Genealogy Chat

My daughters sister in law has just bought a 450 year old cottage in Suffolk and would love to know the history of the house, I am sure this can be done, but how do I go about it?

Kathlyn

I would work my way backwards, finding occupants on electoral registers and census reports. You could also go to the nearest archives centre - usually the main library for the area - to look at old maps and ask advice.
If there is a local history society I would think about that too.
If the house has a name it might be worth googling it, you never know!
Lucky her, I am very jealous!
Jan

I would imagine that a house that old would have plenty written about it.

Suggest local history/council archives as well.

Also has she just thought of Googling the house address/name or village name to see what comes up.

Thanks for that, I am sure there are lots of stories absorbed into the walls of the house and I hope she will carry out the searches.

Regards

Kathlyn

How lovely to have bought a bit of history.

I have found many bmd on the parish registers where the abode is entered. This might be easier if there is a local family history society that might have transcribed the birth/marriages/deaths for the parish local to this house. This would reveal all the names of the people who have lived there. -jl

Your county council will have records.

It's probably listed here.

http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/

Would be a good start to write down the names on the deeds.
They may not be the people that lived there.

I found the staff and customers at Records office in Bury St Edmunds had a wealth of local knowledge. They also knew a lot of local historians

Coincidentally I borrowed a book from the library on the very subect yesterday.....!

Tracing the History of your House, by Nick Barratt. It is published by the National Archives.

My home was built @ 1621 and I have spent many hours tyring to find the true history.
At one point there was the local Mayor living here,I googled his name and he came from a well known family in Derbyshire whose family papers are in the National Archives.
Among these papers was a Christmas Card with a drawing of my home in 1909.
It cost me about £4 50 for a copy and it is now on my wall in A3 size.

I couldn't believe my luck when I came across it.
I never did get to the bottom of who owned it in the beginning though.

Maryb.

It would probably appear on tithe records.

I used to live in a pub which was built in the 1600s with a 1700s building attached.
As I never owned it I did not see the deeds but I have traced it on the census as a pub back to 1860 then before that it was probably a farm...but what it was called I have no idea.
I was expecting to see dozens of people living there as it was quite a large building but in the 50years I could trace it it only had three different owners with no more than three occupants...dissapointing