British and Irish Given Names – Part 2

Have you noticed that the given names of our eighteenth and nineteenth century English, Scottish, Irish and Welsh ancestors were drawn from a surprisingly small pool? But how small a pool? How common were our ancestors’ given names? More importantly, how rare were the less common names? Lists of the most common 10, 20, 50 or 100 names are surprisingly unhelpful unless they include frequency statistics. For example, Jeremiah, was ranked 26th in England in the 1800s but the most useful information is its frequency; it was carried by only one man in 500. Most villages had fewer than 500 males at that time. This webinar focuses on given name popularities, changes in popularity, and the reasons for such changes. It also covers spelling variants, abbreviations, and diminutives. For example, if you don’t know that Polly was a diminutive of Mary or that Nellie was a diminutive of Ellen and Eleanor and Helen, you might struggle to find entries for your ancestors. Our ancestors’ given names and surnames are the gateways into our family history research. Learning more about their names may prove useful in determining their ancestry or finding other family connections.

This seminar begins by discussing the big picture question of the British criminal justice system, including the contemporary attitudes to criminals and the policy of transporting them abroad. It then covers the types of records that deal with the crimes and punishments of British criminals.

Do you have ancestors from Buckinghamshire? If so, then this talk is for you. Join Richard Holt for a whistle-stop tour of the key resources available for research in this county. Our journey of discovery will cover the main archive and how to use their catalogue; along with some smaller archives as well. Find out about a number of online resources that will help you track down your ancestors and learn about their lives. Discover how jurisdictional boundaries might impact your research and how to discover the necessary information. Learn about the many societies, including family history societies, which you can turn to for more information and advice. At the end of our journey you will be equipped with the resources that will enable you to have greater success in your research.

Prior to the 20th century, the vast majority of Irish people lived in rural areas, leasing land and property from the landowners who owned large estates, some of which were thousands of acres in size. These estates, often managed by land agents, generated large amounts of records, a number of which are particularly useful for expanding the knowledge of your ancestors. If you have exhausted the civil registration and church records, these records could be very useful in providing further information about earlier generations who lived on an estate and where exactly they lived through records such as rentals, leases and estate maps. Other valuable documents within estate records include military muster rolls, correspondence, land agent notebooks, wage books, account books and emigration records, all of which have the potential to provide information about your ancestors. Following the Great Famine, many landlords fell into financial difficulty and the government established the Encumbered Estates Court which allowed for the sale of their estates. The records generated include information about tenants and their leases that often contain really valuable information to expand your family tree.

Our ancestors were people, just like us. They were born, they lived, they died, they laughed, they cried, and they fell in love – or should that be luff…? Join people-finding wizard and genealogist Kirsty Gray on a journey through her one place study about the small Devon parishes of Luffincott and Tetcott; learn about the history of these villages, their inhabitants and their challenges, as Kirsty talks you through the trials and triumphs of conducting a one place study. This exploration of the past of a remote and rural part of Devon is sure to providing a fascinating window into the past and be a great example of the benefits conducting a one place study can bring.

Birmingham was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution and the world’s first manufacturing town. This talk will equip you to start your research on your Birmingham ancestors. Learn about the challenges of researching in Birmingham and discover the key archives and sources for genealogical records. Find out how key themes in the city’s history, such as migration, strong Roman Catholic and non-conformist traditions, and the rise of manufacturing, are reflected in genealogical records. Sources covered include legal and ecclesiastical archives, local government, business, institutions, societies and schools. Investigate where else you can get help for researching here such as the Family History Society. Note that the talk assumes you have already watched ‘Introduction to County Research in England’.

Learn about apprenticeship, freeman and guild records and how they controlled your ancestor’s trade. Identify sources to put your ancestor into a true occupational context.

Discover the key resources available for researching Cornish ancestry. Learn about the different archives in Cornwall, what they hold and how to access their collections. Find out which Cornish records are available online and where to find them. Hear about the finding aids and local groups that can help with your research, and get a better understanding of how key features of Cornish history like Methodism, mining and migration shaped Cornish family histories. Whether you are researching from afar or planning to visit Cornwall, this talk will help you with starting to research your Cornish ancestors. Please note that the talk assumes you have already watched ‘Introduction to County Research in England’.

Kent, known as the Garden of England, has a wealth of genealogical records but locating those records can take some investigation, with records divided between at least three archives. Then, some parishes that were formally in Kent were absorbed into Greater London, adding another four archives into the mix. Genealogical research can be done knowing when and where the records can be accessed.