DIARY DATES

DISCOVER LEARNING EXPERIENCES TO ENJOY FROM ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, PLUS ON-SITE AND HYBRID EVENTS

Dull & dusty? You gotta be kidding!

Eric the Robot, the interwar mechanical wonder, who

Royal shipwreck artefacts revealed in new Norwich Castle Museum exhibition

Newly-revealed treasures from the royal Gloucester shipwreck are now on display in an exhibition curated by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Norfolk Museums Service

New Genealogy Institute at Strathclyde University

With the aim of delivering academic excellence through the creation of new genealogical courses and research opportunities, the Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies has been recently established by the University of Strathclyde’s Centre for Lifelong Learning

ROOTSTECH ROUND-UP

ANCESTRY Revealed to visitors at RootsTech, Storymaker Studio

Call for improved access to public records

At a recent event, the Archives and Records

Clan portraits now on display in Edinburgh

Two portraits of important 18th century members of the Chief of Clan Grant’s household are now on display in the National Museum of Scotland

NEW WW2 SERVICE RECORDS DIGITISATION PROJECT

Ancestry has been awarded the contract by The National Archives to digitise Second World War service personnel records, formerly held by the Ministry of Defence

Declaration of Arbroath to go on display for the first time in 18 years

The Declaration of Arbroath will be displayed at the National Museum of Scotland this summer

‘Transformative’ grant to preserve the story of humanism in the UK

Humanists UK and Conway Hall have announced the award of a grant of over £160,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to expand the work of the Humanist Heritage project

SOG ANNOUNCE INTERIM CEO

As the Society of Genealogists bids farewell to

ILLUSTRATING YOUR family’s history

Simon Wills considers why you might want to look for images to enhance the telling of your genealogy journey – and where you might find some of the pictures you need

MANY NAMES, ONE MAN

What began as a routine search to ‘kill off’ a distant cousin ended with an ‘Irish’ divorce and bigamy for professional genealogist Claire Bradley. Here she recounts her research journey.

YOUR DNA WORKSHOP

This month, Karen Evans advises two readers. One of whom is trying to make sense of his ethnicity estimate; and the other who wonders whether he is misinterpreting his results

And they all lived happily ever after…

memorable characters from the past

WHERE WILL YOUR READING TAKE YOU?

Family history books with Helen Tovey, Paul Chiddicks

DON'T RELY ON THE SURNAME!

This month Family Tree Academy Tutor, David Annal, demonstrates how to tackle the annoying habit that our ancestors had of changing their surnames!

YOUR PULL-OUT COMMEMORATIVE FAMILY TREE CHART

How to fill in your commemorative family tree

A TOP-NOTCH TANGENT

This month sees Gill Shaw in hot pursuit of her 3x great-aunt Sophia’s sons, John and Christian, and crossing the Atlantic once again in search of the story

MEDIEVAL MASTERCLASS

‘It all looks so easy on television, doesn’t it?’ Writes Dr Nick Barratt. ‘Someone famous finds an ancestor with an established pedigree, and the next thing you know, they’re descended from Edward III and have blue blood running through their veins... It can be a bit off-putting but hang onto the thought that we’re all descended from people who lived that far back in time (even if they didn’t live in a palace or castle) – the challenging part is proving it!’

DNA DISCOVERIES

It’s 70 years since Crick and Watson first published their paper in Nature about the structure of DNA. The double helix was beginning to be unlocked. Here we look back at some of the milestones from the history of DNA, and explore the way in which genetics has so very much become part of genealogy today. Helen Tovey takes a look

STARTING OUT WITH DNA

A Beginner’s Guide Which companies provide consumer DNA

GENEALOGY GADGETS: CHECK OUT FLOURISH

GENEALOGY GADGETS & APPS FOR ALL OCCASIONS

SPOTLIGHT ON… The Braund Society

Janet Few introduces a one-name society which brings together a worldwide membership of people who have roots in 15th-century Devon

PHOTO CORNER

Costume historian & photo-dating expert Jayne Shrimpton shares advice to help you date your unidentified pictures and so put names to the faces of the past

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

With our experts Mary McKee & Catherine Ryan

Lodgers & boarders in 1921

The household entries for Lily. The woman who

Your LETTERS

How a DNA test gave a reader the confidence to tell their story & more...

NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP…

As Diane Lindsay takes delivery of a new bed, she spares a thought for the many nights our ancestors will have spent trying to catch forty winks in less comfortable conditions