Please note the date of this course was incorrectly advertised in my February newsletter! It is 11 May not 11 April!

Of all the sources that family historians use, death records are among the most enlightening for the researcher and frequently bring our ancestors to life to a far greater extent than any other records. They often reveal personal information that is just not to be found elsewhere and which will help you see your ancestor in a much more accurate light. Finding an ancestor’s death is crucial in another way too: an awful lot could have happened to him in between the time you last found him on a census return or baptizing his last child and the day he died – without the death record you only know half his story! Yet these sources are surprisingly underused by many researchers. We will look in detail at all types of death records, from the familiar to the less well known and not only how to get the most from them but how to use them as springboards to discovering other sources too. We will also consider the causes of death given on death certificates and how to interpret them, discover why death records can be hard to trace, and what you can do to locate those that just don’t seem to be there.This course makes use of much research carried out in the course of writing my book, some of which there was insuffcient room to include!

Although aimed at students with some experience in family history, this course is also a good kick starter for complete beginners.

Information regarding the venue, how to get there and local accommodation can be found below

Timetable

Booking You can pay by PayPal using the 'Buy Now' button below or you can send a cheque for £37 made payable to Celia Heritage to Chestnut Lodge, Ivychurch, Romney Marsh, Kent TN29 0AL. If you are paying by cheque please include a contact email address and phone number and details of all students' names.

Number of places

Buy 1 place £37.00 GBP Buy 2 places £74.00 GBP

N.B I reserve the right to cancel the course if insufficent bookings are recieved. Cheques will not be cashed until I have reached the minimum required number of students to run the coruse. In the event of cancellation on my part anyone who has paid using PayPal will be fully reimbursed via PayPal and cheques will be returned. If you wish to cancel your booking I regret I cannot usually reimburse you if notice is given within ten days of the course date. Anyone wishing to cancel before this will receive a refund but if they have paid using Paypal the PayPal administration fee will be deducted.

Travel and Accommodation Information for One Day Courses

The venue address is Rowan Williams Building, Christ Church University, Medway Campus, 30 Pembroke Court, Chatham Maritime, Kent ME4 4UF. The university campus entrance is off the same roundabout as the Chatham Historic Dockyard entrance and the latter is well signed if you are coming by road. The nearest train stations are Chatham (2 miles) and Rochester (3 miles). HFH is offering free collection from Rochester station only for students. Let me know as soon as possible if you require a lift, giving details of your arrival time. Pick up numbers are limited. The venue is a ten minute bus ride from Chatham train station. Bus timetables are available from the link below. If you are travelling from a London station it is possible to buy a combined train and bus ticket at a discounted price, these are available from the station when you purchase your train tickets.

• Canterbury Christ Church University at Medway home page (plus directions/location)
• Bus Timetables.
• Chatham accommodation/attractions
• Bed & Breakfast The Sovereign
• Bed & Breakfast Meopham
• The National Trust (Kent properties)

Heritage Family History, Chestnut Lodge, Ivychurch, Kent TN29 0AL

Tel. 01797 344376

Email: celia@heritagefamilyhistory.co.uk

N.B All timetables may be subject to alterations. I reserve the right to cancel a course if I do not receive sufficient bookings. In this case anyone who has booked will be informed at least five days before the course, and will receive a full refund

Links for Attendees of One Day Courses including accommodation suggestions and directions to the venue can be found on the Useful Websites Page

One-Day Course: "THE PARISH THE POOR AND THE LAND"

Many people may be familiar with parish registers and realise that before 1837 they are vital in order trace a family history, but many are unaware of the great wealth of other records created by the local parish authoriites which may help reveal the real lives of our ancestors both rich or poor. Parish Chest records date from as early as the sixteenth century and go on right up to the nineteenth century. They are one of the few sources which are particularly rich in docmentation of the poor and they are a research opportunity not to be missed! We shall look at the diffferent sorts of records to be found, how the parish was organised and see what happened with the introduction of the Workhouse system in 1834.

Timetable

"THE MANOR AND THE MAN"

Cost: TBA

Manorial records are often dismissed as "difficult" or "only of use for very early research". They are in fact one of the few sources that potentially span the centuries from the 1300s right through until the 20th century while, although early records are in Latin, from the 18th century the majority are in English. Manorial records are one of the few sources that can give us a run of conclusive evidence that will prove a family tree over several generations, sometimes before the advent of parish registers. With a little knowledge manorial records are not difficult and this workshop aims to break down these misconceptions and open up a much wider world of research to you.

This is an intensive workshop limited to 12 students. In the morning we will look at the manorial system and its records and also at who lived on the manor. You may be surprised to find how many of your poorer ancestor may feature. The afternoon will consist of a palaeography workshop with two tutors led by Dr David Wright and adjusted to the individual's skill level. We will practise reading old handwriting and take a look at some basic Latin which will be need for pre-17th century documents.

One-Day Course: "FLESHING OUT YOUR FAMILY TREE"