13 of my 16 great great grandparents were born in Sussex, and consequently I feel very much Sussex born and bred.
I studied Early-Modern History at the University of Sussex as a mature student, and became fascinated by social history. Through years of researching my own family tree, I have greatly increased my knowledge and passion for both local and family history. I consequently started producing family trees for other people in 2007.
I have recently completed a Masters Degree in Modern History, graduating with a distinction. My final dissertation involved researching and examining the migration patterns of rural families in 19th century Sussex.
Our ancestors are more than just faces from the past; their actions and decisions have determined where we are today, and indeed the very fact we are here at all. Many of my ancestors left their family homes in the villages around Sussex in the mid 1800s, leaving behind a traditional, rural upbringing dominated by agricultural labour, to seek their future in the newer, more industrial world of Brighton.
The upheaval and hardship faced by many of our ancestors deserves acknowledgement, and family trees help to keep
their memory alive.
(right) My great grandfather, William Homewood, and his family in Brighton, in 1916.
Example excerpts of a presentation package
A trip round Sussex, in photographs