Guest Blog: What’s in a name? Surnames have meanings and origins.
Authored by Bob Cumberbatch. Bob is the Education Liaison Officer of The Guild of One-Name Studies and can be reached at education@one-name.org Surnames began being used in the 11th century and they have meanings and origins which can be grouped into four broad categories, which are: People, Places, Occupations and Nicknames. Surnames based on people… Read more
Know the ropes about our dead sea captains
‘Take me back to beautiful England & the grey, damp filthiness of ages, fog rolling down behind the mountains, & on the graveyards, and dead sea-captains.’ Lyrics from ‘Last Living Rose’ by P J Harvey. Discovering your family history can be an exciting experience and researching one’s ancestor’s masters’ certificates is one such journey to… Read more
Careers at sea: Masters Certificates, 1855-1948
Occupation records are some of our most popular collections. It’s not surprising really; learning about your ancestors’ careers can really help paint a picture of how they lived their lives, and what sort of people they were. That’s particularly true about our latest addition. Masters Certificates, 1850-1927 reveals more than 250,000 hardy souls who spent… Read more
New Dorset records – are you descended from pirates?
Abandon all hope, ye who enter Ancestry.co.uk today. There be pirates about, and they be thirsty for your blood. Actually, strictly speaking, we’re hoping that our pirates already share your blood. These scurvy dogs – who appear as part of nine new Dorset record collections we’re launching today – are real historical people who could… Read more
FREE Immigration and emigration records – around the world in four days!
Did you ancestors help to set up the United States? Or maybe they were among the early pioneers in Australia? Perhaps they came to Britain from exotic faraway lands, or fled persecution in Europe? Some of the most remarkable and emotional stories in your family history come from those who started new lives overseas –… Read more
FREE 1911 Census* – Limited time only!
If you could only search one record collection before becoming an Ancestry.co.uk member, which one would it be? Most of you would choose the 1911 Census – which is why we’ve made it completely free for a limited time!* The 1911 Census is the largest and most recent of the available England & Wales census… Read more
“A pure craft that has remained the same over time” By Hannah Firmin, Illustrator
As a long-time illustrator, I’ve been commissioned to do a huge variety of work for books, magazines and advertising. Most recently, I was asked to create a series of images to represent parish records on Ancestry.co.uk. You may have seen them around the site, or on emails. For all my work, I use a method… Read more
Postcard Poser – July 2012
Can you solve this months Postcard Poser? – Regular readers of our blog know what to do, but for those who are new to this feature, we share a postcard-style photo taken somewhere in the UK and you have to guess the location or landmark. Leave your answers in the comments below.
Land tax records, 1725-1936
Over the past 10 years of working at LMA I have lost count of the number of times that I have been asked ‘What do you have that will help me find somebody’s address prior to the 1841 census?’ If they have already exhausted parish records and directories I would often refer people to the… Read more
My criminal past – Written By: Andrew Lott
Ancestry.co.uk has just put the Middlesex Convict Transportation Contracts online for the first time, to help you trace the villains and rascals in your family. I thought I would take the opportunity to tell you about my own history with these fascinating records. Back in the summer of 2001 I began my career at London… Read more
Don’t forget you can search records, build your family tree and discover more about your family history over on the main site.
- 2013
- 2012
- 2011
- 2010