When I first began tracing my family history, I never imagined the journey would uncover the remarkable stories of 17th-century women who shaped not only their families but the tumultuous times they lived in. Writing The Lydiard Chronicles has been an exploration of courage, resilience, and determination, inspired by my ancestors’ lives. But this journey taught me something even more profound: every family, whether famous or unknown, carries hidden histories waiting to be discovered—and written.
Genealogy has always intrigued me, but it wasn’t until I began piecing together letters, court records, and memoirs that I started to truly understand my ancestors’ worlds. Lucy St.John, the heroine of The Lady of the Tower, captured my heart from the moment I discovered her life. Her story of scandal, betrayal, and ultimate redemption is a testament to resilience. Cast out of court after a dangerous love affair, Lucy rebuilt her life using her intelligence, healing skills, and sheer determination. Her eventual role as the wife of the Lieutenant of the Tower of London—a position fraught with political intrigue, plague, and executions—revealed the incredible strength required of women in an unforgiving world.
Lucy’s journey led me into one of England’s most tumultuous periods: the Civil War. Through Lucy’s children, Luce and Allen, I explored the devastating impact of a country at war with itself in By Love Divided. Luce’s decision to fight for the Parliamentarian cause and Allen’s loyalty to the king as a cavalier mirrored the divisions tearing families apart across the nation. Their choices brought to life the personal toll of war, especially for women, who were often left to hold their families together amidst chaos.
In Written in Their Stars, I uncovered stories of my ancestors Nan Wilmot and Frances Apsley, who risked everything to restore the monarchy after the execution of King Charles I. Their courage contrasted with their cousin Luce, a passionate republican fighting for a different vision of England’s future. These women’s lives revealed the complex, often conflicting roles they played during a time of extraordinary upheaval. And yet, through all the battles, their love for each other and their families shone like a beacon of hope that one day the war would end, healing would begin, and life as they once knew it would resume again.
But these aren’t just my stories. Every family has a history worth exploring. It doesn’t matter if your ancestors were aristocrats, farmers, or factory workers—their lives were shaped by the times they lived in, and their stories are part of who you are today. When we look beyond dates and places and dive into the social, political, and cultural context of their lives, we uncover a deeper understanding of their experiences, triumphs, and struggles.
And here’s the most important part: don’t stop at the dates. Writing their stories—whether it’s a paragraph, a vignette, or a full biography—brings your ancestors to life. It changes your perspective of history, transforming it from dry facts into vivid, human narratives. When you write their stories, you honour their lives and create a bridge to the past that informs your own identity. I have the privilege of teaching a family history writing workshop in my local community, and when someone moves from capturing “mere dates” to writing down a story, an anecdote, a memory recalled, the moment is pure magic.
Researching family history is an inspiring journey, but writing it makes it truly transformative. So uncover those hidden stories, breathe life into them with your words, and let the past enrich your present.
