This book surprised me. It is a superbly written story of the emotions experienced during the research journey which we will find easy to relate to. This is a book that gives you hope. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.11 no.5, 2004
Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700
, Eighth Edition† by Frederick Lewis Weiss edited with Additions and Corrections by William R. Beall and Kaleen E. Beall. Published by Genealogical Publishing Company, 1001 N. Calvert St., Baltimore MD 21202. 2004. xxi, 359 pp. Indexed. Hardcover. $35 plus $4 p. & h.This work began in 1950 by Frederick Lewis Weiss was updated after his death by Walter Lee Sheppard Jr., and the baton was passed successfully to William and Kaleen Beall. The editors have worked to update the research, using published sources. Readers are reminded that this is not an original source but rather a pointer to other published research which should be examined along with their cited sources. The book shows 275 line numbers, but there are through closely allied lines 398 lines from pre 1700 emigrants. Here 91 lines have extensive revisions, most of the others have some minor revisions, 60 new lines of ascent have been added (mainly continental European) and a few lines have been eliminated. The editors have not attempted to add significantly to the number of immigrant lines as these can be found in recent published journals. Some of these lines will connect with these lines.
The lines collected here give connections to noted historical figures such as Alfred the Great, Charlemagne, Malcolm of Scotland, and Robert the Strong. Descents in this volume come through Saxon and English monarchs, Gallic monarchs, early kings of Scotland and Ireland, Norman and French barons, the Riparian branch of the Merovingian House, and the Merovingian kings of France. The book takes a little bit of getting used to with the links between the different lines but a new every-name index helps in finding connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.11 no.5, 2004
Ships from Scotland to America 1628-1828, Volume III
† by David Dobson. Published by Genealogical Publishing Company, 1001 N. Calvert St., Baltimore MD 21202. 2004. vi, 112 pp. Indexed. Softcover. $35 plus $18.50 p. & h.Many researchers hope to find the name of the ship on which their ancestors crossed the Atlantic. This book provides details on more ships, adding to the names mentioned in the two earlier volumes. Research was carried out in the Archives of the Hudson Bay Company in Winnipeg, the National Archives of Scotland in Edinburgh and the Public Record Office (now The National Archives) in London, plus many newspapers and publications. The listing is in alphabetical order by the name of the ship. The details often provide the port from which they left Scotland, or North America for Scotland, whether they carried passengers or goods, the name of the master (often changing with the voyage) and the dates of the voyages. All entries have source citations. There is a supplementary index to the year of travel. Unfortunately, there is no index to the people mentioned within the text which is a serious shortcoming to the book.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.11 no.5, 2004
The New Reading the Landscape: Fieldwork in Landscape History
† by Richard Muir. Published by University of Exeter Press, Reed Hall, Streatham Drive, Exeter EX4 4QR, UK. 2000. xv, 256 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. $35.This book is a complete rewrite and a more advanced version of the 1981 classic edition of Reading the Landscape. The material is arranged thematically over nine chapters examining: woodlands, forests and parks; landscapes and colonization; lines in the landscape; routeways; status, authority and the landscape; landscapes and beliefs; villages, hamlets and farmsteads; reading the landscape; and defense in the landscape. The book is designed to allow non-professionals to recognize and interpret the landscape using archaeology, ecology and documents. Each chapter follows the topic chronologically exploring the evidence that is likely to be seen, from pre-historic to modern times, and showing how to interpret appropriately, with warnings about alternatives. Each chapter offers advice on how to research and ends with bibliographic references for further reading.
The book has superb black-and-white illustrations and good maps to illustrate the features. The examples are from all over England meaning that there will be something here that will apply to your ancestor’s home area. The breadth of the material covered will give Americans a good general introduction to the theory and practice of landscape history as it applies to England. This means that when you visit England, or as you gather maps and pictures of an area you will have a sense of what you are looking at. Pictures will never replace an onsite inspection so prepare for that visit.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.11 no.5, 2004
Irish in Wisconsin
† by David G. Homes. Published by Wisconsin Historical Society Press, 816 State Street, Madison, WI 53706. 2004. 92 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $9.95This slim book is divided into two sections. The first 55 pages provide a brief overview of Irish migration, focusing primarily on the famine and post-famine migrants. It addresses life in Ireland, the famine, the journey, the assimilation process, the question of why to Wisconsin, how people earned their livings, rural and political life, the Civil War, religion and culture. It also looks at the resurgence in people being willing to identify and own their Irish heritage.
The second section transcribes 15 letters written between 1877 and 1908 by members of the Cogin family reflecting the typical Irish experience in Wisconsin. The writers are all children of Richard Cogin (b.1830) and Anna Cooke Cogin (b.1832) who migrated and settled in Waushara County. These letters are in the Manuscript Collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society and hint at the wealth of original material that can be found there relating to the Irish (and other ethnic groups).
The first section provides a good overview, especially relating to where in Wisconsin the Irish were settling, where they were from, and where they moved to when they left. The second makes the stories more personal using one family to illustrate what life was like and what were the concerns of the family. This is an easy to read introduction to the topic. One weakness of the book is the index which mixes topics and the names of the major families, but it is not an every-name index.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.1, 2005
James I: The Masque of Monarchy
† by James Travers. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU, England. 2003. 118 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £14.99.This book is from the series, English Monarchs: Treasures from The National Archives. The format provides the reader with samples of important documents, usually from TNA collection, reproduced in full color with explanatory notes and a modern transcription. All the documents are integral to the text itself. Other paintings, woodcuts and art work illustrate the text making this a very beautiful book to read.
His title James VI of Scotland and I of England reminds us that James was first a king of Scotland and then of Britain. This book focuses on his reign in England, reflecting the experience he brought with him from Scotland. James himself has a reputation that has obscured his real identity, attracting both flattery and gossip, often focusing on his personal life style rather than on his competence as a king. The text and illustrations put James into events that we know of but may not understand. We therefore learn about his: ascendancy to the throne; role in the creation of the King James Bible and Witchcraft; opposition resulting in many treasons against him the most famous of which is The Gunpowder Plot remembered each November with Guy Fawkes Night; involvement in the justice system; hatred of tobacco, relationship with money and thus giving us a look at early connections with Virginia and Pocahontas in England’s court; involvement as a peacemaker in Britain and Europe.
The book is a good easy read putting this important monarch into his historical context. It has relevance for us because of how many readers have early colonial ancestors, or immigrants from Northern Ireland settled under James I, or have managed to get British connections into the early 17th century.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.1, 2005
CD-ROM REVIEW
National Burial Index for England and Wales
The second edition expands the index from 5.4 to 13 million entries, and includes all the entries from the first edition. Extractions are from English and Welsh parish, nonconformist, Roman Catholic and cemetery registers, but exclude monumental inscriptions. The burials are divided by time period: disc one 1538-1760; disc two 1761-1825; disc three 1826-1860; disc four 1861-2003.
The search screen allows searching on surname and forename, with choices or exact spelling only or all spelling variants, with the option to show the list of variants included. This latter feature is helpful to show what you may need to be looking for in the christening and marriage registers. You can also limit a search to a specific year or range of years around a particular year. You can further limit a search to a particular denomination. Wildcards are available. There is also an option to show all unique surnames. Upon finding the burials you are searching for you can tag all the results, or individual entries and print them or export them in Gedcom v5.5, dBase III/IV or HTML formats. The search results can be displayed on a map, with one dot representing each result. The data relating to that dot is displayed beside the map. You can select a dot on the map, or move through the data fields having the selected map dot highlighted.
The results are displayed as a spreadsheet with: burial date, forename, surname, age (if given in original records), county, place / details (usually name of town and name of church). The displaying of results is limited to 500 entries and if more are located you are encouraged to modify the search parameters.
Researchers can also print a report by county, which shows the places that have been extracted and the dates covered. This is valuable so that the gaps in coverage are known. The coverage by county varies greatly, with the West Riding of Yorkshire having the most 1.7 million entries, some counties have none. To find the totals for a specific county see <www.ffhs.org.uk/General/Projects/NBIcounties.htm>.
The NBI Viewer program requires a PC with a Pentium processor or higher, running Windows 95 or above. The suggested minimum specifications are 16M RAM, with 50MB of free disk space.
If you already have version 1 of the NBI you can upgrade for £25, but you must return Disc 1 (containing the installation program) of the original two CD set, together with the instruction leaflet from the front of the plastic case. This additional step was created because illegal copies of the First Edition are known to have been sold over the Internet. If you have version 1, it should be uninstalled before installing version 2. This was a simple process that ran smoothly. The program requires disk 1 every-time the program is started, even if every thing is installed on the hard drive. After starting you can switch to any other disk.
This growing database is a research tool that meets a growing need to find the death / burial dates of our ancestors. All English researchers should have access to it and it is certainly worth upgrading from version 1. As with all indexes the original records need to be examined as they will often contain more information.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.1, 2005
DNA and Family History: How Genetic Testing Can Advance Your Genealogical Research
† by Chris Pomery. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. 2004. 168 pp. Index. Softcover. £12.99I began this book from the perspective of having limited knowledge or understanding about the subject. I wanted to see if this book would help me appreciate the excitement within the genealogical community about DNA testing. It did. The author, Chris Pomery, has lot of practical application experience as the organizer of a large DNA study, plus he maintains a large Web site that expands upon the material in the book. The book is divided into three sections. The first, “New Science, New History,” begins by explaining the ancestral message within your DNA. Non-technical readers should be warned that this is probably the toughest chapter to fully understand. It is well worth reading again after finishing the book. The rest of the section explains how DNA studies are changing our understanding of ancient (25,000 to 150,000 years ago) migration studies, and the derivation of surnames. The second section addresses how genetics help genealogists. You learn how to read your own Y-chromosome (after you have been tested, of course), how and where to compare to the results of others, and to appreciate the limited value of the mitochondrial DNA or autosomal DNA testing which are being promoted by some of the testing services. The value of the DNA tests only become apparent when it is part of a larger study, whether it is a single ancestor, a surname, a clan, or caste study. Case studies are provided. The final section is a DNA test-organizers handbook providing the reader with: a testing checklist; guidelines on how to select a DNA testing company; how to launch your own study; plus how to analyze, present, and publish the results of your study to your group. The final chapter examines the trends that will become more prominent over the next few years as more projects develop and the results are published. The book concludes with a valuable glossary of terms, bibliography, and structure of the author’s Web site where you will find a lot more details and illustrations. Throughout the book we learn about other ongoing studies, some of which will interest BIGWILL members: Wells is currently the largest genealogical surname study, and there is a study for O’Shea. This book, written in England, is geared to an international audience, as many of the testing companies are American. The book creates excitement about the possibilities of ongoing DNA studies, it educates so you understand the principles without being overwhelmed with the technical details, and it points you in the right direction to learn more.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.2, 2005
The Women’s Century: A Celebration of Changing Roles 1900-2000
† by Mary Turner. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. 2003. 180 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £19.99.This is an excellent, easy-to-read guide to the lives of women in England during the twentieth century. The book begins by setting the scene, examining the place of women at the end of the Victorian era. Then for each decade it examines the issues for the women of the decade. It examines the stereotypes for the period, such as the flappers of the 1920s and the feminists of the 1970s, showing when and where there were accurate or biased images. It shows how the role of women changed throughout the century, addressing issues such as the right to vote, birth control, equal pay, equal opportunity, and changing roles in the home and in the workplace. We see how the World Wars gave many women newly found freedoms, only to have the men in their lives and the government try to return things to the way they were before. Within the text there are fascinating sidebars highlighting the life and achievements of individual women from each decade. Having lived for half of the century I found myself saying, “I remember that.” I found myself thinking about the life of my mother who was a child evacuee during the war, who competed in beauty pageants in the ’50s (the book highlights later reactions against the pageants), and who was a stay-at-home mother until the children were in school before taking a part-time job to provide additional income. As for my grandmother, I can’t even picture her as a 1920s flapper, and she probably wasn’t growing up in a coal mining community. For my great-grandmother the image created of domestic service is certainly not appealing to my modern eyes. The book will remind you of how your life and those of your recent female ancestors have changed, and it will put them into context. This is a good read, with a useful bibliography for those wanting more information.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.2, 2005
Writing Your Family History: A Practical Guide
† by Deborah Cass. Published by Crowood Press, Wiltshire, UK. US Distributor is Trafalgar Square Publishing, P.O. Box 257, Howe Hill Road, North Pomfret, VT 05053. 2004. 121 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $19.95.This is a book of practical ideas about how to work with small pieces of data about an ancestor and turn it into a story. The book assumes that the reader has already done some research. The early chapters give an overview of the typical English genealogical records used, and highlights the data they contain that can be used in a story. It then moves into the local history, social history, reference materials, archives, and newspapers – along the way suggesting the questions that might be asked and answered to create and embellish a story. There is also a discussion of family sources such as oral interviews, photographs, postcards, correspondence, hobbies, etc. Over half the book focuses on how to take the bare details and turn them into a story of interest to others, whether that is a complete history or a short biography of an individual within the context of the overall history. There are lots of examples and illustrations. The final chapter addresses the mechanics of the process of writing and publishing. For those wanting to write about their British ancestors, this is a good idea book that is an easy and beneficial read.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.2, 2005
Ships from Ireland to Early America 1623-1850, Volume II
by David Dobson. Published by Clearfield Publishing Co., 200 E. Eager Street, Baltimore MD 21202. 2004. 145 pp. Softcover. $18.50 plus $4 p&h.This is the second volume listing ships that sailed from Ireland to North America that may have carried passengers, indentured servants or redemptioners. The list is created primarily from contemporary sources, especially newspapers on both sides of the Atlantic, plus some government records and a few published works. The list provides: name of ship, type of vessel, name of the captain, details of ports of embarkation and arrival, date, passengers (number, if known) and reference.
The introduction states that if the ancestor is known to be in a particular port at a particular time then the names of ships arriving at that time can be identified. Thus a port of embarkation for that ship may provide a clue to the point of origin in Ireland for the individual. Unfortunately the book provides no means of identifying which ship arrives when and where other than reading every entry, which is not practical. Cross-reference indexes could have increased the practical value of this book.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.3, 2005
Scots-Irish Links 1575-1725, Part Four
by David Dobson. Published by Clearfield Publishing Co., 200 E. Eager Street, Baltimore MD 21202. 2004. 108 pp. Softcover. $12.50 plus $4 p&h.This is the fourth collection of names and details of Lowland Scots who settled in Ireland as part of the Plantation of Ulster. The dates covered here are 1575-1725. The information is based primarily of contemporary primary sources found in Ireland and Scotland such as rent rolls, muster rolls, estate papers, church records and port books. Many of the descendants of these settlers came to Colonial America. The format of the entries is:
MONTGOMERY, PATRICK, of Blackhouse, arrived in Ireland with Sir Hugh Montgomery in 1606, settled in Donghadie. [MM#51-67]
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.3, 2005
British-American Genealogical Research Monograph Number 9, Part 1 and Part 2, and Monograph Number 10. British and German Deserters, Dischargees, and Prisoners of War who may have remained in Canada and the United States, 1774-1783: Part 1 and Part 2 and Deserters and Disbanded Soldiers from British, German and Loyalist Military Units in the South, 1782
by Clifford Neal Smith. Reprinted 3 parts in 1 by Clearfield Publishing Company, 200 E. Eager Street, Baltimore MD 21202. 2004. 28 +18 + 32 pp. Softcover. $19.50 plus $4 p&h.These three monographs, originally published in 1988, 1989, and 1991, have been reprinted in one volume. Care is needed, as they are still in effect three separate monographs with separate indexes.
However, for those researchers who felt that their ancestors were originally in the British army, of British or German nationality, and who felt that they deserted, were discharged or were prisoners of war then this is a great starting place. Not all soldiers who left the army can be identified because not all muster lists for all regiments involved in America have survived. Mr. Neal has searched a number of muster lists and identified as many men as possible. These include men from the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 15th, and 16th Regiments of Foot. For each regiment we are provided with a description of what records have survived, a history of the movement of the regiment within North America, followed by lists of names, with a description (e.g. deserted, discharged, prisoner of the rebels), and a source citation.
The third monograph is a transcription of an orderly book of General Nathanael Greene, an American General, located in the archives of Fordham University, New York, and available on film through the Family History Library. The war is generally regarded to have ended on 19 October 1781 with the fall of Yorktown, thus this listing of men from 1782 is in effect technically a listing of American stragglers from Loyalist troop units. Most of the men included here were given passes to specific locations suggesting that the men were in the colonies prior to the war. The register provides in four lines: the date and place of defection; name, country of origin, craft; name of troop unit from which defected; destination for which the individual was given a pass by American officers. Where available detailed research notes with further information have been added to the entries. There is also a listing with locations of regular army regiments, naval vessels and privateers, German corps, and state militia corps.
This slim reprint is a useful resource for those with stories of, or suspicions of, ancestors that were originally soldiers in the British Army during the Revolutionary War.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.3, 2005
Wills and Other Probate Records
by Karen Grannum and Nigel Taylor. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU, UK. 2004. 220 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $22.95.This book is designed as a practical guide to researching the last documents of your British ancestors, although primarily English and Welsh. As you would expect, it addresses wills and administrations, but also examines inventories, account books, death duty registers, and litigation. There is a miscellaneous section that discusses military wills, deeds, royal household, overseas probate courts, and records at the British Library and the Bank of England.
Before getting into the records themselves, we are given an introductory discussion on why we should be looking for wills and administrations. There is then an explanation of the church courts and their records prior to 1858, with the emphasis on the Prerogative Courts of York and Canterbury. Online indexes to a variety of church courts are highlighted. For the remaining hundreds of church courts, researchers are advised to contact the local diocesan record office with addresses provided. No mention is made of the fact that a variety of indexes may be available through the county family history societies. There are short sections for Scotland, Ireland, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands
The National Archives makes available online scanned images of all the Prerogative Court of Canterbury wills from 1383 to 1858 (not administrations). This guidebook is a valuable tool to get the most out of these documents. It is also a detailed guide to understanding what additional records and aids may be available for helping you find your ancestor.
Note: This book is now in its second edition (2009), with a slightly changed title (Wills & Probate Records: A Guide for Family Historians); this second edition has also been reviewed in this newsletter.Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.4, 2005
Journeys in Family History: The National Archives Guide to Exploring your Past - Finding your Ancestors
by David Hey. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. 2004. 306 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. $49.95.This excellent, full-color, well-illustrated guide to English research is a joy to read completely, but is designed for those who want to dip into the history and records to learn what is relevant to their research. The book is divided into four time periods: “Recent Memory” (1900 to the present); “Nineteenth Century” (1800-1900); “Early Connections” (1550-1800); and “Middle Ages” (pre 1550). Each time period is divided into two parts: “Exploring the Past” and “Finding Your Ancestors.”
“Exploring the Past” highlights the historical events of the period, along with how individuals fit into or were affected by them. They examine: the structure of families; how and where people worked; the houses in which they lived; poverty; migration and emigration; urban and rural life; rich and poor; kinship and inheritance; servants and apprentices; origin of surnames.
“Finding Your Ancestors” presents the records that you will commonly need to access in your research for that time period. Each record is illustrated, with details of contents and how to access. Unfortunately, not all of the records are available in North America, but if you know a record survives you have the option of hiring a professional to extract or copy on your behalf. For its visual appeal, ease of use, practicality, and attention to detail, this book should be on your bookshelf and used along with Ancestral Trails by Mark Herber.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no. 4, 2005
The Pennard Manor Court Book, 1673-1701
transcribed by Michael J. Edmunds with an introduction by Joanna Martin. Purchase from The Treasurer, South Wales Record Society, 12 The Green, Radyr, Cardiff CF15 8BR, UK. 2000. xxxvi, 109 pp. Indexes, map. Hardcover. £19.50.Manorial records are an underused group of records held in many county record offices. For those interested in the parishes of Pennard and Ilston, plus the “Fee of Trewyddfa” (a small area within the parish of Llangyfelach about ten miles away), on the Gower Peninsula, west of Swansea in South Wales, then this book is a must for you.
The bulk of the book is a transcription of one set of records now held at the West Glamorgan record office. Other records relating to this manor are at the National Library of Wales. We are provided with: lists of jurors; elected and appointed officials; heriots being assessed when a person dies which usually mention the surviving wife or children; fines being assessed for all sorts of reasons such as ditches not being deep enough, hedges poorly maintained, pigs allowed to roam unchecked, or people not performing their appointed jobs. There is a complete place and every-name index, making it easy to find your ancestors.
Additionally, the excellent introduction describes the history of manors, their formation and operation, the function of the court baron and leet, the roles of the people involved including the lord, his stewards, the officers (e.g. reeves, haywards, ale-testers, overseers of the highways, etc.), plus the roles and obligations of the tenants. This manor is used specifically but comparisons are made so that you can appreciate how this manor was still functioning well while many manors in England were already in decline. This is a fascinating example of the contents of manorial records and will make a useful comparison for your research when examining records from other manors.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.4, 2005
CD-ROM REVIEW
Ireland’s Memorial Records. World War I: 1914-1918
The objective of these volumes was to preserve the names of 49,400 Irishmen who lost their lives fighting in the Great War, World War I, 1914-1918. The collection was compiled by The Committee of the Irish National War Memorial under the direction of the Earl of Ypres. It is the most complete record known to exist and was published in 1923. “Irishman” here means someone born in Ireland, who fought in an Irish regiment, or who considered themselves Irish. For those listed, 29,440 provide the county and often the town of origin within Ireland, another 1,135 just state Ireland, 8,748 are English, 1,351 are from Scotland, 300 from Wales, 409 from somewhere else in the world, and 7,306 give no place of origin. The soldiers range in age from 15 to 82.
You can do a simple search in the index on surname, forename, place of birth and year of death. An advanced search adds place of death, regiment, regiment number, and rank.
Wild cards searches are allowed. For example, I searched easily on Fin*g*n to find all variations of Finnigan. I found my brothers John and Robert Finnegan who were born in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, but served in the 11th Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers. Robert was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916 while his brother, John, died of wounds on 10 July 1916, probably received in the same action.
From the index you can access scanned images of 3,177 pages in the original eight volumes with their beautiful artwork by Irish artist Harry Clarke. Only 100 copies of the original publication were ever produced, so they are extremely rare and now made accessible.
The program requires Windows 98 or above with a Pentium II processor or above. The program will operate on a Power Macintosh with 16Mb of RAM, and using OS X. The program opens in your browser and requires the free Alternatiff program to view the images.
The program was easy to install and warned me when an additional piece of software was needed. For those searching for relatives in or from Ireland who may have died in the First World War, this rare resource is now more easily accessible.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.4, 2005
Cornwall: A History
, Second edition by Philip Payton. Published by Cornwall Editions Limited, 8 Langurtho Road, Powey, Cornwall PL23 1EQ, UK. 2004. 326 pp. Indexed. Softcover. Can be purchased in the US for $19.99 plus $7 p&h from Cornwall Editions, c/o Reverie Publishing, 130 Wineow Street, Cumberland, MD 21502.The history of Cornwall is shaped by its landscape and the rocks and minerals that are such a vital part of that history. The book therefore begins with the ancient stones. It was a joy to start here and relive some of this history, but there was some sadness as I learned that the priceless mineral collection of my alma mater, the Camborne School of Mines has been split among three other collections in Cornwall (p. 9).
As people move into what is now Cornwall we learn about the facts and the legends of the Stone Age; the mystery of the Celts; the impact of the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans. And of course, where do the legends of Arthur fit into this picture? What the author does exceedingly well here and throughout the book is to bring modern scholarship to bear, explaining what the current thinking is while being up-front about the alternatives, who is saying what, and how thinking has changed over time. These options are well footnoted for those wanting further reading.
Much English history has seen England as one homogeneous unit. The chapter “Anglia et Cornubia” shows how during the Middle Ages the relationship between England and Cornwall was complex, close, but where Cornish distinctiveness was important (which hasn’t changed in some circles). The role of the Duchy of Cornwall, founded in this period for the maintenance of the heir to the English throne, bound Cornwall tightly into the operations of the English throne.
However, there have been tensions and rebellions (1497 and 1549); the causes and players involved are all described in detail. Later, we see how the creation of modern Cornwall took place under the Tudors. We read about the dislocation and uncertainty of the Civil War and the Glorious Revolution; the emergence in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries a new Britain in which Cornwall was to play a significant role, both because of its mineral wealth and because of its people.
For North Americans, we learn about how the lack of coal, and the fluctuations within the copper and tin mining in Cornwall, led to large scale migrations all over the world. We are reminded of the expression that “wherever there is a hole in ground there will be a Cornishman at the bottom of it.” It is not included in the index, but the book does mention the miners coming in the 1830s to work the lead deposits of Wisconsin with over 9,000 Cornish in Mineral Point by 1850 (p. 225), and the migration from Mineral Point and Cornwall to work the “Copper Rush” of the Keweenaw district of Upper Michigan in 1843 and 1844. Other migrations around the world are mentioned briefly.
The book concludes by discussing the ways in which Cornwall is changing and adapting after the decline and collapse of the mining industry. We learn about the tourists, politicians, Celtic revivals, Cornish language, new industries and much more all bringing us up to the present.
There is a good index, lots of footnotes but unfortunately no compiled bibliography.
Many BIGWILL members have Cornish ancestors and this is a superb, one-volume, critical history of the county that I can recommend highly.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.5, 2005
The House on the Hill: The Samford House of Industry 1764-1930
by Sheila Hardy. Published by the author, S.M. Hardy, Casterbridge, The Close, Tattingstone, Ipswich IP9 2PD, England. 2001. 233 pp. Softcover. £9 plus £1 p&h.The workhouse for the Samford Hundred in Suffolk is in the village of Tattingstone. This workhouse served the people of the 28 parishes that made up the old Samford Hundred.
What a fascinating book this is. It addresses a lot of questions we might not bother to think about like: Who looked after the poor (often our ancestors) in the eighteenth century? Why did parishes come together to form unions in Suffolk? What was the impact of the New Poor Law? Who were the deserving and the undeserving poor? What happened when someone got sick? What happened to the children? What were the laws inside the house and who enforced them? How were the vagrants or bona fide travelers treated? What happened during wartime? What were burial practices? Through these and similar questions we get to meet the people who were residents of the home and how they lived and treated changed with time. The stories make the home come alive. We get a good sense of what it was like in the home.
We also learn in the last two chapters who were the masters and matrons; the labor masters and laundresses; the porters and chaplains and what their responsibilities were. We learn about some of the good and the bad individuals that filled these positions over time. We also see how the building changed over the years to meet the changing role provided by the workhouse.
There is a subject index to the book. A major drawback for those with local ancestors is that there is a listing of all the names in the book but no pages numbers connected with them. You thus have to read the book. In spite of this indexing problem this is a well written guide to understanding life in the workhouse.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.5, 2005
Tattingstone: A Village and its People
by Sheila Hardy. Published by the author, S.M. Hardy, Casterbridge, The Close, Tattingstone, Ipswich IP9 2PD, England. 2000. 80 pp. Softcover. £6 plus £1 p&h.This is a book about the village of Tattingstone in southern Suffolk, a few miles south of the town of Ipswich. It is about the people. We learn what happened and what it was like when Thomas de Dale turned 21 on 23 April 1409, and twelve upright citizens had to stand up for him so he could inherit land. We find a description of the Glebe lands that the minister worked in 1613, plus a listing of the people paying the hearth tax in 1674. We learn about some of the eccentrics that lived on the Tattingstone estates; preparations for evacuation in case the French invaded during the Napoleonic Wars; the local highwayman transported to Australia; the boom in Methodism in the late nineteenth century; and the development of the village as modern amenities were introduced like running water, the telephone and gas. It is the people of the village that make this book come alive.
There are some wonderful color reproductions of period paintings showing different locations in the village from a time long ago. This is an excellent little guide to the village, especially important for anyone doing research in Suffolk but it also acts as a guide for others wanting to write about one village. The one drawback is that there is a listing of the people mentioned in the book but there are no page numbers.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.5, 2005
From a Hollow on the Hill. History and Tales of Lorn and Fortingal Families
by Nancy Black. Available from the author Nancy Black, Torwood, Oban, Argyll PA34 4LU Scotland. 1999. 164 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £15 plus £3.80 surface p&h.This is one woman’s family history and what a fascinating read she has made of it. She is from Oban, in the county of Argyll on the west coast of Scotland. She focuses on the MacDougall connections, but adds along the way information on her Blacks, MacIntyres, McCowans, Campbells, Livingstone, MacKechnie, and MacEwan lines. These are normal Highland families, though no lords or ladies here, but just plain regular hard-working folk.
The author provides a general historical background for Argyll and Perthshire so that her ancestors can be put into context. She talks about: clans and their way of life; religion; funerals; weddings; superstitions; smuggling; poor; food; domestic life; medicines; plants and dyes; weather; crop failures; pipes and bagpipe makers; poetry; and emigration. Discussed are her families, their way of life, and their occupations.
What makes all this material come alive is not necessarily the author describing things, but using the documents and stories passed down officially and within the family. For example, we read letters written in the 1850s in Australia back to the family left behind in Fortingall, Perthshire, and read of the reactions in letters written back to Australia with other family members following. It is the documents, letters, and photographs that the author has found that makes this collection so valuable. They provide clues to other researchers as to the types of records that are available and can be found.
Unfortunately, the book has no index and the bibliography has incomplete citations. The writer does not follow a Register or NGSQ format and there are no footnotes, but the source for each document is given in bold at the beginning of the document. The author successfully lets her ancestors tell their own stories, and has found official documents to put them into context. This is one good example of how to make family history interesting, and will be of special interest to those with Highland ancestors.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.5, 2005
James II: The Triumph and the Tragedy
† by John Callow. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. 2005. xi, 116 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £14.99.James II, the son of King Charles I was born in 1633 and he was to witness and be a participant in a turbulent part in England’s history. He was captured by the Parliamentarians in England’s civil war, saw his father beheaded, saw the Parliamentarians rule England and saw his older brother Charles II be restored to the throne. He saw his own right as successor to the throne be brought into question by his conversion to Roman Catholicism. Yet, in April 1685 James was welcomed as King. He beat off a challenge by the Duke of Monmouth and was victor at the Battle of Sedgemore. However, he lost the crown to Prince William of Orange during the Glorious Revolution of 1688. During this period James II was captured and escaped to France where Louis XIV equipped an army to fight in Ireland. James returned to Ireland where in 1690 he was defeated at the Battle of the Boyne, again fleeing to France to die in exile in 1701.
This book provides a well illustrated, easy to read story of the life of James II placing him in his historical setting. Disbursed within the text are twenty two-page spreads with a copy of a historical document, with transcript and short essay placing the document in context. Many of the documents are actually letters to the Prince of Orange who was to succeed him as king. The originals are generally from the National Archives collection so you can go see the originals if you so choose.
You can read the story of James the first, returning to the illustrations later, or you can dip into a chapter reading both the relevant chapter in his life and look at the related documents. For those with seventeenth century ancestors or interest this is a good enjoyable read.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.6, 2005
The Family History Project: Great Great Stories from the Nation’s Family Tree
† edited by Nick Barrett [sic]. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. 2004. xii, 196 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £12.99.The stories showcased in this book are some of the remarkable entries submitted to The Family History Project. This was a joint initiative between The History Channel and The National Archives to encourage people to start looking into their families’ past. Many of the people started from scratch, other have been searching a long time. The stores are designed to get you thinking about what you may find in the life of your ancestors. The entries were judged by a group of well-known English researchers, including Maggie Loughran whom many of you have met when she spoke to BIGWILL earlier this year.
The book is divided into six sections: A new life; the sea; enterprise and discovery; family skeletons; soldiers and heroes; and great connections. Each of the sections begins with a brief description of the theme and research tips followed by the stories. Most of the stories are two pages long with one or more illustrations, often a photograph of a family member, or memorabilia, a copy of a document or newspaper clipping. We read about family members that were: at the Battle of Waterloo; in the Charge of the Light Brigade; died in Flanders Fields; awarded the Victoria Cross; the first person to register a trademark in Britain (Bass Brewing Company); the savior of the potato; accidentally killed by arsenic poisoning, and lots more stories about everyday people just like your own ancestors.
This is not a how too book but rather one to motivate you to find out about your ancestors, to write and share their stories. We all have ancestors about whom we are proud and could write a story, why not do so.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.6, 2005
Voices of the Irish Immigrant: Information Wanted Ads in The Truth Teller, New York City 1825-1844
† compiled by Diane Fitzpatrick Haberstroh and Laura Murphy DeGrazia. Published by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 122 East 58th Street, New York NY 10022. 2005. xix, 262 pp. Indices. Hardcover. $31.The Truth Teller was a Roman Catholic newspaper published in New York City from 1825 through 1855, but only advertisements through 1844 are included in this volume. The introduction sets the scene describing changing migration patterns during the early nineteenth century, along with increasing anti-catholic sentiment giving rise to The Truth Teller being published. Soon ads were being accepted for immigrants seeking family members or friends who had arrived in the US earlier or who had left the city in search of work.
Importantly the ads often describe relationships, an exact place of origin in Ireland, and when and where family members arrived in North America. A typical entry reads:
“Of Patrick and Timothy Foley, sons of Daniel Foley, of BALLEYVALLEY [BALLYVELLY], COUNTY KERRY, IRELAND, who came to the United States in the year 1834. Any information respecting them will be thankfully acknowledged by their cousins James, Daniel, and John Foley, who live in GALENA, DAVIES COUNTY, ILLINOIS.” (January 31, 1835.)
Included are indexes to several thousand personal names, places in the US, over a thousand places in Ireland, places other than Ireland and the US, and streets in New York City since immigrants who knew each other often settled in the same neighborhood.
It is important to know that although the Boston Pilot, another Catholic newspaper was also accepting ads in this same time period there is almost no duplication. These ads are another important source for finding that vital place of origin in Ireland and building relationships. It is highly recommended for Irish researchers.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.6, 2005
Finding My Irish
†. 2005. xi, 305 pp. Illustrations, maps. Softcover. $19.95. How to Find Your Irish. 2005. 34 pp. Comb binding $10. Both by Sharon Shea Bossard. Published by Shea Publications, P.O. Box 238, Lake Zurich, IL 60047. Finding My Irish is the story of a local woman’s journey to find her Irish ancestral roots to be able to pass stories of her Irish heritage along to the family. She has names such as Shea, Healy, Murphy, Higgins, Bearne, Burns, Connor and Falvey from Counties Roscommon and Kerry whose descendants came to the Chicago area.The book is divided into three parts. The first “my journey” is a review of numerous trips to Ireland over a few years to do research in Dublin but primarily to scour the countryside looking for the relatives and homes of the ancestors. This is a fun read and the author does a wonderful job of giving you a sense of what it is like to go into small communities to find people, especially when everybody knows everybody and each other’s business. The second part “their journey” is the story of the life of the immigrant ancestors from Ireland to New York, Connecticut, Nebraska and eventually to Chicago. We read about life as an Irish maid, a salesgirl, work in the construction trades and the meat packing plants of Omaha and Chicago. The third section “my parents” (Mike Carberry Shea and Helen Healy) talks about the life in Chicago.
This book is not a scholarly family history. There are no footnotes, endnotes or references. As a reader I don’t even know what is real, what can or cannot be supported by documentation, what if any oral tradition is involved in the stories and what might just be fiction. What is here though is a very readable story of an authors search for her family, the story of the joys and hardships of her ancestors in Ireland, their migration and their life in America. This is a well-written story and I enjoyed reading about the life and times of these Irish families.
The supporting booklet How to Find Your Irish is a supplement designed to help you follow the footsteps of your Irish ancestors, learn how to conduct research in Ireland and from home, with some additional attachments. This is very introductory but practical information if you are planning your first research trip to Ireland. It is good in that it pulls the material together in one place without overwhelming the beginner. Many BIGWILL members will be beyond this stage and will know most of what the booklet contains from other sources.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.6, 2005
The Looe Island Story: An Illustrated History of St. George’s Island
† by Mike Dunn. Published by Polperro Heritage Press, Clifton-Upon-Teme, Worcestershire WR6 6EN, UK. 2005. 112 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £7.95 plus £3.05 p & h.Looe Island, or St. George’s Island, is a wooded 22 acre island off the coast of Cornwall, near East and West Looe, about 16 miles west of Plymouth. It has a long history being owned by Glastonbury Abbey, and then sold after the dissolution of the monasteries by the crown to the Trelawny family in 1600. It remained in the family for centuries. This book though tells the stories of the individuals and families who lived on the island, such as the Hoopers who lived there in the nineteenth century. For the nineteenth century we are provided with census extracts showing how the families changed. In 1964 Evelyn ‘Attie’ Atkins and her sister ‘Babs’ Atkins bought the island. To prevent it from being developed it was donated to the Cornwall Wildlife Trust in 2000. We learn about the isolated living on the island where the individuals may be cut off from the mainland for months because of rough seas. We also read stories of smuggling, ghosts, the Spanish Armada and visits by travelers. We are given a virtual tour of the island and lists of the plants and birds that can be found there. There is an every name index allowing you to quickly tap into the people and history of the island. For those with Cornish connections this is a well-illustrated and nicely produced publication.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.12 no.6, 2005
Family Photographs 1860-1945
† by Robert Pols. Published by Public Record Office Publications [now The National Archives], Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. Order online at <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk>. 2002. x, 166 pp. Index, photographs. Softcover. £12.99 or $19.95. This is an easy to read, well-illustrated resource for researchers studying British photographs. The book begins by creating an image of the sense of wonder that our Victorian ancestors would have felt going to the studio to have a photograph taken, how they would have dressed specially for the occasion, and how they would have made to pose formally so as not to move. It is this latter need for stillness that always gives us the impression our ancestors were sad or morose, as you could not hold a smile for the time needed in the early photographs.After creating this image the book moves on to talk about the technical developments of photography, the rise of popular photography, dating and interpreting photographs. There are then separate chapters that examine photographs in and of the family, plus what happens outside of the family with examples of occupations, celebrations, teams, etc. There is a chapter on the preservation and collecting of old photographs. The book concludes with some case studies arranged by decade from 1860 through the 1940’s, describing what the type of photograph you are likely to find (carte de viste, cabinet mount, postcard, un-mounted print, roll print film) and telling us what to look for in the style of clothes for both men and women that would help us date the photograph.
Yes, you can get the basics by studying similar photography books produced in the US, but this book focuses on what is uniquely British. It does however highlight some differences across the Atlantic, like when discussing tintypes, or as more commonly called in the US ferrotypes and why this type of photograph was more popular in the US than in Britain (clue, it had to do with durability of the image during the Civil War).
The book shines though in the 150 images in the book that are constantly referenced in the text so you can see what it is being discussed, and can see the differences in the different types of photographs. The style of clothing shown in the photographs is uniquely British and will help with the dating. This is an excellent resource for researchers seeking to understand, date or identify the images of their ancestors.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.1, 2006
Christian Names in Local and Family History
† by George Redmonds. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. Order online at <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk>. 2004. xviii, 190 pp. Illustrations, first name and family indexes. Hardcover. £16.99As researchers we all understand the importance and development of surnames. It was therefore with skepticism that I started reading this book that examines the importance and development of Christian names. Mr. Redmonds makes his case well by examining Christian names from the poll tax returns of 1377-1381, and comparing them with names from parish registers for each decade from 1538 through 1700. He discusses how the period 1200 to 1400 was a watershed in the history of first names with old English names disappearing, and shows that as surnames were stabilizing many were derived from first names. A large variety of additional sources are used to highlight the occurrence, development and changes of names over time. Most of the examples are from Lancashire and Yorkshire, where the author lives.
The author examines both the popular names and the unusual names showing how they changed over time. He shows the influence of parents, godparents, and the possible influence of local key people. He shows how the popularity of names can change between two parishes near each other geographically; how an unusual name may be popular in a particular community or family; how names of foreign origin can appear and disappear; how names from the bible, saints, legends and literature have become popular in different time periods; how names were influenced by the Reformation and what modern naming patterns are doing to the pool of first names.
This book has successfully made me rethink how I look at first names. It has me thinking about what really are the popular names in my families, or in the parishes in which I search, and how does this compare with the region or the rest of England in any given time period. The tables at the back of the book provide the big picture. More localized studies are needed to create a fuller picture. This is a book to get you thinking and maybe to answer some of your questions about your family Christian names.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.1, 2006
The Age of Scurvy: How a Surgeon, a Mariner and a Gentleman Helped Britain with the Battle of Trafalgar
† by Stephen R. Bown. Published by Summersdale Publishers Ltd., 46 West Street, Chichester, West Sussex PO19 1RP, UK. 2003, reprinted 2005. 284 pp. Softcover. £7.99. You can order online at <www.summersdale.com>.This is historical writing at its best with wars, political intrigue, scientific theories and death. For sailors prior to the early 1800’s scurvy was the big killer more so than war, piracy, storms and shipwrecks combined. The scene is set in the book giving details of the causes of scurvy, actual and what was historically thought to be the cause, plus vivid descriptions of the effect on sailors. If you have someone who was a sailor prior to about 1800 this is well worth reading. You learn about the ineffective remedies like oil of vitriol, bloodletting, seawater and wart of malt. The story continues with the finding of the cure for scurvy through empirical experimentation on real sailors, then the loss of the cure partially because it did not fit with the current thinking about the cause. You read about how political patronage for an ineffective solution kept sailors from getting what they needed, plus how it prevented clear scientific results getting reported accurately to the navy. It wasn’t until a member of society’s elite, a personal surgeon, got promoted to Surgeon of the West Indies Fleet that everything changed. They changed so much that ships were able to spend long periods of time at sea and able to blockade the French ports. Then they sailed around the Atlantic before culminating in victory at the Battle of Trafalgar. It is suggested that one of the causes of victory at Trafalgar was the healthier condition of the British sailors because of lemon juice.
I wanted to read this book to learn about scurvy because one of my ancestors wrote monographs on Scurvy. He was Surgeon of the Channel Fleet during the early 1800’s and is mentioned in the book. He was not able to push for reform because he did not have the political connections. This is a very readable account of scurvy and medical practices in the early navy and well worth a read. There is no index so you have to read the book. There is a timeline and sources are identified for each chapter opening doors for further reading.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.1, 2006
Wiltshire Watch and Clockmakers. Volume I: Chippenham, Swindon, Marlborough and North Wiltshire
† by John Young. Published by Sedgehill Publishing, Park Farm, North Bradley, Nr Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 0SA, UK. 2004. xiv, 193 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. Sterling checks only for £17.80, includes postage.This book is about the people engaged in the clock and watchmaking business including clockmakers, watchmakers, finishers, repairers, and retailers, whether as an employee or as a business owner. It includes people from the seventeenth to the twentieth century, with the largest number being after the Napoleonic wars when the need for accurate time became important, with the introduction of the railways and the factory systems into the area. The changes affected all levels of society and the demand for timepieces increased. The geographic area covered is everything north of an east-west line a little south of the A4 road that cuts across the county through Marlborough and Calne. However, when a person has moved from the area to continue working as a clockmaker this will be mentioned, and this is common for the surrounding counties.
The first section of the book gives a descriptive overview of the development of the industry within Wiltshire highlighting the people, their experience, their living conditions and how things can radically change. Pieces of information about individuals come from a large variety of sources and this is indicated even in the introduction.
The bulk of the book is an alphabetical directory of the clockmakers. This might be as brief as an announcement about a person’s death where they are described as a clockmaker, to copies of their advertisements, to copies of a five-generation family tree (Honeybone), to full family and business details. If you have clockmaker connections in Wiltshire this is a book well worth exploring. There is a listing of clockmakers by place, and an integrated index of places and names of people
Two further volumes for the rest of the county are planned but have not yet been published.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.1, 2006
CD-ROM REVIEW
Sussex Marriage Index (up to 1837)
For those with Sussex connections this CD-ROM is a must. Here is a superb index for over 300,000 marriages, licences and some banns covering all Sussex parishes prior to 1837 (actually some parishes go to the early 1840’s). There are some strays from neighboring counties, entries from many London and Canterbury allegations, plus Quaker and Catholic marriages. There are over a thousand entries with Sussex connections from the Fleet Prison in London from 1667 to 1754.
You can search for individual marriages by surname (all spelling variants or exact spelling), by forename (starts with or contains). You can restrict the search to marriages: within Sussex or outside of the county; denomination (Anglican or Quaker/Catholic); by event type such as marriages or licenses; by year (default is all) or a range of years.
The results are displayed as a spreadsheet with columns for date, forename, surname, spouse forename, spouse surname, parish/county. There is a limit of 500 marriages that can be displayed at any one time. So a search of Baker gives you too many and you need to redefine your search. You can print the results. You can copy the results of a search to the clipboard and then paste into any other document. You also have an option to display a map of the county showing all the parishes on which you can display an individual marriage or all the marriages for the surname in the county. This nicely colored map can also be copied to the clipboard and inserted into another application. It makes a nice addition to show surname distribution within the county or for researchers who don’t know where in the county a particular parish is located.
As with all database searches take some time to learn how it is operating. For example, a search for Milner gives me seven results and that is with all spelling variants marked. However, a search for Mil*ner gives me an additional five results (Millener, Milliner and Millner). So be careful.
The Reference portion of the CD provides an index of places covered. You find a listing of Sussex Church of England parishes, Quaker and Catholic Registers, Out of County Places and Marriage Licenses. For the listing of parishes you have the name of the parish, whether it is in East of West Sussex, the number of marriages extracted, the dates covered, a section for notes, listing of gaps in the registers, and sources for the marriage entry. The marriage entries may be original registers, bishop’s transcripts, or transcriptions. There is no easy way to search by place. I was interested in the one marriage recorded in Leeds, Kent in 1695 to see who it was. Assistance from the society helped me perform what was a very slow search, and they weren’t connected to me. The software is not designed for place searching.
There is an additional file containing the names of extra persons included in the index, such as witnesses, godparents, etc. This file is on the web site and on newly released versions of the CD-ROM, but not the CD-ROM I was sent. From the web site, or the new CD-ROM you can then search on the CD-ROM to find the relevant data.
The program runs from the disc and there is nothing to install on your computer. Minimum requirements are a Pentium processor, Windows 95, at least 8MB RAM, CD-ROM drive, mouse, SVGA display and 256 color video card.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.1, 2006
Behind the Plough: Agrarian Society in Nineteenth-Century Hertfordshire
† by Nigel E. Agar. Published by Hertfordshire Publications – an imprint of University of Hertfordshire Press, Learning and Information Services, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK. 2005. x, 193 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £12.99.Almost all of us with rural nineteenth-century ancestors will find on our family tree somewhere agricultural laborers. However, you may also have tenant farmers, landowners, or ancestors working in associated industries such as forestry or straw plaiting. Wherever they worked on the land this book puts them into their social context and this is where the book excels. It is not in the details of the daily life, although glimpses are given of that, but in how individuals fitted into the bigger picture of what was happening within agriculture and specifically within Hertfordshire.
The author focuses on Hertfordshire, which even though it was just north of London was still rural in the nineteenth-century. He examines in detail: the population; land enclosure; reform of the poor laws; developments within agriculture such as the use fertilizers, crop rotation, and increasing use of farm machinery; rural pauperism; hierarchy and relationships between the landlord, tenant and laborer; the roles of the landed gentry and farmers; forestry; village life; attempts to develop unions between the laborers and alliances among the farmers; agricultural depression; and concludes with a look at Hertfordshire in the twentieth century.
Throughout the book the author compares and contrasts what is happening in this county with other counties across the county, but especially the surrounding counties. This makes it useful even if your agricultural ancestor is somewhere else in the country. The book is well illustrated and contains numerous quotes from contemporary official documents, these suggesting where you can look to find quotes relevant to your area. The one item missing from the book was a good map of the county showing the major communities mentioned in the text, and the major geological boundaries showing for example the extent of the London clay or the chalk of the Chilterns all of which shaped the farming in the region and are mentioned frequently in the text.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.2, 2006
Scottish Highlanders on the Eve of the Great Migration 1725-1775: The People of Argyll
† by David Dobson. Published by Clearfield Company, Inc., 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore MD 21211. 2005. x, 137 pp. Softcover. $18.50 plus $4 p. & h.The book begins with a brief introduction to the emigration of Scots from the Highlands to North America with the bulk from Argyll going to North Carolina, upper New York, Jamaica and the Canadian Maritimes. A map of Scotland and a parish map of Argyll are provided but are almost unreadable. Many of the Old Parish Registers for Argyll, Scotland do not predate the American Revolution so other sources need to be searched. These include published sources such as Fasti Ecclesia Scoticanea, daybooks, estate records, lists of burgesses, as well as a variety of original records from courts, Sasines and Services of Heirs.
The book is not a complete listing of inhabitants of Argyll, but does mention nearly 3,000 eighteenth century inhabitants from all parishes in Argyll, with the exception of the Isle of Jura, which is treated elsewhere. This is an alphabetical listing with the details varying tremendously. All information provided has a source citation. A sample entry reads: Macleish, George, minister at Saddell, 1767-1798, husband of (1) Ann Hamilton, (2) Grace or Grizel Hamilton, parents of Ann, George, and Peter, died 13 February 1798 [F.4.65]
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.2, 2006
Tracing Your Family History in Hertfordshire
†. Published on behalf of the Hertfordshire Association for Local History by Hertfordshire Publications – an imprint of University of Hertfordshire Press, Learning and Information Services, College Lane, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK. 2003. viii, 143 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. £9.99.This practical and comprehensive guide is an absolute must for anyone with Hertfordshire ancestry. Yes, it focuses on all the records you would expect to look at in English research but it narrows it down to describing the records and what has survived for this county, plus identifies indexes and how to access them. It also describes what changed locally, such as the ecclesiastical boundaries effecting where you would look for probate records, changes in parish boundaries with some parishes being transferred into or out of the county. The book focuses on the sources held in the Family History Centre at Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS) in Hertford, but all major sources are covered irrespective of coverage.
The book is divided into chapters covering specific themes: administrative background; births, marriages and deaths, household and property records; professions and occupations; crime and punishment; poor and the sick; schools and education; military ancestors; and printed sources. The appendices provide: a listing by parish showing coverage of parish registers, bishop’s transcripts, banns books, printed or transcribed registers, hearth tax returns and land tax returns; listing with dates of non-conformist registers; cemeteries and crematoria within the county with contact details; where to look for wills; library holdings of records; and useful addresses.
Within each section you have a description of the records, common and lesser known, often with illustrations showing what they contain. Information is given on how and why they were created, how they might be useful in research, and how to search them specifically in Hertfordshire. Suggestions for further reading are given throughout the book. This is a nice practical book to assist anyone with Hertfordshire roots.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.2, 2006
Huguenot and Scots Links 1575-1775
† by David Dobson. Published by Clearfield Company, Inc., 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore MD 21211. 2005. vi, 92 pp. Softcover. $14.50 plus $4 p. & h.The two-page introduction describes the multiple persecutions of the Huguenot’s (Protestants in France). Many left to go to other Protestant countries in Europe such as the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia, the British Isles as well as America and the Cape of Good Hope. Scotland became Protestant in 1560 and thus there was a steady migration there in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The main migration occurred in the late seventeenth century. These emigrants brought advanced technical skills and an entrepreneurial spirit that was in demand in Scotland. Many of the craftsmen, artisans and merchants settled in Canongate, now part of Edinburgh, while others joined Scottish Regiments to fight against the armies of France and its Jacobite allies in Scotland and Ireland.
This book identifies over 2,000 subjects and their family members or associates using distinct French surnames, some of which may have become Scotticized and may vary from the original, for example, Dieppe and its variants. In England some French surnames were translated into English equivalents and this may have occurred in Scotland, making it more difficult to identify Huguenot families.
For each individual identified we are given a name, locale, date, usually an occupation, and something about the person (e.g., “weaver from Maeson, Flanders,” “admitted as a burgess and guilds-brother of Edinburgh,” “a trooper of Hayfoord’s Dragoons at Dumfries 3 October 1689”). All entries include a source.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.2, 2006
The Licencees of the Inns, Taverns and Beerhouses of Adderbury & Milton, Oxfordshire
† compiled by Vera Wood. Published by the Adderbury Historical Association. Purchase from the author at Delapre, Long Wall, Adderbury, Banbury Oxen, England. 2003. 65 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £7 plus £6 p. & h. to USA.The introduction sets the stage showing that licensees appeared in the manorial court roll in 1603-1607for selling beer in non-standardized measures and fined for unlawful card playing. The various nineteenth century Acts regulating the sale of beer are identified and summarized.
The book is arranged alphabetically by the name of the inn, tavern or beerhouse, some of which are still trading and operating, while for those closed the locations may be known or unknown. The details for each hostelry can vary greatly, but often includes photographs of the building from different time periods, and sometimes the innkeeper. The information for “the Crowne” in Adderbury East is especially fascinating as it provides from the early seventeenth century transcripts of a couple of probate inventories listing all of the contents of the inn and the brewing house which was on the premises. To realize that there was storage capacity for 500 gallons of beer on the premises, you see all the supplies needed to make the beer and their value at the time. For other houses we are provided with lists of licensees often covering a couple of hundred years along with details garnered from many local sources.
This is a well-illustrated book focusing on one aspect of village life in a specific location in north Oxfordshire. The wide variety of sources used shows what can be done to reconstruct a community. There is no index to the individuals within the book.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.2, 2006
Palaeography for Family and Local Historians
† by Hilary Marshall. Published by Phillimore & Co. Ltd. US Distributor, David Brown Book Company, P.O. Box 511, Oakville CT 06779. 2004. x, 205 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. $35 plus $4.50 p. & h.Many family researchers find the documents they need to advance their research and then have problems reading the document because they are written in secretary or court hand, or worse still in abbreviated legal Latin. This is a well-designed, well-illustrated, practical book to help the researcher overcome this problem, especially if one is willing to take the time to build reading skills.
The five introductory chapters should be read (and will be used repeatedly). It is here that the reader will learn the scope of the book learning: the conventions used (abbreviations, capital and small letter, thorn and yogh, punctuation, italics, brackets, names, etc); how to make a transcript and decipher the text; the importance of understanding the document itself with its history, dates, kinship rules; the differences between Medieval and Classical Latin (most schools teach classical Latin); symbols used for abbreviations; the characteristics of the individual letters (with many examples).
The key to the book is fifty facsimile reproductions of documents of graduated difficulty culled from many sources. A complete transcription is provided on the facing page of each. The intervening pages may contain commentary about the preceding or following document. The commentary will provide historical background on the importance and content of the document class, information about the script itself followed by any individual notes. The later facsimiles are in Latin, with a transcription and translation provided.
The book is designed so that each document builds upon its predecessor both for skill and confidence. It is not a book to dip into the middle of, unless you are experienced and in need of a refresher. An extensive bibliography will assist the researcher in finding supporting tools such as glossaries, dictionaries (Old English, Medieval Latin, Occupational), books on dating (feast days or regnal years) or other books illustrating specific types of documents (accounts, feet of fines, inquisitions post mortem, manorial documents, etc)
This is an excellent, practical book designed for the English researcher, but is equally applicable for those reading US Colonial records.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.3, 2006
A Year at Killington Hall: The Diary of Agnes Ann Kendal – Life in Victorian England through the Eyes of a Farmer’s Daughter
† edited and published by Judith M.S. Robinson, 3 Abbey Drive, Natland, nr Kendal, LA9 7QN, England. 2004, 110 pp. Illustrations, index, map. £7.50.Agnes Ann Kendal, nineteen years old was the youngest daughter of Robert Kendal, tenant of Killington Hall Farm in Westmorland. In 1876, she was living at home with her parents, a sister and a brother. For this one year she made an almost daily record of events in a printed diary, often filling the spaces. This is the only diary that has survived.
The parish of Killington was formerly part of the chapelry of the old parish of Kirby Lonsdale in Westmorland (now Cumbria). It adjoins the chapelries of Old Hutton, Middleton, and Firbank all in Westmorland, but is bounded on the east by the River Lune, which is the county boundary with Yorkshire. Included in the book is an excellent sketch map of the village and surrounding area highlighting places mentioned within the diary.
Through the eyes of Agnes Ann we glimpse the life of a farmer’s daughter is a small hamlet in the north of England. We read about her active involvement in the Baptist chapel and watch the events of the farming calendar unfold broken by what appears to be a very active social life. We are constantly reading about people stopping at the farm, or Agnes Ann going to visit others. The railway that comes through the community increases the distance capable of being traveled to visit others. Two family trees are provided, one for the descendants of Robert and Elizabeth Kendall (Agnes Ann’s parents) and one for Robert and Jane Kendall (Agnes Ann’s great grandparents) so the wider relationship of her aunts and uncles can be understood.
Between the transcriptions for each month we find period photographs of the area along with details from other sources about local events such as a local grand wedding, spelling bees, the Orton Pot Fair, the coal company of James Wharton & Son (she married the son Jim), the Kendal Industrial and Fine Art Exhibition. The book is well footnoted with other sources being used to more clearly identify the people mentioned in the diary. All names are indexed.
The epilog tells us that Agnes Ann married Jim Wharton the day before her 25th birthday. Unfortunately the following winter she developed scarlet fever and died three days after giving birth, to be soon followed by the death of the child.
This is an excellent glimpse into the life of a young woman in Victorian Northern England.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.3, 2006
Along the River Cray: A Pictorial History of the Cray Valley
† by Katherine Harding and Denise Baldwin. Published by Bexley Local Studies and Archives Centre, Central Library, Townley Road, Bexleyheath, Kent DA6 7HJ, England. 2003. 135 pp. Photographs. £6.00The nine-mile long River Cray in northwest Kent begins at Orpington Ponds and flows north through the villages of St. Mary Cray, St. Paul’s Cray, Foots Cray, North Cray, Bexley, Crayford, Barnes Cray, Crayford Marshes into the Thames Estuary. Each village is superbly illustrated with period photographs giving us a look at the buildings, the people and village life. What adds to the book though is the introduction to each of the villages setting all the photographs into a local context. Here we find out about: the Romans; the lords of the manors and their grand houses; the old churches; the mills used for producing paper (including security paper used to produce bank notes), making silk and grinding grain; the calico and silk printing works; the orchards and market gardens. This is a delightful book for anyone with northwest Kent connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.3, 2006
Family Skeletons: Exploring the Lives of our Disreputable Ancestors
† by Ruth Paley and Simon Fowler. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU. 2005. 246 pp. Illustrations, index. £19.99.Many of us have a skeleton in the closet, or wish we had because usually a paper trail was left, or maybe we are just interested in the seedy side of our ancestor’s lives. If this is you then this is a book to be read and enjoyed. You will meet in the vignettes provided: Tom Dudley and Edwin Stephen convicted of cannibalism; Emma Lady Hamilton, mistress to Lord Nelson who was arrested for her debts; murderers Jack the Ripper and Dr Crippen; D.H. Lawrence in trouble with the authorities for his sexually explicit writings (remember Lady Chatterley’ Lover) and paintings; Mary Young who dressed as a pregnant woman and used a pair of artificial hands to pick the pockets of high society; Fred Archer a champion jockey who committed suicide, and many more characters.
The book provides chapters on: abortionists; bastards; begging letter writers; burglars and thieves; cannibals; children who kill; cruel parents and child beaters; dangerous drivers; debtors; deserters; drunkards; forgers; fraudsters; gamblers; gay men; gay women; highwaymen; murderers; pickpockets; pornographers; prostitutes, pimps and brothel keepers; resurrection men; suicides; and witches. Each chapter puts the subject into context for the time period, provides personal vignettes, and has a side bar on which records to search for details about your skeleton. The book concludes with a brief chapter giving suggestions on how to trace your skeleton, a topical bibliography and some useful website addresses.
This book is a fun read that will help you put your skeleton into context. It provides examples of how to tell a good story, but it is a little weak on how to actually gather the facts about your ancestor, usually referring the reader to other resources.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.3, 2006
Levisham: A Case Study in Local History
† by Betty Halse. Purchase from the author at Greystones, Levisham, Pickering, YO18 7NL, UK. 2003. 156 pp. Bibliography, illustrations, index. Softcover. £9.95.Levisham is a small village on the North Moors of Yorkshire, England, but this book has much wider appeal that just those interested in this village. This is a how-to book demonstrating how to write a local history of a community, using Levisham as its example.
A village cannot be viewed in isolation; it is part of a wider community. The defining of that wider community will depend upon the context, e.g. agricultural, industrial, commerce, religious, familial, etc. This book describes how a group of individuals came together to gather information and write a history of the community. It highlights how various pieces of data, church records, probate, land records, etc will be used by many individuals looking at different aspects of village life.
The book in 14 chapters looks at the historical time range from before written records until life and industry within the 19th century. Each chapter follows the same pattern, beginning with a chronological chart showing relevant national and local events with dates. An additional table lists sources, both physically on the ground and documentary. This is usually followed by an explanation of what the sources are, where they can be found, and how they can be used. Then there is a background section putting the theme of the chapter into its context. The final part uses Levisham as a case study illustrating how local sources can be used to develop an understanding of a particular historical theme.
The chapters themselves address: the underlying geology and topography; the Anglo-Saxon period; organization under the Norman Conquest; forest and forest laws; monks as farmers; the role of church and priest in village life; the parish constable; yeoman farmers; farming in the 18th and 19th centuries; the village school; poor relief; and the failure of the iron mines.
This is both a good description of the process of writing an interesting local history, but also a useful local history for anyone with North Yorkshire connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.4, 2006
Baxter’s Guide: Biographical Sources in the India Office Records
, 3rd Edition† by Ian Baxter. Published by Families in British India Society in association with The British Library, c/o Elaine MacGregor, Treasurer, 14 Gableson Avenue, Brighton BN1 5FG, England. 2004. 73 pp. Glossary, index, map. Softcover. £5.95 plus £3.35 p. & h.The East India Company was established in 1600 as a joint-stock association of English merchants who received by a series of charters exclusive rights to trade in the ‘Indies,’ which is defined as the land between the Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of Magellan. The company established warehouses or ‘factories’ throughout East Asia. During the second half of the 18th century the commercial company was transformed into a major territorial power in India, headquartered in Calcutta, which survived until 1858. The records described in this volume, though, cover Britain’s involvement until 1947 in India and Pakistan, and 1948 for Burma.
Biographical information about individuals is scattered throughout the India Office Records. This slim volume is packed with information to guide researchers to the appropriate record group, even when they are only starting with a basic occupational description and a date. For example, it covers records for company stockholders, civil servants, warrant officers, NCOs and privates, medical and veterinary officers, nurses, chaplains, bandsmen, navy personnel, pilots, attorneys, railway staff, and many more by occupation and/or geography.
For example, one of the people I am interested in is Thomas Fletcher Waghorn, who I know was in the Bengal Pilot Service. He died in 1850 back in England. This book tells me that there are: nominations for 1818-61 which include birth or baptismal certificates and each volume is indexed; lists of volunteers 1796-1858 in alphabetical order with dates of promotions; lists of employees 1793-1880; plus compiled notes on the services; and annual or bi-annual lists of pilots, masters and mates on the Bengal Marine Establishment in the East India Register for a variety of years, plus more on service records and pension records.
In other words this book is pointing me towards a whole wealth of information pertaining to individuals who lived and worked in the sub-continent. If you have family connections with India this book is a must. Some of the records have even been microfilmed and are available through the Family History Library. The colored map on the back cover will give researchers unfamiliar with the Indian Territories a sense of where they are in relationship to one another.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.4, 2006
Swords, Loaves & Fishes: A History of Dunbar from Earliest Times to the Present (Birthplace of John Muir, the Father of Conservation)
† written by R.J.M. Pugh. Published by Harlaw Heritage, 21 Marchbank Gardens, Balerno, Midlothian, EH14 7ET, Scotland. 2003. xvi, 436 pp. Bibliography, illustrations, index. Softcover.This is a large, impressive history of Dunbar, a coastal town in the East Lothians of Scotland, approximately 20 miles from the border with England. The early chapters of this book dealing with castles, and the Earls (1072-1611) firmly place the city and its leaders into the context of Scotland’s history and there is lots of it, especially given its location in south-east Scotland so close to England’s border. There are detailed descriptions of Scotland’s Wars of Independence, the Rough Wooing, the Reformation, and England’s Civil War, in all of which the Earls of Dunbar or the city were involved. These chapters provide an excellent overview of early Scottish history.
One chapter examines the city’s ecclesiastical heritage describing the churches in the area, the role of the church in the witchcraft trials, example of Kirk discipline, and information on past and present burial grounds. There are additional chapters dealing with: the role of the city as a Royal Burgh; agriculture and fishing; trade, industry, commerce and social life. A chapter is dedicated to the life of John Muir, the father of conservation, since this is his home town.
The final chapter describes the military history of the burgh with its local militia, fencibles, and volunteer units through the centuries and how these changed. There are lots of details here, along with excellent photographs that will put your local ancestor into context. For example, in the agricultural section we read about women bondagers being expected to work on the land along with the men, and how much they earned, and how they lived, all of which is great material for any family history.
There is a lot of national, local, and social history in this volume. The footnotes and bibliography are very extensive. There are separate subject and name indexes making location of a particular subject or event easy to find.
This detailed book can be highly recommended for anyone with Dunbar or southeast Scotland connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.4, 2006
From the High Pennines: The Story of the Alderson Family from the 17th Century to the Dawn of the 21st Embracing Bellairs, Bradshaw-Isherwood, Mackenzie, Hodgson and Bland
† by Marmaduke Alderson. Published by Hayloft Publishing, Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria CA17 4EU, England. 2003. 134 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. £10 plus £4.65 p. & h.The High Pennines is the area covered by the northwest corner of Yorkshire and across the county lines in Durham and Westmorland. This is an area of rolling treeless hills and lots of sheep and occasional tarns. This story begins with Simond Alderson of Muker in Swaledale, who in the early 1600s has three sons. This is the authors’ eight-great grandfather.
There are separate chapters for each of the succeeding generations, plus chapters for some of the collateral lines. The chapters are richly illustrated with lots of photographs of people (copies of painted portraits) and places along with great stories. It is in these stories that we meet clergy, landscape gardeners (Christopher Alderson who designed Frogmore for George III and Queen Charolotte), soldiers (Jonathan Alderson, and officer rising though the ranks of the 43rd Regiment of Foot, but taking part in no battles), an emigrant to Canada who returned to England. On the collateral lines we meet a sailor (Henry Bellairs a midshipman at the Battle of Trafalgar), a survivor of the Darien Expedition (Alexander Mackenzie), and many more family members.
The individual stories vary in length and detail but are interesting to read. There is a simplified family tree to help the reader understand the branches of the family tree. There are no footnotes stating where individual pieces of information came from, but there is a bibliography and sources section provides general information for each chapter. The author has also created his own numbering system rather than following a standardized system. This is an interesting read for those with ancestry among the clergy and upper middle classes highlighting the opportunities available to them in society.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.4, 2006
The Eternal Paddy: Irish Identity and the British Press, 1798-1882
† by Michael de Nie. Published by the University of Wisconsin Press, 1930 Monroe Street, Madison, WI 53711. 2004. xi, 339 pp. Bibliography, illustrations, index. Softcover. $24.95How were Ireland and its people viewed by the English and its press? The answer to that depends upon which side of a particular issue you were on and which newspaper the writer was working for at the time. Few newspapers survive for the whole of the 19th century, but there are many runs of various newspapers that have survived for the four time periods addressed here. These time periods are: 1798 and the Union; the Great Famine, 1845-52; the Fenian Era, 1867-70 (includes Irish terrorist activities in Britain, the disestablishment of the Irish Church, and Gladstone’s Land Act); and the Land War, 1879-82 (includes the rise of Parnell and the Irish Parliamentary Party). Mr. Nie has examined a wide cross-section of over ninety metropolitan and provincial newspapers published in England, Scotland and Wales on which to develop his thesis.
The book looks at race, religion, and class and how they were perceived in the press, in politics, and in public opinion. It is through the use of many contemporary cartoons that the generalized prejudices and stereotypes that shaped British thinking about the Irish are made obvious to modern readers. The cartoons influenced the responses of the British government to events in Ireland, and thus shaped British policy making, even though we might not understand, because of time, the subtleties in the cartoons.
This book is not a light read. It will not assist readers in tracing their families in Ireland. However, it will help modern readers understand how contemporary British attitudes influenced what happened in the lives of our ancestors, and in some ways also shows where our stereotypes about the Irish originate. As an academic publication there are numerous footnotes, a complete listing of newspapers read, an extensive bibliography and a good index.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.4, 2006
CD-ROM REVIEW
Shropshire Quarter Sessions Index
This CD-ROM is the product of a joint effort between the Shropshire Records and Research Centre and the Shropshire Family History Society to index almost 400,000 individuals mentioned in over 400 boxes of Quarter Session documents created between 1831 and 1920. This includes over 7,500 cases brought before the Sessions, more than 13,000 Petty Session convictions, and over 15,000 inquests.
The County Quarter Sessions was a court with administrative and judicial functions until the 1888 Local Government Act transferred most of the administrative functions to the County Council. Each sitting of the court was held within 21 days of the Quarter Day (Easter, Midsummer, Michaelmas and Epiphany), with occasional adjournments.
Upon entering the program you enter a surname, and as you type a window appears showing options. This allows you to spot potential spelling variations. A search on the name Milner provides 181 options; none of them mine, as this is the wrong part of the country for me. The results are displayed with columns for surname, forename, year, place, document, and trade. You can sort the results on any of the columns except surname. Selecting any name in the table shows the full details below, with spaces for forename, surname, trade, place, county, year, quarter, type of document, reference number, item number, and extension number.
The breadth of documents available is phenomenal and includes accounts, acquittals, admissions, affidavits, appointments, bastardy papers, carriage rates, character references, complaints, convictions, declarations, depositions, enclosure agreements, examinations, exhibits, fines, indictments, inquisitions, licence applications, lists (freemasons, magistrates, Oddfellows, paupers, prisoners), notices, oaths, orders, petitions, probation reports, previous convictions, reports on prisoners, regimental defectors, removal orders, warrants, witness statements, and lots more. Knowing the reference and the type of document will give you an idea of what types of information may be found when obtaining a copy of the record.
The data is in a Microsoft Access database, requires 20MB of free space on the hard drive, plus Windows 98 or above to operate.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.4, 2006
Discover Your Roots: 52 Brilliant Ideas for Exploring Your Family and Local History
† by Paul Blake and Maggie Loughran. Published by The Infinite Ideas Company Ltd., 36 St. Giles, Oxford OX1 3LD, England. 2006. 240 pp. Index. Softcover. £9.99.This is a book by two authors familiar to many BIGWILL members as they spoke last year at our conference. You can imagine their accents as you read this book.
This is one of 45 volumes currently in the “52 ideas” series. As you can imagine, there is a formulaic design and layout to these volumes. There are 52 chapters, each generally four or five pages in length. Each chapter is designed to get you inspired, to provide an inspirational idea, something to pique your interest about a topic and then get you to take action. Along the edges of the pages you will find: “Here’s an idea for you …” giving you something specific to try right now, or give you an idea of how well you’re doing; “Try another idea …” will point you to another tip to expand upon the first; “Defining idea …” provides a quote with words of wisdom; “How did it go …” provides Q and A highlighting common problems and how to get over them.
This is not a how-too book. The illustrations used are generic and have little or nothing to do with the topic of the chapter. There are no footnotes or bibliographies, though there is a listing of useful web addresses.
The chapters cover everything from the fundamentals of research in terms of how to start, through why to use records such as civil registration certificates, census, and wills. It also covers education records, coroners, the parish chest, professions, manors, heraldry, criminals, emigration, DNA, WWI records, publishing, National Farm survey, architecture, and more. Nothing is covered in any depth.
What this book does, and does well, is to provide ideas to get you thinking about alternatives for your research, especially in the UK. It is an easy read, with thoughtful suggestions, and is the type of book you can pick up, spend a couple of minutes reading a simple chapter, put it down and you are left with something to think about for the rest of the day. There is an index if you later want to return to a specific topic or idea. This is a nice light read.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.5, 2006
Trace Your Orkney Ancestors: A Guide to Sources for Orcadian Family and Local History
† by James M. Irvine. Purchase from the author at 11 Agates Lane, Ashtead, Surrey KT21 2NG, England. <[email protected]> 2004. 76 pp. Index, illustrations. Softcover. £8.50.If you have ancestors from the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland, then this book is a must. The author provides – in a lot of fine print and compact, practical tables – almost everything you will need to find your Orkney ancestry. The book is divided into five sections: introduction; records and their use; context; details of source material; and background information.
The introduction provides details of where to find the resources, including the expected national and local depositories. Don’t skip this section, though, for who would think to look for local for relevant materials in Winnipeg or North Yorkshire? In this section you will find a short piece on research principles and guidance on old handwriting, languages (English, Scots, Norn), plus legal and technical terms.
The section addressing the records themselves looks at: census records; hatches, matches and dispatches; transfer of land ownership; census substitutes; and other sources. The sources included range from the familiar to the unusual, but all are fully explained with examples and show what information you will find in them. You will also find details on where to access them (Edinburgh, Orkney Archives, or through the LDS), and what indexes are strong, weak, or error-prone.
The context section is a detailed one page, providing information on websites, history, contemporary accounts, and books. This is useful, especially for those of us who have never been to the Islands.
The final two sections, addressing sources materials and background information, are appendices to the book There are 25 information-laden tables, charts, and lists giving you all the specifics like archives reference numbers, LDS film numbers, gaps in records, indices, a parish map of the islands, currency, dates, etc. In other words, almost everything you would want to assist you in tracing your Orkney ancestors. This is a highly recommended practical research guide.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.5, 2006
Thunder Underground: Northumberland Mine Disasters 1815-1865
† by Roy Thompson. Published by Landmark Publishing, Ashbourne Hall, Cockayne Ave, Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 1EJ, England. 2004. 176 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £19.95.The subtitle of this book is “The story of mining disasters on which inquests were held before the controversial Stephen Reed, Coroner for South Northumberland for 50 years of the 19th century. With biographies of the owners, the viewers and the Coroner himself and a description of the pits and the way they worked.”
The book is divided into three sections: the mining of coal; the disasters; and captains of coal – the personalities. There is also an epilogue, a list of sources, and an index.
The first section, dealing with the mining of coal, gives a good overview of the history of coal mining, especially as it relates to Northumberland. It examines many subjects including: the coal owners; viewers, hewers; pits; housing; ventilation (lack thereof causing many of the disasters); water; putting; explosions; winding; lighting; haulage and the railways. The descriptions are excellent and the illustrations are very good, although most come from slightly later in the 19th century. You do get a good sense of how the mines operated and what it was like to own or work in the mine.
The second section deals with twelve disasters, beginning with the flooding of Heaton colliery in 1815, where 41 men and 34 boys – three of them aged seven or under – lost their lives. It ends with the explosion at Coxlodge in 1863, where 20 men and boys were killed that day, and six more died later of horrific burns. All the coroner hearings were presided over by the controversial Stephen Reed. The summaries make for fascinating reading. These are well footnoted and illustrated with maps, photographs and sketches from publications. For me, this section painted a harsh and dangerous picture of what life was like in the mid-19th century coal pits, especially relevant given my mining ancestors who worked in the pits of Northumberland and Durham.
The final section describes the personalities, especially Stephen Reed himself, but also some of the key local people who wanted the status quo as well as those who fought for change. The book provides information on their activities, their families, and where they lived, often with pictures.
The book’s epilogue closes with “It was cheap coal which had made Britain Great. It funded the Industrial Revolution, it kept people in the cities warm and it concentrated sufficient wealth in the hands of the ruling classes to fund other industries, and to pay for the expansion of the British Empire. Wealth cascaded into the British economy to the eventual benefit of the British working classes. The pits made Britain wealthy, but we owe our present high standard of living to those thousands of our ancestors who worked and died in them.” This is a good way of remembering those ancestors, for mine were among them.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.5, 2006
A Brief and Jolly Change: The Diaries of Henry Peerless, 1891-1920
† edited by Edward Fenton. Published by Day Books, Orchard Piece, Crawborough, Charlbury OX7 3TX. 2003. 304 pp. Index, photographs. Hardcover. £19.95.After the Bank Holiday Act of 1871, many Victorians started to use their free time and money to take a holiday, seen not merely as a frivolous good but as a social good and even a moral duty. Henry Peerless was one such person. What makes Henry so unique is that he kept a diary for every vacation he took between 1891, his honeymoon, up till health issues prevented him and his wife taking trips in 1920.
Henry was born in Brighton, Sussex – a holiday town in its own right on the south coast of England – in December, 1866. He lived within a few doors of the school he attended and within sight of the timber yard (Peerless & Son) where he worked from the age of 14, his whole career. There is a drop-line pedigree chart showing Henry, his siblings, and his cousins and their partners. But this is not a genealogy book; it is rather a good piece of social history.
We learn about where people went on vacation, to places such as Tunbridge Wells, Weston-super-Mare, the New Forest, the English Lakes, Barmouth, Penzance and Torquay, Bude, Bath, and more. The family also left the country to Jersey, Switzerland, Ireland, and Italy. I have been to some of these same places, but through Henry’s eyes I see them as they were a hundred years ago. We read about a variety of transportation methods such as the railways, donkeys, omnibuses, bicycles, horse-drawn carriages, steamships, and towards the end, the motor car. We are reminded of items such as renting bathing costumes and towels, using mobile changing rooms, and having the sexes divided on the beach, or swimming in green or muddy swimming baths. In the old days, the visitors to the stately homes could touch the furniture. Henry and his family are never put off by the rain, although we are reminded of differences when we read about the family getting rugs to cover their laps on the open horse-drawn carriages in the rain.
The introduction tells us that Henry’s diaries have been edited for our benefit, to make it read better, and some of the descriptions from the tour books have been omitted. However, the book is a delight to read, as the writing is very descriptive and you can imagine being there with the family. The book also has some good black-and-white photographs of both the family and some of the places they visited. This is a nice piece of social history.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.5, 2006
Recusant Yeomen in the Counties of York and Lancaster: The Survival of a Catholic Farming Family
† by John Richard Robinson. Purchase from the author at 480 Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8EN, England. 2003. 224 pp. Index, photographs. Hardcover. £22 plus £8 airmail or £4 surface mail.A “recusant” is defined as someone who absented himself (or herself) from the services of the parish church. Under the Act of Uniformity of 1559, he was fined, and the consequences changed with later acts. Lancashire and Yorkshire have a reputation of not always enforcing the laws, and so Catholic families were at times able to practice their faith. This is one such story of a yeoman family.
John Robinson grew up with the oral tradition that the family had always been Catholics beyond the Reformation into medieval England. John set out to investigate the validity of that oral tradition, to authenticate aspects of that tradition, and to provide a resource for further study. His aim was to trace the family back as far as possible in order to provide an historical framework on which other researchers could build. He has achieved these goals.
The author starts with himself, the oral tradition, and his family. He then moves back in time a generation per chapter. The chapters do not follow any standardized format, but tell a story of the lives of the individuals in each generation. The direct paternal line is the most important, and so it is these people that we learn the most about, although in the earlier time periods we also learn about some of the connected families. Yet in the background we also learn about the Catholic priests connected with the family. The family is connected with Hutton Magna, Nuthill, Charnock Richard, Chaigley, Wycliffe, Burton Pidsea, all in Yorkshire and Lancashire. At the end of each chapter there is a drop line chart covering one to four generations. These charts are needed to keep all the people in the text straight.
The author has used a lot of published Catholic sources and so provides a good example of what records are available for a group of people that are not supposed to have records. An extensive bibliography of primary and secondary sources is provided. You do get a sense of the persecution of the family, and he does a good job of setting them into a wider Catholic context. I especially liked learning about where the children and priests were sent on the continent to be educated, and some of the problems they encountered.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.5, 2006
Brunel
† by Annabel Gillings. Published by Haus Publishing Ltd., 26 Cadogan Court, London SW3 3BX, England. 2006. 182 pp. Index, illustrations. Softcover. £10.99.Growing up in England and being educated as an engineer, I was familiar with the name of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, one of England greatest Victorian engineers. I had never read much about him or put his life and achievements together or looked at the whole picture. This book solved that problem by providing a thorough easy-to-read summary of his life and times.
Brunel was born in Portsmouth in 1806 to French born parents. His father was an engineer and provided opportunities for the young Isambard, sending him to be formally trained in France, as there was nowhere in England to be educated as an engineer. While he was in France his father spent time in debtor’s prison.
Upon his return to England we learn about his engineering achievements: Thames Tunnel (after some floods); Clifton Bridge; Bristol Docks; Great Western Railway and Paddington Station; the steamships Great Western, Great Britain, and Great Eastern.
The book is about his life and times not just about achievements. We learn about his energy, his up and down finances and his love life. Here is a real human being accomplishing great things through energy, drive, and creativity.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.5, 2006
The Genealogist’s Internet
, 3rd Expanded Edition† by Peter Christian. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, England. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk>. 2005. xii, 340 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £12.99.The first edition of this book was published in 2001, and four years later we are into a much larger third edition. Things do keep changing, especially the internet.
I like and recommend this book because it focuses on website of interest to British researchers, as opposed to most other internet books which are American-focused. It is much more than a listing of websites to check out, because such lists keep changing anyways. For example, of the 750 URLs mentioned in the first edition, at least one third are no longer at the same address.
What is new in this volume is information on the new National Archives site, combining the Public Record Office and Historical Manuscripts Commission, launched in summer 2004. There has been a significant increase in the amount of data available and an increase in the number of providers, especially relating to civil registration, census, and parish records. Plus, there are the millions of records provided by societies through FamilyHistoryOnline.
What makes this book different is the analysis behind the websites. For example, in the chapters that deal with civil registration, census, and parish registers, the reader is provided with direct comparisons between the different providers, with examples of the quality of the images and indexing, size of files, costs, and more. There are comparisons of the major commercial services, although some have already merged with or been bought out by others.
In addition to the online sources, the reader is given direction for utilizing: archives and libraries; surname interests and pedigrees; social groups (clergy, criminals, armed forces, etc); geography (gazetteers and maps); history; photographs; discussion forums (mailing lists, newsgroups, web forums); search engines; publishing your family history online; the world of family history (societies, events, magazines, blogs, software, online shops, professional services, lookup services); and issues (good practices, using what you find, copyright, and privacy).
There is a lot in this book. Beginners and experienced online researchers alike will find it valuable for the comparisons, explanations and guidance given.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.6, 2006
Old Parish Boundaries of Staffordshire: A Guide to the Administrative Units of Staffordshire. Volume One: Pirehill
† by Tim Cockin. Published by Malthouse Press. Purchase from the author Tim Cockin, Grange Cottage, Malthouse Lane, Barlaston, Staffordshire, ST12 9AQ, England [email protected]. 2005. viii, 364 pp. Indexes, maps. Hardcover. £12This book was a real eye opener in terms of how often parish boundaries have actually changed, at least in Staffordshire. This book covers the Hundred of Pirehill, which is the northwest side of the county. The Hundreds, of which there are five in Staffordshire, were created in Anglo-Saxon times and possibly pre-date the shires. They comprise vills (roughly equaling a manor). These vills or manors largely became the townships of the 18th and 19th centuries. In turn, townships were divisions of a parish, which could levy a separate poor rate and appoint a constable. The author has taken special care in tracing these township boundaries using the First/Old Series Ordnance Survey maps, tithe, estate, and municipal maps. Some of the parishes cross county boundaries (e.g. Drayton-in Hales – Staffordshire, Betley – Cheshire).
The book is arranged by ancient parish for the Hundred of Pirehill, in alphabetical order. Each parish begins with a photograph or image of something illustrating the parish, followed by a quote and a brief description of the parish and/or its administration. This is followed by the townships, providing date of becoming a civil parish, establishment of a parish council, information on local government, and electoral divisions. The most valuable part is the superb maps of the parishes, showing subdivisions and all communities, halls, important houses, churches, and farms within the parish. Most of the places mentioned on these very detailed maps are mentioned in the author’s companion volume, The Staffordshire Encyclopedia.
The major addition is that at the end of each parish listing there is a topical insert of varying length covering various aspects of parish administration. This in effect forms an attempt to localize the material found in W.E. Tate’s classic volume, The Parish Chest. The subjects covered include: vestry meeting notices, monumental inscriptions, oral history, parish books, early population lists, charity and rate accounts, probate records, peculiar probate records, parish mergers, societies, window tax, church rights, tithe maps, bell ringing, parish services, printed parish registers, deserted villages, records in neighboring counties, register of common land, ratepayers, poor law, families in visitation records, early registers, open and select vestries, family papers, village greens, workhouses, and more. This is followed by a comprehensive index to all the locations mentioned on the detailed maps. The index to the chapter abstracts follows the map index.
The supplement to this volume is a chronological listing of all the Staffordshire peerage who were members of the House of Lords (1067–1999), followed by county seats in the House of Commons (1213-1832), followed by the representatives for the succeeding divisions in the county up to the present.
I hope you get the picture that there is a great deal of practical information in this volume for anyone researching in the Pirehill Hundred. The one thing I would have liked, for someone who is not that familiar with this area, is a map of the Hundreds, showing their relationship to one another and to the county boundaries. I had to get out another atlas to help me place these parishes within the county.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.6, 2006
The Staffordshire Encyclopedia: A Secondary Source Index on the History of the Old County of Staffordshire, Celebrating its Curiosities, Peculiarities and Legends
, Second Edition† by Tim Cockin. Published by Malthouse Press. Purchase from the author Tim Cockin, Grange Cottage, Malthouse Lane, Barlaston, Staffordshire, ST12 9AQ, England [email protected]. 2006. xxvi, 680 pp. Softcover. £45.This is an encyclopedia for the enthusiastic local historian, not necessarily the academic historian. The author has let his own interests in the curious, peculiar, and legendary to guide his choice of what materials to include. The encyclopedia follows the format of a gazetteer listing, with details of all known places in Staffordshire that he has been able to find references to in many consulted sources. The individual entries may be one line or a couple of pages in length. The book is large, with each page consisting of two columns of fine text, allowing the author to pack in a lot of detail. Each location and key words within the text are bolded, making them easier to find on the page. For larger communities, the information has been divided up by time period: Early (prehistory to the end of the Roman period); 900 to 1500; 1500 to the present. These time periods are not rigid. For example, evidence of Saxon and medieval society regarding the manor, parish, church, wakes, market, market (butter) cross, fair, gallows, stocks, pound (pinfold), curfew will appear in the section dated 1500, even though the evidence may be associated with a later date. The source of information within the text is identified using a source abbreviation with page number.
The book has a good introduction examining geography, early historical periods, formation of the shire, castles and forests, religion, Civil War, transportation, welfare, county newspapers, parliamentary representation, and some of the county’s curious, peculiar, and legendary personal feats.
The appendices list: population of the county; Neolithic and Bronze Age activity and burial mounds; county families and their houses; commercial premises; collieries, mines and quarries; potteries; public houses; places not located; extra provincial places; cross index; corrections to the first edition; bibliography; general abbreviations.
The author states that the text is the same as in the first edition, but for technical and legal reasons the illustrations and maps have been omitted. This is a shame, as some maps of the county, its major towns, and divisions would have helped those of us not intimately familiar with the county to better visualize the county.
This is a wonderful encyclopedia, and I just wish I had ancestors in Staffordshire, or a similar volume for my ancestral counties. This volume is a great addition to the author’s old parish boundaries book also reviewed here.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.6, 2006
London Stories: Personal Lives, Public Histories
† by Hilda Kean. Published by Rivers Oram Press, 144 Hemingford Road, London N1 1DE. U.S. distributor, Independent Publishers Group, 814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610. <www.ipgbook.com> 2004. x, 228 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $19.95. This is a book that caught me by surprise and I loved it. Ms. Kean is a tutor in history and a course director of the MA in Public History at Ruskin College, Oxford. She describes how she got into this project, discarding many of her mother’s effects easily when her mother was moving into a home, but being left with the family ephemera that was part of her mother’s life story.In the introduction she states, “I want to argue that while it is impossible to recreate the past as it really was we can nevertheless create meaning, understanding, and even, interest by drawing on the substance of past lives” (p. 9). In my opinion the author does this wonderfully.
The book accomplishes three things. First, the author gives details about the lives of her ancestors, focusing on each couple and their lives – silk weavers in Spitalfields, agricultural workers in industrial Staffordshire, carriers in Hadlow Kent, and their migration into London and the eventual union in the author’s parents. We learn about the records found within the family, and archives that were used to construct this family history. This is what I expected in the book.
Secondly, we got to see the author as a fellow researcher with all the emotions of the hunt. Like when she was given unidentified photographs by a relative: she wanted them so much to be of the specific family members who migrated into the city. We also learn how she views places differently when she visits rural Staffordshire versus the section of London where she grew up.
Third, and for me the most important part of the book, is we get to see this historian’s thought processes. Throughout the book she raises great questions about what assumptions can and cannot be made about individuals living in the past, how their experience is viewed through the eyes of their contemporaries and through modern eyes. A good example is her silk weaver in Spitalfields, for which there are a lot of official government records about the occupation in this locality, yet she points out that her family were not of Huguenot descent as many of the weavers were, nor did they appear in the poor relief books as many of their neighbors did as the silk industry collapsed. While reading the book my mind would follow the author’s thought processes, and suddenly I was thinking about my ancestors and the assumptions I had been making about what I knew about them.
The integration of the ancestral story, the contemporary emotions and the very thoughtful questions about what it all means, makes this a book worth reading by anyone considering writing about their ancestors. There is also good integration of quotes and thoughts from fellow British historians, many of whom will not be familiar to Americans but fit very nicely.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.6, 2006
A Cemetery Record: Persons Born in Cornwall and Their Descendants Buried in Jo Daviess County, Illinois
† recorded by Dorothy Beckwith. Purchase from Dorothy Beckwith, P.O. Box 354, Platteville, WI 53818-0354. [email protected]. 2005. iv, 133 pp. 3-ring binder. $20 plus $4 p. & h.Ms. Beckwith has relied heavily on the work of Robert Hanson, the first to record the cemeteries in Jo Daviess County, Illinois. This work has been supplemented by the work of others. What makes this compilation interesting is that it the first listing by nationality. Many of the inscriptions tell the researcher that the person was born in Cornwall. However, it is also a listing of their descendants, and so that makes this a huge task, especially when it comes to tracking the daughters who married non-Cornishmen. It also means that Ms. Beckwith needs to really know the families within the county.
The listing is alphabetical by surname, capitalized, making them easy to spot. Often the reader is provided with the person’s full name, date and place of birth, date of death, relationship to other family members, the name and location of the cemetery. Women will be listed under their married name and their maiden name when known. Some entries also identify when the individuals are found in other sources, such as the History of Jo Daviess County.
For those with Cornish ancestors in northwest Illinois or southwest Wisconsin, this is a resource well worth looking at, as it may save you a lot of time and effort searching for missing or dead relatives.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.13 no.6, 2006
The National Archives: A Practical Guide for Family Historians
† by Stella Colwell. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, England. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk> 2006. 208 pp. Bibliography, illustrations, index. Softcover. £9.99.This book is an updated replacement to Jane Cox’s 1997 book New to Kew? The book is divided into three sections, the first of which is an introduction to the National Archives. This addresses the question of whether you should be at the Kew or at the Family Records Centre (which will be irrelevant in 2008 with the pending closure of the FRC), looks at what you need to know, how to prepare both for your research, and what you will need to do when you arrive. There are some nice step-by-step reminders and practical advice here for anyone who has never been, or not been lately.
The second part examines what records are not held at the National Archives, such as civil registration records, parish registers, wills proven nationally after 1858 or locally prior to 1858, electoral registers, directories of names, newspapers, manorial records, or county records.
Part three examines the popular records types used by genealogists. For each topic you are provided with a brief description, information on what you will find, finding aids, what to do if you can’t find your ancestor, other records to try for similar information, and a listing of the TNA research guides to read, and sometimes specific recommended books.
There are 29 varied topics addressed here, covering everything from apprenticeships, military records, change of name, civil war and interregnum, death duty registers, emigrants and immigrants, medieval ancestors, nonconformists, railway workers, state tontines, tax lists, and more. Even as a researcher who has been to Kew numerous times, I found myself saying “I did that but not that.” I therefore took a few notes of things to try on my next trip.
This book is a good introduction to the topics most commonly researched by family historians indicating the wealth of material available at The National Archives. Yet the material described here is only the tip of the iceberg. The book provides good advice on how to prepare for your visit and is thus highly recommended for anyone visiting for the first time.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.1, 2007
Medals: The Researchers Guide
† by William Spencer. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, England. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk> 2006. 224 pp. Bibliography, illustrations, index. Hardcover. £19.99.This guide is designed to bring together in one publication details about the most important archival sources relating to orders, decorations and medals held at The National Archives and in the India Office Collection at the British Library.
The book has three parts: Part I covers campaign medals and awards for gallantry or meritorious service; Part II covers long service awards, coronation and jubilee medals, and miscellaneous medals; Part III covers research techniques and online resources. The appendices provide details of societies, published resources and where to see medals.
The first medal issued to all who took part in a campaign was the Waterloo Medal. I would love to find, even if it’s in a museum, the medal for my Samuel Milliner of the 4th Regiment of Foot, who survived the Battle of Waterloo. After reading this book, though, you realize the British were constantly fighting all over the world. The book describes, often illustrating, what the medals looked like, what groups of combatants or civilians were awarded the medals, and what records have been created. You are given specific references to search at the National Archives or the British Library when seeking information about the recipient, the event or the medal. When lists of medal recipients have been published or are available, online references are provided.
Throughout the book there are case studies with illustrations of medals, the recipients, document examples, plus details on how and where to search for the relevant documents. These case studies show what can be accomplished, and, in fact, need to be read because part III covering research techniques is actually slim (seven pages) and weak, explaining primarily how to search ADM 12 (Admiralty Index and Digest) which would not have fit easily elsewhere in the book.
The wealth of details in this book makes it a valuable reference book for anyone who has a medal in their family and wants to find out more. However, the reader cannot rely solely on part III for research guidance; the cases will need to be studied.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.1, 2007
Home Front 1914-1918: How Britain Survived the Great War
† by Ian F.W. Beckett. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, England. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk> 2006. 224 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £19.99.The British have been going to war for centuries, yet it is the First World War where the Home Front developed for the first time. This is a time when the routines of daily life at home were changed forever. Some of those changes still exist in British society such as British summer time, public house closing times, war memorials everywhere, and Remembrance Sunday.
The book begins by examining the situation in Britain at the beginning of the war, providing a good summary of European politics that pulled Britain into the war. Then the war effort begins.
Ian Beckett does an excellent job of illustrating what the men at home did and how that changed as more men went to war and women took over their responsibilities, though not for the same pay. It also highlights how women’s lives changed as they became involved in the war effort, especially in the ammunition factories, the land army, and nursing. In the midst of these life changes, the social police examined social and family life with questions of morality, the wider use of contraceptives, and pub closing times. Looking at the routine of everyday life, we learn about price increases, queues, allotments, rationing, welfare, and pleasure activities.
The war did encroach into everyday life with enemies, real and imagined, such as the Irish, aliens (foreigners), pacifists, and Bolsheviks, with the resulting internment camps and censors. Then there is the real enemy with the damage brought by bombers and airships. The last two chapters examine the end of the war, its consequences, and costs.
Throughout the text the official government Acts that were used to change and control people’s lives are frequently mentioned and provide lots of context. The photographs and copies of documents are very clear and have detailed captions.
Reading this book gave me a good framework for understanding the lives of my ancestors who stayed home from the war.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.1, 2007
Tracing Your First World War Ancestors
† by Simon Fowler. Published by Countryside Books, Highfield House, 2 Highfield Avenue, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 5DS, England. <www.countrysidebooks.co.uk> 2003. 144 pp. Bibliography, illustrations, index. Softcover. £7.95.Almost every British family was affected one way or another by the First World War. I have found numerous soldiers among the relatives, unfortunately the easy ones to find are the ones who did not survive. This excellent guide, aimed at researchers new to WWI research, has some nice additions for experienced researchers.
The book begins with an overview of how to get started looking at family photographs, background reading, where the records are located, how to do research and what to do with the results of your research. This is followed by a description of life in the services and how it differed between the different branches, plus between the British and Colonial forces. Along the way it dispels some of the common myths.
The book then gets into the specific records for the Army, Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Women’s Royal Naval Service, Merchant Marine, Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Air Force, Women’s Royal Air Force, nurses, charity workers, Women’s Land Army and civilians. There is a brief introductory chapter on tracing ancestors in other armies (allied and enemy). The appendices provide useful addresses and details on WWI collections (archival and documentary), an annotated bibliographic guide, web addresses, abbreviations and command structure within the services.
Throughout the book there are numerous references to the materials and online guides to the vast amount of material at The National Archives, but what makes this book so valuable are the additional references to published resources, web sites and collections not at The National Archives. This slim but packed book is easy to read, provides simple guidance on where and how to search for First World War family connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.1, 2007
Tracing Your Second World War Ancestors
† by Simon Fowler. Published by Countryside Books, Highfield House, 2 Highfield Avenue, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 5DS, England. <www.countrysidebooks.co.uk> 2006. 176 pp. Bibliography, illustrations, index. Softcover. £9.99.This book works to dispel the myth that you cannot find out anything about your WWII ancestors, and yes, many of the service records have not been released yet, but much material is available.
The book describes how to get started looking at family photographs, background reading, location of records, how to find what you want and conducting research. The chapter on common sources addresses records common to all branches of the service, such as service records, medals and awards, casualties, prisoners of war and other sources.
Then there are chapters for the British Army, Royal Navy, Merchant Marine, Airmen and RAF Officers, Civilians. The last two chapters address the British Commonwealth and Empire Forces, plus Allies and Enemies. These last two chapters provide a high level overview but point you in the right direction for finding more information.
The book is an easy read, yet is packed with the types of details and pointers that we as researchers are looking for. These pointers include guides and references to resources at The National Archives, along with published and online resources provided by individuals and other institutions. The book’s bibliography is excellent, with very current easily accessible references (most published within the last 15 years, many in the last five years), with both reference and general citations for each branch of the service.
Reading this book gave me the impression that maybe I could find out more about my grandfathers’ service with the Royal Artillery in North Africa. Now to just follow through and put that thought into action.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.1, 2007
Military History Sources for Family Historians: The Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902
† by Phil Tomaselli. Published by the Federation of Family History Societies, Units 15-16 Chesham Industrial Centre, Oram Street, Bury, Lancashire BL9 6EN, England. <www.genfair.com> 2006. 48 pp. Illustrated. Softcover. £4.95.When researching British military ancestors it is easy to get lost in books that cover 400 years of development and all the records that go with that history. Here is a slim book, easy to read, that covers one specific time period, the Anglo-Boer War from 1899 to 1902.
The book begins with an overview of what the war was about, who was involved, and the numbers of soldiers present. Then it addresses the important question of “Did my ancestor fight in the Boer War?” It is here that it is pointed out that almost every British regiment sent men to South Africa, along with men from colonial regiments, the Imperial Yeomanry, and British units raised in South Africa. Many of the records are at the National Archives.
Successive chapters address medals, service records, and other sources. The latter examines the Boers, casualty records, operational records, shipping lists, women, and museums. There is a brief annotated bibliography to guide the researcher further. There is no index.
As the book states it was an “unlucky” soldier who did not serve in the war if he wanted to (p.11). If you have a male ancestor or relative that you cannot find in the 1901 census, you should consider whether they were serving in South Africa. This slim book will give you a glimpse into what records to be examining to find those elusive soldiers.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.1, 2007
Finding Out About Your Family History
† by Kathy Chater and Simon Fowler. Published by the Federation of Family History Societies, Units 15-16 Chesham Industrial Centre, Oram Street, Bury, Lancashire BL9 6EN, England. <www.genfair.com> 2006. 31 pp. Illustrated. Softcover. £2.99.This book felt like an introductory article on how to get started in English research and could have been improved with some editing to smooth out the two different writing styles.
The book outlines the first steps in research, talking to the relatives and finding whatever documents you can find. It then progresses to talk about the Internet, record repositories, the Family Record Center (to obtain certificates and examine census returns). It then briefly addresses other sources such as church records, wills, military service records, problem solving, storing of data, next steps, and joining your local family history society. Nothing is covered in depth.
A brief bibliography provides additional sources. BIGWILL members will be beyond this book, but it might be an inexpensive gift you can send to your English cousins who have no idea why you are tracing your ancestors and you want to try to get them interested, or at least to understand.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.1, 2007
The Cornish Overseas: A History of Cornwall’s Great Emigration
† by Philip Payton. Cornwall Editions Ltd., 8 Langurtho Road, Fowey, Cornwall PL23 1EQ, England. <www.cornwalleditions.co.uk>. 2005. 466 pp. Index, maps. Softcover. £12.99.This is a revised and updated version of Payton’s major study on the great migration of the Cornish people, originally published in a limited hardback edition in 1998. This softcover edition expands on the earlier work, now out of print, and makes it readily available.
This book is a fascinating read, focusing on the migration of the Cornish around the world, especially on the period between 1815 and WWI. Until reading this book I was not conscious of how mobile the Cornish really were, returning repeatedly to Cornwall to reconnect with family and to have more children, before migrating again to some distant part of the world for another term of employment. Many of the miners, having made some money or because of health reasons, returned to retire and die in Cornwall. Have you found your ancestors in the census in Cornwall with missing husbands or fathers? If so, then this book may suggest where in the world they might be.
The book does emphasize the miners who migrated, but the quarrymen and farmers are also included. We are reminded that many Cornish moved between mining and farming frequently, especially in their new countries. You will learn about the impact of religion, especially among the Bible Christians and Methodists.
The migrations take off during the economic downturn following the end of the Napoleonic Wars, with migrations to Mexico, Cuba, and South America. By the 1840s the focus shifted to the U.S., and especially important for us, the development of the Wisconsin lead mining region, followed by the Keweenaw Peninsula of Upper Michigan. The book does a good job explaining this development and the subsequent westward migrations, temporary and permanent, especially to the goldfields. With the discovery of gold and large copper deposits in Australia in the 1850s, the Cornish are migrating again, sometimes directly from Cornwall but also from the U.S. and the Americas.
The 1860s saw the crash of Cornish copper, the faltering of Cornish tin, and the first step in the decline of Cornwall’s engineering prowess. Overseas mineral production was creating problems back home and increasing the incentive to emigrate. The rest of the century saw new mining frontiers in Australia, North America, and South Africa especially, but the Cornish were to be found all over the world, wherever minerals and rocks were to be dug out of the ground.
The book is full of vignettes about real people. It describes their lives, their travels, and their hardships, both for the miner and the families, whether they traveled with them or remained in Cornwall. You are given a picture of their superior confidence in their skills, close ethnic ties, troubles especially with the Irish on the mines, and later with the developing unions. You get a sense of what life was like and how it changed for the Cornish throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. There are lots of quotes and all sources are included in endnotes. All individuals, families, and many themes are included in the good index. A comprehensive bibliography would have been a helpful addition to the book.
This book is highly recommended for those with Cornish connections, especially those wanting to put their migrating ancestors into a much wider context of the great Cornish migration.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.2, 2007
The Story of Mining in Cornwall
† by Allen Buckley. Published by Cornwall Editions, Ltd., 8 Langurtho Road, Fowey, Cornwall, PL23 1EQ, England. <www.cornwalleditions.co.uk>. 2005. 240 pp. Bibliography, illustrations, index. Hardcover. £45.This is a beautiful book to look at, with lots of excellent color and black-and-white photographs showing places, documents, maps, mine cross sections, and mining activities (surface and underground, modern and period photographs) in Cornwall, on the surface and underground. The excellent illustrations are combined the most comprehensive and easy to understand history of mining in Cornwall that I have read, and I do have a number of Cornish mining books to compare it with. (Readers need to be aware that I was educated in Cornwall as a mining engineer and worked underground in Wheal Jane one of the mines discussed in the book. I just wish I had Cornish ancestors.)
The book begins by looking at the ancient tin industry (prior to the Norman Conquest), dispelling the Phoenician myth that I certainly heard about and have seen in print, but examining surviving evidence for what is reality. The next two chapters look at the late medieval and early modern periods, examining the changes in management and technology, with an especially good explanation of the Stannaries. Reading the rest of the book moves by century through both the tin and copper industries describing: the changes in mining equipment and techniques; the problems with water and how to remove it from the mines; labor and union issues; religion among the miners; female labor; capitalization of the mines as they grew in size and consolidated; cost book system; global politics and discovery of deposits elsewhere in the world with the effect on tin and copper prices; the rise and fall of the mines that accompanied the rise and fall of tin and copper prices. We learn about the great mines like the Dolcoath, Cooks Kitchen, Botallock, East Pool, and South Crofty, along with many others. The last tin mine, South Crofty, closed in March 1998.
Tin and copper were not the only economic minerals in Cornwall. There is a chapter on the many other unique minerals found within the county, with photographs of some wonderful mineral specimens, plus a description of how they were exploited. There are additional chapters for the china clay and slate industries within Cornwall. The book concludes with a good bibliography and glossary of mining terms.
This book provides an excellent overview of the mining industry within Cornwall. You are not likely to learn about your individual miner, but you will understand the big picture and be able to put the miner and their family into context, learning about the good and the learn years and how they coped. This book is highly recommended for those with Cornish mining connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.2, 2007
Tracing Your Ancestors in the National Archives: The Website and Beyond
, 7th Edition† by Amanda Bevan. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU, England. 2006. ix, 566 pp. Index. Softcover. £19.99.The first edition was issued as a slim edition in 1981 and has continually expanded since then. Since the last edition in 2002, the Public Record Office merged with the Historical Manuscripts Commission to form the National Archives in April 2003. Along with this merger there has been an explosion of resources that have come available online such as the online catalogs “Documents Online” and “Access to Archives,” each approximately equal in size with about 10 million entries. However, once the online records have been explored researchers will need to learn what original records are available for the time period of interest and how to access them. This excellent guide will meet the needs of both beginner and experienced researchers needing to understand what is available in England’s largest archive.
The book is divided into 62 sections. It includes the records at the Family Records Center, currently in central London, such as census, civil registration, and PCC wills. It describes the new additions from the Historical Manuscript Commission. But the bulk of the book describes the records previously at the Public Record Office, including records of: emigration; army; Royal and merchant navies; police; railways; apprentices; lunacy; coroners’ inquests; manors, crown lands and wardship; land transfer; taxation; civil litigation; business records, and lots more. There are so many more topics in fact that I could not think of any records that I, as a family historian, would use and find in the National Archives that is not covered.
Each topic is described in outline format with a good introductory explanation before diving in depth into the records at the National Archives. Each subject has an excellent bibliography, both to explanatory texts and published indexes. One of the delightful features is an explanation on how to search the online catalog in a group of records so that you know whether you can search for the names of individuals (surname, surname with initials, or surname with Christian name) or places or if you are better off searching printed indexes. Reading this book shows that there are many places in the catalog where you can search for the names of individuals.
This book is an easy-to-use reference book that should be used by every serious British researcher.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.2, 2007
The A–Z of Traditional Cures and Remedies
† by Dulcie Lewis. Published by Countryside Books, 3 Catherine Road, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 5DS, England <www.countrysidebooks.co.uk>. 2002. 252 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £9.95.With the formation of the National Health Service in 1948, the English obtained unlimited access to doctors and hospitals. Prior to 1948, our ancestors relied on home cures, herbal remedies and ancient superstitions. The author provides, in alphabetical order, a listing of ailments, cures, potions, and remedies that would make sense to our ancestors. Some of these we now know would kill us (foxglove, highly poisonous, used in the treatment of dropsy), while others are unbelievable (killing a toad with a sharp pointed instrument and hanging it in a bag around your neck to cure a nosebleed), and even humorous (mutton suet and hog’s lard used as hand cream to cure chapped hands or diaper rash). The wealthy, who could afford medical treatment, were often worse off, for the doctors – seeing money – did not spare the patient anything and thus administered bleeding, purging, leeches, vomits, and enemas.
This book is a fascinating look at a specific part of our ancestor’s lives. The entries in the book are written with humor and clarity (not technical medical terms), making it both an enjoyable read and a nice reference tool. This is a part of social history that affected all our ancestors’ lives and thus can be enjoyed by everyone.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.2, 2007
A Dictionary of Old Trades, Titles and Occupations
2nd edition with additional entries† by Colin Waters. Published by Countryside Books, 3 Catherine Road, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 5DS, England. <www.countryside books.co.uk>. 2005. 320 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £12.95.Here is another valuable reference book from Countryside Books, with a listing of nearly 4,000 old trades, titles, and occupations. The terms listed in alphabetical order are taken from a variety of primarily English sources covering many time periods, pre-Norman conquest to the present. There are over 70 illustrations, ranging from woodcuts and line drawings, to photographs of different occupations. The terms may describe occupations easily understood by everyone, to terms that are specific to one region of the country. Would you understand what your ancestor was if you learned that he was a bell swagger, a benshi, a cocarius, a coctiliarius, a deemster, a mueman, or a mull carver? You will learn about these and hundreds more in this excellent resource.
This book provides for the modern reader the most comprehensive and easily accessible listing defining obscure occupations.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.2, 2007
Tracing Your Family History: The Comprehensive Guide to Discovering Your Family Tree
Fourth Edition† by Jean Cole and John Titford. Published by Countryside Books, 3 Catherine Road, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 7NA, UK. <www.countrysidebooks.co.uk>. 2004. 256 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £11.95.Here is an excellent, well-written, practical book about researching your English ancestors. I particularly liked it because it is easy to read, comprehensive, and full of practical tips and good illustrations. I sat down and read this book in one weekend; I enjoyed it and learned from it.
The book begins with the search for home sources, which for modern English families will be slightly different than what American researchers look for. Then we move on to civil registration, census, parish registers, bishop’s transcripts, and monumental inscriptions, all of which are appropriate for all families.
Then the book examines: non-conformists; the IGI; probate records; parish chest records; diocesan records; county records for crime, charities and the coroner; contemporary printed sources; manorial and landholding records; taxpayers; education and apprenticeship; sailors, soldiers, airmen and police officers; emigrants and immigrants; local records in county record offices; national records, publications and societies that can assist in research; with final chapters looking at computers and heraldry. For each subject addressed, the historical and legal background is described, providing context – which I liked – along with practical advice on how to access and interpret the records.
Most chapters provide a section of hints and reminders, which are a good refresher to read before going to do research in a particular set of records. Then if you don’t understand a point you can re-read that section of the chapter.
Each chapter concludes with a current extensive bibliography, directing the reader towards other sources for going further into any specific area. It should be pointed out that research in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales is mentioned – but the focus is clearly on English research.
The book concludes with appendices for addresses; historical terms, abbreviations and colloquialisms; historical dates; civil registration district reference numbers; and National Archives classification codes. The book has a good table of contents with chapter descriptions and a subject index to make it easy for you to find what you are looking for in the book.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.3, 2007
Victorian Derby: A Portrait of Life in a 19th Century Manufacturing Town
† by Harry Butterton. Published by Breedon Books, Breedon House, 3 The Parker Centre, Derby DE21 4SZ, UK. <www.breedonbooks.co.uk>. 2006. 176 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £14.99.Mr. Butterton studied what was happening in Derby during Queen Victoria’s reign by reading one year in every ten of the Derby Mercury, the main local newspaper. From this reading he wrote a three volume series, Derby Victorians. This book condenses that series.
As Mr. Butterton points out in his introduction, this volume is a portrait, a decidedly impressionistic one. He gives us, the reader, an impression of what Derby – a growing manufacturing town – was like from 1837 to 1901, beginning with a great picture of the town describing the changing city skyline. There are even photographs of the town and its streets and contemporary art that illustrate these changes. Mr. Butterton then looks at aspects of the peoples lives, like how they traveled, what life was like on the street or in their home, and looking at what was changing and how life was advancing.
We learn about places of learning and the churches in the town and how much new construction there was in the city as it grew. We read about the workplace and how it changed with attempts to keep the Sabbath, and half-day closings of the shops and factories. Then when the workers did have time off, we read about where they went, and how they spent their time positively (sports) or negatively (crime).
The final chapter, describing the effect on the city that Queen Victoria’s death, also contains an excellent reflective letter from the newspaper telling an imaginary Derby citizen from early in the nineteenth century how good things were now. Obviously the writer did not know what was to come, but it is an excellent summary of some of the changes that occurred during the queen’s reign.
The book opens with a map labeling the key streets and buildings within the city. This was very useful to someone who does not know the city. The many period black-and-white photographs are excellent and have reproduced well. There is a good subject and every-name index, making it easy to find the people, high and low in society, that are mentioned within the text.
For readers with Derby, or Derbyshire connections, this book will make a fascinating read, as it will for those seeking to understand life in a growing English manufacturing town. Comparisons are made within the text to other manufacturing towns, especially in terms of dates when services became available (e.g. piped water supply, tram service, etc.). This is an excellent local history with broad appeal.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.3, 2007
Exploring Northumberland History
† by Philip Nixon. Published by Breedon Books, Breedon House, 3 The Parker Centre, Derby DE21 4SZ, UK. <www.breedonbooks.co.uk>. 2006. 208 pp. Illustrations. Hardcover. £17.99Here is a beautiful book by a professional photographer and historian. The many color photographs are outstanding.
The book divides the county into regions: Newcastle; Newcastle to the Coast; Mid-Northumberland; North Northumberland; Northumberland Coast; and The Tyne Valley. The table of contents provides access to the five (Newcastle to the Coast) to 51 (North Northumberland) locations identified in each of the regions. For each location there is an excellent color picture, which might be of a castle, a church (inside or out), an important house, a village, a monument, a ruin, a ceremony (Fire Festival at Allendale), scenery, even rock markings and caves. If it is important to Northumberland’s history it is probably included here. The text for each location is well written and provides a good summary of the local history, mentioning the significant people, dates, and events connected with a particular location. The text often mentions that a place is open to the public (Cragside) or hints that it might not be (Bamburgh Castle is now luxury apartments).
I know Northumberland fairly well since I have ancestors from there and relatives still living in the county. I visit somewhere in the county almost every time I am in England. I found this a delight to read and have identified some additional places I plan on visiting in the future. However, there are a couple of drawbacks to practical use of this book. The first is the nice color map in the front of the book that divides the county up into different sections. Unfortunately, the map sections bear no resemblance to how this book divides up the county. Nor are all the places mentioned in the book identified on the map. In fact there are even places on the map not included in the book (Otterburn). The other handicap is there is no index. For a book of this type, this is a serious drawback, especially if you are interested in the people. So, for example, you would need to know that the Blacketts are connected with Cambo and Wallington to find them. If you are looking for the Percys and the Fenwicks, two among many important Northumberland families, then you are out of luck as they are scattered throughout the book. You are also out of luck if you are looking for information about a particular event (e.g. Jacobite Rebellions) and don’t already know the place to which it might be connected.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.3, 2007
Military History Sources for Family Historians: The Crimean War 1854-56 and Military History Sources for Family Historians: The Zulu War 1879
† by Phil Tomaselli. Published by the Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd, Units 15-16 Chesham Industrial Centre, Oram Street, Bury, Lancashire BL9 6EN, England. <www.genfair.com>. Both published in 2006, 48 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £4.95 each.Here are two wonderful little guides to get you started if you know or think your ancestor served in the Crimean or Zulu wars.
Each book follows a similar format, beginning with a good short summary of each war. It then addresses the question: “Did my ancestor fight in the war?” looking primarily at the medals and the medal rolls. The following two chapters identify specifically which records and indexes need to be searched to identify and find information about your soldier, sailor, or marine. The final chapter, which can be very helpful, examines other sources.
So, for example, in the Crimean War book we find out about the Great Crimean War Index created by Brian Oldham, indexing all officers and soldiers who served in the war created from the medal and muster rolls. For the Zulu War we learn about the Rorke’s Drift Research Project to create the definitive database of information relating to the battle itself and the people involved, including the desire to contact any descendants of any of the participants. Rorke’s Drift is a famous battle for which more Victoria Crosses were issued than for any other single battle, and it has been immortalized for modern historians by the movie Zulu. The appendices list the British regiments serving in each war, and for the Zulu War identified the ships involved plus the locally raised troops. Recommended reading lists and websites are provided for each war, along with details about how to make the most of your trip to the National Archives at Kew, where many of the records are held.
What makes these books so helpful is that they are focused on a particular war, point you specifically to the records you need to search, and give examples of what information you are going to find. You do not need to read a larger book about researching British Army ancestors, having to figure out whether a particular record group is going to hold information about your ancestor and whether it applies to this particular time period or not. Here you are told where to look.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.3, 2007
From Ulster to America: The Scotch-Irish Heritage of American English
† by Michael Montgomery. Published by the Ulster Historical Foundation, Unit 7, Cotton Court, Waring Street, Belfast BT1 2ED, Northern Ireland, UK. [new address]. <www.ancestryireland.com>. 2006. xxxviii, 210 pp. Softcover. £14.99.This volume is described as “the first lexicographic work devoted specifically to linguistic connections between the British Isles and North American” (p.xvii). It is actually looking at the language connections between Ulster and North America, with an emphasis on the words that came with the colonial immigrants to Appalachia and the Ozarks. Many of these words have infiltrated the American language; many have only local usage but have often survived in these regions. Prof. Montgomery has searched in many sources from: moral and religious poems; local fiction; church records on both sides of the Atlantic; collections of humor; contemporary Ulster newspaper articles; recent works on Irish lexicography.
The book examines nearly 400 words or expressions that have contributed to the American vocabulary, arranged in a dictionary format. Each entry consists of five parts: (1) the word as primarily used and any variants in alphabetical order; (2) the part of speech (e.g. noun, verb, adverb, conjunction, etc), but it is also pointed out that a word may be a noun in Ulster but a verb in the U.S. (e.g. granny); (3) the definition, indicating both what is shared between Ulster and America and what is not; (4) the etymological summary often using the much larger language dictionaries such as the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue, Scottish National Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English and Webster’s Third New International Dictionary; (5) the citations, often excerpted from written material in Ulster with written and oral sources from the U.S. with strong use being made of the author’s earlier compilation Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English. The two sets of citations, arranged chronologically, show form and meanings that are identical or similar enough to make a case that the American usage grew out of the Ulster usage. The source citations are very extensive, showing the wide disparity of sources used to create this volume.
This volume will not necessarily help you trace your Scotch-Irish ancestors, but will assist you in understanding their culture and language. You will also recognize words you use and better appreciate where they have come from.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.3, 2007
The 1712 Land Tax Assessments and the 1710 Poll Book for Rutland
† General Editor T.H. McK. Clough. RLHRS Occasional Publication No. 7. Published by the Rutland Local History & Record Society for the Village Studies Group for Rutland. Purchase from Rutland Local History & Record Society, Rutland County Museum, Catmose Street, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6HW, UK. 2005. 68 pp. Indices. Softcover. £5.95 plus £2 p. & h. Many English researchers will be familiar with the Land Tax Assessments (LTA) that have survived in their thousands for many counties for 1780-1832, and can often be found on microfilm through the Family History Library. However, the origins of the LTA go back much earlier.
Following the 1688 “Glorious Revolution,” England was established as a constitutional monarchy, and Parliament became fully responsible for the nation’s finances, instead of sharing that duty uncomfortably with the Crown. As a result of the need to raise money, the land tax originated in 1692, with the Treasury initially providing guidance on the calculation of rental values in order to determine individual tax assessments. In 1698, fixed quotas were introduced at all levels, from the national level downward. These quotas stayed in place, even with major changes within a given community, until the last remaining vestiges of the land tax were abolished in 1963.
Unusually, for the county of Rutland, the 1780-1832 LTAs have not survived, but for 1712 the LTA has survived for the whole county. That assessment has been transcribed and fully indexed here by the Village Studies Group. These assessments – arranged by parish – list the individuals who paid the tax, as well as the payment: a quarterly or annual figure depending upon the community. The owners of the land were responsible for the tax, but it was easier to collect from the occupiers, with the occupiers expecting a rebate from the landowners. One problem with this assessment is that it rarely indicates whether the person is the occupier and/or the owner. Later assessments usually provide the names of both owner and occupier.
On 16 October 1710, a poll was taken for the election of two knights of the shire of Rutland. These names, arranged by parish, are provided following the parish LTA transcription. The names in the poll list are resident land owners, and so can help identify the real landowners – versus land occupiers – within a given parish.
The book includes five indexes: clergy; trades and occupations; field names, topographical and administrative references; places divided into those within Rutland and then in other counties; and personal names.
For anyone with early 18th century Rutland ancestors this is a valuable index. For me, with no Rutland ancestors, the opening essay entitled “A General Introduction to Land Tax Assessment,” by Dennis Mills; plus “A Commentary on the Land Tax and Poll Book Transcripts,” by T.M. McK. Clough; along with the bibliography; make this book a valuable resource. I have used the Land Tax Assessment records in Kent, Surrey, and London, but I know I will not look at them the same way after reading these essays.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.4, 2007
Scots in Canada
† by Jenni Calder. Published by Luath Press Ltd., 543/2 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2ND, Scotland. 2003. 183 pp. Index, maps. Softcover. $14.95. Jenni Calder, the author, was born in Chicago, so she has local connections. She was educated in the U.S. and England, and has lived in or near Edinburgh since 1971.
Scots in Canada examines the challenges and obstacles that the Scots encountered upon arrival, and how they were overcome to create a solid foundation for future generations of Scots in Canada.
The book begins with a good overview of Scots migration to North America, focusing on Canada. The following chapters then focus on particular sections of Canada. The first describes the early Scots coming into Nova Scotia, the Loyalists of Scottish heritage who settled in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Eastern Townships of Quebec; and the succeeding waves of Scots who followed.
The next chapter addresses the Scots moving into Upper Canada (Ontario). The next two chapters move north and west, first describing the large Scottish involvement in the Hudson Bay Company and the North West Company, and how their activities were initially opposed to settlement; yet settlement did occur. The final two chapters address the involvement of Scots in the creation of the Dominion of Canada, and how many modern Canadians are proud of their heritage.
The emigration and assimilation story flows well throughout the book. Good use is made of autobiographies and local fiction, and these are identified and quoted from to show clearly the experience of the Scots in Canada. Unfortunately, from a researcher’s perspective, other sources are rarely identified. For example, on page 35 we learn about the formation of the British American Land Company (formed in 1833), recruiting Highland settlers for the Eastern Townships, but no source is identified and nothing is easily recognized in the good bibliography that the book has.
The book contains a map of Scotland and maps of the Canadian provinces, showing the places where the emigrants came from and – most importantly – where the strong Scottish settlements were. This is especially helpful when describing the more widely dispersed settlements of the Canadian prairies and west. The book is well indexed, including the names of individuals mentioned in the text, places, battles, and topics.
The book provides researchers with a good overall picture of Scottish migration to Canada, but will frustrate those who find something specific and want to know where to find more.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.4, 2007
Scots in the USA
† by Jenni Calder. Published by Luath Press Ltd., 543/2 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2ND, Scotland. 2006. 262 pp. Index, maps. Softcover. $14.95. I like the early chapters in this book that create a good picture of migration process for the Scots, examining the issues that both pushed them out of Scotland and pulled them to the U.S. It describes the fact the Scots were here before 1707, when, with the Union of the Crowns, it became legal for the Scots to trade with the colonies. We learn about the settlement in Perth Amboy, New Jersey; the destroyed colony of Stuart’s Town, South Carolina; criminals and political prisoners to New England; the tobacco lords and merchants in Virginia and Maryland; the soldiers and settlers in the Mohawk Valley of upstate New York; Scots acting as border guards in Darien, Georgia against the Spanish; settlers in the Cape Fear River region of North Carolina; the Ulster Scots who came into Pennsylvania, Virginia and the piedmont areas of North and South Carolina; and the short-lived state of Transylvania. During the Revolutionary War, we see the struggle and consequences of being Loyalists or Patriots. We also learn about how the Scottish Enlightenment was affecting the ideas that shaped the U.S. thinking and its constitution.
The following chapters look at westward expansion by the explorers, trappers, settlers, soldiers, cattlemen, railroad builders, and business developers. We learn about the involvement of the Scots in the anti-slavery movement and the Civil War. Reading these chapters, we have lots of vignettes of famous and ordinary Scots who succeeded in the U.S. You get the impression that Scots were important in anything and everything that was important in U.S. history. Liberal use is made of both autobiographies and fiction – all clearly identified – to give the reader a contemporary view of the events of the time.
All the people mentioned in the text are included in the comprehensive index. Unfortunately, there are no footnotes within the text to tell you where the information came from, so you have to guess at what sources listed in the bibliography might provide the answers. Doing this is easy for the early migrations, but not for the 19th and 20th century vignettes. The book provides a map of Scotland, showing most of the migration points; and seven maps of the U.S. The U.S. maps show key reference cities – but unlike in her Canadian book, do not mark the towns with Scottish connections. So, for example, they do not show where Scotch Grove, Iowa, or New Harmony, Indiana, are located; and there are numerous other examples.
Jenni Calder, the author, was born in Chicago, so her placement of the town of Dundee, Ill., 60 miles northeast of Chicago is both humorous (at the bottom of Lake Michigan perhaps) and an editing oversight, especially since it happens twice in the book (p. 95 and 175).
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.4, 2007
Tracing Your Yorkshire Ancestors
† by Rachel Bellerby. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England S70 2AS. U.S. distributor is Casemate Publishing, 1016 Warrior Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026 <www.casematepublish ing.com>. 2006, 162 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $19.95. As researchers, we spend a lot of time looking for birth, marriage, and death records. But what about the rest of our ancestors’ lives – their childhood, their working and social lives? What Ms. Bellerby has done is focus on the sources to search to put flesh on the bones of our ancestors in Yorkshire, the largest of England’s counties. The ideas she generates on what type of records to look at will be applicable anywhere, but she gets specific for Yorkshire repositories.
First, we are introduced to Yorkshire pre-1974, with its three ridings (North, East and West), divided into administrative units called “wapentakes,” with the cities of York and Kingston-Upon-Hull being separately administered. After 1974, we have Cleveland, Humberside, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire. We are given details about and instructions on how to access the online catalogs of the: county record offices; university, museum and business archives; registry of deeds; and Borthwick Institute. Many of these processes are applicable for anywhere in England.
The early chapters focus on records associated with making a living: fishing, shipbuilding, mining, engineering, steel, railways, confectionary, textiles, farming, and estate management. Then the book addresses what life was like on the streets, at sporting venues, during leisure activities, or their worship. We learn what the schools were like for children and for adults. Then, since many of our ancestors spent time in a uniform, Yorkshire sources are highlighted (as opposed to the records of The National Archives). There is also a chapter on tracing immigrant ancestors and those who moved, highlighting settlement certificates, workhouse records, letters, and other records connected with the poor. These chapters, forming the bulk of the book, give the researcher lots of ideas on how to put flesh on their ancestors bones to make them come alive; how and where to look, with lots of examples and some case studies.
The last chapter of the book lists the specifics for each of the archives, museum archives, libraries, family history societies, and some miscellaneous record keepers within the county. We are given the name, address, web site, and description and size of some of the major holdings. I was surprised at how many good and large institutions there were; and most have their catalogs accessible through Access to Archives (<www.a2a.org.uk>).
The table of contents is good – listing all the headings, making topics easy to find – which is valuable, as the book’s index is poor. You will, for example, not find listed places mentioned in the text like Kiplin Hall (p. 47) or Wharton estate (p. 57). One weakness is that, for those wanting to learn more about a specific topic in the book, there is no bibliography or any recommendations for further reading.
Overall, I liked the book, as it got me thinking about our ancestor’s lives. For those with Yorkshire ancestors, it is very specific and helpful, but for those in other parts of the country, you will need to do your own digging on where to look. Luckily, Access to Archives makes that easy.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.4, 2007
Military History Sources for Family Historians: The Second World War 1939-1945
† by Phil Tomaselli. Published by the Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd, Units 15-16 Chesham Industrial Centre, Oram Street, Bury, Lancashire BL9 6EN, England. <www.genfair.com> 2006, 47 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £4.95. Mr. Tomaselli has gotten the formula down for providing a good introduction to a particular war and how to research ancestors who served during that time period. Here he discusses how to get started recording memories, and possibly having the veterans themselves apply for their service records (though they are likely to still have their discharge papers). Then he examines medals, with descriptions – for they are numerous, depending upon where a person served. Then the casualty records: for unfortunately, it is often easier to locate the ancestors who died in action rather than those who survived. Guidance is given on how to access at The National Archives the unit records in which a person may have served.
A brief summary is given on other services such as: home guard; women in the different service branches; British resistance movement; MI5; Special Operations Executive; civil defence; Bevin Boys; and land army. Guidance is given for additional sources to use. Unfortunately, at this time, details on specific individuals can be difficult to obtain, especially for those who are not immediate family members. But the individual can be put into context with lots of supporting information.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.4, 2007
Military History Sources for Family Historians: Nelson’s Navy 1793-1815
† by Keith Gregson. Published by the Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd, Units 15-16 Chesham Industrial Centre, Oram Street, Bury, Lancashire BL9 6EN, England. <www.genfair.com> 2006, 32 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £3.95.Nelson’s Navy grew rapidly from approximately 45,000 men in 1793 to over 145,000 in 1815. This book gives you background information on the navy of the period explaining life on board ship, the separation between officers and men, the hierarchy among them, and the role of the marines. The book then provides chapters on the primary and secondary records available at The National Archives, the National Maritime Museum along with some additional institutions. The book provides a good up-to-date bibliography and listing of useful websites. I have done research in some of the records included in this book. It serves as a good introduction to the subject of Nelson’s Navy and will point you in the right direction on where to go next for background or access to records.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.4, 2007
A Handbook of Devon Parishes: A Complete Guide for Local and Family Historians
by Helen Harris. Published by Halsgrove, Halsgrove House, Lower Moor Way, Tiverton Business Park, Tiverton, Devon EX16 6SS. <www.halsgrove.com>. If you have Devon ancestors, then this is a book designed to help you. It is a reference tool aimed at local and family historians. All 422 civil parishes (plus Lundy and the Authorities of Exeter, Plymouth, and Torbay) are included alphabetically. The listing begins with a map of the county overlain by a grid, used to locate any parish in the county. In the listing itself the name of each parish is followed by a grid reference, the name of the district authority of local government, and then comparative population figures for 1901 and 2001.
The description usually begins with access information describing the area and the roads that run to the community from recognizable towns. We are given information about the church, the key land owning families, and important historical or industrial events. The author visited all the parishes in the county, taking many pictures used to illustrate the book, checking her facts and descriptions for the book.
The standard descriptive directory of Devon, which the author mentions she used, is by W.G. Hoskins, published in 1954, but reprinted in 2003. Some comparisons show that there is a lot of similarity in the historical information, as you would expect, but this book brings the material up to date and includes new civil parishes (e.g.,Copplestone, Gulworthy). The other much appreciated addition in this book is reference to any local histories that have been published.
Even if you have the classic by W.G. Hoskins you will find this book of value in creating a vision of the parishes of Devon.
Note: Some publication data were not included in the original review – hardcover; 192 pp.; year of publication was 2004; price (Aug.2008) was £19.99.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.5, 2007
Introducing Family History
by Stuart A. Raymond. Published by Federation of Family History Societies, Units 15-16, Chesham Industrial Estate, Oram Street, Bury, Lancashire BL9 6EN, England. <www.genfair.com> 2006. 148 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover £8.95. [£4.50 on sale at <www.genfair.com> under “special deals for beginners”] Family History is going beyond the names, dates and places to put our ancestors into context. This book, aimed at beginners, is good for this purpose, yet as an experienced researcher, I also found it helpful as it gave me some new websites and books to check out.
The book begins by encouraging you to research properly by recording and documenting everything. It progresses by explaining where to go, who to ask, and what to read; highlighting the internet, books, libraries, archives, record offices, and family history societies. Then we get the commonly used sources: civil registration, church records, census, monumental inscriptions, and probate. These sources help us find the names, dates and places, but also provide the clues that will help the researcher fill in the details.
The book aims to lead the beginner to filling in the details by examining: official lists of names; land surveys and estate records; local government records created by the parish, county, diocese, and poor law; occupational sources; army lists; army ancestors; educational records; contemporary sources such as newspapers, directories, and parliamentary papers; and migration. There is a chapter to help you find places, understand surnames, read documents, and dates. There is a very brief section to point you towards sources for the rest of the British Isles.
Each sub-section or topic in the book concludes with colored boxes. It is these boxes that make information easy to find: yellow for websites; blue for books; green for addresses; red for false assumptions that can easily lead you astray; orange for reminders. The books and websites here are relevant and current, although some websites have already changed (p. 64). The one major error in the book is the lack of understanding of what is contained in the British Isles Vital Records Index (BIVRI), which is not the International Genealogical Index (IGI) on CD as this book implies, it is parish register extractions that supplement the IGI, and thus both indexes need to be checked (p. 53).
In spite of the error, I liked this book, both content and layout. It is not stated, but this may be a suitable replacement to Beginning Your Family History by George Pelling.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.5, 2007
Dorset ~ America. The Story of Dorset’s Links with North America Through the Centuries
by Rodney Legg. Published by Dorset Books, Halsgrove, Halsgrove House, Lower Moor Way, Tiverton Business Park, Tiverton, Devon EX16 6SS. <www.halsgrove.com>. 2006. 160 pp. Illustrations. Hardcover. £19.99. Here is an interesting book for those with Dorset connections, although I admit it was not that I expected. The connections go both ways, with people from Dorset going to America, or Americans going to Dorset.
The book is arranged alphabetically by the name of the community. The headings also provide an ordnance survey map reference and the connections. So, for example, at Steeple we have the subheading Lawrence Quartering Washington, St. Michael’s Church – SY912809. In the following description we learn the stars and stripes (correctly bars and mullets, heraldically) joining the crusader cross of the Lawrence family when Edmund Lawrence married Agnes de Wessington, in 1390. This is a design identical to George Washington’s signet ring and is found above the church door, and numerous places inside the church. At Sherborne we read about Sir Walter Raleigh and his connections with Virginia, tobacco, and potatoes. For Lyme Regis we read about Thomas Coram, who emigrated to the U.S. and made a fortune as a ship builder at Taunton, Massachusetts, between 1693 and 1704. Thomas, along with James Edward Oglethorpe, played a leading role in the founding of the colony of Georgia.
We also read about the Americans coming to Dorset, as at Christchurch with USAAF Station 416, and at Crossways with USAAF Station 454, while Portland was the staging ground for Force O that landed at Omaha beach during the Normandy landings in 1944. There is also a D-Day memorial at Weymouth. The most recent event was the 2006 emergency landing of Steve Fossett at Hurn in February 2006, when he set the record for the longest-ever flight.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.5, 2007
The Self-Contained Village? The Social History of Rural Communities 1250-1900. Volume 2 in the series “Explorations in Local and Regional History.” edited by Christopher Dyer. Published by University of Hertfordshire Press, College Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9AB, England. <www.herts.ac.uk/uhpress>. 2007. xii, 148 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £14.99.
The image that exists for many is that the English village was a self contained community. This image was broken by Peter Laslett’s research on mobility in the 1960s, yet for many the image persists.
The introduction to the book states that the focus is “on the idea of the ‘self-contained’ village. Were villages self-sufficient in the economies? To what extent did village populations persist from generation to generation? Did some periods see more intense migration than others? To what extent did villages practise endogamy, or did they marry outsiders? Was land inherited through families who were attached to specific holdings? Were villagers aware of life beyond the parish boundary? To what extent did they develop a strong sense of local identity? Did the wider changes in the economy and government erode or strengthen the village’s own institutions and society? Did antagonisms between the social strata within the village damage cohesion? Can the history of the village be summed up as a continuous erosion of the original peasant communities, providing for their own needs from the village fields, and living (except for their duties to the lord and state) an almost autonomous existence?” (p.2).
The editor continues by issuing a warning about generalizations over a diverse countryside, and to remind us that there is even a problem among researchers about how to define a village. The introduction provides a helpful overview of the questions and definitions.
The book contains six papers presented at a 2004 conference at the University of Leicester. The papers address a variety of topics including demography, migration, agriculture, inheritance, welfare, politics, employment, industry, and markets. The authors use specific examples such as: mobility through changes of surnames among villages in Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire in the late medieval period; mobility in rural Norfolk among landholders, 1440-1600, using church court depositions, manorial records listing bondmen and bondwomen; the politics of destitution and settlement in the 1590-1660 period, highlighting Warwickshire communities; mobility, lineage and identity 1600-1750, using Richard Gough’s classic book on the History of Myddle and modern research on two villages in Essex and Dorset, examining how long people stayed and at what level in society; continuity and change in 1750-1850, focusing on Westmoreland villages using a unique 1798 census, and evaluation of the impact of enclosure and changes in agricultural practices; rise of the industrial society 1760-1900, with examples of changing communities from across the country.
The articles are all well worth reading to put the overall questions in perspective. Which of the articles will be the most relevant to your research will depend upon the time period and the geographic location in which you are researching.
These articles are thoroughly researched, well footnoted, give good examples of the records that can be used in your research, and provide examples with which you can compare and contrast your ancestors community. Each paper has a conclusion, so it is easy to go back to the papers to refresh your memory on the conclusions and examples.
Needless to say, the opening questions are all addressed in this book and the reader concludes that villages were not self-contained, but rather in a state of flux in most time periods for a variety of reasons depending on time and geography. This is a good book to get you thinking about the context of your ancestral communities.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.5, 2007
Brewers in Hertfordshire: A Historical Gazetteer
by Allan Whitaker. Published by University of Hertfordshire Press, College Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL10 9AB, England. <www.herts.ac.uk/uhpress>. 2006. xxi, 304 pp. Illustrations, indices. Softcover. £14.99. This book begins with a substantial introduction (37 pages) that explains the historical brewing process and gives an overview of the industry within the county, especially from 1700 to the present. For non-aficionados, it explains the differences between ales and beers, the reasons for differences in alcohol content, and the importance of the barley malting and brewing processes.
We are provided with a listing of all the breweries with their location, years of operation, and names of owners. We learn about tied estates, where breweries bought properties, freehold and leasehold, and thus restricted the sale of only their beer within the tavern. We learn how these property arrangements and numerous government acts provide a wealth of documentation for researchers. Some brewery ownership ran in families for more than two hundred years, making the associated records great for family history. A significant number of Quakers made fortunes in the brewing industries and then became bankers.
This valuable historical introduction is relevant for any historian with brewing connections, and includes a thorough bibliography.
The bulk of the book lists the Hertfordshire towns and villages in alphabetical order. For each community it gives the history of any breweries in that community. There are numerous lists provided of companies owning tied houses scattered across the area, inside and outside of the county. There are many excellent photographs of inns, public houses, and breweries, with detailed maps of the breweries, identifying the individual buildings and their purpose, plus maps of the communities showing where the breweries, malting houses, and public houses were located. It is here also that you develop a picture of the rise and fall of particular families, with fortunes made and lost. The descriptions for each community conclude with detailed references. A final section gives similar information for breweries outside the county in Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Essex, and Greater London that had significant numbers of tied houses within the county.
To make information easy to find within the book, there is a general index which includes subjects and names of families and individuals, a place index, and a public house index.
This is an excellent source for anyone with brewing connections, and a must if those interests are in Hertfordshire.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.5, 2007
Greater London History Sources, Volume 1: City of London
†. 2000. 232 pp. £9.95. Greater London History Sources, Volume 2: Middlesex, part 1. 2005. 235 pp. £11.95 Series editors Richard Knight and Kathleen Shawcross. Published by Guildhall Library Publications in association with the Greater London Archives Network, Guildhall Library, Aldermanbury, London EC2V 7HH, UK. Index. Softcover. These two volumes are the start of a series forming a guide to printed and visual materials, archives, and manuscripts held in publicly-funded local record offices and local studies collections in and around London. The intent is to cover the City of London and the 32 London boroughs, which together form Greater London. A map shows the boundaries of the boroughs involved. This series is being produced because records are not always held in localities where you might expect them. The content of each volume was a result of a survey to the different institutions. The results varied in depth, but the editors have put the results into a consistent easy-to-read format.
Each institution was asked to address its records in the following categories: books, pamphlets, and periodicals; special collections and printed materials; newspapers; cuttings collections; directories; electoral registers and poll books; illustrations; maps; audio-visual items; museum objects; local authority records and predecessor authorities; central government; other public authorities; courts of law; dioceses, archdeaconries, and rural deaneries, cathedral and ecclesiastical jurisdictions; parishes; non-Anglican places of worship; religious organizations; livery companies and related organizations; almshouses; hospitals, asylums, and dispensaries; orphanages, refuges, and penitentiaries; schools and colleges; prisons; other institutions; cemeteries and crematoria; fire and salvage brigades; military and armed bodies; associations, clubs, and societies; theatres and cinemas; business associations and market exchanges; fairs and markets; businesses; personal papers and records of private estates; manorial records; manuscripts; antiquarian collections; and copies of source material held elsewhere. This is the information that all historians and genealogists are seeking.
It needs to be remembered that London guilds, hospitals, and institutions held land and administered other institutions all over the British Isles, so the records you are seeking from elsewhere in the British Isles may be here. The introduction does warn that space restrictions mean that not everything in the institutions is included and that researchers should assume that each will hold many smaller and less significant deposits of personal, family, and estate papers, along with large collections of title deeds for their locality. But this may just be what you are looking for. Even with this limitation, these volumes are full of records for you to examine.
Volume 1 includes the records of the London Records Office; Guildhall Library; St. Bartholomew’s Hospital Archives and Museum. Not included in this volume is the London Metropolitan Archives, which is hoped to be a separate volume in the series. Volume 2, part 1 for Middlesex, covers the London boroughs of: Barnet; Camden; Ealing; Hackney; Hammersmith and Fulham; Hillingdon; and Hounslow. Each volume is well indexed. For London researchers, this series forms a valuable tool to know what has survived and where it is located.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.6, 2007
The Scottish Family Tree Detective: Tracing Your Ancestors in Scotland
† by Rosemary Bigwood. Published by Manchester University Press, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9NR, UK. 2006. 292 pp. Index. Softcover. £9.99. This book is so good that it will become my first choice when seeking an answer to a Scottish research question, or an idea on what to examine next (after my own book, of course). I like the logical layout of the book, its approach to laying out a road map to solving problems with in-depth suggestions, and its encouragement to follow the clues. I recommend this book highly for those doing Scottish research.
The book begins with an introduction on how to do research in general, using Scottish examples. The second and largest section of the book, from birth to death, examines the main ‘facts’ of life – birth, marriage, and death. Here the book examines the statutory registers, census returns, and old parish registers, suggesting ways of solving problems in these areas. When the records have gaps or deficiencies, then alternatives are suggested. It is this problem-solving approach, with very specific practical suggestions, that I particularly liked.
The third section profiles an ancestor; examining and exploring a wide range of sources, always with the intent of finding out more about people in the past, both in terms of tracing ancestors beyond the parish registers and putting flesh on the bones. Here three questions are examined. “Where did they live?” examines which individuals, groups of people, or authorities may have come into contact with our ancestors, making records at the local or national level. “When did they live?” examines what was going on around them, looking at war, politics, religion, or economic changes that may have had an impact on their lives. “What did they do?” examines sources for various occupations or persons of a particular class within society, broadening research on individuals and their backgrounds.
The final section helps the researcher to understand legal documents, giving guidance to understand complex records such as sasines, deeds, and court records, looking at what they contain, their terminology, and form. There are a number of cross-references within the book to this chapter, making it nice that the complex legal materials are pulled together in one place.
The book concludes with a number of practical appendices. The first, largest, and most valuable is a listing of each parish in alphabetical order, providing: its unique number; the pre-1974 county; its current local authority; the applicable sheriff court with class reference number; commissary court with class reference number; and relevant burgh, town or village. Other appendices provide addresses for Scottish archives, names of Scottish family history societies, National Archive of Scotland class reference numbers for sources of Scottish family history; and information on Scottish money, numbers, and dates.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.6, 2007
Victorian Village Life: A Warwickshire Schoolmaster’s Record
† by Anne Langley. Published by Stretton On Dunsmore History Society, 12 Squires Road, Stretton On Dunsmore, Rugby CV23 9HF, UK. 2004. 34 pp. Illustrated. Softcover. £3.50. Here is a delightful, well written little book portraying life in an English village during the second half of the nineteenth century. The book examines the: people; work; village school; leisure; local and national events; illness; support of the poor; church and chapel; crime and punishment; transport; and the weather. The village could almost be anywhere in England and provides a model for what good writing can do for any community.
In reality this is Stretton On Dunsmore in Warwickshire, lying between Coventry and Rugby, near where the Fosse Way crosses the A45. In Victorian times this was a village of about 600 people, with the green at its heart where the post office and the shops were situated. Rows of cottages radiated from the village center, with a scattering of larger buildings. What makes this village and its people come alive are the details extracted from the records created by the schoolmasters. Thus this village history has a focus on the children, their families, and how they were part of a larger community. This is a nice book, easy to read and worth emulating for those seeking to put their ancestors into context.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.6, 2007
CD-ROM REVIEW
Berkshire Overseers Papers: A Calendar of the Surviving Records of the Berkshire Overseers of the Poor 1601-1834
This is a great comprehensive resource for those with Berkshire connections. This CD-ROM brings together all 26 volumes, previously published on microfiche, of the overseers papers for the county. The original volumes are divided up by parishes within the Poor Law Unions as they would have existed in 1834. Some volumes include part of one parish, while others include multiple parishes, depending upon the numbers of records that have survived. Here they have all been collected together.
The overseers papers include: overseers accounts of receipts and disbursements; settlement examinations and certificates; apprenticeship indentures; bastardy allegations, examinations and bonds; and militia documents. There are more than 10,000 documents in total. The introduction provides a history of the poor law acts as they developed after the Reformation, especially as they relate to the Settlement Acts. Scans of six sample documents are provided so that researchers new to these records will know what they will see and why they can be so valuable.
There are three comprehensive indexes to the 26 volumes, covering names, places, and occupations. The introduction should be read to understand the benefits and limitations of each. Because the files are stored as pdf files, Adobe Acrobat’s search fund can also be used and in certain circumstances is recommended. The original documents are often long, with standardized verbiage; the overseers or churchwardens or justices of the peace fill in the appropriate blanks. The extracts here provide all names of individuals mentioned, including the names of parish officials or justices; thus people at all levels of society will be included.
The value of these records can be illustrated by one sample entry from the parish of Aldermaston which reads: “Date: 27 Dec 1773 Settlement Certificate from Kingsclere, Southton Overseer(s) and/or Churchwarden(s): John CANE [+] Robert MARRINER [+] with Witnesses: Charles TOMLINS [+] and Frances TOWN [+] to Aldermaston acknowledging legal settlement of Jasper Tyler, Ann his wife, Charlotte their daughter aged 5 years and John their son about 1 ?. JPs: E GODDARD [+] and Tho OBOURN [+] on 29 May 1774.”
As with all indexes and abstracts, the reader is advised to obtain copies of original documents. A warning is provided noting the change of document numbering that occurred at the Berkshire Record Office while creating this index. This means that the modern document number provided here may not align with the numbering on the older microfilming. Researchers should still make the effort to get copies of the original records. This is a comprehensive source covering all of Berkshire for all levels of society, and is thus highly recommended for those with Berkshire connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.14 no.6, 2007
The Church Explorer’s Handbook: A Guide to Looking at Churches and Their Contents
† by Clive Fewins. Published by the Open Churches Trust and Canterbury Press, St. Mary’s Works, St. Mary’s Plain, Norwich, Norfolk NR3 3BH, UK. <www.scm-canterburypress.co.uk>. 2005, second impression with corrections 2006. xii, 340 pp. Illustrations, indexes. Hardcover. £14.99. When visiting England and Wales there are two obvious reasons for visiting the parish church. The first is that it is the one place connected with our ancestors that is easy to find – usually still exists – and that we are likely to know because we have researched our ancestor’s baptism, marriage, and burial. The second is because that is where the history of a community is recorded, often almost a thousand years, even in small isolated villages. There are some 16,000 parish churches in England and Wales, so there is plenty of variety and history to explore.
The book is divided into four sections. The first looks at the church from the outside, giving you direction as to the features to examine to help determine the age and history of the church. This process can be fun or confusing as you try to solve the living-history puzzle presented before you.
The second describes basic church design and architecture, so you can identify the common features of churches from the different periods: Saxon (600-1066); Norman/ Romanesque (1066-1200); Early English (1200-1300); Decorated (1300-1350); Perpendicular (1350-1550); Reformation; 18th Century; 19th Century; and 20th Century.
The third section goes inside, first addressing the main features common to the majority of churches; but with additional chapters looking at screens, lofts, chantries, roofs, ceilings, windows, stained glass, pillars, arcades, wallpaintings, and monuments. The final section examines the churchyard with its lynchgate, buildings, crosses, and monuments.
Each feature of the church is thoroughly described, then illustrated with photographs or line drawings. Then at the end of each feature there is a shaded box containing a listing of churches that have fine examples of that particular feature, arranged by county (post-1974 counties). These boxes make it easy to find the examples.
There are six appendices: the most significant for travelers is the list of churches by county that includes the authors’ favorites, those that incorporate different periods of architecture or are different, and the truly significant churches. What the list avoids doing is listing all the churches within the county that are mentioned within the text of the book. For American tourists, or anyone from outside the particular county, this is a real disadvantage. You could be a mile away from a really nice church, but unless you looked up that particular parish by name in the index of church names and places, you will probably miss it.
The other appendices include: a listing of churches in Scotland (short), useful contacts, further reading, a glossary, and a bibliography. The book includes a subject index and an index of churches by names and place that are mentioned within the text.
When reading the book the early English font at Bridekirk was mentioned. This is about 10 miles from my mother’s home in Cumbria, and I made a mental note to go and see it next time. That opportunity came sooner than expected, for in October I needed to return to England for a funeral. I made the trip to Bridekirk to see the font – which was very nice – but also got to see a very nice and unusual church with a stone exterior and brick lined interior (not mentioned in the book) but very nice. I also got to visit the church in Aldermaston, Berkshire, where an ancestor was the minister in the 1680s. I also and got to see the 12th century glass and wallpaintings mentioned in the book.
This book is designed as a practical handbook that can be carried in your coat pocket, backpack, or car while traveling. It is easy to dip into to look up something specific or can be read through to get a good overview of English churches and what to look for. As a former minister, I have a number of books on English church architecture, and this one is very practical and highly recommended.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.1, 2008
Researching Ancestors in the East India Company Armies
† by Peter A. Bailey. Families in British India Society Research Guide No. 1. Published by the Families in British India Society, c/o Mrs E.V. MacGregor (treasurer) 14 Gableson Avenue, Brighton, Sussex BN1 5FG, UK. <www.fibis.org>. 2006. vi, 106 pp. Softcover. £6.95. This book successfully provides guidance for family historians seeking information on ancestors who served in the army of the Honourable East India Company (HEIC) in India or the associated territories. It provides a systematic approach for your research and guidance for those who want to learn more. It is not, however, an academic book about the history of India or the armies of the HEIC or the Crown.
The family historian is the focus and, thus, it largely lists and describes useful records, plus gives examples of the information you will find in the records. The bulk of the HEIC records are now in the ‘India Office Records’ (IOR) in the Asian and African Studies Reading Room at the British Library at St. Pancras in London. Many of the library catalogs are online and can best be searched through the “Access to Archives” (“A2A”) website at <www.a2a.org.uk>. For researchers outside London, it should be noted that many of the important records – but not all – in this collection have been microfilmed by the Family History Library. This book guides you to the relevant film numbers.
After some short introductory background chapters on history, structure, and demise of the HEIC army, the book moves into Officers records, focusing on the records associated with their entry into service and their service records. This is repeated for soldiers (all non-officers) looking at their recruitment, service, wives and children, plus their discharge. Pension schemes and records are discussed for both officers and soldiers. Additional chapters cover records for baptisms, marriages, burials, wills, administrations, inventories, and further sources.
The chapters in this book are packed with ideas and suggestions of where to look for information. One slim chapter that is helpful gives guidance on where to start and shows, through an example, the wealth of information that can be found in these records for one particular soldier. This soldier is just one of over 200,000 who served in the HEIC.
The book concludes with a number of practical tables, such as: chronology of major EIC acquisitions in India and the East; major wars and battles of the EIC Armies; development of EIC armies structure 1795-1857; composition of major units in the EIC Army 1857; transfer of EIC forces to the British Army in 1861; divisional headquarters of the EIC armies (1857); list of principal sources; glossary of military ranks and terms.
The book contains no index, but the table of contents is very detailed, with each chapter divided into short sections, making it easy to find the subject you are looking for. The book is a must for anyone with ancestors in any army of the Honourable East India Company.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.1, 2008
Mutual Self-Help in Southern England 1850-1912
† by Audrey Fisk. Published by the Foresters Heritage Trust, Foresters House, 29-33 Shirley Road, Southampton SO15 3EW, UK. <www.aoforestersheritage.com>. 2006. 183 pp. Illustrations Softcover. £12. Prior to implementation of the National Insurance Act in 1912, mutual self-help was the only resource for workingmen to protect themselves and their families in sickness and at death from having to apply to the Poor Law Guardians for assistance. This was something to be avoided, especially after the introduction of the New Poor Law in 1834. After 1834, outdoor relief was not allowed and assistance meant entering the Workhouse, whereupon families were separated. These mutual self-help groups allowed small regular contributions from many to provide support in times of sickness or bereavement.
The largest mutual self-help groups are the Ancient Order of Foresters and the Independent Order of Oddfellows (Manchester Unity), but others include the Independent Order of Rechabites, the Orders of Druids, Shepherds, and Gardeners, in addition to which many companies, large and small, also created their own groups. This book focuses on the Ancient Order of Foresters and its expansion to the south of a line drawn from Bristol to the Wash in the period 1850 through 1912.
Other than the already established centers in London, Bristol, and Southampton, expansion was into primarily agricultural areas, which was new territory for the Foresters, who were strong in the industrial areas of the north. The study looks at the forces driving the geographic expansion, but also examines: the contributions of friendly society members to local and national life; the thorny question of the relationship between friendly societies as institutions and national politics; methodology and diversity; and how the societies operated.
The early chapters set the scene, with later chapters discussing expansion and activities within the Home Counties, along the south coast, then into Devon and Cornwall. The rest of the book describes the methodology used in the study, with some specific case studies, each set into local, regional, and national context. It explains how the societies operated, grew, declined and sometime failed.
This is both a good book and a frustrating one. The book provides the context for expansion of the Foresters, at least in the south of England. It provides a good description of how the self-help groups formed, operated, and grew. But at times I wanted to know more. At the same time, there is no index, so cross-referencing material is hard. For example, I am particularly interested in the Foresters Court operating in Snodland in Kent among the cement workers (p.40), because this is one town and industry in which I have ancestors working. If it’s mentioned elsewhere in the book – and I don’t think it is – I did not catch it, but an index would have helped to make sure. Other readers will need to read the book to find out if any Foresters Courts operated in the area of their ancestors, whether it is a one-word mention, like Snodland, or a multi-page case study.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.1, 2008
Dorset Quarter Sessions Order Book 1625-1638: A Calendar. Dorset Record Society Volume 14
† edited by Terry Hearing and Sarah Bridges. Published by the Dorset Record Society, c/o Hon. General Secretary, Dorset County Museum, High West Street, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1XA, UK. <www.dorsetcountymuseum.org/research/drs.html>. 2006. xxi, 503 pp. Illustrations, indices. Hardcover. £25. The book begins with a good description of the activities and operation of the Quarter Sessions. The Quarter Sessions originate in the fourteenth century. It was a meeting four times a year of the justices of the peace at Epiphany (January), Easter (March or April), Trinity (June or July) and Michaelmas (September or October). Their jurisdiction covered the county, except the boroughs that had their own courts, although the boroughs tended to pass the more serious crimes on to the county.
The Quarter Sessions Order Book for Dorset covering 1625 through 1638 is substantial, consisting of 642 numbered folios with some additional sheets and is the earliest surviving volume for Dorset. No other documents for the Quarter Sessions have survived for the County prior to the Civil War, thus it is a valuable source for the history of local government in the early seventeenth century. Its wealth of names from all levels of society makes it a valuable source for early family history research in Dorset.
The Quarter Sessions moved around the county to Blandford, Sherbourne, Shaftesbury, Beaminster, and Bridport. The Quarter Sessions had judicial and administrative functions, although the two tended to merge. The criminal offenses were divided into felonies (grand and petty) and misdemeanors. Often the grand felonies, such as murder and robbery, were turned over to the Assizes by this time period. Administratively, the county was split into an Eastern and a Western Division, with a treasurer in each. The court addressed: rates; relief for plague areas or maimed soldiers; licensing of ale houses; control of wages; upkeep of the roads and bridges; supervision of trade and punishment for market offenses; permission to build cottages without the required four acres; Poor Law collection, assessment and distribution; bastardy; vagrancy and begging; cash relief for emergencies such as fires; recognizance’s; and administration of the County Goal and the Houses of Correction. A careful reading of the introduction, editorial practices, and the use of the practical glossary will make interpretation of the many documents, transcribed from Court Hand, Secretary Hand and Latin into modern English, more understandable.
The appendices provide: dates and places of the Quarter Sessions; names of the justices with their status, dates, domicile and number of sessions attended; facsimiles and transcripts of the first few pages of the Order Book to provide a flavor of the original document. There are indices for place names, justices of the court, and names of people.
The bulk of the book puts particular individuals, from all levels of society, into a particular time and place doing something. For example, we find: George Starre of Sherbourne, a gentleman, paying in 1627 a £40 surety to appear at the next sessions on a charge of bastardy; or John Randale of West Lulworth, a tailor, paying in 1628 a surety of £40 not to sell ale without a license. Other entries provide fuller descriptions.
This is a well-indexed detailed source, covering individuals at all levels of society, and is thus recommended for anyone with early Dorset connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.1, 2008
Family History in the Wars: How Your Ancestors Served Their Country
† by William Spencer. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk>. 2007. x, 246 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £7.99. This is an excellent guide, small enough to slip into your pocket, for anyone searching for 20th century connections in the British military (including the Merchant Marine up to 1945). The first four chapters address the records by time period: 1899-1919; 1919-1939; 1939-1945; 1945-1953. For each period it discusses where the British armed services were fighting (and they were always fighting somewhere in the world). The focus is on records of service (though many post 1919 personnel records are still with the Ministry of Defence), operational records, medals and awards, prisoners of war, courts martial, and casualties. For World War II it also examines the Home Guard, the Women’s Land Army and conscientious objectors.
For each time period Mr. Spencer addresses which records exist at the National Archives, how they are organized, which have been indexed (on index cards, on microfilm, in the online catalogue, on DocumentsOnline), which documents can be downloaded, and how to approach the records depending upon what you know.
A fifth chapter examines the consequences of war, addressing records for personnel leaving and returning home; plus those whose lives were changed, such as aliens and internees, refugees, and evacuees. The final chapter provides practical research advice, with case studies showing what can be learned about an ancestor with some diligence and the use of various sources.
Some good practical warnings are given here, such as the reminder that someone could have served in the Army, left anytime between 1883 and 1913 and still served in the First World War (volunteer or conscript), and thus his earlier records may have been destroyed. This section also contains some valuable quick references, such as a listing of record groups to examine when searching for officers or other ranks, depending upon the particular branch of service. This listing includes the branches of the service that may be less familiar, such as the Militia, Imperial Yeomanry, Royal Garrison Regiment, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserves, Special Operations, and more. Other listings show where to look for operational records, and there is an order of precedence for the Army at the start of WWI.
I personally have worked with a number of these indexes and records groups and can affirm the practical advice given here. One of the big plusses of this book, for those who know they have only twentieth century military connections, is its narrow focus ignoring the complications of explaining the many options for earlier military ancestors. There are other books that provide the information contained in this book, but this is a small, clearly focused book that I liked and can recommend.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.2, 2008
Shops, Shambles and the Street Market: Retailing in Georgian Hull 1770 to 1810
† by Ann Bennett. Published by Oblong Creative Limited, 416B Thorp Arch Estate, Wetherby LS23 7BJ, UK. 2005. 162 pp. Illustrated, index, maps. Softcover. £10.75. Hull is a major town in the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the north bank of the River Humber, which forms the county boundary with Lincolnshire. In this book we have a wonderful detailed description of retailing in a provincial town in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. If you have an ancestor in a trade that dealt with the public in this time period, then this is well worth reading.
The book begins with a description of the town – crowded by its town walls – and how the town expanded its housing and population with the destruction of those walls and the building of new docks. Yet most of the town’s business was still carried out in the market place and the surrounding area in the older part of the town. There are separate chapters focusing on the: Shambles and the Butchers; Street Market; Shops; Organization of Trade; Shopkeepers – Failures and Success; and Consumers in Hull and Beyond.
For modern readers there is a lot here discussing life as it was – and it was very different from ours. We learn about open-air meat markets, products being sold from hand carts (legally and illegally); the importance of and destructive nature of credit both for the shop owners and the shoppers; taxes; effects of inflation; inspections; price fixing; illegal activities (forestalling, engrossing, and regrating); shortages of goods; changing habits in the good times and the bad (especially during the war); effects of changing fashions; changing distributions as goods came from other parts of England or from around the globe.
The businesses that are discussed in detail include: butchers; clothing, textiles and footwear; groceries and provisions; wines, spirits and beer; household furnishings, metal goods, books and medicines. The book also illustrates well the limitations of creating a picture of the community from trade directories as other records show that many others were selling items on the streets or from their homes to make extra money, and these might be legal or illegal. One of the surprises for me was the wide variety of different items a storekeeper might carry.
This book is a fascinating, detailed read and recommended for anyone with ancestral connections in shop-keeping in this period, even more so if the connections are to Hull or East Yorkshire.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.2, 2008
Little Ireland: A Family’s Journey from Co. Sligo to Co. Durham
† by Philip Lees. Published by the author, Philip Lees, 39 Old Millmeads, Horsham West Sussex RH12 2LP. <www.mattimoe.co.uk>. 2004. 236 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. £11.95. Here is an interesting, very well written story of the migration of the Mattimore and Gaffney families of Aughanagh, County Sligo, to Gordon Gill, known as Little Ireland, in the Parish of Ramshaw in the Bishop Auckland area of County Durham.
The migrant, Thomas Mattimore, is born in 1833, but the line is extended back a couple of generations in Ireland. This family is put into context with potentially related, similarly named families in the area. One nice feature is that events that affected the family are put into both a national and a local context, for example using extracts from local government health reports and newspapers.
After surviving the famine, the family moves in 1867 to County Durham to work in the coal mines. We then learn the story of Little Ireland, a small community in which numerous Irish migrated to, settled and grew up. There are excellent, detailed ordnance survey maps (1:2500) showing how the community changed with time as the coal mining and associated railways expanded and declined. The effect on the families who stayed and left is described well. The book is well illustrated with 135 family photographs and an additional 33 modern color photographs of the communities in Ireland and County Durham.
This book is a very engaging read, even for those not related to the family. I do have Irish who also migrated to work in the Durham coal fields. I only wish I could find a fraction of the records and photographs that the author has found. I did find much to help put my Durham coal mining Irish into context. There are a couple of drawbacks to the book in that it does not include an every name index and there are no source citations, so you do not know which facts have been documented or which are just part of oral tradition.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.2, 2008
Moota – Camp 103: The Story of a Cumbrian Prisoner of War Camp
† by Gloria Edwards. Published by Little Bird Publications, High Moor House, Hill Street, Cockermouth, Cumbria CA13 0AU, England. 2005. 45 pp. Illustrated. Softcover. £5.99. Growing up in post-war England, I rarely heard about any of the nearly 500 prisoner of war camps that existed in the British Isles. Most of these camps have fallen into disrepair or have disappeared. Here is the story of one camp – Camp 103 at Moota. The former site of this camp is along the old Roman road between Cockermouth and Carlisle in Cumbria, the present A595, a few miles from Cockermouth, and is currently occupied by a hotel and garden center.
What Ms. Edwards has done is to gather photographs of the camp and some of its people, interview some surviving occupiers of the camp, and some of the locals who remembered the camp. She has pulled it together into a well-illustrated local history.
Land for the camp was requisitioned in 1942 from the Lawson family. The camp itself was designed to hold 1,200 men and was built by Thomas Armstrong. The first occupiers were Italian POWs, followed in 1944 by Germans, some of whom were still there in 1946 after the end of the war. Following the war, the camp was used by tens of thousands of displaced persons from Europe, especially Ukrainians, Poles, Latvians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Yugoslavs, a few Romanians and Czechoslovaks.
The camp is famous for its chapel, with its paintings all over the ceiling and walls. Unfortunately, the chapel has not survived, but photographs of the beautiful paintings have survived and are included here in the book along with their story. Very few official documents survive about the camp except for a few items in the National Archives and International Red Cross reports. These mention only a few of the people who were stationed in the camp during and after the war. Their names are mentioned in the text but there is no index to the book.
There is a nice interview with a former German POW. One of the items that surprised me was the way so many of the POWs and displaced persons (DPs) were put to work on the farms in the area, during and after the war. There are numerous photographs of the DPs in the camp and in the surrounding communities.
This is a slim, large-format, well-illustrated book describing a part of England’s history that is rarely mentioned, yet affected a lot of people inside and outside the camps.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.2, 2008
A Taste of Tudor Ilkeston: A Brief Look at Life in a Sixteenth Century Town
†. 2006. 36 pp. Maps. Ilkeston Families of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Volume One: Courtby, Day, Flamstead, Harvey, Hellot, Horsley, Lowe and Par. 2007. 34 pp. Both by Stephen Flinders. Available from the author at 17 Richmond Avenue, Sandiacre, Derbyshire NG10 5GY, England. Author contact <[email protected]>. Booklets with saddle staples. Both Indexed. Each £5 includes overseas postage. Ilkeston is a town in southeast Derbyshire near the boundaries of Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. Here are two books in what promise to be an excellent series about the town of Ilkeston. A Taste of Tudor Ilkeston gives a brief early history of the town, identifying its descent through blood and marriage from the Saxon Thane Ulf Fenisc, through a variety of family intrigues, murder, betrayal and beheadings before being transferred to the Savage family following the Battle of Bosworth (1485).
A map of the township exists for 1598, and this is used for the basis of a descriptive tour of the township, which includes the villages of Ilkeston and Little Hallam. The maps provided are good, but the detailed descriptions in the text make you realize that more details on the maps are needed for the outsider to know exactly where the places being described are located.
The book continues examining: the Church of St. Mary’s; the vicars; the church wardens; life and death in the community; the manor court; hearth and home (describing two homes specifically); local families; local occupations and local terminology.
Ilkeston Families examines the local families of Courtby, Day, Flamstead, Harvey, Hellot, Horsley, Lowe and Par. Even for researchers not connected with these families, the booklet shows what details can be found on 16th and 17th century families in England. Good use is made of fully transcribed wills and testaments. The author does a good job of highlighting how phrases might have been interpreted differently in the period, and thus creates a different picture of the family tree. When there is conflicting information or possible omissions, this is noted in the text. Drop line family tree charts are used to help the readers visualize the families.
These two slim booklets highlight what can be done in reconstructing a family or community even in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and thus they have a wider appeal. For those with connections in the area, they provide a nice resource. More resources can be found on the Ilkeston History Society website at <www.ilkestonhistory.org.uk>.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.2, 2008
Family History Companion: Fast-forward Your Family History Search
† by Mark Pearsall. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk>. 2007. 250 pp. Softcover. £7.99. Here is a practical compact companion offering an A-Z for those new to family research as well as the more experienced. The introduction outlines three goals: “to provide succinct explanations of the terms and phrases that family historians will encounter; to point out the most useful and relevant record sources – what they are and where they are; and to round out the picture with selected historical sidelights that illuminate the lives our ancestors lived” (p.1).
Obviously, with any book explaining terms and phrases, a selection process is involved with what to include and what to omit. All the obvious terms are included with brief explanations, often with recommendations to websites or publications for further information. One test for any companion explaining terms is to address the question: do I find terms explained here that I do not find elsewhere?
I did some testing against three other British genealogical dictionaries I have on the shelf and found terms here not included in the other volumes, such as: akerman, arkwright, ayah, exhibitioner, gan-wife, hayward, lanebegot, merrybegot, and potwalloper. I know there are probably more here – and certainly more in the other two larger volumes not included here. However, any book that provides the answer to those obscure terms is helpful. This one is valuable and practical because it addresses most of the common terms you will need, plus some obscure ones; points you towards additional sources; and importantly, it is physically small enough to slip into your pocket and take with you.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.3, 2008
Will’s Will: The Last Wishes of William Shakespeare
† by Simon Trussler. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk>. 2007. 112 pp. Illustrated, index. Hardcover. £7.99.This is a really creative way, that I liked and think is worthy of emulation, to write a biography of an individual using his will as the starting point. William Shakespeare’s will is completely transcribed and photographed in the beginning of the book. Eight phrases are taken from the will to provide the setting for his life: “In the county of Warr’” – examines generally and specifically the places in Shakespeare’s life both in London and Stratford; In the “Blackfriers in London” – examines the theatres themselves and how they operated; “To My Fellowes” – describes his relationships with his friends, fellow actors and how they were involved in his life, when known; “My second best bed” – outlines the relationship with his wife and what the rules of inheritance were in the period; “Unto the Poore of Stratford” – looks at his relationship with the poor, but also looks at how he earned and invested his money; “Heiries Males of the Bodie” – looks at his family and the consequences of no surviving male heir; “Jesus Christe my Saviour” – looks at religion and why we know little about his personal faith and why God is mentioned so little in his plays (1606 Act against mentioning God); “By Me, William Shakespeare” – addresses the Shakespeare enigma whereby we know so little about his life, yet so much has been written about him. In all the chapters hint about what we understand about Shakespeare are gained from the comments and contexts provided by his plays. This is an excellent read for anyone interested in genealogy and Shakespearean literature.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.3, 2008
Liverpool 800: Culture, Character & History
† edited by John Belchem. Published by Liverpool University Press, 4 Cambridge Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZU, UK. <www.liverpool-unipress.co.uk>. 2006. 532 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £14.95. Liverpool in 2007 celebrated its 800th anniversary, and in 2008 is designated as a European “Capital of Culture.” In these celebrations, Liverpool is reinventing itself, looking forward while also learning from its remarkable history.
This book examines in six chapters, written by a variety of authors the history of Liverpool: Small beginnings – Liverpool 1207-1680; Civic Liverpool – 1680-1800; Living in Liverpool – the modern city; Maritime Liverpool; Cosmopolitan Liverpool; ‘City of Change and Challenge’ – Liverpool since 1945.
The book begins with its obscure medieval beginnings, remaining a small village for centuries but rising to become one of the world’s greatest seaports, partly as a result of the infamous slave trade. For many Americans, though, it is known as the port through which many of our Europeans immigrants sailed, especially in the second half of the 19th or early 20th centuries.
By 1907 Liverpool was the proud second city of the empire at the height of its fame and fortune. After that, though, things go downhill, with Liverpool being stigmatized even with a brief renaissance in the 1960s at the height of Beatles fame.
Things are turning around for the city, recently designated by UNESCO as the Liverpool Maritime Mercantile City World Heritage Site. One symbol of that is the renovated Albert Docks, a symbol in the early 1980s of the docks’ decay but now completely renovated and contains the Merseyside Maritime Museum and Beatles Museum, which I can personally recommend when you visit Liverpool.
This book is a biography of the city looking at society, politics the economy and culture over eight centuries. It is well written and lavishly illustrated with 100 color plates and 200 halftones. There are numerous endnotes leading readers to further sources for Liverpool history. It provides the big picture of the rise and fall of a changing city, set in the local, national and international context.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.3, 2008
The Victorian Naval Brigades
† by Lieutenant Commander Arthur Bleby. Published by Whittles Publishing, Dunbeath Mains Cottages, Dunbeath, Caithness KW6 6EY, Scotland, UK. <www.whittlespublishing.com>. 2006. 184 pp. Illustrations, maps. Hardcover. £20. A ‘naval brigade’ is a generic term used to define a body of seamen and Royal Marines drawn from their ship or ships and landed for active service under the orders of an army commander. The numbers are immaterial, as a naval brigade is not comparable to an army brigade – and, in fact, often it was not even of battalion strength. Armament was generally what was drawn from the parent ships to supplement the arms provided by the army commander. Naval uniform was worn except during the Boer War.
Naval brigades were used in ten Victorian wars: Crimean War 1854-1855; Indian Mutiny 1857-1858; Abyssinian Rescue 1867-1868; Second Ashanti War 1873-1874; Zulu War 1878; First Boer War 1880-1881; Battle of Tel El Kebir 1882; Siege of Khartoum 1884-1885; Second Boer War 1899-1901; and Boxer Rebellion 1900. There are three known uses of Naval Brigades in minor activities (Burma and twice in South Africa) not described in the book. Each chapter provides the historical setting leading up to the battles, describes who was involved and how, especially the role of the naval brigades. Each chapter is illustrated with detailed maps, contemporary drawings usually from the Illustrated London News, and contains a specific bibliography for the particular action. The names of individuals, other than leaders, are rarely mentioned and there is no index to find them or the places mentioned in the text.
If you know your ancestors served in a Victorian naval brigade, this is a well written book to put those into context and learn about what they did and when.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.3, 2008
Tracing Your Air Force Ancestors
† by Phil Tomaselli. Published by Pen & Sword Ltd., 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, England. U.S. Distributor is Casemate, 1016 Warrior Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. <www.casematepublishing.com>. 2007. 211 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $19.95. Here is a densely packed, well-illustrated guide to tracing your ancestors who served in the British Air Force from its beginnings through 1962 with the end of National Service.
The book is arranged chronologically, separating the book into sections devoted to the different services that have formed British military aviation. In the early days it was possible for an officer or man to enlist in one service (Army or Royal Navy) then to be transferred to the Royal Air Force, or even to join one part of the Army (the Royal Engineers) then be transferred to another (Royal Flying Corps) and then into the Royal Air Force. Readers are alerted to these options, but this book will not help in finding army or navy records relating to individuals. It will, however, help find records relating to the operations of the air force within army and navy records with excellent practical advice on how to search The National Archives online catalog.
The book begins with the early pioneers of military aviation, the Royal Engineers who flew balloons during Queen Victoria’s reign, followed by manned kites, dirigible (steerable) airships, and then experimental powered aircraft. In 1912 the Royal Flying Corps were established, with the Royal Naval Air Service forming in 1914; and their amalgamation in 1918, forming the Royal Air Force. The service split during WWII, with the navy creating the Fleet Air Arm, the army using light aircraft for artillery spotting, and the formation of the Glider Pilot Regiment; then in the 1950s the creation of the Army Air Corps. For the Royal Air Force itself, the chapters examine officers and other ranks, Women’s Royal Air Force, RAF Nurses, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, and the division into flight command, bomber command, and coastal command.
All the different branches of the air services are addressed, providing an outline of the history, indications of what records are accessible (publicly or through next of kin), and there are numerous case studies showing how the many fragments of information can be put together to create a picture of an ancestor and his or her career.
For those with ancestors who served in Britain’s Air Force this is an excellent research guide.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.3, 2008
The Memorial to the Missing of the Somme
† by Gavin Stamp. Published by Profile Books Ltd, 3A Pine Street, Exmouth Market, London EC1R OJH, England. <www.profilebooks.com>. 2006. 214 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. £8.99. This is a fascinating, easy to read book about the Great War and the inter-war years from the perspective of how those killed were remembered. We are reminded that Britain and her Dominions had 1,104,000 killed, France 1,700,000, Italy 460,000, Germany 2,000,000, the Austro-Hungarian Empire 1,500,000, Russia perhaps 1,700,000 while the death toll for Turkey is unknown. Plus we learn that one in three of all men who were between nineteen and twenty-two when war began were killed. Even among the survivors many subsequently died of the effects of wounds or of being gassed, or were left unable to work or function [p.31].
This book begins with the Battle of the Somme giving an overview of its goals and the losses that occurred. The book reminds us that on the 1 July 1916 the British had 19,240 killed and 35,493 wounded, with 2,153 missing and 585 taken prisoner for the greatest loss of life in British military history. The book continues with a brief history of war memorials and how their focus changes from remembering military victories to remembering the soldiers who had given their lives in the Great War. The book focuses on the memorial at Thiepval by Edwin Lutyens the architect who also designed and built the Cenotaph in London. He is however put into context with the other architects of the period who were also designing and building war memorials on behalf of the Imperial War Graves Commission (later Commonwealth War Graves Commission) around the world. This is also the first war where all soldiers, officers and ranks, were regarded as equals in death and the families were not allowed to retrieve the bodies to be reinterred back in Britain or the Colonies. All were buried together as equals.
A number of memorials to the missing were created, of which the Somme memorial at Thiepval is the largest recording the names of 73,357 men carved into fifty-six stone wall panels. There is a poignant scene from the book Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks that is used to set this number into context whereby Elizabeth one of the characters is told that these are the lost, those that were never found, for whom no body could be found to be buried in the cemeteries and these were the men who would have died in the fields close by Thiepval [p.173].
The book provides a good discussion on the design and construction of the monument, how to look at it and what makes it such an outstanding piece of world architecture. This book is one in a series entitled Wonders of the World by this publisher. The text makes you want to visit the memorial and I certainly do for my great uncle is one of the names carved in stone on the monument having been killed on the 1 July 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.4, 2008
Captain Swing in Sussex and Kent: Rural Rebellion in 1830
† by Mike Matthews. Published by Hastings Press, PO Box 96, Hastings TN34 1GQ, England. <www.hastingspress.co.uk>. 2006. 118 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £7.99. Here is a book designed for the general reader who wants to know more about the rural rebellions of 1830 in England, popularly known as the Swing riots after their mythical leader Captain Swing. The book paints the big picture but gets specific by focusing on the events as they occurred in Kent and Sussex. The scene is set by describing the poor agricultural economy following the following with Napoleonic Wars and the fear of loss of jobs created by the use of threshing machines. At first the rural workers want the machines destroyed, and if the owners will not destroy them then the workers will. This then escalates into mob violence and the use of incendiaries where barns, equipment and homes of the gentry, farmers or justices of the peace (who sentenced those caught) are burnt. As the groups move across the countryside intimidation is used to force other farm laborers to join the mob. Some of these groups had hundreds of men involved.
The big picture of what is happening in Kent and Sussex is painted, but some of the individual stories are told through the use of reports in newspapers. These reports are woven into the text, and then the originals are used as illustrations. We learn about the trials, the sentencing and the politics involved both locally and nationally. These people who initially worked at night to destroy and burn often had the same skills as other night occupations of smuggling and poaching. As the troubles increased destructive activities were carried out in daylight. The troubles begin in Kent and move west. We are given stories of specific individuals, including that of an innocent man hanged
Good use is made of the county newspapers to provide the stories, all of which are cited. A combined every name, subject and locality index is provided but you are unlikely to find your ancestor here. However, for any with agricultural laborers in the early nineteenth century, especially in Kent or Sussex, then this easy to read book puts their lives into context because these riots were taking place all over the two counties, and in many other locations in England.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.4, 2008
Scottish Highlanders on the Eve of the Great Migration 1725-1775: The People of the Northern Isle
†s. 2008. 98 p. $16.50. Scottish Highlanders on the Eve of the Great Migration 1725-1775: The People of Inverness-shire. 2007. 169 p. $21.50 by David Dobson. Published by Clearfield Publishing Company, 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211. <www.genealogical.com>.Here are two more books in the series to identify Scots in the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland Islands) and Inverness-shire during the period 1725-1775. Neither claim to be comprehensive directories of all people in those localities in the time period. Rather they are designed to show what type of information can be gathered from a wide variety of sources, excluding the Old Parish Registers of the Church of Scotland. All individuals identified are in alphabetical order by surname, and provide information about that individual with full source reference. The information provided might be occupation, death date, name of husband, relationship to landlord, date and place of emigration, rank and military history, education, and name of father. The sources used vary widely The Lochiel Inventory, Culloden Papers, Book of Dunvegan, Scottish Forfeited Estates Papers, Hudson Bay Company Archives, Scots Charitable Society records of Boston, House of Commons Sessional Papers, and more. As is common with books by David Dobson these are well worth examining to see if your ancestors are included because if they are it is more likely to be an unusual source which you may not have examined yet.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.4, 2008
Scottish Transatlantic Merchants, 1611-1785
† by David Dobson. Published by Clearfield Publishing Company, 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211. <www.genealogical.com>. 2007. x, 147 pp. Softcover. $20. From the seventeenth century Scottish merchants were the vanguard of Scottish emigration to Colonial America. In the seventeenth century the success of the early trading voyages in the colonies led to factors and their servants settling in the colony. The following merchant ships would carry both goods and passengers, often indentured servants contracted for work in the colonies. With the expansion of the transatlantic economy the Scottish ports, especially Glasgow grew in importance. The most important commodity in colonial times was tobacco with the Glasgow “tobacco lords” controlling the import of tobacco into the British Isles and the re-export to continental Europe. Many of the Glasgow families had branches in both the colonies and Scotland; this was especially true in the Chesapeake Bay area. This was an important network connected by blood and business.
This book identifies many of the merchants, many with branches on both sides of the Atlantic. The names and details have been gathered from many different primary sources in America and Scotland, all fully referenced. In fact the list of archives searched, burgess rolls and sources used is probably the longest of any of Dobson’s books of names. You will find references to Scotsmen in all of the colonies plus the Caribbean Islands, many indicating where they were from in Scotland. Some merchants listed in Scotland identify which colony they traded with.
A sample entry reads: HUNTER, JAMES, a merchant from Edinburgh who emigrated to Va. In 1767, merchant at Smithyfield, James River, and later in Southampton County, partner of George Blain 1778. [3 references provided]
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.4, 2008
Workhouse: The People • The Places • The Life Behind Doors
† by Simon Fowler. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk>.2007. 288 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £8.99. The workhouse existed in one form or another for over two hundred and fifty years but this book largely focuses on the period between 1834, with the introduction of the New Poor Law and the First World War by which time the workhouse in its traditional form was becoming a historical curiosity. There are references to how the Old Poor Law worked, especially in terms of similarities and differences with the New Poor Law. The book looks at how the institution appears to contemporaries, from writers such as Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and George Orwell, to those who ran, inhabited and strove to avoid them. There are numerous extracts from parliamentary papers, newspapers, guardian reports and diaries.
There is a strong emphasis on the Victorian perception that the workhouses were built for able bodied idlers and shirkers, a class of people that hardly existed outside the imagination of a generation of political economists. This perception led to strict rules designed to make the workhouse a place of last resort. It took many years before the reality of the situation changed.
The book addresses the issues of: why was the Poor Law regarded with such horror; was every workhouse as bad as Andover workhouse; and were the paupers as badly treated as we suppose. In examining each question lots of anecdotal illustrations are provided showing that the 650 or so workhouses scattered across the country operated independently of one another and the government, that the government provided guidelines but had limited powers to enforce them. Thus, the experience within a particular workhouse varied greatly. The book examines the roles and behaviors of the guardians and staff in the workhouse, shows how the paupers, vagrants, children and elderly were treated and how that changed over time. The book is well researched and full of written illustrations from a wide variety of sources. Unfortunately there are no footnotes or end notes so you will have to work hard to find where a particular piece of information came from if you are fortunate enough to have your specific workhouse mentioned.
The appendices describe which workhouses have been converted into living museums that one can visit, and explain what type of original records exist and where to find them. The book does have a good bibliography of general works, articles, newspapers, parliamentary papers, National Archives materials, although it is weak on non National Archives materials, and websites.
Many of our ancestors will have had connections with the workhouse, either as guardians, workhouse staff, inmates or they worked very hard and stubbornly to avoid a hated institution. For this reason this book will have wide appeal, and is well worth reading to better understand a significant institution found in many communities.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.5, 2008
Poor Cottages & Proud Palaces: The Life and Work of the Reverend Thomas Sockett of Petworth 1777-1859
† by Sheila Haines and Leigh Lawson. Published by The Hastings Press, P.O. Box 96, Hastings TN34 1GQ, England. <www.hastingspress.co.uk>. 2007. 294 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £14.99. For North Americans the Reverend Thomas Sockett is of interest for he was the organizing person behind the Petworth Emigration Committee assisting over 2,000 emigrants to Canada between 1832 and 1837. The emigrants came heavily from West Sussex but also included people from Cambridgeshire, East Sussex, Isle of Wight, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Surrey, Wiltshire and London. Two books about this emigration scheme were published in 2000 by McGill-Queens University Press, of which Ms. Haines was also a co-author on one of the books.
Even for those without emigrant connections to the Petworth scheme this book is a fascinating, detailed read. It describes the son of impoverished bookseller, born in East London, to Nonconformist parents, who because of his education and interests is introduced to William Cowper, the poet in Buckinghamshire, and William Hayley, the writer who took him to Sussex. Later, Thomas moves into Petworth House becoming the tutor for the sons of the third Earl of Egremont with whom he is connected for the rest of his life. It is Thomas’s diary, copies of his letters, along with the writings and archives of these three important people that provide the wonderful details that form the text for this book. While a tutor Thomas kept a diary from 1805-7 and it is transcribed here in full with commentary (45 pages). From the diary we learn what he is teaching and reading, his interest in books, contemporary literary journals and botany. He also seems comfortable moving in all levels of society, the locals, gentry and nobility all of whom visit Petworth House.
Thomas became the rector at three of Earl of Egremont’s churches: North Scarle in Lincolnshire; Petworth and Duncton in West Sussex. The Earl of Egremont wanted him close and so he resided in the rectory for Petworth, performing most of the services at Duncton and hiring curates for North Scarle and Petworth, although he did perform the services for anything connected with the Earl’s family. We learn a lot about the life of a country rector, his daily life using the rooms in his room as the focal points for various descriptions, e.g. the nursery to describe his children, or the study to learn about his voluminous letter writing.
We learn about Thomas’ involvement in changing society, such as the transition from the Old Poor Law to the New Poor Law, seeing the differences between the laws themselves, the local and national politics that effected how it played out locally. Thomas was important here and gave testimonies before parliamentary committees to explain why the New Poor Law was not a good law. We certainly learn about his involvement in the Petworth Emigration Committee and his activities to safely get emigrants to Canada and get them established.
With the establishment of Civil Registration in 1837 we learn about the resulting loss of revenue for the Church of England and its ministers. The 1838 Act of Parliament regulating pluralism, meant that ministers like the Rev. Thomas Sockett could no longer earn a living from parishes so distantly geographically separated, although Thomas managed to get an exception to the rule and hold his parishes together until he died, but it came with additional burdens. This same law also affected the outside secular interests and income of the Anglican clergy, including restrictions on farming the ministers glebe lands. All of these changes affected the household income.
The book has numerous family trees for families connected with both the Sockett and Wyndham (Earl of Egremont) families. The Sockett family dies out in West Sussex, but a son George emigrates to Eramosa, Upper Canada and this branch of the family blossoms and is discussed extensively in a supplemental chapter. There is “who was who” chapter that helps to keep the players in this story straight. There is a combined subject, place and every-name index. Some of the names also have additional identifiers in the index such as housekeeper, artists, judge, etc.
You can plug into this book because you are connected to the families involved, you want to know more about the situation for your emigrants, or you want to more about the life of a country rector with connections to a big house. Whatever your connection it is a good read.
[For my review of the two books about the Petworth Project - Assisting Emigration to Upper Canada: The Petworth Project 1832-1837 by Wendy Cameron and Mary McDougall Maude - plus English Emigrant Voices: Labourer’s Letters from Upper Canada in the 1830’s by Wendy Cameron, Sheila Haines and Mary McDougall Maude see FGS FORUM Vol. 13, No. 3, Fall 2001, p.41-42]
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.5, 2008
Campden: A New History
† by members of CADHAS, edited by Allan Warmington. Published by Campden and District Historical and Archaeological Society, c/o Allan Warmington, The Old Police Station, High Street, Chipping Campden GL55 9TH, England. <www.chippingcampdenhistory.org.uk>. 2005. xiv, 359 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £18.50. The book uses the term Campden to refer to the parish, and uses Chipping Campden when referring to the market area of the old tightly constrained borough which was the custom right up to the end of the nineteenth century and beyond. The small market town of Campden lies in a bowl shaped valley at the northern tip of the Gloucestershire Cotswolds. It is close to the county boundaries of Worcestershire in the west, Warwickshire to the north and Oxfordshire to the east.
This is a history written by a variety of knowledgeable writers, who are acknowledged but the reader is not told who wrote which chapters. Each writer has focused on their own special interests, but the book holds together very well and the editor has done an excellent job in smoothing out differences in writing styles. This is not the first history of the community, but this brings it up to date, highlights new research and findings on the community (including a reproduction of a recently located 1722 map of the community), making corrections where needed.
The book, written in twenty-nine chapters is divided into six periods: Campden before the Conquest; Medieval Campden; the 16th and 17th Centuries; the 18th and 19th Centuries; The Artistic Invasion; the 20th Century. Additionally there are two appendices describing the descent of the manor from 1232 to 1540 and 400 years of separation between Combe and Broad Campden. There is an extensive select bibliography for those wanting to research further.
I don’t have any Gloucestershire ancestors but this book was still a fascinating read. As you would expect with the earlier periods the history focuses on the landed families, but it gives a good indication of what types of records can be found to reconstruct these families. With the later periods I kept thinking was this similar or different to what happened in the areas where my ancestors lived. This was especially true when I read about the: Civil War (Campden was a Royalist town with a lot of Parliamentarians close by); agricultural unrest; treatment of the poor (before and after the Poor Law Reform); election reform; religious unrest (even found for the first time the longest non-technical word in the English language used appropriately in a book — antidisestablishmentarianist, p.200); religious diversity; and community development.
This book is well illustrated, some in color, and includes a good index. It is a must for anyone with ancestors in north Gloucestershire, but will be of interest to those with ancestors in the area of these four counties. It will also have wider appeal because it is a quality local history book.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.5, 2008
The Scottish Covenanter Genealogical Index (1630-1712)
† by Isabelle McCall MacLean. Published by iUniverse, 2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln NE 68512. <www.iuniverse.com>. 2007. xiv, 696 pp. Softcover. $52.95. The Covenanters were followers of John Knox believing that the function of the government did not belong to one person or one class of people, rather the government belonged to the citizens, and spiritual government belonged to the whole body of the faithful, plus the few who led the government were selected by the people. The Covenanters represented the Presbyterians who held most firmly to these truths and were unwavering in their defense of them, sacrificing their lives to uphold their beliefs. There were numerous covenants during the 1600s in Scotland. The “killing times” occurred after Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660. He reneged on his promises to defend Presbyterianism and to be a friend of the Covenanters. He repealed acts of parliament and placed Episcopal ministers into the Scottish churches. The ousted ministers had their supporters and followers. Those who did not attend church and were unwilling to take an oath of allegiance to the king were persecuted. Civil War broke out in Scotland. The Royalists and their Highland Host (soldiers of fortune from the Highlands and Ireland) searched ruthlessly for the Covenanters. When caught they were often dismembered or transported. Those hiding the Covenanters, including women, children and the elderly, were tortured to reveal the whereabouts of those in hiding. Many of those who were martyred for the cause are remembered in stories and diaries, more rarely in official records.
One of the author’s ancestors is John Whitelaw, the Covenanter Martyr of Monkland who was executed, in 1683, in Edinburgh. His story was found in Scots Worthies by John Howie. As a result of searching for information on her ancestors the author has indexed the names in twenty-four books about the Covenanters, most of which will be available via inter-library loan. The alphabetical index provides: surname and given name; an approximate birth date; birth or location place; notes which includes a book reference number and page number, and some comments. The comments might include when and where he was captured, if he was examined or banished, if he was a minister, or to whom he was related or worked for.
For those with Scottish connections, especially in the lowlands of Scotland, in the mid to late 1600’s this index may provide an easy access to stories about them, and thus is worth a look. The author expects to continue to add to the index.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.5, 2008
The Oath and the Covenant: The “Killing Times” in Scotland. A Historical Novel
† by Isabelle McCall MacLean. Published by iUniverse, 2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln NE 68512. <www.iuniverse.com>. 2006. xvi, 295 pp. Softcover. $18.95. I have not in the past reviewed historical fiction, but this book by the same author as the above Scottish Covenanter Genealogical Index is worth a read if you do not know much about the “killing times” in Scotland. The book’s introduction provides a very nice chronological explanation of the different Presbyterian Covenants, when and why they were signed.
This historical novel is fiction. No explanation is given of how much is based on fact and how much is conjecture. It is the story told through the eyes of Lizzie Whitelaw, the daughter of John Whitelaw, the Martyr of Monkland. It describes the hunting of the Covenanters by the Royalists, the burning of property and torturing of the people who hid those on the run. It tells of the defeat at the Battle of Bothwell Bridge and the slaughter that followed. It gives the reader a sense of what the times were like, what happened when a Covenanter was caught and what life on the run was like. It tells of what banishment meant, what a journey across the Atlantic might have been like. This particular group avoided time as ‘slaves’ on the East New Jersey plantations, were befriended and hunted by Indians, eventually settling near Quebec. As fiction it has a nice ending with all the loose ends neatly wrapped up and is a good story to give you a flavor of the times.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.5, 2008
Henry VIII: Court, Church and Conflict
† by David Loades. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/>. 2007. 240 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £18. There are many books about Henry VIII but for family historians this one is well worth reading. A major event for British researchers in this period is the introduction of parish registers in 1538 by Thomas Cromwell which is not mentioned in the book. But we do learn a lot about Thomas Cromwell, Thomas Cranmer, Thomas Wolsey, all important people in this period and their relationship to King Henry VIII. We read about the laws leading to the dissolution of the monasteries and the effect on the local parishes, the poor law, and the differentiation between the unfortunates (sick and impotent) and the vagabonds, ‘masterless men,’ those who should be
able to work.
The book is arranged in ten chapters examining: his life as a prince: the court: the king at war of which there were a number; the ‘Great Matter,’ which was his efforts to attain a divorce from his first wife, the real issue of course being the need for a male heir; laws; government, especially with the elevation of Parliament and control by appointees; enemies, of which there were many inside and outside of the country; Ireland and the difficulty in controlling it; his religion; and his final years. Throughout the book there are italicized sections which are transcripts or abstracts of original documents such as Henry’s Will, instructions to the commissioners for the Dissolution of the Monasteries, Act of Supremacy. In addition there are extracts from contemporary letters, often published later, through which you get a real feel for what the people were thinking at the time.
This is an excellent read for researchers wanting to understand or know more about what was happening in Britain during the sixteenth century and how Henry VIII related to or fought with the contemporary rulers in Europe.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.6, 2008
My Ancestor Was a Bastard: A Family Historian’s Guide to Sources for Illegitimacy in England and Wales
† by Ruth Paley. Published by the Society of Genealogists Enterprises Ltd, 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA. <www.sog.org.uk/>. 2004, reprinted 2008. 90 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £6.50. We all have illegitimate children on our family tree, even if we don’t know it yet. This book is designed to help family historians find the sources that hopefully solve the parentage problem, but it is also designed to help you understand the problem by giving it a wider historical context.
The guide is divided into four parts. Part one provides
an introduction to the social history of illegitimacy and the author points out that those wanting to know more will need to explore the good bibliography that ends this section. Having said that, this is an excellent introduction to help you define illegitimacy, it is not as simple as you might think. It is designed to see the many connected issues such as courtship, marriage, divorce, separation, re-marriage, cohabitation, and bigamy; the problems with inheritance, child maintenance and how that changed over the centuries, plus the issue of unwanted children.
Part two examines the need to prepare for the search and the problems created by the fact that social attitudes were not uniform, changing with geography, social class and time period. Part three presents how to find and use the sources needed to solve the problem. The sources are presented in alphabetical order so read them all the first time through to see which are relevant for your time period. The final part, titled ‘finding your way around’ provides a good bibliography of guides to records and research, a select list of useful websites and useful addresses. For researchers new to working with British records one of the books most practical items, an appendix, is a simplified research plan where you answer yes or no questions and are guided to suggested sources to examine.
Throughout the book there are some great comments, for example during the mid-nineteenth century 20-30% of brides were pregnant when married, while in Lamplugh, Cumberland (near to where I grew up) 60% of the brides were pregnant in the early seventeenth century. Unfortunately for us the sources of items like this are not provided.
Illegitimacy is a problem we all have; with this book guiding you it does not have to be the end of the line.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.6, 2008
The Great Northern Coalfield: Mining Collections at Beamish Museum
† by Aiden Doyle. Published by Northumbria University Press, Trinity Building, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK. <www.northumbriauniversitypress.co.uk/>. 2005. 104 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £11.99. Beamish Museum, set in 300 acres in County Durham, is 12 miles north-west of Durham City and 8 miles south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. The book mentions that in 2004 it won the prestigious “Living Museum of the Year 2004” award from Good Britain Guide but in reality the museum continues to win awards such as the “Best UK Attraction for Group Visits" 2008 and five of the prior seven years; 2007 “Visitor Attraction of the Year — Gold Award.” The museum’s stated purpose is “the studying, collecting, preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting to the public, buildings, machinery, objects and information illustrating the development of industry and agriculture and a way of life in the North of England.” It presents a living, working experience of life in the Northeast in 1825 and 1913. I can personally recommend this living museum, having visited twice, as a place well worth visiting to get a sense of working class life in these two periods.
This book focuses on the mining collection. There is a brief history of coal mining in the Northeast where the coal field stretches from Warkworth in the north to close to Barnard Castle in the south. It covers an area of 725 square miles, with another 200 square miles under the sea, has 24 named workable seams, and has been worked certainly since Roman times. The four most important chapters describe the material and paper collections. The material collections include super-large items that require cranes to move such as the third oldest locomotive in the world, a ‘Coffee Pot’ locomotive, Egg-ended and Lancashire boilers, steam pumps, chaldrons. Smaller items include mine rescue tools, surveying equipments, lamps, medals and tokens. The paper collections include books, printed materials, maps, manuscripts and ephemera (songs, poems, music, and oral histories). For the genealogist examples are given of miners bonds listing everyone working at a mine at a particular date and account books listing miners getting paid, and lists of those killed or injured in disasters. The other important chapter simply titled ‘illustrative material’ covers the significant collection of pictures, banners, paintings,
prints, watercolors, engravings, technical drawings, certificates, films, videos, maps, photographs, events. Additional chapters briefly cover disasters, and the end of coal mining. Appendices provide a mining glossary, 1872 and 1899 description of mine working, banners and specific disasters. There is a bibliography but no index.
When researching your coal mining ancestors this book is not going to guide you to a particular item or record for a specific mine. What it does do though is give you a sense of what items were created physically or on paper that you can search to see what has survived. The collection at Beamish Museum is certainly worth contacting for those with northeast mining connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.6, 2008
A Dictionary of North East Dialect
, second edition† by Bill Griffiths. Published by Northumbria University Press, Trinity Building, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK. <www.northumbriauniversitypress.co.uk/>. 2005. 204 pp. Softcover. £9.99. Mr. Griffiths provides a good introduction to the development of dialects in general, but specifically as it relates to the North East of England. He points out the development and conflict between Old Norse and Old English in the region, the making of Middle English, and the growth of standardized English. The dialect though was influenced by migration and contact with outsiders, especially the Scots and Dutch. Words in northeast dialect first appear in print in the early 18th century but have continually evolved and changed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Adults moving into the area rarely adopt the dialect, but their children do so readily to fit in and belong.
The bulk of the book is an alphabetical dictionary of dialect words with definitions and examples of how and where they have been used. Some of the words I readily recognize as they were used by my parents and grandparents, such as: bairn, bubble, canny, gaffor, kilter, marra, neep, and there are hundreds more here. For each word you get a definition, then examples of how the word is used in context and the source of the quote. There are many words here that you will not find in the Oxford Dictionary but many that are included will have a different meaning in the northeast. This is a useful and interesting compilation for those with Northeast of England connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.6, 2008
British Historical Documents: 325 B.C. to 2006 A.D.
† by Alan Avery. Published by Blackthorn Press, Blackthorn House, Middleton Road, Pickering YO18 8AL, UK. <www.blackthornpress.com/>. 2007. 158 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £7.95. This 158-page volume presents 105 items (primarily documents) that the author believes to be of historical performance in British history. The items are arranged chronologically beginning with a brief comment from a visit to Britain by Pytheas of Massilia in 325 BC and ending with the complete text of Tony Blair’s farewell speech to the Labour Party Conference in 2006. The longest items are full transcripts of: the 63 articles in the Magna Carta signed in 1215 at Runnymede; Winston Churchill’s 1940 speech after Dunkirk; Margaret Thatcher’s Brugges Speech given in 1998 outlining her political thinking about Britain’s relationship to the European Community; and Tony Blair’s farewell speech, already mentioned. Most items are short, possibly just the highlights of a significant Act, letter, written description, document, speech or an image (fragment of the Bayeux Tapestry, cartoon, coin). Each item begins with a couple of sentences to provide context. The goal though is to get the researcher to actually read the original document.
For family historians there are some good items in here to spark your interest because they relate to laws that produced documents of interest to family historians or they affected your ancestors. Documents you might enjoy reading include: Magna Carta, 1215; Peasants Revolt with the death of Wat Tyler, 1381; Act of Supremacy, 1531; Beggars Act, 1598; Scottish National Covenant, 1638, leading directly to the ‘Bishop’s War’ of 1639; The Solemn League and Covenant, 1643; First Test Act, 1673; Act of Settlement, 1701; the Workhouse Act, 1722; Act of Union, 1800; Poor Law Act, 1834; Old Age Pension Act, 1908; Parliament Act, 1911; Edward VIII’s Abdication Speech, 1936; Earl Spencer’s funeral tribute to his sister Princess Diana, 1997. There are of course many more to read, but these documents certainly hit a good cross section of British history. There is a bibliography indicating where each document originated.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.15 no.6, 2008
My Ancestor was an Agricultural Labourer
† by Ian H. Waller. Published by Society of Genealogists Enterprises Ltd., 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA, UK. <www.sog.org.uk/>. 2007. 136 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £7.50. The book begins by acknowledging that many family historians give up looking for anything about their farm laborers beyond the census, registration certificates and parish registers. The reality is that a lot more can often be found with perseverance and guidance on where to look.
The book is divided into two parts. The first examines the lifestyle of the agricultural laborer focusing primarily on the period from the late 1700s through the First World War. We read about the Tolpuddle Martyrs, Swing Riots, trade unions, the agricultural depression, different aspects of the life of a laborer and his family, gang labor, regional differences, migration, emigration, changes and old age. This is a good introduction to the life of a farm labor and will give you ideas of what subjects to explore for your ancestors. Unfortunately, there are no suggestions for further reading on the various subjects and the bibliography is weak.
The book’s second part categorizes the records to examine for research. There is a short section on the basics—census, civil registration, parish registers, wills and newspapers—which most researchers will already be familiar with. It is the rest of this part that provides the value. We learn about: records of employment, such as estate records, diaries, trade unions and hiring fairs; rural pauperism, of which there are many records, such as old and new poor law, workhouse, apprenticeship, outdoor relief, settlement, illegitimacy, militia relief, parish charities, etc.; vaccination records; local records, such as quarter sessions, assizes, ecclesiastical and manor courts; school and militia records; other useful records, such as land enclosure, tithe redemption, photographs, maps, Royal Commissions on labour, riots, museums and archives.
This is a good book to put your ancestor into context and expose you to all the records created by and about your agricultural laborers. It will not answer all your questions, but rather exposes you to what is available. You will probably need to seek additional reference materials to understand the suggested sources fully.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.16 no.1, 2009
Banbury Past through Artists’ Eyes
† compiled by Simon Townsend and Jeremy Gibson. Published as Volume 30 in the ‘record series’ in celebration of the Society’s 50th Anniversary by the Banbury Historical Society, c/o Banbury Museum, Spiceball Park Road, Banbury OX16 2PQ, UK. <www.cherwell-dc.gov.uk/>. 2007. 128 pp. Illustrations, indexes. Hardcover. £15. Many photographic books are being published showing what a community looked like in the late nineteenth, early twentieth centuries. The question should be asked, but what about earlier time periods?
Banbury is a town in north Oxfordshire on the boundary with Northamptonshire, and near Warwickshire. This book is an excellent example of what can be accomplished for a specific community by dedicated compilers. This book goes far beyond the typical illustrated book to create a superb, well-illustrated history, many in color, of Banbury in times past. In fact there is only one photograph in the book and that is from 1855. The endpapers in the book show a bird’s-eye view of the community in 1828 with maps of west and east Banbury in 1900. The maps have page numbers showing where illustrations of that part of town are located in the book. Both of these tools help to orientate the outsider.
The over 200 paintings, drawings and engravings, gathered from public and private collections, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries, include both naïve and accomplished works by local and national artists. These pictures are the reason for publication and so the accompanying historical descriptions or notations about the pictures are good but kept minimal. The context and citation for the illustration itself is provided. There are numerous references in the text to the society’s newsletter Cake & Cockhorse, back issues of which are online so you can follow through on information provided. The compilers do remind us that paintings can be used as a good historical source, but still need to be used with caution as they may portray events that never occurred (e.g., 1859 Official opening of the Cross, portrayed on page 62, never occurred), or are created to draw attention to social issues (e.g., 1808 painting of Banbury with both poor and rich portrayed, p. 120).
The book concludes with short biographies of some of the artists and period historians quoted in the text. Separate indexes are included for: places; people mentioned in the text; architects, artists, commentators and contributors (mostly deceased).
A copy of the indexes and additional purchasing options can be found online at <sites.rootsweb.com/~engcbanb/books/banbury-past-through-artists-eyes.htm>.
This is a beautiful book to look at, is full of historical pictures, with good accompanying text and is worthy of emulation by other societies. It is well worth getting if your ancestors are in this part of north Oxfordshire.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.16 no.1, 2009
Pitmatic: The Talk of the North East Coalfield
† compiled by Bill Griffiths. Published by Northumbria University Press, Northumbria University, Trinity Building, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK. <www.northumbriauniversitypress.co.uk/>. 2007. 274 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £9.99. Pitmatics is a term from the 1870s and 1880s with various meanings including the technicalities of colliery working, an everyday language of the region or the ‘private’ language of the pitmen. The last North East colliery closed in 2005. This book aims to recapture the language, experience and terms of the coal mining industry before they are lost forever. Many of the local words and expressions used in northeast England have been filtered through the vocabulary of the coal miner.
The chapters in the book address different aspects of the miners experience, such as: pit-surface features; the shaft; underground; ventilation; drainage; coal; the officials; work practices; hewing; putting; automation; safety and health; and finishing with everyday life. Each chapter is further subdivided into different aspects of the job, for example in the chapter on putting there are divisions addressing hand putting, tubs, rails, the route to the shaft, sets, ponies, power assisted hauling, ropes and wires. For each topic you will find specialized terms with descriptions (historical or current) each being put into context. In any given section the terms being defined are in bold and usually in alphabetical order, but there are many such listings within the book so it cannot be used as a dictionary to look up the term unless you already know roughly the context in which the word would be used. The book has a detailed table of contents but no index.
As you read the book you get an excellent sense of what coalmining was all about during various time periods. There are selections from official reports, personal memoirs, dictionaries, and dialect poetry to really give you a rounded picture. For anyone with coalmining ancestors this book builds a comprehensive picture of how they lived and worked, especially if there were in Northumberland or Durham. You will learn their specialized language which you may have heard or read.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.16 no.1, 2009
Medal Yearbook 2008
† edited by James Mackay and John W. Mussell and the editorial team of Medal News. Published by Token Publishing Ltd, Orchard House, Duchy Road, Heathpark, Honiton, Devon EX14 1YD, UK. US Distributor: Worldwide Military Exchange, Inc., PO Box 745, Batavia, IL 60510. <www.tokenpublishing.com/>. 2008. 584 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $29.95. Many of our ancestors who served in the British Military received medals for serving in a particular war, battle or for length of service and occasionally for valor. Many of the pre-WWI medals are individually engraved with the name of the ancestor making them unique. There are also many decorations and medals awarded to civilians. You are definitely one of the fortunate ones if the medal(s) or decorations have been passed on down to you. This book will help you accurately identify what the medal or decoration is and give you a price range for its value.
For each of the hundreds of medals issued the book provides color photographs of both sides of the medal (or indicates if the reverse is the same as another medal), plus the ribbon. The medal description provides specifics for: date of issue; campaign; branch of service; ribbon description; metal; size in millimeters; description of both obverse and reverse; clasps issued; and a detailed comment section putting the medal into context. The description is followed by a valuation table showing value ranges varying depending upon if the medal is named, unnamed, impressed, engraved, specific clasps, full size or miniature (usually, but not always of lower value).
Some medals are so valuable that buyers are warned to be aware of forgeries, for example an officially impressed Crimea Medal for someone known to be in the charge of the Light Brigade is valued at between £10-12,000 and even more valuable when combined for the same person with a Mutiny or Long Service Good Conduct medal. Sets of medals awarded to an individual are worth more than the medals alone, especially when the history of the soldier has been researched. The book is of value also if you want to start searching for an ancestor’s medal as there are many adverts for auctions and search services. My Samuel Milliner was awarded a Waterloo Medal in what is categorized here as an “Other Foot Regiment,” not one of the regiments heavily involved in the battle, yet I would still expect to pay in the range of £1,500-2,000, assuming I could locate his medal. Not all medals are expensive, for example a British pattern WWI Victory medal would be £10-14 with its miniature £3-4.
The book itself highlights what has been happening in the medal market over the prior year suggesting market trends and reviewing auctions. You are provided with instructions on how to wear the medals and what is the prescribed order of wear. The medal photographs and descriptions are arranged by: orders of knighthood; decorations; mentions and commendations; campaign medals; long and meritorious service medals; coronation and jubilee medals; miscellaneous medals; medals for saving life; foreign medals found in British groups; awards of the British Commonwealth (Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa); unofficial medals; and medal ribbons. The book also covers: abbreviations and initials; current regiments; how to research your medal with an excellent bibliography; listings of societies, auctioneers, dealers, booksellers, fairs, and museums. The book concludes with an index of medals and a cumulative index of articles in the magazine Medal News from March 1989 to 2007.
This is a must have reference book for anyone seeking information on medals or decorations.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.16 no.1, 2009
Fishing and Folk: Life and Dalect on the North Sea Coast
† compiled by Bill Griffiths. Published by Northumbria University Press, Northumbria University, Trinity Building, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 8ST, UK. <www.northumbriauniversitypress.co.uk/>. 2008. 266 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £11.99. Do you have ancestors who were fishermen or worked along the coast? If you do then this is a great book for you, especially if they lived in the northeast of England. This book is divided into four sections: coastal terminology; the boats; fishing; communities and the sea. Each part is further sectioned into numerous short chapters dealing with specific topics and this is what is used to navigate the book, as there is no index.
Many of the chapters contain alphabetical lists of local dialect words related to the specific topic. The reader is provided with definitions, sentences to show context and source citations. Throughout the book there are examples of local poetry, samples of descriptions about specialized topics and transcripts of oral history that are especially strong in the last section of the book dealing with communities and the sea. There are many photographs of local fishermen and their families at leisure and at work.
There is also an excellent diagram of a coble, a specialized local fishing boat now almost extinct, which names all the parts. This is helpful as the coble and its parts are often mentioned in wills, inventories and local deeds.
This book is well worth reading for those with fishing connections, especially along England’s east coast, to put your ancestors into context and to learn and understand their language.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.16 no.1, 2009
How to Trace Your Irish Ancestors: An Essential Guide to Researching and Documenting the Family Histories of Ireland’s People
† by Ian Maxwell. Published by How to Books, Spring Hill Road, Begbroke, Oxford OX5 1RX, UK. <www.howtobooks.co.uk/>. 2008. xii, 196 pp. Index. Softcover. £9.99. The book divides Irish research into nineteen subjects each with its own chapter. This includes both the expected and the lesser-used records such as: administrative divisions; census and old age pension claims; census substitutes; election; board of guardians; schools; migration; emigration; landed estates; taxation and valuation; law and order; local government; and researching online. Each chapter is broken into shorter sections with clear titles and bullet liking it easier to find what you are looking for within a chapter. There are no illustrations so you will need to look elsewhere to get a sense of what the documents might look like, but I did not find this a loss because the description and background writing is good.
Ian Maxwell is a former Research Officer in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. He thus knows his records and can communicate well in writing. He understands and explains how to do research in both the north and the south of Ireland, but he is more thorough and many of his examples are from the north. I found that he gives good background information on many of the records and actually goes into more detail. For example, in this book, a section on tithe defaulters covers three-quarters of a page. I compared it with James Ryan’s Irish Records where there is one sentence on the subject, while I could not find it mentioned in John Grenham’s Tracing Your Irish Ancestors. Mr. Maxwell acknowledges that records in Ireland can almost be found anywhere not jut in the national repositories. For example in the chapter on Board of Guardian records he highlights the records to be found in county libraries, county council archives, regional archives, county museums, which is in addition to the major collections in the national Archives of Ireland, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland and the National Library of Ireland.
Mr. Maxwell provides thorough background information for you to understand how to use and find the records you need. This is a good Irish research text to add to your personal collection.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.2, 2009
Collins Tracing Your Family History, Revised Edition
† by Anthony Adolph. Published by Collins, 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, London, W6 8JB, UK. <www.harpercollins.co.uk/>. Revised edition. 2008. 320 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £20. This is a major revision and upgrade from the 2004 edition by Mr. Adolph highlighting the advances within DNA technology, the increasing emphasis on the Internet and Britain’s increasingly multicultural roots. The book is divided into four parts: Getting Started; the Main Records; Taking it Further; and Broadening the Picture.
The brief first section addresses getting started and is aimed at the beginner helping them to get organized, discussing briefly the need to document sources, but with no explanation of how. The section on major sources addresses: civil registration; censuses; major websites; directories and almanacs; lifestyles (illegitimacy, divorce, name change, etc); parish records; manorial records; wills; gravestones and memorials. The largest section addresses almost everything else from: newspapers; land records; slave ancestry; elections; parish chest; hospitals; military; legal accounts; education; immigration and emigration; religious denominations and more. The last section broadens the picture addressing genetics, names; royalty, heraldry and psychics. The use of psychics was a little too far for me but was I suppose to support the viewers of the author’s TV program Antique Ghostshow.
Most of the chapters are short, well presented and very well illustrated. There are lots of both color and black & white illustrations, which may be of documents, contemporary people or places, and classic art portraying events in peoples lives (christening, elopement, in the workhouse, hanging, and many more). The chapters are full of colored sidebars highlighting: where to search; lifetimes; important items; and quick reference. It is unfortunate that the colors for a particular item are not consistent throughout the book. Many of the chapters have mini case studies highlighting an example from the author’s own family or often a television personality for whom research has been done. Many of the stories highlight overseas origins.
This is an up to date book full of details, examples and illustrations. It should be read fully, but it is one that is easy to dip into to find a specific topic. This should be on the shelf along with Mark Herber’s Ancestral Trails and David Hey’s Journeys in Family History. There are a few research errors in the book and it could have been improved with some good copyediting, but overall it is recommended.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.2, 2009
Researching British Military History on the Internet: The British Army and the Armies of the Commonwealth, Empire and Dominions
† by Dr. Stuart C. Blank. Published by Alwyn Enterprises, P.O. Box 356 Paignton, Devon TQ3 1WR, UK. <www.MilitaryArchiveResearch.com/>. 2007. 135 pp. Index. Softcover. £12.50. It is obvious that you can find material on British military history on the Internet without this book, but the book will make your searching so much easier and more rewarding. The book aims to present the best and most well known sites for specific military research. For each website it provides its name, web address and generally one to three paragraphs about the site. The book focuses on the army, excluding naval and air force history.
The book is divided into fourteen chapters and six appendices; The chapters cover: introduction to the internet; regiments, units and formations; wars, battles and campaigns and related associations; army research and history societies; associations for ex-service personnel; medals and awards; archive facilities; national museums; graves, war memorials and rolls of honor; publishers, newspapers and magazines; battlefield tours; re-enactment groups; miscellaneous; discussion groups. The appendices are especially valuable and thorough covering: popular search engines; regimental rosters and histories; regimental associations on the internet; summary of campaigns and conflicts involving the British Army; regimental collections by museum; museums for regiments and formations. Given the restructuring and mergers both historically and recently within the British Army the appendices on where to look for records are current and especially valuable.
The book quickly points you in the right direction for specifics whether your interest lines with the English Civil War, Waterloo, the Crimea, the Somme, or any other of the many battles or wars fought by the British around the world. There is a detailed table of contents and an index that helps you quickly find the reference you are seeking. This is a helpful book for those with British army connections.
[Dr. Blank is a professional researcher specializing in military records and history and can be contacted through his website]
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.2, 2009
At the Overseer’s Door: The Story of Suffolk’s Parish Workhouses
† by Ray Whitehead. Published by Historical Suffolk Publishing, 28 Lincoln Avenue, Saxmundham, Suffolk IP17 1BZ, UK. <www.historicalsuffolk.com/>. 2007. 96 pp. Illustrations, maps. Softcover. £9.95 plus £4 postage to North America. The dissolution of the monasteries in 1536 changed the medieval social structure. Caring for the poor moved from a voluntary action to a compulsory system driven by taxation in the form of poor rates. Parliament created a series of Poor Relief Acts beginning in 1564 with additions in 1597 and 1601.
This book addresses the system by which parishes cared for the poor in Suffolk prior to the New Poor Law Act of 1834. The first parish workhouses in Suffolk were in Hadleigh and Ipswich by 1575. As the book points out the workhouse in Hadleigh was so successful that it was used as a model in a report leading to the 1601 Act. “The three primary elements of this Act were: 1) To seek to bring up unprotected children in habits of industry; 2) To provide work for those capable, but unable to find any; 3) To provide materials such as flax, hemp and wool as a means of employment for those able bodied poor.” (p.9). The book describes how these needs were addressed over the next 300+ years using Suffolk examples. In 1722 Knatchbull’s Act, gave parishes the option of refusing ‘out relief’, it allowed parishes to unite in order to provide a workhouse (a house of industry) for the poor, and care for the poor could be contracted out. The inside front cover provides a parish map of Suffolk showing those with a parish workhouse in the late eighteenth century. While the inside back cover using the same map shows which parishes united and incorporated a house of industry.
The book describes: how the parish or union workhouses were acquired or built; looks at how they were equipped, maintained, and managed; who was employed there and how they were recruited; who were the inmates and under what conditions they lived. There are a few case studies showing how the records can be used to reconstruct the lives of workhouse families. An appendix lists all the parish workhouses, when they were operational and for many their capacity. The book is full of extracts from a wide variety of documents used to tell the story, all thoroughly documented with 224 footnotes. The book provides illustrations for some of the documents you will find in your research. The one major drawback to the book is that there is no index for names or places. This is a good book for anyone seeking examples of what can be found in the Old Poor Law records, especially if you have Suffolk connections.
[My Whitehead is a professional researcher, if anyone is looking for a researcher in Suffolk, and can be contacted through his website]
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.2, 2009
Scorched Earth: The Earliest English in North Wales
† by Keith Nurse. Published by the author, 44 Tandridge Drive, Orpington, Kent BR6 8DA. <[email protected]>. 2007. 56 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £8.50. This short booklet examines: key post-conquest aspects of the military campaigns of Edward I in Wales during 1277–83; settlement patterns that followed the English victory; establishment of the castle towns and the seizure of Welsh lands. The records that form the foundation of this story are accounting records, Lay Subsidy Rolls, compiled by the clerks in the royal exchequer. The records include compensation payments made by the Crown for war damage often as a result of the king destroying the property outside the walls to deprive the attaching Welsh of cover and plunder. Many of these were English settlers who moved to Wales in the wake of the conquest. The names of these settlers have survived in two late thirteenth century parchment documents, in Latin, relating to the Flintshire castle-boroughs of Flint and Rhudlan. These were the first in the chain of castles built by Edward I along the borders and coastal areas of North Wales in the late 13th century that includes Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech.
The names of these settlers, anonymous except for these accounting lists, are put into the context of what was happening in Wales and England at the time. It is an interesting story but confusing at times with the writer repeating himself. A little more editing would have helped to clarify the story. The book includes some color photographs of the ruins of the major castles; unfortunately they have a distinct blue caste to them. There is no index to the names or places. The book includes in the appendices copies of the names from the Lay Subsidy Rolls for 1292 for Rhudlan and Flint. Some of the names include English locality identifiers to show the migration of these English settlers into the area. Now if we could only get this far back in our family research.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.2, 2009
Census: The Expert Guide
† by Peter Christian and David Annal. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/>. 2008. x, 262 pp. Charts, illustrations, index. Softcover. £14.99. The 1911 census returns have just become available online so this is a great time to produce an experts guide to the Census, and this book certainly meets that need.
How we search the census returns has changed drastically in the last few years because of the availability of online indexes and images. Often we search the indexes without thinking about how they are working as long as we find the people we are seeking. It is only when we can’t find the people we want that we start to think about what are we actually doing. Here is the reference guide to understanding the content of the original census returns, how the different online search engines work, who or how the indexing was done, what the differences are between black & white versus grayscale images, and how to make the most of your money.
The book begins by examining the Victorian census returns and their contents, with a couple of case studies, one of a normal traceable family, and one a brick wall family and how they were eventually overcome. The following chapter addresses the newly released 1911 census along with its similarities and differences to the earlier census returns. For example, in 1911 we see the original census schedules with our ancestors writing and signature (unlike the earlier census enumerator books), plus we learn about the families fertility, more detailed occupation information, again supported by two good case studies. The book continues by examining why people can’t find there ancestors: civil disobedience (especially in 1911); under enumeration; beyond the seas; name unknown; missing censuses (list provided); census is wrong; reading the writing; ignorance, errors and lies; names; ages; birthplaces; the family of Charles Darwin which provides an excellent case study and is one of two case studies illustrating the problems encountered.
The rest of the book examines the online census records with chapters for each of the online services, free and pay. For each service a search flow diagram is provided to help you visualize what is happening and where the costs are incurred. There are numerous screen captures in these chapters showing what the search forms and the results tables look like. I found it very helpful to understand when the same data sets are shared between different services, e.g. Findmypast.com and Origins.net, or to see when one company operates two sites with the same data, but provides different search options and different payments structures, e.g. TheGenealogist.co.uk and RootsUK.com. Also covered are: Ancestry; ScotlandsPeople; Genes Reunited and 1901censusonline; FamilySearch; and the National Archives of Ireland. There are chapters on each service with a chapter that compares the services, which is very useful as it makes it easy to see what is unique to a particular service, e.g. Findmypast is the only one you can search from a reference citation. The final chapters describe which what is available on CD-Rom and explain how to search the census on microfilm or microfiche for there are times when it is still appropriate to return to the old search options.
This book is highly recommended for those who want to understand the census and the online services that now provide us with access.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.3, 2009
Collins Tracing Your Irish Family History
† by Anthony Adolph. Published by Collins, 77-85 Fulham Palace Road, Hammersmith, London W6 8JB, UK. <www.collins.co.uk/>. 2007. 223 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £17.99. This book is divided into four parts: Tracing back to Ireland – First Steps; Tracing back to Ireland – country by country; Tracing roots in Ireland; and Tracing ancient Irish roots. The first brief section examines sources that are likely to lead you to an understanding that you have Irish roots to begin with. The second section provides information for tracing your immigrant from overseas, using foreign sources, to find places of origin in Ireland. Countries covered are: England and Wales; Scotland; United States of America; Canada; Argentina; Australia; and New Zealand. The third section introduces us to the basics of Irish research, provides an understanding of Irish geographic divisions and then explains the fundamental sources: Griffiths Valuation and Tithe Applotments; civil registration; censuses; religious registers; occupational records and then a dictionary of Irish sources to highlight the other sources one should examine. The final section looks at tracing ancient Irish roots and is more speculative in nature for it will be beyond most Irish researchers. It examines the history of Irish names, the recorded pedigrees (doing a good job of describing their strengths, weaknesses and biases, which is important as some of these sources are readily available here in the US); heraldry; ancient Gaelic pedigrees connecting to Milesius; ancient Irish roots and the invasions of Ireland.
The book is very well illustrated with numerous color and black and white photographs of documents, people and places. There are numerous colored side boxes that highlight: how to overcome problems; items online; further reading; plus lots of material that explains an item or terms in that chapter (such as old age pensions; occupational dictionaries, land measurements). Case studies are used through the book. This is a book that because of its layout is easy to dip into the find what you are looking for.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.3, 2009
My Ancestor was a Coalminer
† by David Tonks. Published by the Society of Genealogists Enterprises Ltd., 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA.<www.sog.org.uk/>. 2003, reprinted 2006. 136 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £8.50. This excellent little guide book is divided into three sections. The first examines the lifestyle of the miners and puts them into the context of mining in general. It provides: a brief history of coal mining in Great Britain; explains why the miner is different examining questions of housing, lodgers, mobility, in-breeding, disasters and more along with the sources that support these assertions; an explanation of the work in general, along with the dangers, disasters, unions, strikes and sources. Shorter pieces look at how he lived, whether he belonged to church or chapel, what he did with his leisure time, was he a Bevin boy, a woman working underground or on the surface. The second part highlights the multitude of documents created around a disaster that can be used for family history, using the Elemore Colliery, Easington Lane, County Durham disaster of 1886 as a case study. These two sections provide context and ideas for what is available and parts of the miner’s life that can be examined. There are good bibliographies for each of the sections./sub>
The final section examines the collections and sources. The mining industry is much regionalized and this section gives an overview of national collections, but then focuses on the many regional or local collections. These may be in archives, libraries or heritage parks. Each regional section closes with a geographically specific bibliography looking at general descriptions, mining histories, social histories, union histories, biographies / autobiographies, and websites. Many of us with eighteenth – twentieth century ancestors will have mobile coal mining ancestors and this book is an excellent guide on tracing them.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.3, 2009
The Medical Professions and Their Archives, 2nd Edition
† by Peter C. Amsden. Purchase from the author at Dunstaffnage Mains Farm, Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll PA37 1PZ, Scotland. 2007. 52 pp. Softcover. £4.90.This booklet is divided into two sections. The first provides a brief history of the medical profession focusing especially on the different courses taken by the physicians, surgeons, nurses and apothecaries or pharmacists. These groups were often in competition with one another. The early history is discussed but the emphasis is on the different groups and their organizations within the UK. There is also a short comparison between the UK and the US medical professions. The second part of the book has its own table of contents for the archives and associated bodies connected with the medical profession. For each organization it lists the: name, address, telephone numbers; an email and web address; a very brief description of holdings; fee range for any work requested. For many, more information is likely to be found online, but this booklet pulls identifies the major medical holdings with titles that would be unfamiliar to many American researchers. The book has a short bibliography to assist researchers looking for more history about aspects of the medical profession. The book has no index.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.3, 2009
Wills & Probate Records: A Guide for Family Historians, Second Edition
† by Karen Grannum and Nigel Taylor. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/>. 2009. 160 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £12.99. In English research when a death occurs we tend to focus on finding a copy of the will. Reading this book really opens the door to the many other records that may exist created before or after the death of an individual. The other records include: administrations, bonds, inventories, accounts, debts, death duty registers, litigation. Wills and all their possible associated records are described in detail. You will learn under what circumstances the records were created, what they look like, how to access them, how to correctly interpret what you are reading and where to go next.
The book provides an in-depth, practical guide for researching within the National Archives, but includes information on the records at the Borthwick Institute of Historical Research, at the University of York and in the county and diocesan record offices. Additional records covered include those at the Bank of England and the British Library, along with a chapter addressing probate records in other parts of the British Isles.
Since the first edition, published in 2004, the internet and ongoing cataloging have greatly increased access to these records. The reader is pointed towards new online sources and many new indexes within the National Archives catalog are mentioned where you can search for individuals by name. The book has to be read carefully to find all these indexes and it would have been nice to have seen a consolidated listing as an appendix, and to have it available as a research checklist.
The records are well illustrated, and so thoroughly explained that as a researcher you want to go looking for these records to see if any exist for your ancestors. This book is highly recommended for anyone doing English probate research who wants to understand what they have found and what else might exist.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.4, 2009
Exploring Solway History
† by Philip Nixon and Hugh Dias. Published by Breedon Books, Breedon House, 3 The Parker Centre, Derby, DE21 4SZ, UK. <www.breedonbooks.co.uk/>. 2007. 191 pp. Illustrations. Hardcover. £16.99. This is a history book about the western end of the border area between England and Scotland. The eastern extremity of the area covered is Lanercost Priory and Naworth Castle around Brampton. Moving west the area is split in two by the sea area known as the Solway Firth. On the northern side, in Scotland, the book goes west to Castle Douglas, while on the southern side, in England, the book goes along the coast to Maryport. Most locals, including me, would say the Solway Firth extends further west and south, but the authors point out that they hope they have not offended readers ending where they did, for they had to end somewhere (p.15).
The book is divided into five sections: the first two covering the English and Scottish sides of the Solway, the third looks at both sides (explained in a moment), and concludes with sections on the towns of Carlisle and Dumfries. The first two sections are organized as gazetteers highlighting some of the communities and historical places within the area. The stories include local history about how the communities developed, often into thriving ports, to die off, and in some case to be flourishing again. Other stories highlight the important families who developed and built the communities, or tore them down because of their fighting, and many include stories of the Romans and King Arthur for which there are many connections in the area. The book in a number of places describes the dangers of the sand flats created in the Solway when the tide goes out, the real danger of quick sands, constantly changing channels and the speed at which the tide returns often cutting people off on the sands.
The section addressing both sides looks at the events and places that are important because they straddle the border, such as the Border Reivers, border ballads, the debatable lands, the Battle of Solway Moss, the Battle of the Sark, the Jacobite rebellions, smuggling, Gretna Green and more. The remainder of the book highlights the important landmarks and history within the border towns of Carlisle and Dumfries.
The text provides a good introduction to the history of the people and places of the area, but it is the stunning photographs that make this a really nice book to dip into. All the places in the book are well photographed and the colors are rich in spite of many of them being taken on typical cloudy days. The one draw back is that the book has no index so if you want to find the places associated with particular families such as the Senhouse’s, the Percy’s, the Armstrong’s, you will just need to read the book. This is a nice, well-illustrated book about this border area of England and Scotland.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.4, 2009
Exploring Border Reivers History
† by Philip Nixon. Published by Breedon Books, Breedon House, 3 The Parker Centre, Derby, DE21 4SZ, UK. <www.breedonbooks.co.uk/>. 2007. 192 pp. Illustrations. Hardcover. £16.99. For approximately 400 years, between the 13th and 17th Centuries the Borders were a wild area between England and Scotland, often disputed and fought over by both countries, but also by the families who lived there. Mr. Nixon in his introduction states that he is providing an overview of the way of life in the Borders during this time period, plus providing information linking many of the sites and events in the area, some well known and some obscure. The text is fully supported with excellent photographs showing the buildings (castles, abbeys, bastles, towers, etc) and places, in the process aptly demonstrating how remote much of this area is and was with its moorland and marshes.
The first part of the book provides the historical background and describes the life of the typical warring families of the Borders. It highlights the role of the wardens, the operation of the law, the lawlessness of the area, the Hot Trod (the rules for pursuit to recapture stolen goods), the days of truce, There are two useful maps the foundation of which is the same showing the major rivers of the Borders along with the boundaries of the English and Scottish Eastern, Middle and Western Marches. The first map has superimposed on it the geographic distribution of many of the Reiver family names, while the second lifts up the places mentioned in the gazetteer section of the book.
The larger section of the book discusses Border history by presenting an integrated listing in alphabetical order of events and places. This arrangement makes the book very easy to dip into to read about one of these events or places, all of which are listed in the table of contents. Each of the mini essays is well illustrated. The disadvantage with this is that you do not get an integrated story or history by reading the book, rather you get a collection of anecdotes and you have to make the links. The author states that this is not an academic book, and there are no footnotes, references, bibliography or index. You thus have to carefully read the book to make the connections between the different families, their history and the places with which they are connected. You will however enjoy the reading and the beautiful photographs, especially if you have ancestors living in the Borders.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.4, 2009
My Ancestor was a Lawyer
† by Brian Brooks and Mark Herber. Published by Society of Genealogists Enterprises Limited, 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA, UK. <www.sog.org.uk/>. 2006. xiv, 215 pp. Illustrations, indices. Softcover. £10.50. The authors are experienced genealogists, plus a notary public and a lawyer respectively. Their personal experience and attention to details comes through clearly in this volume and makes it a must have for anyone with a lawyer in the family.
There are several histories describing the two main branches of the legal profession – barristers and solicitors – but this book is designed specifically for family historians examining the records, particularly those of the law courts, in which you are likely to find information about an individual lawyer. The focus is on the English courts but there are chapters for lawyers in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and British India.
The book begins with a short, but detailed general history of the legal profession in England and Wales. This is followed by specifics about lawyers, their societies, institutions and records. This is done by examining the different roles a lawyer might have such as judge, barrister, solicitor, serjeant at law, doctors of law, proctors, conveyancers, notaries, scriveners, clerks of the peace, vestry clerks, stewards of manors, coroners, plus examining where and how they trained or worked, discussing the Inns of Court and the Inns of Chancery. This is followed by published records of lawyers such as: law lists, biographical dictionaries, directories, school registers, business histories and military service records or rolls of honor.
The largest section of the book, the most detailed and the most unique is the examination of records of the courts that provide information about the lawyers. This is not a discussion of the records of court proceedings. What the list of courts does in this section is remind the reader how many different court systems there are in England in which your lawyer ancestor may have worked. This includes the Courts of: Common Pleas; Chancery; King’s Bench; Exchequer; Admiralty; Bankruptcy; Insolvent Debtors; Star Chamber; Requests; Ward and Liveries; King’s Palace; the Palatine or Duchy courts; criminal courts, ecclesiastical courts; House of Lords; and more. Most of these records are at The National Archives. The book does not include every court for some of the national courts mentioned in the introduction do not include records about individual lawyers. Then when you get to the county, ecclesiastical or local courts what has been generated or survived will depend upon local circumstances and will often be in local depositories, but you are given guidance on the types of records to ask about.
The final sections of the book cover miscellaneous sources in which you might find information about lawyers, plus a discussion of the differences in the legal systems, their records and how to access them for Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and India. The book includes three indexes: subject; sources and resources; and names.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.4, 2009
The Signing of the Magna Carta. Pivotal Moments in History Series
† by Debbie Levy. Published by Twenty-First Century Books, 241 First Avenue North, Minneapolis MN 55401. <www.lernerbooks.com/>. 2008. 160 pp. Bibliography, illustrations, index. Hardcover. $38.60. Not every good history book has to be a scholarly tome. Here is an excellent, readable history book designed for teenagers, grades 9–12, which actually makes it useful for Americans with limited knowledge of early British history wanting a good overview.
This book succeeds in providing a good overview of the kings and their political activities from 1066 into the 1300’s, plus how the Magna Carta has been used and interpreted subsequently in history. The book providing historical context for the signing of the Magna Carta covers the reigns of the Norman Kings (William the Conqueror, William II /William Rufus, Henry I, Stephen) and the Angevins (Henry II, Richard I / Richard the Lionheart, John). It is made very clear how the power and financial needs of these kings led to and were derived from leadership problems, external conflict with the Kings of France and the Pope, along with internal conflicts with the barons and other contenders for the throne. The troubles increase and come to a head when the barons rebel against the unpopular King John. The demands of the barons result in a charter, the final charter, the Magna Carta signed on June 19, 1215. Some of the important clauses within the Magana Carta are explained and put into the context of the time, and this is different from how it was subsequently used.
The signing of the Magna Carta produces peace for a short while, while King John prepares again for war which breaks out with the barons by September 1215. King John dies in 1216 and the charter is reaffirmed by Henry III and his successor Edward I. However it has already started to evolve into a living changing document designed to meet the needs of the leaders, not yet the common people. Later interpretations and its significance for the development of English common law and for the founders of America are highlighted in the final chapters.
The book places historical documents and quotes onto a parchment background making them stand out in the text, which is also supplemented by beautiful brightly colored medieval paintings. There is a good timeline, who’s who, selected bibliography including internet sources and index.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.4, 2009
Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: The Official Guide: A Guide to Ancestry Research in the National Archives of Scotland, third edition
† by the National Archives of Scotland <www.nas.gov.uk/learning/publications.asp>. Published by Mercat Press 10 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh EH3 7AL, Scotland. 2003. vii, 213 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £9.99. The first edition of this book appeared in 1990, written by Cecil Sinclair, with a revised edition in 1997. The format of the book is the same with the book divided into numerous short topical chapters with each paragraph being numbered, making cross referencing very easy. In fact much of the text is the same as in the first edition – the records have not changed. There are some stylistic changes making for easier reading, for example: larger text; class codes are now in upper case capitals replacing the small capitals used previously; and catalogue replaces the term repertory. The topics covered include all the normal ones for getting started in tracing your ancestors, but quickly get you beyond into more advanced topics for which the records are at the National Archives, with minimal reference to the records are the regional archives. The book assumes that you are working onsite in the National Archives of Scotland so there are no indications as to which records may be on microfilm and available through the Family History Library.
So what is different? There are new chapters addressing Scottish Research on the Internet and Court of the Lord Lyon. The internet chapter is very important Scottish research and constantly changing for this chapter is already dated but still highlights some important sites to visit. Also scattered throughout the text are references to new finding aids and to which series of records may now be searchable, by name or by place, within the online catalog, e.g. witnesses in trials who of course provided written depositions. One of the valuable tools included in the book are the lists of commissariat and sheriff courts arranged by county, along with a listing of particular registers of sasines that have been indexed and published.
What makes this book so valuable is that there are lots of tips from the in-house experts explaining how to search the records, where the gaps in the records are and what alternatives exist at the National Archives of Scotland. Limited mention is made of what records may exist in the regional archives. Occasional mention is given to records that have been published but I don’t sense that this is thorough and could be improved for the next edition. The book assumes you are working on site in Edinburgh and is a must for anyone planning a visit to do research in Edinburgh. However, because of the practical tips and the fact that the book gets into lesser used records I will be taking this book with me to Salt Lake City later this year when I go to do some more Scottish research.
[Editorial comment: Since this book was obtained for review Mercat Press has been bought by Birlinn Limited <www.birlinn.co.uk/>. and it appears that an updated version of this book is in production. You may however see copies of this available through vendors or libraries and wish to read]
Note: This book is now in its fourth edition (2009).Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.5, 2009
Rooted in Scotland: Getting to the Heart of Your Scottish Heritage
† by Cameron Taylor. Published by Luath Press Ltd., 543/2 Castlehill, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH1 2ND, Scotland. <www.luath.co.uk/>. 2007. 168 pp. Softcover. $13.95. Cameron Taylor became involved in ancestral tourism when he co-founded the 1999 Orkney Homecoming and then was chairman of the Orkney Homecoming in 2007. This book is designed to get Scots all over the world excited and motivated about the idea of returning to Scotland to visit their ancestral homeland. This it succeeds in doing. He gives ideas on how to put ancestors, for whom we may only know their names, dates and places of birth, marriage and death, into a historical and geographical context. He even gives a sample 8-day itinerary, with driving directions and historical context, for travelers wanting to explore the 1745 Rebellion.
So many of Scotland’s records for getting started in research are online so there is a heavy emphasis on these records and so is current in what is available. This book is not designed as an expert guide to doing Scottish genealogy but it is a guide to get someone with minimal knowledge of Scottish ancestors started in the research process. There is a chapter in the book highlighting some sources in the major countries to which the Scots migrated but this is so basic as to be not useful at all. Because the book is geared towards ancestral tourism emphasis is added on how to find local resources for a particular locality such as maps, museums, events, festivals, arts, sport, etc. The book contains a chapter on the Ulster connection, which is obviously targeting the North American readers who return to Ireland. It highlights ancestral research and historical tourist sites worth visiting, but also encourages tourists to go further back to visit their Scottish ancestral homes, even if they don’t know exactly where in Scotland their connections lie.
This book is suitable for someone starting their Scottish research to lightly encourage them. It is more valuable for its practical ideas and suggestions for someone planning to visit Scotland to put their ancestors into a geographical and historical context.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.5, 2009
The Scottish Graveyard Miscellany: Exploring the Folk Art of Scotland’s Gravestones
† by Hamish Brown. Published by Birlinn Limited, West Newington House, 10 Newington Road, Edinburgh EH9 1QS, Scotland. <www.birlinn.co.uk/>. 2008. xii, 159 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £10.99. Among genealogists there is a strong emphasis on the information, the writing, providing names and dates carved onto gravestones. This is especially important in Scotland where the burial and mortcloth records can be so poor. This book does a superb job of focusing on the art work carved into the stones that can often tell us much about our ancestors and the times in which they lived. The book is well illustrated.
The book is divided into two sections. The first provides general background information such as: early history; carvings; recycling of stones; errors; styles – Celtic and Victorian; resurrectionists and the various means to stop them. The second section of the book, “The Great Eighteenth Century Folk Art” examines in detail, most illustrated, the symbols of mortality and immortality, bible stories, trades and some modern creations. I was familiar with most of the symbols used on gravestones but the book puts them into a Scottish context. I particularly liked the section on trade symbols.
A major drawback to this book is the lack of an index or geographic compilation. The author illustrates the text with great examples from all over Scotland, but there is no easy way, other than re-reading the book, to determine which examples are in the part of Scotland you are going to visit. Nor is there an easy way to find the answers to your questions, for example in the introduction the author raises the question as to why there are so many Yew trees in graveyards. I seem to recall from reading it had something to do with cows, but there is no index to be able to quickly find again the answer in the book.
In spite of the lack of an index, this book is highly recommended for anyone going beyond the casual search in Scottish graveyards to understand what they are seeing.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.5, 2009
Tracing Your Textile Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
† by Viven Teasdale. Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, England <www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/>. US Distributor: Casemate Publishers, 1016 Warrior Rd, Suite C, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. <www.casemateathena.com/>. 2009. xii, 209 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $19.99. If you have ancestors in any time period (medieval through to the present) in England or Wales who worked in the textile industry then this book is a must have. It will take you beyond the usual genealogical records into sources specific to this group of industries. Even in the getting started chapter you have the obvious records but Ms. Teasdale soon gets you into records of guilds, taxation, estates, mechanic’s institutes, trade journals, mill histories and more. The following two chapters focus on sources for workers and then the owners with the later generally being the easier to trace. For the workers we read about: school leaving certificates; Factory Regulation Acts; wage books; young person registers; apprenticeships; disputes; union records and more. For the owners we read about: business records; deeds; bankruptcy (of which there were many); prospectuses; share books; registers of owners; co-operatives; fire insurance; Goad fire maps; company minute books, patents; solicitors; estate agents; employer associations; trade directories and more. The book continues by looking at life in the textile industry in general and then specifically for the cotton, linen, lace, silk, wool and other textile materials and associated industries (machine manufacturing; rope, twine and sailcloth; carpets and rugs; leather; and hatting). The author examines each industry describing its needs and where in the country it was important and who were the important companies involved. There are lots of historical clues in these chapters both to potential employers, locations and changes in the industries over time and where the workers may have moved to continue to find work.
The final chapters in the book identify record office by area that have textile related collections, then go on to identify places to visit and websites to use using the same geographic areas. These listings are not designed to be exhaustive but rather to provide starting points and ideas. Much use will need to be made of Access to Archives at The National Archives website to locate materials in these local and regional archives, once you have identified companies or individuals you are seeking. Because many textiles companies were bought multiple times often by larger companies you as a researcher will not know what records may have survived or where in the country they are.
The book concludes with a helpful glossary of terms and occupations specific to the textile industry along with an extensive bibliography. The table of contents is very detailed with numerous subject headings being listed, which helps compensate for the poor index which identifies business source types, records by region, the major London guilds, and the different textiles. But you will not find the names of specific companies mentioned within the book, nor specific people (only 15 key players indexed); and many places mentioned with the text are not included in the index (for example, linen mills in Cockermouth and Whitehaven are mentioned and illustrated, p.82–83, but it does not mention the county therefore they are not in the index – both are in Cumbria). The index is weak but this book is still highly recommended.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.5, 2009
A Cotton-Fibre Halo – Manchester and the Textile Districts in 1849. An Eyewitness Account of Textile Workers’ Conditions in Manchester, Ashton-under-Lyne, Oldham, Egerton, Macclesfield, Middleton and Saddleworth
†. 2007. 207 pp. Illustrated. Softcover. £7.99.Fabrics, Filth and Fairy Tents – The Yorkshire Textile Districts in 1849. An Eyewitness Account of Textile Workers’ Conditions in Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Batley, Halifax, Bradford & Leeds in 1849
†. 2007. 103 pp. Illustrated. Softcover. £6.95.Both written by Angus Bethune Reach and edited by Chris Aspin. Published by Royd Press at The Book Case, 29 Market Street, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire HX7 6EU, England. <www.bookcase.co.uk/>.
These books work best as a pair for the longer introduction to their context is in Cotton-Fibre Halo. In October 1849 the Morning Chronicle newspaper announced “the first of a series of communications, in which it is proposed to give a full and detailed description of the moral, intellectual, material, and physical conditions of the industrial poor throughout England.” The London section of this project by Henry Mayhew is well known, but most of the other reports have been forgotten although one historian describes the reports as “the most impressive survey of labour and poverty at mid-century which exists.” The context for the stories was a severe cholera outbreak in the summer of 1849; changes during the decade regarding factory legislation and attitudes of local authorities to health and sanitation; strengthening of voluntary help for the working classes especially by the Sunday schools; and the recent passing of the Ten Hours Bill.
This is not typical Victorian prose and is both enjoyable and very descriptive to read. The author, focusing initially on Manchester describes in great detail the workers homes; the mills with their owners, operators and workers; health; the role of drugs in high infant mortality; the desire for and means of getting an education; the role of Sunday schools; the lodging houses; music and music halls. The reporter interviewed many people at all levels within the textile industry so you learn firsthand about their living conditions, wages, food and what issues concerned them. Comparisons are made between the different textile industries and the different locations. The books include both contemporary and modern illustrations of the mills, the workers and their living conditions.
These reports were originally edited by Chris Aspin in 1972 and published by the Helmshore Local History Society, and have been republished to give them wider distribution. I can recommend both these volumes specifically for anyone with ancestors working in mid-nineteenth century textile industries in Lancashire or Yorkshire, but anyone with workers within the industrial north of England will find them beneficial to understanding the context of their ancestor’s lives using contemporary documents.
Both books reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.5, 2009
Essential Maps for Family Historians
† by Charles Masters. Published by Countryside Books, 3 Catherine Road, Newbury, Berkshire RG14 7NA, UK. <www.countrysidebooks.co.uk/>. 2009. 127 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. £12.99. For American researchers it can often be difficult to understand or determine what types of maps are available for researching communities in England and Wales. This book provides a current picture of what is available both in print and online for some major groupings of maps, especially those importance to genealogists. No attempt has been made to cover every type of map.
The book begins with a general chapter discussing the importance of maps, problems with dating, who they were created by, created for and why. Sometimes maps show what is planned rather than what is, and sometimes they are just copies of earlier existing maps without any updates or corrections. The book continues by examining: county maps; estate surveys; enclosure maps and awards; town maps; tithe maps and awards; valuation office survey 1910–1915; and national farm survey 1941–1943. Each chapter puts the topic into historical context, provides superb color reproductions of maps and supporting awards or documents, explains how to use the maps and what problems may be encountered. Each chapter concludes with a section on locating the maps, which is often The National Archives or county record offices, but also includes commercial vendors and specific websites.
Even, if like me, you have other books about using maps for English and Welsh research you will still benefit from this book because of the quality of the color illustrations, the clear explanations and the up to date online sourcing.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.6, 2009
Researching Local History: A Guide to Sources Held by Dumfries and Galloway Council
†. Published by Dumfries and Galloway Council, Cultural Services, Central Support Unit, Catherine Street, Dumfries DG1 1JB, Scotland. <www.dumgal.gov.uk/lia>. 2009. 128 pp. Illustrations, maps. Softcover. £5.99. This is the type of research tool that I wish was published by more local or regional councils and Dumfries and Galloway are to be commended for this fine example. The book covers resources available in the old Scottish counties of Ayrshire, Wigtownshire and the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright. Outline maps of the parishes in each jurisdiction are provided at the back of the book.
The writers of the publication, not identified, acknowledge that there has been a major increase in tracings one’s ancestors especially with the popularity of the BBC program Who Do You Think You Are?. This book is designed to explain and identify what records survive and are available in local repositories for family and local history research. It does not identify which records for the region may exist in repositories outside the area such as the National Archives of Scotland.
The records identified include: agricultural and estate records; allegiance oaths; building and planning records; burgesses; burial records; census returns; church records; council minutes; court, criminal and police records; customs and excise records; directories and guide books; education records; family and genealogical papers; graveyard surveys; health reports; irregular marriage records; literary records; maps and plans; military records; national sources; newspapers and journals; old parochial registers; photographs, prints, paintings and drawings; poor and welfare records; registration of births, deaths and marriages; sasines; service of heirs records; special collections; testaments; trade and business records; transport and infrastructure records; valuation and taxation records; voting records; addresses for contacts within and outside the area likely to hold records of interest. For each topic there is a brief description of the record, usually followed by a listing of surviving records by time period and where they may be found locally. The local repositories identified are the: Dumfries Archive Centre; Annan Museum; Dumfries Museum and Camera Obscura; Ewart Library; Stewartry Museum, Kirkcudbright; Langholm Library; Lockerbie Library; Stranraer Museum and Stranraer Library.
Recent contact with the Stewartry Museum in Kirkcudbright found the staff very cooperative and helpful. Using a guide such as this will assist researchers in determining ahead of time what records existed, and what has survived for specific locations in southwest Scotland.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.6, 2009
Allotments
† by Twigs Way. Published by Shire Publications Ltd., Midland House, West Way, Botley, Oxford OX2 0PH, UK. <www.shirebooks.co.uk/>. 2008, reprinted 2009. 56 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £5.99 or $12.95. Allotments are small areas of land rented to individuals to grow their own food. This is a simple definition of a sight common enough in England expanded upon very nicely in this book. Allotments have their origins in a philanthropic movement tied to social and moral control of the poor, which later became fashionable for the urban middle class. Their origins go back to the enclosure of the land which began in the seventeenth century but escalated during the 1750–1830 period. Enclosure was heralded by agricultural reformers, benefited the aristocracy and the squirearchy, but was in most instances detrimental to the poor. Social unrest sometimes combined with genuine philanthropy led to private initiatives to address this need among the poor with the setting aside pieces of land that could be sub-divided into allotments for the poor. The 1819 Select Vestries Act empowered parish wardens to purchase or lease up to 20 acres of parish land for the poor. This was increased by 1831 to up to 50 acres with allotments of up to one quarter of an acre. Allotments were not widely accepted and the book continues to give a very good description of how they were viewed, developed and expanded over time. In the Urban areas it was the new respectable middleclass who sought allotments. They wanted space to grow their own food, to escape the confines of the city and to share in the nineteenth century obsession with gardening.
In 1914, at the outbreak of war there were between 450, 000 and 600,000 allotments provided by private landowners, councils and the Church. By the end of 1917, the Cultivation of Land Order led to over 1,500,000 allotments with everyone being encouraged to grow food. After the war much public land was returned to prior usage, in some cases with opposition. Use of and interest allotments continued during the interwar years, with the Allotments Act of 1922 standardizing the definition of an allotment that survives for the rest of the century as “an area not exceeding a quarter of an acre in extent which is wholly or mainly cultivated by the occupier for the production of vegetable or fruit crops for consumption by himself and his family”. The use of land for food production started immediately during WW2 with the “Dig for Victory” campaigns. After the war their vitality continued for a while but gradually were seen as part of the wartime austerity to be forgotten and many became casualties of urban growth in the 1950s.
This book has excellent color and black and white photographs both of allotments, but also the posters and postcards that were used to promote or make fun of allotments. My grandparents, and great grandparents worked allotments and this book does a good job of putting them into context. I learnt a lot from this slim book and can recommend it.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.6, 2009
Evacuees of the Second World War
† by Mike Brown. Published by Shire Publications Ltd., Midland House, West Way, Botley, Oxford OX2 0PH, UK. <www.shirebooks.co.uk/>. 2009. 64 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £5.99 or $12.95. During the last days of peace in 1939 nearly two million people, most of them children, were evacuated from British cities, towns and ports to the countryside or across the Atlantic to the USA and Canada. My mother was one of those children evacuated from the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne on 1 September 1939, before war was declared, to the town of Whitehaven on the northwest coast of England.
This book looks at the history of bombing on civilian populations with the early effects during WWI, and how it was anticipated that it would only get worse in the future. Close observations were made of the effects of bombing during the Spanish Civil War during the mid 1930’s and the need for planning became obvious. The book discusses the process of the first evacuation in September 1939, describing how it was proposed, who was involved and how it operated focusing on the movement of children by school rather than by families (unless young children were involved). The lives of the evacuees are described along with the problems and uncertainties created by the lack of bombing during the early stages of the war. Later evacuations are also described highlighting the movement of businesses, school camps, later evacuations or relocations of children, overseas evacuations and evacuation from the Channel Islands and Gibraltar. The final chapter addresses the return home and its mixed effects. The evacuation greatly affected my mother, her relationship with family members and where she would ultimately choose to live. This book helps to put that experience into context. If your relatives were child evacuees and many were, then this book provides a good introduction to the events and experiences.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.6, 2009
The Routledge Companion to the Stuart Age, 1603–1714
† by John Wroughton. Published by Routledge, 270 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016. <www.routledge.com/>. 2006. vii, 314 pp. Index, maps. Softcover. $33.95. If you have seventeenth century ancestors in the British Isles this book is going to help you put them into context with lots of easy to access facts and good recommendations. It is easy to use, easy to dip into and easy to find information on a specific topic or person. It is designed as a book to get a quick perspective on the Stuart period without having to read a text book and yet it is also designed as a companion volume for serious readers of the period seeking help to clarify facts and put people or events into context.
The book itself is divided into seven sections. The first provides chronologies for domestic affairs examining political events, religious change, military events in England (English Civil Wars, Penruddock’s Rising, Monmouth’s Rebellion and Glorious Revolution), plus cultural developments. The second provides chronologies for foreign and colonial affairs examining foreign policy, trade and colonies (with frequent mention of the North American and Caribbean colonies), plus an extensive section on relations with Scotland and Ireland. The third section lists the people holding major offices of state. Section four is a very practical glossary of constitutional, political and religious terms important in this period. Section five provides biographies of the major players in the period. Section six, is for me at least probably the most important for it provides an annotated bibliographic guide to further reading on different subject important to the period including: general books; biographies; English political history; central and local government; foreign policy; military history; the localities; economic history; social history; religion; science and the arts; Scotland, Ireland and Wales; and documents. The book concludes with a genealogical table of the House of Stewart and the succession of the English throne, along with some maps.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.16 no.6, 2009
Scottish Genealogy
† by Bruce Durie. Published by The History Press, The Mill, Brimscombe Port, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2QG, UK. <www.thehistorypress.co.uk/>. 2009. 319 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £25. Here is a book billed as the comprehensive guide to tracing your family history in Scotland, produced especially for the Homecoming. The book comes from courses in genealogy, family history, heraldry and related subjects at the Universities of Strathclyde and Edinburgh. It is intended as a working manual for genealogists interested in Scottish records, firmly based in the praxis of a genealogical educator, with worked examples, templates, and methodologies.
So how does it live up to these expectations that it sets for itself? In the first three chapters, 45 pages, the book quickly goes through: census; statutory registers for birth, marriage and death; and Old Parish Registers with wills and land records being left till later in the book. The census chapter is good explaining how and who collected the census returns and highlighting problems with online indexes and what can be done about it. The statutory registers chapter is very brief focusing on changing boundaries within registration districts over the years. The book does not explain what information you will find on a certificate, how it changed over the years, what the indexes contain and provides no examples for illustration purposes. Yes, this information can be easily located elsewhere, but this book bills itself as comprehensive. The Old Parish Registers chapter describes the limitations of the records the options for accessing the indexes and images and what are alternatives for working around gaps such as the Kirk Session records which are all being scanned to be put online soon.
The rest of the book addresses: census substitutes; trades, crafts, professions and offices; courts and the Scottish legal system; charters; local records; Scottish wills and testaments; land; feudal land tenure and baronies, and titles; church and religious records; paleography; DNA testing and genealogy; clans, families, crests and tartans; resources; internet resources; Scottish monarchs – reigns and genealogies; organizing your records. The chapters are very uneven and often brief, for example only two pages to discuss church and religious records. The chapter on local records is actually a discussion about jurisdictions (counties, regions and unitary authorities) but is made very confusing by trying to describe and compare what was happening to the geographic reorganization in the rest of the British Isles. The local records chapter does provide a very helpful table showing the names of the different jurisdictions in the different periods arranged by historic county, but the tables for the English and Welsh counties although nice are not needed in a Scottish companion. The chapter on the Scottish legal system is also confusing and would have been helped with some diagrams of the hierarchy of the different courts. The chapters on Wills and Testaments and Land are very good describing the records, the printed or online indexes and provide some good examples. The resources chapter is the largest, 112 pages and provides some great reference lists not easily available elsewhere, including: British money and coinage with illustrations and descriptions of Scottish coinage; a table of relative values showing the effect of inflation in Scotland; old Scots weights and measures; Gaelic words in English with a brief pronunciation guide; a very extensive Scots legal and genealogical glossary; Latin glossary for genealogy and history; list of occupations; and abbreviations.
This is a book that I will use to assist me in my Scottish research. However, it is not the comprehensive guide that I was hoping for. There are some definite omissions, weaknesses and some subjects are poorly explained. Guidance for further more advanced research is almost non-existent with very few bibliographic citations. The unevenness of the chapters almost suggests that the book came to market too quickly to meet the deadline of the Gathering. The format is good but I hope the author considers a more expanded, thoroughly prepared second edition as he certainly appears to have the knowledge to write the comprehensive guide, but it’s not there yet.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.1, 2010
Cornish Wills 1342–1540
† edited by Nicholas Orme. Devon and Cornwall Record Society New Series, Volume 50. Published by Devon and Cornwall record Society, 7 Cathedral Close, Exeter, EX1 1EZ, UK. <genuki.cs.ncl.ac.uk/DEV/DCRS/>. 2007. 294 pp. Index. Softcover. £25 includes overseas postage. This compilation of all known surviving wills of personal property relating to Cornwall up to 1540 grew out of a project for the Victoria County History of Cornwall to study religion in Cornwall up to the Reformation. The wills originally in Latin have been translated, while those in fifteenth and sixteenth century English are presented with modernized spelling.
What distinguishes this volume is that it is a compilation attempting to collect Cornish wills from many repositories. Four types of will are included: (1) wills made inside Cornwall; (2) wills made outside Cornwall but containing a substantial number of references to places or people inside the county; (3) wills made outside the county (e.g. bishops of Exeter and citizens of London) that contain only a few references to Cornwall; (4) Cornish expatriates or people linked with Cornwall that make no mention of Cornwall, usually because they are stated as being of Cornwall. 122 wills of type one and two appear as complete transcripts in part one of the book, while for 66 wills of types three and four the references are extracted and are in part two and are all actually from the Prerogative Court of Canterbury.
The book’s introduction provides a good explanation of the differences between a will and a testament, for in this period they are separate. What we have in this book are the testaments, which provide for the transfer of personal property, but are called wills in the book for simplicity sake. The introduction describes the normal probate process, where wills of Cornishmen might have ended up, why and when the process might have been different.
The wills are arranged in chronological order of date of writing, when that is unknown the date of probate is used. The headings provide the name of the testator, his place of origin, date of will, the source of the will with manuscript number, whether an original or registered copy and whether in Latin or English. Modern grammatical customs, such as sentences, punctuation, capitalization and paragraphs make the text much easier to read. However, surnames are transcribed as found in the original, forenames are usually translated or modernized with original forms italicized in brackets when significantly different. Other transcription conventions used are described in the introduction and should be read.
The wills are followed by two additional sections. The first is a section or notes on the wills and their makers, presented in alphabetical order. Here we find supporting genealogical information such as notes on first or second marriages, children from other marriages or illegitimate children, positions held, political involvements, where information may be found in other medieval records or transcripts, all vital clues for genealogists. There is also a very practical glossary of words and expressions identified in the wills.
The book provides a compilation of principal unpublished sources, plus a listing of published sources and aids. There is a combined index to names and places, but for the wills section only for it does not include the additional people from the notes section. There is a separate subject index. With this book the hard process of transcribing and translating the early wills has been done for you and is thus a very valuable source for anyone with early Cornish connections.
If you are fortunate enough to have medieval Cornish ancestors then your research has been made easier by this excellent transcription.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.1, 2010
Army Records: A Guide for Family Historians
† by William Spencer. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/>. 2008. 168 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £12.99. This book is a major update and expansion of Army Records for Family Historians originally published by the PRO in 2000. Some of the WWI army service records had only been partially released in 1998 when the earlier edition was written. There are new and expanded sections and appendices covering records of the First World War, plus information about the Second World War, and on the armies of the East India Company and the Indian Army (primarily in the British Library). There is also a strong emphasis on the records that have now been released digitally either by The National Archives or in partnership with other vendors.
The book is arranged in 21 chapters that cover almost anything you are likely to want to research about your ancestors in the British Army. The book begins by providing an excellent overview of the organization and restructuring of the Army. It continues with chapters covering: records of the army before 1660; commissioned officers; other ranks; Royal Artillery; Royal Engineers; militia, yeomanry and volunteers; casualty returns and operational records; medals and awards; courts martial; the British Army in India and the Indian Army; colonial and dominion forces; foreign troops in British pay; records of support services; prisoners of war and war crimes; First World War; Second World War; other twentieth century campaigns; general genealogical records; records held by other institutions; research techniques; appendices and index. If you are overwhelmed by all the options of where to research the final chapter on research techniques can provide some suggestions on where to start. If you are only interested in the First World War use William Spencer’s new First World War Army Service Records: A Guide for Family Historians (see review below).
Each chapter is divided into sections making it easier to find specific topics. All chapters are well illustrated with sample documents, and often provide additional citations to published background materials, name lists or finding aids. There are also a number of case studies used throughout the book.
One key to military research is being very specific about where your ancestor served, with whom and when. If these facts are known then you can determine which records were created, are likely to have survived, and thus where you (or a researcher you hire) need to look. This is an excellent guide to get you into the fascinating world of British Army records.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.1, 2010
First World War Army Service Records: A Guide for Family Historians (4th Edition)
† by William Spencer. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/>. 2008. 160 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £12.99. The National Archives guide to the records of the First World War continue to expand as additional records are released, digitized, indexed or additional finding aids are developed. The first set of service records were only released in November of 1996 and a short guide to the records was published. The 2nd edition published in 1997 contained 77 pages, the 3rd edition published in 2001 had grown to 112 pages, and this the 4th edition grows further to 160 pages. Mr. Spencer has been the military specialist at The National Archives since 1996, has been involved in writing all editions of this guide and is an expert on the War and its records. That knowledge comes through clearly in this book covering all released records, but also those recently made available, or soon to be available, online including: service records of hundreds of thousands of soldiers; war diaries; medal index cards; the WAAC; updated sections on Dominion records; overseas records; the London Gazette; the Nursing Times; repatriated prisoner of war debriefs.
As the introduction states “this guide is designed to help anyone with an interest in the men and women of the First World War to find out something about them – when they served, where they served, where they fought and died, where they are buried or commemorated, what medals they were awarded, and much more” (p.12). For anyone with twentieth century British connections you will find numerous relatives involved in the First World War and the issue will be determining which soldiers you want to focus on in which order.
This book does an excellent job of providing guidance on how to access the records. The book, like many National Archives guides is very easy to use and dip into to find the records you need. The book provides chapters on: records of those who served in the First World War; officers’ records of service; other ranks’ records of service; nurses; Indian army records of service; records of service of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force; unit war diaries and operation records; trench and other maps; campaign medals; awards for gallantry and meritorious service; courts martial; prisoners of war; casualties and war dead; records of the dominion forces; records held outside the National Archives; research techniques; appendices, and index. For those unsure of where to start the last chapter on research techniques provides some good guidance and will direct the researcher to the relevant section within the book. Each chapter is broken into parts making subjects easy to find, is lavishly illustrated with sample documents, contemporary photographs, and trench maps. Numerous bibliographic citations also provide guidance on where to get additional background information. Many of the chapters contain case studies illustrating how to use the records and what information they can provide to build a picture of your ancestor.
This book is highly recommended for those wanting to research First World War ancestors, even if you have earlier editions of this book.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.1, 2010
Prison Life in Victorian England
† by Michelle Higgs. Published by Tempus Publishing, Cirencester Road, Chalford, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 8PE, UK. (This publisher is now part of The History Press, The Mill, Brimscombe Port, Stroud, Gloucestershire G15 2QG, UK). <www.thehistorypress.co.uk/>. 2007. 160 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £16.99. If you have any Victorian ancestors who spent time in convict or local prisons, either as an inmate or an employee, then you want to read this book. It will put their life into context with lots of details. I had a much clearer picture of prison life after reading this book.
Prior to 1877 when local prisons came under government control there were two systems that were run very differently. The convict prisons, always run by the government, were for prisoners convicted of a serious crime or who were convicted of several offences and were serving out long sentences of three years or more. These prisoners were more likely to experience cleaner accommodations, better living conditions and more humane treatment. The local prisons, run by the local justices of the peace, were for prisoners having short sentences, which might only be for a few days to a maximum of two years. The experience varied markedly from one location to another, with some justices seeing prison as a deterrent and thus providing harsh treatment, while some justices saw prison as an opportunity to reform thus emphasizing religion and education. The reality for many of our ancestors is that they would willingly give up their freedom in return for better food, accommodation and care that they had at home. Thus many petty criminals would intentionally commit a more serious crime intent on being sentenced to time in a convict prison.
There were many differences in the staff pay and working conditions between convict and local prisons. Local prison officers were paid significantly les and endured less favorable working conditions than their convict counterparts. This disparity continued even after the changes of 1877, when local prisons came under government control, up to the end of the century.
Information has been gathered from prison records, contemporary sources and testimony from convicts, prisoners and prison officers to examine every aspect of the Victorian English prisons bringing this period of social history to life. The book is very well illustrated. Structurally the book is divided up into numerous short chapters, in four parts covering: the prison system; prison life; prisoners and convicts; and prison staff. The sources for the many quotes and comments are detailed in the book endnotes, and there is a good bibliography for further reading.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.1, 2010
My Ancestor was a Royal Marine
† by Ken Divall. Published by Society of Genealogists Enterprises, 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA. <www.sog.org.uk/>. 2008. 110 pp. Index. Softcover. £6.95. Here is an excellent guide, part of the familiar My Ancestor Was series, for tracing your Royal Marine ancestors. It provides a good brief summary of the history and organization of the Royal Marines and its predecessor the Admiral’s Regiment. Marines have been recruited as ‘sea soldiers’, i.e. soldiers to serve on ships. They are soldiers but are administered by and serve in the Royal Navy. This means for example that the information on officers will be found in both the Army and the Navy lists. This unusual position within the armed services means that records can be in a variety of different places.
This book guides the researcher in where to look for the records; original, manuscript and published. This is accomplished by examining in turn the primary collections for marines at the: National Archives; Society of Genealogists, Royal Marines Museum Library and Archives; Fleet Air Arm Museum; National Maritime Museum; Imperial War Museum; Newspaper Library; and some smaller repositories. These individual chapters provide a sense of what is in the collections and why you need to be looking in multiple, geographically scattered locations to create a comprehensive picture of your ancestor’s life and career.
Especially useful is the longest chapter with multiple case studies, describing the careers of ordinary marines and officers, covering a variety of time periods. They provide examples of what to look for, what can be found among official and family papers, but also illustrate how to right up the military career of a marine to make the story interesting and yet include all the details family historians’ desire. Concluding chapters address what research can realistically be accomplished on the internet; provide a glossary and a select bibliography.
I already have a lot of information on my Royal Marine, but this book suggested a few additional places for me to search. It is indexed and organized in such a way that it will be easy to dip into to look for specific details when I prepare for my next trip to England.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.2, 2010
Six Hundred New Churches: The Church Building Commission 1818–1856
† by Michael Port. Published by Spire Books Ltd., P.O. Box 2336, Reading RG4 5WJ, England. <www.spirebooks.com/>. U.S. Distributor: David Brown Book Company, P.O.Box 511, 28 Main Street, Oakville, CT 06779. <www.dbbconline.com/>. 2006. 386 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. $100. Most English parish churches are associated with the Middle Ages, but there have in fact been four major church building episodes in England since the Middle Ages ended. The first was the result of the Great Fire of London which we associate with Christopher Wren; the second, also metropolitan, was inaugurated by the Act for Fifty Churches of 1711, often associated with Nicholas Hawksmoor; the third, are the Church Building Commission churches which is the focus of this book; while the fourth was the High Anglican church building movement of Victoria’s reign, climaxing in the 1870’s and being associated with Augustus Pugin.
This book is a major revision and update of a book originally published in 1961. The text has been expanded and Spire books have lavishly illustrated it with 249 excellent photographs of the churches themselves, church plans and period sketches, all with extensive detailed captions. The churches in this period have not met with much notice or sympathetic review but this book should change that.
The Church Building Commission was set up in 1818 to solve social, political and religious problems and to bring the Anglican Church to the godless towns and cities of the world’s first industrial nation. We read about the setting up of the Commission, the trials and tribulations of its labors, the buildings it erected, and the architects who designed them. In 1818 the government set aside one million pounds for the building of churches and the resulting buildings are often called Million pound churches. Unfortunately, some of the regulations for building were so restrictive that some communities could not meet them. Another act was passed in 1825 setting aside half a million pounds and loosening the selection requirements. In the appendices there are separate listing by original county of the churches built under the 1818 Act and the 1825 Act identifying the: church: architect; contractor; cost; grant; date; pew and free accommodations; building style with remarks. As you might expect the longer lists are in counties where the population was expanding rapidly due to industrialization such as Lancashire, London, Staffordshire, and Yorkshire, but most counties are represented. An additional listing identifies all the architects employed on the Commissioners’ Churches, often including their years of birth and death, plus naming all the churches in which they were involved.
Many of the key recorded events in the lives of our ancestors occurred within churches. This is an excellent book to understand the history and architecture of six hundred churches built in England and Wales during the first half of the nineteenth century.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.2, 2010
Memories of Lincolnshire Farming
† by Alan Stennett. Published by Countryside Books, 3 Catherine Road, Newbury, Berkshire, England. <www.countrysidebooks.co.uk/>. U.S. Distributor: David Brown Book Company, P.O.Box 511, 28 Main Street, Oakville, CT 06779. <www.dbbconline.com/>. 2009. 192 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $23.95. Mr. Stennett is a descendant of a long line of Lincolnshire farmers, an agricultural journalist and the producer of Farming Today and Lincolnshire Farming for BBC Radio, so is well placed for contacts, pictures and to write about farming in this eastern England county. The book’s introduction describes the county and puts farming into its historical context, but this book clearly focuses on the twentieth century, the living memory that is dying off.
The first part of the book divides the twentieth century up into different phases describing how farming in general changed throughout the century and was affected by events such as the First and Second World Wars, the Depression, joining with the European Union, and which governmental party was in power. We read about the role of the National Farmers Union, a variety of Agricultural Acts and the annual negotiating to set the prices of subsidies. Some of these events and their effects will apply to farming in other parts of the country but the more localized you can be in your research the better. A map of the county showing the different farming regions would have helped the reader understand better the differences between for example boulder clays of the northern valleys, the chalk and limestone uplands, the silt and peat soils of the Fens, the Marsh and the Isle of Axholme.
The rest of the book examines different types of farming and how it changed over the century. There are chapters dealing with: horses and tractors; cultivation – horse plough to no till; markets and shows; haymaking and silage; cattle – the Lincoln Red; sheep – the Longwool and beyond; pigs – the Lincolnshire Curly Coat and others; cereals – barley, oats and wheat; potatoes – salvation of the fens; sugar beet; field vegetables; bulbs and flowers; sporting life; and a final chapter addressing the biggest changes. You read this section of the book and you see the effects of the reduction in the labor force, increase in mechanization, the constantly changing profit margins and market demands, the changing politics and government policies, the effects of the elimination of the yeoman farmers and the development of big agri-business, the changing role of local merchants and supermarkets. It’s a fascinating read for anyone with twentieth century English farming connections, especially in Lincolnshire.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.2, 2010
Tracing Your Police Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
† by Stephen Wade. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, England. <www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/>. U.S. Distributor is Casemate, 908 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083. <www.casemateathena.com/>. 2009. x, 146 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $19.99. Tracing British police ancestors can be a complicated, time-consuming, but rewarding process because of the multiplicity of changing and merging constabulary jurisdictions along with later archive consolidations. This book focuses on the English and Welsh police forces since the creation of the Metropolitan Police by Sir Robert Peel in 1829. However, there is also some material dealing with the police in Scotland, Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Palestine Police Force (1920–1948), some colonial forces, the Special Constabulary and the non-geographic forces such as the transport police.
The book provides a brief history of the development of the police from the Watch and Ward system of the Middle Ages to the modern police force. It provides a detailed look at the different categories of the records that may have survived and what they contain, highlighting what to look for in the National Archives, county record offices or local police museums. Illustrated are examples of the contents from almanacs, reference works, professional journals and periodicals.
It is going to be easier to find information about policeman who did not just blend into the community in which they worked, but rather did something special, such as: involvement in a prominent police case, especially murders; becoming a notable athlete (e.g. police teams competed in the 1908 Olympics); being awarded a medal; or rising through the ranks to be an officer.
There are valuable guides to police museums and archives, websites about police history, publishers of crime history, and how to access academic monographs and journals.
If you have British police ancestors this well-illustrated book will make your research process a lot easier by highlighting what records were created, what might still be available and where to look for them.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.2, 2010
Tracing Your East Anglian Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
† by Gill Blanchard. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, England. <www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/>. U.S. Distributor is Casemate, 908 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083. <www.casemateathena.com/>. 2009. 224 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $25.99. This is a practical and informative handbook to help you trace your ancestry in the traditional counties of East Anglia – Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. The book begins with an overview of where the archives are in each of the different counties providing a high level view of the collections, but helpfully pointing out some of the anomalies, such as the Norfolk parish registers to be found in the Cambridgeshire archives and the Cambridgeshire parish records to be found in the Norfolk archives. This overview also covers specialized archive and university collections, with descriptions of some of the practical and informational records to be found in the collections. The book provides a brief physical and historical description of each county that will be especially valuable for those who have never been to the area.
One of the author’s hopes is to guide the researcher to put flesh on those ancestral bones. There is thus a large section addressing work, trade and commerce. The major occupations covered include: agriculture; coast and waterways; wool and textiles; and miscellaneous other industries. Each occupation is addressed separately, comparing and contrasting within each county. The rest of the book covers a variety of subjects of potential interest to the life of an ancestor such as: conflict; crime; parish poor; workhouses; charities and healthcare; migration, local government; education; railways; urbanization and housing; and religion. For all of these topics guidance is given on where to find more information and how to bring those occupations to life through local museums and historical sites. These sections will be especially valuable if you are planning to visit your ancestral home.
The book concludes with a resource directory of: archives, libraries and local studies centers; web resources (general and specific); museum, heritage centers and places to visit.
For those with East Anglia ancestry this book focuses not on the birth, marriage and death records of our ancestors but rather the records connected with the rest of their lives and it is good to have a local expert to guide you on local records that get you beyond the basics.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.2, 2010
Scotland during the Plantation of Ulster: The People of Dumfries and Galloway 1600–1699
† by David Dobson. Published by Clearfield Publishing Company, 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore MD 21211. <www.genealogical.com/>. 2008. viii, 134 pp. Softcover. $19.50. This book is designed to provide clues for researchers who are trying to get from Ulster back into Scotland, or those who are already back into seventeenth century Scotland. It is thus a volume for libraries with Scottish collections or for individuals with connections to the area. It covers the territory now known as Dumfries and Galloway, which covers the old counties of Dumfries, Kirkcudbright and Wigtown.
Mr. Dobson has extracted names from many sources at Scotland’s National Archives to put individuals within a specific place at a specific time, even some prior to prior to 1600. All entries are arranged alphabetically and fully sourced. However there is no index, so if another individual is mentioned within an entry they cannot be found, and, inexplicably, they do not have their own entry. One example reads: GLEDSTANES, HERBERT, burgess of Kirkcudbright, spouse Marion Dalziel, testament, 1594, Commissary of Edinburgh [NAS]. This book providing vital clues of origins from multiples sources may be useful for only three of the 86 Old Parish Registers of the Church of Scotland in these counties begin before 1685.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.2, 2010
Air Force Records: A Guide for Family Historians, Second Edition
† by William Spencer. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/>. 2008. 160 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £12.99. This is a greatly expanded edition of an important research guide if you are seeking information on the activities of a particular branch of the Air Force, or on individuals who served in the Air Force. You will find information addressing the: Royal Engineers Balloon Section; Royal Flying Corps; Royal Naval Air Service; Royal Air Force; Women’s Royal Air Force; Fleet Air Arm; Glider Pilot Regiment; Army Air Corp. There are chapters putting each of these service branches into historical context, describing operation records and importantly what service records were created and have survived for officers and service men. Additional chapters address: casualties and air crashes; medals and awards; courts martial; prisoners of war and war crimes; medical records; photographs; and importantly for this topic, records held in other repositories. As you would expect there is a strong emphasis on both WWI and WWII, but the book also addresses the inter-war years where the Royal Air Force was active in: North and South Russia; Somaliland; Mesopotamia; Kurdistan; Iraq; India and Afghanistan; Palestine (many of which are today’s global hot spots). The final chapter addresses search techniques pulling together in one place the many resources mentioned throughout the book and putting them together in one logical sequence. However, where you enter the sequence and what you look for will depend upon what you already know and which branch of the service you are searching in.
Accessing these records is now much easier than it was five years ago with the development of the online catalog, allowing name and keyword searches, and the many records in these branches of the service now available for download through DocumentsOnline <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/>. The book is well illustrated with a wide variety of documents regarding operations and personnel in the Air Force, from the TNA collection giving the reader a sense of what records to search for. There are also a number of case studies for the different service branches showing what can be put together for a particular individual.
This clearly written, updated guide is a must for anyone with Air Force connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.3, 2010
New Lives for Old: The Story of Britain’s Child Migrants
† by Roger Kershaw and Janet Sacks. Published by The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, UK. <www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/>. 2008. 256 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £18.99. The book’s introduction divides child migration into two distinct phases. The first and early phase began in 1619 with the Virginia Company taking street children from London to Virginia to supply the need for workers on the plantations. This was followed by the transportation of thousands of children (and adults) as criminals to the colonies 1615–1776 to America and 1787–1868 to Australia. Until the early nineteenth century the transportation of children, even by the philanthropists involved, was seen as a way of solving crime.
The second phase, begun in 1869 and continuing through the 1960’s saw a new wave of children who were frightened, excited, vulnerable moving across the Atlantic and around the Empire. This phase was led by the evangelicals, philanthropists, reformers and business people who aimed to rescue and dispatch children to a better life and to build the Empire. It is a misconception that all of these children were orphans for they were not. Many were from families who could not support them, or had been removed from their families for various reasons, and often they were incorrectly told that they were orphans to then be sent across the world. Even those old enough to know they had family or siblings were often separated from them.
This second phase begins clearly with two pioneering women Marie Rye and Annie Macpherson, leaders of two very different organizations taking girls to Canada. These women established the model for later schemes. In the 1870s schemes were established by Father Nugent, Thomas Bowman Stephenson, William Quarrier and John Throgmorton Middlemore and in the 1880s by Dr. Bernado (the biggest emigration organization), James Fegan, and later the Catholic Emigration Association. With the movement into the twentieth century the focus changed to one of building the Empire providing a different motivation for those involved in emigration schemes.
The book has chapters focusing on the pioneering women of Marie Rye and Annie MacPherson, Dr Bernado, the Catholic Emigration movement, the farm schools and Kingsley Fairbridge, Second World War Evacuees, and the final phases leading to its ending in the late 1960s as a result of changing social attitudes and increasing preference for fostering in family units rather than large institutions. Controversy about these child migration schemes arose in the 1980s and 1990s with efforts being made to reunite families. This has led to an increase in records being indexed and agencies with records working with families. An appendix provides guidance on where to find the records associated with child migrants in England, Canada, and Australia, though children were certainly sent to other countries in the Empire.
This book is a fascinating read about a part of British history that has been hidden for many years yet potentially had impact on many of our ancestors’ lives.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.3, 2010
English Accents and Dialects: An Introduction to Social and Regional Varieties of English in the British Isles. Fourth Edition
† by Arthur Hughes, Peter Trudgill and Dominic Watt. Published by Oxford University Press, 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016. <www.oup.com/us/>. 2005. Xiii, 159 pp. CD-ROM, index, maps. Softcover. $55. This is a book designed to help you understand the spoken language within the British Isles. It examines dialects which are variations differentiated by grammar and vocabulary; and accents referring to variations in pronunciation. It discusses how spoken English has and is changing over time, plus how it changes with geography to form an accent continuum, with the pronunciation of words changing gradually, even though a map of accent groups is provided (p.70) dividing the country up into specific regions. The book examines closely dialect variations; received pronunciation (RP – which can be thought of as public school English or BBC English); and regional accent variations.
The best part of this book is the CD-ROM that comes with it. This contains a list reader and an extract from a conversation for each of 16 different regions. The list is a standardized set of 52 words that someone from each region reads so you can get a sense of how the same words differ in various regions. The conversation extracts really do give you a sense of both the accents and dialects from the different regions. The first speakers provide examples of RP (received pronunciation) which is more an indicator of social class rather than a geographical location and is provided for comparison purposes. This is followed by speakers from: London; Norwich; Bristol; South Wales (Pontypridd); West Midlands (Walsall); Leicester; Bradford; Liverpool; Edinburgh; Aberdeen; Belfast; Dublin; Galway; Devon; Northumberland; Lowland Scots. The CD-ROM ends with 13 test passages for you to test yourself. The largest chapter in the book, to be used in conjunction with the CD-ROM, provides both detailed notes on each of these accents and dialects, what actually makes them different from each other, along with a transcript of the conversations, which can be vital until your ear gets used to the accents.
This book provides more detail about speech and how to transcribe it phonetically than most family historians will want or need, a copy of the International Phonetic Alphabet is provided. However, the audio samples on the CD-ROM are wonderful for you to get a sense of how your ancestors spoke. When I heard for example the Northumberland track I could definitely hear my grandparents and cousins talking, who are all from Newcastle.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.3, 2010
Tracing Your Royal Marine Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
† by Richard Brooks and Matthew Little. Published by Pen and Swords Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, England. <www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/>. U.S. Distributor is Casemate, 908 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083. <www.casematepublishing.com/>. 2008. 173 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. $25.99. This excellent guide is designed for the family historian who is interested in discovering more about an individual Royal Marine (1664-present) and for those who want to learn more about the part played by the Marines in a particular battle or campaign. The book assumes no prior knowledge and is therefore ideally suited for family historians, especially North Americans who have not grown up with Royal Marines as part of their culture. Mr. Brooks is a military historian specializing in the Royal Marines and the Royal Navy while Mr. Little is archivist and librarian at the Royal Marines Museum in Southsea, so both bring lots of experience and expertise to this book.
Royal Marines can be thought of as British soldiers who fought on ships, or on land but who were ship based. This tie to ships is important for the bulk of their records are in Admiralty Office records, not War Office records as with most soldiers.
The book is divided into four chapters. The first addresses Organization creating a picture of what a Royal Marine is and how it has evolved over time beginning in 1664, including the role of women, musicians and the different ad hoc formations and detachments. Chapter two examines Administration – How marines are made, describing the sources of manpower, terms of service, rewards and discipline, uniforms and equipment, barrack life, training and going to sea. Chapter three examines Operations – what marines actually do at sea, on shore, with combined operations, flying marines, casualties and termination of service. The final chapter examines Sources – where and how to find out about marines. This last section describes how to trace your Royal Marine ancestor using the internet, printed materials and original records. The book concludes with a valuable list of coded forms that may be found for your ancestor, a list of abbreviations to be found on those forms, and a select bibliography to guide further reading.
This book has no index, so it is the detailed table of contents that gets you to the right section of the book, though if you are new to the subject it is well worth reading cover to cover to get a good overview. I have done Royal Marine research and read a number of books about the service, but I still learnt more from this book. One especially useful resource is a listing of what records have survived with The National Archives reference number, for each of the Royal Marine divisions (Chatham, Depot at Deal, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Royal Marine Artillery, Woolwich and Miscellaneous p.145–152). This provides both a guide to know what records to search and a checklist to make sure you have searched them all.
This book provides a good overview of Royal Marine research so is ideal for the researcher new to the subject, yet is well laid out and detailed enough for the experienced researcher. This can be recommended for any library with a British Isles collection.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.3, 2010
Tracing Your Dublin Ancestors, Third Edition
† by James G. Ryan and Brian Smith. Published by Flyleaf Press, 4 Spencer Villas, Glenageary, Co. Dublin, Ireland. <www.flyleaf.ie/>. 2009. 160 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. €13. The first edition of this excellent guide was published in 1988, the second in 1998 so a third edition was due. It has expanded by 54 pages but this is primarily due to a larger type size.
The book begins by highlighting the need to understand the administrative divisions, civil and ecclesiastical, within the city and county. This is followed by chapters on: civil registration; census and census substitutes; church records; commercial and social directories; wills and administrations; gravestone inscriptions; newspapers; land records; family names and histories; further reading and miscellaneous sources.
As you would expect in eleven years more sources have come to light, some have been published and some are now available on the Internet. This can be readily seen in additions to the list of: census substitutes; commercial directories; published gravestone inscriptions; family names and histories. What is disconcerting though is the deletion of some items that were included on the census substitute list in the second edition but not this edition (1752–1800 Dublin Furnishers; 1772 Pupils of Samuel Whyte’s School) making this reviewer wonder what other deletions might have occurred in other chapters. The listings of church records have been completely reorganized in this volume so that churches and chapels are organized by denomination (as before) but are now arranged by civil parish (as opposed to one long alphabetical listing). This does facilitate the search process as you can more readily identify which churches are going to be geographically close to your ancestor’s place of residence. New in this edition is a seven page listing of Dublin estate records, with reference numbers, although the authors state that this is only a small selection of Dublin estate records held in local repositories, so it would be nice to see it expanded.
The book’s increase in size seems primarily to be due to increase in font size, but the minor additions to lists may identify that newly identified source or published list that you need to find your ancestors. Certainly libraries with Irish collections should get the new edition (but don’t throw out the earlier editions), while individuals with earlier editions should examine to see if new materials might open new doors.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.3, 2010
Erin’s Sons: Irish Arrivals in Atlantic Canada 1751–1858, Volume III
† by Terrence M. Punch. Published by Genealogical Publishing Company, 3600 Clipper Mill Rd., Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211. <www.genealogical.com/>. 2009. 192 pp. Index. Softcover. $30. Mr. Punch has spent a lifetime extracting from original and published sources references to the Irish in Atlantic Canada and this the third volume published lists approximately 7,000 additional Irish-born residents. This volume identifies names from lists coming up to 1858, which is later than the first two volumes, catching some who emigrated during and after the Irish Famine. The volume includes: marriage and death notices in the newspapers, shipping news, probate information; marriage registers; cemetery headstones; burial records; military lists (especially the 97th regiment); land petitioners; and other miscellaneous lists. Each list begins with a good introduction putting it into a historical and genealogical context.
Many in this volume are from three specific areas and so the book includes parish maps for the: Dingle Peninsula, county Kerry; County Monaghan, where many from the northern and western parishes settled on Prince Edward Island; and the parishes surrounding Midleton, County Cork. The concept of chain migration is mentioned a number of times in the introductions to the lists and it is real unfortunate that places are not indexed to facilitate the cross checking within or between lists. Then book does provide indexes to ships and surnames.
This is another useful collection of miscellaneous listing of Irish in Atlantic Canada and is worth dipping into if you are seeking in Irish in the area, and is certainly needed for libraries with collections of Irish migration materials.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.4, 2010
Memories of the Northumberland Coalfields
†by Neil Taylor. Published by Countryside Books, 3 Catherine Road, Newbury, Berkshire, England. <www.countrysidebooks.co.uk/>. U.S. Distributor: David Brown Book Company, P.O.Box 511, 28 Main Street, Oakville, CT 06779. <www.dbbconline.com/>. 2009. 128 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $21.95. Ellington Colliery was the biggest undersea shaft mine in the world and when it closed in 2005 it was also the last underground coal mine in Northumberland. With its closure a centuries old way of life ended. The author, a former coal miner himself, and author who writes extensively about mining in the Northeast of England, has pulled together much documentation, oral history and photographs to inform us about this disappearing way of life.
The book addresses life in the pit village, of which there were many, examining daily life within the community. It addresses what it was like to go down the pit, especially for the first time; how training, education and safety changed, especially after nationalization; how mechanization changed the job yet varied greatly between different pits. Other topics covered include: pit humor; the ponies that lived underground; the Bevin Boys (WWII enlistees who ended up working in the mines instead of fighting); pit closures; the important role of the unions; the disasters and the rescue teams; the strikes and lockouts; the pit closures; and the redevelopment with the demolition of some of the many mining villages and the pit heads.
The book is easy to read with good oral history, well illustrated and puts the life of coal miner, above and below ground into context. A good read for any with coal mining connections, especially if from the northeast of England.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.4, 2010
Victorian Architecture: Diversity & Invention
† by James Stevens Curl. Published by Spire Books Ltd, P.O. Box 2336, Reading RG4 5WJ, England. <www.spirebooks.com/>. U.S. Distributor: David Brown Book Company, P.O.Box 511, 28 Main Street, Oakville, CT 06779. <www.dbbconline.com/>. 2007. 635 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. $140. Dr. Curl points out in his preface that “notions of the Victorian Age in the popular mind tend to be simplistic, distorted and wildly inaccurate. Speeches of politicians, utterances on radio and television, and the scribblings of journalists in the public prints are peppered with ill-informed references to the Victorian period, to Victorian buildings, and to Victorian values that radiate widespread misconceptions, prejudice, ignorance, and an almost incredible degree of warped perception. All too often the adjective ‘Victorian’ is used pejoratively … (p.11).” He goes on to say that “This book is intended as a mere introduction to the great wealth of architectural languages, styles, building types, and structures that he Victorians bequeathed to us, and it is hoped that it will stimulate a re-appraisal of Victorian architecture as well as the dogmas and attitudes that have done so much to destroy the physical remains of that fecund epoch (p.12).”
The book begins by setting the scene by describing the Pre-Victorian and early nineteenth century architectural styles, especially as many of them were to be revived during the Victorian era. The rest of the book examines how architectural styles developed and changed throughout Victoria’s long reign, how new materials were used to meet new challenges, how earlier styles were copied and arguably improved upon, especially in ecclesiastical buildings. These developments occurred in many areas of life, from churches and public buildings, to railway stations and factories, to homes and planned towns, to cemeteries and sewer systems. The book is lavishly illustrated with color, black and white photographs, both modern and Victorian era of buildings, along with copies of building plans and artist impressions of proposed buildings or projects, from all over the British Isles. All the figures have full captions. The associated text is very detailed, containing lots of names of individual land owners, architects, designers and builders all indexed. The text has lots of contemporary quotes setting the period in context and all are well footnoted.
This is a large book, lavishly illustrated, well written, and is certainly not a “mere introduction” to the subject of Victorian architecture and society. A reading of this book will provide the reader with an informed and solid understanding of the era and one will no longer use the word Victorian pejoratively. The book’s cost however will likely limit its purchase to major British Isles collections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.4, 2010
The First Afghan War and Its Causes
† by Major-General Sir Henry Marion Durand, K.C.S.I., C.B. Originally published 1879, reprinted 2008 by Lancer Publications, 2/42 (B), Sarvapriya Vihar, New Delhi 110016, India. U.S. Distributor: Casemate Publishers, 1016 Warrior Rd, Suite C, Drexel Hill PA 19026. <www.casematepublishing.com/>. 488 pp. Hardcover. $27.95. Afghanistan is in the news a lot these days with places like Kabul, Kandahar, and the Kyber Pass being familiar places, though they were spelled differently in the early 19th century. Yet, wars in Afghanistan are not new. This book focuses on what is commonly called the First Afghan War of 1828–1842.
Major General Durand was commissioned in the Corps of Bengal Engineers after passing out of the East India Company College in Addiscombe on 7 June 1828. He saw the entire campaign closely accompanying Sir Willoughby Cotton’s division to Quetta and was then part of Sir John Keane’s force in the advance to Candhar. He was part of Sale’s expedition to Girishk, before marching with the main army to Cabul. In the attack on Cabul he commanded the explosion party (p.178f) that destroyed the gate allowing the army into the city. He continues describing events in which he participated and events he learned about from official documents and talking with people involved. He describes most of the major and minor events of the war, illustrating the problems involved in supplying an army on campaign and how the army operated on half/quarter rations. He describes the negotiations and treachery between Macnaghten and Mahomed Akbar leading to the death of Macnaghten and his companions (p.375f). This preceded the retreat of Elphinston’s Army and the annihilation of nearly 20,000 soldiers and camp followers. Dr. Brydon was the only white man to survive the journey to Jellalabad, famously portrayed in a painting by Elizabeth Butler.
The manuscript was prepared soon after the war ended, when memories of the events were still clear, but it was not polished for publication. In 1878, the manuscript was published with minor edits, by his son, who does provide a contextual essay on the life of his father both during this campaign and later fighting in India.
There is no index, but the table of contents is well annotated describing the events in each chapter, which are in chronological order. Understanding of the historical events would have been greatly enhanced if some maps of the area had been included. For modern readers the flowery language of period does make for hard reading. However, the involvement of the author in these events does add impact for anyone seeking to put ancestors into context.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.4, 2010
The Surnames of North West Ireland: Concise Histories of the Major Surnames of Gaelic and Planter Origin
† by Brian Mitchell. Published by Clearfield Publishing Company, 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211. <www.genealogical.com/>. 2010. xii, 326 pp. Softcover. $39.95. North West Ireland here includes counties Derry, Donegal and Tyrone. This is the region that was the last stronghold of the Gaelic tribes and was part of the Plantation of Ulster in the 17th Century so has a mixture of English and Scottish names. Many of these settlers had descendants who emigrated to North America, Great Britain and Australia. Mitchell has compiled one-page concise histories of the 323 surnames he regards as closely associated with the area, either through numerical strength or uniqueness. He estimates that these histories document the surname origins of over 80% of people with roots in North West Ireland, and will have relevancy for those with connections to Ulster, but with less significance for those in the other provinces. Some Irish names are very dominant in the areas in which they originate, for example the surname McCloskey originates and dominates in the Dungiven area of County Derry, while 80% of the McLaughlins in County Donegal are concentrated in the Inishowen Peninsula.
During the 17th century many Gaelic names were translated or mistranslated into English, while others had their Gaelic origins disguised by the discarding of the Mac, Mc and O prefixes. These processes along with illiteracy give rise to many spelling variations. Because of all these variations the book opens with a table of the surnames included in the book, along with their variations to be found in the region. The introduction explains the major sources searched to determine the names to be included, and also lists the surname reference books consulted to write the histories. The histories themselves may provide guidance on their origins in the Middle Ages or early modern period in Ireland. They may help the researcher identify where in the region the name predominates, but are not likely to help you get back to a specific individual or locality. The book is thus good contextual information on the surname which may or may not guide you depending upon how common the surname is in the region.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.4, 2010
Defenders of the Plantation of Ulster, 1641–1691
† by Brian Mitchell. Published by Clearfield Publishing Company, 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Suite 260, Baltimore, MD 21211. <www.genealogical.com/>. 2010. x, 64 pp. Softcover. $25. The introduction in the book provides a brief overview of the settlement of Ulster by the Scots and English. For the English the building and defenses for the town of Derry were very important. The town begun building its walls in 1614, completed by 1619, and was to withstand sieges in 1641, 1649 and 1689. 2,500 planters have been identified from two sources. The first is the Muster Roll of the Garrison of Londonderry during the Rebellion of 1642–1643 giving: the surname; first name; rank (often just soldier); and the company to which he belonged. The second is the Defenders of Ireland during the Williamite War of 1689–1691 providing: Young’s ID number; surname; first name; residence; and remarks (often son of, brother of, rank; place of origin, etc).
In 1641 when the native Irish rose in rebellion, Londonderry became a refuge for Protestant settlers. To defend the city nine companies of foot soldiers were raised to defend and repair sections of the wall. The Irish surrounded the city of Londonderry and though close to starvation the siege was lifted by the defeat of the Irish army near Dungiven. The muster rolls are in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland name 905 men in the 9 companies, with 90 officers and 815 soldiers who defended Derry during the siege of 1641/2. Some of the names found are tied to other contemporary records.
The second listing uses William R. Young’s book Fighters of Derry Their Deeds and Descendants: Being a Chronicle of Events in Ireland During the Revolutionary Period 1688–1691, published in 1932. This book provides biographical detail on 1660 “Defenders” (a very loose and broad term) and 352 “Officers” of the Jacobite Army. The introduction needs to be read carefully for understanding of who is included, but this is an important list for many are second, third or fourth generation descendants of Scottish, English and Welsh planters. The inclusion of Young’s number in this listing allows the reader to return to Young’s book to potentially locate additional information on the person or family. This list is valuable for within one generation many of these families were emigrating to the North American colonies.
This book makes easily accessible two important lists for those seeking early Northern Ireland roots and should be in every Irish collection.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.4, 2010
CD-ROM REVIEW
The Register of Derry Cathedral 1642–1703
The Register of Derry Cathedral (St. Columb’s), Parish of Templemore, Londonderry, 1642–1703 was edited by Richard Hayes and originally published in 1910 by the Parish Register Society of Dublin. The register, one of the oldest in Ireland, is published in 432 pages and contains thousands of names providing a unique window into the life of seventeenth century urban Ireland. The registers are in short run sections of births/baptisms, marriages/banns and deaths/burials with the specifics varying depending upon the time period. The register shows, especially the marriage banns, that the events in the cathedral are drawing people from a wide geographic area. The baptismal registers may show children being born and baptized on the same day, suggesting that the child was sick, may provide the fathers occupation or rank, or place of residence, or the mothers’ name. The marriage and bann registers may identify a place of origin outside the city, and name witnesses who may be relatives. The burial registers may identify relationships to parents or spouses, marital status, occupation or rank. Scattered throughout the register are also entries made by family who appear to have been added at a later date to the register. The transcript also includes part of the 1653 Act for registration of marriages, births and deaths that appears to have been written into the register, but a couple of leaves are missing. There are indexes to both the people and the parishes mentioned within the register. The adobe search function does not operate but the disk is bookmarked. This is a large important register to the early records of County Londonderry.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.4, 2010
CD-ROM REVIEW
Irish Army Lists, 1661–1685
Irish Army Lists, 1661–1685 was originally edited and annotated by Charles Dalton and published in 1907. Much of the original material was gathered from the Calendars and Reports of the Marquis of Ormond manuscripts with additions from the Irish State Papers, and the King’s Letter and Entry Books. The book provides the names of all the senior ranks of officers serving in the Restoration Army of Charles II. The editor has made numerous annotations which often include historical information, certainly on the officers’ careers in Ireland, plus genealogical information such as names of parents, sons, and brothers especially when these people were also in the military. In this book, the terms officers is defined as all ranks down through captains, lieutenants, cornets and quarter-masters. The book’s introduction provides a good essay on the history of the Restoration army in Ireland. The CD-ROM is bookmarked making sections within the book easy to find. There is an every-name index to the book, but Adobe’s search function does not work. This is another nice resource for those working on seventeenth century Irish connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner.
BIGWILL v.17 no.4, 2010
A Pocketful of Hops: Hop Growing in the Bromyard Area
, a new edition by Peter Walker, Harry Paske, Joan Grundy and Peter Glendinning. Published by the Bromyard and District Local History Society, 5 Sherwood Street, Bromyard, Herefordshire HR7 4DL, UK. <www.bromyardhistory.org.uk/>. 2007. x, 190 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. £12.95. Herefordshire and Kent are the two primary hop growing areas in England. Many families were involved in the growing of hops but many more took their summer holidays travelling from the industrial cities to the countryside to pick hops and earn some extra money. This well written story focuses on the Bromyard area of Herefordshire, along the Worcestershire border, but much applies to and is contrasted with hop growing in Kent.
By tradition hops were first grown in England for beer in the 1520s in Kent. The practice soon spread to most other counties, including Herefordshire where the crop has been extensively cultivated in at least 80% of the county’s parishes at some period in the last 400 years. The first mention of hops in the Bromyard district is in 1577, but by 1649 it is regarded as one of the finest hop growing areas in the country. Helpful maps show the hop growing parishes in the West Midlands (Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire) for 1861 as reported in an 1862 parliamentary report, and for 1988. Nationally, there were 71,789 acres growing hops in 1878, the highest recorded.
From reading this book you get a definite sense of how important the crop was, especially to the brewing industry, but how difficult it was to grow. It was easy to lose a crop to winds or rains, especially towards the end of the growing season when the weight of the crop on the growing frames was at its peak. A hop grower’s calendar describes the tasks performed on the farm throughout the year to prepare for, to cultivate and to harvest the hops, plus how this process changed after the introduction of machine picking in the 1950s. Quotes from interviews with the farmers and pickers give you are real flavor for life on the hop farm in a number of different time periods.
The book is well illustrated with many period photographs showing the many different stages of the hop growing, harvesting and drying processes along with the people involved. The farms and communities where the photographs are taken are usually identified, as are some of the people. Changes over time are well described: the transition from using hills to using ridges by the end of
the 18th century; the introduction in 1862 of creosote to preserve the thousands of hop poles used in the fields; in the 1870s the development of poles with permanent wire growing frames; in the 1950s the introduction of hop picking machines; and in the 1980s the development of dwarf (eight to ten feet tall) hop plants making for high production and easier machine picking.
This book is a revision and update of a 1988 edition, bringing the story up to the present, adding more photographs, maps and graphs. If your family was involved with growing hops, or has a tradition of going hop picking you will find this book an excellent read, whether they were in Herefordshire or elsewhere in the country.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.17 no.5, 2010
The Classic English Town House
by Rachel Stewart, photographs by Stephen Whitehorne. Published by New Holland Publishers, Garfield House, 86-88 Edgeware Road, London W2 2EA, UK. <www.newhollandpublishers.com/>. 2006. 160 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Hardcover. £24.99. “The term ‘town house’ can conjure up any one of an array of images from a smart, detached 18th-century mansion in the town, set within its own grounds, to a compact 20th-century home on a housing estate with an integral garage. But the most persistent image is that of the smarter Georgian terraced property, which is ‘classic’ in related senses, being both a seemingly timeless design, repeated over and over in its own era, across the centuries, and governed in its design by the principles of classical architecture.” (p.8). For this author the Georgian town house is the classic design. The book describes: the origins of the town house in the medieval period; how the ‘classic’ design develops during the 18th century; how it changes as it spreads to the spa (Bath) and seaside (Brighton) towns around the country; how the Victorians modified the design and how the ‘classic’ design changed to meet modern (post 1914) needs.
The book is lavishly illustrated with literally hundreds of beautiful color photographs of both the exteriors and interiors of townhouses from London and across the country, all clearly identified. You are also given floor plans helping the reader understand how the rooms are arranged, utilized and how the arrangement changed over time. One nicely preserved area of classic Georgian townhouses is Bedford Square in London, described well in the book. On my last trip to London I took many photographs of this square and Gower Street, leading off the square, where one of my ancestors owned a house in the late Georgian period.
As you read this well written, well illustrated, book you learn a lot about architecture and the features to look for in a townhouse and what makes it a ‘classic.’ You learn how to observe the overall proportions in the house, height between floors, relationship between size, placement and decoration of doors and windows, use of pediments above doors or at the roof lines, shape of the street, and lots more. You learn what a ‘classic’ townhouse looks like, but also what might be unique and different about the house you are looking at. You learn how it was mimicked trying to keep the ‘classic’ proportions but have more dwellings in the row (look for the placement of the doorways).
For those with interest in understanding how and where their ancestors lived, especially the middle and upper classes, this book is excellent. It is also good, primarily because of its well described photographs, for those who want to learn about British home architecture.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.17 no.5, 2010
Four into One: The Story of Blue Coat School Wotton-under-Edge Gloucestershire
by Beryl A. Kingan. Published by Wotton-Under-Edge Historical Society, Wotton Heritage Centre, The Chipping, Wotton-Under-Edge, Gloucestershire GL12 7AD, UK. <www.wottonheritage.com/>. 2007. 379 pp. Illustrations, indexes. Softcover. £14. The four schools are: the Blue Coat School 1693–1923; Blue Coat Infants School 1923–1974; Chipping School 1836–1974; and the Church Infants School to 1893 (merged into the Chipping School). In 1974 the Blue Coat Infant School and the Chipping School merged to become the Blue Coat C of E Primary School, on the site of the former Secondary Modern School in the Chipping. On 28 February 2000 the school moved to new premises which provided the impetus for compiling of this history, covering the previous three centuries. Yes, this book is excellent if you are lucky enough to have ancestors in this part of Gloucestershire, but the story is also reflective of the history of education nationally which makes it of wider appeal.
The records used to create this history include: wills; school log books; Master of the Rolls reports; minutes of Managers’ (later Governors’) meetings; Head Teachers reports; parish magazines. The school log books begin in 1863 when all government inspected schools were required to keep a record of events, but no expression of opinion were to be entered. Luckily for researchers the latter was often ignored and you regularly get opinions, certainly in these log books.
This book is divided into three parts with appendices. The first addresses the history of the four schools, quoting where possible from original documents. The second part examines life in the schools 1863–1974, using extracts from the school log books and managers’ minutes, and covering topics such as: accommodation; administration and organization; arrivals and departures; attendance and health; events, holidays and visits; inspections; lessons; rewards and punishments; teachers and teacher training; visitors; wartime; and weather. There is a lot of great material here, but I particularly liked the 1902 curriculum and the 1891 class schedule. The third part addresses the history of the merged schools from 1974 to the move to the new facility in 2000. The appendices identify and provide where possible mini biographies of all the school head teachers; then provide summaries of all the education acts and regulations from 1870 through 1998.
For family historians it is unfortunate that for children their first name and the first letter of the surname is provided in the text, obviously for privacy reasons as many of these children may still be living and they often make the official records because of bad behavior. This is contrasted with the teachers who are usually identified formally using surname only. There are separate indexes for people, places and topics, but read the index introduction to understand what is and is not included.
This is a fascinating look at the story of multiple schools, the teachers and students who were educated and worked there.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.17 no.5, 2010
A New History of Swanland: The Medieval to Stuart Periods and the Churches
compiled by the Swanland Village History Group. Published by the Swanland Village History Group, Mere House, Swanland, East Yorkshire HU14 3QP, UK. <www.swanland.info/>. 2006. 138 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £12.21 airmail or £10.50 seamail. This volume is the third in a series covering the history of the village of Swanland in the Parish of North Ferriby in East Yorkshire. The other volumes present the: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries; and the School and the Twentieth Century. This volume examines the earlier periods and provides an example of the wealth of material that may be found even for a small community.
The book is divided into five parts. The first, Vikings and Swanland’s Name examines the early history and two potential derivations of the community’s name, with no definitive conclusion as to which one is the meaning. The second, addresses the Medieval period, examining: the potential placement of the community within the Domesday Book; a generic description of the medieval village; specifics on this village including early roads and early houses found through archaeological excavations; the Lordship of the Manor of Swanland – De Vescys, Furnivals and Usfleets; the de Swanland family of the village of Swanland. The third part examines the Tudor and Stuart periods focusing on the Haldenby’s of Swanland and Haldenby, but also briefly placing the village into national events such as the plague and the War of the Roses. The fourth section provides a history of the churches in the community: Ferriby Priory and Parish Church and Swanland Chantry; Independent Chapel; Primitive Methodist Chapel; Wesleyan Methodists; and Anglican Mission Hall and St. Barnabas Church. The final part consists of thirteen appendices providing: a transcript of the court rolls of the Manor of Swanland for 1511–1512, a good explanation of the medieval lay subsidies; transcripts of early wills; and an impressive list of original sources of found references to De Swanland given in chronological order. This last listing is especially good for ideas on places to look if you are fortunate to have gotten back into the medieval period in your research.
This is a valuable resource for anyone researching in this part of East Yorkshire, but it also has wider appeal showing what sources can be found for medieval research and doing a good job of balancing the need for general descriptions of the period with specifics of a community.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.17 no.5, 2010
Graveyard London: Lost and Forgotten Burial Grounds
by Robert Bard. Published by Historical Publications Ltd., 32 Ellington Street, London N7 8PL, UK. Distributed by Countryside Books, Highfield House, 2 Highfield Avenue, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5DS, UK. <www.countrysidebooks.co.uk/>. 2008. 144 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Hardcover. £16.95. The book opens with the statement “it is a fascinating thought that many hundreds of generations of Londoners lie beneath the city without us knowing. Through centuries burial grounds have been developed, built over, and forgotten.” Is your ancestor among them? After reading this book you may wish they weren’t.
By the 1830s central London had numerous parochial and private burial grounds, which were hopelessly inadequate to deal with the population explosion of the 19th century and its need for burial space. This need for space led to numerous repellant practices, such as: bodies being exhumed soon after burial and bundled into anonymous pits to make room for new arrivals; internments piled high near the surface; repeated use of the same graves. The burial grounds were a health risk that authorities were slow to deal with. The 1852 Metropolitan Burial Act banned burials in central London and private garden cemeteries opened earlier such as Kensal Green (1833), Norwood (1837), Highgate (1839), Brompton (1840) then on the outskirts of London did prosperous business, while local authorities developed their own cemeteries. Many of the old cemeteries were abandoned, forgotten, decayed and vandalized, turned into public gardens with tombstones stacked around the edges; some were built upon, asphalted over or turned into playgrounds. The purpose of the book, with the aid of four walks, is to identify some of those lost or forgotten burial grounds of central London.
The book examines the history of burials in London, then examines: the plague pits and pest fields; the worst burial grounds; some historical burial fields; closed and lost burial fields, Southwark and Jewish burial grounds. To provide the historical context there are many contemporary quotes about the cemeteries from board of health reports, Mrs. Basil Holmes’s The London Burial Grounds (1896), G.A. Walker’s Gatherings from Grave Yards (1839), Charles Dickens, Daniel Defoe, and others. The book focuses on the burial grounds, mainly north of the Thames (except for the Southwark chapter), that have disappeared beneath modern developments, or remain but are difficult to identify without the aid of an appropriate map and an inquisitive nature. The book contains many excellent modern black and white photographs, contemporary sketches and very detailed historical maps so that almost all cemeteries are identifiable, findable and described. The separate sections for a particular cemetery are bold titled within the chapter making them easy to find.
For those not familiar with London it is hard to put all these cemeteries into geographical perspective but most are within a tight geographic area. To help the reader to explore the location and history of the cemeteries there are four walks, each recommending you allow 90–120 minutes: East End of London (2); Around Finsbury; and Theatre-land and Aldwych area.
There are many additional lost and hidden burial grounds, both north and south of the Thames, but this book certainly gives you a good start on your search and exploration of London burial grounds. If you have ancestors buried in London it is well worth a read for the context, even if you are not planning your own trip to London. If you are going to London and want to get off the beaten path it is recommended. The book is well indexed making it easy to find references to a given cemetery.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.17 no.6, 2010
Snodland & District Through Time
by Andrew Ashbee. 2009. 96 pp. £12.99. Maidstone Through Time by Irene Hales. 2009. 96 pp. £12.99. Published by Amberley Publishing Plc, Cirencester Road, Chalford, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 8PE. <www.amberley-books.com/>. Illustrations. Softcover. Both books have a similar format with two photographs per page. One is a sepia print from the late 19th century or early 20th century, while the other is a modern color photograph of the same location. Between the photographs are short detailed explanations, generally three to six lines, highlighting the context, similarities and differences between the photographs. The Maidstone book is divided into subject chapters, covering: medieval Maidstone; streets; shops; transport; working life; inns and taverns; bridges over the Medway; schools and hospitals; architecture. The Snodland book is not divided into chapters but covers many of the same topics with its district providing a few photographs from the surrounding communities of Aylesford, Larkfield, East Malling, Birling and Halling.
Each book provides 180 photographs and gives a real flavor for the communities, especially when that many is provided for a village as small as Snodland. It has been over 20 years since I spent time in Snodland and Maidstone, but these photographs brought the memories back for me. More importantly they show what the communities looked like when our ancestors, especially the Victorians, lived there. The examples from medieval Maidstone show that these buildings and ruins would have been familiar sites for our earlier ancestors. The modern photographs will help you orientate yourself when you go to visit your ancestral towns – you are going aren’t you? The writer / compilers are well respected local historians, for example Mr. Ashbee is the Chairman of the Snodland Historical Society and Honorary Curator of the Snodland Millennium Museum. The authors know the area well, which comes across clearly in the details provided. The one drawback is that the books do not have indexes so you will need to read all captions for individuals and places, but you will learn a lot in the process, and the books are easy reads.
Amberley publishing have produced many similar books in their “Through Time” series from localities around the country. Have a look at the listings on their website to see if a similar book exists for the communities in which your ancestors lived. If they have I can wholeheartedly recommend this series.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.17 no.6, 2010
Victorian Farm: Rediscovering Forgotten Skills
by Alex Langlands, Peter Ginn and Ruth Goodman. Published by Pavilion Books, Anova Books Company Ltd, 10 Southcombe Street, London W14 0RA. <www.anovabooks.com/>. 2008. 288 pp. Illustrations. Hardcover. £25. If you have Victorian British ancestors there is a high probability that somewhere on the family tree you will have farmers or agricultural laborers, just because of the high proportion of people living on or working with the land. Here is a fun book to learn about their lives viewed through modern eyes.
The book was produced in association with a BBC television program by Lion Television Ltd. The three authors are the three personalities who chose to live for a year recreating life in a nineteenth century rural environment using tools, techniques and materials from 1885. Alex and Peter were jobbing archaeologists with a wealth of experience and an attitude that said they were willing to try anything from the period, and they did. Ruth is a historian and a leading authority on Tudor and Stuart period costumes, but came with a wide expertise on social and domestic history, with a strong enthusiasm for food. So the author/actors brought with them experience, the ability to analyze and compare, and it shows throughout the book.
One of the first requirements was to find a Victorian farm that had not been modernized. One was eventually found on the Acton Scott Estate in Shropshire, with a barn, hayloft, cowshed, horse stalls, chicken coup and a farm cottage that had not been touched since WWII. The buildings needed cleaning and the cottage needed repairing so these tasks were carried out using Victorian materials and methods, not an easy task. A benefit of being on the Acton Scott Estate is that it actually contains a living museum operational Victorian farm open to the public operated by the Shropshire County Council, which provided a source of Victorian farm equipment if it did not already exist on the farm. For us, it provides a place to visit where we can follow up on what we have learned in the book about the lives of our ancestors.
The team lived on the farm for a full year, performing all the tasks needed for a fully functional small Victorian farm with crops and animals. This comes through in the book which is divided into six chapters: the golden age (what was changing in Victorian farming); Victorians making merry (leisure and Christmas activities); it’s all about the breeding (animal husbandry examining the role and importance of all the farm animals); arts and crafts (many of these skills have died off); health and hygiene; man versus machine (replacement of man and horse by machines). The chapters themselves are divided up into two six-page topics written by one of the authors and clearly identified as such. They contain descriptions of the experience, observations about what worked and what didn’t, what was easy and what was backbreaking, and when it was better to bring in an outside expert (stove installers, ploughman to get straight furrows). There are detailed descriptions of the tools and methods used by our ancestors so you could repeat them, or at least understand what they were doing, for example: making cheese; making clothing – period techniques are very different from modern processes used to make period looking clothing and they hand differently on the body; creating a hedgerow which have regional variations; washing clothes – which is a process we would not want to return to. All the sections have recipes that you can try in your own kitchen.
The book contains many good color photographs of the working people, processes and equipment. The book is well written, easy to read and provides good analysis on the benefits and disadvantages of the way our Victorian ancestors did things, even providing tips from the period to reduce the amount of chemicals we use in our homes, and to increase our ability to recycle our waste products. The brief bibliography identifies the contemporary books that the authors used to learn what they were doing, many of which will be available free online, and other books to provide context.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.17 no.6, 2010
Telling Tales Out of School: A History of Education and School Life in North Tynedale and Redesdale from 1870 to 1944
by Ian Roberts and Bellingham WEA Group. Published by Northern Heritage Publishing <www.northernheritage.co.uk/> and produced by Workers’ Educational Association North East Region, 21 Portland Terrace, Jesmond, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 1QQ, England. 2008. 208 pp. Illustrations, map. Softcover. £12.99. For me this book was a real eye opener in terms of describing what life in English rural schools was like in the period 1870 to 1944 and what written, photographic and oral records are available to study them. The starting point is 1870 Elementary Education Act, which was designed to provide elementary schools for those parts of the country where none existed and to replace or supplement schools where education was deemed inadequate. An immediate stipulation of the Act was a survey of all counties to discover what schools existed and if they were appropriate. These surveys form a common starting point though some of the schools existed prior to this date and where possible earlier history has been provided. The ending date is passage of the 1944 Education Act, which completely reorganized the education system, with elementary schools becoming primary schools and the leaving age dropping from fourteen to eleven, and the establishment of secondary schools for the older children.
The book is divided into three sections: historical background; school histories; and life in the schools. The historical background chapter highlights the different education acts from the early nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century’s and briefly describes the role of the churches and the state in education. A valuable section, with much wider geographic applications, describes the methodology and sources for the study describing which records exist at The National Archives at Kew and what will be found at the county record offices, or possibly still in the local community.
The second and largest section of the book gives the history of the seventeen schools, ten in the North Tynedale Valley and seven in the Redesdale Valley of Northumberland, all indicated on a map. The schools are all listed here for they are scattered over a wide geographic area and you might be lucky enough to recognize the name of a community in which your ancestor lived. The North Tynedale valley has three schools in the village of Bellingham: Reed Church of England Charity School; British (later County) School; St. Oswald’s Roman Catholic School; plus elsewhere in the valley there are Emblehope Council School; Falstone School; Hareshaw Council School; Hott School; Kielder School; Plashetts Colliery School; Thorneyburn National School. In the Redesdale Valley the schools are: Byrness Church of England School; Corsenside Board and Council School; Elsdon Church of England School; Otterburn National and Council School; Ridsdale Council School; Lord Redesdale’s Church of England School and Woodside/Billsmoor Council School. This section is well illustrated with photographs of the schools, the communities and even class photographs, usually with many if not all the students and teachers identified.
The final section of the book created from oral interviews with people who were in these schools from 1918 through 1944 describes their memories about: starting school; travelling to school; curriculum; physical education and playtime; teachers; treats and prizes; meals and heating; toilets and hygiene; pranks and punishments; evacuees and miscellaneous.
Much of the historical information is from inspector reports which give a really good picture of what life in these small rural schools was like: how a lot depended upon the strengths and interests of the teachers; support from the community or local employers; how attendance could be affected by illnesses, seasonal farm work, weather, visitors; and much more.
This is an excellent look at the history of and life in small rural schools in Northumberland. The one major drawback from a family history perspective is the lack of an index for there are many names (students, teachers, patrons, land owners) included in this book.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.17 no.6, 2010
The Worst Street in London
by Fiona Rule. Published by Ian Allan Publishing, Riverdene Business Park, Molesey Road, Hersham, Surrey KT12 4RG, UK. <www.ianallanpublishing.co.uk/>. 2008, reprinted 2009. 240 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover £8.99. On a recent trip to London I participated in an evening “Jack the Ripper” walk, held nightly from Tower Hill Tube Station. On that walk we went by the parking / loading area that was once Dorset Street, The Worst Street in London. Thus having walked by the street and through the neighborhood I was interested in reading this book. I was not disappointed.
Dorset Street, was laid down in 1674, only 400 feet in length, in part of Spitalfields, a place of small and narrow houses that soon became a byword for misery. A report written in the seventeenth century described the overcrowding caused by “poor indigent and idle loose persons” and it went downhill from then. By the eighteenth century the houses had become ramshackle. In the early nineteenth century they were knocked together and became what were known as common lodging houses. The original spacious back-gardens were converted into cobbled courts so that more people could be accommodated. Crime and disease were rampant. By the end of the nineteenth century it was labeled as the Worst Street in London by Charles Booth in his survey of London. The houses were not torn down until the 1960s to construct a parking garage (with the highest crime rate within London) and loading docks.
The story of the street is divided into four sections: the rise and fall of Spitalfields; the vices of Dorset Street; international infamy; and a final descent. The book sets the scene by describing the early development of the area around Spital Field by silk spinners and the early seventeenth century establishment of the market for flesh, fowl and roots in what was then the outskirts of the city. Different migrations occurred in the neighborhood, first the Huguenots, then the Irish, then eastern European Jews. Dorset Street was one street in a section known as the ‘wicked quarter mile.’ The majority of the lodging houses in this area, in the nineteenth century, were owned and operated by six families, of less than stellar reputations, all of whom come alive and are actively portrayed in the book.
But one of the main reasons this no longer existing street is still of interest is its connection to Jack the Ripper. Three of Jack’s victims worked or lived on the street. The best known in Mary Jane Kelly who was brutally murdered indoors (the only murder indoors) on this street. The events of her life in the neighborhood and her death are described extensively.
The book is full of well described characters, all real people, who lived, worked or made a living in the hell hole known as Dorset Street. Yet for many of the people it was their home.
The book concludes with a map and guided walk around Spitalfields, some of the sites and streets still survive, including some of the public houses that have existed in the area for centuries. This is a well written, easy to read book about the inhabitants of one of the seedier parts of London.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.1, 2011
Reading Latin Epitaphs: A Handbook for Beginners Selected from West Country Churches
by John Parker. Published by Exeter Press Ltd., Reed Hall, Streatham Drive, Exeter EX4 4QR, UK. <www.exeterpress.co.uk/>. U.S. Distributor: University of Chicago Press, 11030 S. Langley Ave., Chicago IL 60628. <www.press.uchicago.edu/>. 2008. 133 pp. Softcover. $20. All over England there are parish churches with epitaphs to the long dead, some of which are in Latin. Maybe one of your ancestors is among them. Have you found a Latin epitaph and wondered how to read it? Here is a guide book to help you.
This book originally published in 1999, revised in 2000 has been released in an updated edition and provides excellent guidance with practice exercises on how to read the epitaphs. The book rightfully points out that Latin is not an easy language to master, but this book offers guidance on how to travel what can be a rocky road. The journey begins with a brief Latin Grammar covering: word order and word endings; nouns – nominative case, accusative case, genitive case, date case, ablative case; more word endings; adjectives; adverbs; verbs – passive voice, deponent verbs, participles, gerundives, subjunctive mood; pronouns – personal, possessive, demonstrative and relative; dates; Roman Calendar; Roman Numerals. It certainly helps if you can remember your English grammar while reading this section.
Then there are 52 Latin epitaphs mostly from churches in Devon and the neighboring counties. The epitaphs move from simple to complex, building upon the learning exercise and learning numerous formulaic phrases. Each epitaph is followed by a translation and notes sometimes including family history notes on the family or their connections. The book concludes with a Latin-English word list with numbers referencing which epitaphs contain those words, and the bold numbers where there are explanatory notes about the use of that word.
Latin is not an easy language to learn. However, working your way through this book you will learn enough Latin words and phrases to be able to read most Latin epitaphs. This is a guide that addresses a need, specifically targets the family and local historian, and is highly recommended.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.1, 2011
Tracing Your Scottish Ancestors: The Official Guide. A Guide to Ancestry Research in the National Archives of Scotland
, fifth edition. Published by the National Archives of Scotland and Birlinn Ltd., West Wellington House, 10 Newington Road, Edinburgh EH9 1QS, UK. <www.birlinn.co.uk/>. U.S. Distributor: Interlink Publishing Group, Inc. 46 Crosby Street, Northampton MA 01060. <www.interlinkbooks.com/>. 2009. 242 pp. Illustrations, indexes. Softcover. $25. This is the best-selling book of the National Archives of Scotland, originally published in 1990, revised in 1997, a third edition in 2003, a fourth in 2007, and now a fifth edition in 2009. I own the 1990 and 2003 editions. The format has remained constant but continually expanding from 153 to 213 to 242 pages. What makes this book unique is that it is an insiders’ guide, based upon the knowledge and experience of the people who look after the records. However it is written with both the novice and the expert family historian in mind.
The book covers the records commonly used by family historians at the new ScotlandsPeople Centre, the Court of the Lord Lyon, and the National Archives of Scotland. It addresses the records beginners commonly use such as civil registration, church records, census, and probate; but continues to address additional occupational and social history records. This volume has new chapters (compared with the third edition) on The ScotlandsPeople Centre; artists and musicians; lighthouse keepers; labourers; and slaves. For all the records and occupations discussed they are put into historical context, the records, their finding aids and any online tools are discussed. The online tools and finding aids continue to expand and make access to the records easier.
The format within each chapter is the same with numbered sections covering specific points, often with chapter sub-headings. The good part of this is that if you have used one edition it is very easy to navigate a later edition. Sometime the text is a section is the same between editions. The disadvantage of which is that mistakes may get repeated (section 5.31 – ‘F’ in the 1841 census means born in Foreign Parts, not born in France as stated – found also in 4.37 third edition). New information is also easy to insert into the relevant section (section 11.13 – original paper Sasine Abridgements were replaced by an electronic version in 2007 and the paper copies are no longer on open access).
The beginners’ material can be found in many Scottish resources. This book however is recommended for those going beyond the basics, especially into occupational or social history sources. For those going to Edinburgh to do research it is a must for the book assumes you are there in Edinburgh and provides valuable onsite research guidance. Plus a US distributor makes it even easier for you to get a copy.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.1, 2011
The People of the Scottish Burghs, A Genealogical Source Book: The People of Greenock 1600–1799
, 105 pp. $17.50. The People of the Scottish Burghs, A Genealogical Source Book: The People of Kirkcaldy 1600–1799, 105 pp. $17.50. The People of the Scottish Burghs, A Genealogical Source Book: The People of Stirling 1600–1799, 100pp. $18.50. By David Dobson. Published by Clearfield Publishing Company, 3600 Clipper Mill Road Suite 260, Baltimore MD 21211. <www.genealogical.com/>. 2010. Softcover. These three volumes are part of a growing series on the inhabitants of Scottish Burghs from the prolific compiler David Dobson. Each volume follows a similar format beginning with a one page introduction setting the historical context for the Burgh.
The rest of the book is an alphabetical listing of inhabitants with identifying information primarily from primary sources such as testaments, bonds, sasines, deeds but also some specific published records such as burgh records. Many entries will provide information on parents or spouses, occupations, positions held and dates for events. A source document is provided for each entry. A sample entry reads: “ARNOT, WALTER, a notary burgess of Stirling, deceased, his widow Janet Brown, a sasine, 1600 [NAS.B66.25.165]”. This entry also highlights one of the major issues with the books in that there is no index to secondary people mentioned within an entry such as the name of the widow (Scottish women use their maiden names all their lives) and thus no way to find these people in the book, unless you know who they married. It should be pointed out that there are numerous women included in the listings, but if married their husbands may not be listed.
The important part of each introduction is the statement – “This book does not claim to be an exhaustive list of all the inhabitants of [burgh] during the period but rather an illustration of some of the records available. Each entry is referenced which should facilitate identifying the actual document.” Nor should it be interpreted that the sources cited for each volume have been comprehensively extracted to find the inhabitants. A cursory examination of the published Extracts from the Burgh of Stirling, a cited source, and readily available online, shows much more information about many of the people mentioned in the book, but more importantly lists many people not included in Mr. Dobson’s book.
What this all means for the researcher is that if you are lucky enough to find a potential ancestor in one of these books you have been provided a clue on where to look, and some sources in which to continue your search. But importantly, if you do not find your ancestor included do not assume he or she is not present in the Burgh, you have to keep looking even in the sources identified in these books.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.1, 2011
Mining in a Medieval Landscape: The Royal Silver Mines of the Tamar Valley
by Stephen Rippon, Peter Claughton and Chris Smart. Published by Exeter Press Ltd., Reed Hall, Streatham Drive, Exeter EX4 4QR, UK. <www.exeterpress.co.uk/>. U.S. Distributor: University of Chicago Press, 11030 S. Langley Ave., Chicago IL 60628. <www.press.uchicago.edu/>. 2009. 206 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. $36. Many observers of the English countryside assume that what is now a rural landscape has always been a rural landscape and this is not necessarily the case. One example of a now rural landscape is the Bere Ferrers peninsula between the Tamar and Tavy valleys on the Devon-Cornwall border. The area is close to Plymouth, is a quiet rural area of scattered farmsteads, with a single small town of Bere Alston. Yet at one time the area was once the center of England’s medieval silver mining industry. Rich documentary evidence has survived and physical evidence on the ground can be found.
The mines opened in 1292 and remained directly under Crown control until 1349, whereupon they were leased out until they closed in the mid 16th century. At the time there were no experienced hard rock miners in the area, the tin mining was alluvial, so experienced miners were brought in from the Peak District and Northeast Wales. There were 300 miners employed with an additional 100 men in the drainage works. The silver bearing ore was concentrated in a 2 mile long lode.
What makes this study different is that the team consists of an economic historian and two landscape archaeologists doing a unique interdisciplinary study for rarely have these disciplines interacted, especially in the medieval period. The book hopes, and succeeds, in providing an example of how the integration of the two disciplines can provide a new approach towards industrial archaeology and mining history.
The book provides an overview of the history of medieval mining in Devon, contrasting those metals that were worked subject to the regulations of local custom and the more valuable metals (copper, lead, silver and gold) over which the Crown exercised control. The former were primarily small operations accessible to part-time miners-cum-farmers, while the latter were large scale capital intensive operations under Crown control. The following chapter places the Devon silver mines in the wider context of silver mining in medieval England and across central and western Europe. This is followed by a detailed explanation of the mine development, extraction, dressing, smelting and refining processes. The final chapters consider the impact the mines had on the wider landscape both in terms of the demand for energy(wood and water) and the support of the mining community, such as capital needed to drain the mine below the local water table.
The book has many maps, landscape sketches, aerial photographs and contemporary woodcuts. There is an extensive listing of manuscripts used in the study from The National Archives and area archives, plus a thorough bibliography. The text itself also provides many endnotes, all of which provide clues for research in this or other parts of the country.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.1, 2011
Empire of the Seas: How the Navy Forged the Modern World
by Brian Lavery. Published by Conway, Anova Books Company Ltd, 10 Southcombe Street, London W14 0RA. <www.anovabooks.com/>. 2009. 272 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £20. This book has been produced to accompany the BBC Series by the same name, presented by Dan Snow. That connection is limited in this book to twelve pages scattered throughout the book primarily showing the photogenic Dan Snow in scenes from episodes in the series.
What this book actually provides is a well-illustrated, highly readable account of the history of the British Navy and how it has shaped the world that is a pleasure to read. The book is divided into four sections. The first section, Heart of Oak, examines the early development of the Royal Navy with the defeat of the Spanish Armada, the role of the Navy during the Civil War, and the wars against the Dutch up through the Glorious Revolution in 1688. The second section, The Golden Ocean, cover the period from the wars with France beginning late in the seventeenth century through the age of global exploration, to the loss of the French colonies in North America. The third section, High Tide, looks at the role of the navy in the loss of America, the causes and effects of mutinies, the victories of Lord Nelson and the new tactics that were introduced, plus the triumphs with limitations of sea power. The final section, Sea Change, highlights the effects of the long peace during the nineteenth century, along with the rapid changes in ship building due to the use of steam, steel and weaponry, the arms race and the role of the Navy during war concluding with the big naval Battle of Jutland, during WWI.
The book explains very nicely how ships were built, operated, and how their role changed over time as a weapon, tactically and as a political tool. It examines the way in which sailors, ratings and officers could rise through the ranks, which varied markedly depending upon the time period. It describes the effects on the navy and ship development of the cutbacks that occurred during different periods of peace. The book discusses many of the famous sea battles such as the Spanish Armada, Nile, Trafalgar, Jutland and what was important about them but also describes numerous sea actions that will probably be less familiar to the reader. All are put into military and political context. The book does describes how Britain evolved from a minor player in European and World history to be the dominant player during the nineteenth century, to its much smaller but still important role on the world stage in the twentieth century.
The book has contemporary black and white photographs and many color photographs of ships, ship models, and maritime art. The book concludes with a bibliography organized by subject which makes finding additional resources easier. For researchers with Royal Navy ancestral connections this well written, easy to read book is well worth looking at to put ancestors in context.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.2, 2011
The Lambeth Cholera Outbreak of 1848–1849: The Setting, Causes, Course and Aftermath of an Epidemic in London
by Amanda J. Thomas. Published by McFarland & Company Publishers, Box 611, Jefferson, NC 28640. <www.mcfarlandpub.com/>. 2010. 266 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $45. Lambeth is on the south bank of the River Thames in London, across from the Houses of Parliament and Millbank. Ms. Thomas explores Lambeth after discovering that three of her ancestors died of cholera. She grew up in Rochester, Kent and was familiar with Charles Dicken’s descriptions of life in nineteenth century London but this did not prepare her for actual reports of Lambeth at the time. Reports that provided “descriptions of dark, marshy streets, filled with muck, no sanitation and sewage spilling out of overflowing cesspools, a lack of running water, cows kept on patches of wasteland, pigs kept in cellars, and butchers disposing of carcasses and entrails in open ditches. All the while the people took their drinking water from the River Thames into which the detritus of their life freely flowed.” (p.1).
A lot of the book sets the scene for the 1848–49 cholera outbreak examining the political scene and its attempts to improve the life, health and safety of the people who lived within the city. Needless to say proposed changes were met with lots of resistance from the landholders and businesses in the city. This epidemic was not the first, cholera having arrived in England in 1832, so there is a discussion of earlier epidemics and the feeling of inevitability that there would be another, especially since there were contrasting opinions on the causes. There is a very good discussion on the perceived causes of cholera and what we now know from modern research, especially as it relates to how the estuarine area of the Thames was an ideal breeding ground for cholera. The symptoms and progression of cholera within the victims is clearly described.
The book discusses how the city of Lambeth grew and developed, how the population exploded with incoming migrants, how the industries grew with no concerns of how to dispose of their production or human waste. One of the primary sources for studying the living conditions within the town are the Lambeth District Sanitary Reports and these are discussed in detail from before, during and after the cholera outbreak. To put the outbreak in perspective Lambeth’s population in 1849 was 115,888 of which 1,618 died of cholera, which increases to 1,894 if diarrhea is included (a potential misdiagnosis for cholera). In London as a whole there were 14,126 deaths in 1849, with the most occurrences being in the warm months of August and September. Dr. Snow was working and learning throughout this epidemic and it was he who in 1854 identified contaminated water from the Broad Street pump in Soho as the source of that cholera outbreak, dispelling the notion that it was an airborne pathogen associated with the obnoxious smells of the city. The book illustrates the poor level of medical knowledge describing a number of the medicinal ‘cures’ for the problem, almost all of which were worthless, and some actually dangerous. This is contrasted with Dr. Snow’s later recommendations for preventing the spread of cholera.
This book pulls together a variety of sources to reveal a forgotten episode in London’s history. It exposes the suffering of the working population in the face of apathy and ineptitude, and convincingly challenges the long-standing belief that London’s numerous cholera outbreaks were unrelated. The book does an excellent job of combining recent scientific research with first-hand accounts to show that in the nineteenth century cholera was probably endemic in the River Thames. This well written book is worth reading by those with interest in nineteenth century London or medical history.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.2, 2011
Eastry: Photographic Memories of a Kentish Village
by Douglas Welby. Published by the author, 35 Boystown Place, Eastry, Sandwich, Kent CT13 0DS, UK. 2009. 170 pp. Index, photographs. Softcover. £27.50 overseas postage included. Eastry is a village and parish due east of Canterbury, near but not on the east coast of Kent. It is south of the Isle of Thanet towns of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, and as the mailing address suggests just outside the town of Sandwich.
Unlike many of the photographic books produced by commercial publishers which contain around 200 photographs of a specific community, this locally produced book contains 500 high quality black and white photographs. The photographs and accompanying text are arranged by nine subject areas: church; education and welfare; services and amenities; dramatics; roads, streets, lanes and businesses; houses and farms; celebrations; events local and national; uniformed organizations, societies and clubs. Because of the number of photographs the reader gets a real glimpse into the life of this community over the last century. What really adds to the value of this book is that in the majority of photographs, and there are numerous large group photographs, almost everyone is clearly identified and indexed making it easy to locate individuals within the book. The book is A4 in size (8 ¼ x 11 ¾) on good quality paper so the pictures are large and clear.
For readers with ancestral connection in this part of Kent this book is a must. Because of the number and quality of the photographs it is worth a look to get a good picture of village life in Kent, England.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.2, 2011
Writing Local History
by John Beckett. Published by Manchester University Press, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9NR, UK. <www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/>. £14.99. U.S. Distributor: Palgrave Publishers, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10010. <www.palgrave.com/>. 2007. xii, 244 pp. Index. Softcover. $26. This is not a “how to” book, but rather a history of the writing of local history in England by John Beckett, Professor of English Regional History at the University of Nottingham and the director of the Victoria County History project.
Local history has over time had varying definitions and various levels of support or opposition within the academic history community. Many local historians have been intimidated by the professional historians but as was pointed out in the 1950s by W.G.Hoskins, the founding father of modern local history, that “it is not the size or composition of the unit of study, whether the parish, the town, the county, the region, or even that nation, which is the issue, so much as the ends in view and the methods used. … History is the result of rigorous analysis of the sources, thoughtful assessment of the methods, and clear presentation of properly assessed findings” (p.3). This definition would certainly fit most readers of this newsletter who are often focusing their research on a small community or region somewhere in the British Isles.
Local history may have begun with the medieval chroniclers but was driven after the Reformation with a need for a protestant national identity by noted historians such as William Camden, Christopher Saxton, John Leland, William Harrison and John Norden. Yet William Lambarde set a new trend with his study in 1576 of one county – Kent. It was the county that became the norm in historical writing. Unfortunately many early local historians drew no distinction between documents, artifacts and landscapes, for they were historians, archaeologists and antiquarians gathering data rather than interpreting.
The book continues examining parish and town histories, looking at how they changed over the centuries. It describes well how local history became marginalized as separate disciplines developed, but also as academic historians focused on discovering national identity, examining national records and ignoring local records. From the late nineteenth century through the end of WWII the local history societies flourished publishing lots of material but with little development in terms of methodologies. Analysis and local writing had to fit within a national framework of politics, constitutional matters and the government of the state. It was in this period that the Victoria County History project was conceived and developed, with the format changing only very recently.
There is an excellent chapter on W.G.Hoskins and the founding of modern local history, followed by the development of new approaches for examining regions, communities and specialties, which includes family history. It is also in this post war period that access to records proliferated with the expansion of the national archives, county archive offices, and local study libraries. The book concludes by examining local history today and how it is still changing.
Throughout this history many books are cited and described pointing the reader towards the best of local history writing from the different periods. Many of these books are readily available in the used book market, in major libraries, or through inter-library loan. All the references are pulled together in a very extensive bibliography that is worth examining closely.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.2, 2011
CD-ROM REVIEW
The ‘Hackman’ Series of Hampshire Bishop’s Transcripts
Mr. Hackman was born in Hampshire in 1904 and worked most of his life as a schoolmaster. He spent many years transcribing the Bishops Transcripts into school exercise books. He covered 290 Hampshire parishes, which does include a number on the Isle of Wight. The transcriptions focus on the period 1780 to 1812 but do not include all parishes within the county and may not be complete for an individual parish. The researcher is not informed as to whether omissions are due to the transcriber stopping or parts of the bishop’s transcripts being missing. Shortly before his death in 1978 the records were purchased by The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies. The records were grouped geographically and then microfilmed and issued as 82 volumes. These un-indexed handwritten pages have now been converted to pdfs and issued on two CD-ROMs. The images are clear and the handwriting is easy to read.
When loading the CD-ROM there is a menu and index to parishes showing which parishes are included in which original microfiche volume. Once locating the correct parish, and thus volume you select the relevant volume shown on the opening menu. You then page through the volume to find the years you are seeking. The website provides a listing, unfortunately arranged by volume, of all parishes included in the transcripts. The CD-ROM provides a list of parishes in alphabetical order.
Modern online indexes such as FamilySearch cover many of these parishes, plus Boyd’s marriage index, now online, also covers many of the same parishes. The ready availability and ease of searching in these online indexes decreases the value of this index. However, researchers are always advised to check both the parish registers and bishops transcripts so this index may be of value for those focusing on Hampshire research.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.2, 2011
Travellers’ Accounts as Source-Material for Irish Historians / Maynooth Research Guides for Irish Local History No. 15
by C.J. Woods. Published by Four Courts Press, 7 Malpas Street, Dublin 8, Eire. U.S. Distributor: International Specialized Book Service, 920 NE 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213. <www.isbs.com>. 2010. 248 pp. Index. Hardcover $65. Softcover $35. The introductory essay about travelers’ accounts as a potential primary source for local and family history makes this book of wider appeal than the title would suggest. They can be an important primary source for they are often written at or near both the place and time to which they refer. The evidence they provide may be anecdotal, but the number of such accounts can be large enough that the material may be used comparatively or quantitatively. The essay examines the issues surrounding: the traveler’s identity; the traveler’s purpose; chronology of travel; itineraries; mode of travel; content of the narratives; persons encountered; illustrations; plus the issues involved in identifying and tracing travel accounts, published and manuscript, which has gotten somewhat easier in recent times. All the issues are well illustrated and appropriate for any collection of traveler accounts, of which there are many in North America.
However, the book is intended as an aid to Irish historians and geographers on the use of travel accounts as source-material. After the essay, the book identifies 209 accounts of tours or journeys made in Ireland between 1635 and 1948. The main criteria of selection are importance; substance, familiarity, datability and crucially traceability of an itinerary. There is at least one from each decade but the preponderance from the pre-Famine and Famine periods. The selection is from over 600 that have been identified, over 100 in manuscript form, and the complete list can be obtained in Ireland.
For each account, the normal bibliographic information is provided along with: some particulars about the author or traveler; the purpose of the tour; initial and terminal dates of the tour or journey; itinerary taken – each town and village (but not the county) for which any information is given; mode of travel; author’s concerns; persons encountered with names in cases of public figures. For the local historian the indexes are valuable to identify all the places mentioned within the accounts. There is an additional index to the names of the travels in alphabetical order, for they are listed in chronological order in the table of contents. Unfortunately, for the genealogist, the public figures identified in the accounts are not indexed. As with many aspects of Irish research place is the key to finding the information you seek.
This book is a good practical finding aid. There is also a brief, but good annotated bibliography that will lead the researcher to other traveler accounts and analysis of their contents.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.3, 2011
Photographs and Photography in Irish Local History / Maynooth Research Guides for Irish Local History No. 13
by Liam Kelly. Published by Four Courts Press, 7 Malpas Street, Dublin 8, Eire. U.S. Distributor: International Specialized Book Service, 920 NE 58th Avenue, Suite 300, Portland, OR 97213. <www.isbs.com>. 2008.120 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover $50. Softcover $29.95. From the practical perspective of a researcher the value of this book is in the directory of 211 photographic collections. Though stated by Mr. Kelly as incomplete, it is however an important first step at identifying where photographs of interest may be located. Each collection in alphabetical order provides: name of the collection; the period in which the photographs were taken, approximate number of images in the collection (ranging from 7 to 300,000); a brief description of the photographs; name, address, and telephone number (from the Republic of Ireland) and e-mail address of the library, archive or museum where the collection is held. It is unfortunate that the subject contents of the directory are not included in the index. Therefore all entries have to be read to potentially find photographs of locations or people of interest.
The remainder of the book should not be ignored for it provides excellent historical context and analytical guidance. There is a brief history of the technical development of photography in Ireland with comparisons to what was happening on the continent and in North America. This is followed by a historical essay on the growth of photography in Ireland, highlighting some of the key players and motivations for early photography, such as photographs of prisoners, the Congested District Boards documenting conditions in rural areas, the press, and more. The chapter on reading photographs is especially valuable, highlighting questions such as: is the photograph authentic? Where was the photograph taken? Who took the photograph? When was the photograph taken? Why was the photograph taken? What information is contained in the photograph? The questions and analysis are of much wider appeal than to those who are just researching Irish photographs.
The questions raised on how to analyze photographs gives this book a much wider appeal. It is an appropriate addition to any photographic collection as an aid to using and finding photographs plus the directory makes it an important finding aid for Irish collections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.3, 2011
Culloden: The History and Archaeology of the Last Clan Battle
edited by Tony Pollard. Published by Pen and Sword Books Ltd, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. U.S. Distributor: Casemate Publishers, 908 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083. <www.casematepublishing.com>. 2009. x, 278 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. $50. Here is a fine example of what modern analysis and research can do to bring new perspectives to a battle that already has much written about it. The Battle of Culloden, fought on 16 April 1746, saw the Jacobite Army, led by Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie), being defeated by the British Army commanded by the Duke of Cumberland (son of George II). The battle signifies, even today, many things to many people depending upon political persuasion, but it is the last battle to be fought in Britain and saw the end of the Jacobite rebellion.
The book, a collection of essays, by acknowledged experts in different aspects of the battle, provides a nice comprehensive picture of the battle and its consequences. There are chapters setting the scene for the battle, examining the makeup and organization of both the Jacobite and Government armies, along with a discussion about the use of cavalry by both sides. This is followed by a narrative account of the battle which is not as easy as it sounds, partially because of the normal confusion of the battle but also because of the blame and biases that occur in the many narratives following the battle, yet the writer does a good job of highlighting the differences and drawing a picture that makes sense from other evidence. An essay of recent battlefield archaeology has actually changed the assumed battle lines and some of the events of the battle itself.
The essay analyzing the battle maps is excellent, looking at the eight most contemporary battle maps discussing each in relationship to one another and what they mean for our understanding of the battle and will serve as a good example of what can be done for any battle. A final chapter about the battle itself focuses on the internal politics that was occurring on the day and after the battle among the Jacobites. There is a history of how the battlefield, now a National Trust for Scotland property, developed and is undergoing change with a new interpretation center with a revised story to tell produced from the work in this book. The book concludes with an excellent essay putting the battle and the Jacobite rebellion into the broader context of: the War of the Austrian Succession; British politics; and the Jacobite cause.
The illustrations, maps (contemporary and interpretative) and color photographs add greatly to this book. The essays are extensively footnoted providing the researcher with more leads for research. The book is indexed. The one drawback is the lack of a consolidated bibliography.
This is an excellent up-to-date analysis of the Battle of Culloden and its context. It is also an excellent example of how to analyze and create a comprehensive picture of any battle, thus it deserves a wide readership.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.3, 2011
Tracing Your Railway Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
by Di Drummond. Published by Pen and Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. U.S. Distributor: Casemate Publishers, 908 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083. <www.casemateathena.com>. 2010. 272 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $32.95. The history of railways in Great Britain is long and complicated, but ancestors are common, with over a quarter million employed by the 1870s rising to a half million by 1948 when the railways were nationalized. The book itself is divided into three sections. The first provides a general history of the railways in Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) from the commencement of mainline passenger and goods carrying services, though its maturing in the late Victorian period through the First World War. Between the wars there was the consolidation of hundreds of companies into the “Big Four, ” and after WWII in 1948 there is nationalization. There is the survival of the Beeching Era, the end of steam, and privatization in the 1990s. The second section examines the many different occupations within the railway industry first providing an overview before examining specifics, such as: women on the railways; railway builders; operating staff; work in the stations, good yards, offices, and on the tracks; manufacturing and maintenance shops. The final section guides the researcher into the major record collections used for tracing railway ancestors: the British Railway Company Archives at The National Archives; British Parliamentary Papers; railway trade union records; the National Railway Museum collection, local archives, and libraries. The concluding chapters in this section provide knowledgeable access to printed sources, maps, illustrations, and film.
Searching for railway ancestors can be a large complex problem given that almost a thousand different companies have existed prior to nationalization. This book puts the problem in perspective, provides excellent guidance on how to do research and illustrates well what can be found on the companies and their workers.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.3, 2011
A Historical Dictionary of Railways in the British Isles
by David Wragg. Published by Wharncliffe Local History, an imprint of Pen and Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. U.S. Distributor: Casemate Publishers, 908 Darby Road, Havertown, PA 19083. <www.casemateathena.com>. 2009. 288 pp. Illustrations. Hardcover. $39.99. The railways have played a key role in the social, economic and industrial development of the British Isles. The railway companies did not confine themselves to rail transportation alone but were also involved in road transportation, shipping, docks and harbors, hotels and canals. The companies have gone, but the relics remain, and it is these companies our ancestors worked for.
This historical dictionary is a comprehensive, single-volume reference guide to the old railway companies and their heritage. Mr. Wragg provides in an A-Z format brief histories of the companies and their many side activities, along with biographies of the key men who created the network. Geographically entries are included for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. The book concludes with a useful chronology and good but brief bibliography for further guidance.
The book provides historical entries for the major railway companies and the key players, but does not identify all the companies for at 988 there are too many, nor are all the key players included. However, this is still an excellent resource, especially for North American readers and provides an excellent reference support to Di Drummond’s book Tracing Your Railway Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians, reviewed in this issue, by the same publisher.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.3, 2011
DVD REVIEW
Sussex on Film, Vol. 1: Exploring the Collection of Screen Archive South East
This is a collection of 12 films depicting different aspects of life in Sussex from 1896 through the 1950s. The collection includes the earliest known film of Sussex from 1896, by Robert Paul, Britain’s first film maker, depicting bathers on the Brighton shore. There are three films by James Williamson from between 1897 and 1902. I particularly liked the images of the men and women from the late Victorian period all dressed up walking and having fun on Brighton’s West pier (closed 1975, later destroyed by storms and fire). The collection includes: a film about Hastings from 1914; a May 1935 film about Jubilee Day in Chichester; early newsreels of Bognor for the period 1929-1935; a very good 1930s film showing the skill in making Sussex Trugs (wooden baskets) and shearing sheep. The 1946, Sussex Symphony is the first color film, providing a tour of the county. There is a more detailed look at Brighton through a 1957 tourism film. One of the major employers in the county is Shippman’s who produced food paste in Chichester and they are represented by two films, the first a 1935 promotion film showing the ‘modern’ hygienic production of the product, where visitors are welcome any time, and a 1955 commercial set to opera, which was a fun conclusion to the DVD.
The DVD would not be read by a standalone DVD player, but played beautifully on my computer. The early silent movies were provided with background piano music, modern commentary was added to provide context to both the early silent movies and the more modern films that had their own soundtracks.
This is a good piece of nostalgia for those familiar with Sussex, and for those not it provides a good glimpse of twentieth century Sussex and the people who lived there. The archive has produced other DVDs for Sussex and Kent and is worth looking at for anyone interested in these counties.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.3, 2011
Curious Tales of Workington
by Derek Woodruff. Published by Amberley Publishing Plc, Cirencester Road, Chalford, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 8PE, UK. <www.amberley-books.com/>. 2009. 94 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £12.99. Amberley Publishing has produced a number of books about different places in the UK entitled “Curious Tales of ….” I was interested to know if these books would be of interest to family or local historians. I needed a locality to test that I knew something about. What better place than Workington in Cumbria where I went to school and where my mother still lives?
Pride of place in the book, the first chapter, goes to the story of the arrest of Mary Queen of Scots at Curwen Hall after she has escaped from Scotland. This is the story that every child in Workington knows about for it is the only one that impacted the history of the nation.
However, when it comes to the curious I would expect and got a description of the annual Uppies and Downies Game, a game played since Saxon times and only played in two other towns in England. There is a small heavy ball, no rules, no teams and a pitch that is three quarters of a mile long from the Merchant Quay on the docks to the Hall Park in the upper town. In the nineteenth century this was a theoretical match between the mariners and the miners where the town becomes a mass of struggling males trying to get the ball from the center to one of the ends. The game is still played at Easter time.
The book has a number of firsts. Workington had the first bus station in Great Britain opened 19 March 1926, and still in use. April 1932 saw the invention of the “Lawson, McKenzie Beer Pump and Pipe Cleaner” adopted by many pubs around the country for cleaning the pipes between the barrels in the cellar and the bar above.
What curious tales might be of use to the family historian? One tale concerns deaths occurring in epidemic proportions in the winter of 1900 in Workington and Salford (Manchester) caused by the brewing sugar used by two breweries having been tainted with arsenic (p.24). Or identification of cholera outbreaks in 1849, with a smaller one in 1860, with the deaths centered on the streets just below St. Michael’s Church (p.39). The local hospital was opened in November 1886, prior to which patients went to Whitehaven or Carlisle, many of whom did not survive the journey. How would you like to follow this hospital rule – “Patients will be responsible for the washing of their own clothes, and patients will also provide themselves with a change of linen. Any profane, Abusive, or Immoral language or behavior will be punished by ‘Dismissal’ from the Infirmary” (p.40). There is also a useful map showing the location of the many coal pits around town (p.87).
As you would expect there are the ghost stories with attempts to put them into historical context. There are stories about the people and place in the Upper town, the Marsh and Quay, and around town.
Overall, the book is well illustrated showing the people and places around town. The stories are told, and explained. This book about a town I am familiar with was certainly worth reading. The book is not a chronological history, which as historians we are often seeking, but this collection of books published by Amberley Publishing is worth looking at to see if there is a book for your ancestor’s home.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.4, 2011
Northumberland Viewpoints
by Stan Beckensall. Published by Amberley Publishing Plc, Cirencester Road, Chalford, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 8PE, UK. <www.amberley-books.com/>. 2009. 191 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £17.99. This book is a celebration of Northumberland’s rich landscape and history. Dr. Beckensall looks at the geology, industries, communications, buildings and their architecture, along with the people who lived in the area. The focus is on the valleys of the South Tyne, the Aln and the Tweed, so the whole of the county is not covered. Nor is everything in these valleys, for if the author has covered specific places in his other books they may be omitted or covered in less detail here.
The section on the River Tyne, first paints a broad picture of the valley, then moves chronologically through time, from prehistory with its early burials, through the Romans highlighting new discoveries, architectures and then moving on to address the settlements in the valley. These settlements may be major towns or small farms, but all have historical, architectural, industrial or landscape connections. We learn about the world’s largest witherite mine at Settlingstones (now closed) along with lead and coal mining, tanning industry, lime kilns and more. We learn about how many older buildings in the valley reused stones from the Roman Wall. There is a good explanation of local words using the names of fields from a 1479 ‘terrier’ (land list) and an 1820 map. Similar details are given for places in the Tweed and Aln valleys.
The book also examines estates with castles, of which there are many in Northumberland, but the book looks closely at Chillingham (famous for its herd of wild white cattle), Ford, and Etal. Another chapter looks at the 1513 Battle of Flodden setting the political scene, showing us the landscape, and describing the events of the day that led to the unexpected defeat of the Scots.
The book itself is lavishly illustrated (23 color, 145 black and white), showing landscapes, buildings and details. You get the big picture, often from aerial photographs, the mid view and then the details like carvings on a gravestone, or a tomb in a church. This is a book to get you thinking differently about the landscape and how all the pieces of history fit together in that picture. This is a well written book and will be particularly enjoyable for those with Northumberland connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.4, 2011
The Camden Town Book
. 2007. 144 pp. Softcover. £14.50. Camden Town and Primrose Hill Past. 1991, reprinted 2002. 144 pp. Hardcover. £15.95. A History of Camden: Hampstead, Holborn and St. Pancras. 1999. 176 pp. Hardcover. £15.50. By John Richardson. Published by Historical Publications Ltd., 32 Ellington Street, London N7 8PL, UK. Distributed by Countryside Books, Highfield House, 2 Highfield Avenue, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5DS, UK. <www.countrysidebooks.co.uk/>. All contain lots of illustrations, maps and are indexed. Historical Publications produces high quality history books about different locations in the Greater London Area. This review of three books arises out of the desire to provide guidance on the differences between books of similar titles and how that may apply to others produced by the same publisher. Thus the review here of three books, on what I originally thought was one community on the north side of London.
The easiest book to describe is the Camden Town Book for this has an A-Z format with a fascinating mix of people and places. Camden Town founded in 1791 changed from not much more than a simple high street to a sprawling array of roads, canals and railways. It was the railways that within sixty years polluted the area, created overcrowding with many buildings becoming rooming houses and eventually slums. The book is lavishly illustrated (156 B&W photographs). This is the easiest book to pick up if you are looking for something specific on Camden Town. The “Town Books” on this publisher’s website appear to be all in the A-Z format and cover many locations within the London area.
Camden Town and Primrose Hill Past is a topical history with short 4-15 page essays on a variety of topics, yet they cover the major developments in the town’s history. The book opens with the development of Camden Town from its rural beginnings in the 1790s, which is really hard to believe nowadays when you see how close Camden Town is to the center of London. It was originally part of St. Pancras parish, but was often too far for the locals to go to church. The town was also part of three manors adding another layer of jurisdictional control. Additional chapters cover: the Regent’s Canal; the workhouses; Royal Veterinary College; the railways; sanitation; famous residents and more, all the way up to the present. There are many maps, photographs, paintings, advertisements, all captioned and adding an excellent visual component to the story of Camden Town and Primrose Hill (open green space). There are many books in the Past format by this publisher all describing the history of a given locality in detail through topical essays, with lots of illustrations.
A History of Camden: Hampstead, Holborn and St. Pancras caught me by surprise for it is actually the history of three boroughs that united in 1964 as part of the reorganization of London government, which formed 32 modern boroughs, of which Camden was one. It is not about Camden Town although that is included being near the center of and providing the name for the modern borough. In other words the book covers a wider area and that actually may be of more value to outsiders wanting to get a picture of an area of London. Covering a larger geographic area there is more text, and fewer illustrations, but this allows the author to go into more depth on a subject and create the bigger picture. For example, the chapter on overcrowding churches was fascinating, especially for those used to researching in rural parishes, examining the issues of parish churches being run down and in the wrong location for what were the new centers of population. It also discusses proprietary chapels, chapels-of-ease, new churches and then the dissenters. The history of the area is thoroughly examined showing the impact of transportation (canals and railways), education (parish and ragged schools, Royal Veterinary College), the development of the land, the people involved and much more.
All the books are well produced, clearly written, lavishly illustrated and importantly indexed. In this case all three books were written by John Richardson who writes clearly and thoroughly. He has written additional books about other areas of London. Other authors, all local experts have written about other locations. If you have ancestors in the greater London area these books are well worth looking at.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.4, 2011
Tracing Your Northern Irish Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
by Ian Maxwell. Published by Pen and Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. U.S. Distributor: Casemate Publishers, 908 Darby Road, Havertown PA 19083. <www.casemateathena.com/>. 2010. 182 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $24.95. Ian Maxwell, a former record officer at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, knows his history and records well and it comes across clearly in this well written book that is easy to recommend. He begins in his introduction by setting the scene for what is Northern Ireland, created in 1922, but going back many centuries to the first Celtic speakers, the Kings of Ulster, the Ulster Plantation, Cromwell, the industrial development of the north, the Troubles to the modern day peace accords.
The book begins by suggesting where to begin and assuming you have modern Irish connections so there the sad news about the census returns contrasted with some modern substitutes, along with a description of civil registration records. The book then goes back in time examining the eighteenth and seventeenth centuries along with the plantation of Ulster. For each of the records described in these chapters historical context is provided for each, along with PRONI record numbers, and indications of which have the records have been described or published elsewhere.
The remaining chapters in the book address record groups that are predominantly nineteenth and twentieth century in focus. These include records for: churches; schools; valuation and tithing; landed estates; wills and testaments; poor law; local government (corporations, town commissioners, grand jury, county councils); military; elections; law and order; emigration; plus print sources and miscellaneous collections. The records themselves and their historical context are well explained, with PRONI references provided for specific research, such as lists of directories and where to find the poor law union records. Where specific references are not provided, usually because the records groups are too large, e.g., estate records, the guidance is provided on what type of records to be looking for.
The historical contextual information provided in this book really adds to the understanding of the origins, purpose and value of the records available for Northern Ireland research. This is a useful book to own if you have Northern Ireland connections, and should be added to any Irish collections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.4, 2011
The Great War Handbook: A Guide for Family Historians & Students of the Conflict
by Geoff Bridger. Published by Pen and Sword Books, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. U.S. Distributor: Casemate Publishers, 908 Darby Road, Havertown PA 19083. <www.casematepublishing.com/>. 2009. 240 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. $39.99. Millions of soldiers fought in the British Army during World War I. This book examines in detail what their lives were like. It is not about the war itself in terms of battles, although a brief overview (31 pages) is provided for context. The book examines the many questions that newcomers ask when confronted with this large and challenging subject about which much has already been written.
The book describes the structure of the British Army and where the soldier fits in that structure, and how it changed between 1914 and 1919, specifically looking at the enlistment process and schemes, definitions of army formations, medals and regimental numbers (of which there were many duplicates). It describes: the life and equipping of the new soldier; the components of trench; a soldiers life at the front; the weapons of war; death in its many forms; Army Corps (2 different definitions); medical matters; and interesting facts, definitions and statistics. The book concludes with chapters that address visiting the Western Front Battlefield and research sources and tips. The book covers a lot of ground giving you a sense of what the routine of daily life was life both at the front and in the support trenches. It addresses a lot of questions one may never think about: such as the purpose of the parados (mound of earth) on the backside of the trench away from the enemy – designed to protect from shell blasts exploding in the rear and also to prevent silhouettes when the soldier stood on the firestep to shoot or watch (p.93); no official issue of toilet paper (p.94); daily rations of food (p.109); what all the insignia mean on a uniform (p.221).
For the researcher good practical advice is given on visiting the Western Front though specifics will vary depending upon the battles of interest, all of which are listed, but some highly recommended sites are given. The final chapter on research sources is especially valuable at giving solid tips, such as the differences between using the Soldiers Died in the Great War in print, online and on CD-ROM, plus why this needs to be combined with the Commonwealth War Grave Commission information. It suggests to the researcher what records were likely to have been created, what may have survived in official repositories (national and local) and what may be found among family records. The researcher is directed towards some excellent published resources for those wanting to explore further. The book’s bibliography is small for such a vast subject, but they are the best for guiding researchers on where to look further.
The book is indexed but the table of contents is detailed, identifying all the subheadings making it easy to find information on a specific subject. If you have British World War I relatives that you are searching for this is one book that you will want to add to your collection, and it should be in any genealogy collection with a military or modern European focus.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.4, 2011
The English Lakes: A History
† by Ian Thompson. Published by Bloomsbury Publishing, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. <www.bloomsburyusa.com>. 2010. 344 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. $45.This excellent, well-written history was not what I was expecting. England’s Lake District is a National Park attracting over 20 million visitors a year, yet it maintains its natural beauty and tranquility. Even with all these visitors it is still relatively easy to get off the beaten path and go it alone on the hills or around the lakes, but this is a place not to be confused with America’s National Parks which are generally undeveloped wilderness areas set aside for their beauty. The Lake District is a fully developed working industrial and farming area where the rights of the developers, farmers and tourists are carefully balanced. The philosophy behind the National Park and its presence so fits the community that nowadays many locals would be hard pushed to tell you where the park boundaries are.
The Lake District National Park, created in 1951, is England’s largest, covering 885 square miles, and encompassing a significant proportion of the old counties of Cumberland and Westmorland, now Cumbria. Importantly the park is one part of the larger area known as the English Lakes.
This book puts the broader locality into perspective, often from the perspective of what the book calls the out-comers, those who come from outside the area, yet are commonly associated with the area. In the 18th century the area became the English Alps, a place of dark foreboding hills, and this was especially true when the Grand Tour was no longer an option because of the wars with France towards the end of the century. Yet even in the 18th century books were guiding the tourists to the best places to see the lakes and mountains, always from the valleys, rarely did tourists venture up the mountains. The book does explain the later development of Fell-Walking, even though the locals have been climbing the hills for centuries.
The book creates the links and context for the reader to the well-known names associated with the Lakes, such as the “Lakeland Poets” (Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey), the artists of whom there are many who visited (Turner, Gainsborough, Green, Cooper), and the writers (Ruskin, Budworth). William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy are key figures in this history for they were avid gardeners and were involved in developing the idea of landscape conservation which even in the early 19th century put him into conflict with the developers of forestry, industry and tourism. Some of his later century followers, such as Ruskin, Rawnsley, and Hill kept the ideas alive that this was a place of beauty, a national property, to be kept for the people. This put them into conflict with the railway, tourism and reservoir developers and they did not always win.
For the 20th century three writers are important. Beatrix Potter and Arthur Ransome both set many of their children’s stories in the Lake District and moved there. Plus, Alfred Wainwright whose lovingly illustrated guidebooks opened up all the mountain ranges and valleys of the Lake District to the average walker; my mother has all his guidebooks on the shelf by her armchair, and now in her 80s still uses them, though she has many of the walks memorized.
One quote that aptly portrays the content of this book is “the general rule that the history of leisure activities in the Lake District begins with the higher social strata and trickles downward. It is a reminder that history is skewed – the educated visitors had the ability and the inclination to write everything down (p.218).” What is unusual for the visitor is normal for the local.
Many American tourists visiting the Lake District will run across the names of these famous “out-comers” and this book puts them into context. The local major landowners, such as the Lowther’s, Curwen’s, and Fletcher’s are included in the book as they interact with the famous but they are not focused on.
Having grown up in the English Lakes I am familiar with many of the names and places mentioned in the book. This book does a superb job of pulling all the different threads together into a very readable account of the history and development of the English Lakes. The book is well-illustrated with contemporary art, sketches and photographs. Each chapter begins with a two-page color photograph, by the author, of places from around the English Lakes. This book is very readable and highly recommended for anyone with connections in the area.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.5, 2011
Pitfalls and Possibilities in Family History Research† by Pauline M. Litton. Published by Swansong Publications, c/o 2 Florence Road, Harrogate HG2 0LD, UK. <www.pitfallsandpossibilities.co.uk>. 2010. xiii, 276 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £11.99.
As the introduction states “this book is based on a series of articles which appeared in Family Tree Magazine [the English version, not the US magazine of the same name] between 1998 and 2001, which have all been expanded and updated. It is intended for those family historians who would like further inspiration on how-to pursue this fascinating hobby of ours. It is not a book on how to undertake family history…” (p.xii).
Most of the examples in the collection are from the north of England, and Yorkshire is to be assumed if a county is not included. This is particularly refreshing since southern England connections seem to dominate in many of the English how-to books.
The book contains no index but the detailed table of contents is well-organized. The book has chapters addressing: pitfalls (examples and definitions); geography, boundaries, transport and time; names; relationships; indexes and indexing; records and repositories; International Genealogical Index; census returns; civil registration in England and Wales; parish registers and bishops transcripts; baptisms; ‘Dade’ registers’ Lord Hardwicke’s Marriage Act 1753; marriages; banns and marriage licences, allegations and bonds; burials and monumental inscriptions; published parish registers and transcripts; parishes, peculiars, liberties, extra-parochial areas and glossary of ecclesiastical terms; probate; people on the move; the Foundling Hospital and its children; never take anything for granted; refresher course – how many pitfalls would you have spotted?; miscellany; final chapter and the last resolutions. Within each of these chapters headings and subheadings are included in the table of contents making it easy to get to the relevant section of the book. It actually makes it easy to dip into the book when you are looking for ideas on a particular problem or seeking avenues for research. However, researchers will benefit from reading the complete book for knowing about the pitfalls forewarns you to help avoiding them and know ahead of time the solutions to record problems.
As you might expect in a book like this there is some overlap and repetition between different problems but it was not problematic even when reading the book straight through. Within the text key points, resolutions, resources, names are in bold making them easy to find later. Some internet sites are mentioned, but ScotlandsPeople is the only commercial site.
I have been a subscriber to Family Tree Magazine for many years and remember reading Ms. Litton’s original articles and I still have all the originals, but have even put copies of some in my research files. Having updated versions all in one place is extremely helpful. In fact, reading them again reminded me of things I should try to open up some of the brick walls that have developed since reading them originally. The original magazine articles are not referenced or cited in this book so it is not easy, nor necessary, to go back to the original articles.
Ms. Litton has been researching, lecturing and writing about family history around the UK since 1968 and that experience clearly shows. I can recommend this book if you want encouragement to think differently about your problems and are seeking new or alternative suggestions.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.5, 2011
Medieval Villages in an English Landscape: Beginnings and Ends† by Richard Jones and Mark Page. Published by Windgather Press, 29 Bishop Road, Bollington, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 5NX, UK. <www.windgather.co.uk>. US Distributor: David Brown Book Co., PO Box 511, Oakville CT 06779. <www.oxbowbooks.com/home.cfm/Location/DBBC>. 2006. xviii, 270 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. $39.95.
This book is the result of a five-year project exploring a group of twelve parishes on the boundary of Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire, formerly within Whittlewood Forest. The parishes are: Silverstone, Whittlebury, Potterspury, Old Stratford, Deanshanger and Wicken in Northamptonshire; and Luffield Abbey, Lillingstone Dayrell, Lillingstone Lovell, Stowe, Akelay and Leckampstead in Buckinghamshire. Earlier research shows that this area is within the Central Province characterized by nucleated villages but the boundaries of the Province are controversial as are local anomalies with more dispersed settlements.
The focus on this area grew out of an earlier (1997) and larger study examining four east midland counties of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire to demonstrate different settlement forms, and offer some preliminary hypotheses on their development. The Whittlewood Forest area was selected for a more detailed assessment of the archaeology, land use and landownership with the idea of developing new ideas about medieval rural settlement. The area was mixed having both nucleated villages and dispersed settlements, examining why nucleated villages formed in some areas and not in others, even when close to one another. The settlement patterns need to be examined within the wider landscape context, and the Whittlewood area provides a broadly uniform area. The area also had a number of deserted, shrunken and surviving settlements allowing exploration of why some fared better than other during the Middle Ages. The area exceeded expectations providing a rich array of archaeological finds from excavation, field walking and survey, but the documentary and map evidence was also abundant.
The book provides a synthesis of four main ideas that came out of the project. Firstly, it shows that the Whittlewood area nucleated villages evolved from preexisting settlements (which they call ‘pre-village nuclei’), rather than from the abandonment of outlying hamlets and farmsteads. Secondly, the origins of dispersed settlements lay in the same process of expansion that produced nucleations, the differences lying in subtle differences in morphology. Thirdly, the medieval settlement pattern of Whittlewood demonstrated a greater degree of stability than shift. Fourthly, in a dynamic and constantly changing landscape, institutions such as the royal forest were culturally rather than physically determined (p. 25).
This book has a lot going for it, but it is not for everyone. If you are interested in current research on the development of the village within the landscape, or village archaeology then you will find this book of great interest. If you have ancestral connections in the area then it may be worth a read.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.5, 2011
Down by the River: The Thames and Kennet in Reading† by Gillian Clark. Published by Two Rivers Press, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PS, UK. <www.tworiverspress.com>. 2009. x, 204 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £16.
The River Thames separates Reading in Berkshire from Caversham in Oxfordshire. The River Kennet flows through Reading. This book focuses on the life on both rivers in the area of the two towns. Ms. Clark grew up in a boat building family and that experience and familiarity with the river history clearly shows.
The book tells its story through the records of the barge businesses on the Kennet; the boatbuilding and hire businesses between Caversham Bridge and Caversham Locks on the River Thames. It shows how the people working on the river, including some of the author’s own family, earned their living and how trades and businesses flourished, declined, adapted to new technology, and flourished again. It shows the changes in land ownership on the riverbanks over the centuries, and shows how leisure activities – particularly rowing, fishing and swimming, took place there.
The book quickly covers the early years of Caversham from 1100 to 1600, the early settlement and the Civil War 1600 to 1750 and early navigation on the rivers 1700 to 1750. After which the individual chapters addresses events in shorter time periods, often one or two decades. by focusing on the life, development and changes on and along the river a thorough picture is created for the reader. The changes are well-illustrated with over a 150 period photographs and a number of helpful maps.
The book includes a useful listing of workers on Reading waterways from 1423 to 1930. This includes: bargemen, boat and barge builders, barge masters, barge owners, fishermen, fishmongers, wharfingers, watermen, wharf owners, lock-keepers, and pond keepers. For each it provides their name, occupation, year, boat or property, information source (wills, census, barge registers, guild registers, directories) and source location (Berkshire Record Office, Reading Local Studies Library or The National Archives).
The book focuses on the area around Reading and Caversham, but it has wider appeal reflecting what was happening on many rivers and waterways around the country where much of daily life and industry grew, declined and changed as river activities changed.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.5, 2011
CD-ROM REVIEW
East Sussex Removal Orders 1662-1862† compiled and edited by Michael J. Burchall. Published by The Parish Register Transcription Society, 50 Silvester Road, Cowplain, Waterlooville, Hampshire PO8 8TL, UK. <www.prtsoc.org.uk>. 2010. £12 includes postage.
Removal orders are important for they are one of the few English sources prior to the census returns that indicate places of origin. This CD-ROM index contains approximately 10,000 removal orders created under the Old Poor Law found among the parish collections in the East Sussex Record Office (post 1974 county). Some parishes have removal orders after 1834, when the Old Poor Law was replaced and these have been included. On the CD-ROM the records are arranged alphabetically by parish, then by removals from and to parishes in chronological order. The removal orders surviving in the particular parish are in normal typeface. Where a removal order regarding the parish survives in another parish that imported information is shown in italics. The original documents were produced in duplicate. Many of these records have not survived. For example Brighton has no removal orders, yet in other parishes there are 275 removal orders from the parish and 72 removal orders to the parish.
Each entry provides: the name of the person being removed, and where given, his or her occupation or condition; the name of a wife plus any children and their ages; only rarely is a migrant’s age given. Editorial comments are provided in square brackets, and may provide date and place of marriage, name of the bride. The index is fully searchable by name, place, occupation and status.
A three-page introduction to the CD-ROM gives a good history of the laws regulating removal orders and explains how the rules were implemented, though implementation varied depending upon time period, location and the people involved. These removal orders provide important clues to places of origin, but another CD-ROM by Mr. Burchall indexes the Eastern Sussex Settlement Certificates and Bonds for the period 1651-1834 also needs to be examined. The majority of the people included in this index moved only a short distance, but there are numerous examples from the surrounding counties and even other areas across the British Isles. This index is worth examining if you are having trouble locating where an ancestors in the area came from.
On the Society website the CD-ROM is listed under Transcripts then Transcripts by Michael J. Burchall.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.5, 2011
Death or Canada: The Irish Famine Migration to Toronto, 1847
† by Mark G. McGowan. Published by Novalis, 10 Lower Spandina Ave., Ste 400, Toronto ON M5V2Z2, Canada. <www.novalis.ca>. 2009. 166 pp. Index, illustrations. Softcover. CAN$24.95.During the Famine many emigrated from Ireland to many parts of British North America (now Canada) and to the United States. This book focuses on the 38,560 refugees, mostly Irish, who arrived in 1847 in Toronto, then a town of under 20,000. This massive influx challenged public officials and strained local resources, but also left an indelible set of images on the minds of the local population regarding the nature and character of “the Irish.” Even though Toronto is a long way from the East coast and Montreal where many of the Irish were initially cleared, the nature of the diseases they carried meant that many arrived just showing the signs of disease. However, the distance from the East did mean that Toronto knew what was happening with the immigrants as they arrived and thus could attempt to be prepared for what was coming, even though they did not fully succeed.
The book highlights the doctors, nurses, priests and government agents who worked with the immigrants and often succumbed themselves to the diseases they carried. It also highlights how the influx rapidly shifted the city’s demography with over a quarter of the population of the growing city being Irish Catholics, but their poverty strained the city’s charitable infrastructure. The influx also put an enormous burden on the local Catholic church, who in the midst of building its first churches and cathedral lost its first Bishop to disease.
The book is not interested in who is to blame for what happened. It endeavors, and in my opinion succeeds, to create an understanding of the Famine moment, its impact on the Upper Canadian culture of the time, and the assumed collective memory of the Irish and non-Irish thereafter. This is all accomplished by describing: the roots of the Irish Famine; the emigration process; the effects on Toronto; and highlighting some of the individuals, many of whom gave their lives, while working to comfort and restore to health the many sick immigrants.
There are numerous references to the Montreal quarantine station and modern memorial at Grosse Isle, in the St. Lawrence Seaway, which is well worth visiting. Now I will be adding the Ireland Park Foundation Famine Memorial at the Southeast corner of Bathhurst Quay, renamed Eireann Quay in Toronto, opened in June 2007, as a place to visit when next in Toronto.
For the genealogist this book certainly puts the migration in context. It also identifies 750+ names of famine dead in Toronto from June 1847 to January 1848 buried in a number of Toronto cemeteries. If you have Irish connections with Toronto this book is worth reading.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.6, 2011
Discover Scottish Church Records
† by Chris Paton. Published by Unlock the Past, P.O. Box 675, Modbury, SA 5092, Australia. <www.unlockthepast.com.au>. 2011. 80 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. AUS $19.50.This is an excellent, clearly focused, guide to researching your ancestors in the Church records of Scotland and is highly recommended. As regular readers will know this is a subject I do know something about, yet I still found plenty of practical tips and information in this book to add to my own knowledge base, especially with regards to what is newly available on the Internet.
The book appropriately begins by providing a good summary of Scotland’s turbulent and varied church history. A large portion of the book addresses research in the records of the Church of Scotland. It begins by describing the baptism, marriage, and burial records then gives a detailed explanation of the different ways of accessing the records – ScotlandsPeople, FamilySearch, other OPR sources, irregular marriages and monumental inscriptions. Additional Church of Scotland records are addressed, such as: the Kirk Session records; Heritors; and records of the Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly.
The next section of the book discusses the records of the nonconformist and other churches. There is a good discussion about how to find and recognize clues about nonconformity within a family, what records might exist and how to locate them. There is a brief but good discussion highlighting records of the other churches, such as: Roman Catholic; Quaker; Methodist; Scottish Episcopal; Catholic Apostolic (Irvingites); Baptist; and the Jewish Temple. The final section addresses how to trace people who worked for the church; the Established church, the nonconformists and the other denominations. The book concludes with a short but up-to-date bibliography, a glossary and an index.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.6, 2011
Scottish Family History on the Web
, Third Edition† by Stuart Raymond. Published by The Family History Partnership. P.O. Box 502, Bury, Lancashire BL8 9EP, UK. <www.thefamilyhistorypartnership.co.uk>. 2010. 96 pp. Softcover. £7.95.aaThe earlier editions of this book were published in 2002 and 2005 by the Federation of Family History Societies and obviously much has changed since then. Much more material is available on the internet. Using a search engine can potentially find you what you are looking for, however this often gives a large number of irrelevant sites. This book is designed to help you identify sites that are more likely to be relevant to your research.
The book provides sections for: genealogy; search engines, etc.; general introductions to Scottish genealogy and history; libraries, record offices, and books; family history societies; discussion groups; county pages; surnames; births, marriages and deaths; census; monumental inscriptions; other sources; occupational information; gazetteers and maps; miscellaneous sites; professional services, booksellers, etc. The book concludes with indexes for subjects, places, institutions, and authors.
Each section often opens with a brief explanatory paragraph then gets into a listing often with subheadings and county listings. The actual web addresses are in bold making them easy to identify, but also text for some can be long. Reading through this volume I found myself specifically looking for the counties where my ancestors resided, and they were easy to find, to examine them to see if there were any new to me. I was also looking at the subject and general listings to look for potential subjects that I should be exploring.
This good practical guide will give you guidance on where to look online to find your ancestors, or at least information on the records and localities where your ancestors reside.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.6, 2011
Tracing Your Cork Ancestors
, Second Edition† by Tony McCarthy and Tim Cadogan. Published by Flyleaf Press, 4 Spencer Villas, Glenageary, Co. Dublin, Ireland. <www.flyleaf.ie>. 2011. 162 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. €13, Airmail US$22.The first edition of this volume was issued in 1998. This edition keeps the same format with chapters addressing: the preliminaries; emigration and emigration sources; administrative divisions, censuses; civil registration; Griffith’s Valuation, tithe applotment books; Catholic parish records; Church of Ireland parish records; commercial and postal directories; newspapers; records of the graveyard; electoral lists; occupational sources; family histories; miscellaneous sources; researching Cork and Dublin; and some useful addresses.
The book acknowledges in the preface that since 1998, the records themselves have remained constant but technology has changed the way in which these records are accessed. Therefore, for the core records you will see the addition of some websites; other than that the text of the book is basically the same. Even when additions might be anticipated they are limited, for example there are no additions to the list of family histories published about county Cork families, and the additions to the graveyard transcription listing are all from one source. This edition has more pages primarily because of a larger typeface and a few additional illustrations.
For anyone with County Cork ancestors this book is still a must for its clear focus on this one county within Ireland highlighting locally focused resources. For those researchers already owning the first edition the upgrade will need to be carefully considered to justify.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.6, 2011
English Churches Explained
† by Trevor Yorke. Published by Countryside Books, Highfield House, 2 Highfield Avenue, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5DS, UK. <www.countrysidebooks.co.uk>. 2010. 128 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £8.99.This excellent, colorful volume is a worthy addition to the Britain’s Living History series from this publisher. Anyone who has visited England will know that the parish church is often the oldest building in a community with over 10,000 churches tracing their origins to the medieval period, or earlier. Yet because of repairs, additions and modernization the different parts of the church are likely to be from different time periods. Rarely is a church from only one period.
This book puts the period styles of the church fabric and decorations into an easy-to-read form packed with beautiful color photographs, pictures, and diagrams. The first section takes a journey through church history, showing changing architectural fashions and what you can see today. This is divided up into: Saxon and Norman, 600-1200; Early English and Decorated, 1200-1350; Perpendicular, 1350-1530; Tudor, Stuart, and Georgian 1530-1830; and Victorian 1830-1900. Each chapter shows an “exemplar” imaginary church to show what each would have looked like in its relative period.
The second section goes inside the church to explain the various fixtures and fittings. This section addresses the: Nave – aisles, transepts, roofs, and porches; Chancel – altars, chapels and memorials; towers and spires; churchyard – crosses and memorials.
What makes this book different is the over 200 color photographs (as opposed to the usual line drawings) that are used to show real life examples of the period features being described. The photographs themselves are well captioned, usually giving the location of the specific church and describe the features being illustrated, and thus the reason this photograph is included. Some features are indicated directly on the photographs.
The final section is a quick reference guide. It explains in what order to examine the church to date its features: location; churchyard; structure; name; and how to take your research further. There is an illustrated time chart illustrating the main architectural features from 900 to 1600. There is an alphabetical listing of recommended churches illustrated in the text, the majority of which are in the midlands and the eastern counties; however, this does not limit the value of this book as I have seen and photographed many of these church characteristics in churches in the northwest and southwest. The book concludes with a glossary, which can be helpful when you want to remember the difference between a corbel, lintel, and a lierne. All the terms and more are illustrated within the text. There is also a short bibliography.
This book is small enough to take with you on your trip, and has so many illustrations it can be used with your own photographs when you return from your trip for dates and labeling what you saw when in England. If you have an interest in English churches you will like this volume.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.6, 2011
Fishing and Fishermen: A Guide for Family Historians
† by Martin Wilcox. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. US Distributor: Casemate Publishing, 1016 Warrior Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. <www.casemateathena.com >. 2009. vii, 168 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $25.99.This book succeeds in meeting its two stated purposes: to provide a history of and be a source of reference for the British fishing industry which was and still is the most dangerous peacetime occupation; and to provide a research guide for those seeking ancestors working in the industry. Each chapter covers one or more collections of primary source materials giving for each a short explanation of its provenance, a guide to what uses can be made of it by researchers, some practical tips on how to access the records and what may be found within them.
The book is divided into chapters addressing: getting started; medieval fisheries; British fisheries 1500-1815; trawl and line fisheries 1815-1950; herring and inshore fisheries 1815-1950; fishing industry since 1950. Appendices list: museums and archives with collections relating to fishing; fishing vessel port markings; and a glossary. The book does not cover whaling which is a separate industry, having its own unique set of literature and records for research. River and estuary research is addressed but as the author acknowledges not to the extent that its historical importance deserves.
A century ago Britain had the largest and most successful fishing industry in the world employing 35,000 men at sea and tens of thousands more in related activities ashore. However, there is no one central archive or collection point for material about the fishing industry, unlike for example merchant shipping or the Royal Navy. The records are scattered across the country, were often poorly created in the first place, and what has survived is highly variable. However, there is much that can be found about the industry and the people that worked in it. Records identified include: manorial records; tithe records; port and customs books; parliamentary papers; naval records; records of the Newfoundland fisheries; crew lists and agreements; apprenticeship records; ships registers; certificates of competency and service; White Fish Authority and Herring Industry Board records; business records; newspapers and trade press; directories; personal papers, memoirs and contemporary commentaries. This book will certainly guide you to the records, explain their contents and context.
This excellent book is one in a growing number of occupation- and location-specific research guides for British Isles research from this publisher that should be added to any British Isles genealogical research collection.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.18 no.6, 2011
Researching Scottish Family History
† by Chris Paton. Published by The Family History Partnership. P.O. Box 502, Bury, Lancashire BL8 9EP, UK. <www.thefamilyhistorypartnership.co.uk>. 2010. 120 pp. Color illustrations, index. Softcover. £7.95.This book is a highly recommended easy-to-read, well illustrated, and current guide to researching your Scottish ancestors. It is designed for the novice, someone just getting started in Scottish research yet provides ample guidance and new material for the experienced researcher.
The book covers the fundamentals. It reminds everyone to start with what is known and work towards the unknown, highlighting the need to start by asking the family and tips on getting organized. The book progresses through: statutory records (birth, marriage and death certificates); parish records; accessing records through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints; censuses and their substitutes, wills, inventories and administrations; where we lived (gazetteers, maps, land transfer records, sasines, register of deeds); occupation records; DNA; heraldry and tartans; and miscellaneous other sources. The appendices include contact information (physical and online) for regional archives and family history societies in Scotland.
The book itself is lavishly illustrated with places, documents and web screens. Throughout the chapters there are green boxes setting off important practical research tips from the regular text. Purple text boxes provide additional text often on useful sidebar topics such as: irregular Scottish marriages; the history of the Kirk; the clearances; the courts; the forty-five and more. Each chapter concludes with further reading recommendations most of which are new and current.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.1, 2012
Tracing the History of Houses
† by Trevor Yorke. Published by Countryside Books, Highfield House, 2 Highfield Avenue, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 5DS, UK. <www.countrysidebooks.co.uk>. 2011. 128 pp. Color illustrations, index. Softcover. £9.95.Many books about the history of houses that genealogists look at come from the perspective of the records. This book by contrast approaches the subject from the perspective of what does the house look like, what are its characteristics and how was it built.
The book’s first and largest section begins with a brief history of housing, highlighting some of the Building Acts and how housing from the Medieval and Tudor periods changed over time in both rural and urban areas, through the Victorian era into the twentieth century. This is a good introduction to the subject and the book. The book continues describing how houses developed and were influenced by materials and construction methods. These chapters have numerous photographs of house exteriors, along with cut-away three dimensional drawings showing the internal designs of the houses in the different periods. When looking at materials and construction methods, names and periods of use are provided for different techniques. For example, you will see the difference between Flemish bond, English bond, and Stretcher bond brickwork and how they can be used as dating clues. Also covered are foundations, stone, brick, timber, render, roofs all providing a framework and clues. The book progresses to examine easily visible exterior features – windows, doors, decorative details. Then it moves indoors to describe interior layouts and fittings.
The second, smaller section (25 pages) addresses the search process looking at the types of records that are likely to be used locally, regionally and nationally to find information on the building in question. One part of this section is a short chapter (4 pages) on the records used to find out who lived in the house.
The final section of the book is a quick reference guide highlighting useful websites, a very handy illustrated guide showing how house features changed over time from the 1530s to 1930s. There is also a good glossary and a short bibliography. The author in the bibliography does highlight his own excellent guides to specific time periods: timber framed houses; Tudor houses; Georgian and Regency houses; Victorian house; Edwardian house; 1930s house; 1940s and 1950s house all of which are excellent and all published by Countryside Books.
This book is lavishly illustrated (132 color photographs and illustrations), easy to use, easy to read and provides an excellent overview to researching the physical structure of your ancestral home.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.1, 2012
Wales: A Historical Companion
† by Terry Breverton. Published by Amberley Publishing Plc, Cirencester Road, Chalford, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 8PE. <www.amberley-books.com>. 2009. 345 pp. Color illustrations. Softcover. £34.95.Researchers with Welsh ancestors will like this unashamedly pro-Welsh viewpoint on the history of Wales. The book is in a dictionary format making it a useful reference tool.
Much of history of Wales has been written by the English and as Mr. Breverton points out in his introduction, “the history of their countries is a politically correct one that magnifies victories and forgets shame and defeat.” This means that what we have read and learnt about Welsh history is usually seen through the eyes of the English. This is not the case in this book. For example, I wanted to look up information about Edward I, his battles and building program in Wales. That does not work with this book. I needed to approach it from the perspective of which Welshmen were fighting against Edward I first, when and where. Thus I needed to look up the entry for “Llywellan the Last – Llywelland Ap Gruffydd Ap Llywellan Fawr – Y Llyw Olaf – Llywelland II c.1225-1282”; where there is a long entry describing the numerous incidents of treachery and battles against the English rulers, plus the struggles against his own brothers. He died in 1282, whereupon his Welsh army of over 3,000 troops appears to have surrendered and then been slaughtered by the army of Edward I, with no known survivors and no known deaths on the side of the English.
In contrast, I wanted to search on a modern incident and so looked up the 1966 Aberfan Disaster, which I clearly remember from growing up. This disaster occurred when a coal slag tip came down onto the primary school of Aberfan drowning in black slurry 116 children and 28 adults, wiping out a generation in the village. The emotional feelings of the author clearly come through in this article against the way the event was handled and covered up by the English government.
The articles in the book vary greatly in length provide biographies of Welshmen from all time periods – the famous, infamous and lesser known – many of whom are not included in the Welsh Dictionary of National Biography, but are felt to be equally important. There are also numerous entries for places, battles, buildings, animals, industries for each putting them into a Welsh perspective.
There are a few drawbacks to the book. First when reading an entry there is no indication that people, places or subjects mentioned within the text might have their own entry in the book. Secondly there is no index to lead the reviewer to an entry that might mention a person, place or a subject, but may not warrant and entry of their own. Even with these limitations this book is a highly recommended reference tool for those with Welsh connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.1, 2012
A Tour Through Old Lakeland
† by Guthrie Hutton. Published by Stenlake Publishing, 54-58 Mill Square, Catrine KA5 6RD, UK. <www.stenlake.co.uk>. 2011. 96pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £13.95.Before the beginning of the nineteenth century the mountains of the English Lake District were viewed as ugly and forbidding and its landscape as wet and inhospitable. It was a place where visitors rarely went and the locals struggled to eke out a living. That perspective changed with the writings of William Wordsworth and the other Romantic poets to one of great natural beauty. This change in perception within the general population coincided with the development of the railways. This development suddenly threatened the natural beauty of the Lake District so a struggle ensued between the developers and the preservationists.
The results are of that struggle and compromise are evident in this book focusing on photographs from the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, but with a few later photographs. We see where tourist access was provided especially at the southern end with access to Windermere, Ambleside and Bowness and the resultant boats and steamers on Lake Windermere and Ullswater. There is development of the reservoirs at Thirlemere and Haweswater to provide drinking water for Manchester and the resulting submerging of communities, which reappear in times of drought.
Yet the central Lakes survive in their beauty. The numerous photographs clearly show the old farming and craft skills needed survive. They show what it was like for the tourists, with women walking up the mountains in their long skirts, passengers having to get out of the horse drawn vehicles so that they could cross the mountain passes on dirt roads. They show what the communities were like before some were modernized.
There is a tendency to look at areas of natural beauty and think that nothing changes. A photograph that jumped out at me illustrating that it is not so was one of the Bowder stone in the Borrowdale Valley near Keswick. The photograph of this popular tourist attraction shows the large stone standing on its edge with a step ladder going to the top, a pony and trap in front of it providing scale and a clear unobstructed view across the valley. Nowadays a stronger ladder gets climbers to the top of the stone, but the path is just a narrow single file footpath, certainly not a cart track, and the view across the valley is completely obstructed by the many trees that have been planted and grown up around the stone. Conversely some things have not changed for a photograph of the widening market street in Keswick clearly shows the Moot Hall looking the same, and many of the buildings lining the market place are easily recognizable, though the store fronts at street level have in some cases been modernized
The book has no index to facilitate finding photographs of individual locations or subjects. A map would have helped the outsider have a sense of local geography and put the photographs into context.
This book was originally published in 1996 and has now been reprinted making this collection of over 200 quality photographs available again. Knowledge of the area suggests that a good geographical distribution of quality photographs has been chosen for this publication. For those with ancestral connections to the English Lake District this book provides a nice visual context for your research.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.1, 2012
Map of a Nation: A Biography of the Ordnance Survey
† by Rachel Hewitt. Published by Granta Publications, 12 Addison Avenue, London W11 4QR, UK. <www.grantabooks.com>. 2010. xxvii, 436 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover £25, Softcover £9.99.This delightfully thorough history book, with a great story line, was beach reading for me this January. The book opens with the Battle of Culloden, in 1746, and the English army running around the Highlands of Scotland chasing the Jacobite rebels, often in circles, because of the lack of any decent maps. It marks a pivotal moment in the history of the nation’s maps. It became painfully clear that the country lacked a good map of itself. This book focusses on the history of the development of the detailed maps of the British Isles up through the printing of the last sheet in the Ordnance Survey First Series, in 1870.
Today the Ordnance Surveys Explorer series covers Britain in 403 maps, and the Landranger series in 204 (most of which I own). These maps intimately trace the course of all the roads, national trails, minor footpaths, bridleways, power cables, becks, gills, streams, brooks and field boundaries that bisect the landscape of miniature woods, speckled scree slopes and orange contour lines. Black and blue icons represent sites of public interest, ranging from public toilets and telephones to National Trust properties and ancient ruins. These maps are so important for family history to orientate your ancestors on the ground. This book tells the story of how we got from the Battle of Culloden at least to the early creation of the popular maps used today.
The book begins by describing the people and process of creating William Roy’s Military Survey of Scotland. The surveyors move on to start the process of creating a military map of England, not completed. The survey crews work semi-cooperatively with the French to survey the connection between Paris and London so the maps can be linked together. In these chapters one gets a very readable account of the equipment and processes involved in surveying and creating the maps, with the need of an accurate baseline plus the developing process of triangulation and interior surveying. Often equipment was specifically manufactured for the process, e.g. the Great Theodolite and zenith sector.
The first official Ordnance Survey maps were published 1 January 1801 at a scale of one inch to the mile. There were four sheets covering the county of Kent and part of Essex. After mapping parts of southern England the survey crews were sent to Ireland. The scale was changed to six inches to the mile requiring more time to survey, plus the accurate naming of places was an important but involved process. After a fire in the Tower of London in 1841, where the Ordnance Survey department and all its map makers were working, the staff reluctantly moved to Southampton, where the department remains to this day. The staff eventually returned from Ireland to complete the surveying of England to increasing political and public demand for the First Series map of Britain to be completed.
This book grew out of the author’s Ph.D. thesis which focused on the Ordnance Survey and literature of the British Isles. In places the interaction with literature comes through, but here the focus in clearly on the history of the Ordnance Survey. The personalities and careers of the people involved, the political and scientific environment is clearly portrayed addressing the fact that accurate maps were something completely new.
There are no endnote numbers embedded in the text itself to distract from the reading. However, the endnotes provided are arranged by page, with an italicized section of text leading one to the source citation. There is also a very extensive bibliography both on map making and the history of the period in general.
For anyone interested in British maps and their history this book is highly recommended.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.2, 2012
Unlocking the Past: A Guide to Exploring Family and Local History in the Isle of Man
† by Matthew Richardson. Published by Manx National Heritage, Kingswood Grove, Douglas, Isle of Man 1M1 3LY, British Isles. <www.gov.im/mnh>. 2011. 210 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £12.Geographically the Isle of Man is part of the British Isles.It is a Crown Dependency owing its allegiance to the British Crown with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II holding the title Lord of Mann. But the island has never been part of the United Kingdom. What this all means for the genealogist is that things are done differently there. Yes, there are a lot of similar records, but beginning and ending dates, access procedures, contents and relative importance are often different than we are used to finding in England.
The book opens with a historical overview of the Isle of Man, from the early native Celtic population to the present time, which will be especially valuable for outsiders, like most North American readers. The second part is a detailed guide to the main Isle of Man repositories, providing names, addresses, contact information, and a summary of what is likely to be found there. The bulk of the book is a guide to areas of research, arranged alphabetically, and being one to eleven pages in length. The topics include: Castle Rushen (prison) papers; cemeteries; census; church court records; court records; customs records; directories; emigration records; folk life survey; friendly societies; internment records; land and property records (two large important geographically separated collections); mapping; military and naval records; mining records; rolls office records; shipping company and shipping records; and more for a total of 53 different topics. For each topic you get a detailed description of the records, how and why they were created, where they are now and how to access them, and where they fit in context. Many of the topics are illustrated and contain examples of the types of information found in them.
The book concludes with five case studies tracing the context and ancestors of a: miner; soldier; broadcaster; housekeeper; and blacksmith. These case studies show how different records can be pulled together to create a good family picture, and they are well worth reading.
The book is lavishly illustrated throughout, provides a bibliography, and is indexed. This book is current, tells what is coming, and is a good replacement to The Manx Family Tree by Janet Narisimham, originally published in 1986, with the third ed. in 2000.
Anyone searching for ancestors or investigating the history of the Isle of Man will find this book beneficial.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.2, 2012
Those Dirty Miners: A History of the Kent Coalfield
† by J.P. Hollingsworth. Published by Stenlake Publishing, 54-58 Mill Square, Catrine KA5 6RD, UK. <www.stenlake.co.uk>. 2010. 96pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £16.When one thinks of coal in England thoughts go to the large well developed coal fields in the north or northwest of England, or even to south Wales or Scotland. All of these coal fields had been under development since the beginning of the industrial revolution, with commercial development beginning in the 1740s. One does not typically think of coal in Kent. Kent in fact was a late comer to the industry with coal first being discovered in a test bore in 1890, with commercial development beginning in 1896.
The Kent coalfield forms a rough triangle formed by lines joining the towns of Canterbury, Deal, and Dover. The first commercial mine was Dover Colliery at Shakespeare Cliff on a narrow strip of land between the base of the cliff and the sea. This mine and many other exploratory holes and mines were closely connected with Arthur Burr, who controlled or was part of many companies often under different names because of ongoing financial difficulties.
Interestingly, after discussing the Dover Colliery the book continues by discussing the ‘Lost’ collieries, the smaller ones that did not get off the ground, survive very long, or were fueled by speculators. These were Adisham, Cobham, Guildford, Woodnesborough, Maydensole, Stonehall, Wingham, Goodnestone, and Fredville, but care is needed here as they often were known by different names. The speculative boom settled down and there were four longer term productive pits each discussed in detail, and which form the bulk of the book. These were Tilmanstone Colliery (near Eythorne), Snowdown Colliery (near Ackholt), Chislet Colliery (near Chislet), and the largest Betteshanger Colliery (near Northbourne). The book also provides a chapter on the railways and locomotives that served these pits.
The book is printed on glossy paper so the photographs which are of excellent quality and clarity reproduce well. The large format of the book allows the details in the period photographs to be clearly seen, with images being two to a page, one to a page, or even double page spreads. The photographs are well captioned and there is plenty of text to give a complete history of the coal mines in Kent. You get a real sense of what it was like to work underground, to live close to the pithead, and I really do mean close, or to live between the railway lines.
For family historians many of the miners who worked underground came from other mining areas in the country so they may not have long Kentish roots. But if you have Kent coalminers this book will interest you. If you have an interest in coal mining in general you will appreciate the quality of the photographs in this book and the history of this lesser known coalfield.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.2, 2012
Hampshire Place Names
† by Anthony Poulton-Smith. Published by Amberley Publishing Plc, The Hill, Merrywalks, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL6 8PE. <www.amberley-books.com>. 2009. 160 pp. illustrations. Softcover. £12.99.The author points out in the introduction that because we no longer speak or understand Anglo-Saxon, or Old English, or Norman French, or Celtic languages that we have lost the ability to understand what the names of places mean. We have lost our connection with history to understand who, what, when and why a particular place was given that specific name, whether it is a town or village, a district, hill, stream, field, road, lane, street or public house.
The names, even if of modern origin are often still far enough in the past that we have forgotten the names of the eighteenth and nineteenth century benefactors who provided land for housing estates, roads, or pubs. The author thus takes us through 2,000 years of Hampshire history examining the etymology of the names of places and features within the county, it should be noted that the Isle of Wight is not included.
The names of the communities are arranged alphabetically, capitalized in large bold letters and centered on the page so they stand out and make them easy to find. For some communities there are just one or two lines describing the ancient origins of the name. Other communities have more local history behind the name of the community or features within the community. Scattered throughout the book are photographs from around the county.
The book concludes with a listing of common place name elements, identifying the language of origin and its meaning. For example, the element berg is old Scandinavian meaning hill.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.2, 2012
Market Town Wales
† by David Williams. Published by Graffeg, Radnor Court, 256 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff CF5 1GZ, Wales, UK. <www.graffeg.com>. 2010. 224 pp. Color illustrations, index. £14.99.There are approximately 50 towns scattered throughout Wales. Some were defensive positions overlooked by a castle; some are ports with sheltered harbors; while others developed along with local industries such as coal mining in the south, quarrying in Snowdonia and the extraction industries in the northeast.
But it is usually the market towns that have the longest histories. The promotion from a village to a town was made by the granting of a municipal charter to hold a regular livestock market or fair. This was a highly desired affirmation of a community and its ability to serve and sustain its rural hinterland. Many livestock markets continue to the present, though they are rarely open to the public for health and safety reasons. But the towns do still have produce markets, along with flea markets, craft fairs, and have continued to develop to meet the needs of the locals with shops, restaurants, theaters, art centers, and museums. These towns meet the needs of the local population but also thrive to draw the tourists.
This book explores twenty-five small- to medium-sized country towns geographically dispersed across Wales that encapsulate the image of a ‘historic market town of character.’ The towns included here are: Abergavenney; Bala; Brecon; Builth Wells; Carmarthen; Chepstow; Cowbridge; Crickhowell; Dolgellau; Haverfordwest; Hay-on-Wye; Lampeter; Llandeilo; Llandovery; Llangefni; Llanidloes; Llanrwst; Machynlleth; Mold; Monmouth; Presteigne; Pwllhei; Ruthin; Usk; and Welshpool.
Each community has eight to 10 pages of beautiful color photographs of the towns, their local events and people. These well captioned photographs are accompanied by a brief history of the town and why it exists and has survived.
For those who have never been to Wales this visually appealing book will give you a good view of the small to mid-sized market towns. One caution is the unusual index where people are indexed by their first name, so John Elias, John Richard, John Wesley are all under the Js, and all the Sirs are together by title. One other false impression you might get from this book is that the sun always shines in Wales, which unfortunately is not the case.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.2, 2012
Poor Law Records for Family Historians
† by Simon Fowler. Published by The Family History Partnership. P.O. Box 502, Bury, Lancashire BL8 9EP, UK. <www.thefamilyhistorypartnership.co.uk>. 2011. 63 pp. Softcover. £5.95.This book provides a good introduction to the records created by the Old Poor Law (1601-1834) and the New Poor Law (1834-1948) describing the records, what is likely to have survived and where the records can be located. The Old Poor Law addresses: settlement and removal records; bastardy orders; parish records (overseers accounts, vestry minutes, etc); apprenticeship records; and the Royal Commission on the Poor Law. The New Poor Law examines the system or organization; the workhouse facilities and the records that may have survived at The National Archives and in the county record offices.
What I found particularly interesting, and thought provoking, is the chapter that describes what the alternatives were to seeking official aid under either the Old or New Poor Law. The chapter first discusses alternative system and how it worked, and then provides information on what records may have survived. It addresses: pawnbroker records; government pensions (started in 1908 for over 70 year olds); pensions (army, navy, railways); friendly societies; charities and almshouses.
The appendices to the book include: a brief two page description of how the system is different in Scotland and Ireland: a description directory, with web addresses on where to find the records; a helpful bibliography; a chronology and a glossary.
This slim guide is a nice introduction to the Poor Law, how it functioned and its records.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.3, 2012
Tracing Your Legal Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
† by Stephen Wade. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. US Distributor: Casemate Publishing, 1016 Warrior Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. <www.casemateathena.com>. 2010. 175 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $24.95The author clearly defines a four step process for doing legal research, even before he gets into the book, as: (1) start with an understanding of the vocabulary related to the ancestor as far as is known – position, legal work, etc; (2) gather and list potential sources from the period; (3) add to the basic biographical facts; (4) then move on to the most time consuming part – going to archives and searching for the less accessible material. For North American researchers it is the first step that is the most critical, and yet the easiest to skip over, and that is trying to understand the vocabulary of what the legal ancestor did. There is a need to understand job titles such as barristers, solicitors, notaries, clerks, judges, justices, coroners, serjeants, etc , what they did and how these roles themselves changed over time. These people need to be put into historical context and that is done in the introduction and the first two chapters. The author suggests everyone read this material. Mr. Wade then suggests using the index to find contextual information and resources relevant to your ancestor’s role within the profession.
Beyond the opening historical chapters two additional chapters discuss the judges, magistracy and the court structure. This is followed by a closer examination of the sources that are available for research. As one might suspect there is both a lot of published and archival material for the legal profession and the reader is guided through examples of what is available and where to find it. The book focuses on the legal profession as it exists in England and Wales, but there is one chapter highlighting the similarities and importantly the professional differences in Scotland and Ireland.
Throughout the book there are numerous case studies. The author is not in the legal profession so writes from the perspective of and for the outsider. This means the reader may wish for more information on a particular topic and will need to find some of the additional references. It is a book that can be recommended for someone seeking to understand and find an ancestor within the legal profession.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.3, 2012
Irish Family History Resources Online
† by Chris Paton. Published by Unlock the Past, P.O. Box 675, Modbury, SA 5092, Australia. <www.unlockthepast.com.au>. 2011. 75 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. AUS$19.50.Online access to indexes and images is growing rapidly for Irish research, often with the same sets of records being available in multiple locations. This book is an expanded adaption of a lecture Mr. Paton gives, it shows and I loved the format and writing style.
The book begins by discussing records to identify who the Irish were, specifically: civil registration; church records; burial records; wills and probate; biographical databases and heraldry. It moves on to examine where the Irish were: censuses; street directories; land records; maps and gazetteers. Further sections address the major archives and libraries, newspapers and books, and a final catchall section covering: gateway sites; military, police and law; emigration; and some miscellaneous sites. The book is not a listing of websites.
So what makes this book different and so useful? Unlike many Irish research books that describe what the records are and contain, this book clearly presents how to search and use the records. For example, in the section on Civil Registration the book clearly shows how to access the indexes using FamilySearch and Ancestry, what different information each provides. It continues by showing how to use the information provided to obtain a certificate or photocopy of the registered birth, marriage or death event through different avenues, with clear suggestions on cheaper alternatives. For the section on Church Records the book online identifies resource guides, commercial and free websites, often outlining their specific strengths, contents, limitations, costs and search techniques.
Throughout the book there are numerous clear color screen captures of numerous websites giving it a lot of visual appeal. All web addresses are in bold so they stand out in the text making them easy to locate and retype into your own browser. The book is also well indexed by subject and location.
This is a book that I intend to keep close and handy to my computer. It is a very practical guide to Irish online research with lots of good practical suggestions. It is highly recommended for both personal and library collections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.3, 2012
Quarter Session Records for Family Historians: A Select List
†, Fifth Edition compiled by Jeremy Gibson. Published by The Family History Partnership. P.O. Box 502, Bury, Lancashire BL8 9EP, UK. <www.thefamilyhistorypartnership.co.uk>. 2007. 40 pp. Softcover. £3.50.The Quarter Session records are generally the oldest public records of the historic counties of England Wales that survive. For some counties the records begin in the middle of the fifteenth century and go through 1972, when the Quarter Sessions were replaced by Crown Courts. The courts had administrative and judicial functions. The administrative role dealt with things like: alehouse licenses; coroners accounts; county militia lists; electoral registers after 1832; hearth tax returns; jury lists; lax tax returns; oaths of allegiance, and much more. The judicial role addressed: bastardy orders; settlement examinations and certificates; removal orders; apprenticeship indentures; calendars of prisoners; debtors’ papers; pauper removals; constables’ presentments and much more. In other words, there are many records include in this underutilized group of records.
This guide recommends starting with the minute books, sometimes called the sessions books, order books or court books, but all of which summarize the business of the court, both administrative and judicial. The bulk of the records were created from 1732 to the mid-nineteenth century. After Parliamentary Reform in 1832 some of the courts responsibilities were being shifted to the other government agencies. This book therefore does not mention as many records after 1850.
This guide lists the counties in alphabetical order, using the pre-1975 county structure, first for England followed by Wales. Each county begins by identifying any published guides, calendars or indexes, either to the collections as a whole or to parts. The website of the appropriate county archive is given. This is followed by a summary listing identifying the quarter sessions records, with beginning and ending dates, surviving for the county. This is followed by a similar listing for any boroughs within the county. When records within a county have been split between different record offices these are identified.
This slim guide packed with information is a great entry point for researchers wanting to get into the Quarter Session records to find their ancestors. It is especially helpful at identifying the published guides and transcripts, though publication of additional transcriptions continues, such as Dorset Quarter Sessions 1625-1638 edited by Terry Hearing and Sarah Bridges, reviewed BIGWILL Newsletter v.15 no.1, 2008 and now online at our website.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.3, 2012
Remembering Fromelles: A New Cemetery for a New Century
† compiled by Julie Summers. Published by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 2 Marlow Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 7DX, UK. <www.cwgc.org>. [under the learning and resources tab]. 2010. 96 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £9.95.In May of 2009 archaeologists began to excavate the remains of 250 British and Australian soldiers, buried in six mass graves behind German lines after the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916. In spite of the excellent recording of burials that occurred at the time these were missed until an Australian historian found evidence to confirm the graves and the men were actually there.
This book describes the story of the discovery of the mass graves, the archaeology behind the excavations, the question of identification and the process of reburial and cemetery construction carried out in 1009 and 2010. This whole process was undertaken with the aim of providing the soldiers with a dignified final resting place, and leading to the first newly constructed Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery since the 1960s.
The book describes the battle that led to these British soldiers, mostly from the southern Midlands, and Australian soldiers being killed and buried in mass graves. For the British the losses here were dwarfed by the losses on the Somme which occurred during the same month. But for the Australians the battle is important for it was the first battle fought by the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on the Western Front with the loss of 5,300 men which is vividly remembered in Australia. Thus it is an Australian that spearheads the search for the missing graves. The book presents the fascinating story of the excavation, the identification process and gives a sampling of the physical items found in the graves, including an unused railway ticket. There is a very good description of the use of DNA, including a helpful diagram of which relatives could supply samples for Y Chromosome and Mitochondrial DNA testing. The book includes a description of the cemetery construction, which was nothing like I would have thought of, an account of the 250 individual burial ceremonies.
The book concludes by looking at some of the paper records that were helpful in identifying the bodies. Unfortunately the destruction of English WWI records has made the identification of the remains tough. Better records have led to more Australians being identified. The soldier’s stories and their modern connections for Australian Privates Douglas Caswell and Alexander Stanley Clingan; and British Privates Henry Turnbull and Benjamin James provide excellent case studies.
The book has many wonderful color photographs and along with the text tells a fascinating story for anyone with World War One interests. You also get a strong sense of the care and respect provided by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for the remains of all soldiers, of which approximately 30 per year come to light.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.3, 2012
The Great War Medal Collectors Companion
† by Howard Williamson. Privately published by the author, 5 Hankin Avenue, Harwich, Essex CO12 5HE, UK. The author can be contacted at <[email protected]>. 2011. 581 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £60.This important reference book should be added to any British Isles genealogical reference collection, personal or in a library. The title may suggest otherwise so let me explain. Approximately five and a half million soldiers served in the British Army during the First World War. The only, almost complete, listing of British soldiers, officers and enlisted soldiers, to have survived is the Medal Index Cards. Images of these cards are readily available online. Images of the front of the cards are available online at <>, while the front and back have been scanned in color with the images at <>. Most of the backs are blank but some contain additional information. The cards were created by the Army Medal Office to keep track of who was eligible for the 1914 Star, 1914/15 Star, British War and Victory Medals, plus the General Service Medal or the Territorial Efficiency Medal.
This reference book is the first to explain in detail the meaning of the cards -- three different colored inks, four different types of medal cards, and most importantly over 1800 abbreviations and administrative procedures that are noted on the cards. Numerous examples of cards and how to read them are illustrated. Before I read this book, I struggled to interpret the coding, asking questions in online forums and hoping someone knew the answer, or worse choosing to ignore the codes and the potential clues they held.
The section continues with next steps clearly explaining why all available sources need to be examined, and clearly identifying supporting finding aids. This section alone will be of value to anyone with First World War soldier connections, and almost all British families had husbands, sons, and occasionally daughters who served during the war. The importance of this companion will become more apparent as we approach the centenary of the start of the First World War in 2014 and researchers seek their modern connections to this event.
This reference book is aimed at medal collectors, but contains much more. For researchers who have a medal in the family or collect medals the book is a goldmine with many beautiful color photographs of the medals (front, back, edges, and inscriptions), ribbons, and clasps with close-ups on how to distinguish the real medals from counterfeits or alterations. Addressed are the campaign medals, the gallantry medals and miscellaneous unofficial medals often found with Great War medal groupings. What is important in all of these sections is that the author clearly explains how to use the sources to document why the medal was issued, under what circumstances, and how you can document the events surrounding the issue. In the process you learn a lot more about the individual soldier, his life and career. There are even lists of medal winners included in the book, e.g., Victoria Cross (634): Military Cross and Distinguished Conduct Medal winners from the first day of the Battle of the Somme; Military Medals awarded for escaping; and more.
This is a reference book that is full of the details that genealogists spend lots of time trying to find. It is a beautifully produced book, well organized, clearly written, and provides lots of step-by-step research guidance that will help researchers for years to come. If you are researching WWI soldiers you will find this book of great value.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.4, 2012
Dating Old Army Photographs
† by Robert Pols. Published by The Family History Partnership, P.O. Box 502, Bury, Lancashire BL8 9EP, UK. <www.thefamilyhistorypartnership.co.uk>. 2011. 61 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £5.95.My first impression on picking this book up was: “How can you address such a big subject with only 20 photographs?” Mr. Pols succeeds in his task even though he admits in his introduction that he is not a military historian or expert but rather a photographer. He even suggests that the title of this book should be Dating and Learning from Old Army Photographs Even When You Can’t Identify a Cap Badge.
Mr. Pols begins by providing a brief history of military photography beginning with some faded calotype portraits from 1843, some onsite photographs of the Gordon Highlanders at Edinburgh Castle in 1846, with additional calotypes from the Second Sikh War of 1848-9. The first military campaign photographs were during the Second Burma War of 1852-3, followed soon by the more familiar works of Roger Fenton during the Crimean War in 1855. He highlights how photography changed with shorter exposure times; studios that followed the army, or were established to record the departing or returning soldiers, and eventually the pocket cameras of the twentieth century. The book thus examines military photographs from the beginning of photographs through the Second World War.
The book then moves the process of how to examine that clues provided in the different parts of the photograph. This includes how different colored uniforms will appear in monochrome photographs. The uniform is examined addressing the upper body, lower body and the headgear. The book gets more specific addressing accoutrements: hat badges; rank insignia; other arm and shoulder insignia; buttons and collar badges; items worn on the chest; facial hair; belts, bags and straps; and rifles. In the process he illustrates how these items can be examined and used to define an early date or a latest date for the photograph; which items were slow to disappear even with changes in army regulations; which items may cause confusion and lead to an incorrect identification; and which items change depending upon the regiment or branch of the army.
There is a brief chapter describing some special cases: Camel Corps; Royal Flying Corps; and First World War blues.
Many British researchers will have a Victorian or Edwardian soldier, but these are small in proportion to the numbers involved in the First and Second World Wars. Mr. Pols has therefore provided a couple of nice checklists to help the family historian identify and more accurately date photographs of their World War soldiers.
Throughout the text the reader is guided to the 20 photographs that cover the uniforms of the whole time period. The text and photographs will generally not help you identify a specific regiment and for that more specialized references will be needed, with these tools identified in the bibliography. This book does a good job of showing the reader what to look for and how to analyze the parts of the photograph and uniform to more accurately date the family heirloom. I ended up being surprised and pleased with the value of this practical guide and can recommend it as an introduction to the subject.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.4, 2012
Trades and Professions: The Family Historians Guide
† by Stuart Raymond. Published by The Family History Partnership, P.O. Box 502, Bury, Lancashire BL8 9EP, UK. <www.thefamilyhistorypartnership.co.uk>. 2011. 64 pp. Index. Softcover. £5.95.As family historians one of the easiest and most interesting ways of getting beyond just names and dates is to explore what our ancestors did for a living. by doing this we may be able to find additional clues to family relationship. In the process we will certainly make our family histories a lot more interesting to read.
I like Mr. Raymond’s bibliographic works for he invariably highlights books and resources that are hard for us here in the US to learn about. But once we know something exists Inter-Library Loans can work wonders in getting us access to the majority of these resources.
The book is organized into the following sections: life cycle occupations (scholars, apprentices and army); personnel and business records; government records; trade guilds, professional associations, and trade unions; books and journals; trade and professional journals; biographical dictionaries; trade directories; Parliamentary Papers; indexes; sources for specific occupations. Each of the sections highlight the value of these types of records to the researcher, identifies the guidebooks or online resources to learn about the records themselves, and usually gives some specialized examples. The book is not intended to be comprehensive identifying all resources for all occupations. Rather the book is designed to guide the researcher in the value of these different types of records and suggest ways of finding the specifics of what is needed. The book is indexed if you are looking for something specific and not sure where you found it.
I have worked with these records a lot, yet I still found new resources and new ideas in this book. This is a book I would recommend reading all the way through to get a good overview, but then return to dip into specific sections to find the specifics of what you need for your research.
Of course the more research you do, the more ancestors you find, and probably the more trades and professions you will need to learn about. This is a useful tool to identify some of the resources you can use.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.4, 2012
The Almshouses of York
† by Carole Smith. Published by Quacks Books (in Association with Sessions Book Trust), Jackson House, 7 Grape Lane, Petergate, York YO1 7HU, UK. <www.radiusonline.info>. 2010. viii, 168 pp. Color illustrations, index, Softcover. £15.Almshouses, often developing from the early hospitals, in England have been around since at least the tenth century serving a variety of needs advocated by the medieval church for the benefit of the needy, old and sick which included children, widows, wayfarers, the insane, prisoners and even the dead. With the suppression of the religious institutions in the sixteenth century the welfare system was split between private charities, parish overseers and municipal corporations. We are most familiar with the story of the Poor Laws enforced by the parish overseers and municipalities. It is the private trusts and charities that continued to support the almshouses of which there are still about 2,600 in the UK fulfilling something of their original purpose. Certainly in the pre-industrial period they were very important in the relief of poverty, and now they support approximately 36,000 elderly people on low incomes allowing them to maintain a dignified independence in their own home, supported partially by the state and partly by charitable organizations. One of my own ancestors in Berkshire established a trust to fund a still existing almshouse, maybe one of your ancestors did the same.
This book is a follow up to a 1947 report by B Seebohm Rowntree entitled Old People: Report of a Survey Committee on the problems of aging and the care of old people which presented the situation in York at the time. That report with period photographs is included as an appendix in the book. However the book greatly expands on that report and provides a much wider context for almshouses and hospitals and where they fit into the history of York and the country.
The book is divided into two sections. The first addresses the history of almshouses. It begins by explaining the origins of almshouses along with closely associated hospitals, and describes how charity works. There are combinations of chapters for the: medieval period, the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; the nineteenth century; and the twentieth century. What is really nice is that for each period there are two chapters, the first of which gives the picture of what is happening nationally, followed by a discussion with specifics of what is happening in York. It gives a very good overview of almshouses and how they have changed over the centuries.
The second half of the book identifies fifty almshouses and hospitals founded in York between 936 and 1983, of which twelve are still operating. The institutions are presented in approximately chronological order. Histories of the institutions, with map references, and color photographs of the buildings or their ruins are provided making it a valuable research tool. It should be noted that York here includes the nearby communities of Acomb, Bishopthorpe, Fulford and Heslington. A lot of information is available on these institutions. The book includes an extensive bibliography for those wanting to learn more about almshouses in general or more specifically the institutions in York. The book is well indexed.
For those with ancestors who contributed to, served in, or were supported by almshouses you will find this book of interest and even more so if they were in or close to York.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.4, 2012
Coasters of South Wales
† by Bernard McCall. Published by Coastal Shipping Publications, 400 Nore Road, Portishead, Bristol BS20 8EZ, UK. <www.coastalshipping.co.uk>. 2011. 96 pp. Color Illustrations. Hardcover. £17.50.This lavishly illustrated volume looks at the ports in South Wales between Swansea in the west and Chepstow in the east and the coastal ships that use them. The ports originally rose in importance due to the movement of coal and metals through the ports, but in the latter half of the twentieth century there has been a decline in these associated industries and the port areas that served them. What this book does well is provide clear photographs of the ships within the context of ports in the area (as opposed to three-quarter bow shots of the ships at sea with no background, commonly used in photographing ships). You thus get to see the ships and the ports which is ideal for a family and local history perspective. In choosing the photographs and compiling the book Mr. McCall has chosen as many views as possible of unfamiliar wharves or jetties, especially those on the River Neath and River Usk which he feels have been neglected by other photographers.
The book provides 94 beautiful color photographs of ships and ports which are all well captioned. The name of ship in bold is followed in brackets by the nationality of the flag under which the ship sails, its gross registered tonnage or gross tonnage (internal measurements of volume with rules changing in 1994). This is followed by details on the life of the ship, often including multiple changes of ownership and name (all in bold) and often giving additional details about the port in which it is photographed. All care has been taken to get information on the ship and port accurate, but as is pointed out in the introduction even sources describing recent events can give conflicting dates. The value of this volume would have been greatly increased by the addition of a good index for names of ships, companies and ports. Even without an index this book will be of interest to anyone with connections to South Wales coastal shipping or ports.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.4, 2012
Mapping London: Making Sense of the City
† by Simon Foxell. Published by Black Dog Publishing, 10A Acton Street, London WC1X 9NG, UK. <www.blackdogonline.com>. 2007. 279pp. Color maps, index. Hardcover. $45In the books introduction Mr. Foxell points out that “the map, as a scaled replica of the entire city, presents a choice to its maker: not what to include, but rather, what to exclude. The mapmaker, like the sculptor, must chip away at the raw block of material that is the city to reveal the shape and representation hidden inside.” (p.8). This beautiful book reveals a lot of different aspects of the city and you get to see what the map makers have seen as important raw material. Maps can create a picture of the city; they can be used as navigational tools for walkers, drivers or commuters; or they can be used a planning tool. The many samples included here have been carefully chosen.
The book is divided into four sections: London – growth and change; serving the city; living in the city; and imagining London. Each section is subdivided. So for example the surveying the city covers: boundaries – political organization; attack and defense; transport and travel; health, water and waste; fire and insurance; utilities and services; planning the city. Some of the highlights in this book for me are: the 1877 ecclesiastical boundaries map of the London area overlain on a street map (p.104-5); part of the detailed Horwood 1792 of London showing every house with house numbers (p.38); the 1845 panoramic view of London by JH Banks (p.66-67).
The physical format of the book is oversize landscape with pages 9.5 x 11.5 inches. Woven throughout the book is a good descriptive text explaining the different aspects of the maps, their history and development, what they are being used to portray, the people who produced them, and highlighting the key maps that culturally changed London. This text does not get in the way of the maps. The beautifully reproduced full-color maps may cover part of a page up to a full two page spread. Each map has a title, an explanatory description and a mention of which library or collection provided the original image. The author has searched many collections here to gather excellent illustrations to show the different ways in which London can be portrayed.
For researchers wanting to explore this subject in more depth there is an excellent bibliography divided into sections covering: maps and mapping; mapping London; history and biographies; guides; planning and urbanism; mapping and information; fiction
For the family historian this book will provide an overview of how London develops and changes over time, which is very important to understand for anyone with London ancestors. It will provide ideas of what types of maps are available that can assist you in your research and where you may be able to obtain copies. This is a book you will enjoy reading, but later just dipping into to view the beautiful maps.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.5, 2012
Scottish Catholic Family History: A Family Historian’s Guide to Catholic Parish Registers and Cemetery Records for Scotland and the Bishopric of the Forces
† by Andrew R. Nicholl. Published by The Aquhorties Press, Columba House, 16 Drummond Place, Edinburgh EH3 6PL, UK. <www.scottishcatholicarchives.org.uk>. 2011. 115 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £10.The Catholic Parish Registers Project began with a focused plan – to digitize and index all pre-1855 Catholic parish registers that existed. Digitization continued beyond this date because volumes continued beyond 1855, post-1855 registers had been deposited at the Scottish Catholic Archives; plus the records of the Bishopric of the Forces, Dalbeth Cemetery in Glasgow and Mount Vernon Cemetery in Edinburgh were fully available. If the records survive in the
Scottish Catholic Archives they have been digitized, though there may be more modern records still in the Catholic parishes around Scotland. The latter have not been sought after to be added to the collection at this stage. This collection is much more extensive that the photocopy collection of Catholic registers that exists at the National Records Scotland (former National Archives of Scotland).
In the collection there are the usual parish registers of births/baptisms, marriages and deaths/burials/funerals, each with 100, 75 and 50 years closure periods respectively to protect privacy. Other items in the collection, all with a 100 year closure, include: confirmations; confessions; converts; communicants; status animarum (“state of souls” - often a list); seat rents; and sick call. The book begins by describing all the different record classes, itemizing what they are likely to contain and showing an example.
The largest section of the book is the detailed lists of the records. The lists are arranged by location of the parish and the saint to which it is dedicated. For each location it identifies the type of register, dates covered and the collection reference at the Scottish Catholic Archives. There is the Missions and Parishes Collection, plus the Individual Missions Collection and the researcher needs to check both lists for complete coverage of any given locality. For the three major Catholic cemeteries in Glasgow and Edinburgh that are included there are internment registers, owners’ registers and lair registers, all of which can provide different information. The Bishopric of the Forces records are the Catholic records from the British military all over the world, unfortunately many of these still fall under the time closure rules.
The last section in the book is a directory, with maps, of Catholic parishes in Scotland. The directory in table format provides: name of the town and dedication of the church; the unitary authority; diocese; date the mission was founded; date of the church building. For most researchers, unfamiliar with Scottish geography, it is the maps locating the churches that will help us identify the parish records worth investigating for our ancestors. One additional aid included is a comprehensive Latin-England forename glossary with all case endings making it easy to distinguish the Latin variants for Patrick and Patricia or Terence and Teresa or other similar male and female names.
If you have searched ScotlandsPeople and found your Catholic ancestors you are fortunate. The bigger problem is if you have searched and not found them – is it because they are not there, the records have not survived, or you are just looking under the wrong name. It is this book that will help you identify the time or record gaps in any specific parish. This book is therefore very important for anyone working on Scottish Catholic ancestry.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.5, 2012
Drinkstone School and Village: A Suffolk History
† by Sheila Wright. Published by Greenridges Press, 13 Vale Road, Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 1PL, UK. 2005. 274 pp. £10.99.Drinkstone Revisited: More Stories from a Suffolk Village
† by Sheila Wright. Published by Kisumu Books, Kisumu, The Street, Wickham Skeith, Eye, Suffolk IP23 8LP, UK. 2007. 204pp. £10.99. Both – Illustrated, maps. Softcover, and available from <www.kisumubooks.co.uk>.Drinkstone is a parish in Suffolk, just south of the A45 between Bury St. Edmunds and Stowmarket. Both books provide slightly different maps of the parish from around 1900 placing the farms, buildings, roads and features into context. Localities are mentioned frequently in the book’s stories making these maps very useful especially for readers who are not intimately familiar with the village and its surroundings.
Ms. Wright is not a resident of the village but rather was a teacher at the small village school from 1981 until it closed in 1986. She was later asked to give a talk about the history of the school to a local history group. The books grew from there. Her original idea was simply to write a history of the school, using mainly archival material – the log book, three books of managers’ minutes, the admission registers and so on. This changed after talking to people connected with the school and hearing their stories. What evolved was a book that nicely weaves together the personal stories of the people in the community with the story of the school. The stories are unique because they relate to specific people in a specific place – Drinkstone, Suffolk. At the same time they are typical of events and changes that occurred in thousands of other small school and villages across the country.
Education became compulsory in 1880, but only up to the age of ten. The age at which students could leave school was raised to eleven in 1893, to twelve in 1899, to fourteen in 1918, and to fifteen in 1947. There were endowment or Sunday schools in the community prior to compulsory education and a brief history of these schools and the people involved is provided, but the focus is on the school in the twentieth century. The history of the school and the community is divided into different periods: 1905-1927; 1927-1938; 1939-1948; 1948-1972; and 1972-1983. What is really good here is the many stories from people who were in the school in the different time periods, though often you get the story of that person’s life, with lots of good family history information. There are numerous pictures highlighting the community, unfortunately not all the people in the photographs are identified.
The appendices to the book provide: extracts for the village from numerous county directories; and a list of over 800 school pupils born between 1880 and 1942.
After the first book was published in 2005 many readers shared their own memories of people and places in Drinkstone, leading to a second book – Drinkstone Revisited: More Stories from a Suffolk Village. The family histories, stories and photographs in this book are excellent as are the photographs and line drawings of many of the cottages and houses in the village which are also discussed. The appendices in this book provide: transcripts of the 1851 and 1901 census returns; excerpts from additional county directories; a list of parish rectors (1280-2006); notes about the architecture and features of the church.
If you are lucky enough to have ancestors from Drinkstone these two volumes are a must. But the books are also of interest to anyone with rural, small village ancestors, especially those with Suffolk or East Anglia connections. The one major drawback to both books is that neither has an index, making it harder to find the wonderful stories that may have been provided by or about your ancestors.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.5, 2012
Memories of a Surrey Labourer: A Record of the Last Years of Frederick Bettesworth
† by George Bourne. Published by Amberley Publishing, The Hill, Merrywalks, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4EP, UK. <www.amberley-books.com>. 2010. 192 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £12.99.The book was first published in 1907 and recounts in affectionate detail the twilight years of gardener Fred Buttesworth at the close of the nineteenth century and the opening of the twentieth century. It was written by George Bourne, the pen name of George Sturt (1863-1927), who was born and grew up in Farnham, Surrey, where he ran a wheelwright’s shop. Over the years George took notes on the stories Fred was telling him while he worked for him, and wrote down stories of their interactions. Fred did not know he would be the subject of a book. Fred had originally been an active farm laborer but in old age became a still proud jobbing gardener; pertinent for me as some of my ancestors were gardeners in the census. What struck me in the book was the struggle to cope with old age. Fred worked hard taking care of his wife at home as she was dying, struggling to feed her with limited means, and the importance of something so simple as sponge cake. The struggle was lost and she died like many in this period in the workhouse infirmary. Fred himself died at home taken care of by his niece.
We learn about Fred’s life, his attitudes towards war (South-African War) with its effect on the local population, and death. Mostly though we learn about life’s simple routines and struggles as one ages, and struggle here is important, for this was a time before the National Health Service, before pensions, and before modern conveniences. Over the years of the book, 1892-1905 we identify the cycles of work that needs to be done in the garden based upon the season, seeing which vegetables reach the edible stage when, we see what was happening on the surrounding farms and hear Fred reminiscing about his time as a farm laborer. This is a fascinating read about a farm laborer growing old in a village. Many of our ancestors would have lived and died like this. The book certainly got me thinking.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.5, 2012
Hammer and Furnace Ponds: Relics of the Wealdon Iron Industry: An introduction and guide
† by Helen Pearce. Published by Pomegranate Press, Dolphin House, 51 Nicholas Lane, Lewes, Sussex BN& 2JZ, UK. <www.pomegranate-press.co.uk>. 2011. 96 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £8.99The beautiful woodlands of the High Weald, the area along the border of Kent and Sussex, with adjoining parts of Surrey, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries throbbed to the sound of trip hammers. The Weald’s iron deposits lie relatively close to the surface and was easily extracted by open cast mining. The ore was found in a triangle stretching roughly east of Horsham, across to south of Tunbridge Wells and down to Hastings. The book begins with a brief introduction to the history of Wealden Iron, explaining how the pig iron was produced and then worked in the foundries.
The hammer ponds provided power for the foundries. The ponds were created by building a large clay dam across a valley to impede the flow of an existing stream. For extra durability the dams were built over a framework of timber or furnace slag, thus helping to more clearly identify their creation. The water was used to drive and over-shot water wheel, up to three feet wide (narrower than corn mill wheels). The book includes a good description of the Wealden products such as: cannons; builders’ sundries; nails; wheel rims; ploughshares and other agricultural tools; utensils for open hearths; and the famous cast iron Wealden firebacks and graveslabs. Examples of the firebacks and graveslabs are illustrated with guidance on where to see examples in the area.
The book provides an illustrated gazetteer to the surviving ponds. The ponds are listed in four sections by county – West Sussex, East Sussex, Kent and Surrey. They are then identified by the nearest community (which may not be the parish in which the pond is located), and for each it identifies the Ordnance Survey Explorer map to use on your visit; gives the OS map grid reference; identifies whether the site is on private property, is a National Trust site, or is of special scientific interest; and identifies the ponds that are wheelchair accessible. A few paragraphs then give details about the pond and its history, which often includes the names of the local families involved in operating the site. The book concludes with a listing of local museums where you can see examples of Wealden iron work, plus a valuable bibliography and glossary. There is an index to the places mentioned in the book, but unfortunately it does not include the people, which of course is a drawback for the family historian.
The Weald, now an area of scenic beauty, was in the sixteenth and seventeenth century an area employing a lot of people working in the iron industry and all its associated feeder industries. This is therefore a very nice introduction to an important part of the area’s history, and provides a nice guide to get off the beaten tourist track if you are planning on visiting the area.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.5, 2012
Tracing Your Channel Islands Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
† by Marie-Louise Backhurst. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. US Distributor: Casemate Publishing, 1016 Warrior Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. <www.casemateathena.com>. 2011. viii, 184 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $24.95The Channel Islands have been possessions of the English Crown since 1204, they are known as Crown Dependencies, and consist of seven inhabited islands, and several uninhabited islands, situated in the Bay of Mont St. Michael, between the French provinces of Normandy and Brittany. The inhabited islands are Jersey, Guernsey, Herm, Jethou, Alderney, Sark and Brecqhou. The islands are self-governing, and many of their laws are Norman French in origin. Until the middle of the twentieth century French was the official language and many surnames and place names are French in origin. The islanders spoke their own patois language but the written records are kept in French. With small islands intermarriages between cousins are common, and the small number of surnames can make for confusing family trees. Plus easy movement between the islands means that multi-island research may be necessary. Additionally the arrival of Calvinist ministers from the sixteenth century onwards reduced the number of Christian names that could be chosen. The book suggests a wide variety of sources that can be used to sort out these family complexities and build a proper family history.
Many of the genealogical records in the Channel Islands are similar to those in England, but with notable differences, both between the islands and the mainland (which is what the locals call England – not France), and the islands themselves.
The book is divided into five sections. The short first section examines internet sources and sources outside of the islands. The following four sections address the history and records of: Jersey; Guernsey, Harm and Jethou; Alderney; and Sark. Each section then provides: general description of the geography, history and administration; civil records and censuses; church registers, names and cemeteries; property and official records; education, employment and crime; military and migration. Researchers are first likely to read the information addressing the island/s on which they are seeking ancestors. After that they should read the Jersey and Guernsey sections, especially the parts concerning parish registers, as they will find general comments about naming patterns, and local customs. One local custom being marriages often took place at 6 a.m. so that the couples could leave the island on the mail boat for their honeymoon. Movement between the islands was common enough that reading the whole book will be beneficial to anyone doing research in the islands.
The book concludes with some useful practical additions: glossary of French and English terms found in registers and court documents; directory of family history societies, libraries and archives; directory of places of historic interest to visit; and a select bibliography for each of the islands.
Migration from the islands to North America, the British Isles and to the far flung corners of the British Empire is common. It has been over 20 years since this authors research guide to Jersey has been published and there is little available on the other islands. This book provides an excellent thorough up-to-date guide to the records of the different islands, how and where to access them, and how to use them to construct your family tree. It is unfortunate that many of the records can only be accessed on the islands, but external sources are indicated where available. This is an excellent how to guide for anyone with Channel Island ancestry, or for any genealogical collection in areas where Channel Islanders migrated.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.6, 2012
Reading the Maps: A Guide to the Irish Historic Towns Atlas
† by Jacinta Prunty and H.B. Clarke. Published by the Royal Irish Academy, Irish Historic Towns Atlas, 19 Dawson Street, Dublin 2, Ireland, <www.ria.ie>. U.S. Distributor: International Specialized Book Services, 920 NE 58th Ave., Suite 300, Portland OR 97213 <www.isbs.com>. 2011. xxii, 242 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. $35The Irish Historic Town Atlas series has now produced 24 sets of facsimiles for 22 towns (currently two sets for Dublin and Belfast each) providing a critical mass of maps and interpretive materials to make comparisons between town geography and developmental histories possible. One of the issues is that many researchers using the maps don’t know enough about maps, their design or their symbols to fully understand or interpret what they are looking at. This book aims to, and succeeds in helping to address this shortcoming.
The book has two audiences in mind. The first are teachers and their students in primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education. The second broad target group is self-directed researchers such as post-graduates and university academics, planning and heritage services, and although not mentioned, would certainly include all family historians seeking to put their ancestors into a specific town in both time and space.
The guidebook is divided into four sections, each with a specific theme. The first two themes: the concept of the map; and clues to the past hidden in the map - are more strongly cartographical and geographical. The second two themes: town life; and key periods in the history of town life - are more strongly chronological and historical. The book succeeds in striking a balance between the dimensions of time and space. Each of the four themes is divided into teaching units. The units themselves each have an introduction to the specific topic, followed by two geographical case studies on that topic. There are 176 color maps and illustrations selected from full current series of twenty-four atlases, ensuring wide geographic coverage. Each unit also has five questions for self-testing to increase comprehension of what has been learned. These questions are not necessarily easy, but are designed to make sure the student understands what has been read. Sample questions would be – What was a burgage plot? Why were streets in medieval towns narrow? What were the functions of a bridewell? Why did municipal boundaries remain ill-defined for so long? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the gazetteer of topographical information in researching the previous use of urban property? These are just a sample of the 330 questions designed to facilitate learning and understanding. The book concludes with a short but good bibliography on resources for understanding Irish maps, map making, town design and history.
This guidebook is a must for anyone who has ancestors living in any of the twenty two towns covered by the Irish Historic Town Atlas series and seeks to understand how the community changed over time. It will also be of assistance to anyone with ancestors in an urban area for which maps have been obtained, even if not yet covered by the series.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.6, 2012
Directory of Irish Archives
,Fifth Edition† by Seamus Helferty and Raymond Refausse. Published by Four Courts Press, 7 Malpas Street, Dublin 8, Ireland, <www.fourcourtspress.ie>. U.S. Distributor: International Specialized Book Services, 920 NE 58th Ave., Suite 300, Portland OR 97213 <www.isbs.com>. 2011. 240 pp. Index. Softcover. $35This important directory of Irish archives and its collections continues to expand. The first edition was published in 1988 identifying 224 archives, with subsequent editions in 1993, 1999, 2003 and this the fifth edition with 269 archives.
The introduction to the book is a short politicized essay on the current state of archives administration in Ireland, especially with regard to decisions being made by politicians without advice being obtained from the archival community. On a positive note it does highlight the movement of some major collections into new custom build archival facilities. It also describes the methodology for the gathering of the data included in the guidebook.
The 269 archives are listed in approximately alphabetical order. The information provided for each archives includes: formal name; address; telephone number; email address; website; enquires to; access methods; published guides; and a description of major collections. There is an appendix identifying the twenty archives that since the prior edition have been renamed, amalgamated, transferred holdings to another curatorship, or have ceased to exist.
The difficult part of using a guidebook like this is finding the specific collection and institution that has exactly what you need. However, a careful read of the guidebook will likely highlight collections you may not have thought of for your research. Luckily many of the institutions have a geographic place or a specific subject matter included in their title to make them obvious choices to examine more closely and they can usually be readily found in the index. However, there are enough name collections or institutions without any indication of place that careful reading in needed, e.g. Chester Beatty Library, Crawford Art Gallery, etc.
All collections of Irish materials should add this new guide. However, as to whether you can remove earlier guides from the collection, the answer should be a qualified no. Close examination of the collection descriptions shows numerous edits and changes, with many additions, but also deletions. This means that it may be an older version of the guidebook that contains the gem you need for your research. I will be keeping my older guides.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.6, 2012
The Brewers and Breweries of Linlithgowshire
† by Forbes Gibb. Published by Lomax Press, Leasgill, 13 Park Place, Stirling FK7 9JR, UK. <www.lomaxpress.co.uk>. 2009. 36 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. £6.This slim guide is the second in what is anticipated to be a series of books about the brewers and breweries of Scotland. The book is arranged by place and covers the communities within the county of Linlithgowshire of: Bathgate; Borrowstounness (Bo’ness); Corbiehall; Grangepans; Inveravon; Kinneil; Kirkliston; Linlithgow; Livingston; South Queensferry; and Whitburn. For each of the brewers and breweries identified operational dates are provided, although the introduction notes that they may have been operational before and after the dates provided but they have not been proven, or recorded in the literature. Most of the individuals and companies included are operational between the mid-eighteenth through the end of the nineteenth century, only two short-lived micro-breweries being operational in the twentieth century. Reading the short histories you do get a sense of what was happening in the industry, with: a tax passed in 1744 of two pennies Scots upon every pint of ale or beer brewed for sale, brought in, tapped, or sold within the town of Borrowstounness (p.14); the brewers refused a similar tax introduced in 1774 in Inveravon ; thirlage where under feudal law vassals had to use the landowner’s mill and pay mullage (i.e. tax for grinding grain) for the privilege (p.13) bankruptcies (surprisingly common); and how short lived most breweries were.
The mini-biographies are where possible illustrated with photographs or maps, and references are provided to an extensive bibliography of books, newspaper articles and archival materials, making this a well-researched book. The physical locations of the breweries are identified where possible. The book is well indexed identifying all individuals and places mentioned within the text. If you have brewery connections in Linlithgowshire you will find this book of value. If you have brewing connections in the rest of Scotland then watch this growing series. Note that this book, nor others in the series, covers distilleries.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.6, 2012
The Vagabond Book of Stirling
† by Marie Brammeld. Published by Lomax Press, Leasgill, 13 Park Place, Stirling FK7 9JR, UK. <www.lomaxpress.co.uk>. 2010. 62 pp. Illustrations, index, maps. Softcover. £7.50Vagabonds are loosely defined as vagrants, drifters, tramps, itinerants, shifty-double-dealers without any visible means of support. They were considered, at best, to be disreputable and a nuisance to society. As the thirty three examples included in this book suggest though they were actually hard to define in such a strict sense for some had homes, others had employment, but certainly they were all up to no good. When caught they were hauled before the town magistrates to account for themselves.
Most of the crimes were petty, rather than the more serious crimes which would have been tried in a more prominent court of law. They range from theft, breach of the peace, assault and battery, to more general socially unacceptable behavior with loose morals featuring prominently. Punishment was often swiftly administered. A miscreant could be apprehended by the Town Guard, thrown in the Tolbooth overnight, appear before a Baillie in the morning, and be whipped out of town by noon the next day. At other times punishment could be slow with long waiting times and or long punishment periods of hard labor in the Workhouse. Some of the stories include self-banishment to avoid trial and punishment, but it would be a big mistake to return as some did.
The actual Vagabond Book of Stirling covers the period 1752-1787. This extraction of 33 cases from the original provides a wonderful legacy to the social history of Stirling in the crowded vennels at the Top of the Town in the 18th century, and often hints at what went on behind the doors of the more fashionable residences too. We get the actual extracts, in italics, from the Vagabond Book, but the author has added lots of details such as descriptions of the people or places involved, details about their family or criminal history before or after the incident included here, stories about the victims and the magistrates, plus maps, illustrations and photographs all of which add to the context of the stories.
One map shows Stirling as it would have been in the early 18th century, much smaller in size than the city is now. There is a short bibliography identify a good number of books on different aspects of the history of Stirling and social history in general. The book is indexed making it easy to see if your vagabond ancestor or victim is included. This easy read is a delightful slice of Scottish social history.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.19 no.6, 2012
Marriage Law for Genealogists: The Definitive Guide
† by Rebecca Probert. Published by Takeaway Publishing. Copies obtainable directly from the author at <[email protected]> or on Amazon. 2012. 160 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $14.99.Here is the definitive guide to understanding marriage law in England and Wales, from 1600 to the present. This book is written for genealogists; it is not a legal text. It is not a light read, but it is clearly written and is certainly worth the effort in reading all the way through to get a complete, accurate picture of marriage laws before it is used as a research tool to look up specific questions.
Ms. Probert is a genealogist and Professor of Family Law at Warwick University and a leading authority of the history of marriage laws of England and Wales. She strongly disputes the writings of other historians such as John Gillis, Lawrence Stone and Brian Outhwaite who have all written extensively on marriage laws and practice, divorce, cohabitation, and children out of wedlock. Their books have guided genealogists, including me, who write about marriage laws. Probert contends that the errors and assumptions of these authors create confusion for genealogists. In my opinion, she succeeds in clarifying the changing rules of marriage from 1600 to the present.
The book addresses five questions. (1) “Whether and Why” your ancestor married deals with the likelihood of any given couple having gone through a valid ceremony of marriage. (2) “Who” examines who could marry, and whom they could or could not marry. (3) “How” examines the formalities required for a valid marriage, plus what that means for Roman Catholics or Protestant Dissenters. (4) “When” looks at the age at which couples could and did marry, when parental consent was required and who could object; plus it examines the seasons, days and hours when marriage could be and were celebrated. (5) “Where” moves beyond the legal requirements to large scale genealogical studies that provide guidance to family historians on where they may need to look for the marriages of their ancestors. Throughout the book there is a continual discussion of important key conditions (changing over time) that make a marriage valid, void, and voidable. Additionally there is frequent discussion about what in the law was required versus what was directory. Included in the text are sample questions typically raised by genealogists, and these are answered clearly.
This book will greatly add to your understanding of marriage laws and help you in your research. It is a must for anyone seeking to understand the laws or struggling to find a particular marriage ancestor’s marriage. (Unique laws apply in Scotland and Ireland so don’t apply the laws here to other places, but make use of the framework presented here as an excellent structure for examining marriages in other locations.) If you think you know everything you need to know about English marriage laws then take the author’s test at <>.
There is one small distraction to the book. I have on my office wall a reprint of the painting Signing the Register depicting a nineteenth century wedding by Edmond Blair Leighton, a very familiar painting. The publisher has reversed part of the image of this painting for the cover of the book. Thus, the bride appears to have her wedding ring on her right hand and is using a quill to sign the register with her left hand, something that certainly was frowned upon in the time period of this painting.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.1, 2013
Discover Scottish Land Records
† by Chris Paton. Published by Unlock the Past, P.O. Box 119, St. Agnes SA 5097, Australia. <www.unlockthepast.com.au>. 2012. 68 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. AU$20I liked this book, a lot, and can highly recommend it for those seeking to put their Scottish ancestors on the ground in Scotland, and find the associated records. The book focusses on place. It even encouraged me to go back to my own book, A Genealogists Guide to Discovering Your Scottish Ancestors, to remind myself what I had discussed and what I had not.
The book begins by discussing where your ancestors were. It examines the records you may already be familiar with, such as: vital records; parish records; census records; street directories; phone directories; electoral registers; valuation rolls; burgh assessment rolls; earlier tax and valuation rolls; and newspapers. In each of these record groups the goal here is to identify where your ancestors were living or working, so looking for specific street addresses or names of farms, etc. The book moves on to put those places into context using maps, the Statistical Account of Scotland, gazetteers, etc.
It is the next two sections of the book addressing land tenure and inheritance that I thought were especially good, taking me further into my understanding of Scottish records and importantly bringing me up to date on how to access these materials and learning what has changed legally within the last decade. The section on land tenure begins with a very good overview of how Scottish laws have developed over time, describing feudalism and the use of charters. This provides the context for how and why the records developed the way they did. There is a good discussion of sasines, liferents and trusts, Registers of Scotland, Register of Deeds, rental records, the role of the tacksman, and ultimately the end of feudalism in 2004 (yes, you read that correctly - 2004). The chapter on inheritance explains: the differences between moveable and heritable estates; apparent heirs (not the same as the English phrase – heir apparent); the Services of Heirs, with the differences between Special Services (special retours) and General Services (general retours), giving examples from the indexes; the concept of Precept of Clare Constat; and then a good explanation of the different types of heirs that you may run across in the records. The book concludes with a good glossary and a brief bibliography.
If you have found your Scottish ancestors in the basic record groups and want to go to a deeper level in your research and seek your ancestors on the land then I can highly recommend this slim but well written, practical guide to these records.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.1, 2013
Forgotten People: An English Rural History
† by Barbara Cooper. Published by Pacific Studio, Mallard’s Peak, Stamford Road, Careby, Lincolnshire PE9 4EB, England. <www.pacificstudio.co.uk>. 2011. 300 pp. Illustrations. Hardcover. £25This is a fascinating history of the villages of Careby, Aunby and Holywell in south Lincolnshire , north of Stamford on the B1176 towards Grantham. I have no connections with Lincolnshire but this turned into a fascinating read, both from the perspective of a look at the nineteenth and twentieth century history of three villages, and also from the story perspective – how these villages has changed throughout British history.
The book begins in the village of Careby, sharing the history of the places and people including farms, rectory, village hall and the WWII farm camp. Numerous buildings and places mentioned in the text no longer remain. The book continues by examining the history that abounds in this community. We learn about the: 4th century BC Iron Age hill fort; the 3rd century Roman villa; medieval life in the parish; trouble during the time of King John; changes caused by the Black Death; rise in circumstances due to quarrying, acquiring of property, and mills; changing ownership of the manor; rebuilding after the plague; bloody Civil War; politics; nearby railways used for speed records and changing industrialization; school and church. The last third of the book reviews events in a similar fashion in the villages of Aunby and Holywell.
Many of the events and changes represented in these villages occurred in similar villages all over England. But this is certainly not dry or boring because this history focuses on how events played out in the community, or how the people of this community were involved in the major events occurring around the country. The local people come to life through stories. Events are brought to life by evocative re-enactments of actual events, and the stories of the villagers, rich and poor, dramatically unfold. Dramatic license may be taken with the dialog, especially with events from long ago, but personally I found it a pleasure to read and the events became real to me. Interestingly some of the dialog and event descriptions are footnoted from older histories, letters, documents, etc.
This is a quality book, lavishly illustrated with color photographs of the people and places in the community, but also appropriate documents and the occasional map. The one drawback to finding the many people and places mentioned in the text is the unfortunate lack of an index. If you have connections with this area of Lincolnshire then it is a must. If you want to look at how to write interesting local history this would be a good sample to examine.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.1, 2013
A Nation of Gardeners: How the British Fell in Love with Gardening
† by Twigs Way. Published in association with the Garden Museum by Carlton Publishing, 20 Mortimer Street, London, W1T 3JW, UK. <www.carltonbooks.co.uk/>. 2010. 192 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. £20England is a nation of gardeners, with over 4,000 gardens open to the public each year under the National Gardens Scheme, and with historic gardens being restored or recreated by bodies such as the National Trust and National Heritage. Even if you don’t have a gardener listed on a Victorian census, chances are your ancestor did spend time in his or her garden. So what would that garden have looked like? This book will help you find out.
The book begins with an opening chapter addressing the history of gardens, covering the period from the last ice age to 1837, the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign. It is here that we learn about the plant collectors, such as John Tradescant (Elder and Younger) buried in the grounds of St-Mary-at-Lambeth church, now the Garden Museum, which I can personally say is worth a visit if you are in London. But we also learn about the big name landscapers such as William Kent, Lancelot “Capability” Brown, and Humphrey Repton. There is also a chapter on the nurseries and seedsmen who provided the plants for a constantly growing number of gardeners throughout the country.
The rest of the book discusses gardening from the Victorian era through the present. Discussing the Victorians, the author presents carpet and ribbon bedding, their interest in gardening inventions and gadgets, plus the role of children in the garden, leading to the creation of small child-sized tools. With the Edwardians, styles changed to one of extravagance, with large plantings for borders and variety in garden types: Rock, American, Japanese, and Italian. The author also addresses the changing role of women in garden, the impact of men leaving for the war, and the role of gardening magazines. Later trends covered include the crazy paving in the 1930s, a resurgence of gnomes in the 50s and 60s, outside rooms in the 1970s, to the more recent move towards decking.
I especially enjoied the section on wartime gardening. The world wars had a big impact on gardening both with the departure of men to serve, but also the need for the country to grow its own food because overseas shipments were unreliable. The nation got behind the “Digging for Victory; Digging for Peace” campaigns with the result that much ground – tennis courts, playing fields, ornamental gardens, park land and lawns were turned over to the growing of food.
The book has color illustrations and photographs on every page from actual gardens, art work, catalogs, posters, and books, all well captioned so you can put the images into context. Though I don’t know plants well, I still found this book a delight to read; it helped me to understand how gardening has changed drastically over the last 200 years. This is a subject that will have affected our ancestors, whether as a profession, or for pleasure, in peace time or in wartime.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.1, 2013
Historic English Churches: A Guide to their Construction, Design and Features
† by Geoffrey R. Sharpe. Published by I.B. Tauris, 6 Salem Road, London W2 4BU. <www.ibtauris.com>. US Distributor: Palgrave Macmillan, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. <us.macmillan.com/palgrave.aspx>. 2011. xi, 260 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $25Most books about English churches describe and illustrate the features you are likely to see when visiting, and explain how to use these features in dating that particular part of the church.
Mr. Sharpe has been involved in the managing and caring of historic buildings for over forty years, and provides us with a very unique guide to the design and construction of England’s historic churches and cathedrals. Many of England’s churches are 700 to 1400 years old. Who has not wondered how did they ever build these magnificent edifices without modern construction equipment? Or how did they get those big stones or timbers high up on the walls of the church? Or why doesn’t this building fall down because of all the weight or materials? This book will provide many of the answers.
The book is divided into five chapters, unequal in length. The first (118 pages)provides a fascinating look at how churches were constructed. You learn about how: heavy stones were lifted; walls were designed and constructed; foundations laid; stone dressed; structural use of buttresses; stairs, windows and vaults held together; carpentry joints; and lots more. The second large chapter (74 pages) addresses church architecture by examining the key features of the buildings for each of the major style periods: Saxon; Norman; Early English; Decorated; and Perpendicular. It continues by examining features that aid in analysis, and here there are a number of illustrated charts that put dates and names to features you see but rarely pay attention to, such as styles of: doorways; windows; mouldings; ornamentation; etc. The third chapter (29 pages) examines the inside of the church and you are reminded of the names and purposes for many features in the church that are no longer part of our normal lives, but which you will see when you visit. It is good to be able to recognize and understand their purpose for items such as: stoups; misericords; frescos; rood screens; mensas; riddel curtains and posts; reredos; sedilia; piscinas; aumbry; sepulcher; and how those wall monuments are attached to the walls. The fourth chapter (13 pages) is a catch all for miscellaneous features such as: hatchments; Royal Coats of Arms; pigeon lofts; signs and symbols; and church bells. The final short chapter (8 pages) provides a systematic process to follow when you are investigating the development of a specific church. It is designed for those who are going to survey and analyze the structure in detail, but it is actually an appropriate approach even you are just making a cursory visit to the edifice because your ancestor was married there.
I liked this book, for it gives much more detail on construction methods and design features than the typical church architectural guide book, of which I have a number. I can recommend this book if you want to get beyond the basics and understand what you are looking at.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.1, 2013
How Your Ancestors Lived: Napoleonic Lives – Researching the British Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars
† by Carole Divall. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. US Distributor: Casemate Publishing, 1016 Warrior Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. <www.casemateathena.com>. 2012. vii, 188 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $24.95The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars began 28 April 1792 when a French Army under the command of Marshall Rochembeau crossed the border into the Austrian Netherlands (modern Belgium) and ended 18 June 1815 when the Duke of Wellington and Field Marshall Blucher defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo, also in modern-day Belgium. This book focusses on the soldiers of the British army, which grew from 40,000 in 1793 to 250,000 by 1813, out of an estimated population of nine million. In addition, there was a large active militia in England designed for home service, and as a by-product to feed trained men into the service. This means that most family researchers can and will, with a little effort, find one or more men on their family trees who served in the army in this period. This book does an excellent job of putting their experience into perspective and providing some guidance on how to research these soldiers.
The book begins with a brief introduction to the original and published resources and guides for research. It also includes a timeline for the key events of the war.
The book is constructed around eleven case studies describing the experience of: soldiers from the 69th Regiment drafted to work on ships in the Mediterranean fleet (not Royal Marines); a solder from the 92nd who served in Ireland, the low countries, Egypt and the Peninsula before being taken prisoner; a soldier moving from the Militia to the 51st serving at Walcheren and then in the Peninsula leaving a collection of letters; multiple soldiers memoirs from the famous 95th Rifles; soldiers from the King’s German Legion who ended up at Waterloo; the experience of the cavalry through men from the 7th or Queens Own Hussars who were part of the retreat at Corunna, and after much fighting in the Peninsula played a key role at Waterloo; two soldiers who were part of the Royal Artillery; the progression through the ranks of a career officer in the 17th and 30th Foot; the interaction of and memorials to a gentry family of officers who served in India and the Peninsula; the women who were part of or who followed the army; and the examples of the ‘King’s Hard Bargains’ the trouble makers and their court martials. Through these examples the reader gets a sense of how widely geographically dispersed the British Army was during this period, with soldiers serving in England, Ireland, Egypt, India, and much of continental Europe. The army was also serving in North America as part of the War of 1812, but there are no examples in this book of that campaign.
Each case study puts the soldier into historical context, providing the big picture for the regiment and the soldier. However the story is also personalized by numerous quotes from letters, diaries, memoirs and reminiscences, from original or previously published source material. All the case studies conclude with a section on how the individual was researched using original records, usually at The National Archives, to supplement stories from other sources. All the quotes used in the studies are cited in endnotes, but the historical context about the battles is not sourced. There is a brief bibliography at the end of the book that cites the published memoirs and sources used in the case studies, with a guide to the standard detailed military histories of the period.
If you have found a Napoleonic soldier on your tree, or are just interested in the period, here are some excellent case studies on how to write about him, making his story come alive.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.2, 2013
Tracing Your British Indian Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
† by Emma Jolly. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. US Distributor: Casemate Publishing, 1016 Warrior Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. <www.casemateathena.com>. 2012. xviii, 184 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $24.95Terms and geography need to be defined for best use of this important book. “British Indian” here refers to British citizens and Europeans who worked for the East Indian Company (generally as officers in the army), plus Anglo-Indians of mixed descent from the union of white British or European males and Indian women. Those of mixed descent were often segregated and discriminated against, yet they made an essential contribution to British India and are found in most British India records. Geographically, the area covered by this book, includes modern-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma (modern Myanmar). Other areas that may be encountered in India-related records are St. Helena, Iraq, Iran (formerly Persia), Aden, Kuwait, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), Singapore, Malacca, Penang Prince of Wales Island, Java, Sumatra (Bencoolen / Fort Marlborough) and China (Macao and Whampoa). In reality this means most places east of the Cape of Good Hope that had British connections.
The book covers the time period of 1600, when the East India Company received its Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth I, to the present. It begins with a chapter on how to get started, which is actually a must read, especially for North American researchers, because even though the majority of the records needed will be in England, they are not in the places even most English researchers would expect to look. The largest collection of original material is the India Office Records at the British Library, with other collections at The National Archives, National Army Museum, National Maritime Museum, School of Oriental and African Studies, or the Society of Genealogists, all in London, with a few other collections scattered around the British Isles and India. The most important society is FIBIS, Families in British India Society, which provides lots of indexes, resources and an excellent wiki.
The following three chapters present the increasing role of the East India Company from 1600 through the Indian Mutiny in 1857, its subsequent loss of control to the British government and the period of the British Raj from 1857 through independence in 1947. The focus is on historical context, but the voluminous record collections applicable to the period and their location are highlighted.
The next five chapters focus on five aspects of the Indian life where the British were heavily involved, and which created most of the records of the British Indians. These are: the servicemen and women of the East India Company’s Armies, the Indian Army, the British Army in India and the Royal Indian Air Force; merchants and ships; religion, cemeteries and schools; railways; probate records. Key throughout these chapters is the clear defining of what records and indexes to examine, and where. They identify which resources are available online, which are published and available for purchase, and what will need to be examined in person or onsite. Each of the groups of people and their records is also placed into historical context. A closing chapter addresses Indian independence and life after 1947. Throughout the book there are a number of short case studies showcasing the biographical information and lives that can be reconstructed from the records of our British Indian ancestors.
India developed from a company outpost into the crown in the British Empire with many individuals over the centuries from the British Isles serving in its government, its military or developing its industry. Many have ancestors who moved there temporarily or permanently. This well written research guide is a must for anyone seeking to explore their British Indian connections.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.2, 2013
Tracing Your Service Women Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
† by Mary Ingham. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. US Distributor: Casemate Publishing, 1016 Warrior Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. <www.casemateathena.com>. 2012. xviii, 204 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $29.95This guide focuses on researching the women who worked alongside the armed forces from the 1840s through the 1920s, the period for which the records are generally in the public domain. It was 1840 when Queen Victoria’s Royal Warrant first approved the hiring of women into the armed services as army schoolmistresses. by 1870 there were 20,000 army children worldwide being taught in 172 schools. It is with this, the oldest group that the book begins. The remainder of the book is divided into two major sections covering the: nursing and medical services of the army, navy and air force; plus the women’s auxiliary services. Among the medical services section there is information for those researching service during the Crimean War and the South African War, but the bulk of the book focusses on those serving during World War I.
The first surprise for me was just how many different services there were, making it harder to correctly identify where a female ancestor may have served. The sheer number of groups also means that there are some space limitations for what can be included in a book like this. However, this is a very practical guide that certainly fills a need. For each service the book includes some history and organizational context, a description of what life was like, the uniforms worn, casualties suffered, recognition of service awarded and research sources. Most of the chapters include photographs of the women in uniform, thus providing the researcher with visual guidance to the various branches of service where women served. Each chapter also highlights what records are available, online or in archives or are still held by the Ministry of Defence. (However, there are some groups like the Women’s Land Army where little official has survived centrally, and county record officers, local heritage centers and newspapers will need to be examined to put the ancestors into context and potentially find something on an individual.)
This is a unique and perhaps the only resource for families whose female ancestors served in support of the armed forces. It provides both context and guidance to the researcher.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.2, 2013
Dictionary of Dublin Dissent: Dublin’s Protestant Dissenting Meeting Houses 1660-1920
† by Steven C. Smyrl. Published by A. & A. Farmar Ltd., 78 Ranelagh Village, Dublin 6, Ireland. <www.aafarmar.ie>. 2009. xv, 358 pp. Index. Softcover. €40.The first signs of Protestant dissent in Dublin were in the early 17th century where James Usher, Archbishop of Armagh (1625-56) tolerated ministers with Presbyterians leanings within the Church of Ireland. This changed with the arrival in 1633 of Thomas Wentworth, as Lord Deputy, and the resulting shift so that the Church of Ireland became more like the English established church with its high church Arminianism. With the Cromwellian period in mid-century, Protestant dissenting congregations of Independents, Baptists, and Presbyterians, all Calvanists began to form, meeting in private homes or former Anglican churches. The Quakers, or Society of Friends, were also active, though in this period they had a reputation of extremism, and were both unpopular and distrusted. It was not until the early 18th century that they were trusted for their integrity demonstrated through solid business practices. There is also the arrival of a French Huguenot community, which grew and formed both conforming and non-conforming congregations. In the latter years of the 17th century and opening decades of the 18th century there were periods of cautious toleration and open hostility with the civil authorities, changing only with the Toleration Acts of 1718 and 1727. In the mid-18th century the Lutherans, Moravians and Methodists arrive, with the latter having the biggest impact on the city. The 19th century saw a large growth in the diversity of Protestant non-conformity in the city, but growth was often short-lived as people moved from one group to the other.
After setting the scene, this book examines the major groups and time periods in Dublin’s history. Major chapters address the Presbyterians and Methodists with all their different sub-groups. Other denominations are grouped by the time period in which they flourished, with chapters for the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries and through 1922 with independence and the general decline that followed. These chapters cover how and where in the city each denomination grew, thrived and generally declined or disappeared. Besides the major denomination, they cover the familiar groups such as the Baptists, Quakers and Huguenots, and also t less well known groups such as the Kellyites, Walkerites, White Quakers, Christian Brethren Assemblies and more.
For the genealogist, the goldmine is in the forty pages of appendices, the largest of which identifies all surviving records from all the dissenting congregations. It is not just the baptism, marriage and burial registers, but includes: registers of services; minute books; accounts; cash books; committee minutes and account books; communion rolls; pew rent registers; church visitor books; annual reports; bequest and fund accounts; school admission, account and minute books. In other words Mr. Smyrl has tried to identify all surviving records of the congregation, giving the dates of coverage, and importantly where they are located (local custody, Presbyterian Historical Society, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Wesley Historical Society of Ireland, etc). Additional appendices identify: chapels on the Methodist circuits, including time periods; marriage legislation as they relate to recording of marriages, and the registering of the places where marriages could be performed; list of useful addresses. The book includes an extensive bibliography of published and manuscript sources.
For those who know or suspect they have Dublin dissenters it is a must both for historical context and identification of surviving records.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.2, 2013
Transcribing Tasmanian Convict Records
† by Susan Hood. Published by Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority, Port Arthur, Tasmania 7182, Australia. <www.portarthur.org.au>. 2003. 63 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. AUS$18.I had found my Tasmanian (Van Diemen’s Land) convict using the online records and indexes at the Archives Office of Tasmania website < before I went to Tasmania. This book, published before the records came online, explains in wonderful detail all the convict records and how to interpret their content.
The records themselves provide the researcher with valuable details, including their background, where they came from, their religion, literacy, trade, native place, age and physical characteristics, as well as their transportation offence and sentence. In addition, any offences committed following their arrival in the colony, the places to which they were sent, and any freedoms gained can all be found in these records. The details in the records will assist the researcher in building a story of your ancestors, or the people he or she came with.
The author states that she does not aim to explain the convict system in Van Diemen’s Land, but she does so nevertheless, by providing background for all documents that she illustrates and explains in the book. The records on a criminal may include a conduct record (showing differences between the Assignment and the Probation periods), description list, indent, appropriation list, assignment list or muster roll and are the focus of the book. The transcription and analysis of each segment of the conduct records forms a major part of the book, explaining the many abbreviations and helping the researcher actually understand the details given. All of the numerous convict records are illustrated and explained.
The book concludes with a long list of abbreviations and commonly used terms, a good glossary and bibliography. A template is provided identifying all the pieces of information that may be found in the records, for those who want to have a database of information.
If you are lucky enough to have a Tasmanian convict then this resource will definitely help you appreciate the convict records all now available online.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.3, 2013
Australia’s Convict Past
† by Robert Coupe. Published by New Holland Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd, Unit 1/66 Gibbes St, Chatswood NSW 2067, Australia. <www.newholland.com.au>. 2002, reprinted 2012. Illustrations, index. Softcover. AUS$19.95On 26 January 1788, a fleet of eleven ships sailed into Port Jackson, Australia. Among the 1,500 people on board were about 750 British and Irish convicts, along with their Royal Marine guards. These were men and women who were being punished for their crimes by being sent as far away from their homes as it was possible to go.
The book charts the development of the convict era, from its beginning in the British Parliament, which was desperate to relieve its overcrowded jails through the establishment of settlements and penal colonies, after losing the American colonies as an outlet years earlier. A good part of the book focuses on the First Fleet, its politics, practicalities and people. The colony struggled, and things did not improve much with the arrival of more convicts on the Second Fleet and the New South Wales Corps formed especially to guard the convicts and to replace the original Royal Marine guards. Unfortunately the New South Wales Corps became a political entity unto itself, especially during the absence of a governor, and their leadership despised the convicts. There were more convicts in the Third Fleet, making the majority of the people in the colony convicts, or ex-convicts. Life for the convicts improved for a while during the period of Governor Macquarie, but political forces were working against him.
To secure more territory on the continent and to ensure that it would not be claimed by another sovereign nation, new penal colonies were started in Van Diemen’s Land (modern day Tasmania). Additional places such as Macquarie Harbor were set aside for convicts who committed additional offences while in the colonies, but these were so bad that prisoners would do anything, including commit murder (a hanging offence), in order to avoid being sent to Macquarie Harbor. Additional chapters address the women’s factories and the penal settlements in Western Australia.
Author Robert Coupe worked as a school teacher, and the book is designed for use in schools to explain this very important part of Australia’s history. The result is an excellent, easy to read, overview of Australia’s convict history. It is especially good for North American researchers who want to get a sense of the big picture and how important the convicts were in Australia’s history.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.3, 2013
Immigration Since 1788: The Making of Modern Australia
† by Victoria Macleay. Published by Trocadero Publishing, GPO Box 1546, Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia. <www.trocadero.com.au>. 2011. 48 pp. Illustrations (color +B&W), index. Softcover. AUS$19.95. Ebook AUS$29.95.I am interested in Australia’s immigration history because I have ancestral relatives who went to Tasmania in 1831 (convict); to Melbourne, Victoria in 1855 (just after the goldrush) and, from another line, in 1960.
Like in North America, everyone not belonging to the indigenous people is an immigrant or descended from immigrants. Thus the history of Australians is fairly recent, beginning with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1778.
The book briefly discusses the arrival of the early convicts but quickly moves on to the free settlers and the different schemes by which they were encouraged to travel to the other side of the world. In the early years few made the journey, especially during the Napoleonic War years. After the war a number of groups from Scotland made the trip; men of substance were encouraged to invest especially in sheep stations; the Wakefield scheme involving the sale and development of land in South Australia; and the government developed assistance schemes.
The numbers of emigrants changed with the gold rushes. It was during this same period in the 1850s that the anti-Chinese sentiments increased leading to taxes, fees and laws to discourage or stop their immigration. This was the beginning of the White Australia policies. With the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901, the first law passed was the Immigration Restriction Act closing Australia to anyone who was not European. This was not a popular law in Britain as it meant that all members of the British Empire were not regarded as equals. To get around this the government introduced the dictation test whereby any potential immigrant could be asked to write down or translate a list of 50 words given in any language. No one passed the test, and it was used to keep out Europeans as well as Asians.
The government’s emphasis until White Only policies ended in 1973 was on staying British. During the twentieth century there were numerous schemes to get more British to Australia, although other Europeans were being allowed in especially after WWII. Changing politics has meant that at times the Australian government has acted shamefully especially with regard to some highly publicized cases involving boat people seeking asylum.
This book, one in a timeline series by the publisher addressing different aspects of Australia’s history, provides an excellent chronological overview of Australia’s controversial and fascinating immigration history. It is designed for students, with lots of illustrations, short chapters and easy-to-read text. Yet it provides a comprehensive overview of the different phases of immigration. The publisher’s website for this book includes a nice listing of weblinks regarding immigration in Australia.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.3, 2013
Writing Interesting Family Histories
, 2nd edition† byCarol Baxter. Published by the author Carol Baxter, 10 Melaleuca Dr, St. Ives, NSW 2075, Australia. <www.carolbaxter.com>. 2010. Softcover. AUS$20.Carol Baxter is a history detective – genealogist following the clues found in original records to write exciting, interesting, and very readable history books published by mainline publishers. (More about these books can be found at her website). In this book she describes how to write books that people will actually want to read.
Ms. Baxter was a speaker with me on the recent Un Lock The Past genealogy cruise out of Sydney, where she gave a number of presentations on how to write interesting family histories. As I read this book I could hear her voice telling us what to do. The book opens with a great illustration taking an ancestor’s basic information typically found as it might be written in many genealogies and turning it around so you can imagine the ancestor describing the events of her life. The idea is to use one’s imagination, not to make it up but to do thorough research so that you can describe the events and emotions of your ancestors through their eyes.
Baxter then continues with chapters that get us thinking about what are the facts in a given situation, looking at things that we as researchers think of as sacrosanct – dates, the calendar, and names. She includes a good discussion about perspective and using sensory details to make the story come alive.
The goal is to write an interesting family history, so she lays out different ways of structuring a family history, how to get started, what to do with footnotes and or endnotes, and the need to site sources. The most emphatic part in the book is the push to get started – to actually start writing. Baxter points out that it is often in the writing that the research gaps will appear, and the direction of your story will become more apparent and will guide you.
Ms. Baxter is a good creative writer who knows her craft. Throughout the book she gives numerous examples contrasting boring and good writing styles. She explains simple ways in which you can improve your writing and make your stories interesting. She provides lots of good advice. If you are thinking of writing up some of the stories in your family history (and you should be or what is the point of your research?) this book will be worth reading and you will enjoy it as well.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.3, 2013
Tracing Your Lancashire Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
† by Sue Wilkes. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. US Distributor: Casemate Publishing, 1016 Warrior Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. <www.casemateathena.com>. 2012. xi, 210 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $19.95Lancashire is important because of its role in England’s industrial revolution, and that involvement does get addressed in this book. Over half of the book examines six different aspects of the county’s history and its people with a heavy emphasis on its social history and its records. The story focusses on six aspects: the origins of the county, religion (role of the church after the Reformation), rages to riches (agricultural economy developing through enclosure and the birth of the textile industry); transportation and the big heavy industries (turnpikes, coal mining, railways, canals, docks and shipping); the struggle for survival (rise and fall of labor power); and those who sacrificed their lives (wars and mining). For each of these historical divisions you read about the key people, the masses in general, how they lived, worked and died, all followed by a discussion of the records related to the specific topic. In the record discussion related county resources and reference materials are highlighted. The description may not always give you enough information to completely understand how to search and use the records, but you will know what records to look at. Interestingly the last chapter in this section addresses beginning your research and highlights in 20 pages what records most researchers will use, but identifies what is special about them for Lancashire research. For example, when discussing probate records you learn which archdeaconry or diocesan records to search based upon where you are in the county.
For this reviewer, one of the most important parts of the book is the short 3 page section – When is a county not a county? (p.120-123). Here the reader learns about the many boundary differences (historical and registration counties), changes to boundaries in 1898, 1972/4, 1986, 1998. Readers who had ancestors leaving the county before all these changes may think this does not matter but it is very important, because these boundary changes caused records to be split, moved and possibly relocated. This makes it harder for the researcher to know where to look to find the records of interest, and they may not even be in the county. Luckily, one of the major parts of the last section of the book entitled – Research Guide, identifies those repositories that have important Lancashire collections and what they are. This provides guidance on where to look. As with all reference books if you are going to make the trip to examine a set of records make sure they are still held by that repository, and that they will be available, as some are stored offsite and may take weeks to access. In the remainder of the Resource Guide section you will find helpful information on: archives; libraries; websites – including an analysis of what the major commercial websites provide; military; and places to visit. The book concludes with a select bibliography of both contemporary and modern resources, but care is needed as numerous books mentioned within the body of the book are not included in the bibliography.
This book is an essential companion if you have Lancashire ancestors, identifying what records to look at, why, what indexes may exist and where they will be located. It also puts your Lancashire ancestors into social context.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.4, 2013
The Scots: A Photohistory
† by Murray MacKinnon and Richard Oram. Published by Thames & Hudson, 500 Fifth Ave., New York NY 10110. <www.thamesandhudsonusa.com>. 2003 hbk, 2012 sbk. 224 pp. Illustrations, index. Hbk $40, Sbk $21.95If you have ancestors living in Scotland after the invention of photography in 1839 you will like this book. The introduction to the book creates the big picture highlighting the major events in Scotland during the nineteenth century: repression, clearance and revival in Gaelic speaking areas; highland life and the 1886 Crofters Act; the rise and decline of industrialization and urbanization in the Lowlands; issues within the church with schism and revival to irrelevance; shifting politics from conservatism, to liberal and radical.
The following chapters portray: people; places, coastal and rural life; work and industry; transport; sport and leisure. The majority of the images are sepia-toned albumin prints, but most 19th century types of images are included. The images selected are the best of the best in terms of clarity, composition and quality.
It was for the abundant excellent images and good captions that I purchased this book. The surprise was the quality and clarity of the accompanying text. The authors do an excellent job of describing how and in what ways life was changing in Scotland. The authors show the interconnectedness between events and the ripple effects of changes in society. One example is the 1843 Disruption of the Church of Scotland destroying the seamless join between Church and State; resulting by 1845 in new parochial boards being created to administer poor relief and by1861 the Church losing its legal powers over schools.
This book is a pleasure to read and to look at. It is highly recommended if you have Scottish ancestry from the 1830s up through the end of WWI.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.4, 2013
A Tour of the English Lakes with Thomas Gray & Joseph Farrington RA
† by John R. Murray. Published by Frances Lincoln Ltd, 4 Torriano Mews, Torriano Avenue, London NW5 2RZ, England. <www.franceslincoln.com>. 2011. 159 pp. Illustrations. Hardcover. £25 or $45.Thomas Gray has almost been forgotten except perhaps for this Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. Yet, his journal is regarded by many as the first example of modern travel writing. His journal covers a number of journeys, but in 1769 he travelled through the English Lakes, now known at the Lake District. The journey reported here is a transcription of the journal but also an account from four letters to a friend Dr. Thomas Wharton, which was needed to fill in a gap in the journey. The journey took fifteen days, and covers 17 pages of the book. It is an excellent portrayal of travel in this time period and is relatively easy to picture if you are familiar with the area. The book includes sample pages from the manuscript showing tight clear writing and detailed sketches.
A few years later, the artist Joseph Farrington made a similar tour following in Gray’s footsteps, painting what he saw along the way. These paintings included water colors and ink-and-wash (sepia) sketches. A number of these plus engravings of these scenes were published in 1789 and 1816. For this volume those paintings relating closely to Gray’s journey have been selected to create a visual tour of the Lakes. They are arranged by locality showing different scenes around the Lakes: Ullswater (6); Derwentwater (9); Bassenthwaite (1); Thirlmere (2); Grasmere and Rydal Water (5); Windermere (6); plus some supplemental drawings. The location of each viewpoint is indicated on maps reproduced from Peter Crosthwaite’s Maps of the Lake District, originally published in 1794. For each of the localities chosen there is usually a two page spread showing the watercolor, engraving and a modern photograph from as near to the painters viewpoint as possible, plus explanatory text or a descriptive quote that accompanied the 1816 publication of the images. Many of the photographs are spot on with little changed in the scene, though a number of the photographs needed to be taken from slightly higher elevations because of modern tree growth.
For anyone with ancestors in the Lake District who wants to get a feel for what the countryside was like before the roads developed, or the tourists arrived, or for ancestors who made the tour to the Lakes, then this beautifully illustrated book will help put them into context. The book also provides a good bibliography on the early history; the artists, writers and tourists who travelled in the area.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.4, 2013
Scots Episcopalians at Home and Abroad 1689-1800
† by David Dobson. Published by Clearfield Publishing Co. , 200 E. Eager St., Baltimore, MD 21202 <www.genealogical.com>. 2011. vii, 160 pp. Softcover. $21.The books introduction briefly explains the formation of the Episcopal Church in Scotland. When in 1688 King William of Orange and Queen Mary came to the throne they were faced with the fact that most of the bishops in Scotland had sworn allegiance to the exiled King James VII of Scotland. To deal with the problem he decided that henceforth the Church of Scotland would be Presbyterian. The Episcopacy was thus disestablished. At the time Dobson suggests that approximately one quarter of Scotland’s people were Episcopalian, with the majority being north of the River Tay and in certain parts of the Highlands. During the eighteenth century there were a number of laws to prevent the ministers preaching to groups larger than nine. They were supporters of the exiled Stuarts, supporting the risings in 1715 and 1745, with many Episcopalian churches being destroyed during the following retributions. Even stricter penal laws followed not allowing Episcopalians to hold office, go to university or college. Some Episcopalians chose to emigrate, especially the clergy; some were transported as Jacobite prisoners of war to work in the plantations; some left for Europe and the colonies.
In 1788, after the death of Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Scottish bishops agreed to pray for King George III, resulting in the penal laws being removed in 1792. But by then the church had been greatly reduced in numbers. All this persecution makes the survival of records scanty and the original manuscripts can be highly scattered. To address this situation Mr. Dobson has scoured 61 different manuscripts and published sources extracting named Episcopalians during the period 1689-1800 in both Scotland and North America.
A typical entry reads:
Gall, John, of Kinloch, married Mary Graeme, relict of Adam Mercer a writer in Edinburgh, in Fowlis’s Close, Edinburgh, 26 April 1744 [DUAS: BrMS3/Dc/12].
This example illustrates both the strength and weakness of the book. The book identifies a specific person, and they are all listed in alphabetical order so they are easy to locate and it provides a specific source for the record so you can examine the original. It also highlights the weakness in that the people inside the entries e.g. spouse, parents, in-laws, witnesses, etc. rarely have entries of their own and there is no separate index to be able to locate them. This is a book with lots of names marred by the lack of a complete index.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.4, 2013
My Ancestor was a Mormon: A Guide to Sources for Family Historians
† by Ian Waller. Published by the Society of Genealogists, 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA, UK. <www.sog.org.uk/>. 2011. vi, 282 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £9.99.This book caught me by surprise; I liked it, and learned a lot in the process. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons and/or LDS) is thought of now as an American Church beginning in 1830, and it is, but its growth and success in the early years was due to the British (and to some extent the Scandinavians) in their new quest for a “living” religion. It was the British church members who emigrated, almost en-masse enabling the church to become established in Salt Lake City. Most of the early pioneers who suffered persecution and hardship for the sake of their new religion were British.
This book focusses on finding Mormon ancestors originating in the United Kingdom and Europe. The book does a great job of putting the church and its members into historical context. It starts by describing the beginnings of the Church in the British Isles, highlighting the early missionaries, the communities they went to and describing who typically joined the church. The following three chapters describe the emigration process, the overland journey and the colonization process in Utah and surrounding states. I thought I knew this story (even though I am not Mormon) but I was still surprised by how organized the process was at every step of the journey, and how people always moved in groups. Readers will learn about the: Perpetual Emigration Fund; the emigration ships (all identified by name, date and place of departure, date and place of arrival, and who the group leader was); Nauvoo Legion and the Mormon War; Mormon Battalion; Handcart Companies; migration patterns; settlement in the State of Deseret (later Utah Territory). An additional chapter addresses the church growth, decline (due to emigration), and growth again of the church in the British Isles and Europe.
Throughout the historical chapters sources are identified and are especially good for anyone doing Utah research. But there is a separate chapter identifying the many sources to be used to trace your Mormon ancestors focusing on records produced by and for members of the church, either at the time or later when members were tracing their own ancestors. There are lots of records to examine here, their contents, strengths, weaknesses and differences are all explained and illustrated.
The appendices: identify the films for Church membership rolls within the British Isles, giving location and period of coverage; give a case study on how to locate a conference; explain how to use the Early Church File; identify the Family History Centers in the British Isles as of November 2011. The book has multiple indexes by subject, sources and repositories, places, ships, and names.
This is a good book on how to trace Mormon ancestors and put them into historical context.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.5, 2013
The Wills of Our Ancestors: A Guide for Family and Local Historians
† by Stuart A. Raymond. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. US Distributor: Casemate Publishing, 1016 Warrior Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. <www.casemateathena.com/>. 2012. xviii, 199 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $24.95.Almost every book on English research highlights the need to examine the wills of our ancestors, but the devil is in understanding the details and there are lots of them. Raymond gives us an easy to read detailed guide to understanding and using the wills and associated records of our ancestors.
This book focuses primarily on English and Welsh probate records from the medieval period through to 1857, although the post 1857 wills, along with the parts of the British Isles are discussed, but in less detail. The book’s introduction discusses the value of probate records, what has survived, their origins (separate meaning of will and testament and how they got combined after 1540), probate law, along with their limitations and biases, plus a community case study. That is all in the introduction.
There are separate chapters addressing: who could make wills and why they made them; the probate process; what is likely to be found in the will (and why it needs to be treated with care); the contents, value and limitations of inventories; other probate records (litigations, act books, commissions, administration bonds, probate accounts); plus where and how to find the probate records. The book continues but with less detail on the post 1857 wills, and probate records from around the rest of the British Isles. There are a number of other groups of records outside the church and civil courts that contain probate materials and these are each addressed giving the researchers alternative sources.
There is an excellent further reading section that provides an annotated bibliography of books about the probate process, records, and guidebooks but also identifies published collections of probate records arranged by counties and specific locations within the counties. The problem is the listing is not complete and you might not know that unless you read everything because in the annotated section for the book by Gibson and Churchill it states – “This volume also lists numerous indexes, both published and unpublished, which are therefore not listed in the present volume” (p.109), although some of the publications in Gibson and Churchill are included here.
The appendices include: summary lists of pre-1858 probate courts, arranged by county, which can be complicated and the author makes no claim for total accuracy; guidance of where to find assistance with handwriting and Latin; a glossary of terms found in probate records; Latin glossary; and a very useful listing of legislation affecting probate.
Pen and Sword have hit another home run with another great addition to their family history series. This book will be of value both to the beginner and the more experienced researcher.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.5, 2013
A Decent, Regular and Orderly State? Parochial Visitations of the Archdeaconries of York and the East Riding 1720-1730
† by Philippa M. Hoskin. Published by the Borthwick Institute for Archives, Texts and Studies Series 40, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK. <www.york.ac.uk/library/borthwick/>. 2010. xxxv, 296 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. £30.Archdeacons were responsible for the care of parish churches, chancels, parsonages and all other ecclesiastical structures within their jurisdiction. This included the care of the fabric (church structure itself), ornaments and utensils of the church. This had been a responsibility since at least the thirteenth century.
In the eighteenth century the archdeacon was expected to inspect the fabric of the parish churches in his care on a three-year cycle. This was in addition to his annual general visitations in the spring to install new churchwardens, and to receive presentments of problems from the old churchwardens; and the fall visitations when the visitation courts were held addressing offenses reported through the presentments. This book deals solely with the archdeacons’ work of caring for the church fabric and its contents.
Given the geographic size of the archdeaconries of York and the East Riding of Yorkshire the two archdeacons involved did not manage to visit every location within the three-year cycle. Nor would every church be included anyways because there are a number of peculiars in the area which fall outside the jurisdiction of the archdeacons. In spite of this 137 parishes were visited in the archdeaconry of York and another 171 parishes in the East Riding. A map would have helped to clarify which areas were and were not included. However, for those churches within the jurisdictions these records provide a great description of their state of repair, contents and what was changing. Many churches were in need of much repair, some at the point of collapsing.
The introduction needs to be read to understand the people involved, the process, and especially what was and was not likely to be included in the reports. For example, repair work in process is unlikely to be mentioned, but the orders to do additional work will be, along with the timeline by which it has to be completed.
The records transcribed are in the order the parishes were visited, firstly for York then the East Riding. The opening statement for each setting the context for the visit, such as: date, place, who was present (clerk, churchwardens, etc.) is in italics and is a translation from the original Latin. The description continues with what is being decreed, such as: repairing or replacing the roof; clearing rubbish or weeds from the outside of the church; removing all or part of screen between the chancel and nave; leveling the floor; replacing the pews, etc. This is followed by an inventory identifying all books, vestments, and vessels belonging to the church. There are a number of eighteenth century plates in the book showing churches that no longer exist, which is a nice addition. For each of the over 300 parishes the report identifies the clerk (vicar, rector, or curate) who served the church, along with the name of generally two churchwardens, so a researcher might be lucky enough to find an ancestor mentioned. More importantly though this book will add context to what the church was like and contained when your ancestor was there in early eighteenth century Yorkshire. The people and places are fully indexed.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.5, 2013
British Battleships of World War One
, New Revised Edition† by R. A. Burt. Published by Naval Institute Press, 291 Wood Road, Annapolis MD 21402. <www.nip.org/>. 2012. 352 pp. Illustrations, index. Hardcover. $79.95.With the upcoming centenary of the start of World War One it is very fitting that this 1986 classic should be revised, updated and released to a new generation of researchers.
This book’s introduction provides an overview of the key points involved in battleship design and operation of the period building up to and through the war. The focus here begins with the 1905 building of the Dreadnought. It then continues chronologically focusing on the ships and the ship classes, including: Invincible; Bellerophon, St. Vincent, Indefatigable, Neptune, Colossus, Orion, Lion, Queen Mary, King George V, Iron Duke, Tiger, Erin; Canada, Agincourt, Queen Elizabeth,Royal Sovereign, Renown and Repulse, Courageous, Glorious and Furious. For the classes in this list there are multiple ships addressed, so the book does cover all the battleships serving in the Royal Navy during the war. Each class of ship has sections addressing: design; armament; armor; machinery; and appearance changes. For the family history an important feature is that each chapter closes with a detailed operational history of every ship in that class from being built to battle actions, collisions, sinking or broken up often after the war.
Each chapter is lavishly illustrated with high quality black and white photographs of every ship, showing perspective and details. There are also numerous line drawings showing: deck plans indicating placement and movement range of the guns; bow-to-stern cross sections indicating the placement and layout of major machinery; plus cross sectional slices, showing the shape of the hull, placement and thickness of armor plating.
The book provides all the details you would want to know about a British battleship of the period, and what distinguishes it from the ships of the preceding and following years. Numerous comparisons are also made with the German battleships of the period.
If you have an ancestor serving in the British Royal Navy during World War One on a battleship then this is the reference work to put his career and ship into perspective.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.5, 2013
Discover Scottish Civil Registration Records
† by Chris Paton. Published by Unlock the Past, P.O. Box 119, St. Agnes SA 5097, Australia. <www.unlockthepast.com.au/>. 2013. 52 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. AUD $17. Available as an e-book at <www.gen-ebooks.com>. AUD $7.95.If you have literally any questions about the civil registration process in Scotland, then this book will probably have the answer. The book is well researched and thorough. It has been over a decade since I wrote about this subject in detail in my own book on Scottish research and I kept thinking as I read this – did I mention that, and in most cases the answer was yes for we had in fact used the same legal guide by Bisset-Smith for the details we wanted. This book is a lot simpler to read than the legal guide and gives the details you need to understand the process.
The book is divided into two parts. The first, much larger section, addresses civil registration in Scotland, while the second part explains registration in the other parts of the British Isles. For Scotland, the book explains how the process got established in 1855 (for comparison England started in 1837); it explains the registration processes and how they changed over the years for births, marriages and deaths. You might say that most books on Scottish research provide this information and my clear response is – not at this level of detail. For example, it explains who the preferred candidates were for registering a birth, who was responsible, how long they had to do it, and what the consequences were (legal and financial) if they did not do it in time. It explains how the rules changed when the child is illegitimate, even if the parents later married. The devil can be in the details and all the answers to these questions are different from the rules and procedures in the rest of the British Isles, so you can’t come to Scotland with experience from elsewhere and apply them here for they are not same.
In the marriage section there is a clear discussion on what the difference is between a regular and irregular marriage and the effect on registration. It also explains how and why things changed with the introduction of civil marriage and same sex marriages.
For each of the birth, marriage and death sections it also addresses the minor records that are applicable to Scotland, which are much more readily accessible now, such as: foreign returns; consular returns; foreign registers; events at sea or in the air; military returns, etc. One unusual, but helpful addition is a section on vaccination records, how to locate them, and especially what happened when parents did not follow through with the compulsory vaccination.
The book acknowledges the use of ScotlandsPeople to access the records but does not go into depth on how to do so, as there is another book by this publisher on how to us ScotlandsPeople. This book does include information on how the records might be accessed, for specific time periods, on other websites such as FamilySearch.
There is a section addressing the principals of civil registration in: England and Wales; British overseas and military records; Ireland; and Crown dependencies. This section does not go into as much depth and the author is not on as firm a ground as he is with Scottish records, omitting how many days the parents had to register a birth, and the effect this has on index searching; or how a burial can occur when a death certificate is not issued. These weaknesses in the English section do not detract from the book overall for the focus is on the Scottish records. The book is current and hot off the press for it mentions the 17 July 2013 formal royal assent of the Marriage (Same Sex) Couples Act of 2013.
This highly recommended slim guide to Scotland’s civil registration records is packed full of the details that genealogists love. It will help you understand the rules and processes by which your ancestors registered the key events in their lives.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.6, 2013
River Derwent: From Sea to Source
† by H.C. Ivison. Published by Amberley Publishing, The Hill, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 4EP, England. <www.amberley-books.com>. 2013. 96 pp. Illustrations. Softcover. £14.99.The name Derwent means “river of oaks,” and thus there are numerous River Derwent’s. This River Derwent in Cumbria, begins in Esk Hause above Borrowdale, divides around Seathwaite Fell to converge in upper Borrowdale, then, all the while gathering tributaries, tumbles down the valley to its named lake, Derwentwater. The river moves on to Bassenthwaite Lake, before leaving as a fully formed river snaking and racing its way to the sea, all the way gathering speed and power to become one of the fastest rivers in Europe. The Derwent is a spate river, falling some 2,500 feet and travelling around 25 miles, from source to sea.
The book gives an overview of the river itself and then takes the reader on a journey from the river mouth at Workington on the Cumbria coast and moves inland. The biggest chapter focusses on the river mouth and Workington, moving upstream through Barepot, Camerton and Clifton to the junction with the Marron River. Succeeding chapters cover: Marron Junction to New Bridge; Cockermouth to Bassenthwaite; Bassenthwaite Lake; Derwentwater to Borrowdale; and Borrowdale.
Along the way you learn the stories connected with: important saints (especially St. Cuthbert and St. Herbert); Viking swords and Roman forts; local industries - early iron blast furnaces, mining, pencil manufacturing and brewing; smuggling; famous people with local connections, like Mary Queen of Scots and William Wordsworth; the local mountains – Skiddaw, Latrigg, Ullock Pike. In the process you learn what has made this part of the country such a significant area for tourism and wildlife, with the reintroduction of nesting ospreys.
When reading this book I had two perspectives in mind. Firstly, would the outsider or person researching this area from afar benefit from this reading this book? The answer was a clear yes. Secondly would a person familiar with the river, its environs and its history benefit from reading the book? Again the answer was affirmative. Ms. Ivison, lives in the area, knows or has researched the history of the area. She knows where the stories and legends vary or are ambiguous, she knows what can and cannot be documented, or has seen the physical evidence herself. She is methodical in her journey and takes us along with her easily. The color photographs supplement the text nicely and do not dominate the book.
I read this book after I returned from the area. I wish I had read it before going. I would have stopped to visit the Norman Church and Hall at Isel, or the three decker pulpit at Camerton Church. Many of the other places in the book I have and did visit but I was not familiar with these and being unaware of them drove right by them. They give me something to see on the next trip to the area.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.6, 2013
The Irish: A Photohistory 1840-1940
† by Sean Sexton and Christine Kinealy. Published by Thames & Hudson, 500 Fifth Ave., New York NY 10110. <www.thamesandhudsonusa.com>. 2002 Hardback $40, 2013 Softcover $21.95. 224 pp. Illustrations, index.The introduction to the book points out that “photographs remain an undervalued and underused source by those who are interested in Ireland’s past. Too often they are treated as appendages to the written word rather than as pieces of evidence in their own right. Yet photographs provide a contemporary record which can complement and expand upon other sources, both written and oral. They can challenge or confirm our perceptions of Ireland between 1840 and 1940 by providing fuller and more nuanced information than many written records.” (pp.22-23).
The 271 photographs used here are all high quality and clear, the best of the best. They all have clear extensive captions. Accompanying the photographs is clear text placing them into a descriptive historical context, which is in many ways a good summary of the major developments and changes occurring in nineteenth and early twentieth century Ireland. The book, after the introduction, is divided into four chapters: land, landlords and the big house (Anglo-Irish landowners, the Quarter Acre Clause, Congested Districts Board, Land Commission); poverty, famine and eviction (lack of famine photographic documentation, but strong eviction evidence and why, occupations); from union to partition (role or Irish in military, Home Rule Bill, Government of Ireland Act, Irish Constitution); towards a modern Ireland (effect of Union, development especially of Dublin and Belfast, rise and fall of major industries).
This book is a fascinating read on modern Irish history, and with the photographs and their captions it is easy to dip into and explore. The reader gets a much better image of what Ireland looked like during the period than could be obtained from just reading about it.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.6, 2013
A History of Yorkshire
, Revised Edition† by David Hey. Published by Carnegie Publishing Ltd., Chatsworth Road, Lancaster LA1 4SL, UK. <www.carnegiepublishing.com/>. 2005, revised edition 2011. vii, 472 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. Price varies on where purchased.If you have Yorkshire ancestors and want to put them into a localized context you will love this detailed and well-illustrated history of the Yorkshire. David Hey is Emeritus Professor of Local and Family History at the University of Sheffield. He is a prolific author, and his earlier Journeys in Family History: The National Archives Guide to Exploring Your Past is reviewed in v.12, no. 4, 2005, and How Our Ancestors Lived: A History of Life a Hundred Years Ago is reviewed in v. 10, no. 1, 2003 issues of the BIGWILL newsletters and available online at <sites.rootsweb.com/~wiilbig/>.
He is a native of Yorkshire, with ancestors from all three ridings, and knows every part of Yorkshire “on the ground,” sometimes as a tourist, but usually as a determined investigator of the county’s history. He acknowledges that his early interests were in the early modern period and the origins of the industrial revolution, so it was relatively easy for him to move forward into the modern period and back into the Middle Ages. He claims no expertise in prehistory, but in his retirement has developed a great interest in the period and has travelled extensively to visit sites.
The historic county of Yorkshire was by far the largest county in England, covering about one eighth of the whole county, until it was dismantled into five parts in 1974. The county itself appears to have been created in the late tenth or early eleventh century, about the same time as the other Danelaw counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. The earliest surviving reference to the county is from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1065.
The book chapters divide history into ten time periods: prehistory and the Roman Empire; Britons, Angles and Vikings; the Normans; growth and disaster, 1200-1400; late middle ages; from Reformation to Civil War, 1550-1660; towards an industrial society, 1660-1780; spectacular growth of industry, 1780-1850; workshop of the world, 1850-1914; First World War to the present. As the chapter titles suggest there is a strong emphasis on the changes brought on by the industrial growth within the county. Within each chapter there are up to ten sub themes, some of which occur frequently and will be of special interest to family historians, such as: towns; countryside; farming; the poor; housing; religion, churches and chapels. Unless you already know the county well you will probably find yourself reaching for the atlas, as I did, so that you can find places like the Humberhead Levels, upper Calderdale, the Vale of Pickering, and many other towns and valleys mentioned in the text.
The book itself is lavishly illustrated, most in color, and with long detailed captions, so you can learn a great deal just from reading the captions, and it makes it easy to dip into the book. This book is not a light read, but well worth the effort if you have ancestors from or have an interest in the history of Yorkshire.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.20 no.6, 2013
Marriage Law and Practice in the Long Eighteenth Century: A Reassessment
† by Rebecca Probert. Published by Cambridge University Press, The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK. <www.cambridge.org/>. 2009. xii, 358 pp. Index. Hardcover. $113.This book radically changes our understanding of English marriage law, destroying most of what has been taught by historians and genealogists regarding marriage law in the past. This book is one volume in a series entitled Cambridge Studies in English Legal History and is therefore not a light read, but is certainly worth the effort. If you want an overview of Ms. Proberts’ arguments then read her Marriage Law for Genealogists: The Definitive Guide that I reviewed in the Jan/Feb 2013 issue of BIGWILL News. If you want more details including the specifics on the case law read this volume.
Ms. Probert is a genealogist and Professor of Family Law at Warwick University and a leading authority of the history of marriage laws of England and Wales and it clearly shows here. Her arguments in this book for her case are through and backed up by legal, historical and genealogical research which makes the book fascinating to read.
A very strong case is made that the 1753 Lord Hardwicke’s Act did not constitute a radical break with the past, but rather it was a transition from canon law to English law. In many ways the new Act focused on enforcing what was already supposed to be happening and as the formal title suggests “Act for Preventing Clandestine Marriages” it was primarily aimed at one particular practice – ending Clandestine Marriages.
The book focusses on the decades before and after the Act and how the contemporary people, church and legal establishment viewed marriage. It is vitally important to use contemporary sources for it is the legal establishments in both England and America that have really muddied the waters and led many historians astray.
The book examines in detail the misunderstandings around contract per verba de praesenti, clearly defining in the process what constituted a marriage in the eyes of the church and the law. It addresses other perceived marriage practices, tracing the origins of each into the historical literature and destroying each along the way. Ms. Probert moves on to explain what a clandestine marriage is and why it was such a problem for the establishment and for the people involved. Once defined, the book looks at the passage of the Act, what the law said and what effect it had on practice. Examined are the terms of the Act; contracts to be unenforceable; preliminaries to the marriage; parental control; the ceremony; registration; penalties; exemptions. It would have been a nice addition if a full copy of the Act had been included in the book.
The book concludes by examining the success of the Act, how it was interpreted afterwards by the judicial system and what the response was at the time by the non-Anglicans.
For the genealogist three sets of records are used to support her case regarding marriage practices: specific cohorts of couples drawn from baptismal registers in a variety of locations around England and Wales; settlement examinations (Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire); and a rare parish listing (1782 Cardington, Bedfordshire).
The book is heavily footnoted throughout citing numerous legal, historical, genealogical and social texts and studies. These provide lots of alternative viewpoints. However, this reviewer thinks the arguments have been made soundly, are strongly supported, and all genealogists should rethink what they have been taught about English marriage laws and practices in the eighteenth century. This is a good read.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.21 no.1, 2014
Genealogy: Essential Research Methods
† by Helen Osborn. Published by Robert Hale, Clerkenwell House, Clerkenwell Green, London EC1R 0HT, UK. <www.halebooks.com/>. 2012. 272 pp. Hardcover. £14.99.Finally, here is a research methodology book written from a British perspective. Yes, there have been a few in the distant past but this one is the first to appear in many years and it is catching up with genealogical scholarship. The book openly acknowledges that in the British Isles the emphasis is on explaining and describing the records, not how to pull everything together is one tight thoroughly researched process.
The book provides advice and inspiration on methods and problem solving skills to help the family historian understand what successful professionals do to get results and why they should be copied. The book is divided into ten chapters: (1) provides an overview of the common challenges we all encounter; (2) explores the search process and examines what an effective search actually consists of; (3) and (4) look at how you can go about finding the right source and start to understand their context; (5) asks you to consider whether someone else has already solved your problem for you, and where you can look to find out; (6) shows you how to analyze a document to make sure you really are making the most of your sources once you find them; (7) looks at problem-solving using analysis and a research plan; (8) is about recording your information correctly; (9) is all about organization and presenting your results; (10) discusses the important question of how to prove family connections by using good proof standards in your research.
The book does an excellent job of getting the reader to think about what the research process is and how it can be improved and understood better to get good results.
I liked the book, it gets the reader thinking about how to improve what they do, but in some ways it lets the researcher off the hook. Let me explain. The one part of the book I found myself reacting negatively to deals with documentation and citing sources. Ms. Osborn gives three examples of the same family group sheet: undocumented; documented; and what she calls “hyper-documented.” The implication to the beginner by the choice of these titles is that the documented is satisfactory, when in reality it is not. The so called hyper-documented is what would be regarded as well or properly documented and would leave a good trail for researchers to follow. The text suggests the hyper-documentation is an extra step encouraged for those planning to publish, not a standard to be encouraged for all good researchers.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.21 no.1, 2014
Tracing Your West Country Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians
† by Kirsty Gray. Published by Pen & Sword Family History, 47 Church Street, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S70 2AS, UK. US Distributor: Casemate Publishing, 1016 Warrior Road, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. <www.casemateathena.com/>. 2013. viii, 179 pp. Illustrations, index. Softcover. $29.95.The West Country of England is defined as the region of south-west England between the Bristol Channel and the English Channel. As with many regions the boundaries are not specific but for this guide book it encompasses the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and the City of Bristol. The early chapters introduce the reader to the region, its counties, cities, towns and villages, followed by an analysis of population growth within the counties.
The following four chapters examine specific aspects of life within the counties, covering: travel and transport (turnpikes, railways, inland waterways); local government; army and navy history; and occupations (primarily seafaring, agriculture, and mining). The remaining chapters cover the record groups that are typically examined by family researchers: parish registers; nonconformity; education; rich and poor (parish chest, probate, newspapers, etc); and migration. The reality is that all these records and the working lives of our ancestors all form part of a documentary trail, just that some are easier to find and follow than others.
When reading a regional specific guide like this I am looking for the regional specific details that I will not find in the general national research publications. There are parts of the book where that regional emphasis is clearly stated as in sections for: parish record transcripts; non-conformists, etc. But in other places I found myself wanting more references. What is most frustrating is that I know of excellent resources in print and online that did not get mentioned. For example: Devon, an important classic history of the county by W.G.Hoskins; A Handbook of Devon Parishes – A Complete Guide for Local and Family Historians, by Helen Harris; Allen Buckley’s The Story of Mining in Cornwall; or a copy of Bibliography of the History of British Metal Mining by R. Burt and P Waite, available online, along with updates on the Mining History Network <http://projects.exeter.ac.uk/mhn/new/bibtoc.html> with a section specifically for Cornwall, Devon and Somerset; or mention of the excellent publications of the Devon and Cornwall Record Society, such as the Exeter Militia List 1803 by W. G. Hoskins, or Exeter Freemen 1266-1967 by Margery Rowe and Andrew M. Jackson. I have these resources and many more in my own collection and don’t even have any ancestors in the area.
Overall, I liked the book and it is a good starting point for someone new to researching in the region. However, as an outsider to the area I want a regional guide that is going to point me in the direction of more resources unique or specific to the area, similar to some of the other regional volumes in this series, and in that respect I was left wanting more.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.21 no.1, 2014
Evacuees: Growing up in Wartime Britain
† by Geoffrey Lee Williams. Published by Amberley Publishing, The Hill, Strood, Gloucestershire GL5 4EP, UK. <www.amberleybooks.com/>. 2011, reprinted 2013. 158 pp. Softcover. £9.99.My mother was an evacuee during World War II so I was very interested in reading this book and potentially learning more about her experience, or the experience of others in a similar situation. This is the story of the author, and his twin brother Alan Williams, who at the age of nine felt ready for the war, but certainly not its consequences. The government had long planned the mass evacuation of children, under the code-name ‘Pied Piper,’ but the details were kept secret from local authorities and the population at large. Geoffrey and Alan were among the first wave of millions of women and children who left the cities between September 1 and September 3, before war was officially declared. It was to be the first of four evacuations for the boys.
Geoffrey and Alan were first evacuated to Hartley in Kent, but after a brief stay returned to London for the ‘Phoney war’; evacuation again to Rosylin in Scotland after the start of the Battle of Britain; a return to London where substantial damage to houses on their street resulted in another evacuation to Teignmouth in Devon; a return to London to join the Army Cadets and later the Air Cadets, with a training stint at the Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm station at Henstrich in Somerset; after another return to London the boys were evacuated to Nottingham when the Doodlebug attacks started. It is an interesting reminder that some of these moves were with or to a family, but at other times the boys traveled on their own and were living with strangers while evacuees.
The book is written from the perspective of two men in their 80s rather than from contemporary diaries of two teenage boys. That shows in the thoughts and ideas expressed about the war, obviously looking back reflecting upon the past. However, the writing style still carries a sense of immediacy in the stories shared – with a friend shooting out the lights of a neighbor’s house who chose to ignore the blackout during bombing raids – an attack on the schoolmaster at Teignmouth Grammar School that almost caused a riot – an appreciation of the simple things in life such as a slice of bread as a result of rationing; and many more stories.
The book is an enjoyable easy read about the experience of two evacuees during the war. It puts the boys and other evacuees into context during the back and forth nature of the war. For these boys the war involved return trips home to live; for my mother it did not, but it did for her siblings. So the experience of child evacuees varied tremendously, but this book does shed light on that experience.
Reviewed by Paul Milner
BIGWILL v.21 no.1, 2014
Links to reviews of books and CD-ROMs on British Isles genealogy which have appeared elsewhere on “the web.”
Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry (3rd ed.), by Kathleen B. Cory (revised and updated by Leslie Hodgson) (reviewed in the 17 May 2004 issue of Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter)
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