To say that Margaret Smith’s Pegge family were well connected is an understatement. She has researched these high-flyers in great depth and discovered lots of surprises including a royal mistress, says
Claire Vaughan
READER STORY A reader shares their discoveries
After finding a link to royalty, the Holy Grail for any family historian is to track down their ancestors in records predating parish registers. It’s a tall order, but Margaret Smith has achieved both – and more. Along the way she’s uncovered intriguing literary connections, more wealthy families than you can shake a stick at, and a royal mistress, using some fascinating records that might not be on your radar.
Margaret, who lives in Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire, explains that she started researching her Pegg(e) tree back in 1968. “My initial interest was sparked by my father’s pride in his Pegge line based on family stories about how we were once very wealthy and owned lots of land.” She began a career in local studies and archival research the same year, based at Derby Borough Libraries, qualifying at Loughborough University and returning to Derby to head up the Local Studies and Archive service.
“Derby Borough Libraries’ Local Studies Collection was willed a very large collection of archival and manuscript materials from Chatsworth House, by the then Duke of Devonshire. It was further enhanced in the 1960s by a very enthusiastic chief librarian, who researched and developed an extensive Derbyshire family names collection. The collection included family papers from the Pegge family. So in my spare time, I was able to research my own tree.” She turned up some real gems including an unexpected connection to Chatsworth.
The starting point for Margaret’s research was her great grandfather, Joseph Samuel Pegge (1856–1939), and his wife Annie, and several great aunts and uncles, all of whom lived near Normanton where Margaret’s father’s family lived.
Fifty-five years later, the Pegge line she has uncovered is very extensive and does indeed include several landed Derbyshire families. In total there are 1,959 Pegge relations on her tree.
FOLLOWING THE PAPER TRAIL
And, of course, because many of the Pegges had status, they left a very detailed paper trail behind for her to follow. She tracked their comings and goings using birth, marriage and death records, census entries and parish registers. Margaret supplemented these with oth
