Curling Wisps & Whispers of History
Vol. 2: Kent to Kefalonia
by LucyAnn Curling
"I warn you Colonel Napier that I may be led to say and do more than you or my mother may like… I am not called on to speak to her and not at all more likely to kill her considering the small quantity of feeling you give me credit for… you may think I threaten; remember, Colonel Napier, you do the same yourself: if you can fight, I can talk… I believe we had both better take the share that falls in the business quietly, you the ridicule, and me the shame."
Kent to Kefalonia is the second volume of LucyAnn Curling’s series Curling Wisps & Whispers of History. In Volume 1, Thanet to Tasmania, fortune did not smile on the Curling family in Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania). At the beginning of Volume 2 they are back in England, struggling to find a financial foothold in society. Second son, Edward, has an unrewarding job in an attorney’s office when Charles James Napier offers him a golden opportunity on the island of Kefalonia.
Follow the surprising twists of providence as Edward works on Napier’s unusual project. What is the Malta connection? Tensions between Napier and his line manager, Sir Frederick Adam, have repercussions for Edward. Greece at this time was fighting for independence from the Ottoman Empire, and that war touches Napier’s personal life obliquely but with lasting effect, while Edward’s too is permanently changed by a different encounter. Edward’s work journal and numerous letters in the Napier Papers at the British and Bodleian Libraries bear witness to the social pressures acting on all members of this extended clan, as their feelings come into conflict with accepted norms, and set the stage for further dramatic developments soon to appear in Volume 3.
Reviews of the first volume in the series
"a superbly-produced family history, using an impressive range of sources and archives … Well-illustrated, and with no less than one hundred pages of appendices covering many ancillary topics, this is an essential read for anyone who has Curling and Oakley ancestors in their family, as well as everyone who has an interest in life in Kent in the 18th and 19th centuries. A highly-recommended read; roll on Volume Two!" (Kent Family History Society)
"It is a very impressive piece of work, full of research and brimming with interesting insights not just of these Curling family members but of life in the early 19th century. I found it particularly fascinating to read about the pressures to emigrate – and the risks therein. I think the appendices are a great idea: allowing the story to rattle along and readers to explore around it at leisure. The illustrations are a superb addition to the whole package." (Tim Albert)
List of names
For genealogists or other enthusiasts researching family trees in and around Thanet or Canterbury, with also some from Kefalonia/Greece, here is a copy of the main surnames in the index:
Adam, Allen, Bacon, Baldock, Ball, Bathurst, Baynes, Becker, Bénard, Bennet, Blencowe, Brocktorff, Bunbury, Cambici, Camilleri, Cammillieri, Carter, Cartwright, Chervet, Chitty, Codrington, Colthard, Colthurst, Conyers, Craig, Curling, Debonos, Delmar, Dickson, Dobson, Elphinstone, Evans, Fenech, Fereday, Ferguson, Frost, Gatfield, Goderich, Goussier, Hassell, Imber, Jarvis, Johnston, Kelly, Kennedy, Laing, Lansdowne, Lawrence, Liverpool, Lusi, Maitland, Mallia, Mantell, Mariner, Mawdesley, Miller, Napier, Oakley, Oakley Curling, Packe, Pitt, Rankin, Rawlinson, Reginis, Reid, Reinagle, Robertson, Rowcroft, Sciberras, Scourti, Smithson, Staines, Staples, Stellatos, Stevens, Stewart, Travers, Turner, Valsamachi, Waddington, Walker, Wall, Whithall, Woodhouse, Yates
| Format | Royal Octavo hardback, colour |
|---|---|
| Published | 31 January 2023 |
| ISBN | 978-1-915174-07-9 |
| Length | 286 pages |
| Available | All good booksellers, including Amazon. For other options see our contact page. |