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From trailblazing women's history to unexpected ancestry discoveries, understand the past, one family story at a time.
Although family history is deeply personal to each of us, it's also a valued form of historical research. Together, we're illuminating the forgotten stories of the past, connecting with our ancestors and the world in which they lived.We're passionate about supporting research in all of its forms, which is why we've partnered with the Women's Prize Trust to sponsor the new prize for female writers of non-fiction. You can read more about this exciting partnership here. Of course, non-fiction…
A breakthrough event in more ways than one, the Queen's coronation on 2 June 1953 was watched live by an estimated 18 million people across the country. She was on the throne for 70 years, becoming the longest-reigning monarch in British history, before her passing in 2022.We've taken a deep dive into our historical newspapers to see how the 1953 coronation date was reported on across the United Kingdom. Anticipation of the coronation date: Queen Elizabeth II was appointed in February of 1952, after the sudden
This week, we have significant additions to our National School Admissions Registers from the North of England, an entirely free-to-view photo collection, and a whole host of newspaper pages. Here's a rundown of everything that's new. National School Admissions Registers: If you have ancestors in Halifax, Yorkshire, then make sure to check out these new additions to our school registers.The four schools these records cover are Portland Road's Infant School between 1890-1904, Queens Road Boys Senior School 1904-1921, Queens Road Girls
Outlander begins with Claire Randall, a British Army nurse, being transported back to 1743 after a trip to Inverness, where she finds herself in the centre of the Jacobite uprising. She tries to warn them against rebellion, knowing it was doomed. But why, exactly, were the Jacobite risings sure to fail? How it all began...: There were some mutters of discontent across the country when James II and VII was due to become King in 1685. He was part of the 1.1% of…
The 1921 Census of England and Wales contains more than just information on the whereabouts of our ancestors. Often, people made political statements, doodled little pictures, or even listed their pets as family members. The beauty of an original, handwritten census return is in the details that a transcript doesn't contain.Take a look at the weird and wonderful things we discovered when digitising these records. 1. Find my pet?: If there was every any doubt that pets are as much a…
Ahead of the highly anticipated launch of the 1921 Census in 2021, we invited centenarians born in 1921 or before to come forward and be a part of the campaign to bring this piece of history to life. It was through this campaign that we met the wonderful Edwin Hunt. Born on 23 March 1920, Edwin was one year old when the 1921 Census was taken. He grew up as a child of the Golden Era, though his story perhaps weaves a different tale to the…