A relaxing day - in the Barbican

Plymouth
Tuesday May 15, 2012

 

Ancestry
I was glad to see it wasn't raining.

I went over to Barbican to talk to a local historian in a book store. He is only in on Wednesdays but I had a chat with a very nice and interesting man in there who adds colour in watercolour to the historian's drawings. I must have talked to him for a good hour.

 

According to the plymouthdata website Robert White Stevens (younger brother of my great-great-great-grandfather, Thomas Stevens, the mayor) was born in 1806 to John Stevens, landlord of the Maritime Inn on the Barbican, and the former Miss Sarah Lee. Is the current Maritime Inn the same one? Over the door is a date that doesn't match, something like the mid 1800's. When I later asked the historian about it, he didn't know anything; only said the date on the building could be wrong. The inn goes from the Parade side through to Southside Street.

I wonder if anywhere other than Plymouth has Opes.

I went down a charming street and smelled food. Got a Cornish pasty and ate it out of the bag. Two women sat beside me - only two tables in the place - and one turned out to be Canadian so I got talking to them. Most of the day was spent chatting to people, not getting much done. But I was starved for company and getting to like the slower pace.

Next, I went into a used book store where two people were behind the counter. The woman said:
'Can we help you?'
'Well, um, I'm looking for a book but don't quite know the name... something like 'The seven men of Plymouth.'
'The twelve men of Plymouth', she said, 'By Gerald Hamilton...'
'Edwards,' I added.

I was amazed she knew this. Then she said she knew him! Not personally but wherever it was that she worked, she would chat with him when he came in. She said he lived in Oxford (!) but didn't know where. (Gerald Hamilton Edwards was the son of Robert White Stevens mentioned above.)

Unfortunately their copy was sold last year but they ordered one in for me. I don't really expect there to be anyfamily info that we don't have already but would like to see it to be sure. It's a thin book apparently.

A picture of the Beatles at the Hoe can be found in several stores in Plymouth.