Genealogy Chat

I have found this document fascinating reading:


A Chronology of State Medicine,. Public Health, Welfare and Related Services in Britain 1066 – 1999

Just dip in and take a look - it's actually easy reading because it's broken down by date.

Julie

oops forgot to say it's on line - just google the first 5 words!

Answering my own question - others may find this useful if not known - Have just found the BBC History web site, which contains "British Timeline" and "Family History", both of which give basic details which can then be expanded if wished.
Thanks again for your replies
Maurice

For Scotland the Statistical Accounts for Scotland 1791 -1845 are a good resource for social history including a wide range of info eg parish reports, school attendances, health issues of the area etc and can be viewed online.
Sorcha

Hope you're feeling a bit better, Maurice.

Just thought of one we've missed, Family History Magazines. Most libraries (in Australia) subscribe to one or more of these. They have excellent articles about the lives and times of our ancestors.

Ozi

Many thanks for all your replies to my request - sorry for the delayed response but a sudden downturn in my health resulted in a few days and no computer!!
Maurice

Hi PP Ha ha only joking

Mountnessing is just down the road from me (I'm in Chelmsford) and we do have some lovely villages.

We get a bad press though !

I found newspapers a wonderful source of information.
Jonesey describes how to join the Lancashire Library, which will give access to 19th century newspapers:
http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.asp?wci=thread&tk=1232629

I found out why my gg grandad's brother was in prison aged 16 in 1851 - and a wonderful description of him - he seems to have been a 19th century 'hoodie' - and not the sharpest tool in the box!! LOL
Another gggrandad was fined for not sending his children to school, and the 'petty sessions' bit of the newspapers are a real eye opener!!

Oi there's nothing wrong with Essex :)

Kath - apologies for misattributing the flakiness. It seems I should have put the blame on the London rego offices - course it could be they've no place to put the extra staff, or else they can't get the staff at the wage they offer, but it still seems flakey to me.

hi there,
Almanacks are good about some social history. Also books regarding the local area you are looking into. I have just finished writing my story of my late Gran and her family generations before and have found lots of information regarding health, education living arrangements and medical conditions, some of the books are very interesting on how to treat certain conditions that appear on death certificates. I didn't just want dates i wanted a lifestyle behind a date. Its worth it.
thanks

This has proved a valuable site also

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/browse.aspx

Irrelevant of area, Google is your best friend :)

if you are prepared to wade through pages and try different searches, for example googling Brentford/Old Chiswick/ Isleworth/ in varying combinations with and without my family name, gave me several family history societies with detailed info, several links to books that amazingly mentioned family members by name in the context of where they lived. Plus lots of general social background for those areas.

If you're from a working class background see if you can find anything about the Rowntree study in York. There's a really interesting article on the BBC News Magazine website at the moment about this - see link below.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11584487
I can also really recommend Open University short courses - have a browse on their website and see if anything catches your eye.
Sarah

Hi mgnv

I was only giving the information that I got myself from register offices in London when I was trying to order my grandfather's birth certificate. This was the reason they gave me for not being able to supply certificates for family history purposes.

This fact was also mentioned on the first series of "Who Do You Think You Are".

Kath. x

Kath - there's something flakey about your reasoning re London certs.
In 1911, 260576 folk lived in Newcastle RD, and 203517 in Gatehead RD and they both issue genealogical certs. Given that, by 1911, the county of London is spread over 30 RDs, I don't see they''ld be more swamped than say Newcastle or Gateshead..

I agree with you Jan - there IS lots of life outside London. I live in the north-east myself, but I also know that at the end of the 19th century an awful lot of people from all over the country ended up in London for one reason or another (my own great-grandparents did), so lots of families were affected by the conditions in London. It's why most London register offices will not supply certificates for family history purposes. They would be inundated because there were so many people born there in those times.

That's why I suggested Charles Booths works.

Kath. x

I've seen a couple of TV series which I presume are British, but I don't know their British title - here they were called The Victorian Farm & # 57, The Story of a House (set in Bristol). I guess there's books about them, and these books have bibliographies or references in the back pages.

I agree - browsing in the library, browsing on the internet, and Mayhew's book about London that can also be read here
http://etext.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/MayLond.html.

Also, there are very useful and interesting books by the historian, Eve McLaughlin, such as can be seen here
http://www.bucksgs.org.uk/publications/mclaughlin.htm

Might not be London Kathleen. There is other life out here!
If local, try out your local archives centre or history group,
Jan

It will depend on which era you're thinking about.

I suggest going to your local library & browsing. Don't forget the junior section. It can have some wonderful books on social history that are also good adult reading.

And of course, Google.

Ozi