By Anne Sherman As discussed in my census returns blog, the 1911 census in England and Wales differs from previous census returns, in that we see the actual household schedule completed by our ancestors, rather than the enumerators’ books. This has led to some very interesting finds which, under previous circumstances, the enumerator would not…
By Anne Sherman The Census Population Act of 1800 established a national census for England, Scotland and Wales every ten years starting in 1801. This census was only a count of accommodation, people and occupations. The 1841 census was a complete change and asked for more detailed information rather than just numbers. Each district was…
By Anne Sherman This was introduced by the Government following the Reform Act of 1832 and became law in 1836, with the first register starting on 1st July 1837. This established the Local Registrars Offices, and the General Records Office (GRO). The original records are kept by the Local Registrar, and copies are sent to…
By Anne Sherman Most people will know King Henry VIII had six wives, and some will know that in order to have his marriage to his first wife Catherine of Aragon annulled, so he could marry Anne Boleyn, he took the drastic step of splitting from the Catholic Church and became the Head of the…
There are many records the UK researcher can use. Some of these differ depending on which country you are looking at, as some Scottish and Irish records hold different information to each other and English & Welsh records. Wales was a protectorate of England and therefore their records are generally the same as the English…
By Anne Sherman “Remember Remember The 5th of November Gunpowder, Treason and Plot I see no reason Why Gunpowder and Treason Should ever be forgot.” This is a rhyme that was commonly known amongst my peers when I was a child and dates back several centuries. Most commonly known as Bonfire Night, Guy Fawkes…
By Anne Sherman In my experience people are either not aware of the uses of the Electoral Registers or confuse them with Trade Directories, even though the two are very different resources. Trade Directories are similar to our modern day Yellow pages, listing the businesses of the day, whereas as Electoral Registers, pre-date Trade Directories…
Can family history research be free? When I first started to research my family history over 30 years ago, I was told it was a very expensive hobby as you had to purchase many birth, marriage and death certificates and you MUST go to London to do it properly. Well I did not do…