HARWOODs of DARWEN

This is the second volume of the history of the families descended from the Harwoods of Darwen. This volume follows the lives of one particular branch, which originally settled on the hilly moorland slopes in the hamlet of Yate & Pickup Bank, gradually moving into Darwen and then further afield as far as Australia, Canada, India and the U.S.A. Within its pages it gives an intimate insight into how our Lancashire ancestors interacted with each other, and how they coped with life over several centuries. The story includes detailed information of the lives of many other families with whom the Harwoods have intermingled over the years, and it would be a rare Darwener who could not find some connection to his own ancestors within these pages. The Harwood family, wherever they find themselves, will give thanks that they have their Boswell in Mike Harwood. As James Boswell did with his subject Samuel Johnson, so Mike Harwood writes in great detail of the lives of his ancestors, of the families they spread into, and of the times in which they lived. He does it much as Dr. Johnson wrote his dictionary, with a sceptical view of his subjects and a style full of idiosyncratic asides. It's an encyclopedia of Harwoods, and representative as they are of a working-class Lancashire family who survived and thrived throughout the English-speaking world. It's a volume that's well worth dipping into. NEIL SAYER. Archivist. From small beginnings searching for John Albert Harwood, the author's family history has evolved into a tightly woven story. This is a fascinating in-depth look at the Harwood genealogy, but it is so much more than that, and should inspire all genealogists always to look just that bit further. Family history is about so much more than just facts; it is about real people, real lives, people we should remember, and Mike amply demonstrates this in this tremendous work. ANNA WATSON (MBE). Archivist.