Visiting England for the first time

I am SUPER excited that I get to visit England for the first time this year. Hubby got a bit of a bonus so while we've devoted 75% of it to boring stuff (paying off bills) we've decided to take the last 25% and do something fun.

We've going to go to London, Queniborough, and Bolton in England, and Cardiff (for Doctor Who). As part of this, my husband graciously told me I could devote up to half of our two weeks in genealogy research.

So if you had to recommend research for ancestors in Leicestershire and Lancashire, where would you guys recommend to go? I've heard some good things about researching in London but I'm not sure what they'll have for my people.

 

You have a very gracious husband indeed! I didn't get any research time in at all on our last visit (his first to the UK).

I don't have Leicestershire or Lancashire roots so I will let others advise you on the best places to research - although it probably depends a little on how advanced or far back your research is (are you still trying to trace people in the late 19th/20th century? Or are you trying to trace people back from the early 1800s or earlier? Are you looking for the 'basics' from census and parish records, or trying to find 'extra' details beyond those?)

From my experiences of doing hit-and-run research in the UK and elsewhere, you might want to consider the following to make the most of your time:

• Do as much research as you can online first, even if it involves spending a bit of money on pay sites like Ancestry and FindMyPast - given the cost of a trip and that you only have two weeks in total, it would be a real waste to miss out on doing and seeing some things because you were doing on-site research that could have actually been done on-line.
• On a related point, search the catalogues for the archives you plan to visit, make sure they have relevant information, make a list of the relevant holdings, and prioritise the sources or documents you want to look at (or at least what you need to look at to get you started). If you only have six hours, say, at a records office, you don't want to spend an hour of it figuring out where to start. Some archives also let you pre-order files so they are ready to peruse when you arrive.
• When you visit a research library or archives you should take with you both some photo ID (passport or driver's licence) and something official with your name and address on it (phone or power bill) as this speeds up the issuing of a reader's ticket, if you need one.
• Visit those ancestral villages! Not only is this of personal interest, but it will take you to places that are 'authentic' and off the normal tourist route. (One of our best stays in the UK was at a country pub in an ancestral village in the Chilterns, which turned out to be a truly lovely but little-visited place. It was also a bit of stealth genealogy on my part ).

In terms of options for places to visit in London, the Society of Genealogists library in London has lots of resources from around the country so it is worth looking through their catalogue to see what items of relevance they might have for the parishes and counties you are interested in. They have a reduced membership fee for overseas-based members (which means you can also use their online resources after your trip) but also do 'day fees' for non-members to use the library. The other places to check catalogues for are National Archives (a bit out of town at Kew, and many of the most common genealogical resources have been digitised), and the London Metropolitan Archives and City of Westminster Archives (although as you'd expect their holdings are much more focused on London residents).

 

Before you go try Lancashire Online Parish Clerks

 

If your Lancashire includes Manchester, then FMP and mouse

 

Don't forget to take a magnifying glass.

 

I've done quite extensive research with my mum's major family (the Needhams) on the Leics OPC, FMP, and Ancestry. Her side families (like the Fairhursts) from Lancs I think I've wore the Lancs OPC to the ground on a regular basis - it is SO helpful! Ancestry and FMP help immensely as well, of course.

My third great grandfather was actually a leading Baptist preacher in Leics and Lancs so I'm hoping to hit some of the churches he based himself in, as well as hitting the ancestral homeland in Queniborough - the Needhams were there since about 1600, so I'm hoping to do some research into what remains there! If I can, I'd love to fit in Syston as well, since the Needhams go back to 1500 there, but I don't know if I'll get the time.

 

If your ancestors were involved with mills and the cotton industry, you'll find the following website, run by Manchester City Council, very interesting spinning the web .

 

Should be OK if you don't plan to eat or sleep!

 

Hope you are able to 'walk in your ancestors footsteps'. A large proportion of my 19th and early 20th century ancestors lived and worked in Manchester which has undergone large scale demolition (slum clearance and progress). But there is more chance of visiting the properties/villages of those that lived in the rural/semi rural areas. Even the location of my birth in Manchester (1945) is unrecognisable, although the house where I spent my early childhood is still there, as are the former houses of my grandparents.

 

I agree with emjay. If you have time do try and visit the places where your ancestors lived. The villages and countryside will inevitably have changed, but not that much. With a little imagination, you'll get a good idea of what they were like when your great great greats were alive. You may even be lucky in towns and find whole areas that have escaped improvement. I can only talk from experience of Nottinghamshire, not Lancashire or Leicestershire but I suspect the same applies.

 

Some years ago, together with a cousin, I spent a day in London visiting the addresses of my mother's family. Several branches seemed to live in Mews ( a few were coachmen) and we found the addresses, now all gentrified. One house, a terrace, which she had visited as a child, apparently hadn't changed at all and she was quite emotional. We visited the church in which my grandparents were married and the only disappointment was trying to find the house my mother lived in as a child. It had been demolished to make way for the entrance to Harrods car park! It was a day to remember.

 

Years ago, my mother took me to see the house where she and her seven siblings had spent their whole childhood (from birth). The house, in Leytonstone, was still standing all right but it had been turned into flats. Imagine my mother's disappointment when the only person at home wasn't in the least bit interested and didn't invite her in. Understandable I suppose, but still! Her consolation was being able to show me the initials which she and a cousin had carved on a tree opposite the house!

 

LOL. My husband has his week planned with lots of art museums and military museums. Our last trip we did to Italy we did Florence, Pisa, Ravenna, Vittorio Veneto, and Venice in 2 weeks. I don't think I could sleep more than a few hours a night because I was so excited!

 

At one of the Mews we visited (which had been extensively rebuilt after being bombed during the war) a resident asked if she could help us. She was very helpful and asked us in for a cup of tea. I think that me being an Aussie was a bit of a novelty!

 

Oh, yeah! Queniborough doesn't have much left but the Needhams were there a loooong time so I wanted to see it. I'm at a bit of a disadvantage as the family was Baptist so I don't have the benefit of the addresses and such the conformists have on their birth certificates. I know that was their village at least! I wish I knew more about which house was theirs...

 

Whatever you do , take lots of photos ( I love my I-phone for this) not only of records (if permitted) but anything else that strikes you. When I was visiting Reigate in the steps of a ggf and ggm I took a walk and the photo of an inscription on a fence that caught my fancy. It just made me think of Elizabeth trying to come to grips with the accidental death of her youngest son. I had learned about the circumstances in detail just the week before although I still don't know why he was working in Yorkshire at the time. The photos will come in handy for the permanent record of your visit and additions to your family tree ( more about this in other forums!!)
If I can be very clever I'll attach a link to a post I wrote last June with the photo.