Category Archives: British Isles

British Newspaper Archive’s family notices, 1800-1900, on FamilySearch

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Gail Dever

FamilySearch has added what appears to be a new collection, British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices. The free collection comes from the British Newspaper Archive, and it is a collaborative project with Findmypast.com. This collection contains almost six million family notices found … Continue reading →

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Book review — Peter Higginbotham’s history of institutional care for British children

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Gail Dever

Last July, Pen & Sword published historian Peter Higginbotham’s latest book, Children’s Homes: A history of institutional care for Britain’s young, and Revd Dr John Pridmore, former Rector of Hackney in east London, recently reviewed it for the London-based Church Times. … Continue reading →

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TNA wants stories about your suffrage ancestors in the UK

Posted on December 8, 2017 by Gail Dever

In preparation for the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in February 2018, The National Archives (TNA) in Kew, England is asking the public to share stories of their suffrage ancestors: • Did your ancestor have a distant suffrage connection? • … Continue reading →

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Mince pie with boiled ox tongue, anyone?

Posted on December 22, 2016 by Gail Dever

If eating boiled ox tongue in mince pie is your cup of tea, you will enjoy making the recipe the Essex Record Office in England found in a book from the 1700s. The original owner of the recipe book lived … Continue reading →

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Good and bad news about missing the 350th anniversary party

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Gail Dever

When I wrote this morning’s blog post, London Gazette celebrates 350th anniversary – and it’s all online, I didn’t notice the party took place a year ago on November 7, 2015. That’s the bad news. The good news is we … Continue reading →

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London Gazette celebrates 351st (not the 350th) anniversary — and it’s all online

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Gail Dever

When I published the following post this morning, I hadn’t realized I had missed the 350th anniversary of The London Gazette by one year. It was celebrated November 7, 2015, not in 2016.  I guess that’s what happens when you’re … Continue reading →

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British slave-ownership database contains more than expected

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Gail Dever

University London College (UCL) last Wednesday announced the establishment of its new Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slave-ownership, with the support of the Hutchins Center at Harvard University. UCL also unveiled the new Legacies of British … Continue reading →

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Online whaling crew database, 1809-1927

Posted on July 29, 2016 by Gail Dever

Was your ancestor a whaler sometime between 1809 and 1927? If there is a remote chance, no matter where he lived, you should take a look at a whaling museum’s new crew database of the more than 100,000 men who … Continue reading →

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Thousands of photos on interactive map of ‘Lost London’

Posted on July 27, 2016 by Gail Dever

An interactive map of Lost London, England, created by the London Metropolitain Archives, contains more than 100,000 images and 130 short films that you can browse or search. Using Google Maps, the photos and videos are mapped out across about … Continue reading →

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‘Colonial Despatches’ of Vancouver Island and BC 1846-1871

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Gail Dever

In 1855, Captain John Powell Mills of the barque Colinda wrote a letter from Victoria, British Columbia to colonial secretary Sir George Grey, describing the wretched reception he received when he landed in the British colony. “… On my arrival … Continue reading →

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