Born in London, Pledge undertook his higher education at Oxford University studying classics, history and French during the second half of the 1890s. Around the turn of the twentieth century and while he was in Scotland, Pledge’s path crossed with that of (Otto) Ernest Philippi. The latter had been born in Germany acquiring British Citizenship…

Plunket Greene was born in Dublin, son of Richard Jonas Greene, barrister, and his wife Louisa Lillias (neé Plunket) a writer of children’s stories. He was educated at Clifton College, Bristol and set aside a career in law on account of a severe rugby football injury. With his evident musicality, however, and the development of…

Geoffrey Stilwell, generally known as Holt, was one of seven children born to John Pakenham Stilwell and Georgina Stevens of Yateley, and the oldest of their three sons. The Stilwells were an old banking family, owners of the recognised Royal Navy bank (Stilwell & Sons of Great George Street, Westminster and later, 42 Pall Mall)…

J F S ‘Marcus’ Stone worked at the Chemical Warfare Defence Experimental Station (Porton Down) from 1925 to 1957. His nickname derived from a well-known artist who illustrated many Dickens novels.

He was one of the many clergymen who transcribed and published parish records in a movement promoted nationally by the genealogical editor and publisher, William P.W. Phillimore (1853-1913). The imprint has been owned, and mothballed, for more than 10 years by The History Press, but ‘with consent’ local history is still published by an independent…

Thomas Stopher was an architect and surveyor (for Winchester College, St John’s Hospital and others), a prominent municipal leader (Mayor of Winchester 1876, 1883, and 1893, Freeman of Winchester, 1910) and antiquarian. He published little, but indirectly did much to foster heritage and local history. Also, as one who often saw old buildings being developed…

Born in Biel, Switzerland, Studer’s  higher education was undertaken at the Universities of Neuchâtel, Berlin and London. Between 1908 and 1913 he was Professor of French at Hartley College (later the University if Southampton). From 1913 until his death in 1927 he was the second holder of the chair of Romance Philology at the University…

Florence was the daughter of Vice-Admiral Suckling, a midshipman at the Battle of Trafalgar.  In 1838 he bought property at Highwood from Lord Palmerston to build a house, the family home.  He died when Florence was 15 years old. The Sucklings had family connections on the mother’s side with Admiral Nelson after whom Florence was…

1907 – 1987 Isabel Sanderson was born in 1907 to a Suffolk farming family. In 1914, the family with all the farm animals and gear were taken by train to Alresford station. Then a short journey took them to Abbotstone Farmhouse, part of the great Tudor mansion built by the Marquess of Winchester*. After Perin’s…

Heywood Sumner was born at Old Alresford where his father was Rector. He came from a prominent ecclesiastical family.  A great uncle was Archbishop of Canterbury, his grandfather Bishop of Winchester and his father became Bishop of Guildford. His mother, Mary Heywood, became famous as the founder of the Mothers’ Union.