Introduction

After I left Sir Walter St John’s Grammar School in London, I took up a career in science and technology and worked in the UK’s Department of Health for 28 years. Part-time study led me to a PhD in Human Environmental Science at King’s College, London, and an MA [Values in Education, Philosophical Perspectives] at the Institute of Education, London University. I began to study for a part-time London University external LLB degree but dropped out because I though it required too much rote learning, which did not come easily to me. However, I retained an interest in the workings of the English Legal System and in the meaning of words. Along the way, I was an Honorary Research Fellow in Biomedical Sciences at Kings College London and later at Cranfield University in Bedfordshire. Until recently, I was an occupational health and safety adviser.

About 20 years ago, I accompanied my late wife to some talks on the use of computers in historical research and began to help her with her genealogical studies. Later, I took part in a project, organised by the Centre for Local History Studies at Kingston University, to digitise the Enumerators’ Books for the Kingston Census of 1851-1891. This rekindled my interest in history, especially that of Kingston upon Thames, where I live. This website has been set up so that I can share my research findings, some based on digitised material, with others who may be interested in them.