Home Page GENERAL - THEKINGSCANDLESTICKS. Henry Lee Shuttleworth and the History of the Spiti Valley. Yannick Laurent’s work on this fascinating Himalayan community and Lee Shuttleworths contribution to Western understanding of the culture and religions.  Now published see Books. Court Knoll Alston Court. Mary George of Nayland advises that a very successful excavation took place on Court Knoll in Sept/Oct 2016, significant finds were made see                and                    and My apologies to all who have contributed new data or advice of corrections, were added to the Contributors page or otherwise have looked at the site expecting change, which has been not yet been published. The reason, 2016 has been a period of frustration as the broad band service in my area has been increasingly overloaded. This has made the process of refreshing the site with new data difficult. However fibre optic broad band is now installed what joy. This delay has been made worse by bugs in my genealogy software for months affecting the export of data to the website, really serious!, but now remedied. NEWS. For about 100yrs the disappearance of the Rev Arthur Cowper Julius has been a mystery after he left his wife Alice and family and vanished. The triangulation of pieces of family lore and fact have established he changed his name to Davidson/Davison married it seems bigamously, and had a second family in NSW, for more click on. One of the most important matters in 2016 is the great progress on proving the family line of English Alston’s to the large American family. This started in 2013 with my discovery of the facts around John Alston of Pavenham Bedfordshire (1673-1710/11)                 who had been taken as the ancestor for over 100yrs, with unfortunately no supporting evidence. With this myth clearly disproved, work again started in earnest on finding the link. Forrest King in the US, Mary Terbrak in Europe, and to a much lesser extent myself, reviewed what was known and worked on possibilities. A number of documents discovered by Forrest and Mary narrowed the field to a John Alston of Westerfield Essex, a member of Mary’s Alston line. The final break through was the discovery of John Alston’s uncle Nicholas Pasfield who went to Virginia in the late 17thC. In a series of events he was joined by John Alston and in 1693 both are recorded in the same house as Tithe payers of Lawne  Creek Virginia. More to be published on this by Forrest, who is at present both consolidating the research and challenging it as it has a far reaching effect on the family in the USA Henry Lee Shuttleworth,           has been in the “news” this year. Yannick Laurent Tibetologist of Wolfson College Oxford convened a conference this year on the Spiti Valley,            which included a recognition of Lee’s work in the area.  If you know anything of a film “Gullivers Travellers” directed by Harry Moscona early last century let me know as Lee is thought to have been involved. Another exciting development is the contact I have had from Burnell Nisbett and Livingston Wilkinson family historians on St Kitts WI. Although locating a proven link with the Julius family is presently eluding us, the descendants of Kerie and or Edmead family’s look the most promising. It is a great step forward establishing contact with genealogists on St Kitts, and Burnell has put me in touch with the Govt of St Kitts, Archivist Victoria O’Flaherty, who is very helpful. Who knows what might yet be discovered to throw more light on the ancestral family in St Kitts. Newly added to the Books button is “Tank Sinker a History of Julia Creek” by Guy Burns.         A great factual read about life in Nth West Queensland, Australia, early last century. Involved are descendants of the Dare, Gerahty, Wilder and other families in this Tree. Thank you Guy for your permission to publish. Also the interesting book on the early cane industry in Cudgen in the Northern Rivers District of NSW, involving William Warner Julius, titled “Cutting the Cane” by Deborah Wallace Alston Court Reparation - A scrap book kept by the family, of articles in the Architectural Review 1907 etc, with excellent photo’s of the old Grade I house and commentary. My wife Audrey has now published her family history on a website www.thelockedjournal.com           an inspiring record of pioneering spirit. She is now getting responses from around the world. If you have Australian family, particularly from South and Western Australia take a look they may be on it ? I have been steadily adding images of letters and documents in the “Other Records” section under a person’s notes. Most have not been transcribed, should you be interested in something, please contact me, if you cannot read it off the website. Note. Double click on these images to bring them to full magnification. Significant amongst these added images are transcriptions of letters by Harriet Harrold of Harwich Essex.           Writing of family life almost 200 yrs ago and the trials and tribulations of having a family at sea. She is both practical and devout, her letters are peppered with exhortations to live a more Godly life, amid a mothers chatter. These letters and those of Maria Downing around the same period are part of the extensive Liveing Archive being digitalised by Claudia Buxton, Dr Stan Lapidge is helping with the transcription. The website continues to offer up answers to long hidden questions about family members, of particular interest to me was a contact by the family of Harriet Beatrice Larson             the wife of Frances Alston Fenn  my rather dishonourable Navy cousin, which added much to the record. Thank you Geoffrey & Pauline. Pip Bucknell has kindly loaned me a small book written by Muriel Gataker Julius his aunt. Titled “Family Jottings”          it documents the family of Reginald Hampton Julius and Minnie G E Gataker and the extensive business interests of Reg Julius early last century in Queensland. Home Page