The history of penmaking around Britain

Colin Waters explores Britain’s penmaking industry, particularly associate with Birmingham. Vast fortunes were once made from manufacturing the humble pen nib. For example, Josiah Mason and Joseph Gilliot, from Sheffield, came from poor uneducated backgrounds but went on to make their fortunes in the trade. Mason used his fortune for philanthropic purposes, including founding Birmingham …

A nonconformist family

One Buckinghamshire family was proudly nonconformist – despite the impact of war and loss on their lives, writes David Rolfe. Shepherds Lane in Beaconsfield runs from the centre of the Old Town, down the side of the White Hart pub, to the Amersham Road at the northern end. One hundred metres along on the left …

Data: Kent parish registers released

Family history website Findmypast has announced the online publication of thousands of original Anglican parish registers in partnership with Kent County Council. The new records have been created from over 3,000 handwritten registers currently held at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone. These registers have been scanned and digitised in full colour to ensure the …

Data: Kent Poor Law and occupational records

New release from Findmypast: Kent Poor Law and Occupations Search for you Kent ancestors in this index of more than 2,000 poor law and occupation records. The records include church registers, alehouse keepers’ licenses and poor law documents that may reveal a variety of details relating to you ancestor’s birth, baptism, death, residence and occupation. …

Exhibition explores heritage of Mary Rose crew

Were the crew of the Mary Rose white Englishmen or did diversity reign on board Henry VIII’s favourite warship? The Mary Rose at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is delighted to present The Many Faces of Tudor England exhibition which explores the latest scientific and genealogical findings into the crew of the Mary Rose. Held from 18 March …