Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i Who Do You Think You Are?

There are several individuals on my family tree who are conspicuous by their apparent absence from certain census records. Every family historian will have their own missing persons to torment them, so this month we’ve enlisted the help of Who Do You Think You Are? researcher Laura Berry to share the strategies used by the show’s experts to find those pesky stray ancestors (see p17). Perhaps they left for foreign parts – our passenger lists feature on page 49 could help you find the answer. Here in the office, we’re looking forward to the 10th WDYTYA? Live, taking place at the Birmingham NEC on 7-9 April. I’ve been excitedly perusing the lecture timetables; see what’s on this year in our show preview (p25). This month we also show you how…

Frank Wright, Middlesbrough bit.ly/1XHI8GF I’ve hit a brick wall and can’t find any death records for Frank Wright, my grandfather, who lived in Middlesbrough. The best lead I have suggests he died in 1960. I have checked Free BMD and teesvalley-indexes.co.uk teesvalleyindexes.co.uk but found nothing. I am pretty sure he was in Wakefield in 1939 but can’t find anything after that. Can anyone suggest where I might find a lead? His wife was Agnes Ann Wright (née Griffin), 1909-1967. mwtinyworld1 Belgian refugee bit.ly/1XHIayk I wonder if anyone could point me in the right direction for tracing a mystery lady? Her name was Madeline Vanleehove but I do not know her age. It would appear she was probably from Belgium and lived in Lisieux, France, from 1918-1920. Where would I start when…

APRIL FOOL BOMB The first of April was not allowed to pass without one practical joke being played on the German enemy. An aviator flying over the Lille aerodrome dropped a football. It fell slowly through the air, and the Germans could be seen hurrying from all directions to take cover from what they evidently thought was a bomb. That it bounced to an enormous height from the ground without exploding was probably taken to be due to a ‘delay action’ fuse, for it was not till the ball finally came to rest on the ground that they emerged from their shelters to examine it. It was then discovered that the bomb was in fact a large football with a tag on it bearing the writing: “April fool. Gott strafe…

Free onsite access to ancestry.co.uk and/or findmypast.co.uk is provided at The National Archives and many local archives and libraries, but there are a couple of places where you can search from home for free. FamilySearch.org gives full free access to transcriptions of the 1841-1901 censuses for England, Wales and the Channel Islands. A search for Winston Churchill in 1881 shows the six-year-old future Prime Minister living in Westminster with his parents, his brother and eight servants. Their ages, places of birth, marital status and occupations are provided. A bonus is that the initial results page shows each individual, along with their household at a glance, which speeds up the search. If you find a likely entry, make sure you source a copy of the original page to check that…

When researching the family history of actress Anne Reid, we found the young children of her great great grandfather, John Reid, on the 1841 Scottish census living with their maternal grandparents in Fife, but could not find John or his wife Margaret anywhere. Eventually we identified Margaret’s burial in 1839, which explained her absence, but where was John? We discovered that John was later transported to Australia for forging his father-in-law’s signature, however he wasn’t shipped overseas until 1842. Reports in the Fife Herald on 1 April and 9 September 1841 at britishnewspaper archive.co.uk revealed that he was committed to Cupar Jail during that time, and it seemed most likely that he was there awaiting trial on the night that the 1841 census was taken (6 June). Further research using the…

Q Frederick Henry George Webb was in the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) during the First World War. His service record states that he rose to the rank of sergeant and was stationed at 55 General Hospital near Boulogne from April 1917 until the end of the war. Are there any war diaries available? Also what’s the object that looks like a rolled blanket across his shoulder in this photo (shown right)? Rob Webb, by email A You’re fortunate to have your ancestor’s service record survive (on Ancestry and Findmypast) as it gives lots of opportunity to find out more about his military career. It’s even luckier that he served in a Corps (the RAMC) because, unlike the infantry, they frequently worked in small units so his record contains copies…

Though never a fighting soldier, a commission from the ranks showed John was a good one Q When my grandfather was born in 1875 his father, John Joseph Mullins, was a staff sergeant in the Army Service Corps (ASC), stationed at Ordnance Barracks in Limerick, Ireland. The London Gazette in 1878 shows his commission to Sub Assistant Commissaries and in 1880 he became a quartermaster. He was posted to Mauritius, where he married on 5 August 1885, stating that he was a widower aged 40. He died in 1907 and is buried in St Budeaux churchyard, Plymouth, Devon. How can I find his service record? I’d love to find out where he went, and what happened to his first wife, Ellen O’Leary. Cynthia Evans, by email A John Mullins’s service…

Anita Rani was born in Bradford to Indian parents. They were born in the Punjab, coming to the UK sometime in the 1960s. Anita’s Who Do You Think You Are? story took her back to her roots in India and to the life of her maternal grandfather Sant Singh. Sant was a dear member of the family and Anita was keen to learn more about his life. She knew that he had lost his first family but did not know the details. She was deeply moved to discover what had happened and how the horrors of partition had directly affected them. Anita obtained the Army service record for Sant found in the national archives of India (nationalarchives. nic.in). This detailed that Sant had a wife and two children and that his…

‘The records include a physical description, place and date of birth, and former occupation’ Researching a Victorian police officer can be especially revealing if you manage to track them down in the police record books. Not only do these provide useful personal information, such as dates of birth and home addresses, they can also offer a fascinating insight into the personality of your ancestor. From being drunk on duty to accusations of assault, disciplinary reports, for example, can really shine a light on your forebear’s character. You may even be lucky enough to find a photograph. Here, Jennifer Macey delves into the Portsmouth History Centre collections to uncover some fascinating cases for the borough from the Victorian era. Which document have you chosen? I have chosen a Portsmouth Borough Police…

Findmypast once had its own dedicated Ancestors on Board website for its important partnership collection with The National Archives – the BT 27 Outward Passenger Lists for long-distance voyages leaving the British Isles from 1890-1960. Today you can find this and more via the main site’s Travel & migration records section. Archives New Zealand has an ongoing partnership with FamilySearch meaning many passenger lists from assisted migration schemes administered by the likes of the New Zealand Company, alongside commercial lists, can be searched via familysearch.org. You can find out more about New Zealand passenger lists at archives.govt.nz/resources/research-resources/searching-passenger-lists, or navigate to the specific database via FamilySearch’s collections at familysearch.org/search/collection/list. A search for ‘Scott’ uncovered Scott Adams, an apprentice who arrived in Auckland in June 1904 on the Mary Moore from Newcastle,…

Many tithe resources have been digitised and placed online for free through record offices or private enterprises. One is the Cynefin Project, courtesy of the National Library of Wales, which aims to repair and digitise over 1,000 Welsh tithe maps and schedules by September 2016. As well as digitising the records, Cynefin (which is the Welsh word for ‘haunt’ or ‘usual place of abode’) is also geo-referencing the maps so that locations can be accurately compared with Ordnance Survey maps. You can even get involved with the project yourself by volunteering online to speed up the process! Further details are available at cynefin.archives wales.org.uk. Other tithe projects around the country include those for the counties of: East Sussex (thekeep.info/collections/tithe-maps); Cheshire (maps.cheshire.gov.uk/tithemaps); West Yorkshire (currently covering Leeds and Bradford) (tithemaps.leeds.gov.uk); Devon (devon.gov.uk/projects/tithe_maps_online.htm)…

Warren Sandes was born in 1880, the only son in a family of four sisters. His father served in the Royal Artillery, his mother was the daughter of a clergyman, and when he was young the family lived abroad with the Army. Later they settled in Weymouth, and Sandes attended boarding school in Bath. From an early age he was fascinated by the 19th century’s latest technology. Bicycles (and later, motorcycles) were of great interest and he loved the freedom they offered. As a young lad he would cycle up to 100 miles a day, through lanes where the only traffic he met were “dog carts, farm vehicles, and a few tricycles ridden by elderly people”. In 1895 he took up photography and began developing his own pictures. This mechanical…

It was Henry Croft who transformed the costermongers into a reputable, charitable organisation. He was born and raised in a rat-infested workhouse orphanage in St Pancras, where he learnt to sew sacks together to form bedding – a skill that would later come in useful for his pearly outfits. By the age of 13, Henry was eking out a meagre living as a street sweeper around the market in Somers Town, near St Pancras, and it was here that he first encountered the costermongers. Despite his own extreme poverty, his main concern was to help others, and in his pearl-covered top hat and tails and sparkling costumes he soon became a local novelty, popular with all the local street traders. As his fame spread, he collected significant amounts of money…

Some of the important collections available through subscription sites include the Pembrokeshire parish registers, pre-1914 school log books and admissions registers via findmypast.co.uk/articles/world-records/search-all-uk-records/special-collections/ the-wales-collection. The Pembrokeshire Archives and Local Studies website (pembrokeshire.gov.uk/archives), alongside details of location, opening hours and the instructions for getting readers’ tickets, includes an online catalogue, a parish map, plus guides to maps and other collections. The Dyfed FHS website (dyfedfhs.org.uk) has details of publications, branches and meetings. Plus you can search an index and journal archive, explore the members’ Strays Database – thousands of names of people born in Dyfed but found elsewhere – and there’s the Dyfed Database, which contains information about places and parishes across Dyfed. It’s worth exploring the National Library of Wales' catalogue for its Pembrokeshire holdings, plus there are plenty of other…

BOOKS Remember Then: Women’s Memories of 1946-1969 and How to Write Your Own by Janet Few (The Family History Partnership, £12.95, 246 pages) This latest book from historian Janet Few should come with a warning: once you start reading it, you can’t put it down! Remember Then focuses on the period of 1946 to 1969 from the point of view of women who lived through those years. This was an era of significant change that introduced the NHS, consumerism, youth culture, feminism and the comprehensive education system. A total of 80 volunteers from a variety of backgrounds, now aged between 59 and 95, contributed their memories of life in Britain at that time for the book. Each chapter centres on a facet of daily life, such as homes, clothes, food,…

Probate inventories Thank you Alan Crosby for bringing probate inventories to the attention of your readers in the February issue. They are very useful documents indeed and are often overlooked. Here in West Sussex a dedicated small band of us have been busily transcribing the 11,000 of these documents held in the West Sussex Record Office. I think we are about halfway. They are a social document, among other things, dating to as early as Elizabeth I’s day, to as late as George IV’s time. We have come across archaic words and, if reading a difficult line, which at the time of transcribing seems nonsensical, we can hear the accent of those days. Many WDYTYA? readers come across blanks and brick walls in parish registers, especially at the time of…

I was prompted by Alan Crosby’s interesting article about family reunions to write about two important reunions in my own family. The first was featured in the February 2010 edition of WDYTYA? Magazine when I met a long-lost cousin in Edinburgh to find out more about our common ancestor Francis Rosignoli, an Italian fencing master at the Royal Academy. Since then, I have met several members of the family, most notably when we all got together for the anniversary of the founding of The Royal Victoria Military Hospital in Netley, near Southampton, where my great grandfather had served in the army medical corps. Three generations of us gathered round the grave of his wife, my great grandmother, where the inscription read, “Gone but not forgotten”. Indeed! Searching for other ancestors…

10 years’ worth of journals published by the Irish Family History Society from 1995-2004 can be viewed at ifhs.ie £3,200 – the estimated cost of correcting plaques on Bodmin’s town war memorial, found to contain numerous errors by members of Cornwall FHS 26,000 people attended this year’s RootsTech conference, which took place in Salt Lake City between 3-6 February 32 people received the Freedom of Norwich on 20 February – an honour passed down by generation for several centuries 90,000 – the number of WW1 Red Cross volunteers whose details will be online at redcross.org.uk following completion of a transcription project later this year…

Over 33 million historic marriage records from the United States have been made available to explore on findmy past.co.uk for the first time. Spanning 1650-2010, the fully searchable collection includes entries from 26 states and more than 2,800 counties, generally revealing the names of the bride and groom, their dates of birth and the names of their parents. The vast record set, which hit the web on Thursday 4 February, will be further expanded throughout 2016 and 2017. Once complete, it is expected to contain more than 100 million entries. The records have been launched on Findmypast through a partnership with familysearch.org, whose volunteers have indexed the records. “The launch of the marriages project is central to our growth strategy in the US,” said Findmypast CEO Annelies van den Belt. “The…

‘Electricity is now so ubiquitous that we’ve stopped giving it much attention’ Current affairs The arrival of electricity and the impact it would have had on our forebears’ lives is often forgotten. Alan Crosby reveals how one Lancashire village reacted to the new-fangled technology… Over 20 years ago, I first read a copy of Longer Sen, a historical miscellany produced by the Chipping Local History Society near Preston. (‘Longer sen’ is Lancashire dialect for ‘a long time since’ or ‘in the old days’.) It includes an account of the arrival of a public electricity supply in the delightful village of Chipping, tucked away in a fold of the hills below the high moorlands on the old county boundary between Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire. In August 1933 the…

Maybe you can’t find your ancestors because they simply aren’t listed on the census. Although this is a rarity, there are a number of occasions when it could be the case. Mariners and military men should have been enumerated if they were stationed at home, but army personnel overseas were not counted until the 1911 census. Itinerant workers and travelling families could have been missed when the census enumerator collected in forms, although they went to great lengths to track down the entire populace, reaching bargemen moored up alongside tow paths, and recording travellers in caravans. In theory, even those sleeping rough on the street should have been counted, as was 60-year-old widow Ann Graham, originally from Carlisle, who was registered as a ‘tramp on the road’ in Mill Lane,…

‘My mother announced that her family was descended from Edward VII’ Whether you’re a royalist or a republican, the possibility of finding a long-lost connection to Britain’s Kings and Queens lurking somewhere in the branches of your family tree is surely one of the most intriguing aspects of family history – and for one Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader it was the reason she got started in the hobby. “My mother unexpectedly announced a couple of years ago that her side of the family was descended from an illegitimate son of Edward VII, via my great great grandfather, Robert Smith Grant,” says Professor Carolyn Roberts. “Of course it just sounded totally improbable to me and I assumed that it was complete nonsense. But nonetheless it still inspired…

PAUL BLAKE co-wrote Discover Your Roots and is a fellow of the Society of Genealogists (SoG). JANET DEMPSEY is a Records Specialist at The National Archives (TNA), concentrating on maritime and transport records. SARA KHAN is lead genealogist on the Who Do You Think You Are? BBC series. TV ALAN STEWART is a family historian with 30 years of genealogy experience and the author of Grow Your Own Family Tree. PHIL TOMASELLI is a military family history expert and the author of Tracing Your Air Force Ancestors. ALISON TOPLIS writes on the history of clothing and is an honorary fellow at the University of Wolverhampton. MIKE TRENCHARD is a member of the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA).…

Q In the 1841 census, William Short, born in 1838, is of an age to be the grandson of Mary Short (née Ferguson) of Coldstream in the Scottish Borders. Also living with her are her children Leonard, William, Thomas and Margaret. In 1851, in the same house, a young William lives with a different Mary Short and her brother John. William is John’s nephew. Logically, either this Mary or Margaret must be William’s mother. In 1861, grandson William, an engine fitter, has moved to Sunderland and is living with James Grey and family. In 1864, William marries Ann Gage giving his father’s name as Edward Short and occupation as ‘land agent’. I can’t identify Edward Short. Had William used his father’s first name and mother’s surname? William dies in 1880.…

Q Bernard Clifford Webb served in the merchant navy during the Second World War, then as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Navy. Looking at his medal record from The National Archives I can’t work out which medals he was awarded. Can you help? Marc Boudier, by email A Mariners who worked through the Second World War had to apply for their medals. The Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen then created a file for each applicant and entered them into a register. These registers of applications, series BT 395 are now available online via The National Archives website and this is what you have found. The registers themselves don’t give a great deal of information, usually just name, date of birth (sometimes place of birth) and the discharge number of…

‘The Shelton fire led to a radical overhaul of safety procedures at hospitals and institutions nationwide’ The Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service History Society was started by Katy Lowe after her genealogical research produced some interesting photographs of firefighting ancestors. Katy herself had worked for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) as a fire control operator for several years, and with her passion for local history, family connections with firefighting and own work in the service, she brought all the links together in the new society, which was founded in 2013. She publicised it locally and informed employees of SFRS of the project to research their own service. The local press also promoted the society with a variety of articles. Katy wants to explore and publicise the history of the…

‘The Bible stated her family emigrated from Marden, Kent, in about 1871’ How long have you been doing your family history? I’m a keen family historian and secretary of Marden History Group in the Weald of Kent. In 2003, I moved into Stilebridge farmhouse, which is an historic tenanted home with an oast house. I thought that such an old property must have an intriguing history, so I began to research it and found information going back to 1642. What had you found out before hitting your brick wall? I concentrated on the Pettett family, who lived at Stilebridge as tenanted farmers through three generations from 1830 to 1922. The farm was originally 23 acres and Joseph and Mary Pettett moved there in 1830. They had 13 children, five of…

Today Pembrokeshire, which borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north-east, is home to the breathtaking Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, one of three national parks in Wales. To the north are the Preseli Hills, home to high moorland sheep farming and the probable source of the Stonehenge bluestones. Pembrokeshire’s ‘Landsker Line’ is a surprisingly rigid language boundary that exists between the largely Welsh-speaking northern part of the county, and the English-speaking southern area – known as the ‘Little England beyond Wales’, or in Welsh Sir Benfro Saesneg (English Pembrokeshire). The line, which has been recorded for centuries, is still very much in existence. A colour-coded map showing the proportion of Welsh speakers across the principality based on the 2011 census, shows a definite lighter shade south of the…

Pembrokeshire Archives and Local Studies Prendergast, Haverfordwest SA61 2PE 01437 775456 record.office@pembrokeshire.gov.uk pembrokeshire.gov.uk/archives The summary of the main collections page gives a full run down of public, official, ecclesiastical, nonconformist and private collections held here. Nonconformist sources include microfilms of registers held in The National Archives. There are also registers of baptisms, marriages and burials from about 150 Anglican parishes, including microfilm copies of some registers held at the National Library of Wales, plus other parish chest material. Business collections include Milford Docks Company records (1874-1992), Saundersfoot Railway and Harbour Company records (1828-1933), plus many smaller collections, including papers relating to coalmining at Hook, Saundersfoot, Nolton and Roch. The catalogue is at records.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/CalmView/default.aspx. Dyfed FHS membership@dyfedfhs.org.uk dyfedfhs.org.uk The society was founded in 1982 and covers Pembrokeshire as well as Cardiganshire…

Why doesn’t the code that’s printed in the magazine work correctly? Each bonus content code applies only to the issue of the magazine in which it’s printed. Make sure that you’ve clicked on the red ‘View content’ button next to the cover of the correct issue. Why isn’t the code box appearing? If nothing happens when you click the red ‘View content’ button, it’s possible that firewall or virus-checking software is stopping the website from running JavaScript. You can check to see if this is the case by temporarily halting these programs and then reloading the website. Why is the data only available for a period of six months? Due to the terms and conditions agreed with some of the firms that provide the bonus content for our magazine, we…

‘Isaac was very influential and many Welsh miners had a picture of him on their wall’ Born in the Monmouthshire town of Pontypool in 1847, Isaac Evans went to work down a pit at the age of eight. He became a leader of men in the South Wales coalfields and is a legend in Kathryn Webber’s family, who is one of his great granddaughters. “Even as a young girl, I knew of him because his portrait hung on the wall of my grandmother’s house. He was remarkable. “Isaac was born into a mining family and began work at Varteg Colliery as a doorboy. The job involved opening tunnel doors for men and ponies by pulling a piece of string. Isaac’s family were so poor that they couldn’t afford a candle…

Details of births, marriages and deaths in the West Yorkshire borough of Calderdale have been made available to explore online thanks to the efforts of the local community. The set of 394,000 birth announcements, originally published in the Halifax Guardian, span the years 1832 to 1921 and has been transcribed from microfilm records by members of Calderdale Family History Society and volunteers at Calderdale Libraries. The project has taken nearly six years to complete, with one particularly devoted helper taking time to convert and bookmark each of the 58 PDF documents that make up the collection. Analysis of the transcriptions shows that while ‘Smith’ is predictably among the most common surnames (7,224 entries) in the collection, the most popular is actually ‘Greenwood’ (9,713 entries), which is believed to originate from…

One of the most often-cited reasons for people hitting a brick wall in their research is: “I can’t find my ancestor on the census.” They must be there somewhere, but where? It’s a problem that regularly confronts the Who Do You Think You Are? research team, as there are many reasons why a person can disappear from the records without warning. Once you understand how these government documents were created though, you’re better equipped to tackle them. We have a few tricks up our sleeve that can help crack the case more often than not. The first census was taken in 1801 to ascertain the size of the country’s rapidly increasing population, but the official records that were sent to central government between 1801 and 1831 were purely statistical affairs.…

Using alternative record collections may be the only solution when your ancestors can’t be found. Census substitutes are nothing new to those accustomed to researching Irish ancestors, since only the 1901 and 1911 censuses for Ireland survived destruction. We’re fortunate that the 1939 Register for England and Wales has been released early at findmypast.co.uk/1939register to make up for the loss of the 1931 census destroyed by fire during the Second World War and the fact that no census was taken in 1941. Now available as part of the Findmypast subscription, the 1939 Register gives exact dates of birth and fairly detailed information about occupations, indicating whether domestic work was paid or unpaid. It shows married and unmarried people living together in households, but unfortunately doesn’t reveal the relationships between them.…

ONE-DAY ADVANCED One-day entrance to the show with three pre-booked workshops (worth £6) is priced £20 in advance. ENTRANCE-ONLY TICKET Standard adult show tickets cost £16 in advance or £22 on the door. Children under 16 get in for free. TWO-DAY TICKET If you’re worried that you may not be able to fit everything into a single day, a two-day ticket priced £26 in advance or £30 on the door enables you to spread your visit over any two days of the event. THREE-DAY TICKET Access to the show for all three days is £33 in advance or £35 on the door. 25% OFF WITH VIRGIN TRAINS A special discounted rate of 25% off fares to the NEC is available if you book in advance with Virgin Trains. You must…

According to historian Michael Wood: “We put together The Story of England project in Kibworth back in 2010. The idea was to take one place through the whole of English history with the help of the people, the schools and local groups. As a piece of community history it was fantastic fun. “I chose Kibworth because it is an ordinary kind of place right in the middle of England. The sort of place where most of us Brits live today, but where history is all around you if you just look: the truth is you could do the same thing almost anywhere. “It was all based on the sources – and not just documents but family names, place names, archaeology, landscape and houses. And it was amazing what we turned…

Q William Grindey, a trainee waiter, died on board the liner SS Orduna in 1919. He was 16 years old. Apparently, he was making his way to an upper deck and stepped into the lift, but the lift wasn’t there. He plunged down the lift shaft and died 18 hours later with a fractured skull. He was buried in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. I have newspaper reports of the event and his death record from Halifax, as well as his entry from the Deaths at Sea record. Can you advise me about other records? Jeff Parton, by email A Before 1922, there are no surviving merchant marine records on individuals at The National Archives (TNA) and as William was a trainee waiter he wouldn’t have had a formal apprenticeship, so…

“The first place that many family historians turn to online when researching their emigrant ancestors is theshipslist.com, where there is not only a comprehensive and easily searchable database of ships’ passengers lists, but also additional resources that help you to gain a better picture of the conditions in which these emigrants sailed. These include immigration reports, registers of marriages at sea, newspapers, pictures and descriptions of some of the ships and shipping line fleet lists. It is these first-hand sources that bring alive the shipboard experience of migrants as they sought a new life in a new world. “Of course, family historians are interested primarily in details of their own ancestors who emigrated to the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa and elsewhere, but here they can also explore the…

Personal information These columns give details of the individual’s personal information, such as age and trade. Offences and charges The nature of the alleged offence is described here, including committing magistrate, date of warrant and when received into custody. Previous convictions This records the prisoner’s name and any previous convictions, including details of sentences served and any aliases used. Level of literacy This shows whether the prisoner was educated. ‘N’ is ‘none’; ‘imp’ is ‘imperfect’; and ‘R’ & ‘W’ mean ‘reads’ and ‘writes’. Trial details This gives the date of the trial and the name of the judge before whom the prisoner was tried. Outcome of trial The verdict of the jury is recorded, including previous convictions. It gives the sentence and any orders, such as police supervision.…

Dear Reader, This is your chance to tell us what you think about Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, and help shape its future. The more we know about you and your interests, your likes and dislikes, the more enjoyable and relevant we can make the magazine for you. We look forward to hearing from you! Simply go to whodoyouthinkyouaremagazine.com/readersurvey and complete the questionnaire by 12 April 2016. Claire Vaughan, Acting Editor Win a £250 Marks & Spencer gift card! UK residents who complete the questionnaire by the end of 12 April 2016 will have the opportunity to enter our prize draw for a chance to win a £250 Marks & Spencer gift card. Please see our terms and conditions on the website for more information.…

The good news for family historians is that TheGenealogist.co.uk recently completed the first phase of its project to digitise all tithe maps and schedules for England and Wales. This is an extremely important project, giving information regarding 75 per cent of landowners and occupiers in mid-19th century England and Wales, as well as an insight into land usage in each town or village for which there was a tithe award. The records are also important because they depict life on the eve of the Industrial Revolution, a time when the great majority of our ancestors still lived and worked in rural locations. This was soon to change forever, with the majority of families migrating to an urban environment within one or two generations. While the tithe maps TheGenealogist has recently…

‘They were known for their playful banter and noisy street cries’ One of the most colourful sights in London today is the band of pearly kings and queens who turn up at numerous charitable events in their distinctive, glittering outfits. The tradition of pearly royalty in the capital evolved from the costermongers, or street traders, who first appeared at London’s Cheapside market near the Church of St Mary-le-Bow, in the 10th century. Taking their name from ‘costard’, a variety of apple, the costers in fact sold all kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as flowers, meat, fish and a variety of miscellaneous goods. They were known for their playful banter, their noisy street cries and the carts they used for transporting and selling their wares. The market traders…

1457 Henry Tudor is born at Pembroke Castle. He will lead an invasion from Brittany in 1485, defeat Richard III at Bosworth, and become king of England aged 28. 1648 Parliamentarian troops stage a Royalist rebellion under the command of the Colonel John Poyer, the governor of Pembroke Castle. Oliver Cromwell defeats the uprising at the Siege of Pembroke. c1767 John Grono is born in Newport, Pembrokeshire. He will go on to explore and name parts of the south-western coast of New Zealand’s South Island – including Milford Sound. 1779 Fishguard is raided by privateer vessel Black Prince , which bombards the town when the payment of a £1,000 ransom is refused. 1797 Welsh heroine Jemima Nicholas, armed with a pitchfork, rounds up 12 French soldiers during the Battle of…

New Zealand BMDs During the past few centuries thousands of people emigrated, looking for a better life in the New World. If one of your ancestors ended up in New Zealand you can search for their birth, marriage or death certificates on the Government website. 1 Go to bdmonline.dia.govt.nz. Here you can search for historical records, including births occurring at least 100 years ago, marriages at least 80 years ago and deaths over 50 years ago. Choose the bottom option for historical records by clicking ‘Go to site’. 2 Click ‘Search’ in the left-hand side panel and choose the type of certificate you want, ‘Births’, ‘Stillbirths’, ‘Marriages’, or ‘Deaths’ at the bottom of the page. Enter the name and date range in the appropriate fields and press ‘Submit Search’ to…

Brendan O’Carroll: My Family at War Wednesday 16 March BBC TWO As he explored in his episode of WDYTYA?, which was first broadcast in August 2014, writer and comedian Brendan O’Carroll’s family were nationalists at a time when many in Ireland were campaigning for the country to split from the British Empire. A century on from the Easter Rising, which saw a group of 1,600 rebels take over parts of central Dublin, O’Carroll once again takes a look back at the era in this deeply personal documentary. While the uprising failed in the short term, it is now seen as a key moment in the creation of the Irish Free State in 1922. Looking back at what happened, the creator of the popular BBC sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys meets historians…