Wigan

The early Hollands – or Holands

Feb 5, 2024

buildings, genealogy

annulment, barons Holland, Borehamwood, Cheshire, Cheshire risings, County of St. Pol, Duchy of Brittany, Edward II, Edward III, Edward the Black Prince, Hale, Henry II, Henry VI, Hollands, House of Lancaster, House of York, Ireland family, Joan of Kent, Lancashire, Lancashire Assizes, Lovells, Matthew Holland, maud de la zouche, Mitford sisters, Mortimers, murder, Parliament, Robert Holand, secret marriage, Sir John Egerton, Thomas Holland, Thomas of Lancaster, Thurstan Holland, Upholland, Wigan

Upholland is a village in Lancashire, about 4 miles from Wigan and these days only just outside Greater Manchester. It was formerly the HQ of the Lancashire gentry family of Holland. (Up until the 15th Century, it was often, if not invariably, spelt ‘Holand’, but I will stick with the modern spelling for consistency.) The…
The first female Richard III in Australia….

Oct 15, 2019

The play’s the thing

Australia, Elizabeth Winstanley, male impersonators, Wigan

Well, it seems that women playing the Bard’s Richard III go back further than I realized. It’s not a new thing, by any means. This article is about Elizabeth Winstanley, who died in December 1864 at the age of 64. She originated in Wigan, Lancs, and her family emigrated to Sydney in 1833. An interest…
Fabulous discovery of more coins, but alas, none from the reign of Richard III….

May 16, 2018

archaeology

coins, Elizabeth I, English Civil War, Henry II, Henry III, Liverpool Museum, Richard II, Wigan

“…A spectacular hoard of centuries-old coins found in a brook in the borough [Atherton] gives a small but perfectly-formed window into the past…” Fancy that. Thomas Jackson was poking around in a brook when he found a small rusty box, containing…43 old coins! How wonderful. The coins are apparently not that valuable. The earliest is…

Wigan

The early Hollands – or Holands

The first female Richard III in Australia….

Fabulous discovery of more coins, but alas, none from the reign of Richard III….