TheGenealogist adds parish registers for all of Wales

A major new release from TheGenealogist (www.thegenealogist.co.uk) for our Celtic cousins in Wales: 

Parish Records for all of Wales Launched 

TheGenealogist are launching the complete set of all Anglican records for Wales held by the consortium of Welsh archives on 23rd October. This release contains 8 million Parish Records, listing over 14.5 million individuals, with images of the original registers.

Mark Bayley, Head of Online Content at TheGenealogist said:

“We are very excited to be releasing parish records for all 13 historic Welsh counties.” He went on to say:

“We’re thankful for the input of Welsh records experts from the archives, to make sure that we have accurate parish and place names. This will make it much easier for researchers to find records that they may have experienced difficulties with trying to find elsewhere.

“TheGenealogist’s keyword search makes it surprisingly easy to find the record you’re after and SmartSearch allows you to find families in the registers.

“These records compliment our nonconformist records for Wales which include Methodists,  Quakers and more, giving researchers the ultimate resource for finding their Welsh ancestors’ vital events.”

This release includes all historic Welsh counties:-

Anglesey, Brecknockshire, Caernarfonshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Merionethshire, Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire, Pembrokeshire and Radnorshire.

Kim Collis, West Glamorgan County Archivist, says on behalf of all the Welsh archives contributing their parish records:

“We are delighted that TheGenealogist is releasing these records to a wider audience. Being able to access them from the comfort of your own home, especially during the current situation, is of great benefit.

“For this release, we’ve painstakingly gone through the metadata, improving all the place names in this record set, recording chapels of ease, parent parishes of modern parishes, and variant spellings in the English and Welsh languages. This will mean that searches for your ancestor in the parish records, which previously might have turned up no results, will have a much greater chance of finding them for you.

“If you’ve previously struggled to find your ancestors’ Welsh Parish Records, I’d really encourage you to search these records.”

To find out more about Welsh Parish Records and this release, visit https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/welsh-parish-records/

This release has been made possible by the participation of the following archives:-
Anglesey Archives, Carmarthenshire Archive Service, Ceredigion Archives, Conwy Archive Services, Denbighshire Archives, Flintshire Record Office, Glamorgan Archives, Gwent Archives, Gwynedd Archives Service, Pembrokeshire Archives and Local Studies, Powys Archives and West Glamorgan Archive Service.

Ruth Jones will be searching for her Welsh roots in Who Do You Think You Are? airing on Monday 26th October on BBC One. TheGenealogist has found her ancestors in this new collection. Read about it here (WARNING: Contains spoilers) https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2020/who-do-you-think-you-are/ruth-jones-1338/

(With thanks to Nick Thorney)

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts November 2nd - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

 

 

County Sligo records added to RootsIreland

From RootsIreland (www.rootsireland.ie)

New County Sligo Records Added

County Sligo Heritage & Genealogy Society are delighted to announce the addition of 21,939 records to research and view on our database at http://sligo.rootsireland.ie/ These records include 6,380 miscellaneous baptisms, births, marriages and deaths, occurring in many of the county's parishes, across various dates and time frames.

Also included in this release are 15,559 Gravestone & Memorial Inscriptions from Graveyards and Cemeteries in the following parishes :

    Aghanagh (RC)
    Ahamlish (RC)
    Drumcliffe (RC)
    Keelogues (RC)
    Skreen & Dromard (RC)
    Templeboy (RC)
    Aghanagh (Civil)
    Sligo Town (Civil)
    Templeboy (Civil)

For an up to date list of sources for County Sligo and to search and view these records, go to https://www.rootsireland.ie/sligo and login or subscribe as required.

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts November 2nd - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Glasgow's Mitchell Library and City Archives to re-open on limited basis

The Mitchell Library in Glasgow is set to re-open to a limited extent from Tuesday, October 27th.

From the library's Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/themitchelllibrary/:

We’re delighted to tell you The Mitchell will reopen on Tuesday 27th October. Please note that opening times have changed:

Monday closed
Tuesday 11-3
Wednesday 11-3
Thursday 11-3
Friday 11-3
Saturday 11-3
Sunday closed

You will also need to pre-book your space for anything other than visiting the lending library on the ground floor. And please note that there will be limited services on offer. We recommend you check our FAQs for information on what services are available and how to book your slot. https://glasgowlife.info/faqs/libraries

Any questions? Drop us an email Mitchelllibrary@glasgowlife.org.uk

We’re really looking forward to seeing you again!

The FAQs document at https://www.glasgowlife.org.uk/media/6737/20201020themitchellfaq.pdf notes the following on Glasgow City Archives:

How do I book an Archives session appointment?

All appointments are free and for one person only. To book an Archives session appointment, please email Archives@glasgowlife.org.uk  or call Glasgow City Archives during opening hours on 0141 287 2910.

Please book at least one week and a maximum of four weeks in advance. Archives appointments will be for a maximum of three hours per session. Please note, Archives customers will be limited to one appointment per day, and a maximum of one visit per week.  

Customers can request up to six items in advance of an Archives session. Materials are only available for use during your appointment. All documents will be quarantined for 72 hours after use.

Four places will be available for general researchers and two for those using architectural drawings/large plans.

You will be assigned a table and your order will be placed there in advance of your arrival.

You will be advised on any specific conditions on access to Archives materials and we will confirm all appointments by email where possible. You should be ready to show this email on the day.

You will be sent Reader’s Registration and Test & Protect forms to complete in advance of your visit.

Please note also that the City Archives opening hours are more limited, with the facility just open for four hours on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays:

Glasgow City Archives Opening Hours:
Monday Closed
Tuesday 11am – 3pm
Wednesday 11am – 3pm
Thursday11am – 3pm
Friday Closed
Saturday Closed
Sunday Closed

Unfortunately, there is no mention yet of the re-opening of the Registrar's Service offering access to the ScotlandsPeople system (see http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2020/10/visit-to-hawick-heritage-hub.html).

(With thanks to Jacqueline Hunter via Facebook)

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts November 2nd - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Visit to the Hawick Heritage Hub

I visited the Hawick Heritage Hub (www.hawickonline.com/heritage-hub) yesterday in order to carry out some research for an urgent overseas client enquiry. The centre took three hours to drive to from the west of Scotland, the Borders having very unique challenges on the navigational front, countered only by its stunning beauty!

The centre is currently the only premises in Scotland offering access to the ScotlandsPeople computer system at an unlimited £15 per day (my nearest centre at Kilmarnock, just 6 miles away from me, remains closed, as is Glasgow, forcing me to head east). If you wish to visit, please be advised that you will need to wear a mask throughout, and that there are only a small number of available terminals (I believe I counted just 5). From all accounts they have been flat out since re-opening, with visitors travelling from as far afield as Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire. You may need to wait a while for a slot! In addition to ScotlandsPeople, the centre does also provide access to the digitised kirk session records, and various other printed resources for the Borders region. (For more info on booking a seat, see my previous post at http://scottishgenes.blogspot.com/2020/10/hawick-heritage-hub-reopens-at-reduced.html)

Incidentally, I did notice an update at the weekend from the Glasgow based registrar's service, posted on September 24th, which does not encourage much optimism (https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/article/17698/Family-History):

Update as at 24 September - There are no immediate plans to re-open the Genealogy Centre at this time.  Please continue to visit our website for further updates. This will be reviewed as we enter Phase 4 of the Scottish Government Route map.

As things stand just now, Phase 4 seems a long way away...

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts November 2nd - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Thanks to Devon FHS - and there's more soon!

A big thanks to Devon Family History Society (www.devonfhs.org.uk) for a fun session on Saturday past, in which I talked about the basic family history records for Scottish family history research. It was great craic, with lots of fun and interesting questions from a very clued up family history society for whom I think Zoom was invented!! 

I was asked if I will come back and do the same again for Ireland, and of course I will, only too happy to! I have provisionally agreed a date in November, on the 26th, but will confirm soon. 

Don't forget also that I will be giving a talk next year to the group on Friday 21st May 2021, 7.30pm (BST) on British and Irish Newspapers.

See you all again soon! 

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts November 2nd - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Ulster Historical Foundation website redevelopment tender

From The Ulster Historical Foundation (www.ancestryscotland.com):

Ulster Historical Foundation wish to appoint a contactor to develop a completely new website combining all existing aspects of the Foundation’s online presence, which include:

    www.ancestryireland.com
    www.booksireland.org.uk
    www.historyfromheadstones.com (content not currently accessible to the public)
    www.therjhuntercollection.com

Plus bringing together microsites promoting conferences, courses, projects and other content, all under one URL, which is well-laid out, with clear, easy navigation.

All these various resources will be brought together under one dedicated, seamless website It is desired that this website will:

Offer a fully-integrated e-commerce platform that applies to all Foundation products and services. NB: The commerce solution must be at the heart of the website
Modernise and improve UHF’s online profile Improve website visibility to Google and other search engines
Make aspects of the site attractive for social-media reposting and sharing Improve sales, registrations, subscriptions

This website will be:

An important genealogical resource for DIY genealogists through its genealogical database and search functionality
Reputable and trusted genealogical and historical bookstore
Important heritage tourism resource making UHF seen as a trusted small tour operator
A portal for the Irish and Scots-Irish community to connect with each other through our membership association (the ‘Guild’) and members’ area
An informative and trusted local history website, valuable also to ‘free-for-view’ visitor.

The contactor will be responsible for the design of the website and the construction of the structural elements of the website.

The contractor will be expected to work closely with dedicated staff members of the Ulster Historical Foundation to manage the development and content population to the website as it is developed. 

CLOSING DATE: 30 October 2020

CLOSING TIME: 17:00 GMT

DATED ISSUED: Monday, 5 October 2020

For further details visit https://www.ancestryireland.com/website-redevelopment-tender/

 

(With thanks to the Foundation, via email)

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts November 2nd - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Interviewed for Northern Visions TV's History Now series

I was recently interviewed by Barry Sheppard for Northern Visions TV's History Now series in Belfast, to discuss my take on family history as a discipline within the wider field of history. 

The programme is now streaming online at https://www.nvtv.co.uk/shows/history-now-chris-paton/, and is presented below for convenience - enjoy!

(With thanks to Barry Sheppard and NVTV)

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts November 2nd - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

PRONI to close for four weeks from October 19th

Perhaps not unexpectedly, due to the increasingly high rates of coronavirus transmission in Northern Ireland just now, is news that the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (www.nidirect.gov.uk/proni) is to close for four weeks from October 19th 2020, along with all archives and libraries in the city of Belfast.

The PRONI website is displaying the following:

I'll update when further details emerge.

(With thanks to the Ulster Historical Foundation, @UlsterHistory)

UPDATE from PRONI:

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is closed to the public from Monday 19 October until Friday 13 November.

Visitor appointments scheduled during this period are now cancelled and those affected will be notified directly by PRONI.

PRONI information

In line with measures implemented by the NI Executive to curb the spread of Covid-19, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland is closed to the public for a period of four weeks from Monday 19 October until Friday 13 November.

Visitor appointments within this period are now cancelled, and those affected will be notified directly by PRONI.

The PRONI enquiry service will continue to provide advice and quidance and offer a fee-paying search and copying service for open records.

PRONI's programme of events and public engagement will continue to operate online through video conferencing.

A range of digitised records, databases and other PRONI resources are available online.  

(Source: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/getting-proni-and-opening-hours)

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts November 2nd - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

British Library adds 18,000 free maps from Topographical Collection of King George III

The British Library in London has made freely available into the public domain some 18,000 digital images of historic maps, views and texts from its Topographical Collection of King George III. The images have been uploaded to its Flickr account at www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/albums/72157716220271206/, with individual maps searchable through its catalogue at http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do.

The collection includes:

• Some of the earliest European printed maps, such as the so-called ‘Lafreri’ copperplate maps produced in Rome in the mid-16th century
• The complete range of British county maps dating from 1579 to the early 19th century
• Administrative maps
• Planning maps including maps of proposed railways and canals
• Presentation maps, such as the ‘Duke’s Plan’ of New York, made to celebrate its capture by the English from the Dutch in 1664
• Estate maps and maps of Royal palaces
• The results of large-scale surveys, including a manuscript map of part of Newfoundland by James Cook, and William Roy’s military survey of Scotland
• A large archive of maps and plans of Hannover and Northern Germany

Scotland is represented amongst the materials presented - the following is a plan of Edinburgh Castle from 1746, the year of Bonnie Prince Charlie's failed Jacobite Rising:

For more on the release visit https://blogs.bl.uk/magnificentmaps/2020/10/the-ktop-18000-digitised-maps-and-views-released.html

Have fun!

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts November 2nd - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.

Sir Tom Devine interviewed on NVTV about the Clearances

There is a great interview by Barry Sheppard with Scottish historian Sir Tom Devine, in the History Now series hosted on Belfast's NVTV channel (www.nvtv.co.uk), concerning Sir Tom's recent book The Scottish Clearances: A History of the Dispossessed, published in 2018. 

In the interview Sir Tom looks, of course, at the story of the Highland Clearances, but also the Lowland Clearances in particular from the mid-18th century to the mid 19th. He notes the massive changes in the Lowlands over the course of a sixty year period to be one of the most widespread forms of social engineering in the whole of Europe. He also discusses 'Highlandism' and 'clearance by stealth' in the Lowlands, with the non-renewal of leases when their time was up, and along the way flags up some interesting nuggets of information, such as the fact that the potato blight which caused the Famine in Ireland from 1845-1852 actually lasted longer in Scotland's West Highlands (for a decade), leading to mass emigration from the region. 

The 30 minute episode is available at https://www.nvtv.co.uk/shows/history-now-tom-devine/, and is presented below for convenience.

The book is published by Penguin (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/305/305334/the-scottish-clearances/9780141985930.html) and is available from many outlets.  

Chris

My next 5 week Scotland 1750-1850: Beyond the Old Parish Registers course starts November 2nd - see https://www.pharostutors.com/details.php?coursenumber=302. My book Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scottish2 is now out, also available are Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed) at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Irish1 and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records at http://bit.ly/ChrisPaton-Scotland1. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.