Web links

This page isn’t designed to be a comprehensive listing of family websites, nor does this constitute an endorsement of any of the sites.

Datasets and academic societies

HISTPOP: www.histpop.org. This site provides online access to all British population reports from 1801 to 1937, including all the census reports for England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland and all the Registrar's-General's Reports for England and Wales, and Scotland. Also includes many essays and ancilliary information from the TNA too.

British Agricultural History Society: www.bahs.org.uk. This site includes free access to the backrun of the journal Agricultural History Review from 1954 to 2002.

Local Population Studies Society: www.localpopulationstudies.org.uk. This website contains free access to a large number of articles on various aspects of population history, demography and local history.

Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire: www.hslc.org.uk. This website contains a searchable index of its publications from 1848.

Old Bailey Online: www.oldbaileyonline.org. This website provides a fully searchable online edition of the largest body of texts detailing the lives of non-elite people ever published, containing accounts of over 100,000 criminal trials held at London's central criminal court.

Vision of Britain: www.visionofbritain.org.uk. Provides access to range of resources including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions, 1801-2001.

The British Association for Local History aim to encourage and assist the study of Local History as an academic discipline and as a rewarding leisure pursuit for both individuals and groups. www.balh.co.uk

Family history portals

Genealogy pages: http://www.genealogypages.com
Not as well known as some other portal websites, but it is well worth investigating for the many links it provides.

UKGenealogy http://www.ukgenealogy.co.uk/index.html
UK genealogy provides links and information

Rootsweb http://rootsweb.com
Lots of links to choose from, many with UK content.Search for your surname, then scroll down the list and look for the matches on the UK and Ireland database. Follow the link to see the results. Subscription required to view results.

Cyndi’s list http://www.CyndisList.com/
Dominated by American material, but is a very large site with a lot of useful information

Genuki http://www.genuki.org.uk/
Easy to use website with a large number of links covering most aspects of British genealogy

Gen Web http://www.rootsweb.com/~engwgw/index.html
This is a very large web site divided up into counties. There are hundreds of links to a variety of websites including small census databases, family history societies, archives, glossaries, general history sites etc. Browse through the links and take a look at websites of interest

Scots Origins (Scotland) http://www.originsnetwork.com/ScotsOrigins/SOUserHome.aspx
Scots Origins features a free IGI search, access to "Origins Experts" research of Scottish Old Parish Registers Births, Baptisms, Marriages and Death records and 1861 and 1871 Census Records, a free Scottish Placename Search, and expert articles and discussion on Scottish history.
For anyone with Scottish ancestry this website is worth a visit.

British Origins (England and Wales) http://www.britishorigins.com/
Free searches are available on a wide range of sources.

Organisations

http://www.one-name.org/
Guild of one-name studies – the name says it all really.

http://www.familyhistoryonline.net/
This is a very useful (but not free) website from the federation of Family History Societies

http://www.sog.org.uk/index.shtml
The society of Genealogists is one of the longest established British organisations promoting the study of family history. Their library in London is a major UK research base for all aspects of family history.

Local Family History Societies

The websites of local family history societies can often be a good place to find local information, advice on family history, publications, newsletters and contacts with other local genealogists. Membership of these societies can often be worthwhile, and is not expensive.

http://www.fhsc.org.uk/ The family history society of Cheshire
A very active society with lots going on and lots of valuable online material.

Lancashire Societies

The Lancashire family history and heraldry society: http://www.lancashire-fhhs.org.uk/

Liverpool and S.W. Lancs family history society: http://www.liverpool-genealogy.org.uk As well as having facilities to post messages this site also contains links to databases, local researchers, unwanted birth, death and marriage certificates, and the family trees of members. An excellent website.

Genealogy in Darwen and Blackburn

British Family History Societies

Genuki Lists: http://www.genuki.org.uk/Societies/index.html

Databases/indexes

http://www.ancestry.co.uk This is one of the most useful websites for researching nineteenth-century genealogies with access to indexes of civil registration and census material. It is a subscription website but I would strongly recommend that you take out a subscription if you intend to do your own independent research.

http://www.familysearch.org/eng/default.asp Run by the Church of the Latter Day Saints, this is one of the biggest databases in the world providing free access to a large several databases including the International Genealogical Index (IGI) and the 1881 British census.

http://www.historicaldirectories.org This website can be very slow but does enable full text searches of British trade directories covering a wide geographical area from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries

The 1901 Census

The 1901 census is also accessible from the PRO website. It does offer a free search facility but there is a charge to view the original entry or a transcript.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

http://www.cwgc.org/ The Commission was established in 1917 by Royal Charter to commemorate those who died as a result of the first world war. The website has a search function that enables family historians to search for civilians as well as members of the armed forces.

Civil registration

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/ This site provides free access to the civil registration indexes for England and Wales. This is a volunteer project and it is not yet complete, but it is a very useful site.

UKBMD

http://www.ukbmd.org.uk/index.php?form_action=local This website brings together a large number of volunteer civil registration indexing projects from around the country. They provide an invaluable resource.

Ordering birth, marriage and death certificates

http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/ Once you have found somebody that you would like to know about you might want to order a copy of the certificate. You can order copies of birth certificates, death certificates and marriage certificates from the General Register Office.

Discussion

http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=board&r=rw&p=localities.britisles Here you will find a list of message boards in the British Isles. I have not tested if every region is covered, but they can be useful if you are researching at a distance.

Other archive sites

Lancashire Record Office (LRO)
http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/education/record_office/index.asp

Local/county archives

http://www.genuki.org.uk/ The Genuki website is probably the quickest way to find details of local and county archives. Some archives, such as County Durham or Bolton local studies library, have their own websites with online catalogues, but they are still in the minority.

UK genealogy

http://www.ukgenealogy.co.uk/index.html Lots of useful links, addresses of archives, libraries, registration offices etc. Links to local family history societies. Organised by county.

Family Tree

There are a lot of software packages to choose from if you want to build up your family tree on your Computer. There are many available online, some of which you have to pay for. I have not tested all of the family tree builders, but of the ones I have tried, this one seems to be about the best. It is simple to use.
You have to register, which is free, and you get your own website with your own family tree on it. You can add photographs too, if you want.
http://www.tribalpages.com/index.html

Family history researchers

Note: we currently do not charge to be listed here. If you would like to be listed please submit your details. We may introduce a charge to be listed here in the future. Inclusion does not imply any endorsement or recommendation of the services offered by these researchers. Any contract entered into is between the researcher and the individual(s) so commissioning research and the University of Central Lancashire are not responsible for any losses incurred on either side.

Michael Dow Associates. Genealogical & Family History Research

http://www.dowfamilyhistory.co.uk/
Over 40 years of experience in genealogical and family history research we are able to undertake a comprehensive genealogical research service conducted at county record offices, GRO, and other archives such as Parish Registers and Records, probate records, Quarter Sessions records, electoral registers, census returns, GRO indexes, trade directories, newspapers and any other relevant material

Miss Jayne Stevenson BA (Hons) MA

Red Rose Research, 11 Kipling Drive, Marton, Blackpool, Lancashire FY3 9UX
jayne408@btinternet.com

Family History and Genealogical Research: English Palaeography/Transcription: from 17th Century onwards; Local History: including house history; Military history