“Sceptre and crown Must tumble down, And in the dust be equal made With the poor crooked scythe and spade.” Thus wrote dramatist James Shirley in 1658, reiterating a motif in popular discourse that death renders all lives, irrespective of status, wealth or achievement, equal.[1] But how far is death the great equaliser? Historians, whose … Read more
A Pigman, Policeman and Publican, the story of Gilbert Hopkins Forest The author, Martin Harrison, is an Ordecomedologist (collector and researcher of Orders, Decorations and Medals). As most British medals are named to the recipient it makes specific research possible, often with interesting results. One such story is that of Gilbert Hopkins Forest whose 1914-18 British War … Read more
Archive Antics No 2 (An article from our Newsletter in June 2023 by our Archivist) It’s like a reoccurring nightmare. Deadline day for the Newsletter has arrived, but fortunately I have something for you. Not entirely about Royal Leamington Spa but there are connections. I was aimlessly wandering through the Archive. Sorry, that is … Read more
I was wondering, lonely as a cloud, through the Archive the other day and was thinking about the Blue Plaque that was put up in September 2023 to William Munger Heynes. William Munger Heynes was a man who was instrumental in the design, performance and production of so much of Jaguar’s successful days after WW2. … Read more
It is very important to start this article by saying that we understand that many people these days find the idea of taxidermy, the stuffing of animals, birds and fish, totally abhorrent. However, we also recognise that in earlier times the possession and collection of these specimens was very popular and allowed people to ‘enjoy’ … Read more
Rosemary Guiot (pictured left, as a small girl) now lives in Cubbington, but has close connections to Bath Street and its Victorian past. Her great-grandfather, William George Pugh grew up in Leominster, Herefordshire, moved first to Liverpool, then Nottingham, and finally to Leamington with his wife and four sons, William, Albert, Henry and Percy, in … Read more
Rosa Newmarch was born at 29 Lansdowne Place*, Leamington, the youngest of the family of four boys and three girls of the physician Samuel Jeaffreson. She was an artist, an accomplished musician, linguist, poet, writer, critic and composer, – and a wife and mother. Mrs Newmarch began her … Read more
Dates: 1784 to 1840. Thomas Stedman Whitwell was born in Coventry. and was active in Leamington Spa from about 1820 to 1822. In notices of his death he is named Stedman Thomas Whitwell (Stedman is occasionally spelled as Steadman). His only antecedent traced so far is an uncle named Mr Whitwell who was a surgeon … Read more
This is a video of the Zoom presentation made to our Virtual monthly meeting by Mick Jeffs on Monday, 25th October 2021. It will be available for a couple of weeks so that people can view it again or catch-up if they missed it. Just click on the title image below
Dr Edith Ara Huntley, 1852-1918, Pioneering woman doctor Edith Ara Huntley was the older of two daughters of Arabella and Richard Huntley, born at Kings Langley, Hertfordshire in 1852, where their father was then joint owner of a Brewery. Edith lived in Leamington Spa, with her parents and younger sister Eliza from at least 1861 … Read more
Attempted Suicide by Local Leamington Resident Mary Hart, aged 31 years, caused quite a stir on Saturday 2 July 1870 at10.15 p.m. when she tried to drown herself. She was hauled before the magistrates for the crime of attempting to commit suicide by jumping off Castle Bridge, Warwick, into the River Avon. Originally from the … Read more
Contact the Secretary, Margaret Rushton: secretary@leamingtonhistory.co.uk
November 7, 2026
November 6, 2026
November 6, 2026