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When William Proudley of Christchurch, Hampshire, was arrested and charged with larceny in 1826, he was 26 years of age, a married man, with four young children and described as a vendor of earthenware. Found guilty, he was sentenced to seven years’ transportation, however some ‘mercy’ was shown, perhaps in … Continue reading →

Benjamin was a son of Joseph Fenner and his wife, Penelope/Penheli Buckland, and was baptised in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire on 27th December 1835, the son of a travelling tinker of West Wycombe. Buckinghamshire was a favourite county for the family, but records of Benjamin generally find him located in Wiltshire, where … Continue reading →

When Joseph Fenner formed a union with Penelope/Peneli Buckland, the daughter of Romany travellers Timothy and Mary, he, too, embraced the travelling life. Penelope had already had a child, Fazenta Buckland, baptised at Nuffield, in Oxfordshire, in the winter of 1825, the daughter of ‘Elepha of Great Missenden, travels with … Continue reading →

In the autumn of 1885 Cornelius Fenner, aged 45 years, a dealer, the son of Joseph Fenner and his wife, Penelope Buckland, married a young widow, Caroline Sheen, aged 30 years, the daughter of Joseph Sheen, at Tonbridge, Kent. Caroline had a daughter from her first union, Alice Bowers, born … Continue reading →

On 12th May 1827 edition of Jackson’s Oxford Journal a brief reference was made regarding the execution of James Clase, known as Blue Jemmy, for horse stealing. The story was syndicated in several local newspapers, as Blue Jemmy had, over the years, gained considerable notoriety. An excerpt read: Execution – … Continue reading →