S08EP05 - 'The Marine' with Richard Holt

In this episode of Series Eight, host Andrew Martin meets professional genealogist Richard Holt. He finds out how Richard got hooked on family history, what made him turn professional, has he ever experienced 'imposter syndrome', and his efforts to access original Wills - and challenging a proposal by the UK Government's Ministry of Justice on the disposal of historic Wills.

THE LIFE STORY - MATTHEW BUYRN (aka JOHN DUNMORE) 
Richard has chosen to tell the life story of his 4x Great Grandfather Matthew Buyrn, who was born in Edmonton, Middlesex, England in 1793. However, throughout the records, another name for Matthew repeatedly emerges - John Dunmore. Why does he have two names?

Matthew enlisted in the Royal Marines in 1812 (during the Napoleonic Wars) starting out at the Royal Marines Barracks at Chatham, Kent, before transferring to Plymouth. He then set sail with the Marines but by 1833 he was discharged to hospital due to suffering from what was described at the time as 'mania'.

What follows is a series of events that would see him end up in prison, and as a man whose mental health was at a low.   

THE BRICK WALL - RICHARD BROOKS 
A puzzle in the village of Bledlow Ridge, Buckinghamshire, England has Richard scratching his head... and seeming half the village too. 

His ancestor - Richard Books - was born circa 1740, but the location is not yet known. During his life this Richard built a house on common land, married and had lots of children... who in turn had lots of children too, but he was a poor man, with no Will, and no marked grave. 

• Can you identify the birthplace or baptism location of Richard Brooks? 

If you think that you can help Richard with a research clue or idea, then you can contact him via his website, alternatively you can send us a message via our contact form and we'll pass it along to him.  

Meanwhile.... Richard is curious of Andrew's offer of help, but can he get him to the right place? 

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Episode Credits: 

• Andrew Martin - Host and Producer 
• Richard Holt - Guest  

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Chapters

• 0:00 Intro
• 0:55 The Interview - Richard Holt
• 24:13 The Life Story - Matthew Buyrn (aka John Dunmore)
• 42:28 The Brick Wall - Richard Brooks
• 49:53 The Departure