Genealogy Chat

I would very much appreciate anyone giving me a website about British social history. Having now gone back to the 1600's with some branches of the family I feel I would like to know what was 'going on' in those times especially for the ordinary person. Clothing, religion and the politics of those times give an idea of how our ancestors lived.

Sue

Hi Sue,
Which counties are you interested in ? I registered with a university for this purpose.

Hello Perchino - as I'm in Australia I'm finding it difficult to find much info. in our library. I'm interested in Kent and Devonshire. I can find plenty of info. regarding the British monarchs and major events like the Fire of London. I would like some info. on the lives of ordinary people.

Sue

Hi Sue
See this thread for some ideas:

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/tips_board/thread/1245792

Do check out the document I posted info on, it's fascinating.

Julie

Hi Sue,
Kent was a rural area known for growing of hops but is now a commuter area of London. Will have a look for you.
Devonshire is another rural area mostly farming and tourism. There is a university in Exeter, again will have a look for you.

Hi Julie - I've just had a quick look at the document and have bookmarked it for reading. It looks great - very interesting. I've also had a look at Maurice's thread and will follow some of the suggestions. Thank you so much.

Sue

I would appreciate that Perchino - thank you.

Sue

Julie - just had a quick read and you're right. There's some fascinating stuff.


1604 "Counterblaste to Tobacco" by James I published. The King described smoking as "a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs". How very forward thinking:-))

Sue

Hello, Sue :-)

Just a few for you to explore:

http://www.hereshistorykent.org.uk/choosearticle.cfm

http://www.kent.gov.uk/leisure_and_culture/museums/museums_in_kent/social_history.aspx

http://www.kentishpeople.co.uk/

http://www.cyndislist.com/eng-ken.htm

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=da56nhu6bpk6r6m6lu8pg80ma0&topic=489159.0

http://www.iknow-devon.co.uk/tourist_information/all_devon/devon_area/devon_castles_history.htm

http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/soisocialhistory

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~footprints1/

x x

Lovely Joy:-)) Thank you my friend.

S x

Hi Sue,
Try registering with the University of Leicester
http:// www.le.ac.uk
Their library site is very comprehensive
http://www.le.ac.uk/li
Has the television series Edwardian Farm arrived Down Under yet? Currently shown here on BBC 2 on Thursdays it is a reconstruction of daily life in the farming community on Dartmoor in Devon. It is possible to watch our programmes on the BBC website.
Social history books are available at discount prices on the amazon.co.uk website or try ebay
Do you have the occupations of your ancestors? This is a good start point for social history online. Try this site initially and alter county name as required:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/work/Kent

It's a mistake to think of Kent as a purely rural county when it contains the navy's main shipyard and a substantial coalfield.

Coal not discovered in Kent until 1890 and historically not a principal mining area such as Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Forest of Dean and Derbyshire. There are websites devoted to mining history.

Thank you Perchino and mgnv for your answers. No - Edwardian Farm hasn't arrived yet but I've been watching Victorian Farm. A real eye-opener. Most of my Devon ancestors worked on the land or were good sea-faring stock. One ancestor from Kent appears to have been a Customs officer and was killed by smugglers - that was found just by Googling. I also found a couple of sites showing the clothing worn during the 17th century - not just the aristocrats but what was worn by the ordinary working people.

It really puts things into perspective when you realise that an ancestor was born in London around the time of the Great Fire or that they lived through the Black Plague. My husband's grandfather was born near London at the time of Jack the Ripper. I've also found a timeline for wars that Britain was involved in and a timeline for changes in work conditions and the introduction of the Poor Law etc. All very interesting.

Thanks again.

Sue

Sue, it can be very useful subscribing to the rootsweb mailing lists for the counties that are of interest - for instance

http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/ENG/DEVON.html

http://lists.rootsweb.ancestry.com/index/intl/ENG/KENT-ENG.html

x x

Perchino - 1890 eh - it's a bit shocking to find something one learned in high school is of such recent origin. I'ld have guessed it was known from time immemorial, but I suppose it's not as obvious as sea coal washing up on the beach after a storm like in Northumberland. My family's not from the south, but I'd heard of labour troubles in WW2 and smoking cliffs from coal seam fires.

As for shipyards -
By the reign of Elizabeth I (1558 -1603) the River Medway at Chatham had become England's principal fleet base with the majority of the Queen's ships overwintering in the river. From 1570, under the terms of John Hawkyns' ‘bargain' the majority of repair and maintenance was undertaken at Chatham in new facilities built around Sunne Hard, a site later occupied by the Ordnance Board.
http://www.thedockyard.co.uk/The_Dockyards_History/Tudor_Dockyard/the_tudor_yard_1547_1613.html

The often forgotten Sheerness Naval Dockyard on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent was founded in 1667 and planned by Samuel Pepys. It was closed in the 1960's.

www.sheernessheritagecentre.com

Well mgnv a protracted discussion on the history of coal mining in Kent and elsewhere in the UK isn't really helping Sue with her ancestors. Perhaps it would be more useful to explore other avenues such as the Corn Laws (1791 and1813), wool,cotton, silk and flax production and developments in the Industrial Revolution. Under the Corn Laws restrictions were placed on the import and export of grain which forced up the prices and benefitted the landowners but the higher food prices led to opposition from the new industrial classes and the formation of the Anti Corn Law League in 1839. The Acts were subsequently repealed in 1846.

Hello all - I do enjoy reading about any history:-)) I found this website that looks interesting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/bloodlines/

It gives military, working life and migration timelines. The military one is particularly interesting if we have male ancestors who disappear for awhile. Knowing there were wars and battles at the time may help place them.

Thanks again for your input.

S

Hi Sue,
You mentioned one of your ancestors was a Customs officer. The historical records for Customs (now part of HM Revenue & Customs) are located in the Merseyside Maritime Museum, Albert Docks, Liverpool.
There is three hundred years of history, including smuggling, on this website:
http://liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime