Beyond the lunatic asylum of the 19th century its legacy, my family, and the madness within

Covid-19 has had a lasting impact on all our lives in one way or another, but when Gemma Duggan (née Lupton) developed long Covid after contracting the virus in 2020, she was forced to give up her job

Recently, at the Western Cape Archives in Cape Town, South Africa, I had to suppress my tears as I finally read the horrifying details about my late mother’s tragically cruel early childhood. Iris Ale

For many years, my existence was a true case of “Who do you think you are?” I was born in 1952, and grew up thinking that my mum’s first husband was my father. His surname was Cassidy. Mum died in 198

This month we start off by looking at the value of personal storytelling and the power of preserving personal memories, which was inspired by a wonderful quote from Denyse Allen, of Chronicle Makers h

What responsibilities should we bear in mind when researching and preserving our family history in the current age? It’s a question that many of us will not give a moment’s thought to when getting sta

Most people know someone who has distanced from a relative, whether for a breather or for good. Estrangement even impacts our royal family. Yet there’s so much we don’t know – and don’t say – about th