Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2019 i Who Do You Think You Are?

Ever since I ordered my first ‘local’ certificate a couple of years ago, I’ve been a convert to using register offices alongside the General Register Office. Yes, my first port of call for civil birth, marriage and death records is still the GRO, but there are times when ordering a copy from the original source is a useful backup. However, tracking down and ordering certificates direct from register offices is not always easy. Recently a group of genealogists wrote to the registrar general to complain about the service being offered to family historians by some councils. Turn to page 17 to find out what happened when we ordered certificates from 12 register offices in England and Wales. Who came out on top, and who failed to deliver? We’ve also got…

ROSEMARY COLLINS Our staff writer Rosemary has been busy ordering vital certificates from a range of register offices. Discover which councils performed best and why on page 17. BRUNO PAPPALARDO Bruno is principal records specialist (Navy) at The National Archives, and managed the Navy Board Project and its volunteers for eight years. Read about the project on page 26. PETER HIGGINBOTHAM Peter became interested in workhouses after discovering that his great great grandfather died in one. He set up workhouses.org.uk in 2000, and shares his expertise on page 63.…

EDITORIAL Editor Sarah Williams Production editor Seth Burgess Editorial assistant Rosemary Collins Art editor Robbie Bennie Contributors Louise Stevens, Claire Vaughan ADVERTISING SALES Ad manager Sam Jones 0117 300 8145 Ad sales executive Andy Williams 0117 300 8803 Inserts Laurence Robertson 00 353 876 902208 MARKETING Marketing manager Kellie Lane Direct marketing executive Craig Ramsay PRESS AND PR Head of PR Dominic Lobley PRODUCTION Production director Sarah Powell Production co-ordinator Emily Mounter Ad design Parvin Sepehr Ad co-ordinator Bryony Grace SYNDICATION & LICENSING Director of licensing & syndication Tim Hudson Magazine syndication executive Emma Brunt IMMEDIATE MEDIA COMPANY BRISTOL LTD Managing director Marie Davies Promotions and partnerships manager Rosa Sherwood Group managing director Andy Marshall CEO Tom Bureau…

Genealogists at the University of Strathclyde are seeking descendants of the Declaration of Arbroath’s signatories ahead of the historic document’s 700th anniversary next year. Researchers are exploring the lineage of the people who are named in or placed their seals on the 1320 declaration (pictured), which asserted Scottish sovereignty. Identified male-line descendants are being invited to take DNA tests to confirm their heritage, alongside documentary evidence discovered by the researchers. Postgraduate students at the university are carrying out biographical and genealogical studies of the declaration’s signatories, who numbered about 50 and were largely barons and noblemen. If you are a descendant, please email Graham S Holton via g.s.holton@ strath.ac.uk. A list of the families concerned is at strathgenealogy.org.uk/projects.…

The launch of a card granting access to local archives has been postponed for the second time. The Archives Card, which was due by early September, will now be launched in late September or early October after problems with the software development delayed user testing. Its launch had already been postponed from April 2019. The Archives Card is being introduced as a self-funding replacement for the County Archives Research Network (CARN) scheme, which came to an end in November 2018. It is run by the Archives and Records Association and sponsored by family history website Ancestry, and gives researchers access to all participating archives without the need to bring identification documents. Archive services are continuing to join the scheme. So far 48 have signed up.…

Descendants of victims of religious and political persecution by the Nazis will have their German citizenship restored more easily under new government regulations. Germans who were stripped of citizenship by the Nazis are entitled to restoration upon request, as are their descendants of any generation who were born before 1 January 2000. People who will benefit from the new regulations include children born in wedlock before 1 April 1953 to former citizen mothers and foreign fathers, children born out of wedlock before 1 July 1993 to former citizen fathers and foreign mothers, and children whose German parent acquired foreign citizenship, as well as their descendants. Germany’s federal minister of the interior Horst Seehofer said: “Germany must live up to its historical responsibility towards descendants of German victims of National Socialist…

Ordering certificates nationally from the GRO (www. gro.gov.uk/gro/content) is simple, with PDF copies of birth and death records available for £7 each (printed certificates cost £11). However, local certificates can offer advantages. The GRO indexes are missing some records, and their certificates may have errors. Genealogist and founder of ukbmd. org.uk Ian Hartas told WDYTYA? Magazine: “Lots of records got mistranscribed in going from the local register to the GRO, and lots of records didn’t get copied across at all. So the local records are usually more complete and more accurate.” Local entries also have the original signature enabling you to compare an ancestor’s signature across different documents – useful to confirm identity. Check first with the register office that they supply images of the original record.…

The Navy Board project has brought to light rare letters sent by businesswomen working in the traditionally male-dominated world of shipbuilding. The most significant of these is Ann Wyatt of Bursledon, Hampshire, regarded as the first and only woman to have owned a shipbuilding business. In 1693, at the age of 35 and with a young daughter, she was widowed and had to take control of her husband William’s shipbuilding business. Ann oversaw the smooth running of a contract her husband had agreed to construct seven major warships – part of a national, seven-year, 27-ship programme instigated by William III in 1690. Managing hundreds of labourers and the sourcing of supplies, Ann supervised the building of some of the most significant Royal Navy ships of the era, including the 80-gun…

BORTHWICK INSTITUTE w york.ac.uk/borthwick This huge archive held at York University contains material relating to the area, including ecclesiastical records. MILLION GUINEA FUND w methodist-central-hall.org.uk The names of more than one million Methodists who donated to the fund between 1899 and 1904 are contained in 50 bound volumes kept in the archives of Central Hall in Westminster. YORKSHIRE FACTORY TIMES w library.leeds.ac.uk Held in the Special Collections section of Leeds University Library, this weekly newspaper was the organ of the textile workers’ union, and Samuel Shaftoe featured heavily.…

If you’re struggling to find a census entry for one of your ancestors, there could be a very good reason. Not all of the censuses have survived the rigours of time – for example, a large number of Cheshire parishes are missing from the 1841 collection. In fact, there are missing sections from 11 counties in the 1841 census, though later censuses are much more complete. To find out if the area in which you’re looking for a forebear is among the missing sections, scroll through the list at findmypast.co.uk/ articles/ census-for-england-wales-andscotland-missing-pieces (you don’t need to be a member). The (previously) ‘unfilmed’ 1851 Manchester census was badly damaged by water. Thanks to the hard work of members of the Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society, large areas of the damaged census…

23ANDME w 23andme.com 23andMe’s bias is towards offering health and genetic-trait reports; the basic test costs £149. DNA LECTURES w bit.ly/yt-wdytya-dna This YouTube channel has 53 lectures recorded at the much-missed WDYTYA? Live shows. FAMILYSEARCH w familysearch.org/dna-testing This brief overview of the subject has guides to the market-leading firms, plus an FAQs section. FINDMYPAST/LIVINGDNA w findmypast.co.uk/ancestry-dna-testing Its partnership with LivingDNA has been a focus for Findmypast this year. LivingDNA is more expensive than some, but offers value through combined autosomal, Y-DNA and mtDNA testing. GEDMATCH w gedmatch.com This genomics database received lots of coverage in 2018 after it was used to identify a suspect in the Golden State Killer case in the USA. GENETIC ASTROLOGY w bit.ly/forbes-dna This fascinating article by an anthropological geneticist summarises some of the fantastical claims…

Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Archive Service holds the business records of many pottery manufacturers (staffordshire.gov.uk/ heritage-and-archives/homepage.aspx). Wages and salary books are likely to be the best source for individual workers. The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery (www.stokemuseums. org.uk/pmag) and the Wedgwood Museum (wedgwoodmuseum.org.uk) have records relating to pottery industry apprenticeships. Stoke-on-Trent City Archives (bit.ly/ stoke-archives) holds important collections, including the Minton Archive gifted to the city in 2015. Employee records range from apprenticeships and wages books to artists’ contracts and Minton Social Club records. This material has now been digitised, and 5,328 records are online at themintonarchive.org.uk. Finally the Working Class Movement Library in Salford holds the archives of the Ceramic and Allied Trades Union and its predecessors, including membership returns: wcml.org.uk.…

ANCESTRY w ancestry.co.uk Ancestry’s collections now include admissions to London workhouse hospitals and district schools. To locate them, enter ‘poor’ in the Card Catalogue’s title search. FINDMYPAST w findmypast.co.uk Findmypast’s holdings include records from Westminster, Liverpool, Manchester, Cheshire, Hampshire and Monmouthshire. Search for ‘workhouse’ in the A-to-Z of Record Sets. FAMILYSEARCH w familysearch.org.uk This free site has records from Cheshire, Norfolk and Kent (some are only accessible at Family History Centres or as browsable images). Use the ‘Find a Collection’ search.…

This document, held at The National Archives (national archives.gov.uk), proved that Thomas Peters and William Williams were the same man 1 PERSONAL DETAILS Thomas Peters’ date of birth helped link him to William Williams. 2 APPEARANCE It’s fascinating to read physical descriptions of our ancestors. 3 SHIPS’ DETAILS Sandra could piece together her great grandfather’s career at sea using the ship list and dates. 4 GENERAL REMARKS The words “run Auckland” revealed why Thomas Peters had adopted the new name William Williams – he wanted to avoid being court-martialled.…

BOOKS The Great Filth: The War Against Disease in Victorian England Stephen Halliday The History Press, 2007 Halliday reveals how sanitation and treatment slowly improved. A History of the Great Influenza Pandemics: Death, Panic and Hysteria, 1830–1920 Mark Honigsbaum IB Tauris, 2013 This academic text is both absorbing and colourful. MUSEUMS FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE MUSEUM a 2 Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7EW t 020 7188 4400 w florence-nightingale.co.uk An exhibition on nursing during the Spanish flu pandemic is open until 19 January 2020. ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS MUSEUM a 11 St Andrew’s Place, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4LE t 020 3075 1539 w history.rcplondon.ac.uk The museum has pamphlets relating to the Russian flu, and papers relating to the medical treatment of Albert Victor. The material in its archive can be…

BANWELL Banwell is a village and civil parish that sits on the River Banwell in North Somerset, east of Weston-super-Mare. CRIDDLE The origin for this name is believed to be the Old English personal name Cridela. DURBIN Around half of all of the Durbins recorded in the 1891 census lived in Somerset. FEAR This nickname for a sociable person is taken from a Middle English word for comrade. PADFIELD This habitational name also derives from an Old English personal name. PUDDY Of the Somerset Puddys listed in the 1881 census, most were farmers, agricultural labourers or cattle dealers. ROWSELL No less than 36 Rowsells lived in the Somerset parish of Taunton St Mary in 1881. STUCKEY This name relates to Old English words for a piece of higher ground in…

SON OF MINE  PETER PAPATHANASIOU Salt, 384 pages, £12.99 In this beautifully written memoir Peter Papathanasiou tells the story of two lives: his own, and that of his mother. From a starting point in modern Australia, the book reaches back to the period after the Second World War, focusing on the history of Greece (where the author was born) and Turkey, including the complexities of boundary changes and the effects that they have on religion, language, identity and the social, economic and political position of the affected local populations. The author pieces together his life and that of his family in a gentle and authentic manner that embodies what family really means. He explores the potential challenges that arise from decisions made in previous generations, and the impacts that they…

Growing up, Rachel Thomas would watch her great uncle Denis walk. “I knew he’d served on a ship during the war and used to wonder why he walked with a rolling gait, like he was still on board,” she explains. “But I was told it was rude to ask about it.” It wasn’t until Denis passed away that Rachel learned the truth. His partner Pearl sent the family newspaper cuttings that revealed a story of wartime survival in the Merchant Navy. ‘They drank rainwater and ate fish, limpets and seagulls cooked in coconut oil’ Denis Whitehouse was born in Canada in May 1921, but grew up in Bromley, Kent. His parents split up when he was young and he was raised by his mother Nellie and her father George, a…

I’ve got plenty of people in the Merchant Navy in my family tree, and I have found them on crew lists on ancestry.co.uk and findmypast. co.uk. But Simon Wills’ masterclass on page 54 has inspired me to look further afield and try to build up a fuller picture of the careers of my seafaring kin. Because the crew had to sign their names, it makes it easier to be certain you’re looking at the right person!…

A comprehensive new collection of historic parish registers from the city of Bristol has been launched on ancestry.co.uk. More than 2.6 million baptism, banns, marriage and burial records and 322,000 pages of images have now been digitised from registers held in Bristol Archives. Senior archivist Jo Vietzke said: “People from all over the world will now have access to them at the click of a mouse. Hopefully this means that the access to the registers will increase significantly. That’s something that we are really excited about.” Parish records are a crucial family history resource. Ancestry subscribers can search the indexed records and view the original images, allowing them to see new details and in some cases view their ancestors’ signatures. Baptism records reveal the date and place of your ancestor’s…

FamilySearch publishes Huntingdonshire registers Free family history website family search.org has added a collection of 126,104 parish register records from Huntingdonshire. They date from 1538 until 1983 and help fill the lack of online records covering Huntingdonshire, which is now incorporated into Cambridgeshire. The records are transcripts created by volunteers, and allow family historians to discover key facts about their ancestors such as dates and places of birth, marriage and burial. Prince Albert archives get free online access Key documents belonging to Prince Albert have been published online to celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth on 26 August. More than 17,500 photographs, prints and official and private papers are free to view on albert.rct.uk, and 23,500 will be available by the end of 2020. The collection includes Albert’s and…

Scientists have created the first genetic map of Scotland, meaning that the complete genetic heritage of the UK and Ireland can be seen for the first time. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland compared DNA from more than 2,500 people whose grandparents or great grandparents were born within 50 miles of each other with ancient DNA. Jim Wilson, professor of human genetics at the University of Edinburgh, said that the study showed “how long the shadows of Scotland’s Dark Age kingdoms are”. The results revealed that Scotland is divided into six clusters of genetically similar individuals – the Borders, the south-west, the north-east, the Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland – whose locations correspond with ancient kingdoms. Prof Wilson suggested that this was due to…

LONDON TRACING AFRICAN CARIBBEAN ROOTS 8 October a Dulwich Library w bit.ly/african-caribbean-roots Genealogist Paul Crooks details how he followed his Jamaican heritage back two centuries, and overcame the obstacle of finding enslaved ancestors due to a lack of records regarding slaves. Free. MIDLANDS FURTHER STEPS TRAINING DAY 12 October a Birmingham & Midland Institute, Birmingham t 01562 743912 w midland-ancestors.uk/event/ further-steps-training-dayin-birmingham Discover how you can trace your ancestry prior to 1837 using archival records and online resources, including parish registers, Bishops’ Transcripts, Poor Law records, and wills and inventories. Free. NORTHERN IRELAND C4 OPEN DAY 24 September a Unit C4, Valley Business Centre, Newtownabbey e nquire@nifhs.org w bit.ly/nifamhis All are welcome at this open day for the North of Ireland Family History Society’s facility, which offers a wide range of…

This summer we went to Northern Ireland and, among other attractions, visited the Ulster American Folk Park near Omagh. Its theme is ‘before, during and after’ – in other words, what life was like for people living in Ulster in the 18th and 19th centuries; the experience of emigration to North America, undertaken by hundreds of thousands of men, women and children; and what they encountered in the New World. It’s portrayed especially through their living conditions in Ireland and America, with reconstructed houses, of various sizes and degrees of comfort, brought from across western Ulster and New England. The park is centred on the Mellon House, the childhood home of Thomas Mellon (b1813). He emigrated to Pennsylvania with his parents in 1818 and ‘made good’, becoming a lawyer and…

1 GATHER ALL YOUR INFORMATION Write down everything you know about the person, including definite facts and things you need to check. It might be worth purchasing the certificate from the GRO first if it’s available, or seeing if you can find the record on a local BMD site (listed at ukbmd.org.uk/local_bmd). 2 IDENTIFY THE RIGHT OFFICE TO ORDER FROM The boundaries of councils in and around London were changed by the 1963 London Government Act, while council boundaries across the country were redrawn by the 1972 Local Government Act, so the certificate might now be held by a different council’s register office. 3 RESEARCH THE ORDERING METHOD Look at the website to find out the register office’s ordering method – is it online, by phone or by post? If…

Lieutenant Robert Thompson, an officer in the Sheerness Garrison, faced a worrying dilemma in 1677: one that could lead to embarrassment, punishment or imprisonment – and the loss of his career. He decided that the best course of action was to explain to his Navy Board superiors about a tragic personal incident, and hope for clemency. “Gentlemen, I am sorry to give you this trouble – especially of complaining against one of your officers – but a monkey that I keep in the fort got loose and accidentally leapt upon a child of Kidwell the blockmaker. The child is fallen ill since… it was an accident that I could not help. ‘A monkey leapt on a child of Kidwell the blockmaker’ “Yesterday in the afternoon Kidwell came to where some…

1 ROYAL NAVY PERSONNEL Find career and personal information about both commissioned and warrant officers who served in the Royal Navy. 2 DOCKYARD WORKERS Explore the lives of dockyard workers and labourers and the conditions they worked in. 3 MERCHANTS AND SUPPLIERS Uncover information about business merchants and suppliers that may lead you to other documents and further your research. 4 HIGH-RANKING OFFICIALS Trace dockyard officials ranging from high-ranking commissioners and master shipwrights to master ropemakers, master sailmakers and clerks. 5 PROTECTION CERTIFICATES Discover tradesmen who were issued protection certificates that prohibited them from being pressed into Royal Navy service.…

Can you tell me more about my great great grandparents? QI believe my great great grandfather, William Hodgson, was born in St Giles, Middlesex, in 1794 or 1795. He was married to Ann, who may have been born in 1792 in Marylebone. Their son Frederick (my great grandfather) was born in 1832. The 1841 census shows the couple with Frederick aged five. I’m trying to find a marriage for William and Ann and their baptism records, and whether Frederick had any siblings. Jill Holmes ‘Not all parish records have survived, but I have found two probable sisters’ A Not all parish records have survived, but I have found the baptisms of two probable sisters for Frederick. One is Mary Ann Hodgson, born on 17 August 1828 and baptised on 29…

The first Sainsbury’s store was opened by John James Sainsbury and his wife Mary Ann in 1869, on London’s Drury Lane. The business grew quickly, and is now one of Britain’s biggest supermarket chains. The story of Sainsbury’s history is preserved in its archives, so to celebrate its 150th anniversary we spoke to archivist Allison Foster about one of the documents from the collection – a branch bulletin book revealing how the firm kept going during the Second World War. CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE BRANCH BULLETIN BOOK? The book is one of a series of four bound volumes that we have in the archive. These bulletins provided information, updates and reminders to Sainsbury’s branch managers about all matters concerning the operation of their branch. They were sent…

BOOK Tracing Your Merchant Navy Ancestors Simon Wills Pen & Sword, 2012 The author reveals how to find and follow all kinds of Merchant Navy employees. WEBSITES BRITISH SOUTHERN WHALE FISHERY w whalinghistory.org/ bv/crew This index of some 14,000 men who sailed on whaling ships is built from crew lists covering 1775–1859. MORE THAN A LIST OF CREW w mun.ca/mha/mlc/ index.php This part of the Maritime History Archive’s website explains the types of crew list and agreement, and what they mean.…

BOOK When I Was a Child Charles Shaw Dormouse, 2013 This 1903 memoir provides insight into mid-19th century life in the Staffordshire Potteries. MUSEUM POTTERIES MUSEUM & ART GALLERY a Bethesda Street, Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 3DW t 01782 232323 w www.stokemuseums.org.uk/ pmag The museum has a fine collection of Staffordshire ceramics. WEBSITE THE POTTERIES w thepotteries.org This site has maps, company histories, potters’ marks, and the text of When I Was a Child with photos and a commentary.…

From the 1850s to the 1870s Joseph Rogers battled to improve conditions for patients of workhouse infirmaries. As medical officer at the Strand Union Workhouse in Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia, Rogers fought for improvements in the building and its management in the face of opposition from the board of guardians and the tyrannical workhouse master. Rogers had to pay for the medicines that he prescribed out of his annual salary of only £50. A growing campaign to reform the provision of medicine in workhouses, in which Rogers played a leading part, led to the appointment in 1861 of an investigatory Parliamentary Select Committee. Its report, in 1864, recommended just one change – that the cost of cod liver oil, quinine and other expensive medicines should be met by the guardians rather…

BOOK The Workhouse Encyclopedia Peter Higginbotham The History Press, 2014 Peter’s book is an illustrated A-to-Z of every aspect of the workhouse, including using surviving records. MUSEUMS GRESSENHALL FARM AND WORKHOUSE a Gressenhall, Dereham NR20 4DR t 01362 860563 w museums.norfolk.gov.uk/gressenhall-farm-andworkhouse The museum is open daily, but closes for the winter on Sunday 27 October. THE WORKHOUSE a Upton Road, Southwell, Nottinghamshire NG25 0PT t 01636 817260 w nationaltrust.org.uk/ theworkhouse-southwell The National Trust’s restored 1824 workhouse has a newly reopened infirmary block. WORKHOUSE MUSEUM & GARDEN a Sharow View, Allhallowgate, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 1LE t 01765 690799 w riponmuseums.co.uk/ museums/workhouse_museum_gardens There has been a workhouse at this location since 1776, although the current building dates from 1855. WEBSITE THE WORKHOUSE w workhouses.org.uk This free website features a vast collection…

CONSPIRACY EXPOSED The Cato Street Conspiracy to kill the cabinet was foiled this year, thanks to a cunning trap. The nation had been in uproar since the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815, exacerbated by postwar unemployment and exceptionally bad harvests that led to years of poverty and political repression. Then the Peterloo Massacre in 1819 convinced some radicals that the only solution was to remove by force a cruel government that had been elected by only 5 per cent of the population. ‘George Edwards was a government spy who had given the radicals away’ Arthur Thistlewood, a 45-year-old radical, fomented a plan for revolution. Thistlewood, the illegitimate son of a prosperous stock-breeder, who had attended grammar school and trained as a land surveyor, had visited France to make revolutionary connections,…

DIGITISED MAPS w kypwest.org.uk The historic-mapping project Know Your Place – West of England began life covering Bristol, but has added Somerset, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Devon. DIRECTORIES w bit.ly/somerset-directories The University of Leicester’s Special Collections site has various directories for Somerset including Kelly’s Directories and Bath Post Office directories. SOMERSET WILLS w sdnq.org.uk/transcriptions Download an ‘Index of Somerset Estate Duty Office Wills 1812–1857’ from the website of the journal Notes and Queries for Somerset and Dorset. POSTCARDS w www1.somerset.gov. uk/archives/asp/pics. htm Search 1,200 historic postcards, images and views from the collections of Somerset Archives and Local Studies. PARISH REGISTERS w bit.ly/ia-somerset-registers The Internet Archive has volumes from the Somerset Record Society, including wills, probate material and these parish registers.…

WATCH RAILROAD TIES  bit.ly/anc-railroad-ties Free This 24-minute film on Ancestry’s YouTube channel sees six American descendants of African slaves and abolitionists discover more about their forebears’ experiences, and tells the story of the ‘Underground Railroad’ that slaves used to escape captivity. Historical analysis and interpretation are offered by Harvard historian Henry Louis Gates Jr. E-BOOK A LEGACY BOOK: INTERESTING FACTS JOURNAL Kindle (out 1 October) £2.38 Author Noreen N Henry, whose grandparents and great grandparents left few personal records behind, has created a journal that allows the user to document their thoughts and feelings. She hopes that because of this, future generations will be able to read their ancestor’s musings as she has been unable to do. PODCAST THE RESEARCH LIKE A PRO GENEALOGY PODCAST familylocket.com Free This long-running series…

ADVERTISING t 0117 300 8803 e andy.williams@immediate.co.uk EDITORIAL t 0117 300 8621 e wdytyaeditorial@immediate.co.uk Q&A QUERIES e wdytyaquestions@immediate.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS t 03330 162120* e wdytya@buysubscriptions.com WDYTYA ? APP SUPPORT e wdytyadigital@buysubscriptions.com WEBSITE QUERIES e wdytyaeditorial@immediate.co.uk *UK calls will cost the same as other standard fixed-line numbers (starting 01 or 02) and are included as part of any inclusive or free minutes allowances (if offered by your phone tariff). Outside of free call packages call charges from mobile phones will cost between 3p and 55p per minute. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am–6pm and Saturday 9am–1pm. Overseas subscribers call +44 1604 973728.…

Readers of WDYTYA? Magazine have expressed concern after experiencing delays in ordering probate records from the Government. At www.whodoyou thinkyouaremagazine.com/forum, seven readers reported that they had ordered records via the Find a Will service (probatesearch. service.gov.uk/#wills) after the price was cut from £10 to £1.50, but their orders had taken longer than the promised time of 10 working days. One reader reported on 23 August that wills she ordered on 24 July still hadn’t arrived. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said that the delays “started in April”, and the service was working to address the backlog in orders.…

This star-packed weekend is a must for lovers of history CHESTER HISTORY WEEKEND 2019 25–27 October a Chester Town Hall, Chester t 0871 620 4021 w historyextra.com/events/chester-history-weekend-2019 Hosted by our sister title BBC History Magazine, the first Chester History Weekend will include 28 stimulating talks by historians and broadcasters such as Tracy Borman, Dan Jones, Suzannah Lipscomb, Jenni Murray and Michael Wood. Single talks cost £15; day tickets cost £90 (Saturday) and £60 (Sunday). Discounts are available for BBC History Magazine subscribers.…

Rsecords of birth, marriage and death (BMDs) are one of the first things a family historian will look for for an ancestor. As well as identifying the crucial dates and places of your forebear’s birth, marriage and death, the records can unlock other relationships. Birth certificates name both parents if their identities were known, and include the mother’s maiden name; marriage certificates include both spouses’ fathers with their occupations; and deaths may well have been reported by a family member. Civil registration in England and Wales was introduced on 1 July 1837. For the first time, the keeping of BMD records was overseen by the state. The easiest way to order certificates is from the central service at the General Register Office (GRO). However, the GRO certificates are copies of…

By far the area with the most problems with registration services is London, where a number of borough councils now have restrictions on historic certificate orders. “Anecdotally from AGRA members we’ve been hearing that London districts are the problem, because they haven’t got the staff,” Antony Marr said. “They’re so busy dealing with current registration that they don’t want to put any effort or time into historic stuff, and they’re trying to avoid it whenever possible.” Westminster, for instance, does not supply pre-1919 births, pre-1944 marriages and pre-1969 deaths, directing family historians to the GRO instead. A council spokesperson told WDYTYA? Magazine that earlier records are available by special request, but this information isn’t available on the council website. Lambeth only supplies post-1940 births. Tower Hamlets states on its website…

From the 17th to the early 19th century, the Royal Navy – overseen by the Admiralty – was supported in its work, policy and operation by an intricate system of administration overseen by diverse naval governing boards. The Navy Board was the most important of these. It was of lower standing than the Admiralty, but independent from it and its origins can be traced to 1546. Over the course of the 18th century, the Navy Board became increasingly vital to the operational running of the Royal Navy. Its remit ranged from the policy, administration, building and maintenance of naval dockyards – both at home and overseas – to the employment and pay of the extensive workforce who were employed in these yards. The Navy Board also dealt with the most…

Most of us know the nursery rhyme Bobby Shafto’s Gone to Sea, but for Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine reader Robert Shafto it has a particular significance. The rhyme, and an account by a relative detailing a rich, privileged family traced back centuries, whose ancestral seat was Bavington Hall, Northumberland, prompted him to investigate his forebears, and discover a family of hard workers who followed their own calling. Some years ago, Robert visited Bavington Hall and met the owner, also a Shafto. “He had a long family tree, but I wasn’t on it and there didn’t seem to be any link with my branch.” Robert decided to go back to basics. “I knew my grandfather had been a Wesleyan minister, as had his father George, and that the…

Irregular or clandestine marriages included those where the bride and groom didn’t have parental consent, or married outside their home parish – perhaps because she was pregnant. The Fleet Prison was a good location, as it was outside the Church’s jurisdiction. Records of these marriages can be searched on ancestry.co.uk. Hardwicke’s Act, which clamped down on such marriages, came into force in 1754. One way round it was to head up to Gretna Green, just over the Scottish border, to marry, as the Act didn’t apply in Scotland. These marriages are also on Ancestry.…

Can you tell me more information about Fred’s service? Q I’ve found an old photo of my great grandfather, Fred Metcalfe. He volunteered in 1915, and served in the Royal Fusiliers, Yorkshire Regiment. He went to France, and suffered a leg injury. However, I can’t find any records of his service in the war. I’m hoping that this picture may provide more clues. Anna Corry A The photograph clearly shows that Fred served as a driver in the Royal Artillery. Searching the Medal Index Cards (MICs) on The National Archives’ (TNA’s) website at nationalarchives.gov.uk/ help-with-your-research/research-guides/british-armymedal-index-cards-1914-1920 (the easiest to search) reveals only five Royal Artillery drivers named Fred or Frederick Metcalfe. Two have second initials, T and L, and the medal rolls on ancestry.co.uk show these are Frederick Thomas (number L/22885)…

The International Society of Genetic Genealogy (ISOGG) is a non-profit organisation that is free to join and provides the main online resource for those interested in the study of genetic genealogy, isogg.org. An important section of the website is the ISOGG Wiki, which is described as “a free genetic genealogy encyclopedia”. This includes a wide range of articles contributed by experts. If you have a specific question on genetic genealogy or a topic you want to investigate further, this should be your first port of call. Here you will find not only authoritative information, but also many references to articles for further details. These range from user-friendly blog posts, to academic articles by geneticists. There is also a glossary explaining the many technical terms found in this field. Another useful…

People have been making pottery for thousands of years, and in medieval times farmers often turned to pottery in the winter months, producing utensils for their farms and selling the surplus at local markets. However, it wasn’t until the mid-18th century that pottery manufacture began to be industrialised. Pottery-making on an industrial scale emerged in many areas of the country. Bristol, Derby, Liverpool, London and Worcester were all early centres. But by far the greatest concentration was in North Staffordshire, in and around modern-day Stoke-on-Trent. So prevalent was the industry that the region became known as ‘the Potteries’. During the 18th century demand for ceramics of all kinds began to grow and entrepreneurs such as Josiah Wedgwood, Josiah Spode and Thomas Minton recognised a lucrative business opportunity. Stoke-on-Trent had it…

Finding records of ancestors can be a tricky business when you have only a few details to draw on. You can also easily get lost among all those distant branches, resulting in many lines becoming neglected. This is where Ancestry’s hints feature earns its corn. Upload your tree to ancestry. co.uk and its powerful search engines will comb through all of the branches to find potential new facts and records. The step-by-step guide reveals how to use Ancestry hints when accessing the website through your web browser, and includes guidance on the new feedback feature that allows you to improve the quality of the hints feature going forward by providing explanations for why you accepted or rejected specific hints. If you have the Ancestry app installed on your phone or…

1 DATE OF ADMISSION AND NAME These may provide a link to other records, for example the workhouse’s register of admissions and discharges. 2 AGE You can use this information to connect with records of births, marriages and deaths, the census and other genealogical resources. 3 LAST RESIDENCE This location can help you track movements between census years. “Homerton” refers to the union’s main workhouse in Hackney. 4 PRESUMED MALADY This may suggest further lines of enquiry. For example, gonorrhoea might have led to treatment at the London Lock Hospital, a clinic for venereal disease that was founded in 1747. 5 DATE OF DISCHARGE This is a further potential link to other workhouse registers. 6 EVENT Most of the entries are “Dis[charged] himself’’, but some give other information such as…

Millions of 19th-century emigrants were lured by the promise of a new life in New Zealand. Sandra Metcalfe, who lives in Te Awamutu, in the North Island, is a keen family historian who hit a huge brick wall with her British paternal great grandfather, William Williams, who seemed to appear from nowhere. Inspired by success stories in WDYTYA? Magazine, Sandra decided to have her DNA tested. This linked her to a previously unknown cousin in the UK who would eventually help her to resolve the mystery of William’s identity. It was a tricky process, however, because he had hidden a secret for many years. MY BRICK WALL My paternal grandmother Harriett Gillgren used to tell me intriguing stories of her father William Williams, who drove logging and gold trains on…

Grandson of Queen Victoria and eldest son of the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII), Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, was second in line to the throne before the Russian flu claimed him on 14 January 1892. The 28-year-old was on the cusp of marriage to Princess Mary of Teck (later married to his brother, George V) and appointment as Viceroy of India, the jewel in Victoria’s imperial crown. Albert Victor’s death inflamed rumours about his private life. During a police raid on a gay brothel in London, a number of prominent gentlemen – including an equerry (an officer in charge of the stables) to the Prince of Wales – had been named as clients. Homosexuality was illegal, and over dining tables it was whispered that Albert Victor…

Somerset borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east and Devon to the south-west. The landscape includes low-lying Sedgemoor and the Somerset Levels, the Mendip Hills, Exmoor, the county town of Taunton and historic Bath. The situation for researchers has completely altered since our last visit in 2014. The Somerset Heritage Service, which looks after the main county, local history and museum collections from its headquarters in Taunton, has now joined forces with Devon Archives and Local Studies to form the South West Heritage Trust. The practical upshot is that as a charitable trust, it can now obtain funding from sources that are not open to local authorities. Alongside new datasets and finding aids for the archive websites (see the Directory), the biggest…

Tell me more about the book. In Imperial Intimacies: A Tale of Two Islands I take the reader on a journey from London in the 1950s to Jamaica in the 18th century. My Welsh mother met my Jamaican father during the Second World War, and I recreate the lives of ancestors on both sides of the family: those who laboured as laundresses, railway workers and stonemasons in the cities of Bath, Bristol and Cardiff; those who worked as clerks, ice-truck drivers and seamstresses in Kingston, Jamaica; those who grew bananas on small plots of land after emancipation; and those who planted and harvested coffee as enslaved labour on sides of the Blue Mountains. I tell the story of a great grandmother who died in a Bristol workhouse; describe how free…

IRISH CIVIL RECORDS We found Julia’s death record on the website www.irish genealogy.ie, an excellent resource for anyone with Irish kin that has a great many civil records of births, marriages and deaths you can download for free. We learned that she died shortly after her husband, and days after their baby son: bit. ly/powers-deaths. MERCHANT NAVY RECORDS We looked into James Power’s time with the Merchant Navy. A big collection of Merchant Navy records are available on findmypast. co.uk including over a million index cards from 1918 to 1941. Some of the cards include photographs. James’ card, included brief details of his appearance and his signature: bit.ly/ fmp-navy-power. MEDAL INDEX Service records don’t survive for every soldier who fought in the First World War, but MICs are a useful…