I underestimated the pleasure of researching the lives of three generations of wealthy Norfolk merchants and mariners and their interconnected family relationships in the  1600s and 1700s. Most are buried in St. Nicholas Chapel in King’s Lynn, Norfolk.

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Merchant families enjoyed a relatively luxurious lifestyle with access to fresh water and delicious food, many of them living well into old age. They owned sailing ships constructed by local artisans, which trading in fine wines from Porto and furs from Novgorod. One of their vessels was captured by pirates and the crew taken hostage and held for ransom.

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The completed research can now be viewed in King’s Lynn archives and local museums.