London Westminster & Middlesex Family History Society

01/11/2026

On this day in London in 1848, WH Smith’s first railway bookstall opened at Euston. William Henry Smith took over his parents’ news selling business, which had been going since 1792. The coming of the railways provided an opportunity for Smith and he opened news stands at the major railway stations, starting with the Euston one. His newsagent business was centred in St Clement Danes on the corner of Arundel Street and the Strand, conveniently near to Fleet Street. Here, newspapers would be delivered from the various printing presses and were then despatched to the railway stations for sale there and for distribution to places further afield. The company archive includes business diaries from 1849-1981, salary books, books of letters sent and received, albums of photographs, wages books, staff registers including their addresses, copies of the staff magazine and much more.
Pic of Fleet Street © LWMFHS

30/10/2026

On this day in 1728, Mary Wilkes was born in Clerkenwell, the daughter of distiller, Israel Wilkes and his wife Sarah, née Heaton. Mary’s first husband, Samuel Storke, died within a year of their marriage, leaving her a wealthy widow with a thriving trading firm with links to the Americas. Her second husband, George Hayley, had been a clerk in Samuel’s office and successfully ran the business for many years, importing whale oil into London and sending tea back. It was one of their shipments of tea which was involved in the Boston Tea Party in 1773. Following the death of George in America in 1781, Mary took over the business. She settled in Boston for a while to collect monies owed to her by American merchants following their Revolution. When she had done this, she returned to London and went on to retire to Bath, dying in 1808 at the age of 79.
Anyone researching their ancestors in Clerkenwell might be interested to know that we have produced a Parish Guide to sources in this area, available here: https://genfair.co.uk/search/?s_id=391&pc_id=&county=&is_download=&q=clerkenwell&sort=
Image by Samuel William Reynolds, published by Henry Graves & Co, after Sir Joshua Reynolds, public domain via Wikimedia

27/10/2026

On this day in 1744 Mary Moser was born – she was baptised at St Clement Danes on 22 November. Mary was an artist who specialised in painting flowers and was one of only two female founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768. You can see her at the back of this group of Royal Academicians with Angelica Kauffman.
Anyone researching their ancestors in St Clement Danes might be interested to know that we have produced a Parish Guide to sources in this area, available here: https://genfair.co.uk/search/?s_id=391&pc_id=&county=&is_download=&q=st+clement+danes&sort=

Pic: 1795 painting The Royal Academicians in General Assembly by Henry Singleton, public domain via Wikimedia

25/10/2026

Sarah Seymour, Duchess of Somerset died on this day in 1692 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. In her Will she left money to provide free education for poor children of Tottenham. This was used to help Tottenham Grammar School, which was already over 200 years old. Every year children from the school would go and lay flowers on her tomb at Westminster Abbey until the school closed in 1967. Sarah’s bequest has been transformed into the Tottenham Grammar School Foundation,which continues to support education in what is now the London Borough of Haringey.
If you had family in Tottenham you can find out more about which records are available and where they are using out Parish Guide, available here: https://genfair.co.uk/search/?s_id=391&pc_id=&county=&is_download=&q=tottenham&sort=
Pic: Sarah, Duchess of Somerset. Public domain via Wikimedia

25/10/2026

On this day in 1623, a Roman Catholic service was being held for some 300 people in an upper room at Hunsdon House in Blackfriars, which was used as the official residence of the French Ambassador, when the floor gave way. Some 95 people lost their lives in this incident, which became known as the ‘Fatal Vespers’. Isabella Holmes mentions in her book The London Burial Grounds that 20 people were buried on the spot, with 44 buried in the courtyard before the Ambassador’s house, and 15 in his garden.
Pic: Contemporary engraving of the ‘Fatal Vespers’ of 1623 an impression of the collapse of the interior. Public domain via Wikimedia

24/10/2026

All set up for the Oxfordshire Family History Society - OFHS fair! Come in out of the rain to start or continue your family history journey!

21/10/2026

Today is the anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, which took place in 1805 off the coast of Spain. A British fleet led by Admiral Lord Nelson defeated a combined French and Spanish fleet as part of the continuing battle against the French Republic led by Napoleon Bonaparte.
The National Archives have listed all of those who served on the 27 British ships of the line, along with their service histories and any biographical details found so far.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/trafalgarancestors/
Pic: The Battle of Trafalgar by William Clarkson Stanfield, public domain via Wikimedia

16/10/2026

On this day in London in 1834, the medieval Palace of Westminster was largely destroyed by a fire caused by the careless burning of wooden tally sticks which had been used by the Exchequer in its accounting procedures.
The actions of Superintendent James Braidwood of the London Fire Engine Establishment ensured that Westminster Hall and a few other parts of the old Houses of Parliament survived the blaze.
Picture © LWMFHS
Information of the London Fire Engine Establishment and other London fire brigades can be found at the LFB Museum: https://www.london-fire.gov.uk/museum/

14/10/2026

On this day in 1926, ‘Winnie-the-Pooh’, written by Kilburn-born author Alan Alexander Milne, was published. The characters in the book were all based on his son, Christopher Robin Milne’s toys.
Christopher’s bear Winnie was named after a Canadian black bear then residing at London Zoo. This real bear, named after Winnipeg, Manitoba, had been purchased in Canada by Lieutenant Harry Colebourn who left her at London Zoo whilst fighting in France in the First World War. She was later officially donated to the Zoo.
Picture: Public Domain via Wikimedia

12/10/2026

Our talk which went live on the first day of has been uploaded to the Learning Hub and can be seen here, along with many other interesting short talks, until the end of the month. They are all free to view :)

In this talk I will show where people who died in this Middlesex parish are most likely to have been buried.