Castle history comes alive
A mother and son from Sheffield enjoyed a guided tour around Dudley Castle, after discovering they’re descendants of the 5th Baron of Dudley.
Lynne Blake and her son, Ryan, visited the castle for the first time, where they met Presentation Assistant, Amy Hickman, who explained the castle’s rich history.
Lynne said: “I have been researching my family history for more than 30 years and knew of our connection to the Dudley area because my great-grandmother was still alive when I was young.
“She knew her family had moved from Dudley when she was a child and after researching further, I realised her ancestors had been living in that area for generations and I established the line back to the Darby family.
“Not being from the Dudley area, I didn’t realise the importance of members of the Darby family to the Industrial Revolution and how they descended from Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley through his illegitimate daughter Jane.”
But it was Ryan who actually discovered the family’s connection to the Suttons as they realised Edward Sutton was Lynne’s 12 times great-grandfather.
Lynne added: “We greatly enjoyed our time at Dudley Castle. I had a tearful moment looking at the busts in the interpretation centre and hearing Amy talking about them, while Ryan said he had a moment standing by the Somery coffin in the undercroft. Dudley Castle now feels like a very special place for us.”
DZG Press Officer, Rachel Hickman, said: “We’re glad Lynne and Ryan were able to get so much from their first visit to Dudley Castle. It was quite a surprise when we received her email telling us about her ancestral background, so we were more than happy to arrange a special tour of the castle and courtyard and help bring her family history alive for them both.”
Caption: DZG Presentation Assistant, Amy Hickman takes Lynne and Ryan Blake on a guided tour around Dudley Castle, after they discovered they are descendants of 5th Baron Dudley.
