s Chapel.
November 2007:
Preston marriages 1800-
There is a page dealing with Preston cricket in the nineteenth century. Link: Cricket
Five new paragraphs have been added to the article recording the history of the Red Lion. Link: Red Lion
The News Stories section now has a page featuring poaching by Preston villagers. Link: Poaching
There are new photographs on the Ashton and Peters pages. Links: Ashton; Peters.
October 2008:
March 2008:
There is a page concentrating on Wray family history from 1700c to 1900. Link: Wray family history
The highways and byways of Preston are featured at the link: Preston’s roads.
There are nineteen new news stories about Preston people, mainly from 1890 -
I hope this photograph of Preston’s shop at the Green evokes as many memories for you as it does for me. I can still recall running to the door to spend my pocket money. But there wasn’t a huge choice of sweets.
April 2008:
Robert Hinde -
My ancestors -
As at least three members of the Fairey family from Australia are visiting Preston during 2008, the news reports of their ancestor, Richard Fairey are included. Link: Richard Fairey News.
The navigation of this site has been expanded by the introduction of a Site Map. Link: Site Map
May 2008:
There is an article about the militia lists of Hertfordshire and their importance when researching family and local history. Included is a listing of Preston men from 1758 to 1785 who are mentioned in the lists. Is one of your ancestors included?Link: Militia lists
A news story of a fire at Parsonage Farm, Kings Walden is included and the extraordinary trial which followed. Not only are four men from Preston involved in the account, but it is worth reading to learn something of the lot of farm labourers and how some took reprisals against farmers. Link: Parsonage Farm fire
Right, Mr and Mrs James Hedley, licencee of Red Lion 1920 -
Right are George S. Sharpe and Annie White who were married at St Marys, Hitchin on 10 October 1900. George was born in 1878, the son of Samuel who was born at Preston in 1848. Samuel’s parents were John and Mary Sharpe. (I am grateful to Pat for providing this photograph.)
June 2008:
A detailed history of Pond Farm on the Charlton road at Preston is recounted. Link: Pond Farm
There is an explanation of the feudal manorial system and its importance in tracing local and family history. Link: Manorial records
This is followed by summaries of property transactions at Preston recorded in the Temple Dinsley manorial rolls from 1845 until 1922. Link:
Finally there is a searchable index to the Preston people mentioned in the manorial
rolls from 1845-
July 2008
I have been kindly provided with a listing of 312 people buried at St Martins, Preston from 1906 until 2005. I also have a note of the monumental inscriptions and their location in the burial ground. If anyone would like to research a relative’s burial, please contact me. Link: Contact page. Almost half of those interred at St Martins (including my grandparents) are in unmarked graves i.e. they have no monumental inscription.
A letter from Canon Hensley dated 1898 in which he expresses reservations about the burial ground; a letter from a former curate
concerning the St Martins’ original building fund and a letter in the Hertfordshire
Express outlining the history of Anglican worship at Preston are to be found at this
link: St Martins -
An article by Nina Freebody regarding the history of Preston is included. Link: History of Preston.
I explain how I found the location of my greatx3 grandparents’ home (Robert and Martha Currell). Link: Hill End.
August 2008
This month, the spotlight focuses on Wain Wood and Bunyan’ Cottage and Dell. Link: Wain Wood.
96 weddings at St Martins, Preston from 1909 to 1985 are catalogued. Link: St Martins’ marriages.
Four photographs of Preston schoolchildren from 1896 to 1922 are included and a report about the closure of Preston school in 1977 which features Mary Woodhams (nee Chalkley). Link: School photographs.
Two photographs of the newly-
Above: The attractive setting of Preston Green cottages August 2008