MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER 2000

EDITION 1

	The latest news about genealogy in the UK.
	Welcome to our first edition
	This month's in depth look at some of the best web sites for UK Genealogy research, reviews Hotpots , a "must visit" site for anyone with an interest in Lancashire.
	A Place in History features a place of historic interest. This month we concentrate on Berwick upon Tweed on the England / Scotland border.
	Our monthly book review covers the Genealogical Services Directory. An essential addition to our bookshelf.
	Some of the new sites added to UK Genealogy.
	Questions posed by our guest writers this month are, "Should I use a professional researcher?" and "Why are Church of England Records so important?"

	PRO Catalogue on line The Public Record Office catalogue is now searchable on line with over 8 million documents listed. A useful site to search before visiting or contacting the PRO.	UK Genealogy Books On-line genealogy bookshop, in association with Amazon.co.uk
	Commonwealth War Graves Commission 1.7 million members of the Commonwealth forces died in the two World Wars last century, this site gives their personal and service details and places of commemoration.	Genuki Excellent resource for UK and Ireland genealogy.
	1901 Census Project The 1901 census will be available to the public in January 2002, the PRO has awarded a contract to a private company, to make the complete census available on line. Basic searches will be free and more detailed ones will incur a modest charge.	Advertise in this space Write for details
	Genealogy Services on the Internet NEWGEN list, hosted by Dr. Bill Fox helps newcomers to genealogy through the difficult early days. They will even appoint a mentor to help you until you feel you can comfortably strike out on your own. This service is likely to be of most use to those researching in both the USA and UK.	Parish Locator Find the location of the place you are looking for
Advertise in this space Write for details	Genfair You can now buy from a number of Family History Societies online through Genfair, the service has recently expanded to include Australian societies.	IGI Search the IGI on-line
UK Multi Map On line maps covering the whole UK	UK Genealogy Mission Statement UK Genealogy aims to provide a concise and relevant source of reference for anyone wishing to trace their UK ancestors. We respect every individual's right to decide the extent to which they pay others to further their research, and strive to maintain a balance between commercial and non-commercial material.	Freebies for Genealogists Free software useful to genealogists

A Place in History		FREEWARE
Berwick upon Tweed English or Scottish? Berwick Upon Tweed lies on the English/Scottish border and is the most northern town in England. In an eventful history it has changed hands between England and Scotland no less than 13 times. The last change was in 1482 but despite being "English" for so long strong Scottish links still exist. For example Berwick Rangers are the only English team to play in the Scottish Football League. In short Berwick is a unique place, with a unique heritage. Useful links for Berwick The History of Berwick Multimap A current day map of the area Old Maps A map of Berwick c1866 Berwick Online UK Genealogy Northumberland There is plenty of history connected with Berwick . Until recently the town was still at war with Russia. Apparently during one of our many wars they had signed a treaty along with England and Scotland declaring war. When the war was finally over only England and Scotland signed the peace declaration! Can you imagine a town of about 27,000 people going to war with Russia? That's called an oversight !!! Adapted from Bradshaw's of Berwick Homepage In each edition our Place in History will feature a place of historic interest. The next two editions will feature Caernarfon and Windsor. We welcome your requests or suggestions for future editions.		Freeware, is what it says, simply free software. Very often the quality is amazing. Freeware programs, are not cheap imitations of quality software. Some of the programs, I use everyday, are better than their expensive counterparts. All programs are suitable for Windows 95 and 98. Each month I will review one of my favourite programs here - ranging from Windows Explorer replacements, through programs to make web searching easier, to must have utilities. Read this column regularly and I will let you in on some of the web's best kept secrets. Denise Oyston Freebies for Genealogists
		Did your ancestors emigrate? Visit Passenger Lists on the Internet

EDITORIAL	NEW ADDITIONS
Welcome to this first edition of our newsletter. We aim to provide information that is useful to genealogists researching in the UK. Each month we will have a number of regular news and reviews and we aim to increase the amount of material and widen the scope of the newsletter as we go along - but Rome wasn't built in a day! We welcome any ideas and suggestions you have for future editions. If you would like to contribute an article please let us know. This edition is only being posted on the web. Future editions will be available in three ways 1 By direct subscription - a copy will be e-mailed to you on publication. 2 By notification - you will be e-mailed to be informed when the newsletter is published. 3 Or you can simply read it on the web. I hope you find it useful	Recent additions to the links on UK Genealogy include   Hampshire Villages by Chris and Caroline Hayles This site is designed to give a brief look at the some of the villages, towns and cities of Hampshire and The Isle of Wight , showing the history and characteristics of the people and countryside that are associated with them.   Old Maps.co.uk by Landmark Information Group What a treasure! 85000 map frames of 19th century Britain at a scale of 1:10560 (street level). A gazetteer is supplied. Simply select a county and you will get a gazetteer of towns and villages in that county. The gazetteer contains over 40,000 place names as they exist today.
BOOK REVIEW	SITE REVIEW
Genealogical Services Directory 2000 Robert Blatchford & Geoffrey Hislop This book is a treasure trove of vital information for anyone researching in the UK. 360 pages are packed with useful addresses and advice together with adverts from well established and reputable genealogy businesses. There are over 5000 essential addresses so if you need to contact an archive, library, museum or record office the details are almost certainly there .If you feel you need professional help you will find possibly the most complete listing of UK help. In the editorial the compilers say they want the book to be "the essential and prime source of information for Family and Local Historians, Genealogists and Researchers". An ambitious target that they have succeeded in achieving. John Oyston Buy the book from Amazon Other Books These books were reviewed by Julie Goddard and Janet Hole for Family Tree Magazine . The full reviews can be read in the May 2000 edition of the magazine. Buckland 1000 -2000 A Village History of Buckland Surrey by Duncan C Ferns "excellent history of the village of Buckland near Reigate in Surrey". Buy the book from Amazon The People of Suffolk Town : Halesworth 1100 - 1900 by Michael and Sheila Gooch "what a gift for family historians researching their ancestors in the Halesworth area of Suffolk" Buy the book from Amazon Letters from Hungary 1864 - 69 written by Mary Elizabeth Stevens "These letters provide a fascinating commentary on the social interactions of the Hungarian aristocracy" Buy the book from Amazon	Hotpots by Dennis Ainsworth As a Yorkshireman I find it hard to praise anything that comes out of Lancashire - except the main road! Hotpots is such a good site that I must break the habit of a lifetime. 2000 pages of content and 3700 external links make this an invaluable resource for anyone researching in Lancashire . Conveniently split in to sections it is easy to find your way about. There are sections on Accommodation Ancestry & Genealogy Bygone Photographs Dialect & Monologues Lancashire Products Maps Names meanings & origins Towns & Villages and much more .... If you want more information on the history, traditions and culture of Lancashire this site will be useful.

GUEST ARTICLES
Should I use a professional researcher? by John Oyston If you live far away from where your ancestors lived employing a professional researcher could be a practical and economic way to further your research. County Record Offices, Archives and Libraries are the professionals' work place, they know the systems , the staff and the available records and can usually access the information you want in a fraction of the time it would take a layman. Like each and every profession, genealogy has the good and the bad, and before you employ a researcher you should satisfy yourself that they are reputable. Always ensure that the exact nature of the work involved and the basis of the researcher's charges are understood by both of you, preferably have something in writing. The best recommendation is always a satisfied customer, but often you may need to respond to an advert and have no one to give an independent opinion on the researcher. If this is the case think of a few questions you would like to ask them before giving them the work. These might include: What area do you cover? Are you a member of a professional organisation? How long will the work take? How long have you been in business? There are many more questions you could ask depending on the circumstances. There is no substitute for the thrill of standing at the door of your ancestor's home and finding that the "stranger" who now lives there is a third cousin (yes that happened to us!), but the expense and time involved can mean that the research gets put off from one year to the next. A carefully chosen professional could be worth every penny. John Oyston
Why are Church of England Records so important? by Denise Oyston
The link between the Church of England and the state, and the special function of parish registers in England and Wales often causes confusion. Those not familiar with the Church's history find it hard to understand why the records of one denomination are so much more significant than others. This article is adapted from a message I posted on Yorksgen in 1997 in reply to a lady who wondered why the records of other denominations were not as freely available as the Church of England. The problem here is a very understandable misconception of the Church of England. The Church of England is not just another denomination it is in fact an integral part of the establishment. Everyone born in England has the right to a Church Of England, baptism,marriage and burial. This right has existed from its formation, the right for other denominations is far more recent. By the very nature of our law we are all in fact members of the Church of England, and even if we choose to practice another faith, that right of membership still remains. The monarch is the Supreme Governor Of The Church Of England and "Defender of the Faith", not through choice but as part of our Constitution. Parliament makes decisions about the Church, and the Church's Bishops sit in the House Of Lords - (second chamber). At certain times in history all denominations have had to have Church Of England baptisms, marriages and burials, and therefore parish records do not just cover CofE attenders, but the whole population. The brief history in the next column may help to make it clearer. Consequently records for other denominations do not exist until the nineteenth century and if they do are unofficial and difficult to find. Until 1898 records of the Church Of England refer to the population as a whole, not just followers. This is why they are of paramount importance to family historians and genealogists.	1534 Henry VIII establishes Church Of England by Act Of Supremacy. 1661-1665 Four Acts of Parliament including Act Of Uniformity, allows Protestants not to follow Church Of England, and be known as non-conformists, they are excluded from public office ie can not be members of parliament. Note there is no recognition for Catholics or Jews. 1689 Toleration Act gave nonconformists rights to their own places of worship and to have their own priests, subject to swearing of oaths and declarations. Catholics excluded. 1715 and 1717 Catholics required to register their names. 1753 The Marriage Act, declared that only Anglican (Church Of England) marriages were legal. All marriages were therefore entered in Parish Records. 1754 Quakers and Jews exempted from the Marriage Act and were able to marry outside The Church Of England. 1791 Catholic Relief Act - Catholics allowed to practise their faith if they swear Oath Of Allegiance to Crown. 1829 Catholic Emancipation Act enabled Catholics to worship freely, to vote, to sit in Parliament and hold property unconditionally. 1898 The Marriage Act allowed nonconformist churches the right to request that a member of their congregation be appointed registrar. Most Nonconformist marriage registers begin from this date. This article is based on a message posted to the Yorksgen list on 7 July 1997 by Denise Oyston. Denise is the founder of Yorksgen and founder and maintainer of the East & North Ridings Surnames List.

Visit UK Genealogy , our easy to navigate site. Lots of links, maps and other information.

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