Declaration of Arbroath Family History Project Exhibition

An exciting event for the 700th anniverary year of the Declaration of Arbroath:

Declaration of Arbroath Family History Project Exhibition

The exhibition will display biographies, genealogical charts and coats of arms of 16 individuals associated with the Declaration, as well as information on another 33 'signatories.' It will also present the findings of genetic genealogy research, using DNA test results and documentary evidence. The aim is to find living descendants of the 'signatories' who knew nothing about their medieval ancestry, and discover how DNA can reveal more about these unknown ancestries.

The research is being carried out by staff and postgraduate students of the University of Strathclyde's Genealogical Studies Postgraduate Programme and is funded by the Foundation for Medieval Genealogy.

(Source: https://arbroath2020.com/events/declaration-of-arbroath-family-history-project-exhibition/)

For more on the University of Strathclyde's Declaration of Arbroath project visit www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/genealogy/declarationofarbroathresearch/

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Call and Response: The University Of Glasgow and Slavery

The University of Glasgow has published a blog post about its current exhibition, Call and Response: The University of Glasgow and Slavery, which continues until 31 JAN 2020:

In August this year, Call and Response: The University of Glasgow and Slavery opened in the University of Glasgow Chapel. The exhibition seeks to explore the unknown or unexpected ways collections can be related to racial slavery, and continues the conversation by widening the range of responses to these historic legacies. Call and Response centres around responses to items in collections held by Archives & Special Collections, the Hunterian Museum and the Library’s maps collection.

By opening this dialogue and extending the reach of the exhibition, it is important to acknowledge the histories of enslaved people and their role in the University’s story. This continues the conversation started in 2016 when the University of Glasgow acknowledged that despite the strong abolitionist stance in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, it continued to accept gifts and bequests from people who profited from slavery to further institutional goals.  In September 2018, Professor Simon Newman and Dr Stephen Mullen published Slavery, Abolition and the University of Glasgow, a report which quantified those financial gains and recommended a programme of reparations.

Call and Response features responses to 12 items and can be viewed online as well as in person. It is free and open to all until 31st January 2020. Visit the exhibition and give your response to be part of this difficult but necessary conversation.

For further details and to view the online exhibits (see pic), visit https://universityofglasgowlibrary.wordpress.com/2019/12/17/call-and-response-the-university-of-glasgow-and-slavery/

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Scottish-Ancestry-through-Church-and-State-Records-Paperback/p/16848. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Book launch: Tracing Your Ancestors Using DNA

From the University of Strathclyde:

DNA research is one of the most important and rapidly advancing areas in modern science and the practical use of DNA testing in genealogy is one of its most exciting applications. Yet there is no recent British publication in this field. That is why this accessible, wide-ranging introduction is so valuable. It offers a clear and practical way into the subject, explaining the scientific discoveries and techniques and illustrating with case studies how it can be used by genealogists to gain an insight into their ancestry.

The subject is complex and perhaps difficult for traditional genealogists to understand but, with the aid of this book, novices who are keen to take advantage of it will be able to interpret test results and use them to help answer genealogical questions which cannot be answered by documentary evidence alone. It will also appeal to those with some experience in the field because it places the practical application of genetic genealogy within a wider context, highlighting its role as a genealogical tool and suggesting how it can be made more effective.

BOOK LAUNCH:

THURSDAY 14 NOVEMBER, 19.00 - 21.00
ROOM 748,
CENTRE FOR LIFE LONG LEARNING,
UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE,
GRAHAM HILLS BUILDING,
40 GEORGE STREET,
GLASGOW,
G1 1QE.

COMMENT: It's a great book! You can read my review at https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/2019/07/review-tracing-your-ancestors-using-dna.html

(With thanks to Linda Kerr, via the Scottish Genealogy Network)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course starts 4 November 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

University of Glasgow conserves and digitises Gaelic manuscripts

The University of Glasgow has an interesting article on the conservation and digitisation of 260 Gaelic song manuscripts from the 18th century, as held within its library.  

For more on the story visit https://universityofglasgowlibrary.wordpress.com/2019/09/19/conserving-gaelic-manuscripts-for-digitisation/

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

New MOOC to explore Working Lives on Britain's Railways

From Tahitia McCabe at the University of Strathclyde's genealogy team:

Just wanted to tell you about a new MOOC (massive open online course) which has been created by colleagues from the English Studies programme here at Strathclyde and the Railway Museum in York. It’s Working Lives on Britain's Railways: Railway History and Heritage and as you might suspect focuses on people working on the railways and their experiences. I think it will be of interest to genealogists! It’s free, offered through FutureLearn and starts at the end of September. Folks can sign up here https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/working-lives-on-the-railway.

And here's the formal description from the course site:

Working Lives on Britain's Railways: Railway History and Heritage

Discover Britain's industrial heritage and learn about the lives of British railway workers from 1840-1914.

Explore British railway history and learn what work on the railways was like

On this course, you will investigate the professional lives of the men and women working on the British railways from the 1840s until the First World War.

Using archival materials from the National Railway Museum, you will learn about the mental and physical hardship endured by railway workers, as well as the risks and pleasures that came with working in this new industry.

From Irish Catholic navvies to female office clerks based in industrial cities, you will discover the surprising diversity and complexity of the railway workforce.


What topics will you cover?

You will learn about four categories of railway worker:

• Engine-drivers
• Signallers
• Navvies
• Clerks

You will compare their differing experiences, investigate the physical and mental labour involved in their job and consider some of the following questions:

• What did they do on a daily basis?
• How did this change during this period?
• What were the key responsibilities and risks in their work?
• What were the key pleasures?

You will look at the ways in which railway workers represented their own work, using autobiographies and other primary historical materials.

You will also study how these professions were represented by those with no direct connection to railway labour.

(With thanks to Tahitia)

Chris

Order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. My next Scottish Research Online course starts 2 September 2019 - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Statistical Accounts of Scotland site now completely free

Update from the Statistical Accounts of Scotland (https://stataccscot.edina.ac.uk/static/statacc/dist/home):

From 1 August 2019, the Statistical Accounts of Scotland Online website will be hosted by the University of Edinburgh Library for a period of two years. Scans, transcripts, map-based searching and our Related Resources will be available free of charge to all users.

As a result of these changes, you no longer need a subscription or a user account to use the website.

Over the next year, our Board will be working with the University of Edinburgh, the University of Glasgow, Historic Environment Scotland and the National Library of Scotland on their plans to integrate the Statistical Accounts of Scotland into their national collections. We look forward to updating you in the coming months as these plans take shape.

COMMENT: The accounts were previously available to read for free, but certain additional functionality required a subscription. This is what is being made free now.

(With thanks to Ali Murray via Facebook)

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Lest We Forget Glasgow WW1 items digitised now online

Glasgow City Archives has announced that items digitised at its First World War digitisation day earlier this year on April 10th, for the University of Oxford-run Lest We Forget project, are now freely avalable to view online at http://lwf.it.ox.ac.uk/s/lest-we-forget/item-set/6928.

The materials available include photographs, letters, diaries, newspaper cuttings, medals, an oral history recording and more.

Further items from Britain (including Aberdeen, Stonehaven and Edinburgh), and the Isle of Man, are available at http://lwf.it.ox.ac.uk/s/lest-we-forget/page/welcome.

(With thanks to @GC_Archives)

Chris

Pre-order Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) for just £11.99 at https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Tracing-Your-Irish-Family-History-on-the-Internet-Paperback/p/16483. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Tracing the Belgian Refugees database

An announcement from the Tracing the Belgian Refugees project on Twitter (https://twitter.com/FWWBRefugees/status/1084786628848222209):

EXCITING NEWS!

The database is now LIVE & ready for you to start inputting your data on Belgian refugees of the FWW - As little as just a name!

Find it here, complete with user guide: https://belgianrefugees.leeds.ac.uk/database/

Any questions or comments please email belgianrefugees@leeds.ac.uk.

There's more about the project on the site's home page:

Tracing the Belgian Refugees is a digital humanities project funded by the AHRC and run by colleagues at the Universities of Leeds, Leuven and UCL, which traces and records Belgian refugees who came to the UK during the First World War. We have created a free-to-use online database for anyone who would like to input information that they have found about a Belgian refugee, and to view the information that others have shared. With this, we hope to widen our knowledge and understanding of the experiences and legacies of the Belgian refugee diaspora.

There's also an introductory video (https://vimeo.com/310095499):

Looks like a very useful resource!

(With thanks to the latest Society of Genealogists newsletter at www.sog.org.uk/uploads/Newsletters/SoG_monthly_newsletter_Feb_2019.pdf)

Chris

My next Scottish Research Online course starts March 11th 2019 - see www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=102. Details of my genealogical research service are available at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. For my Scottish and Irish themed books, visit https://britishgenes.blogspot.com/p/my-books.html. Further news published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Volunteers sought for Cupar burgh records transcription project

From Fife Family History Society (https://fifefhs.org):

Hidden Burgh: restoring Cupar’s place at the heart of Fife” HELP NEEDED
25 January @ 2:00 pm

The University of St Andrews are involved in the Archives Revealed project “Hidden Burgh: restoring Cupar’s place at the heart of Fife”. It is being financed largely by the Archives Revealed funding programme from The National Archives and the Pilgrim Trust, and will last for one year. The University holds the records for the Cupar Burgh from 1364 to 1975 and the objective is to have them fully catalogued so that they are accessible to everyone. Part of the project involves engagement with the Cupar community, giving the local people the opportunity to be part of the project. With that in mind, the University is looking for volunteers who are interested in being involved in some indexing/transcription projects. It is anticipated that the volunteers will work in a group setting at the Cupar Library using copies of the original records.

If you are interested in being part of this exciting venture, please come along to a meeting at the Cupar Library (Room 14) on Friday 25th January at 2 pm. The Cupar project archivist, Christine Wood, will explain what types of projects are available and what is involved. Anyone who would like to learn more and is keen to take part will be warmly welcomed. If you are not able to attend the meeting on the day but wish to be considered for the volunteering projects, please contact Christine Wood at caw23@st-andrews.ac.uk or telephone 01334 461727/462339.

(Original post at https://fifefhs.org/event/hidden-burgh-restoring-cupars-place-at-the-heart-of-fife-help-needed/)


Further information about the project can be found from the Universaty of St Andrews at https://news.st-andrews.ac.uk/archive/hidden-burgh-restoring-cupars-place-at-the-heart-of-fife/, and from project archivist Christine Wood at https://standrewsrarebooks.wordpress.com/2018/12/06/hidden-burgh-restoring-cupars-place-at-the-heart-of-fife/.

(With thanks to Fife FHS)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

AGRA recognises University of Dundee genealogy courses qualifications

From AGRA (www.agra.org.uk):

AGRA recognises University of Dundee Family History qualifications in Membership & Associate applications

The University of Dundee’s post-graduate qualifications in Family and Local History are the latest to be recognised by AGRA. This applies to all three levels of post-graduate qualification in Family and Local History offered by Dundee University’s Centre for Archive and Information Studies (CAIS), with a requirement that students must have taken the “Skills and Sources for Family & Local History in England” module as one of their course options.

This means that Dundee graduates, working professionally in genealogy, can now apply for AGRA Membership by submitting just one example of client work, rather than three. This is the same as the arrangements already in place for holders of similar Post-Graduate qualifications from Strathclyde University, the Higher Certificate of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies, and Pharos Tutors/Society of Genealogists’ Advanced Skills Certificate.

Applicants for Membership of AGRA must, however, still undergo further rigorous scrutiny by completing a research assignment and attending an interview with AGRA’s Board of Assessors. These requirements set the Association aside from similar bodies and ensure that members are the best in the field.

Antony Marr, chair of the Board of Assessors, said: “Discussions have been ongoing for some time about how these Dundee University qualifications could sit in our assessment process, and AGRA is delighted that this has now been resolved.”

Caroline Brown, Programme Leader for the Family and Local History Programmes at the University of Dundee, said “We are delighted that our courses have been recognised by AGRA and that our students will have the chance to join a professional organisation that recognises expertise in this area.”

Information about the process of joining AGRA and how completion of various genealogy courses affects AGRA Membership requirements is available at: https://www.agra.org.uk/join

Information about the CAIS courses at the University of Dundee can be found here: www.dundee.ac.uk/cais/programmes/familylocalhistory

(With thanks to Angela Aldam)

UPDATE: I've been advised the Dundee link is currently not working - an alternative link on Dundee family history courses is available at https://www.dundee.ac.uk/cais/programmes/postgraduatecourses/familylocalhistory/ although the postgraduate courses option is temporarily disabled.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Scottish Handwriting 1500-1700 course starts Jan 15th

The University of Edinburgh's Scottish Handwriting 2: 1500-1700 course starts on January 15th. Here's the course summary:

This course aims to enhance your research skills by intruducing you to the transcription of documents from the period of 1500-1700. The course will focus on how to read old handwriting of the period and develop archival research methods.

This course aims to test and enhance the skills learnt from Term 1, using different source material. However, students are welcome to enrol into this course without having completed Term 1. An additional £5 fee is to be paid to the NRS for the use of facilities.

This course is held at the National Records of Scotland, General Register House, Princes Street. Please report to the side door, located to the west side of the building. Please bring identification.

For further details, and to book, visit https://www.course-bookings.lifelong.ed.ac.uk/courses/HS/history/HS191/scottish-handwriting-2-1500-1700/.

If you can't make it, the Scottish Handwriting website at www.scottishhandwriting.com can help you to learn how to read older documents also.

(With thanks to @NatRecordsScot on Twitter)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

University of Glasgow benefited from the Slave Trade

The BBC has an interesting article online about how the University of Glasgow (https://www.gla.ac.uk) benefited form the Slave Trade, thanks to donations it received in the 18th and 19th centuries.

The amount received in today's money is estimated to be between £16.7m and £198m in value. As a consequence, the university is planning to launch a "reparative justice programme".

The University's Principal, Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli said: "Although the university never owned enslaved people or traded in the goods they produced, it is now clear we received significant financial support from people whose wealth came from slavery. The university deeply regrets this association with historical slavery which clashes with our proud history of support for the abolition of both the slave trade and slavery itself."

For more on the story visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-45539706

For resources on Scotland and the slaver trade at the National Library of Scotland, see https://www.nls.uk/collections/topics/slavery.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

UK, Register of Railway Employee Injuries and Deaths, 1911-1915 joins Ancestry

On Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

Web: UK, Register of Railway Employee Injuries and Deaths, 1911-1915
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=70855
Source: http://www.railwayaccidents.port.ac.uk/: accessed 12th April 2018.

This is the blurb from the original project site:

Welcome to the website for the Railway Work, Life and Death project, a joint initiative between the University of Portsmouth and the National Railway Museum (NRM). We’re aiming to make it easier to find out about railway worker accidents in Britain between 1911 and 1915 – who was involved, what they were doing on the railways, what happened to them and why. Although today most people don’t realise it, working on the railways 100 years ago was incredibly dangerous, with hundreds killed and tens of thousands injured each year.

In this project a team of volunteers from the NRM, to whom we’re immensely grateful, have painstakingly been through reports produced by the state-appointed Railway Inspectorate between 1911 and 1915, detailing investigations into railway worker accidents. They’ve extracted the details found in the reports – things like names, ages, roles, companies and details of the accident – and entered them into a spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is now available, on this website, so that anyone who’s interested can easily learn more about work and accidents on Britain’s railways around the time of the First World War. We think this will be of great interest to all sorts of people: railway enthusiasts, family historians, railway museums and heritage centres, the current railway industry and academics.

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Franco-Welsh family archive gifted to Cardiff University Archives

News concerning an acquisition by Cardiff University's Special Collections and Archives (https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/special-collections):

Gift of family archive reveals Franco-Welsh links

Window on the past: experiences of an extraordinary family

The significant role in the two World Wars of a prominent French family who made the Welsh capital their home is being celebrated at Cardiff University.

Paul Barbier became the University’s first Professor of French after coming to the city to take up the post of lecturer at the newly founded University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire in 1883. The family’s continuing strong links to Cardiff have recently led to relatives donating a wealth of diaries, letters and photographs to the Special Collections and Archives at Cardiff University.

Paul Barbier’s eight children were all educated in the city, and two of his sons, Paul and Georges, were called up to join the French army during the First World War, and were seconded as interpreters to the British Expeditionary Forces.

During the Second World War, their nephew, Jacques De Guélis, played a crucial role as a spy in the secretive Special Operations Executive (SOE) due to his Franco-British background. His fluent French allowed him to go behind enemy lines unnoticed no less than three times and he was hailed a hero for his efforts. Following a car crash shortly after the war ended, he was buried at Cathays Cemetery in Cardiff.

Relatives Delphine Isaaman, Paul Barbier and other family members will attend a special event to launch the archive on Wednesday June 6, the 74th anniversary of D-Day. There will also be a blue plaque unveiled at 3 Museum Place, the house on the University campus where Jacques De Guélis was born on 6th April 1907.

Mrs Isaaman, a cousin of De Guélis, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that these documents will now be available to scholars and the wider public. There is an enormous amount of social history in the archive about the first 50 years of the twentieth century. It’s right that its new home is the Welsh capital, where we have such strong ties. ”

Professor Hanna Diamond, of the School of Modern Languages, an expert in French history, said: “This is a hugely significant collection, which will give the public, students and academics the chance to learn about a family with an incredible story. It also gives us an insight into what life was like for people in Cardiff during the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. It’s sure to become an invaluable resource and a fitting legacy for Paul Barbier and his descendants.”

Alan Vaughan Hughes, Head of Special Collections and Archives, said: “We are delighted to offer this remarkable archive a safe home for the people and students of Cardiff. The richness of the archive offers a magnificent insight into Cardiff’s rich cultural and civic heritage and we are excited to be making it available to the public as well as academics and students.”

(With thanks to Victoria Dando)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

History of Women Religious Britain and Ireland conference 2018

The 2018 annual conference for History of Women Religious Britain and Ireland (https://historyofwomenreligious.org/) takes place at the National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway at the Moore Institute on Thursday 7 June and Friday 8 June 2018. The conference will explore the theme of Space, Place and the History of Women Religious across a broad chronological timeframe, from medieval to modern

The full conference programme is available at https://historyofwomenreligious.org/conf_programme/, whilst travel information and a registrationlink can be found at https://historyofwomenreligious.org/annual-conference/registration-and-information-2/. Tickets for the event are directly available at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/history-of-women-religious-of-britain-and-ireland-conference-tickets-44845532194 - priced at €25 (student/unwaged) – €30 (waged). 

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Launch of The Great Irish Famine Online

The Irish Tánaiste, Simon Coveney TD, has formally launched The Great Irish Famine Online project as part of this year's National Famine Commemoration.

According to the website of University College Cork, the project, located at www.irishfamine.ie/irish-famine-map, "allows users access to interactive maps which facilitates research into the details of how the famine affected people in local areas, down to civil parish and town level. It will enable users to view online the information for any location across the island. People can analyse detailed information charting changes in the social, political and economic landscape of pre and post famine Ireland."

The project is a collaboration between staff at UCC’s Geography Department and the Irish Government's Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. From the website:

The Great Famine was one of the most tragic events in Irish history. The deaths of over 1 million people and the emigration of a further million had a profound and devastating effect on Irish society.

The mapping of the famine at parish level provides us with new ways of seeing the Famine, by revealing the complex local and regional dimensions, which raises questions about the social conditions which prevailed in different localities and the diverse responses in terms of relief. Behind the maps are the stories of individuals and communities and how they fared during this traumatic period.

Direct access to the various pages and maps is available at https://dahg.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=8de2b863f4454cbf93387dacb5cb8412

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Railway work, life and death project

I have been contacted by Dr. Mike Esbester about a University of Portsmouth and National Railway Museum project website underway entitled Railway Work, Life & Death, located at http://www.railwayaccidents.port.ac.uk/.

From the home page:

Welcome to the website for the Railway Work, Life and Death project, a joint initiative between the University of Portsmouth and the National Railway Museum (NRM). We’re aiming to make it easier to find out about railway worker accidents in Britain between 1911 and 1915 – who was involved, what they were doing on the railways, what happened to them and why. Although today most people don’t realise it, working on the railways 100 years ago was incredibly dangerous, with hundreds killed and tens of thousands injured each year.

In this project a team of volunteers from the NRM, to whom we’re immensely grateful, have painstakingly been through reports produced by the state-appointed Railway Inspectorate between 1911 and 1915, detailing investigations into railway worker accidents. They’ve extracted the details found in the reports – things like names, ages, roles, companies and details of the accident – and entered them into a spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is now available, on this website, so that anyone who’s interested can easily learn more about work and accidents on Britain’s railways around the time of the First World War. We think this will be of great interest to all sorts of people: railway enthusiasts, family historians, railway museums and heritage centres, the current railway industry and academics.


The Railway Work, Life and Death project is making use of accident reports produced by the Railway Inspectorate, the body that was created by the state to oversee railway safety. It is also asking for contributions from the public on any further information that might be available. To access the database of accidents on the platform, please visit http://www.railwayaccidents.port.ac.uk/the-accidents/ and scroll to the bottom of the page for the link.

(With thanks to Dr. Esbester)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

University of Strathclyde's genealogy MOOC course

The University of Strathclyde's Genealogy team have a new free MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) starting soon - here's the blurb:

Genealogy: Researching Your Family Tree. This free online course offered by the University of Strathclyde and FutureLearn will help you develop an understanding of basic genealogy techniques and how to communicate your family history. Starts the 29th of January and runs for 6 weeks (though you can sign up at any point during the course). The course has recently been updated to include more information on autosomal (or ‘cousin matching’) DNA testing and this run of the course will include ‘live’ updates from the RootTech conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. So far more than 57,000 students worldwide have participated! Learn more and sign up at: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/genealogy

For more on the university's courses visit https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/genealogy/

(With thanks to Tahitia McCabe)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Oxford College Archives new website launch

A new Oxford College Archives website has been established at https://oac.web.ox.ac.uk, designed to provide useful information on its constituent members. From the site:

Oxford contains the largest concentration of archival repositories in the south-east. The documents they hold include the papers of local government and administration, the records of the University and its colleges, business records, and personal correspondence. Museums and galleries all have their own papers about their collections and collectors. There are maps and plans, archaeological records, the papers of religious institutions and politicians, charity and health records, and the papers of schools. In fact, there is very little you won’t find in an archive somewhere in Oxford.

Although these pages deal principally with the archives of the Oxford colleges, you will find information about, and links to, many other local archives and to other resources which will help you in your research.

The Oxford Archivists’ Consortium (OAC) was set up in 2001 to provide a support network for all those working in archives in the city. We hope that these pages will answer any questions you have about archives in Oxford but if the answer you are looking for evades you, please contact OAC and we should be able to point you in the right direction.

(With thanks to Wendy Archer)

Chris

For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.

Fife criminal and electoral records added to Ancestry

Two collections concerning the county of Fife have been added to Ancestry (www.ancestry.co.uk):

Fife, Scotland, Electoral Registers, 1914-1966
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61432
Source: Fife Electoral Registers, Fife Library and Archives Service, Fife, Scotland

About Fife, Scotland, Electoral Registers, 1914-1966

This database contains yearly registers listing names and residences of people in Fife, Scotland, who were eligible to vote in elections. These year-by-year registers can help place your ancestors in a particular place and possibly also reveal a bit about property they owned.

Please note that coverage for these burghs is incomplete:

Kilrenny, Anstruther Easter and Anstruther Wester Burgh, 1939 and from 1950 onwards
Royal Burgh of Burntisland 1934 and from 1950 onwards
Royal Burgh of Crail, 1939 and from 1950 onwards
Royal Burgh of Culross, 1934-1937 and from 1950 onwards
City and Royal Burgh of Dunfermline from 1958 onwards
Royal Burgh of Inverkeithing from 1950 onwards
Royal Burgh of Kinghorn from 1950 onwards
Royal Burgh of Kirkcaldy from 1956 onwards
Burgh of Lochgelly 1914 and from 1950 onwards
Royal Burgh of Pittenweem- 1939, and from 1950 onwards
Royal Burgh of St Andrews 1918,1932-1939, and from 1950 onwards


Fife, Scotland, Criminal Registers, 1910-1931
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61426
Source: Fife Criminal Registers, Fife Library and Archives Services, Fife, Scotland.

For each individual found within the report, you may be able to find (where available):

Name
Age at time of incarceration
Birth Place
The Nature of the Crime
Conviction Date
Conviction Place
Sentence
A photograph of the individual and/or a Physical Description


Also released are student records from London, England:

UK, University of London Student Records, 1836-1945
https://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=61488
Source: The University of London Archive

Further information on the collection is available via the stated link. Note that "During the 19th and early 20th centuries, students who attended other institutions took University of London examinations as external students. Included in these lists, therefore, are students who attended the predecessor institutions of universities such as Birmingham, Bristol, Durham, Dundee, Heriot-Watt, Southampton, Exeter, Newcastle, Nottingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, Bangor, Aberystwyth, Surrey, Queen’s University Belfast, and University College Dublin."

Chris

My next 5 week long Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the OPRs course commences Nov 6th 2017 - details at https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. For my genealogy guide books, visit http://britishgenes.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-books.html, whilst details of my research service are at www.ScotlandsGreatestStory.co.uk. Further content is also published daily on The GENES Blog Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BritishGENES.