News and Blog

The latest news and information from the Achievements team.

  1. Genealogical research in Kent

    Whilst genealogical research usually involves standard records across the British Isles, it is of course essential to understand the situation with local county records.  Our headquarters is situated in the historic city of Canterbury in Kent, and Kent is certainly an interesting county from a genealogical point of view.

    Parish registers are the primary source for family history research prior to 1837, when civil registration of births, marriages and deaths began, and recently there has been an extensive programme to fully index and digitise all surviving Kentish parish registers (bar those still held in private hands). Whilst this is a huge boon for genealogical research, it should be noted that the transcription process is far from perfect, and so creative searches are often required. But this shouldn’t diminish the usefulness of digitial access to these registers.

    Kentish wills prior to 1858 were proved in the probate courts of the Archdeaconry Courts of Canterbury and Rochester and the Consistory (or Bishop’s) Court of Canterbury. There is one Peculiar probate jurisdiction in Kent, being that of the Rector of Cliffe. The excellent volume The Phillimore Atlas and index of Parish Registers provides individual county maps showing in which probate jurisdiction a particular parish was situated.

    The highest probate court in England and Wales was the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. This meant that that these wills were proved under the jurisdcition of the Archbishop of Canterbury, but the Prerogative Court was actually in London (or Oxford during the Civil War in the 1640s) rather than in Canterbury itself.

    Other useful genealogical sources include records of the Poor law, and for Kent a significant publication has been produced for those records covering Mid Kent.  This, and many other Kent-based sources are held in our extension library at our Canterbury HQ.

    Contact us today if you have any Kent ancestors to see how we can help.

  2. A stitch in time….holes in manorial records!

    Manorial records can be notoriously difficult to search – often in Latin and potentially dating from the 14th century, or held in an archive very distant from the county of origin, or simply not surviving at all – it sometimes needs a lot of hard graft, and a sprinkling of luck, to find what you are looking for.

    This week our searches have taken us to court rolls – these are perhaps the most useful of manorial records, detailing as they do the day-to-day workings of the manor. The types of information recorded could be to do with land ownership and occupation, death of tenants, keeping of law and order, and details of minor misdemeanors such as non-cutting of a hedge or clearing of a ditch. As such they can provide details of ordinary manorial tenants’ lives in a way in which no other historical source can.

    Parchment would have been used for these medieval manorial records, and would have literally been stitched together to form a roll.  Our searches of 16th century court rolls have found this hole in the parchment, which appears to have been neatly darned – holding together to preserve what would have been expensive parchment. This would have been presumably a natural flaw arising from the parchment-making process, and presumably the scribes would have been used to dealing with such issues!

     

  3. Why choose Achievements as your professional genealogist?

    Our team here at our medieval headquarters in Canterbury, Kent are ready to help you with any aspect of your genealogy. Whether you have a specific Kent based ‘brick-wall’ you need help with dismantling, or if you have research requirements elsewhere in the United Kingdom, we are here to help. Some reasons you can rely on us are:

    • Fully qualified and accredited researchers
    • Research well positioned to undertake research in archives across the UK
    • 60 years worth of experience
    • Use of the extensive library here a our headquarters in Canterbury

    Contact us today to find out how we can help with you genealogical research, and provide a bespoke quote.

  4. The plague registers of 1625

    Everyone has heard of the Great Plague, which swept Europe and England in 1665, and which some estimates suggest up to 100,000 died. It is also likely you have heard of the Black Death which struck Europe from 1348-1351 in the 1300s, and in which millions of people lost their lives.

    But these weren’t the only plague epidemics which killed significant numbers in England. The burials recorded in parish registers reveal that significant outbreaks took place in other years. Outbreaks are evidence at various points after 1538, when parish registers were first instituted by Thomas Cromwell, and 1625 was the most significant 17th century outbreak after that of 1665.

    Taking the parish of Stepney as a guide for the 1625 outbreak, the first burial to have ‘plague’ entered by the clerk as the cause of death was on 18th April that year. This was of one Sarah Rumard, the wife of Marmaduke, a mariner of Ratcliffe. No burial for him was apparently present in Stepney, so he may have survived this epidemic.

    As spring progressed into summer, more and more burials were shown to be due to ‘plague’, with the hot summer months of July, August and September revealing page after page of plague deaths in the burial register. Plague entries continued in large numbers until October, thinning out from then. One or two plague burials a month then occurred from January 1626 as evident in the parish register.

    It is these type of events which our ancestors, if they were lucky, lived through and would have had a significant impact of their lives. When conducting genealogical investigations in the 16th and 17th century, if a family or individual disappears from view then could they have died of plague?

  5. How to find a professional genealogist?

    Many research projects will require the services of a professional genealogist.  Whether to find and copy documents held in archives some distance from where you live, or to help bust that ‘brick wall’ that stops you from progressing back in time, or simply from lack of time . But how do you go about finding a professional genealogist?

    There are two professional bodies in the UK that provide accreditation, being the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (AGRA) as well as the Register of Qualified Genealogists (RQG). Both provide lists of qualified professionals by geographical area as well as specialism, and so you can be sure to find the right person to help you.

    Elizabeth Yule, who leads the team at Achievements, is a member of both organisations, having qualified with both the IHGS Diploma in Genealogy as well as the University of Strathclyde MSc in Genealogical, Paleographic and Heraldic Studies. Contact us today to find out how we can help you with your ancestral journey.

  6. Why employ a professional genealogist?

    There are many reasons why you may turn to a professional genealogist to further your genealogical research.

    Brick Walls – it may be that you have a specific family history ‘brick wall’ – where you can’t progress any further back – that you would like help with solving. Using an experienced professional means they know the best ways to sleuth out those ancestors hiding from us behind assumed names, incorrect transcriptions, omissions from sources, and a myriad of other scenarios.

    To check existing research – alternatively, it could be that you would like a professional researcher to look over your own research to ensure that it is correct.  Family history research is often a solo pursuit, and sometimes another pair of eyes can help analyse the research with a fresh perspective.

    Time – it may be that your own investigations have yielded some results in census returns or General Registration, but you don’t have the time to delve any further. Or even time to start at all. This is definitely when it’s time to reach out to a professional to do the hard work for you.

    Archives required –  your own searches may have exhausted online resources, and it is now time to move to on-the-ground records held in county record offices or archives.

    Using professional, accredited genealogists gives you peace of mind that they are qualified and experienced in undertaking genealogical research. Accreditation in the UK is via the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives as well as the Register of Qualified Genealogists, and our lead researcher Elizabeth Yule is a full member of both organisations.

    If you have any research requirements, be they large or small, contact us today to find out how we can help you continue on your genealogical journey.

  7. New year, new genealogical project!

    We are now well into the New Year, and now is a great time to start a new genealogical project. Whether it is starting out on the journey that is ancestral research, or revisiting some of those ‘brick walls’ in your family history that have you stumped, why not make a resolution to make 2024 the year of family history research.

    Contact us today to find out how we can help with your genealogical projects, whether large or small.

  8. Need an original Christmas gift idea?

    It is that time of year again, when you need a Christmas present idea for someone who has everything! Well, why not give commission a bespoke, unique gift this Christmas and give a voucher for family history research. We can provide individual Christmas messages on a gift certificate to give to the special person in your life. Their family history will then be researched by our team of expert genealogists, providing them with a gift like no other.

     

    Click here to contact us to find out more about our Christmas gift certificates.

  9. Time for family history!

    The weather has had a significant shift towards Autumn this week, with rain and wind over much over the country. As the evenings draw in, now is the time to dig out your research and get stuck into family history once again. Alternatively, darker evenings may give you a chance to catch up on the various genealogy based television and radio shows out there currently.

    As well as re-runs of the BBC’s Who Do You Think You Are, there is a proliferation of other genealogy based shows available at the moment – including BBC 3’s Stranger In My Family and the BBC Sounds podcast The Gift , about those who have received a DNA test as a gift, and what unexpected stories they have subsequently discovered. Alternatively, Channel 4’s long running series Long Lost Family has recently completed its 13th series, which is also available on catchup online.

    If you have any enquiries at all about tracing your own family history, contact us today to find out how our team of professional genealogists can help.

  10. Trace your family tree today

    If you have been inspired by the latest series of Who Do You Think You Are? then look no further if you want to find out about your own roots. Our team of professional genealogical researchers are here to help uncover your ancestors, and go on your own genealogical journey.

    Contact us today to discuss your research and for a no obligation quote.  We look forward to hearing from you!

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