Billingsley, Brampton and beyond - Pamela Gardner

The story begins with the emergence, in 2005, of a porcelain tea and coffee service made some 200 years ago and a cryptic note found with the service. There are immediate indications that the potter William Billingsley may have something to do with the service, during his elusive time at Brampton-in-Torksey, Lincolnshire. Insightful letters, wills, estate papers and the proceedings of Chancery are among the ways in which convoluted connections and surprising interconnections of families and acquaintances come to light. The reader will be amazed by the historical figures in the story, such as the author Jane Austen and John Smeaton, engineer. This investigative book provides additional notes and sources of information from which readers can start their own research. It also includes over 100 illustrations, the majority in full colour.