Hollyman Genealogical Trip to England

by Glenn N. Holliman

Dear Cousins:

Next May 17-19 2019, my two sisters and I will be making a trip to England to explore our Hollyman ancestral roots.  Numerous members of the extended Holliman family are joining us.  So we are extending an invitation to those of you who might be interested in the exploring the ancestral sites I have been visiting and writing about the past decade.

Left to right, Glenn, Becky and Alice, all descended from Christopher Hollyman, 1608 -1691, of Bedfordshire, England and Isle of Wight, Virginia.

Below is a tentative schedule.  The dates are solid,

Friday, May 17 - May 19th, 2019

May 17, 2019, Friday - Gather in Morton in Marsh, a picturesque Cotswold villages approximately 1 1/2 hours west of London by train from Paddington Station.

We will gather at the Royal White Hart Hotel for an evening gathering and dinner at 5:30 pm.  Moreton in Marsh is a train stop for those of you who might be coming from London and has several good hotels and lots of gift and charity shops (for shoppers). Famed Stow-on-the-Wold is five miles away, and Shakespeare's Stratford on the Avon, just 20 minutes north.

If you plan to stay at the White Hart, please mention you are with the Hollyman party.  There are other hotels in the village which you can google.


May 18, Saturday - Shuttle coach, size depending on numbers who register, 9:00 am for a two hour drive through the English countryside on our day of adventure to Bedford, Bedfordshire, where Christopher Hollyman (1618-1691) was born. We will stand on the location of his father's (Thomas) Blue Boar Inn and visit the parish church where Christopher was baptized and where his parents are buried.

After lunch at a centuries old hotel where Protestant author, John Bunyan, frequented (possibly with Steve Hollyman, Christopher's younger brother, who attended his church).  The hotel is by the River Ouse, below.

After lunch, walk to the parish church, above, where Thomas and Eleanor (or Helenor) were married in 1608.  Across the street from the church is a bust of the famous band leader, Glenn Miller, who was stationed in Bedford during World War II.

Then a 30 minute ride to Sherington and the parish church where Christopher Hollyman, Sr. (d 1588) was a vestry member and where Thomas grew up. Thomas is the father of the Christopher who migrated to Jamestown, VA in 1650.

By 5 pm, we should be back at your hotel, and the evening is yours to collapse and relax. Tomorrow is an even busier day!


May 19, Sunday - Leave 9 am for a 30 minute ride seeing more of the English countryside, and stop first in Church Hanford at the parish church where The Rt. Rev. John Hollyman, a great uncle of American Hollimans, preached and lies buried.  A quintessential medieval church, restored in the Victorian age.  John was baptized in Cuddington, Buckinghamshire and served from 1554-1558 as bishop of Bristol (and burned several Protestants at the stake!)



Driving through Long Crendon, another Hollyman village, we will arrive at Cuddington for lunch at the pub, and a visit to the St. Nicholas Church where the Hollymans were baptized, married and are buried from the 15th and 20th centuries.  You will tour the Hollyman farm and the 1688 Holliman thatched cottage and meet the current owner, an artist who has note cards available for sale.

Time permitting we shall stop at the church in Dinton (not shown) where several of our Lee great parents are resting, their graves overlaid with brass suitable for rubbing.

Finally tea at scones at the Hartwell House near Aylesbury where our Lee ancestors lived.  This is National Trust Hotel.  Margaret Lee was the wife of  Christopher Hollyman (d 1688) and they lived in Sherington after their marriage.

After this long day, the evening is yours in Moreton in Marsh.

Everyone is on their own for travel, lodging and food.  There will be a charge for the coach which I will be reserving in early January 2019.  Sixteen persons are signed up already.  Please let me know if you are interested.  Right now cousins from Tennessee, Alabama, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and England are signed up. 

Allen Holleman, my co-partner in the 2016 Holliman Gathering in Virginia, will be along to provide guidance and good cheer!

Please contact me at glennhistory@gmail.com for questions.  Tips on travel to the U.K. and our Gathering location are available by writing me.

Come and join us for a spring weekend in the delightful Cotswolds!