Magzter Gold (Sitewide CA)

Magzter Gold (Sitewide CA)

Digital Delivery

Who Do You Think You Are? January 1st, 2023 Digital Back Issue Cover

Who Do You Think You Are? Jan-23 (Digital)

(Write a Review)

Single Digital Issue

Jan-23

$6.55

Powered By Zinio

Zinio

Satisfaction Guaranteed

Instant Start

Subscribe Instead

1 Year Subscription

13 digital issues

$56.57

($4.35/issue)

Go to Subscription

View Subscription Options

Also available on ZINIO Unlimited logo

Get unlimited access to Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) + Back Issues & 5000+ other magazines

1-month free trial

Renews at $8.99/month after trial.
Cancel anytime.

Get unlimited access to Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) + Back Issues & 5000+ other magazines. Renews at just $8.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

Start Trial Learn more

41 Articles

This morning, I accompanied a friend to register the death of her husband. It was a sad and solemn business, and made me think again about all of the death certificates I have ordered in the past for my research. Family history is a fascinating and fulfilling hobby, but I hope that I never lose sight of the humanity behind the people whose lives I explore. All of those deaths registered by someone grieving a loss. But family history also helps us to see the bigger picture, what we inherit and what we pass on in the great chain of life. This month we’ve got lots of advice and avenues to explore that will encourage us all to honour those who went before us. It may seem as if family historians are…

JONATHAN SCOTT Jonathan writes our 'Best Websites’ article every issue, but the section takes a break this month in favour of his epic annual preview of the websites to watch in 2023 (page 15). CHRIS PATON Chris is a genealogist and author based in Ayrshire, so he was the ideal person to write our ‘Focus On’ article about Scottish burial records and memorial inscriptions (page 31). MICHELLE HIGGS Michelle is a writer specialising in both social history and family history. Her masterclass on the records available for researching Wrens in the First World War begins on page 36.…

Email wdytyaeditorial@media.co.uk Write to WDYTYA? Magazine, Eagle House, Bristol BS1 4ST 1921 CENSUS REVELATIONS I wonder if the experience of other reader; trying to find relatives in the 1921 census echoes mine. I upgraded my subscription to Findmypast (findmypast.co.uk) to include free access to this census, but was disappointed not to find my fondly remembered spinster great aunt Muriel Mary Tattersall (1879-1974). Not only was she not in Ripon with her parents, but no Muriel Tattersall of her vintage was to be found anywhere in England and Wales. Wildcards didn't seem to help either. Unwilling to give up, I decided to check some electoral rolls on Ancestry (ancestry.co.uk) for the Ripon area. Bingo. I found her living in Cold Bath Road, Harrogate. Returning to the census, I was able to use the 1921 ‘Addresses'…

Email wdytyaeditorial@ourmedia.co.uk to feature your event here for free PICK OF THE MONTH Learn how some ‘traitors’ changed the world for the better TREASON: PEOPLE, POWER & PLOT Until 6 April a The National Archives, London w nationalarchives.gov.uk/treason This new exhibition from The National Archives (TNA) will explore how the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade, the establishment of the Church of England, the birth of the USA and the extension of UK voting rights are all connected to acts of treason. Using documents from TNA's collections, it tells the stories of both well-known alleged traitors such as Guy Fawkes and Anne Boleyn, and lesser-known figures such as Eleanor, Duchess of Gloucester, who was accused of treason and necromancy in the 15th century, and John Frost, one of the leaders of the Newport Rising on…

Transcription Tuesday 2023 projects revealed We are delighted to announce that our hugely popular Transcription Tuesday volunteer event will return on 31 January 2023. Every year, we ask our readers to join us for one day in transcribing records for four special projects all you need is a computer and an internet connection. You can also share how you’re getting on and any photos via Twitter or in our Facebook Group (facebook.com/groups/wdytyareadergroup) using the hashtag #TranscriptionTuesday. As usual, we’re continuing our long partnership with FamilySearch (familysearch.org), the world’s largest free family history website. Emily Butler Oldroyd, the site’s record operations manager, said, “We always look forward to Transcription Tuesday. We are grateful for the people who help transcribe our projects at Family Search, and we love seeing all the other opportunities there are to…

NLS Edinburgh map transcriptions completed The National Library of Scotland (NLS;nls.uk) has added a new set of volunteer transcriptions to its maps of Edinburgh from the 19th century. Volunteers completed more than 21,950 transcriptions of data, such as place and street names, on the library's digitised Ordnance Survey 25-inch maps of Edinburgh (1892— 1894). They also marked features such as breweries, churches, football grounds, hospitals, pubs and schools, and numeric transcriptions for things like acreages and heights. You can search the transcriptions via maps.nls.uk/transcriptions/Edinburgh/viewer. MyHeritage improves its Family Statistics tool Family history website MyFleritage (myheritage.com) has unveiled a new version of its Family Statistics feature. Family Statistics generates facts based on your family tree, such as which of your relatives lived the longest. The update features a more contemporary look boasting a larger…

WAVES OF MIGRATION

Alan Crosby shares his views on family history There was a census in the Republic of Ireland at the beginning of April 2022, postponed from 2021 because of the pandemic. The preliminary results, published in late June, generated a good deal of attention, because the population (at 5.12 million) had exceeded five million for the first time since 1841. A year previously, the Northern Ireland census showed a population of 1.9 million, the largest ever recorded for the six counties. Overall, therefore, the population of the island is now 7.02 million, compared with 8.2 million in 1841. It has been growing with extraordinary speed since the late 18th century - between 1821 and 1841 the number of people in the four western counties (Kerry, Clare, Galway and Mayo) increased by over one-third.…

WAVES OF MIGRATION

Websites to Watch 2023

Our annual look-ahead has been running for over 10 years now, straddling two census releases, three summer Olympics, countless prime minsters, the passing of a monarch, and a global pandemic. Sharing what’s in store for family historians is great fun. Commercial constraints might keep gatekeepers tight-lipped on some projects, but there’s always plenty to get excited about. We’ve sought to give space to both big-ticket items and more local and esoteric material. Of the former, perhaps the most important is the longawaited 1921 census of Scotland, due on ScotlandsPeople before 2022 is out. There’s news too from the Ogilby Trust, which launched its one-stop hub for digitised material from regimental museums in late 2021. We have details of upcoming tranches of data from the likes of Ancestry and TheGenealogist, as well as…

Websites to Watch 2023

HSBC History history.hsbe.com Here you can already trawl 4,000 First World War index cards and staff photos, and In 2023 there are plans to continue to publish back issues of company magazines. There’s also a new virtual tour of the bank’s archive in London. Modern Records Centre Warwick.ac.uk/ services/!ibrary/mrc/archives_ online/digital/unionjournals Expect more digitised tradeunion and labour-movement journals to appear in 2023, and it's also worth exploring the Sweated Trades digitisation project, investigating attempts to regulate sweatshop industries in the eariy 20th century. Railway Work, Life and Death railwayaccidents.port.ac.uk Following the release of 17,000 records, this website is preparing to add some 15,000 records of members of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants/ National Union of Railwaymen. Covering the late 1880s through to 1921, details will include name; union branch; payment(s); details of accident, disability or incident; length of…

Forces War Records forces-war-records.co.uk Expect updates, features and a "vast increase’’ to the number of records in the first part of 2023. Irish Great War Dead Archive irelandsgreatwardead.ie This database has been online since 2021, and creator Tom Burnell says he is working on "grey area” entries - individuals who should be included but do not already quaiify, such as Mercantile Marine sailors killed while not on war work, Air Fleet Auxiliary and army-canteen staff. Royal Logistic Corps royallogisticcorps.co.uk/museum/archives A new website is set to go live in 2023. Highlights will include regimental journals, enlistment books and photographs. The Long, Long Trail ionglongtrail.co.uk Chris Baker plans to update the ‘How to research a soldier' page of his First World War stalwart, and add more material on British artillery. The Ogilby Muster theogilby muster.com This digital archive launched in 2021 with collections from 108 regimental…

THE BIG PICTURE

Worth The Wait A newly enfranchised British woman casts a vote in her first general election on 14 December 1918 In 1867 the National Society for Women's Suffrage was founded in Manchester by an amateur scientist named Lydia Becker, and began coordinating the efforts of suffrage campaigners across the country. Only two years later, unmarried female ratepayers were given the right to vote in local elections. Yet it took decades of debate (some of it heated) and protest (some of it militant), alongside women rising to the challenge of filling the roles in the workplace left empty by the men who were away fighting in the First World War, before the Representation of the People Act received royal assent on 6 February 1918. The Act granted women over 30 the right to…

THE BIG PICTURE

'We Found A WW1 Bedspread In A Charity Shop'

On 12 November 2018, 100 years and a day after the Armistice was signed, Anne Ward walked into the British Red Cross charity shop in Brecon, Powys, Mid-Wales, unaware that her life was about to change. “I was looking for a tablecloth for a Christmas party, and the manager brought out a bag of white linens from the back. “I happily rummaged in the bag of tablecloths and bed sheets. And then I saw something trimmed with lace,” Anne says in the selfpublished book Twelve Secret Voices (Aspect Design, 2021). ‘ I eased it out and unfolded it. It was an arrangement of white square panels, three across and four down. Each was embroidered in its centre with white thread and they in turn were joined with a wide strip of lace.” She…

'We Found A WW1 Bedspread In A Charity Shop'

TELL YOUR STORY

Share your family stoiy with us and you could appear in the magazine! Please write to us at the address on page 6 or email wdytyaeditorial@ourmedia.co.uk RESOURCES The Wards found these three resources especially helpful EMBROIDERERS' GUILD a Discover Bucks Museum, Church Street, Aylesbury HP20 2QP w embroiderersguild.com The charity's artistic director Arrthea Godfrey and other staff shared their expert advice. GILLIES ARCHIVES w gilliesarchives.org.uk Plastic Surgeon Sir Harold Gillies helped servicemen injured in the First World War. The site has an index and a range of material, some of which is available on Find my past at bit.ly/fmp-gillies. NATIONAL ARMY MUSEUM a Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea, London SW3 4HT t 020 7730 0717 e info@nam.ac.uk w nam.ac.uk The NAM holds a vast range of items from the First World War. including the bedspread.…

SCOTTISH BURIAL RECORDS AND MEMORIAL INSCRIPTIONS

The death of a loved one in Scotland is not the last part of their journey, with the disposal of their remains the final act performed on their behalf. Where the records generated by such an event have survived they can be a useful aid for genealogical research. Historically in Scotland, while the Church of Scotland (‘the Kirk’) was tasked with recording information about such burials, many parishes did not do so, or their records have not survived. This means that coverage is only available for about a third of parishes. The oldest surviving registers are from Aberdeen, dating back to 1538, but for many parishes not a single one exists - you can check the available coverage on the website of the National Records of Scotland: nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/old-parish-registers/listof-old-parish-registers. The majority of surviving records…

SCOTTISH BURIAL RECORDS AND MEMORIAL INSCRIPTIONS

ROBERT CURRIE 1902 - 1929

Robert Currie was born in Camlachie, Glasgow, on 19 December 1902, to Irish-born Robert Currie, a prominent member of the Royal Black Preceptory (a Protestant fraternal society) in Glasgow, and Elizabeth Morrow. Growing up to work as a joiner, Robert junior married on 25 March 1927, but tragically died on 10 February 1929 at 187% Dalmarnock Road, Bridgeton, Glasgow, the cause being nephrotic cardiac syncope. After I obtained a copy of his death record from the General Register Office in 2002, the next stage was to try to find where he was buried, by contacting Glasgow City Council's burials department.The council staff suggested that Robert junior was buried at the Eastern Necropolis in an unmarked grave. However, people do occasionally make mistakes. In this case, arecent email from MyHeritagmyheritage.com flagged up from…

ROBERT CURRIE 1902 - 1929

INTERMENT REGISTER, 1940

1)Name The first column reveals the deceased's name and the number of the burial in the register, here 43710. 2)Date The precise date of burial can help you to locate the record of death from a few days earlier on the site ScotlandsPeople (scotlandspeople.gov.uk).3)COMPT In the burials column you will find the compartment and the number noted, within which your deceased relation was interred. 4)AGE The deceased's age is noted, which can also help you to locate a birth record via ScotlaridsPeople. 5)DEPTH The inclusion of the depth can indicate if this was an initial burial or a later one that occurred at a higher depth. 6)UNDERTAKER The undertaker's firm is listed as well as a number from the corresponding lair book, which may list additional burials in the same…

INTERMENT REGISTER, 1940

These three websites will help you locate and use the surviving Scottish burial records FAMILYSEARCH w tinyurl.com/fs-wiki-scot-cemeteries The page of the FamilySearch Wiki dedicated to finding collections of burials in Scottish cemeteries provides links, and also explains whether they can be accessed for free or not. SAFHS w safhs.org.uk/burialgrounds.php The Scottish Association of Family History Societies' database contains a wealth of information about cemeteries, including where relevant records may be accessed. SCOTLANDSPEOPLE w tinyurl.com/scotspeople-guide-church-reg This in-depth guide includes advice on how to search the Scottish Old Parish Registers burial records, and the problems that you may encounter when you're using them. DID YOU KNOW? The guide at nrscotland.gov.uk/research/guides/old-parishregisters/list-of-old-parishregisters details the surviving burial records that were registered by parish kirks.…

ARCHIVE SCOTLANDSPEOPLE CENTRE a General Register House, 2 Princes Street, Edinburgh EH1 3YY t 0131334 0380 e customerservices @scotlandspeople.gov.uk w tinyurl.com/nrs-spc Visitors to the centre can access its records, including the memorial inscriptions in its library, for £15 a day. BOOKS The Graveyards and Cemeteries of Edinburgh Charlotte Gol ledge Amberley Publishing, 2020 Gol ledge provides a detailed insight into some of Edinburgh's finest cemeteries, including Greyfriars Kirkyard. Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet Chris Paton Pen and Sword, 2020 Chris' guide explains the records online per county, and includes a chapter on making the most of the ScotlandsPeople website. WEBSITES FRIENDS OF THE GLASGOW NECROPOLIS w glasgownecropolis.org As well as providing background resources to understand Glasgow's most iconic cemetery, this site lists walking tours and books. MORAY BURIAL GROUND RESEARCH GROUP w mbgrg.org This is a useful website for research and publications concerning…

SERVICE RECORD, 1919

1) DATE OF BIRTH The figure “25” reveals Martha’s age when she joined the WRNS - it is not a partial date of birth. 2) MOBILE Immobile has been crossed out, indicating a change in Martha's Circumstances in February 1919 that allowed her to be mobile and seek work away from home. 3) SHIP OR ESTABLISHMENT Remember that Wrens did not serve on ships at sea. Crescent was a depot ship atScapa Flow, Orkney. 4)CHARACTER&ABILITY Martha’s character was judged to be “VG” (very good), although her ability was only “Sat” (satisfactory). 5)DIS (DISCGARGE) The handwriting is difficult to read here, but says that Martha was discharged on 30 June 1919 for “Urg & Con”. Urgency and consideration meant that there were compassionate reasons. Could one of Martha’s relations have died?…

SERVICE RECORD, 1919

WRNS SERVICE RECORDS, 1917-1919

Originally founded in November 1917, the Women’s Royal Naval Service (WRNS) was a branch of the Royal Navy. Between 1917 and 1919, more than 5,000 women answered the call on recruitment posters to “Free a man for sea service” and joined up. They became known as Wrens, and their motto was “Never at sea”. The women undertook vital shore-based roles such as cooking and cleaning; typing, telephony and telegraphy; and motor driving and dispatch riding. There were also skilled jobs including boiler cleaning; sailmaking; electrical testing; working on mine-nets, depth charges and gas masks; and coding and decoding messages. More than 5,000 women answere the call on recruitment posters Women joined the WRNS either as an officer or a rating, and there were distinct divisions between the ranks. For ratings, there was…

WRNS SERVICE RECORDS, 1917-1919

RESOURCES Take your research further

BOOK Tracing Your Service Women Ancestors Mary Ingham Pen & Sword, 2012 This book has an interesting chapter on the WRNS. MUSEUM EXPLOSION MUSEUM OF NAVAL FIREPOWER a Priddy’s Hard, Heritage Way, Gosport P012 4LE t 023 9250 5600 e enquiries@nmrn.org.uk w tinyurl.com/nmrn-explo The museum's gallery, The Night Hunters: The Royal Navy's Coastal Forces at War’, features the work of the WRNS during the Second World War. WEBSITE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM w iwm.org.uk/collections The site's WRNS material includes photos, paintings and images of uniforms from the First World War. TOP TIP! Officers who resigned in 1918 for personal reasons are omitted from the officers’ hies (ADM 318). Try searching the appointment registers of officers (ADM 321) instead.…

Q & A Our team of experts offers tips

Was my William Butchart born in Scotland? QMy 3x great grandfather William Butchart was Dorn in South Shields, according to both his Merchant Navy record and the 1851 census when he was living in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. In the register of seamen’s tickets I found a record dated August 1845 stating that William was 46 years old, and born on 10 October 1799 in South Shields. I’ve searched without success for a baptism there and in surrounding areas. The Butchart/Butchard surname is prevalent in Scotland. The baptismal records on ScotlandsPeople (scotlandspeople.gov.uk) have a William Butchart born 10 October 1798 in Forfar, baptised on 14 October 1798, son of James Butchart and Janet Findlay. Could this be my ancestor? Margaret George A There are complications when it comes to your proposed link with a…

Q & A Our team of experts offers tips

When did these ladies go on their day trip?

Purchased long ago from eBay (ebay.co.uk), this anonymous 'scrapbook' had no known provenance. Any clues as to its origins are contained within its visual contents, esnecially photos. These comprise formal studio portraits, picturesque views of tourist sites, and elegant country house and estate scenes, from games of lawn croquet to shooting and hunting parties. The latter are rare private 'snapshots' captured by an early family photographer with both the leisure time and financial means to pursue what was then an elite pastime. The limited historical evidence offers a broad geographical location and reinforces the high social status of the album's creator, thought to have been an adolescent girl. The photo featured here is a relatively late scene, the female fashions in particular indicating a close timeframe of C1876-1879. It depicts part of…

When did these ladies go on their day trip?

Where was Harold Duncan Balfour born?

Q I'm trying to trace the family history of my grandfather, tiarold Duncan Balfour. The earliest record we have found for him is in the 1881 census, when he was two years old, and a boarder in the house of the Birdwood family in South Gloucestershire. Christopher Birdwood, head of the household, was a retired officer of the Bombay Regiment, while his wife, two daughters (Annie and Sophia) and a niece were born in India. On 1 February 1900, Harold married my grandmother, Ethel Maria Collingwood in Bournemouth. His rank was “Lieutenant, South Staffordshire Regiment”. His father is listed as James Balfour, deceased. When my father, Harold Ivor Collingwood Balfour, was born on 25 July 1901 they were living in a house in Bournemouth owned by a Colonel Bayly. Harold gives his…

Where was Harold Duncan Balfour born?

Who are the soldiers in this photograph?

QMy grandfather was in the 9th Battalion of the Rifle Brigade during the First World War, and I found this photo among the pictures of him. I have no idea who is depicted, but in his diary from the time he lists “Corporal Janatt - 5th Dorset, Corporal Gurmonk - 2nd Cavalry Division, Private Kerr do DADRT BEF, Sergeant Ladd - 5th Rifle Brigade Minster and Alfonso Henry, Brigadier - 4e Artillery 56th Brig”. Could it be them? Brenda Berrill A This is a casual group photograph of an officer and four other ranks, at least one in the Rifle Brigade, probably from early 1915, I doubt it includes the individuals mentioned in your grandfather's diary. They may be identifiable using the Medal Index Cards (MICs) and medal rolls, available on Ancestry…

Who are the soldiers in this photograph?

A VISIT FROM A KING 0Nana Sir Ofori Atta I, the king of Akyem Abuakwa in the Gold Coast colony (now Ghana), visits Cadbury’s factory in Bournville, Birmingham, 10 July 1928 The Quaker John Cadbury opened a grocer's shop in Bull Street, Birmingham, in 1824. He began making cocoa and drinking chocolate in 1831, and his brother Benjamin joined him in 1847. They moved into a factory in Bridge Street the same year, and soid their first chocolate bar in 1849. John's sons Richard and George took over in 1861, and as the firm continued to expand built a factory in a rural area south of the city in 1879. The site, named 'Bournviile', became a model village, and by 1910 the factory employed more than 5,000 workers. The University of Birmingham…

Try Ancestry DNA'S 'By parent' feature

Side View is a true breakthrough m the world or genetic genealogy. The technology, which is only possible thanks to the extensive match database of Ancestry DNA (ancestry.co.uk/dna), enables the automatic assignment of DNA matches to differen sides of your family. Until recently, researchers have had t manually assign AncestryDNA matches by reviewing the trees of their matches and using grouping techniques such as the Leeds Method (see tinyurl.com/leeds-cluster). This is particularly challenging for people whose parents are not available to test, and for anyone with adoption or other unknown parentage in their recent family history. SideView allows AncestryDNA to sort your matches into one of four categories: ‘Parent 1’, ‘Parent 2’, ‘Both sides’ or ‘Unassigned’. This guide will enable you to make the most of the new ‘By parent’ feature,…

Try Ancestry DNA'S 'By parent' feature

Britain’s long-standing reputation as a nation of animal lovers is well deserved. The latest estimates suggest that there are 34 million pets in the country, more than 60 per cent of households own at least one, and we spend almost £8 billion a year on them. So how did we become so devoted to our furry, feathered and scaly friends? During the 18th century, dogs were often the pet of choice, and lapdogs were fashionable among members of the aristocracy. The pampered pooches slept in plush beds, had poems composed in their honour, and their owners flirted with each other via letters that had supposedly been penned by their dogs. Unsurprisingly, they were often lampooned in the satirical press of the day. It wasn’t until the 19th century that pet ownership started…

RESOURCES Take your research further

ARTICLE When John Met Benny Julie-Marie Strange tinyurl.com/john-met-benny Find out about the place of pets in working-class families in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain. BOOKS Animal Companions Ingrid H Tague Penn State University Press, 2015 Tague's book looks at how pets reflected and shaped cultural debates in 18th-century Britain, including the relationship between humans and animals. At Home and Astray Philip Howell University of Virginia Press, 2015 Howell explains how dogs came to be at the heart of the middleclass home in Victorian Britain. PODCAST OF DOGS AND DUCHESSES w tinyurl.com/bbc-dog-duch This entertaining 14-minute programme from 2019 explores lapdog ownership among the 18th-century aristocracy. RECORDS DOGTAX AND LICENCES w tinyurl.com/sp-dogs The free site ScotlandsPlaces has Scottish dog-tax records (1797-1798). Records for Irish dog licences are on Ancestry (1810-1926; bit.ly/anc-ire-dogs) and Findmypast (18661914; bit.ly/fmp-ire-dogs). WEBSITE PET HISTORIES w pethistories.wordpress.com These articles from…

'I TRACED THE FAMILY IN AN OLD PHOTO ALBUM'

A picture paints a thousand words, and this is particularly true in genealogy. If you have stumbled upon old family photographs and are finding them hard to identify, be inspired by Rita Boswell who has unlocked the secrets of an album dating back to Victorian times. MY BRICK WALL While browsing in an antiques shop called The Collector’s Market in Eastbourne, East Sussex, in 2017,1 spotted a stack of old photograph albums. I was drawn to one that had a strong tooled leather cover with a brass clasp, so I bought it. There were 56 photographs inside, mostly studio portraits taken in the mid19th and early 20th centuries. Fortunately, there was an inscription on the fly leaf that said, “Frank Repton fro [sic]: Bouverie, Ostend May 4th 1873.” Having grown up in Suffolk I…

'I TRACED THE FAMILY IN AN OLD PHOTO ALBUM'

THE BURIALS AT BROOKWOOD CEMETERY

When ‘Your Projects’ last visited Woking in February 2020, we spoke to the creator of a trail dedicated to the town’s Muslim heritage. One of the highlights was Brookwood Cemetery, the home of the first Muslim burial ground in the UK. But the cemetery also has the highest concentration of minority burial grounds altogether in the UK, serving as the last resting place for immigrants who made the UK their home. A recent project has revealed their stories. ‘The Living and the Dead: Exploring Minority Burial Grounds in Brookwood Cemetery’ began in 2020 and ran for two years. The project was led by Woking Asian Business Forum in partnership with Surrey History Centre, Brookwood Cemetery Society and The Lightbox, an art gallery in Woking, and funded with a £93,400 grant from…

THE BURIALS AT BROOKWOOD CEMETERY

So much has happened since our last visit to Surrey in early 2019. Family historians now have various top-notch digital resources created by Surrey History Centre in Woking, with records, finding aids, research guides and articles, all with the goal of “discovering, preserving, celebrating” the county’s heritage. Staff continued to ‘level up’ through the depths of the pandemic, making additions and improvements to what was already a packed resource. Lauren Simmons, events and promotions officer at Surrey Heritage, tells us that during the periods of lockdown the team added more than 11,000 detailed summaries of wills of Surrey people that were proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, which were prepared by the “indefatigable” Cliff Webb. “The original documents are held at The National Archives (reference PROB), but images can be downloaded…

SURREY THROUGH THE AGES

1661 The first recorded horserace is held on the Epsom Downs. The first official Derby takes place in 1780. 1803 The Surrey Iron Railway opens between Croydon and Carshalton. The 'train' is made of wagons drawn along an iron track by horses. 1886 Guildfordborn author PG Wodehouse, the creator of Jeeves and Wooster, enters Elmhurst School for Boys in Croydon. 1889 The oldest purposebuilt mosque in Britain, Woking’s Shah Jahan Mosque, opens its doors. 1895 John and Raymond Dennis start making and selling bicycles from a shop in Guildford’s High Street. Their firm Dennis Brothers is soon manufacturing a range of vehicles. 1897 Maria Theresa Earle, who lives in Cobham, publishes her influential book of anecdotes, gardening and domestic advice Pot-Pourri from a Surrey Garden. 1898 Rev Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, better known by his pen name…

SURREY THROUGH THE AGES

FREE ONLINE RECORDS

DIRECTORIES W tinyurl.com/sco-surrey The University of Leicester's site Special Collections Online includes an 1878 Post Office directory of Surrey and a 1913 Kelly’s directory. MILITARY INDEXES w tinyurl.com/surreycc-militaryindexes Here you'll find a number of PDF Indexes to local military records, such as ‘Queen's Royal West Surrey Regiment Prisoners of War 1918' and 'East Surrey Regiment Boer War Medals 1899-1902'. SCHOOL ADMISSIONS w tinyurl.com/surreycc-school Explore an index to admissions to the Royal Philanthropic School at Redhill (1788— 1906). The original records are at Surrey History Centre and give detailed accounts of the pupils. SUFFRAGE INDEXES w tinyurl.com/exp-surr-suff On the site Exploring Surrey's Past you can sit through names drawn from newspapers and periodicals that reference the suffrage campaign in Surrey. WW1 DATABASE w surreyinthegreatwar.org.uk This website records the lives and service of the men and women who are named on…

FREE ONLINE RECORDS

SURREY DIRECTORS

ARCHIVES AND LIBRARIES SURREY HISTORY CENTRE a 130 Goldsworth Road, Woking GU216ND t 01483 518737 e shs@surreycc.gov.uk w surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/history-centre The county archive service holds original records and microform copies of all kinds of sources including parish material; court records; hospital, Poor Law and school records; electoral records; and collections relating to families, businesses and individuals. You can find out about online records at surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/history-centre/online-records, search the catalogue at surreyarchives.org.uk and explore a digital archive at exploringsurreyspast.org.uk. LOCAL HISTORY CENTERS w surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/local-history-centres Seven local-history centres can be found in the county's larger libraries in Banstead, Caterham. Cranleigh, Epsom, Lingfield, Horley and Redhill. LONDON METROPOLITAN ARCHIVES a 40 Northampton Road, London EC1R OHB t 020 7332 3820 e asklma@londonmetarchives.libanswers.com Libanswers.com w cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/history-and-heritage/london-metropolitan-archives London Metropolitan Archives looks after material from within historic Surrey, including parishchest material, land-tax records, electoral records…

SURREY DIRECTORS

A pamphlet sent to crofters, 1856

During the mid19th century, the people of the Highlands and Hebrides suffered from famine and rounds of clearances. On the Gairloch Estate, however; local landlord Dr John Mackenzie worked to implement agricultural reforms for the benefit of his, tenants. Gairloch Museum holds a copy of a pamphlet that Dr John sent to his tenants and reveals more about his changes, as curator Karen Buchanan explains. John was an agricultural reformer and set up a model farm on an island CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE PAMPHLET? This small pamphlet is a parting message from an estate factor to his tenants, with whom he has had a somewhat difficult relationship over the past 15 yearsi Dr John Mackenzie was a member of the Mackenzie of Gairloch family; his father was the 4th Baronet Sir Hector Mackenzie.…

A pamphlet sent to crofters, 1856

EXPLORING OXFORDSHIRE SURNAMES People, Places And Lives Sue Honoré, Richard Merry and Jessica Feinstein Matador, 328 pages, £24.99 I recently discovered that my Wiggins ancestors were from Witney, and that early generations were involved in the blanket-weaving industry. DNA testing has also led me on a surprise trail from Berkshire to Oxfordshire, and links with the surnames Harris and Bunting from Banbury. I therefore welcomed the opportunity to learn more about Oxfordshire and its surnames in this new publication. The book was inspired by two projects led by the Oxfordshire Family History Society (OFHS): the Oxfordshire Surnames Project and the Oxfordshire DNA Project. Both have been helped by the sterling work of the OFHS which has transcribed and indexed the parish registers, allowing for a detailed analysis of records for 408 Oxfordshire surnames…

Rosemary Collins highlights three digital resources that caught our eye this month LISTEN LADY KILLERS WITH LUCY WORSLEY tinyurl.com/bbc-lady-killers Free Historian and broadcaster Lucy Worsley presents this Radio 4 series investigating notorious murders committed by women in the Victorian age from a feminist perspective. The cases include Madeleine Smith, accused of poisoning her secret lover; American axe murderer Lizzie Borden; and Mary Ann Cotton, Britain's first female serial killer. WATCH Englesea Brook Chapel & Museum tinyurl.com/yt-englesea Free Englesea Brook Chapel & Museum, whose heritage officer Amy Wilkinson featured in our ‘Gem From the Archive' article last issue, has uploaded a useful series of videos exploring the history of Primitive Methodism, covering such topics as Survival of the Fittest: The “Extinction” of Female Preaching in the 19th Century and Dispelling the Myths- Church and Faith in the Great War. WEBSITE Irish…

CALL THE MIDWIFE BBC One Christmas Day (TBC) The annual festive adventure featuring Poplar’s baby-wranglers has long been a highlight of the BBC's Christmas schedule, and this year looks set to be no exception. Not least because a white Christmas seems to be guaranteed: back in October we were treated to photographs of Leonie Elliott, the returning Helen George and Megan Cusack, who play Lucille, Trixie and Nancy respectively, enjoying a snowball fight. More generally, news has gradually trickled out over the year about what we might expect. In July, creator Heidi Thomas, speaking to the Radio Times (radiotimes, com), revealed that one of the Christmas storylines will feature “a young woman who’s recently been discharged from prison as a single mother” and finds that she’s not as alone in the world as she…

'GEORGE CREATED BEAUTIFUL CERAMICS'

During the 18th and 19th centuries, northeast England was home to a thriving pottery industry. Sunderland lustreware proved particularly popular with its pink glaze and decorative scenes of rural idylls and local landmarks. This style of pottery is considered very collectible today. “In 1982, my twin brother Phillip decided to research our family history,” explains Anthony Patterson. “We were overwhelmed to discover that our great great grandfather Thomas Patterson had owned a large and thriving business in Gateshead called Sheriff Hill Pottery. “George designed a pie centrepiece to avoid juice overspilling in baking” “ His son George was also a successful pottery manufacturer. Some of their creations are on display at the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle upon Tyne and Shipley Art Gallery in Gateshead.” Anthony decided to write a book about his family…

'GEORGE CREATED BEAUTIFUL CERAMICS'

THE LONGITUDE PEN

The 22nd of October 1707 saw one of the worst tragedies in Royal Navy history when four warships were wrecked on the remote Western Rocks of the Isles of Scilly, around 1,450 sailors losing their lives. One of the vessels was 90-gun Association, Admiral of the Fleet, Sir Cloudesley Shovell’s lavishly appointed flagship. Admiral Shovell, as famous in his day as Lord Nelson would be a century later, also lost his life. The loss or these ships was due to a navigational error largely brought about by inability to establish longitude at sea, and as a result of the tragedy in 1714 parliament introduced the Longitude Act, leading to John Harrison creating his famous seagoing chronometers. It’s impossible to estimate the number of lives that have been saved over the years…

THE LONGITUDE PEN

In This Issue

Description

Details

Reviews

Recent Digital Issues Browse all

Recent Who Do You Think You Are? Digital Issues Browse all back issues

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription October 1st, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) October 2024: $6.68

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) September 2024: $6.55

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription August 1st, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) August 2024: $6.55

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription July 1st, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) July 2024: $6.55

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2025 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) March 2025: $6.19

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription February 1st, 2025 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) February 2025: $6.19

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription January 1st, 2025 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) January 2025: $6.25

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription December 1st, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) December 2024: $6.36

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription November 18th, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Xmas 2024: $6.36

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription November 1st, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) November 2024: $6.44

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription October 1st, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) October 2024: $6.68

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription September 1st, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) September 2024: $6.55

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription August 1st, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) August 2024: $6.55

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription July 1st, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) July 2024: $6.55

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription March 1st, 2025 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) March 2025: $6.19

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription February 1st, 2025 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) February 2025: $6.19

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription January 1st, 2025 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) January 2025: $6.25

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) Subscription December 1st, 2024 Issue

Who Do You Think You Are? (Digital) December 2024: $6.36

Reviews

0

0

0

0

0

Ask a Question

Ask a question about this product

Please enter content for the question.

Please enter at least 10 characters.

Your question can not be more than 150 characters.

Please enter your first name and last name.

Only letters allowed for first name and last name.

Please enter your email.

Submit Cancel Processing...

Thank you for your question! Your question has been submitted and will be published soon.

OK

Answer this question

Please enter content for the answer.

Please enter at least 10 characters.

Please enter your first name and last name.

Only letters allowed for first name and last name.

Please enter your email.

Submit Cancel Processing...

Thank you for your answer! Your answer has been submitted and will be published soon.

OK