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Hi! I am Callum Vittali-Smith, a great-great-great-grandson of Robert and Mercy. My key passion is the underground rave and warehouse party scene, but in the cold light of day, I am a keen genealogist. I took the opportunity to create this website to document our rich heritage and ensure it is available to family members spread across the world. It is an inherently dynamic project, and will continue to evolve as new records become available and as new stories come to light.
I am indebted to the generous assistance and support of many, including Dr Phil Betts, Malcolm Cheape, Alan Martin, Janine Dubke, Dr David Rankin, Sarah Wardale, Jared Leckie, Tessa Blatchford, Adrian Wildish, Lela Weavers, Jane Belle, Rosemary Rayner-Laver, Louise Bedford, Fiona Leggott, Olivia Arkell, Rebecca Davey, John Whitebread, Jenny Whitebread, and Nigel Heriz-Smith. If you are a relative, or otherwise interested in this family, please do ensure you get in touch using the details below. Saluti 🥂 Callum Vittali-Smith Oyster Bay (Sydney, Australia) |
Family history is always full of surprises. One of the most rewarding discoveries I have made is that one of my old law school classmates Olivia is also a descendant of the Mercer hop growers! My grandfather Patrick (92) and her grandfather Christopher (97) are second cousins, a fact we were entirely incognizant of when we met in Torts with Prof David Rolph and Dr Penelope Crossley.
This coincidence - together with the fact that both Olivia and myself have other lawyers in our families - drew to my attention just how many members of our extended clan have followed a legal career. A cursory calculation, based on a comparison to the number of registered solicitors in England & Wales vis-à-vis general population, suggests that members of our family are approximately five times more likely to be in law than the general population. We could speculate on why this is - perhaps some genetic predisposition to profiting from argumentativeness? My friends would probably back this theory. |
Last updated 10 October 2022