The British public's hunger to find their ancestors continues, and this unrivalled guide offers one of the best ways to explore the holdings of the National Archives at Kew and the Family Records Centre at Islington.
Aimed at researchers on all levels from family historians to academics, 'Tracing Your Ancestors' fully explains the institution, the records, and how to use them most effectively.
This seventh edition - the first since the Public Record Office became the National Archives - is fully revised and expanded, and offers even better reference than before, including:
Updates throughout on topics including the census and records of inheritance, births, marriages and deaths of Britons overseas, immigration, the army, merchant seamen, the poor, crime, justice and more ...
A new text showing how each record can be accessed, whether online, as documents or microfilm etc.
An additional chapter on accessing other archives
Past lives hold an enduring fascination, so let this book take you through the holdings of the National Archives - from cutting edge technology to the oldest manuscripts, 'Tracing Your Ancestors' is the research bible for all researching in the UK.
Contents:
Foreword
Acknowledgements
1. Getting the best results: the website and beyond
2. The National Archives and the Family Records Centre
3. Censuses of England, Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands 1801-1901
4. Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths from 1st July 1837
5. Religious registrations of births, marriages and deaths before 1st July 1837
6. Illegitimacy, foundlings, divorce and burial
7. Births, marriages and deaths at sea
8. Births, marriages and deaths of Britons overseas or in the armed services
9. Inheritance: general advice on wills and probate
10. Inheritance: wills and probate records at the National Archives
11. Medieval and early modern sources for family history
12. Welsh family history
13. Scottish family history
14. Irish family history
15. Isle of Man family history
16. Channel Islands family history
17. Britons around the world
18. Emigration
19. Immigrants and nationality
20. Signatures: oaths of allegiance, loyal addresses and petitions
21. Electoral registration
22. Changes of name
23. The Army: an overview
24. Army: sources for family history
25. Army: service records before 1914
26. Army: service records, from 1914 onwards
27. Army: linked services
28. The Royal Navy
29. The Royal Marines
30. The Royal Air Force and earlier services
31. Prisoners of war and internees
32. Preventive services and the Coastguard
33. Police forces
34. In the service of the Crown
35. Merchant seamen
36. Railway workers
37. Apprentices
38. Lawyers
39. Education
40. Hospitals and the medical professions
41. Poor Laws and friendly societies
42. Lunacy
43. Churches and chapels
44. Jews
45. Blacks and Asians
46. Coroners' inquests
47. Prisoners and convicts
48. Criminal trials
49. Manors, crown lands and wardship
50. Land transfer
51. Surveys of land and house ownership and tenancy
52. Taxation
53. Tontines and annuity records
54. Business records
55. Insolvent debtors and bankrupts
56. Civil litigation: an introduction to the legal system
57. Civil litigation: the central common law courts
58. Civil litigation: Chancery proceedings
59. Civil litigation: Exchequer equity proceedings
60. Civil litigation. Courts of Star Chamber, Requests, Augmentations, Wards and palatine equity
61. Civil litigation: Admiralty, Delegates and Privy Council appeals
62. Useful addresses
Series index
Index
Finding your detailed document references
Reviews:
'excellent ... deserves to be on the shelf of any family historian' - Family History Monthly
Since the first edition was published in 1981, 'Tracing Your Ancestors' has established itself as the essential guide to the gendealogical holdings of The National Archives and its predecessors. ... Beacuse this seventh edition has been almost completely rewritten and revised, I'm afraid that it makes previous editions obsolete, so you really are going to have to buy this latest version.' - Simon Fowler, Ancestors, July 2006
