Jenny Joyce

Have you ever wondered how a child, whose parents were married on 10 April 1603, could be baptized on 13 March 1603 and yet that child was born after his parents married? Or how someone who died 11 January 1740 had made a will on 28 December 1740? Understanding the complexities and quirks of the Julian and Gregorian Calendars will shed light on these things, and more. This talk will also delve into such things as Regnal Years, Dating by Saints Days, Quaker Dates, The Hebrew Calendar and French Republican Calendar. While researching your family history you might come across any of these forms of dates, and having watched this presentation you will be able to understand them and perhaps clear up a family mystery like the examples above.

Do you know the difference between a Peculiar Baptist and an Anabaptist? What types of records the Quakers kept? What the Puritans believed? Understanding the background to and the beliefs of the multitude of non-conformist churches can give us an insight into our ancestors' lives. Learning what records the various groups kept can give us a new lead for our research, or prevent us looking for records that never existed in the first place. This talk will not only tackle those questions, but also give a history of many of the non-conformist churches that existed in England and Wales.