Web Talks

The ancient manorial system was consolidated and developed by William the Conqueror and lasted in some areas of the country into the 20^th century. The records generated by this system cover a far greater period than parish registers, offer details on individuals and communities,  and yet are often overlooked by today’s family historians. In this illustrated lecture Dr Chapman explains the manorial system, giving examples of some of the associated documents.

Victorian Railway Clerks

In this talk we explore the recruitment, working conditions, promotion and the good, bad and humorous experiences of clerical workers on Victorian Railways.

David Turner is a  Lecturer and Programme Director of the University of York’s online Masters in Railway Studies

I am currently Lecturer and Programme Director of the University of York’s online Masters in Railway Studies, which examines the social, political, cultural, economic and business history of Britain’s railways between c.1825 and 2010.

I completed my PhD in Railway Studies with the University of York’s Institute or Railway Studies in 2013.

The Printers trade and migration patterns around the London areas. Location of the London trade prior to 1840s. Methods, machines and materials of printing.

David Cufley is President of North West Kent Family History Society. He leads workshops and gives talks to family history and local history societies.

A member of the Guide of One Name Studies and a number of other Family history Societies. He has researched his family since the late 1960s.

One-place studies involve dissecting a small, definable, geographical areas, to examine the individuals, buildings and processes of the past. 10 steps to get you started.

Janet is an experienced and qualified family, social and community historian who lectures regularly on these subjects throughout the UK and overseas. She has spoken at many national and international genealogical events and is also a well known author.

Why can the same birth be registered more than once and in different years ? Why does a single death registration involve three different certificates ?  

This talk will look at the complex rules of registering birth and death events, uncovering the complexities and hidden information these essential  records of civil registration can contain.

Ian's mother was one of the 80,000 Land Girls during WW2 and the talk includes some of her personal memories and a potted history of the role of women on farms during the two world wars. Vital to this was Lady Gertrude Denman and her Balcombe Place home in Sussex.

OBSESSION, ENTERPRISE AND DEATH: the Industrial Revolution through three men’s lives -- and the lives of their workers

This talk explores the impact of the world’s first industrial revolution on the lives of those working in textile mills and coal mines, focusing on the careers of three men who profited from their labour. Like all my talks, it is the result of my own research and aims to bring history to life (in this case, a topic you may have forgotten about since your schooldays!) through the experiences of individuals.

Mick Henry our Chairman has translated two diaries, covering the years 1814-15 and 1816-1823 were lent to us by Paul Oxley, the owner, during the lockdown of 2020-21.  Mick talks extensively about the work he has done on the diaries.

As a public speaker, Jenny delivers a fascinating insight into five generations of her family who lived during the days of the British Raj in India.  Seen through the eyes of their granddaughter, Jenny captures a period of British history through her Power-point presentations with extensive collection of family sepia photographs, and manages to bring her stories to life: her grandmothers' lives as memsahibs and the "legacy" that Jenny has been given, a 170 year old cookbook penned  by Jenny's great 4 x grandmother in 1844 when she was aged just 15 and a newly wed bride, married to an English schoolmaster.  Jenny also describes her grandfathers, uncles and relatives who served in the British Army as early as 1798, The Royal Indian Navy, the Railways in Madras, a co-founder of an English Medium School in India in the early 18th century and a great uncle who rose up through the ranks of the ICS to become Postmaster General in the telegraph industry.    

Lost Cousins by Peter Calver. An aid to help us trace long lost cousins from the past to the present