On 2nd June's show
Lyn Baines gave us a double dose of history and mystery combined, in two fascinating books today.
Death and the virgin : Elizabeth, Dudley and the mysterious fate of Amy Robsart by Chris Skidmore deals with the curiosly convenient death of Amy, wife of Robert Dudley. Dudley was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I and Master of the Queen's Horse. It is commonly believed that the Queen was in love with him, and would have married him if there had not been scandal following his wife's death. This book examines the political intrigues of the time, and some of the scenarios around Amy's death.
Contested Will by James Shapiro is a detailed exploration of the many theories abounding on whether William Shakespeare was the genuine author of the plays, or whether someone else was. Five years ago Shapiro wrote an entertaining book, 1599, about one year in the life of Shakespeare which certainly put the case for Shakespeare's claim. In this book however, he takes an intensive look at the other candidates, and even handedly weighs up the pros and cons.
Finally, not a mystery, but a scandal, and a very interesting insight into nineteenth century conventions, status of women and marriage in Great Britain. Wild Romance : the true story of a Victorian scandal by Chloe Schama treats the story of Therese Longworth who believed she had legally married William Yelverton in Scotland in 1857. This was after a romance of several years, only to have her claim denounced, and William Yelverton marrying another woman in 1858. She took her claim to court in Ireland, won her case only to have it overturned when her erstwhile husband brought a counter case. It was a cause celebre for many years, providing the avid newspapers of the times with many headlines.
On 16th June's show
The History of the Shrine Travelling Exhibition is a hugely successful multimedia feature which began touring Victoria in 2006 to celebrate the 70 years which had passed since the Shrine was opened in 1934. It acknowledges the important role it plays in the lives of returned servicemen and women, and the community as a whole, in marking the costs and sacrifices of war. The exhibition provides in depth information in written history, and fascinating film footage, and could well inspire a visit to one of Melbourne's most significant buildings. Ringwood Library is hosting the Shrine Exhibition until end of June and then it moves onto Belgrave Library for the month of July.
Ringwood Library genealogy computers have 3 new databases available on CDROM. They are Inquest Index Victoria 1840-1985, Patients in Melbourne Hospital 1856-1905, and
AGCI - Australasian Genealogical Computer Index Volume 3 which includes over 2.5 million names indexed from the collections of the SAG (Society of Australian Genealogists) as well as other Australian family history societies and libraries. Data on this CD is new, it does not replace AGCI 1 & AGCI 2 which have already been published. It includes 88,000 burial transcripts, 850,000 names from newspapers, 270,000 names from the NSW Government Gazette 1864-1868 and over 1.2 million NSW shipping arrivals (many provided in association with the Mariners in Australian Waters website. Fully searchable, the database shows name, date, place, event and source of the information.
Family History for the Older and Wiser by Susan Fifer is a new title covering ground which has been trodden before, but with the aim of being as clear and straightforward as possible, and with a dash of humour. There are several copies in branches around the region.
-- Lesley
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