Serendipity (noun) defined as:
The occurence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
It is now some years since I transcribed part of Keston Parish registers and found references to Botany Bay or Botany Bay cottages but I could never locate a named place on any map held at Bromley Archive.
This week my colleague Bob Cooper was researching gypsy families in a group of parishes and found references to a family living at Botany Bay Cottages in the Bromley Holy Trinity registers.
On 11 March 2015 we had pursued my thought that the cottages could be in Keston parish but again could not find the name on a map ( the same applied to mapping of Sheep Wash Cottage although we knew this location from other references).
Within two hours of our leaving for the day another searcher was examining maps and happened to mention that he should include Botany Bay Cottages in his material.
The unmarked four cottages are shown on maps!
Somewhat isolated but not far from the windmill the name of the cottages seems appropriate and in our combined experience "Botany Bay" often is used as a field or cottage name in relatively distant location.
No comments:
Post a Comment