Registration is now open for our 2025 series. Click here to register.

Registration is now open for our 2025 series. Click here to register.

By
By
Upcoming Webinars
Places and Ethnicities England

Researching Your Norfolk Ancestors

Nicholas Dixon
Free

Situated on the east coast of England, Norfolk is its fifth largest county and contains over 700 ancient parishes. Historically, it was a largely agricultural region, with some manufacturing in the county town of Norwich and significant seaports at King’s Lynn and Great Yarmouth. The resources available for tracing ancestors who lived in Norfolk are vast and varied. While many of the most useful records (such as parish registers) are available online, there remains a wealth of material that can only be accessed at the archives in Norwich and King’s Lynn. In this webinar, the lives of Norfolk ancestors will be placed in context and the sources of use to genealogists will be explained. The session will cover probate records, borough records, quarter sessions records, estate papers, maritime records, newspapers and other relevant resources. Some difficulties that can be encountered when investigating Norfolk ancestors will also be discussed, as well as methods of overcoming such challenges. Additionally, the printed and online publications of relevance to Norfolk research will be considered in detail.

Fri, November 14 2025: 19:00 UTC
Register for free

About the speaker

About the speaker

Nicholas Dixon
Dr. Nicholas Dixon is a professional genealogist and historical researcher in London, UK. He studied history at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and was awarded a PhD degree in 2019 for a thesis concerning the Church of England in the ear
Learn more...

Related Webinars

Places and Ethnicities
Researching in Yorkshire
Jude Rhodes
Fri, January 10 2025: 19:00 UTC
Register for free
Researching in Yorkshire
Fri, January 10 2025: 19:00 UTC
Yorkshire is the largest county in England and was historically divided into three Ridings: West, North and East. Today there are four sub-counties in Yorkshire. The webinar will explain the complexities of parish jurisdictions and county boundary changes to assist in locating the relevant archives, and societies, for researching records and documents. The varied landscape will be explored to provide a background to the main industries which influenced migration in and around Yorkshire.
Places and Ethnicities
Researching in Yorkshire
Jude Rhodes
Yorkshire is the largest county in England and was historically divided into three Ridings: West, North and East. Today there are four sub-counties in Yorkshire. The webinar will explain the complexities of parish jurisdictions and county boundary changes to assist in locating the relevant archives, and societies, for researching records and documents. The varied landscape will be explored to provide a background to the main industries which influenced migration in and around Yorkshire.
Fri, January 10 2025: 19:00 UTC
Register for free
Places and Ethnicities
Researching Your Hampshire Ancestors
Gill Thomas
Fri, March 14 2025: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
Researching Your Hampshire Ancestors
Fri, March 14 2025: 18:00 UTC
The county of Hampshire covers over 1 million acres, bordered to the south by the English Channel and includes the Isle of Wight. As one might expect the ancestral roots of the county are widely represented by agricultural workers, but it also has a strong maritime history. This includes not only coastguards, fishermen, and latterly Merchant Navy seafarers, but also the Royal Navy with its Portsmouth dockyard, now home to Nelsons's flagship HMS Victory. Join Gill for a user's guide to online and offline resources, including local archive collections, a guide to boundary changes, and where to search for missing ancestors. Our aim is research enlightenment.
Places and Ethnicities
Researching Your Hampshire Ancestors
Gill Thomas
The county of Hampshire covers over 1 million acres, bordered to the south by the English Channel and includes the Isle of Wight. As one might expect the ancestral roots of the county are widely represented by agricultural workers, but it also has a strong maritime history. This includes not only coastguards, fishermen, and latterly Merchant Navy seafarers, but also the Royal Navy with its Portsmouth dockyard, now home to Nelsons's flagship HMS Victory. Join Gill for a user's guide to online and offline resources, including local archive collections, a guide to boundary changes, and where to search for missing ancestors. Our aim is research enlightenment.
Fri, March 14 2025: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
Places and Ethnicities
Understanding and Benefitting from Process Changes to England’s Civil Registration for B/M/D Certificates
Paul Milner, FUGA, MDiv
Fri, April 4 2025: 2:00 UTC
Register for free
Understanding and Benefitting from Process Changes to England’s Civil Registration for B/M/D Certificates
Fri, April 4 2025: 2:00 UTC
Understand original steps in getting from event - birth, marriage or death to an index; how online services impact searches; how to obtain inexpensive certificates. Access procedures and costs for obtaining birth, marriage and death certificates in England and Wales has changed radically in the last few years. Positively, the reduced costs make it such there is no excuse for not getting all birth and death certificates. Negatively, people are losing sight of what they are actually searching to get the certificate. - Learn the original process of getting from an event to a listing within an index (local or national). - Learn what rules and laws changed the above processes over time. - Understand differences between original and new indexes. - See the impact of which versions of the indexes are being searched by the different online services. - Learn how to purchase, and quickly obtain birth and death certificates. - See the different versions of the certificates that can be currently purchased. - Learn alternatives for obtaining cheaper marriage records.
Places and Ethnicities
Understanding and Benefitting from Process Changes to England’s Civil Registration for B/M/D Certificates
Paul Milner, FUGA, MDiv
Understand original steps in getting from event - birth, marriage or death to an index; how online services impact searches; how to obtain inexpensive certificates. Access procedures and costs for obtaining birth, marriage and death certificates in England and Wales has changed radically in the last few years. Positively, the reduced costs make it such there is no excuse for not getting all birth and death certificates. Negatively, people are losing sight of what they are actually searching to get the certificate. - Learn the original process of getting from an event to a listing within an index (local or national). - Learn what rules and laws changed the above processes over time. - Understand differences between original and new indexes. - See the impact of which versions of the indexes are being searched by the different online services. - Learn how to purchase, and quickly obtain birth and death certificates. - See the different versions of the certificates that can be currently purchased. - Learn alternatives for obtaining cheaper marriage records.
Fri, April 4 2025: 2:00 UTC
Register for free
Places and Ethnicities
Researching your Essex and East London Ancestors
Kelly Cornwell
Fri, May 9 2025: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
Researching your Essex and East London Ancestors
Fri, May 9 2025: 18:00 UTC
Discover how and where to locate records relating to your Essex and East London Ancestors. Learn about the changes of jurisdictions, and the various depositories that hold the keys to researching your family history. Once one of the seven Kingdoms, Essex and its neighboring East End towns/boroughs are steeped in history - from Tudors hunting in Epping Forest, to the Windrush arriving in the port of Tilbury. Find out how the landscape, particularly the Thames Estuary, played its part in shaping the county and its people. From probate courts to manors, schools to newspapers, a vast array of sources will be covered.
Places and Ethnicities
Researching your Essex and East London Ancestors
Kelly Cornwell
Discover how and where to locate records relating to your Essex and East London Ancestors. Learn about the changes of jurisdictions, and the various depositories that hold the keys to researching your family history. Once one of the seven Kingdoms, Essex and its neighboring East End towns/boroughs are steeped in history - from Tudors hunting in Epping Forest, to the Windrush arriving in the port of Tilbury. Find out how the landscape, particularly the Thames Estuary, played its part in shaping the county and its people. From probate courts to manors, schools to newspapers, a vast array of sources will be covered.
Fri, May 9 2025: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
Down Under SeriesPlaces and EthnicitiesHistorical Records
Hidden in the Newsprint: UK Edition
Mia Bennett
Wed, June 4 2025: 9:00 UTC
Register for free
Hidden in the Newsprint: UK Edition
Wed, June 4 2025: 9:00 UTC
An insight into the wealth of information that is available within newspapers including the British Newspaper Archive and The Gazette as well as hints and tips for getting more out of searching and finding useful articles within the newspapers.
Down Under SeriesPlaces and EthnicitiesHistorical Records
Hidden in the Newsprint: UK Edition
Mia Bennett
An insight into the wealth of information that is available within newspapers including the British Newspaper Archive and The Gazette as well as hints and tips for getting more out of searching and finding useful articles within the newspapers.
Wed, June 4 2025: 9:00 UTC
Register for free
Places and Ethnicities
Researching your Ancestors in Surrey
Sarah Pettyfer, QG
Fri, July 11 2025: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
Researching your Ancestors in Surrey
Fri, July 11 2025: 18:00 UTC
Often viewed as a rural retreat for London residents, Surrey presents unique challenges for genealogical research due to its shifting boundaries over the 19th and 20th centuries. This talk will help you build a solid foundation for exploring your Surrey roots with confidence, guiding you through the complexities of tracing your Surrey ancestry, offering strategies to streamline your research journey. Learn about the essential archives and genealogical sources available, both online and in-person, and gain insights into where to find support from local Family History Societies.
Places and Ethnicities
Researching your Ancestors in Surrey
Sarah Pettyfer, QG
Often viewed as a rural retreat for London residents, Surrey presents unique challenges for genealogical research due to its shifting boundaries over the 19th and 20th centuries. This talk will help you build a solid foundation for exploring your Surrey roots with confidence, guiding you through the complexities of tracing your Surrey ancestry, offering strategies to streamline your research journey. Learn about the essential archives and genealogical sources available, both online and in-person, and gain insights into where to find support from local Family History Societies.
Fri, July 11 2025: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
Down Under SeriesPlaces and Ethnicities
Ancestors on the Margins: tracing misfortunate ancestors in Britain
Janet Few
Wed, September 3 2025: 9:00 UTC
Register for free
Ancestors on the Margins: tracing misfortunate ancestors in Britain
Wed, September 3 2025: 9:00 UTC
This presentation focusses on helping family historians with British ancestry to research those whose conditions or behaviours may have led them to become marginalised, or discriminated against. Their circumstances were often the result of personal misfortune, exacerbated by society’s intolerance and they are often the ancestors who are not given due attention when we research, perhaps because their life experiences make us feel uncomfortable. Now is the time to focus on the Illegitimate, the poverty stricken, the sick and the lawbreakers and restore them to prominence in the family’s story. The presentation will also consider the ethical issues that arise when telling the stories of the marginalised.
Down Under SeriesPlaces and Ethnicities
Ancestors on the Margins: tracing misfortunate ancestors in Britain
Janet Few
This presentation focusses on helping family historians with British ancestry to research those whose conditions or behaviours may have led them to become marginalised, or discriminated against. Their circumstances were often the result of personal misfortune, exacerbated by society’s intolerance and they are often the ancestors who are not given due attention when we research, perhaps because their life experiences make us feel uncomfortable. Now is the time to focus on the Illegitimate, the poverty stricken, the sick and the lawbreakers and restore them to prominence in the family’s story. The presentation will also consider the ethical issues that arise when telling the stories of the marginalised.
Wed, September 3 2025: 9:00 UTC
Register for free
Places and Ethnicities
Researching in Gloucestershire
Mia Bennett
Fri, September 12 2025: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
Researching in Gloucestershire
Fri, September 12 2025: 18:00 UTC
Learn all about the key resources available for researching ancestors in Gloucestershire. Discover the key archives covering this county and how to use their catalogues and other resources. Find out where records for this county can be found online both within the main commercial websites and county specialist sites. Learn about key historical events that may impact your research in Gloucestershire. Investigate where else you can get help for researching here such as the Family History Society. At the end of this talk, you will be set up for starting your research on your Gloucestershire ancestors. Note that the talk assumes you have already watched ‘Introduction to County Research in England’.
Places and Ethnicities
Researching in Gloucestershire
Mia Bennett
Learn all about the key resources available for researching ancestors in Gloucestershire. Discover the key archives covering this county and how to use their catalogues and other resources. Find out where records for this county can be found online both within the main commercial websites and county specialist sites. Learn about key historical events that may impact your research in Gloucestershire. Investigate where else you can get help for researching here such as the Family History Society. At the end of this talk, you will be set up for starting your research on your Gloucestershire ancestors. Note that the talk assumes you have already watched ‘Introduction to County Research in England’.
Fri, September 12 2025: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
Places and Ethnicities
Early British and Irish Census Project
Amy Harris, PhD, AG®
Wed, October 22 2025: 18:00 UTC
Register for free
Early British and Irish Census Project
Wed, October 22 2025: 18:00 UTC
Most British and Irish pre-1841 census records have only statistical information. However, approximately 1400 returns have named individuals. The Early British and Irish Census Project (EBIC) brings all the information from those returns into one searchable, free-to-the-public database (ebc.byu.edu, will soon be ebic.byu.edu). The database covers the period before civil registration and the more comprehensive censuses. It helps researchers find early nineteenth-century and late eighteenth-century people who can be difficult to trace due to increased mobility and increased religious nonconformity.
Places and Ethnicities
Early British and Irish Census Project
Amy Harris, PhD, AG®
Most British and Irish pre-1841 census records have only statistical information. However, approximately 1400 returns have named individuals. The Early British and Irish Census Project (EBIC) brings all the information from those returns into one searchable, free-to-the-public database (ebc.byu.edu, will soon be ebic.byu.edu). The database covers the period before civil registration and the more comprehensive censuses. It helps researchers find early nineteenth-century and late eighteenth-century people who can be difficult to trace due to increased mobility and increased religious nonconformity.
Wed, October 22 2025: 18:00 UTC
Register for free