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1 ournal 9 79 Jof One-Name Studies How DNA Helps Understanding the Royal name Plantagenet
The Guild E-library goes online
Naval Sources Will Technology Ever for One-Namers Catch Up With Paper? Poor Law Documents and the One-Name Study Vol 10 Issue 8 October-December 2010 10 Issue 8 October-December Vol
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Box G, 14 Charterhouse Buildings CHAIRMAN Guild information Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA Kirsty Gray Tel: 0800 011 2182 (UK) 11 Brendon Close Bookstall Tel: 1-800-647-4100 (North America) Tilehurst, Reading As well as Guild publications, the Berkshire Bookstall Manager has a supply of E-mail: [email protected] RG30 6EA Journal folders, ties, lapel badges Website: www.one-name.org 0118 941 4833 and back issues of the Journal. The Registered as a charity in England [email protected] address is: and Wales No. 802048 Howard Benbrook VICE-CHAIRMAN 7 Amber Hill President & EDITOR Derek A Palgrave MA MPhil FRHistS FSG Keith Bage Camberley 60 Fitzgerald Close Surrey Vice-Presidents Ely GU15 1EB Richard Moore FSG Cambridgeshire England Iain Swinnerton TD.DL.JP. CB7 4QD E-mail enquiries to: Alec Tritton 01353 650185 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Forum Guild Committee This online discussion forum is open The Committee consists of the four SECRETARY to any member with access to e-mail. Officers, plus the following: Jan Cooper You can join the list by sending a Greenways message with your membership Gordon Adshead 8 New Road, number to: Wonersh, Guildford John Coldwell [email protected] Surrey, GU5 0SE To e-mail a message to the forum, Peter Copsey 01483 898339 send it to: Stephen Daglish [email protected] Corrinne Goodenough [email protected] Ken Mycock TREASURER Roy Rayment Cliff Kemball Regional Representatives Anne Shankland 168 Green Lane The Guild has Regional Reps in Sandra Turner Chiselhurst many areas. If you are interested Kent in becoming one, please contact BR7 6AY the Regional Rep Coordinator; 0208 467 8865 Corrinne Goodenough: [email protected] Bookstall Manager Howard Benbrook 11 Wyndham Lane Forum Manager Allington Salisbury Wendy Archer REGISTRAR Regional Reps Co-ordinator Wiltshire, SP4 0BY Stephen Daglish Tel:01980 610835 Corrinne Goodenough 113 Stomp Road Website Manager E-mail: Burnham [email protected] Anne Shankland Berkshire Librarian & Helpdesk SL1 7NN Roy Rayment 01628 666464 [email protected] The Journal of One-Name Studies is published quarterly by the Guild SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMEN of One-Name Studies and printed Executive Kirsty Gray by Flexpress Ltd, 6 Coal Cart Road, Seminar Gordon Adshead Interchange, Birstall, Leicester, LE4 3BY Marketing John Coldwell ISSN 0262-4842 © Journal of One-Name Studies
www.facebook.com/guildonename www.twitter.com/guildonename ournal Volume 10 Issue 8 October-December 2010 Jof One-Name Studies CONTENTS
MAIN ARTICLES
6 Naval Sources For One-Namers by Iain Swinnerton 10 Poor Law Documents And The One-Name Study by Anne Cole 14 Understanding The Royal Name Plantagenet (How DNA Helps) by Dr John S Plant 16 Will Technology Ever Catch Up With Paper By Peter C Amsden 21 New Year Resolutions For A One-Namer - UPDATE by Ken Toll
GUILD REPORTS - NEWS - EVENTS
5 The Guild Helpdesk Crosses The Pond by Roy Rayment 8 The Guild E-library Goes Online by Anne Shankland 13 2011 Guild AGM & Conference by Gordon Adshead 13 Free Rootsmap Offer 22 Computer Seminar - Seminar Report by Jackie Depelle & Pan Smith 23 Forthcoming Seminars
REGULARS
4 From The Chairman’s Keyboard by Kirsty Gray 18 A View From The Bookstall by Howard Benbrook 24 Marriage Challenge Update by Peter Copsey 25 Book Reviews 26 One-Name Mail
ARTICLES, letters and other contributions are welcomed from members, especially accompanied by illustrations, and should be sent to the Editor. Publication dates will normally be the first day of January, April, July and October. Copyright of the material is to the Editor and Publishers of the Journal of One-Name Studies and the author. No material may be reproduced in part or in whole without the prior permission of the publishers. The views expressed in the Journal are those of individual contributors and are not necessarily those of the committee of the Guild of One-Name Studies. The distribution list for this Journal is based on the information held in the Guild database on the first of the month preceding the issue date. From the Chairman’s Keyboard...
By Kirsty Gray
aving appointed many new Points’. I am sure that many of you the online register and it does add that volunteers in June, the last few will say your own personal thanks to extra little snippet to peoples’ studies, Hmonths have been extremely Howard for his unstinting work for our so why not get in touch with Jim and busy and improved communication has organisation over the years but, on sign up for your local newspaper been at the forefront of the endeavours behalf of the Guild Committee, thank ([email protected]). of all committee members. Corrinne you Howard and we wish you and Pam Goodenough, having been a regional a quieter retirement! Jo Howarth is Since the Marketing Strategy meeting, representative for Hampshire and waiting in the wings to take on the role I have been working hard to develop Wiltshire before taking on the post of of Sales Manager in November when links with FamilySearch.org and there Regional Representative Co-ordinator, Howard shuts up shop. She will hold the are two exciting projects in the pipe- has developed a superb system informing stock of books, vouchers, CDs etc and line for 2011; the first will improve local representatives and ultimately, you will operate a mail order service (sales@ the visibility of the Guild in the wider as members, of the new developments one-name.org). genealogical community as well as pro- within your organisation. She has also viding potential contacts for members’ taken on the post of Stand Manager and A more recent appointment is Andrew one-name studies and the second will has been working closely with Howard Millard to the post of Academic enable volunteers to access documen- Benbrook and Ron Woodhouse to look Co-ordinator. For the past few years, tary data for their studies which may at how we can market the Guild at fairs Cliff Kemball has been working not currently be accessible anywhere and events after Howard retires from the with Helen Osborn at Pharos on the online. So, watch this space in the bookstall at the beginning of November One-Name Studies course and more January Journal to find out more! this year. In an incredibly short space of recently, on the Advanced One-Name time, Corrinne has developed guidelines Studies course, as well as all his work Seminars for stand managers and has also as Treasurer. David Mellor created links The recent Epsom seminar was recruited many regional stand managers with Strathclyde University during his extremely well attended - 127 people! to manage events in their area. If you time on the Committee and it is hoped And the effort that went into planning feel that you are able to help ‘fly the that Andrew will progress our links the event was extraordinary. So many flag’ for the Guild, please do get in with many other academics, particularly speakers on so many topics and all the touch with Corrinne (stand-manager@ Richard Coates and Patrick Hanks at the talks available on a memory stick….. one-name.org). University of the West of England and No mean feat! My sincere thanks go their project ‘Family Names in the UK’. to Gordon Adshead who chairs the Howard’s last fair will be in Woking at Seminars Subcommittee but also to the the WSFHS Open Day on Saturday 6th Projects rest of the team who plan and organise November. His contribution to the Guild Following my Newsflash in May and these fantastic events throughout has been tremendous over the years Glenys Marriott’s appointment as the year, all round the country. If your not only in generating much needed Volunteer Co-ordinator (volunteers@ ancestors were born abroad, don’t revenue, but also in marketing the Guild one-name.org), many new projects miss the next seminar at Sevenoaks in at the many fairs he has attended. As are being investigated so that we November (see Guild events - http:// Derek Palgrave said when he nominated can improve the promotion of our www.one-name.org/timetable.html). Howard as a Master Craftsman of the members’ studies and create more The Conference booking form is Guild, ‘he has revolutionised the Guild’s opportunities for our members’ studies included with this Journal and is being publication sales function’. Howard to be progressed through greater organised by the same team. Taking has given up countless weekends and access to documentary data. Jim Isard’s place at the De Vere Hotel, Daresbury through his efforts, an enormous Newswatch project has been a great Park, Warrington, the AGM/Conference number of people have not only learnt success already with 66 volunteers. promises to be a super event (as always!) more about the Guild but many have Although I haven’t signed up for a - book early to avoid disappointment! joined the Guild as a result of meeting particular newspaper, I went through him at events around the country. He some papers before I recycled them Can you help? served on the committee for many years over the summer holidays and scanned With all these projects, events and and has also been Chairman of the Guild. the registered names. I was delighted posts, we can always do with extra His wealth of knowledge, particularly with how many I located and equally hands on deck. If you feel you can help concerning London, is offered freely and delighted that every single one I sent in any way, however small, please do through his many marriage challenges was acknowledged. It is very quick to get in touch with me at chairman@ in the region, he pioneered ‘Cardinal check the family notices pages against one-name.org. n
4 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 Guild Helpdesk Crosses The Pond
By Roy Rayment
he Guild is thought to be for annual conference, long-term of Membership Details” in the self- unique among genealogical storage advice for members’ One- service section. Torganisations in providing a UK Name Studies, census voucher sales, telephone helpdesk to which calls can library and e-library queries, ques- Manning the helpdesk has certainly be made completely free of charge tions about setting up DNA projects, not been without its lighter moments. from all UK landlines. Available for queries regarding use of the Wiki, For example, since the North American seven days a week, 365 days a year, it information about registering variant toll-free number was launched, a provides a much-appreciated service surnames, and help with e-mail aliases number of calls have been received in for the use of both the general public to name just a few. the middle of the night from various and members of the Guild. gentlemen asking to be connected to More Than A Friendly Voice someone called Jacey Penny. It had Launched in early 2005, the helpdesk It is perhaps less well known that initially been presumed that she was Freephone number 0800 011 2182 has the helpdesk is also able, among a lady of ill-repute but later, upon now become familiar to most of our other things, to reset members main questioning some of the callers in members, appearing on the front passwords whilst they wait, to provide detail, it was discovered that there is page of our website and in virtually look up services for members without a a chain store in the U.S.A. known as all of our publicity material, together computer and to update membership “J. C. Penney” which proved to have a with the Register, the Journal and details (including changes of address similar toll-free telephone number to the Member’s Handbook etc. and telephone number). that of the Guild.
Following the Guild Filler As for the future, conference and AGM earlier the Guild would ide- this year, the toll-free ally like to launch a number 1 800 647 4100 world-wide Freephone was launched to provide number in the interna- both the public and Guild tional 00800 range but, m e m b e r s t h r o u g h o u t unfortunately, this is out North America with direct of the question due to the access to the Guild helpdesk massive costs that would and is proving to be equally be involved. However, if successful. Although the North- all goes well, our next foray American number is currently may well be into the Australian being answered in the UK, the Guild is telephone numbering system, hoping eventually to find volunteers with the possible provision of in Canada and the USA to answer an 1800 toll-free number. some of the calls, especially during night-time in the UK. The biggest problem encountered I have no doubt that the helpdesk in running the helpdesk is caused has an extremely rosy future, especially I must admit that when I first by a small number of members who if some of our more experienced proposed the idea of setting up a have omitted to notify the Guild members can be persuaded to helpdesk, neither I or the rest of of their home (landline) telephone volunteer their services for just a few Guild committee realised just how numbers. The Guild does not publish hours each week, on a regular basis, integrated into the Guild’s affairs such numbers unless requested to to answer some of the calls! If anyone it was destined to become, the vari- do so, but they are needed in case thinks that they might be interested ety of calls received on the helpdesk of e-mail problems etc. and are only in volunteering, they are more than being truly amazing. As far as calls made available to members of the welcome to give me a call to find out from Guild members are concerned, committee and official post holders. more. n subjects covered include membership Members can easily check whether renewals, questions regarding mar- or not their telephone numbers have riage challenges, requests for assist- been included in the membership ance in setting up profile pages on the records by calling the helpdesk, or by website, help with electronic archive visiting the Members Room on the accounts, bookings for seminars and Guild website and clicking “Change
Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 5 Naval Sources For One-Namers By Iain Swinnerton
nlike the British Army which The Royal Navy Emerges continuous service number was issued has a definite birth date, the Three Royal Dockyards were (known as “CS numbers”). So it is URoyal Navy does not – rather established at Plymouth, Portsmouth possible that a rating could have been like Topsy, it just growed! and Chatham: Henry VIII established issued with several CSNs throughout the Navy Board and founded Trinity his career. King Alfred had a small navy of House. Yet there were still no regular longships which he designed himself naval officers or seamen and it was As a consequence, the records of the as a defence against the constant another hundred years before the Royal Navy have always been complex raids of the Danish Vikings. The first great diarist Samuel Pepys became – there was nothing to compare with invasion had come in 790 and the first secretary to the board. He set about the Army’s regimental system with its recorded battle in naval history was in re-organising the naval service, corresponding records. 851 when Athelstan of Kent beat the introducing the Articles of War and Danes off the coast of modern-day the Naval Discipline Act and from Ratings Sandwich. Alfred came to the throne the reign of Charles II, the service The Internet has gone some way in 871 and in borrowed ships, himself gradually became known as the Royal to alleviating this and in September defeated the Danes at sea in 882. He Navy. An interesting sideline – during 2005 the service records of over realised the usefulness of having his the Commonwealth, the post of 600,000 ratings (seamen) were put own fleet so designed and built his Admiral was abolished and Generals- on the net by The National Archives own ships. With these he beat the at-Sea were appointed in their place! (TNA). These are for ratings who Danes in the Thames Estuary and off One of these, General George Monk, joined the Royal Navy between 1853 the coast of Essex in 895 and again in later Duke of Albemarle, the principal and 1923 (services are recorded up to 897. However, subsequent monarchs architect of the restoration, proved to 1928 when an index card system was again resorted to borrowing merchant be just as competent at sea and beat started) and were previously in the ships - fortifying them with small the Dutch on more than one occasion. Admiralty (ADM) series of Registers wooden castles when necessary as of Seamen’s Services (ADM 188) and happened for the Crusades. It was now possible for officers to the Continuous Service engagement take an examination to be appointed books (ADM 139). This is a great step The first Lord High Admiral of Lieutenant and then follow a full-time forward – these records will give England was appointed in 1391 but navy career but sailors were still signed you details of your ancestor’s birth, ships designed specifically for war off at the end of each voyage until physical appearance, occupation and were not built until the 15th century. continuous service was introduced in which ship(s) they served on. They When Henry V invaded France 1853. Until the early 19th century, the are arranged alphabetically and can and fought his famous battle at majority of these men would have be searched and downloaded for Agincourt, it is said he had a total of been ‘pressed’ into the service as a reasonable fee. By simply typing 1500 ships and boats to transport his there was a constant shortage of men Swinnerton into the surname box, army. He certainly built the first big to man the growing number of ships. I was quickly presented with the ships, the Trinity Royal of 540 tons, From 1853, all boys between the ages references to five ratings of that name the Holigost of 760 tons, the Jesus of of 14 and 17 who joined the navy had which I could download. 1000 tons and, above all, the Grace to sign an engagement to serve for 10 Dieu of 1400 tons – as you can see years after they reached the age of For men who joined the Navy before by the names he gave his ships, by 18. They could go on to serve further 1853, it is much more difficult to trace now he had become a very religious engagements to complete the 20 their records of service. The principal man as opposed to the rumbustious years service required to qualify for a sources available are the ships’ muster drinker and hell-raiser of his youth. long-service pension. The same terms and pay books but to use these you will of service were also extended to those need to know the name of at least one However, it was the Tudors who laid joining aged 18 and over. ship on which your man served and the foundations of our modern navy, roughly when. These musters can be notably Elizabeth 1 who encouraged Ratings who were already serving found in a number of locations – ADM her sea captains to sail (and rob) the in 1853 could opt to serve an initial 7 36, 37, 38, 39, 41, 115 and 119. If the world. It was the decisive defeat of year continuous engagement instead muster book is missing you can check the Spanish Armada in 1588 that gave of ten and then also serve further the pay book. Remember though that birth to the ultimate supremacy of the engagements to qualify for a pension. before 1853, sailors would take any British at sea which lasted until WW2. For each engagement served, a berth offered so he may have served
6 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 periods on merchant ships as well. in ADM 73. They are arranged by the home address (which allows you to Using TNA’s catalogue you can enter first letter of the surname and can find the family in the censuses) and a particular ship’s name (do not put contain a complete record of service the ships on which he served. They are in HMS) a rough date and put ADM in as well as the admission papers. partly indexed on cards at TNA. There the last box. is also a listing of officers’ services for Officers the years 1817 and 1846 in ADM9 but If you were lucky enough to have For tracing the career of officers, it is far from complete. an ancestor who fought at Trafalgar the system is much simpler. The first on the 21 October 1805, TNA has place to go is the Navy List. Steele’s The starting point for an officer’s a database online which lists every Navy List was first published in 1782 career was the day he passed the man who fought in the battle. Of but was superseded by the official examination qualifying him to be particular interest to one -namers Navy List which has been published appointed a Lieutenant. The actual is that it can be searched just by quarterly since 1814. From this it certificates are in ADM 6, 13 and 107. surname. Some years ago, before this is comparatively easy to trace the Bruno Pappalardo (the naval expert database existed, I was researching career of an officer from the day he at TNA) has produced a splendid the career of a sailor for a client was promoted Lieutenant - the ships printed nominal index to these – and was delighted to find that his he served on and his seniority at any Royal Navy Lieutenants’ Passing final appointment in a long and particular time. There was also an Certificates 1691-1902 which has distinguished career was as Sailing unofficial publication (rather like been published by the List and Index Master to Nelson on the Victory. Hart’s Army List) called the New Navy Society in two volumes. There are I was thrilled to find this but the List which was published from 1841- also passing certificates for Surgeons client wasn’t particularly interested 1856 and , like Hart, includes potted 1700-1800, Paymasters 1851-89, but only wanted to know the name biographies which can go back long Engineers 1863-1902 and Masters of his father! before 1841. 1660-1863 in various ADM volumes.
The Navy had its own hospital at Official records of officers’ services Tracing a man’s career in the Royal Greenwich for its pensioners just 1840-1920 may be found in ADM Navy is not easy but well worthwhile as the army had Chelsea. To apply 196 (on microfilm). The bulk of the and gives you a good account of this for a pension, ratings (and warrant entries are for 1840 to 1920. They country’s long association with the sea. officers) had to submit a certificate are extremely useful as they give n of service. These applications, for dates and places of birth, marriage the period 1790-1865 can be found and death; the name of the wife and
Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 7 The Guild E-library goes online By Roy Rayment (Librarian), Colin Pattrick (E-Librarian), & Anne Shankland (Webmaster)
major new facility for our mem- bers is now available: the Guild A E-library – online! For many years the Guild has been collecting one-name material on behalf of its members, including copies of one-name periodicals and one-name data collections. Some of this material has been acquired from Guild members who have donated their studies to the Guild, or who have lodged some of their ONS material with the Guild; some of it has been donated to the Guild by one-namers who were never even members, but who felt that the Guild was the best www.one-name.org/cgi-bin/library/ repository for their one-name data. search.cgi. Many of the E-library documents were digitised from paper originals into Most of this material was received in There is a basic search, for material Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files, in most paper format, but where feasible the relating to a surname, and an advanced cases using OCR (Optical Character material has been digitised to form search, which can also specify other Recognition) software. Where OCR part of the Guild electronic library criteria for finding the material you was not used, the PDF files are simply (“E-library”). In addition, the Guild want. If the search produces 50 results unsearchable photographic images has sought and received permission or less, they are presented as a list on rather than text, but even where OCR to make this material available to its the web page. If the search produces was applied, the results, although membership. Currently the E-Library more than 50 results – and for some searchable, turn out to have very many contains over 9,000 documents for surnames there are hundreds or even OCR errors, making them unsuitable which the Guild has release permission. thousands of files – then the search for full-text indexing. will tell you how many results it has Now, for the first time, this collection found and allow you either to refine On the other hand, those documents of one-name material is being made your search or to retrieve the search which were generated electronically, accessible to the Guild membership results page by page. such as Word or Excel documents or through the website. text files (including GedCom files) For each search result shown, a link is do not suffer from this problem, There are two ways of accessing the provided to download the document. and have been indexed. Currently available data. Since some of these documents are quite the index contains over half of the large, the size of the document is shown. E-library documents. It is hoped that Catalogue search over time the proportion of fully The first is through the Online Library Full-Text Search indexed documents will increase. Catalogue. All the material for which The second way to access the data is the Guild has release via a full-text search. A subset of the The E-library therefore contains two permission has been E-library documents has been indexed classes of document: those accessible catalogued, and for text searching, and there is a via a text search, and those which are can be located Google-type search facility available accessible only via the Catalogue. The through the for this, at www.one-name.org/cgi- Online Library Catalogue includes catalogue bin/library/zoom/search.cgi. both classes, showing the first as search at “available for search (or reference)” Ideally, the whole of the E-library and the second as “available for would be searchable in this way, but reference only”. this has proved not to be possible.
8 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 The Online Library Catalogue Preservation of data
The Guild Online Library Catalogue As Guild members we tend – rightly – facility, and specify whether the is the centralised directory for all one- to be very aware of the need to make Archive will continue to be accessible name material held by the Guild. It is arrangements for the preservation of to the public, to Guild members, to the available only to members. A search of our one-name study data. For many of Committee only, or whether the Archive the Online Library Catalogue returns us it has been the result of decades of will be deleted altogether. Again, as in details of all one-name material held research, and represents a significant the case of Profiles, if no choice is given by the Guild whether this relates to body of data and expertise. At some then the Archive will be deleted. ongoing studies or to “orphaned” time in the future we may have to studies, i.e. those currently without give up our study; and in any event Data provided in both Profile a registered member. The Catalogue we shall have to discontinue it when pages and Archive pages is of course includes we finally join our ancestors. Allowing considered to be the property of the our achievement to simply gather Guild member who created these pages. • physical material such as books, dust unused on a shelf, or, worse, to It will not automatically continue to be etc., where it may also offer a be destroyed, is unthinkable. extant when the member leaves the loan service Guild or deregisters the study name. I believe that the online Guild For this reason it is vitally important • electronic material in the E-Library represents an excellent way that the owners of Profile and Archive E-library, which is accessible for of safeguarding our one-name data. pages indicate their wishes regarding download via the website In addition, it makes our own records these pages. • other one-name material on the available to other members, including website which does not form both those whose one-name studies Genealogical Next of Kin part of the E-library, such as intersect with our own, and also Considerations of data preservation articles relating to specific one- perhaps someone who would be bring to mind the arrangements which name studies. prepared to take over an “orphaned” we should make for our studies in the one-name study. event of our death – a melancholy The Catalogue was first piloted subject but a necessary one. about a year ago, containing the New material is invited – in electronic books and periodicals donated as format – to be added to the material The Guild recently changed the way part of the 2009 Guild Publications currently held. (Note that for this that studies are represented in the Award, providing not only a search material to be added to the E-library, Register, so that members can indicate facility for these items but also the you will need to indicate your the properties of their studies: for means to request a loan. permission for it to be released to the instance if there is a web page, a Guild membership. The Guild will not DNA study, published material, etc. It has now been substantially extended release it to the general public.) Paul Millington has now provided an with the thousands of electronic docu- extension to this, so that in addition to ments held in the E-library, providing Preservation of Profile saying how their study should appear a means of accessing these documents and Archives in the Register, members may also through the website. Where electronic Profile pages and Archive pages are say what they would like to happen documents are found by a search, significant items of one-name data, and to their studies after their death. This as mentioned previously, they are the Online Library Catalogue will include can include the following: displayed with a link to their location in these items in a study name search. the website, for download. • Contact: the individual whom In the case of Profile pages, the page the Guild should contact regard- In addition, the Catalogue gives links is removed when the author ceases to ing your study material after to material which is not actually held in be a Guild member. However, plans notification of your death are being made to allow members to the Guild library but which is accessible • Bequest: A brief description of specify that when they leave the Guild on the website. This includes various what is to happen to your study for whatever reason, or deregister articles relating to one-name interests material upon your death published elsewhere on the website. their study, their Profile page will Similarly, if there is a Profile page or continue to be available (although, • Genealogical Next-of-Kin: An a public Archive page for the study obviously, without their contact individual who you believe specified in the search, it is intended details). If no choice is made by the might wish to undertake your that this will also be included in the list member, then the Profile page will be study following your death. returned. Furthermore, if the owner deleted as at present. of the Profile and/or Archive page These choices can be specified has given their permission, the Profile As regards Archive pages, members using a new web page at www.one- and/or Archive page can continue to already have the option to choose not name.org/cgi-bin/user-maintenance/ be included in the Library Catalogue only who can currently access their bequestpropsfrontpage.cgi or by going even after the owner has given up Archive, but also what should happen to the Members Room and selecting their Guild membership. (See below to it when they leave the Guild or the “Change study details” item in the for more details about this.) deregister their study. The choices are drop-down list under “Self-service”. n available through the maintenance page (“change status”) of the Archive
Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 9 POOR LAW DOCUMENTS AND THE ONE-NAME STUDY
By Anne Cole
t was in 1983 that one of the long story very short, Joseph Duncalf Poor Law sources can be used archivists at Lincolnshire Archives married Ellen Mear at Warrington for several purposes. Relationships Iasked me the question. There had St Elphin on 1st June 1762. Their first between people and places and been a weekend workshop and the child, Matthew, was baptised at Great between family members can be attendees had begun an index to Sankey, near Warrington, on 17th proved; putative fathers of bastard Settlement Certificates. Would I like April 1763. Joseph next appeared in children can be found; family histories to continue the project? I had never the parish of Weaverham, Cheshire, can be embellished with information heard of Settlement Certificates, but where a further seven children were gleaned from settlement examinations being interested, and there being baptised between 1768 and 1784. and other Poor Law records, and very few Duncalfs in Lincolnshire Ellen died in 1786 and Joseph married they will often give clues that can be that I could research, I said yes. Thus Mary Whitby in 1787 at Weaverham. followed up in other areas of research. began a long, and still continuing, Mary gave birth to triplets in 1788, It is not my intention here to go into association with Poor Law Documents all of whom survived, and a fourth great detail about the various records. and other Poor Law Records. daughter in 1791. Information about the Poor Law and the records may be found in other places. Having found this wonderful source It is clear that Joseph, on arriving in What I would like to do is to give some I wanted to apply it to my own ONS. Weaverham sometime between 1763 examples from the sources themselves. Cheshire has been my main area and 1768, was required to produce a Delving into Poor Law records is a little of research for many years, and my Settlement Certificate. He may have like putting your hand into a bran annual week at Chester RO during been examined at Weaverham to tub. You never know what you will the 1980s and 1990s has produced a ascertain where his legal settlement pull out. Little gems of information wealth of material, much of which I was, but unfortunately no examination may be found, such as the illustrated had to search for and browse as there survives. His settlement being at Little bill from the public house where the were no indexes. Budworth, a certificate was applied overseer spent the night when he took for and presumably handed over in a pauper to the Quarter Sessions; a list Beginnings 1768. Many Settlement Certificates of children’s births accompanying a I began with a Removal Order. John were dated from after the arrival of set of removal documents; a doctor’s Duncalf, Mary his wife and their children the potential pauper in a parish where certificate explaining why someone Ellen aged 18, Mary aged 9, Ann aged he didn’t have a legal settlement. should not be removed. 7, Sarah aged 2, Elizabeth aged 16, Joseph received relief whilst living at William aged 11 and Joseph aged 5 were Weaverham, from the parish of Little Most of the examples that follow removed from the township of Sutton to Budworth, until his death in 1809. His are from Lincolnshire, and one or the township of Little Budworth on the burial and his wake were paid for (see two from Cheshire. All are records 21 February 1822. Fig 1. below) at a cost of £1 14s 5½d. that I have found myself or to which I hold joint copyright as compiler There was nothing to associate any The entries in the Overseers Accounts where they have been published. All Duncalf family with Little Budworth paying for rent, coal, flour, medical the featured surnames are currently apart from three census returns bills, clothing etc. continue to the being researched by members of and five burials between 1810 and end of the book in September 1830, the Guild. As poor law records differ 1848. A Mary Duncalf was living in and I have 12 typed up pages of all widely between documents, parishes an almshouse in 1851 and 1861 and the Duncalf entries covering three and counties, none should be taken was in receipt of charity. I ordered generations of the same family. as a standard example of a particular up the Overseers Accounts and opened a page in the middle where I immediately found several Duncalf entries. Proceeding backwards I eventually found the first reference to Duncalf on the 25th April 1768 “To Expences getting Duncalfe Certificate” one shilling. The next Duncalf entry, for the 19th October 1768 read “For a Certificate for Duncalfe which he has Fig 1. Cheshire RO, P36/18/11 not yet had” two shillings. To cut a Little Budworth Township Overseers Accounts, 1809
10 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 source, but they will give a flavour of Settlement Examination [LA Ref: Bastardy Recognizance etc. [LA Ref: what could be found. References are Bourne Parish 13/12/26] as shown below] given; Lincolnshire Archives has been Examination of Lawrence ROBINSON Bastardy Recognizance dated 13 abbreviated to “LA”. of the parish of Bourn Horsebreaker April 1779. Mother: Elizabeth CATER 12 March 1808 ……he is twenty eight of East Barkwith. Putative father: Stamford (Lincolnshire) Poor Law Years of Age or thereabouts, and was James CRIDLAND of Sturton Yeoman. Union: Minute Book of the Board of born in the Parish of Manfield in the Male child born at East Barkwith. [LQS Guardians [LA ref: PL15/102/2 page 259] North Riding of the County of York as A/1/205/Spilsby/2A]. See also note 13 May 1840. The relieving officer he hath heard and believes; of Parents concerning the whereabouts of James reported that Ann MESSENGER travel- legally settled there. That he was hired CREDLAND. [LQS A/1/206/Louth/37] ling through the town with 6 children by Ralph SEDGWICK of Hutton Henry had applied for relief in consequence in the Bishoprick of Durham Farmer Lindsey Quarter Sessions [LA Ref: of Eliza Messenger her daughter, for the Term of one year, That he LQS A/1/662/232] aged about 13, having met with an served him the whole of the said Term Vagrancy Conviction dated 7 July accident which would detain her in the and received a full years wages. And 1847. William NEEDLER convicted of workhouse for about a fortnight. But left him about twelve years since. That being an idle and disorderly person the clerk having reported that he had he hath since lived in various Places by for that he being a person able to written to her friends at Thistleton, weekly hirings. That on the 31st day work and thereby to maintain himself the case was directed to stand over till of August last he married his present and his family did on or about 16th an answer was obtained. wife Ann (then Ann WILLOUGHBY) at June last at South Elkington wilfully the parish Church of Bourn aforesaid neglect so to do whereby his four Holbeach (Lincolnshire) Poor Law who is now pregnant and has done children whom he was legally bound Union: Minute Book of the Board of no Act whatever whereby to gain a to maintain did then and there Guardians [LA ref: PL8/102/32 page 248] Settlement except as aforesaid. become actually chargeable to the 6 September 1900. re Rose H. parish of South Elkington. CHILVERS aged 10 years. Mrs Joseph Lawrence Robinson (signed) BRAMBLE of Holbeach Hurn made Letter Book of the Clerk to the application for this child to be boarded Lindsey (Lincolnshire) Quarter Ses- Guardians of Boston Union [LA Ref: out with her. It was decided to allow sions [LA Ref: LQS A/1/377/103] PL1/118/1 page 5] her to go for a month on trial then if Vagrancy Pass and Examination dated To: C. F……Esq. Clerk to the Guardians satisfactory agreement to be signed. 30 April 1811. Samuel BOLSTERIDGE Horncastle 30 November 1887 and Ann his wife lately committed Mary Jane CAMMACK & 4 children Bastardy Certificate: Cheshire Quarter to the House of Correction at Kirton Sessions [Cheshire RO Ref: QJF 173/1/80] for Vagrancy, to be kept in the said Dear Sir – The Guardians having 4 March 1744/5. Thomas SWAN of House of Correction for two days then been informed by their relieving Etchells in the parish of Northen removed to Bedworth in the County officer that the above Pauper has husbandman being charged to be the of Warwick. He is the son of Samuel had an illegitimate child, they at their father of a male bastard child born Bolsteridge Tinker deceased whose meeting on Saturday last discontinued on the body of Ellen ADSHEAD of settlement as he hath been informed the relief advanced on your behalf the same place singlewoman on the and believes was at Bedworth in & you will oblige by forwarding an 3rd day of January last past has given the County of Warwick and that he order for the admission of the mother security to indemnify the township of hath not done any [act] to gain a & children to your Union Workhouse. Etchells from all costs. settlement in his own right. Samuel X Bolsteridge. Yours truly Hy Bates Removal Order [LA Ref: Navenby Parish 13/3/2/2/7] Lincoln, Rutland & Stamford Mercury Cheshire Quarter Sessions [Cheshire Elizabeth the wife of George HEMP- 2 July 1847 RO ref: QJF 170/1/55&56] SALL and her six Children John aged Report from the Stamford Petty Vagrancy Examination dated 4 12 years or thereabouts Ann aged 10 Sessions held 26 June Thos. TEBBUTT, March 1741/2. Mary DUNCALF. She years or thereabouts Charlotte aged 8 of Upton, farmer, was adjudged to is the wife of William Duncalf of the years or thereabouts Mary aged 5 years be the putative father of Mary Ann parish of Saint James’s in Taunton or thereabouts Lucy aged 2 years or HARRISON’s illegitimate child, and Dane in the county of Summerset clark thereabouts and George aged twenty ordered to pay 2s weekly towards its and that her said husband hath been weeks or thereabouts removed from support, and also the costs of the order. the curate of Saint James’s church in Newark upon Trent in the county of Taunton Dane aforesaid for the space Nottingham to Navenby. Order dated Settlement Certificate [LA Ref: Sleaf- of eight or nine years last past and 2 July 1812 ord Parish 13/2/112] further she saith not. Mary X Duncalf. John VOSS & Sarah his wife and his Vagrancy Pass dated 4 March 1741/2. [On reverse] George HEMPSHALL’s family legally settled in the parish of Mary Duncalf wife of William Duncalf Warrant of Removal Shelford in the county of Nottingham. (clark) of the parish of St James in Doctor’s Bill about 4s Certificate addressed to the parish of Taunton Dane apprehended in the Funeral 1 5 Sleaford dated 5 October 1751 town of Stockport as a vagabond, 1 9 to be conveyed to the House of Relief &c 13 6 Correction at Middlewich then to the 2 2 6 parish of St James Taunton Dane.
Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 11 Suggested reading: Poor Law Documents sometimes require interpretation, and there are several publications that will aid the researcher to understand what has been found. The following list is from my own collection.
The Handy Book of Parish Law by William Andrews Holdsworth Edited by Beryl Hurley, ISBN 1-898714-13-14 (Wiltshire FHS)
Poor Law Union Records, 4 volumes by various authors (FFHS and Family History Partnership) Fig. 2 Vagrancy Examination - Cheshire RO, QJF 170/1/55
Fig. 3 (Below) Vagrancy Pass - Cheshire RO, QJF 170/1/56 So that is where William disappeared the county; one parish has more than to! Educated at Congleton and 300 examinations, other parishes Cambridge, William married Mary Aire have only one. By far the best way to Annals of the Poor, at Acton by Nantwich, Cheshire, in 1720. find out whether poor law documents The Poor are always Ordained a deacon in March 1719/20, survive for a particular parish is to with us & Illegitimacy, Curate of Sandbach, Cheshire in 1722, contact the County Record Office by Eve McLaughlin and curate of Tamworth Staffordshire who should also be able to tell you in 1724, he died at Taunton in 1743. whether existing poor law material has been, or is being, indexed, and by whom. Many indexes now exist to How to find the Records poor law records both from the Parish The survival rate of parish and Chest and from Quarter Sessions My Ancestor was a township poor law documents is records, and an index is the best way Bastard patchy, to say the least. The 5000+ to approach these records which may by Ruth Paley Settlement Examinations deposited have become very fragile. Poor law (SOG), at Lincolnshire Archives come from documents also turn up in repositories less than a third of the 650 plus other than the County Record Offices parishes in and it is worth scouting around Local Studies Libraries and local museums.
There are websites offering abstracts or indexes to poor law An Introduction material including “Yesterdays to Poor Law Journey” (Derbyshire), the Online Documents Parish Clerk (OPC) websites, and before 1834 A2A which has Quarter Sessions by Anne Cole material for some counties. Also, (FFHS 2nd Ed), search the LDS Library Catalogue for filmed poor law and quarter sessions records. Use the Strays Indexes kept by the local Fam- The Parish Chest ily History Societies and don’t by W. E. Tate neglect the Genuki sites for (Phillimore & each county. There is a large Co. Ltd.), amount of information on set- tlement and the poor law on the Lincolnshire Genuki site, for example, including some free transcriptions. n
12 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 2011 Guild AGM & Conference Daresbury Park, Warrington 15-17 April 2011 he Guild’s 32nd Annual AGM on the venue and programme can & Conference is to be held at be found in the flyer/booking form Tthe DeVere Hotel, Daresbury accompanying this Journal. Park, Warrington, WA4 4BB and is being organised by myself (pictured Additional information can be opposite) with the assistance of the found on the Guild’s website at www. Seminar Sub-committee. one-name.org/conference.html.
The conference is titled “Northern I look forward to seeing you there. n Lights” and a summary of the details Gordon Adshead Free Rootsmap Offer
he Guild are pleased to Bage the 1881 census for maps Based on the 1881 Census showing place of birth of entries born between 1802 & 1881 announce that Rootsmap have of Great Britain and Grif- SHI www.rootsmap.com & Genmap UK Tkindly offered to provide any fiths Valuation Of 1847 Guild member with a free surname - 1864 for Ireland. distribution map of their choice for OKI either Great Britain or Ireland. The offer is valid CAI for all current Guild SUT
Members may request a map for any members and those ROC surname (whether registered with the joining the Guild in NAI MOR BAN ABD Guild or not), though the offer is for the future. INV KCD ANS PER one distinct name only. ARL
KRS FIF Further surname dis- DNB STI CLK RFW WLN ELN BUT MLN To claim your free map Guild tribution maps can of LKS BEW PEE AYR SEL Number Ranges ROX members should e-mail Rootsmap course be obtained DFS 0 births WIG KKD NBL at [email protected] with their directly from www. 1 - 3 CUL 4 - 10 DUR 11 - 20 requested surname, their Guild rootsmap.com at IOM WES 21 - 50 NRY membership number and clearly the regular price. n 51 - 90 91 and over YOR WRY ERY stating whether they wish to receive LAN AGY
FLN a map of Great Britain or Ireland. CAE DEN CHS DBY NTT LIN MER STS MGY SAL LEI RUT NFK CGN RAD Rootsmap will provide the map as WAR WOR NTH HUN HEF CAM PEM CMN BRE SFK a PDF document by return via the BDF GLS MON OXF GLA BKM HRT e-mail. ESS BRK MDX WIL LND SOM SRY HAM KEN DEV DOR SSX Maps are based on “births” with the CON source of the information being from IOW
Journal of One-Name Studies, July-September 2010 13 Understanding The Royal Name Plantagenet. How DNA helps By Dr John S Plant
he name Plantagenet was wore a sprig of broom (the planta concept of ‘generation’ which, in originally spelt Plante Genest genista) in his bonnet. However, this medieval belief, was a power of Tor Plantegenest and later tradition was broken in the second half man’s vegetable soul. This would then Plauntegenet or Plantaginet. It of the twentieth century by a claim in categorise these names as ‘names of originated as a nickname for Count the Encyclopedia Britannica that the philandering’, of which there are Geoffrey of Anjou, father of King Henry Plantagenet name ‘more likely’ arose various other examples. Not to mince II who ascended the English throne in because Geoffrey supposedly planted words, an archaic meaning of the verb 1154. This name has traditionally been broom to improve his hunting covers. to plant and the modern meaning of taken to mean a ‘sprig of broom’, the Welsh verb planta is ‘to procreate’. which is an instance of a ‘hairy shoot’. Deviation from the pre-revision It seems that there was an earlier meanings of Plantagenet can be laid The documentary evidence for the tradition for such symbolism. mostly at the door of late twentieth- Plantagenets and Welsh Law indicates century Surname Dictionaries and that there were those who practised Old Aquitanian Gods and Goddesses their partially-evidenced account of polygyny – that is philandering had the names of plants and animals. the Plant surname. with many women. For the sake This predated the name Plantapilosa of the dignity of the Plantagenets of a famous ninth-century Aquitanian Ernest Weekly’s early twentieth- however, it can be added that there duke. Early medieval beliefs were century book on Surnames had were also semantic extensions of beginning to develop into scholastic proposed the meaning ‘sprig’ or the generating sense of plant to writings about man’s vegetable soul ‘young offspring’ for Plant. In the such meanings as ‘establishing’ or with its powers of nutrition, growth Oxford English Dictionary, plant is ‘founding’. Salacious sense to the and generation when the noble name listed with the archaic meanings vegetable soul, symbolised by the Plantapilosa led on to the names Plante ‘shoot’, ‘sprig’, ‘scion’ or ‘young ‘sprig of broom’, helps to explain Genest and de la Planta in neighbouring person’ – the words sprig and scion the long delay before Plantagenet Anjou. Plantapilosa means ‘hairy shoot’, have human ‘offshoot’ as well as appears as an official royal surname. which seemingly symbolised robust vegetable meanings. There are other There is no contemporary evidence growth and regeneration. surnames with a similar meaning: that Geoffrey Plante Genest’s royal Boyce, Boyes, Child, Childers, Children, descendants used Plantagenet as The traditional explanation, dating Jeune, Jevons, Soanes, Son, Vaughan, an hereditary surname before the back to 1605, for the Plantagenet Young, Younger and Youngson. In mid fifteenth century. Eventually, it name is that Geoffrey Plante Genest Welsh, plant literally means ‘children’. seems, the nickname Plantagenet attained sufficient dignity to become However, in the mid twentieth- accepted as a royal surname; and, century, this interpretation of Plant indeed, in this spirit, the Angevin was ignored by Surname Dictionaries count is now most remembered for and revised to mean a ‘gardener’ or founding a legitimate royal dynasty ‘planter of various plants’. The 1950 and establishing the Angevin Empire. edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica had mentioned only the traditional The revision, in the second half of the ‘sprig wearing’ story for Plantagenet; twentieth century, of the meaning of but then the ‘broom planter’ story was Plantagenet, at least diverts from any added as a ‘more likely explanation’ possible embarrassment that might be by the time of the 1974 edition. caused by a ‘hairy shoot’ symbolism for the Plantagenet name. Rather The Surname Dictionaries justify than supporting this revision however, their explanation by pointing to the recent DNA results endorse the thirteenth century, English names traditional story for Plantagenet which Plantebene and Planterose. However, is consistent with a ‘sprig’ symbolism the full set of such names comprises: for generating a fresh generation. Plauntegenet; Plantebene; Plantefolie; Plantefene; and Planterose. These do A clue to the contemporary meaning not all construe ‘gardener’. Instead, of plant, occurring in Plantagenet-like they can all be related to the medieval names, relates to how best to explain
14 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 the large population of the surname Plant. This surname was believed to have had very many separate origins. This offered sustenance to the twentieth-century revision of the Plant and Plantagenet names. These names were claimed to have meanings ‘gardener/planter’ instead of ‘sprig’; and, it was believed that the large population of Plants arose because they descended from very many unrelated gardeners, albeit that the documentary evidence gives various other occupations. Instead, the DNA evidence indicates that the Plants mostly belong to an abnormally large single family. It can now be said with some conviction that there is an alternative explanation for the large population of the Plant surname and this alternative does not endorse the mid twentieth-century revision.
Computer simulations indicate that monogamous men, remaining Henry II disputing with his archbishop. Like his father, Henry was an open faithful to their wives, will produce violator of the marriage bond. typically around 100 offspring from each medieval male ancestor after rumour. For example, there could have several DNA results; but, so far, they do 20 generations. Sometimes, more been notoriously many children and not indicate that there is an abnormally offspring will result by monogamy keeping their paternity clandestine large family with a particular modal for a ‘single-ancestor’ surname; but, might have been encouraged to avoid signature. At least so far, the surname according to the simulations, not any implied challenge to the father’s Warren does not reveal any one Y-DNA nearly enough to explain the large more legitimate heirs. signature as an obvious contender for population of the main Plant family. a Y-signature from the ‘Plantagenets’. By impregnating many women (i.e. It would be useful to have a Y-DNA polygyny), a single ancestor can get a signature for the Plantagenets which There are instances of the surname surname off to a much faster start and could then be compared with those Plantagenet itself, particularly in apply a large multiplier to the whole of their possible male-line living France, though these have typically of the subsequent population of his descendants. However, there is as been held to be ‘pretenders’, unrelated family. This would be augmented still yet no ‘Plantagenet’ Y-signature in to the royal ‘Plantagenet family’. As further if philandering were practised the public domain to enable any yet, no Y-DNA result is available for throughout a few generations. such comparison. My initial hope the modern bearers of the Plantagenet was that some consistent evidence surname. Perhaps the best hope for The DNA evidence makes a ‘many would emerge from amongst those obtaining a Y-signature for the royal children’ hypothesis viable for Plant who have variously been offered as ‘Plantagenet family’ would be to though the parentage of these children possible male-line descendants from seek that of the Duke of Beaufort is unknown. The sense ‘children’ of the Plantagenets. That might allow a and his male-line relatives. Even for plant is largely self-sufficient, not only hypothesis to be formed whereby some this however, the sceptics question linguistically, but also for explaining set of matching Y-signatures might be whether that would be a true signature the large fraction matching for the considered to represent a descent from of the royal ‘Plantagenet family’ since populous Plant surname. Plant is the medieval Plantagenets. However, even that reputed male-line descends frequent amongst the million or more DNA tests have so far only uncovered through two illegitimacies. I have surnames in England and Wales, being various mismatching Y-signatures. written to the Duke of Beaufort about the 617th most common. the prospects for obtaining such a It has often been held that the signature ‘for the Plantagenets’ but I A few additional remarks can now be illegitimate male-line descent from have received no reply. ventured about how a surname such the royal ‘Plantagenet’ family is as Plant might have arisen. Patronymic to be found amongst bearers of Further relevant evidence may be surnames usually give the forefather’s the surnames Somerset (Beaufort forthcoming in due course. forename explicitly though some relatives), Cornwall, and Warren. In so surnames, such as Son, might be far as DNA evidence is yet available, A fuller version of this article is classified as implicit patronymics. it has been found that there is no available On the Guild’s website at: Omitting the father’s forename might known Y-DNA signature shared by the www.one-name.org/members/DNA/ have been held to be adequate if, for surnames Cornwall and Warren. For PlantAndPlantagenet.pdf n example, the father was known by the surname Warren, there are already
Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 15 Will Technology Ever Catch Up With Paper?
By Peter C. Amsden
e are told that the reliability miracles that would last forever, no Rather ignoring these possibilities, of paper places it above matter how badly they were treated. and to make the product more Wother usable methods of In computer use they would hold far attractive, manufacturers managed to storage. If you use a computer you more data than we could comprehend. cram more and more data onto these will be familiar with digital storage, There was enough space to store discs. The CD became the DVD and now its great advantages, and its equally photographs by the cartload, and the DVD is giving way to Blu-Ray. They great drawbacks. Computers crash, seemingly infinite amounts of text have achieved this transformation paper remains in the filing cabinet. and figures. But what most of us did by essentially reducing the diameter The most ardent advocate for digital not know was that the CD on sale in of the laser beam, enabling the lines storage has to admit, when pressed, the music stores was a quite different of data to be much nearer together. that there are no guarantees that creature to the CD that we were using The Blu-Ray system uses a violet light your data will be there next year, let to write our valuable data onto. Music which is even narrower. Nevertheless, alone in fifty years time. Paper, on the CD’s rely on a market that sells tens of whatever they call this technology, other hand, can survive for a thousand thousands of copies. Because of this it is it is still dependent on an essentially years. We know because we have commercially viable to create a master unstable dye. It is estimated that the examples. Until the latter part of the disc from which copies are pressed. Not maximum lifetime to be expected 20th century this remained the primary unlike the early gramophone records. from these discs is around thirty years medium upon which we wrote and Thus the data impressed on the disc in ideal storage. Maybe a little more, printed our records, but when the was of a mechanical nature. It was maybe a lot less. computer was developed it was not tough and could, to some extent, be long before we were entrusting our relied upon even when the dog had If we are going to keep our data on data to floppy discs and hard drives. run around with it. this type of media, then, to be sure that it is safe, we will need to migrate The Rise Of Digital Media The disc that we had purchased from it to new discs or new technology every The problem was that every the local store on which to record few years. If the data is important, manufacturer had their own ideas on our own data was of a very different then we ignore this at our peril. disc size, format and so on. We went nature. Instead of the data being through 8” discs, 5.5” discs, and an impressed onto the disc it was no more So, if this dye based CD - DVD - Blu-Ray entire plethora of smaller varieties. that a change made to a microscopically system is not really that reliable over a All of these early discs were based on thin layer of dye sandwiched between very long period, then how about the magnetic material, and frequently two sheets of plastic. The change original magnetic storage to be found their capacity was tiny compared to was created by a laser beam writing on hard drives, either internally or those used today. We had great faith a series of digital signals that altered externally, and old floppy discs? that this new wonderful technology the dyestuff in such a way that the would not fail us. Once our vital data signals could later be read back. It was Think about magnetism, what is it? was on one of these discs it would a brilliant idea, but the flaw in the Simply put a tape or disc carrying digital be there forever. Few of us realised system is that a layer of dye is being data is no more than a line of metal that the technology was evolving so changed by the light of a laser beam, particles that have been magnetised to rapidly that much of what we had and if the disc holding the data is left lie in this direction or that. One direction faith in would soon be redundant and in the sun, or other light source for is a 0 the other is a 1. Sounds simple out of date. Before long it would even some time the data can be lost. This enough, but what if there is some minor be difficult to find a computer that happens because the dye is unstable corruption in the data chain? could access the data. and any light source will change the data. If the change is too great then For example, the binary code for As so often happens in this world, the data will vanish and a disc will no DATA is: new ideas are being developed for one longer be readable. This is the problem 01000100010000010101010001000001 purpose that will end up being used with unstable materials. Even if you do = DATA for another. A typical example must nothing and try to protect them, they be the CD. Although initially aimed will eventually undergo changes, some But with one small glitch (can you at the music industry, the fact that it fast, some very slow. But the time will find it?) it ends up as: was a digital medium meant that it come when they fail, and a failed CD 01000100010000001101010001000001 soon found its way into the computer can rarely be salvaged. = D@ÔA market. They were advertised as plastic
16 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 That is not going to be a great deal each other. In fact, if of use. Normally digital code on tape you try to prise one or hard drives is very reliable, but like apart it will simply dye stuff, it is unstable and can’t last break off in small forever. It turns out that the average pieces. The actual layer life expectancy for magnetic material that will carry the data to maintain its integrity is around 25 is composed of minerals years in domestic archives, and if it based on carbon, silica ever comes into close proximity to dioxide and an oxidation high voltage cables or another magnet resistant metal alloy that is then it could just vanish. The simple similar in concept to stainless glitch shown above might happen just steel. By doing that they have because atoms in magnetic material are removed the common failure of always heading toward entropy, a state delamination, and with the use of normal external DVD drive and is where they lose all of their energy. completely inorganic materials for the connected via a simple USB connection dye layer, they have designed out the to any computer using already existing So, even with magnetic storage we possible failure caused by exposure to software to ‘burn’ the disc, in exactly are still left with having to migrate, UV and visible light. the same way as you would burn a DVD. or copy, everything on a fairly regular Of course, being very new technology, basis. This is time consuming and As a test for the integrity of this new these drives are currently expensive, costly, and in a domestic environment, media it was submitted to the Naval Air around £900 and the blank disks are not the kind of thing that we can Warfare Centre Weapons Division in about £17 each. Also each disc only expect our heirs to keep going. In the China Lake, California, USA. There it was holds the same amount of data that outside world of professional archives subjected to just about the worst anyone can be held on a conventional DVD the problem is almost insurmountable. could throw at it. 29 of the Millenniata 4.7 GB. That will improve, because It was recently estimated that to copy discs along with 190 assorted discs from there is every indication that the same all of the audio recordings held by the most of the better brands of DVDs technology can be applied to discs that Library of Congress in the USA would were subjected to high humidity, high will emulate the Blu-Ray ones. take 30 years! And that would only be temperature (85°C plus) and intense UV scratching the surface. radiation for prolonged periods. None Am I speaking from experience? Yes, of the Millenniata discs failed, all of the I am, because I have been fortunate Is there an answer? others did. The Millenniata disc can even enough to experiment with one of Archivists have long held a dream be dipped into liquid nitrogen, thawed these drives as an independent who for something that emulates paper. by putting it into boiling water, and will has no financial connections with the Something that is so stable that you still read perfectly. company whatsoever. I have been can put it in a decent vault and still looking at the way in which these expect to find it intact in five hundred It was concluded that these discs drives and discs will function with or a thousand years time. It seems should easily last 1000 years, which computers that use software outside as though we may have found it. A is amazing, but the real advantage is the USA. Technically there was really company in Utah has developed the that once data is transferred to them, no reason why they would not work, Millenniata disc. It looks like a DVD, there is time to relax and think about but it had to be tried. but it ends there. These are made the next move. If someone forgets to using a totally unique fabrication. transfer the data in thirty or one hun- Currently, they are being marketed Unlike all of the other optical disc dred years it does not matter providing in the UK by a company that is using media onto which you can record, the that a DVD player can be found. They the drives as part of a more complex Millenniata disc contains no organic are not envisaged as a forever solution, system. However, I am assured that dyes and the two halves are now but they will prevent the frantic worry the basic drive will be available in the virtually welded together because over data integrity until an even bet- UK once marketing issues have been they will make molecular bonds with ter solution is found. Effectively we are finalised. So far there has been very now using lasers to write onto stone, little publicity for this new technology, which has to beat paper. so you may be reading about it for the first time in this Journal. n Of course the question has to be: How do you write to such a disc? And the Peter would be very interested to answer is, simply by using a very high hear from others Interested in this energy laser that burns into the media development. You can contact him layer creating a very similar type of disc directly at [email protected]. to those DVDs created commercially in large numbers. The advantage is that we can burn one disc at a time.
The downside is that whilst the disc can be played in most PC or Mac DVD drives it needs a special drive to create it. This is fractionally larger than a
Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 17 A View From The Bookstall That’s All Folks By Howard Benbrook
o. Well. This is it; my last Book- the forthcoming 1901 census – the disappeared in a flash. The following stall article for the Journal. It’s very first online census – and, despite month, we cleared more than £1,000 Sdifficult to express the feelings reservations from the Committee of worth at the SoG May Fair. And so it this evokes in me. There’s a sigh in my the time, the vouchers turned out to has continued. If you’re looking for heart, but it gives me an opportunity be an absolute smash-hit. I still have something that demonstrates the to reflect, to give thanks where it’s the spreadsheet I developed to support fascination for surnames, you have due, and, of course, to tempt you for the sales campaign. By the time they no further to look. Surname Atlas is just one last time... Yes, it’s the great ran out of steam a couple of years magic. Thank you, Steve. Closing Down Sale! later, I had sold over £20,000 worth of those vouchers, I was learning how The Future Is Online. Or Is It? Writer’s Block is Someone Else’s the Bookstall could make a significant I’m particularly pleased that, as Problem... contribution, and the importance of the well as striving to make some small But, erm, to reflect for a moment... internet was becoming very obvious to contribution to Guild funds, always I thought, back in the early days, those genealogists who cared to look. my stated aim from the start, I’ve that it would be a really cool idea if actually managed to offer a sort of I had the opportunity to promote The Ups and Downs service to Guild members. I know, for my wares with a regular piece in the When you run a small retail operation instance, that our seminars have an Journal. And, naturally, an excitable like the Bookstall, successes are important added dimension when attendees can queue would automatically form as highlights in a story that frequently browse the Bookstall, and perhaps a consequence of my persuasive text. includes the dreary disappointment of buy, during the breaks. The internet is Of course! Well, having established your poor buying decisions. I can’t tell now the preferred channel for buying my place in the Journal, I soon found you the number of times I’ve scoured (and this will be reflected soon on out what being a ‘regular contributor’ publishers’ lists and come up with a the Guild website), and it’s obviously really meant. It doesn’t sound much, title that I thought would make a swift efficient and convenient, but I worry writing 1,000 words every quarter, killing. This is the one, this will certainly that we’re missing something in together with some nice illustrations, take off, they’ll be crying out for this, all this. People tell me that I’m a but it can quickly become a chore, I’d say – but then my purchased copies natural salesman (and so why didn’t especially when you have pressing would sit obstinately on the tables, somebody tell me this, 40 years ago?), domestic tasks around the time of gathering dust and condemning my but I think that what this really means the deadline (and I’m writing this on inadequate judgement. is that I know my products and I have a 2nd September, incidentally –I’m late good understanding of my customers, again! Oops! Sorry, Keith). I began to But, fortunately, there have been so that I can match the one to the develop a respect for professionals like more successes than failures, and other. If the customer has the cash, a Roy Stockdill, who can wordsmith an here I shall raise a very large glass to sale can be made that benefits both article in a trice, deliver it on time and Steve Archer, who single-handedly parties. That’s all it is, really. But is it still get back before closing time. Me? presented me with a gift that continues really possible to reproduce that sort I seem to spend for ever, re-working to captivate and delight my customers of personal interaction on a website? my text, and I’m reminded of that each time I open the Bookstall. Steve quote which I think is attributed to first showed me Surname Atlas at a fair How Will You Fill Your Time? Mark Twain: “I didn’t have time to at Maidstone, and asked my opinion I have a guilty secret. I’ve been write a short letter, so I wrote a long of it. I’m fairly sure of my reaction indulging myself recently. No, no, one instead”. Each time I start out of the time. I think I said something don’t get too excited, it’s not a case not knowing what to say but end like: “Steve, I’ll bite your arm off for of late-onset hedonism, but the up with a body of words that needs this”, and when he let me have a Beta refreshing space left by a diminishing major surgery and long hours in the version of it, I touted it round the Bookstall business. Diminishing, I may operating theatre... fairs, printing surname distribution say, through my own efforts, but maps for customers at £1 a time. But that’s something that I’ll come back How It Started it made sense, once the production to. No, I mean that I’ve been helping My Guild Bookstall career was version became available, to switch out with the indexing effort for the launched in my very first Journal article my sales effort to selling the product new FamilySearch website and I’m in Vol. 7, Issue 8, October 2001, when I itself and, by the time of the Guild having lots of secret fun. announced the availability of pre-paid Conference in April 2003, we were vouchers that you could use to access ready. Woosh! All available copies
18 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 I’ve been fairly insistent in past articles of the way that commercial interests have taken over large portions of the family history world. It seems possible that our pursuit will Roll Up! Roll Up! be dominated by those few data This is your final chance to take suppliers who’ve secured sufficient advantage of my Closing Down Sale! investment to be able to offer us Not being one inclined to hold back, something substantial. You may think I’ve included almost EVERYTHING! that this is the only way of the future. And that means I’ve slashed prices But the LDS Church has over 2 million so that almost everything is half the rolls of film tucked away in their marked price! Take a look. Stock may mountain vault and, once transcribed, be getting low, but there are still this is likely to dwarf the efforts of some bargains here. And, as I said last the commercial suppliers. If you’ve time, I can only sell what I have left, not already heard, that project has so the swifter you act, the better your already begun. chance of getting a bargain. If you need more background information The transcription of records may be about the product, just drop me a line entirely down to volunteer labour but at: [email protected]. the figures are awesome. Something like a million records have already been transcribed (and can therefore be indexed) in 2010. It’s quite possible that this figure will double before the end of the year. I recommend that you keep an eye open, and at the very least bookmark http://beta. familysearch.org/. There are many records that were never available online before, but the project is about more than just indexed records; it’s still early days, but there are support forums and an emerging wiki that will provide family historians with tons of information that will support them as they wander in unfamiliar areas. I know, for instance, that there were several BENBROOK migrations to the US and this means lots of American research. What do I know about the USA? Don’t ask. I’ve been there lots of times, but that doesn’t mean I know much. I shall need help.
Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 19 Title Cover Price Sale Price One Name Family History Groups Derek Palgrave £1.25 Surnames of Devon David Postles £10.00 Surnames of Oxfordshire David Postles £10.00 Surnames & Genealogy George Redmonds £5.00 - A New Approach Yorkshire Surnames - Bradford George Redmonds £1.35 Yorkshire Surnames - Halifax George Redmonds £1.80 Yorkshire Surnames - Huddersfield George Redmonds £1.35 An Ancient & Honourable Craft George Fage £1.80 General Family History Books Are We Related? Eve McLaughlin £4.00 Coroners’ Records in England & Wales Jeremy Gibson £1.75 Coroners’ Records in England & Wales Jeremy Gibson £2.25 (Third Edition) Fire Insurance Records David Hawkings £12.50 Local Census Listings, 1522-1930 (3rd Edi- Jeremy Gibson £1.75 tion) Marriage Indexes for Family Historians Jeremy Gibson £1.75 Ulster Historical My Roots - Tracing Your Belfast Ancestors £1.00 Foundation PLU Records, Vol. 3; SW England & Wales Jeremy Gibson £2.25 PLU Records, Vol. 4 Gazetteer of England Jeremy Gibson £2.25 & Wales Suburban London Before 1837 (Map) Cliff Webb £0.30 Tracing Your Family Tree John Titford £2.50 Tracing Your First World War Ancestors Simon Fowler £5.50 Tracing Your Second World War Simon Fowler £5.00 Ancestors Victualler’s Licences (Third Edition) Jeremy Gibson £2.50 ‘Places & History’ Brentwood - A History Jennifer Ward £8.00 Brentwood Past Richard Tames £8.00 Chelmsford - A History David Jones £8.00 Clapham Past Gillian Clegg £7.50 The Cotton Industry in Longendale and Tom Quayle £7.00 Glossopdale Durham City Keith Proud £8.00 London’s Victoria Embankment Robert J Harley £8.25 Shire Publications British Campaign Medals, 1914-2005 Peter Duckers £3.00 Discovering Your Family Tree Iredale / Barrett £3.50 The Victorian Domestic Servant Trevor May £2.50 The Victorian Ironmonger Cecil A Meadows £2.50 The Victorian Schoolroom Trevor May £2.50 The Victorian Soldier David Nalson £2.50 Thatch & Thatching Jacqueline Fearn £2.50 Can I Ever Thank You Enough? The Woollen Industry Chris Aspin £2.50 And my last Bookstall article could not be complete without full recognition Technology Books of the contribution of all those willing DNA for Family Historians Alan Savin £2.00 volunteers who’ve helped me through Software & Data CDs the years. At the last Conference, the WSFHS Guild honoured me with an award: St Botolphs Settlement Examinations £3.75 Publications Master Craftsman of the Guild (MCG). Index to Chester Marriage Licences, 1750- I’m still not sure whether it was Bertram Merrell £5.00 1779 entirely justified (especially given the Find your way round Mid-Georgian state of my one-name study!) but, if MOTCO £10.50 London (1746) it is, then it’s because of the selfless Your Old Books & and enthusiastic efforts of all my Your Maps Online 3 £10.00 Maps volunteers. You know who you are – 1851 Dublin City Census Eneclann £15.00 for me, you’re all MCGs! Thank you, (Please remember to add postage and packing when ordering - see the thank you, every single one of you... n website for details)
20 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 New Year Resolutions For (or, confessions of) a One-Namer
By Ken Toll UPDATE
very New Year starts with good . I really must complete the . I really must be more systematic intentions... 4digitisation of my Study. - Again, 9about collecting data. - I will be, E...and 2010 is no exception! lack of time has delayed this activity. I promise! But so far this year I’ve Perhaps I’ll make some progress not had time to look at either links So started my article in the January before next year’s resolutions. on the forum, let alone the existing Journal – and as with most plans, it did subscription websites. not survive first contact with reality. . I really must re-enter the (at It’s now six months on, and time to 5least) 37 Family Trees into a proper . I really must look at the Guild reflect on progress... FH program. - I’m delighted to report 10Wiki more often. - Failed. Not some progress. My own family has enough hours in the day. You may have . I really must back up my data now been done (the Bedfordshire noticed this is a recurring theme... 1– straight away, and regularly TOLLs/TOLEs, one of the largest Trees) thereafter. - Three monthly is hardly and has also mopped up a few of the ...let’s just stay there’s a lot of other what I intended as “regular”, but it’s smaller Trees. The largest Cornwall (good) things distracting me at present. a start. I’ve also purchased a small TOLL Tree is complete, and the largest ‘fireproof’ safe and a pocket sized Devon TOLL Tree is in progress. . I really must set up a One- hard disk. It’s not perfect, but it’s a 11Name Society. - Great idea, but start. However, I’ve STILL yet to send I finally settled on Family Historian no time at present. Perhaps by the updated DVDs to my off-site storage Version 4 as my program of choice, end of the year, or maybe it should be locations in USA and Australia. I’m although the others are there in case I a longer term objective? also now planning to upload some of change my mind... my files to my website. . I really MUST get my ONS Re-entering the data has involved 12website up and running. - Ah! . I really must sort out my files on validation of earlier assumptions and At last something I’ve achieved. My 2the PC. - My main One-Name Study cross checking a lot of information embryonic website is now up and (ONS) folders have now been checked from multiple sources, plus entering running – www.toll-familyhistory.org and de-cluttered, but the balance is an dozens of manuscript updates that ongoing chore. Whenever I open an were missing from the old computer There’s much still to do, but at existing folder I now check its contents based trees. least my own family tree is there. and manage/move files as necessary. I’m currently negotiating with other However, with 1,495 subfolders and over . When gathering new data, I families who are suddenly not happy 14,500 files in my ONS folder, it’s not 6really must record the sources and for their ancestor’s details to be added. going to get completed any time soon. context. - This now appears not to be a n problem any more (famous last words), In case the technique is useful to oth- so is no longer on my ‘to do’ list. ers – each major ONS data folder has a sub-folder named ‘Archive’. This is . I really must where I put the superseded versions 7review and of files that I may have to go back to (I update my research suspect I’m a bit paranoid, and delete plan. - Failed (so virtually nothing). far). It’ll get updat- ed when I get some . I really must update my Guild time to do some 3profile. - Failed! Whilst it’s got me actual RESEARCH. far more contacts than the Register alone ever did, I just haven’t had time. . I really must Since writing the original article, Paul 8create a LIST OF Millington has added new features, CONTACTS. - Still which were just what I wanted. Now on the “To Do” list. I just need to find another couple of Maybe by Xmas? hours a day...
Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 21 Seminar Report - Computer Seminar Rosebery School, Epsom, August 7th 2010
By Jackie Depelle & Pam Smith
he reputation of Guild Seminars • Subscription sites and Guild revisit the seminar, choose completely is such that we were really Facilities different subjects and have an equally Tlooking forward to this event • Pedigree and Family Historian fulfilling day. held at the Rosebery School in Epsom, • Newspaper sites Surrey on Saturday 7th August 2010. • Favourite tools, tips and tech- It’s often the peripheral elements that It was attended by approximately 125 niques make a seminar a great experience, Guild members and 7 non members. the food from “St Michael” was Twenty tutors delivered a full and Delegates could attend any four of delicious, there was plenty of car- varied programme designed to cater these sessions, all of which lasted an parking and toilets. We enjoyed for basic, medium, advanced and hour with a good break in between browsing the poster sessions, picking specialist entry levels. It was a roaring so that the pulsating brain had up bargains in the book stall, meeting success and well worth the trip down time to recover. Most sessions were up with old friends and making new from north of Watford which in our held in modern computer suites ones, generally networking. cases is Pudsey and Harrogate in West with individual PC’s. Mixed use of and North Yorkshire respectively. PowerPoint presentations and live Apart from researching our projects, Internet demonstrations made the we are both Family History tutors and The effortless manner in which the content easy and enjoyable to follow. Society volunteers. Jackie is Chairman day progressed proved what a lot of of Yorkshire Group of Family History hard work had gone into the planning Between us, we attended Excel, Societies whilst Pam is teetering on the and preparation by Gordon Adshead Custodian, Cloud Computing, Family brink of registering a surname and may et al. We echo the gratitude shown on Historian and The Master Genealogist well take the leap after discovering the Guild Forum and say a big thank which widened our knowledge more about capturing initial data you to the organisational team for and appreciation of their practical in Excel. This seminar demonstrated putting on a cracking and relevant applications for managing study data. there is so much more to learn in this event. For those of you who haven’t A masterful idea was being given our fascinating interest that we all share attended a seminar yet, the pre course own memory sticks containing most and our students will be encouraged administration gives valuable and of the tutor’s notes and presentations. even more to join the Guild. clear information on directions (even This took away the hard work of the sat nav understood them!), who is taking notes which made the day We would urge any of you who attending and what is occurring on the more enjoyable as the focus was have not previously attended to get day. The first come first served basis on entirely on what the tutor had to say. out from behind your computers to which the sessions are allocated is fair come and join us at future events. It’s and posted regularly so the more tardy Some of the sessions had filled up a safe environment where anyone of us can see what space is available quickly, we are all keen to make fuller attending on their own would not before we commit last minute. use of Excel and Databases (naturally feel out of place, a warm welcome is enough) however I think we can speak extended to all. n Sessions covered: for many delegates that we were • Finding census data spoilt for choice. We could very easily • Web Publishing using TNG • Holding ONS data in general databases • Cloud computing and Google Docs • Excel • Custodian 2 and 3 • Understanding GEDCOM • Mapping and On-line Mapping Tools • Publishing to the Web • Useful web sites and search engines • The Master Genealogist (TMG) • Apple Mac Computers • Housekeeping and security
22 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 Forthcoming Seminars
12th Feb 2011 ‘Born Abroad’ Seminar Rogues Seminar 20th November 2010, Dr. Colin Chapman is the principal Sevenoaks Community Centre, Cramptons Road, speaker at this seminar covering off Otford Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 5DN many aspects of the criminal and religious justice systems. 200 years of Rogues and Victims – were any Programme of yours in court records? 09.30 - 10.00 Registration and Coffee To be held at Ruishton Village 10.00 - 10.15 Welcome to the Seminar Hall, Taunton, Somerset, TA3 5JD, 10.15 – 11.15 Researching Ancestors in British India 1600 – 1947 just off the M5. Peter Bailey, Chairman, Families in British India Society 11.15 – 11.30 Comfort Break 11.30 – 12.30 Tracing your Huguenot Ancestors - Michael Gandy FSG 21st May 2011 12.30 – 13.45 Finger Buffet Lunch 13.45 – 14.45 Jewish Genealogy for One-Namers Northumberland Mining Jeanette Rosenberg MBA Seminar 14.45 - 15.15 Tea and Biscuits The Guild has chosen Woodhorn 15.15 – 16.15 Black Ancestry in Britain – Kathy Chater as the venue, being the location 16.15 - 16.45 Questions of the Northumberland Archives. The subject will be ‘Mining in he programme today will give new and prospective Guild Members the North East’ and will cover guidance in finding family records of persons that were born in India or the coal, lead and iron industries Tfamilies that have Huguenot, Jewish or Black Ancestry. with speakers from the Durham Archives, the Durham Mining Many of us have ancestors in India, usually from the Museum and local specialists. military or Government people who ran the country The Northumberland coast is a in colonial times. May we suggest that, prior to your wonderful location and we would attending this seminar, you sort out the details and have recommend you stay over, visit the a word with Peter Bailey who may be able to expand on archives and enjoy the scenery. their background.
To be held at Northumberland We all know of Michael Gandy and his depth of knowledge Museum, Archives & Country in various specialist subjects. How often have we heard Park, QE II Country Park, someone say ‘They were Huguenots, you know’? Now you W o o d h o r n , A s h i n g t o n , can find out for sure. Northumberland, NE63 9YF Recent ‘Who do you think you are’ subjects have been found to have some Jewish ancestry, 13th August 2011 Jeanette Rosenberg will point us towards the names that just could be of Jewish origin, many having been The Art Of ONS Seminar Anglicised over the years.
A number of short talks by several Perhaps your One-Name Study has shown up some Black speakers will cover the workings Ancestry, was this from the Caribbean or USA slave trades? of the Guild and the key aspects Kathy Chater will expand on this subject for us. of a one-name study. Although primarily directed at members Applications are welcome from Guild members, family who have joined in the last few historians, genealogists and members of the general public years, there will be much to help having an interest in family members born abroad. The cost of the seminar will all put their study into context. be £20 per person including drinks and a light buffet lunch. Supported by the Halsted Trust. Book on-line at www.one-name.org under Events. Postal booking forms may To be held at Col Dane Memorial also be obtained from the Guild web-site or by phoning the Guild Help desk Hall, Church St, Alwalton PE7 Tel: 08000 112181. 3UU, Near Peterborough
Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 23 Marriage Challenge Update By Peter Copsey
am pleased to announce a record a friend or another Guild member. ited Church registers and then send you number of new Challenges. The If you think you could become a the full particulars. I popularity of carrying Challenges Challenger, I look forward to hearing is heartening and I’m hoping that from you. Contact me, the Marriage the addictive nature of Marriage Challenge Co-ordinator, on marriage- FREE Challenging is not becoming a serious [email protected] problem. It is good news for all Guild Members who will now have a good Here is the list of forthcoming opportunity of obtaining a quantity of Challenges. All members are encour- free marriage certificates. Certificates aged to send their requests to the that can cost £9.25 each given out Challengers by e-mail, hopefully using free - what a bargain. the standard “requests.xls” spread- sheet on the MC web-page. However I wish to thank all those Challengers most Challengers will accept requests who have wonderfully volunteered in any form (for postal addresses, see MARRIAGE their time to perform these the Members’ Handbook). Send the Challenges. Indeed I wish to thank all listing extracted from the GRO index CERTIFICATES Challengers both past and present. (FreeBMD will give almost all of them) Just send in your list (from the for the named Registration District GRO Index or FreeBMD) of the Marriage Challenge is rewarding between the years given (Year, Quarter, and enjoyable and you will be helping Surname, First names, Full GRO refer- marriages you need from the your fellow Guild members with their ence). Challengers will search for and Registration Districts listed below. studies. You could share the task with often find your marriages in the depos-
Registration District and Period Deadline Challenger Challenger’s e-mail
Steyning (Repeat) 1837 - 1911 16 Oct 2010 Colin Ulph [email protected]
Dursley 1837 - 1911 17 Oct 2010 Gerald Cooke [email protected]
Northleach 1837 - 1911 17 Oct 2010 Gerald Cooke [email protected]
Tetbury 1837 - 1911 17 Oct 2010 Gerald Cooke [email protected]
Barnstable 1837 - 1911 23 Oct 2010 Des Gander [email protected]
Hoo 1837 - 1911 24 Oct 2010 Nick Miskin [email protected]
Epping 1837 - 1911 30 Oct 2010 Alan Wellbelove [email protected]
Daventry 1837 - 1870 31 Oct 2010 David Barrall [email protected]
Brackley 1837 - 1911 31 Oct 2010 David Barrall [email protected]
Potterspury 1837 - 1911 31 Oct 2010 Tracy Barrall [email protected]
Buckingham 1837 - 1911 31 Oct 2010 Tracy Barrall [email protected]
Fylde Stage 2 1881 - 1911 8 Nov 2010 Penny Pattinson [email protected]
Jo Fitz-Henry & Nottingham 1837 - 1860 30 Nov 2010 [email protected] Rowan Tanner
Neath 1837 - 1911 30 Nov 2010 Caryl Gill [email protected]
Rochford 1837 - 1911 4 Dec 2010 Peter Copsey [email protected]
24 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 Scottish record searching (inevitably tax) and the more familiar Norman starting to become outdated), the feudal system. Record languages are most useful if your surname interests described as predominantly Scots include Orkney are those describing with small amounts of English, Norse the Orkney Archive. This according and Latin. Religion is almost entirely to Irvine was Scotland’s first regional Presbyterian with a fairly even split at archive. Of particular note is chapter the end of the 19th century between 7 on Census substitutes. My favourite the Kirk, Free Church and the United item here must be the 1601 Uthell Presbyterians; Catholics were only Buik of Orkney. The original is present in tiny numbers. Whilst the apparently lost but transcripts can be Kirk records are at Edinburgh Irvine found both at the local archive and states that the non-Kirk registers were NAS in Edinburgh. later returned and are now held at the Orkney Archives. Trace Your Orkney Ancestors There is a rather brief one-page by James M Irvine. history of Orkney which I would have The author proclaims his intention to Published by The Orkadian liked to have seen expanded. More publish corrections to the book on the useful are the 24 appendices including website of the Orkney FHS but I can ISBN 9780954457112, £8.50 a particularly interesting one on the see no sign of this. development of Orcadian surnames. race your Orkney ancestors was Here we learn that some surnames here In conclusion, the book is well written in 2004 by Captain James did not become hereditary until the recommended for researchers in this TIrvine of Surrey, based on his 40 18th century, in common with Scottish area and should prove an interesting year experience of studying Orcadian Gaeldom, although Gaelic was not read for anyone studying Scottish ancestry including many trips to both spoken. Another vital page explains surnames or genealogy. n the islands and Edinburgh. The book the difference between the Norse is in A4 size with 76 pages. Although udal system of land ownership (which it contains some chapters on general gives rise to ‘skat’, the Norse land Iain Kennedy
or the purposes of this book, read : the typical reader would check north-west Ireland covers the if his own name is included, read the Fcounties of Derry, Donegal and page, and then return the book. Tyrone, but the content is relevant to the whole of Ulster (i.e. including Possibly because the author has Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, selected the most common names, I Cavan, and Monaghan). Since the noticed very few Guild names among book addresses both Gaelic and the 343 page-length accounts. Since Planter names, many of the names my own study name (Shankland covered can be considered equally - southwest Scottish with strong as Scottish names; some are equally Irish Plantation connections) is not common in England. included, I have no way of determining how accurate the content is. n The author has chosen over 300 The Surnames of North West names and devoted a page to Anne Shankland Ireland; (Concise Histories each, covering its frequency and of the Major Surnames of distribution, its derivation, and a short Gaelic and Planter Origin) outline of the history of the name and by Brian Mitchell people bearing that name. Inevitably, given this format, much of the text is Published by Clearfield repetitive from page to page. This Company, Baltimore, kind of book is essentially a reference Maryland. book rather than a book to buy and
Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 25 Eureka Too thousand individuals. My own tree five of their children are christened “That Eureka Moment” (Dennis continued to grow sideways - but at St. Marin, Herne, although the Freeman-Wright, Guild Journal Vol. never back. At this stage, I guess we family clearly did not live or die 10 No. 7), reminded me somewhat of had about 1,500 and 1,000 people on there. Then came the magic moment two such moments I had myself in the our two trees - and still they did not when I merged the 2 trees - oh bliss! past couple of years. fit together. With further work, this tree now extends to some 4,800 people over The first occurred when I realised Working on David’s tree, I discovered 20 generations (soon to be 21) with that my great grandfather, John an instance where a William Steed an average lifespan of 57 years and 3 William Kemp, born mid-1839 in in the mid 17th Century seemed to months. It is my pride and joy and not Canterbury could not possibly have have got married in his 50’s and had a one of my other surnames (especially been the son of his “father” Daniel numerous offspring - whereas the the George’s!) can hold a candle to it. Kemp - who died and was buried in norm for male first marriages was of January 1837. He is the Lodger’s son, the order of 25 years for this family. Shelagh Mason #2519 a Mr. Isaac George and is given on Although not impossible, I thought John’s marriage certificate as “Isaac it would bear further investigation. Kemp” This explains why I spent Looking carefully at the tree and at many fruitlessly years looking for an my significant spreadsheet of CMB, I available Isaac Kemp.... Ironically, I was able to determine a generation can find Isaac George’s birth, that of had been jumped, and re-built that Duplication or Innovation? an earlier sister - but no marriage of section of the tree adding many The Guild’s members have come up his parents or his father’s birth. So, hundreds to the new and revised with some fantastic ideas with such for all that, I have 4 members of the section. A branch lost both parents at innovations as the Marriage & Pro- GEORGE family - my direct ancestors - an early age and the child seemed to bate Indexes but I would suggest for that tree - is this a record? move to London for a number of years that where systems are already in around this time - just like my family place to record data that we add to The second Eureka moment refers to had appeared to - but no, a false lead them instead of having duplication of my STEAD/STEED tree - my registered as there he was, back in Thanet soon effort. So without wishing to knock Guild name - and that of one of the thereafter. So, not back to square the efforts of Jim with his “adopt a founding members of my Study, David one, but no further forward with the newspaper” for obituary look ups I Steed, a farmer of Thanet, Kent. For merging of the trees! would suggest contributors consider many years I had been convinced, registering and adding their obituar- without any proof whatsoever, that Looking at the first person I ies to http://www.rootsweb.ancestry. our trees must share common ancestry. suspected was the most genuine at com/~obituary/. Mine, purportedly, went back to the top to my tree - an Isaac Steed London and thence to Yorkshire - born about 1730-2, I looked around Although the system isn’t perfect it but the link was always tenuous and for a possible candidate - and drew saves the GOON volunteer scouring I could never prove it. David’s tree, a complete blank. Then Kent Family through in excess of 2,000 names, researched by the founder of the History Society (of which I have been avoiding the chance of missing any, Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical a member since 1986) published their and also the records hopefully will Studies here in Canterbury at his 7th volume of transcribed parish remain on-line with rootsweb forever father’s request many moons ago, registers - which included the parish benefitting all. was clearly an outstanding piece of of Herne. This isn’t in the IGI, nor had work, tracing back through many we extracted the records for it from Bernie Guymer #3871 generations at Hoath, to Petham, the Archives, so taking a look I found Kent and the commencement of my Isaac born 1731 at Herne, son of parish registers at the insistence of John and Elizabeth (nee Jackson) of Thomas Cromwell (bless him!). Hoath, Kent. Yay!!!!!
David gave me a copy of his tree on Elizabeth Jackson came from Herne an A1 sheet of paper and it didn’t and had married John Steed of Hoath take me long to add to it considerably there in 1727. John was on David’s and build a significant tree of over a tree, unmarried, born in 1704. All
26 Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 Guild Journal Volume 10 Issue The signature of the Hesket group were connected; or that it would dif- 6 April-June 2010 differs in seven of the ten sequence fer from both those and the original numbers compared with the first Hesket donor. I have just read Paul Caverly’s article two groups, and in six compared to Using DNA to disprove a Relationship, the Bowes group. This larger number We were much surprised to discover which I believe merits a serious caveat. of differences can be interpreted to that the second Hesket donor’s signa- I hasten to say that Paul’s analysis has mean that the Hesket group is not ture was identical to that of the first been undertaken faultlessly: he was genetically related to the other three donor’s. Our pretty theory about his seeking a specifically genetic solution, groups. wayward great grandmother was shot and found it. However, readers eager down in flames. The result proved to “disprove” a relationship may like So far so good: this is DNA analysis at that the line was “pure” back to the to consider the following story. its most basic. Armed with this result, common ancestor of the two donors, I was encouraged to continue docu- who lived from circa 1762 to 1826. In 2003 I conducted a small DNA mentary research to connect the first study. Like Paul’s, this had a specific three groups, and after a few years Who’s the bastard now? objective… was rewarded: Southwark, Richmond We are now left with two possibili- and Bowes groups are today one huge ties: There were four “islands” or uncon- group of interconnected individuals. nected groups of Laidmans (my ONS 1. The Hesket group is a complete- name) in my database. Each group The plot thickens ly different and unrelated family contained a large number of individu- But what about the Hesket group? to the other groups, or als whom I had been able to connect My first reaction was to tell the unfor- documentarily. tunate donor that he had not a drop 2. There was a “non-paternal of Laidman blood in his veins. We event” prior to the common Although I had a hunch that the looked at the documentation, and ancestor of the two donors, groups were also connected between found that his great grandfather had which would explain (a) why the them, I was frustrated at not being committed suicide in 1878 aged 37. Hesket DNA signature differs able to find any proof, and decided to In every single census return from from that of the other groups, have recourse to DNA analysis. the time of his marriage in 1867, he and (b) why the DNA signatures had apparently not been living with of both Hesket donors are iden- I found a willing direct-line male his wife in Carlisle but had been run- tical. Laidman donor from each group and, ning his sister’s farm some miles out But there is a third possibility which I using Oxford Ancestors (the most con- of town. Some time after his suicide, did not see until it was gently pointed venient at that time), had each donor his widow married her neighbour. out to me by a cousin who is a pro- tested for 10 markers. The result was The inference was obvious: there had fessor of biology. The “non-pater- spectacular: (see table below). been a “non-paternal event”, proba- nal” event could equally well have bly between the donor’s great grand- occurred in and before the common The signatures from the first two mother and her neighbour, and while ancestor of the other groups; that is, groups above are identical. This, the “correct” Laidman name passed the Hesket line is “pure” and it is the together with the fact that the Laid- down, this had produced the errant members of the other groups who man name is common to all four DNA signature. Perhaps her husband have not a drop of Laidman blood in groups, means that the Southwark had found out, and committed suicide them! and Richmond groups are almost cer- as a result… tainly related. This is a complex but elegant DNA In order to test this theory, we decid- story, and I tell it to warn members The Bowes signature differs from the ed in 2006 to make a further DNA that while a positive DNA match is previous two in only one of the ten test on a relative of the hapless Hes- near absolute proof of a common sequences. In spite of this it is still very ket donor, his fourth cousin (so with ancestor, a negative DNA test result likely that the Bowes group is related a common ancestor previous to donor merely demonstrates that there is no to the previous two, although a muta- number one’s great grandfather). We genetic link - which is not the same at tion has occurred at some point in the predicted that the result would either all as disproving a relationship. number 8 sequence. be identical to those of the other three groups, showing that all four Nicholas Michael #3814
Sequence Name DYS DYS DYS DYS DYS DYS DYS DYS DYS DYS 19 388 390 391 392 393 389i 389ii-i 425 426 Sequence Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Southwark 14 14 22 10 11 13 09 16 12 11 Richmond 14 14 22 10 11 13 09 16 12 11 Bowes 14 14 22 10 11 13 09 17 12 11 Hesket 14 12 23 11 13 13 10 17 12 12
Journal of One-Name Studies, October-December 2010 27 Pictures from the Guild’s recent Computer Seminar in Epsom Vol 10 Issue 8 October-December 2010 10 Issue 8 October-December Vol
Main inset: Rosebery School was a wonderful location for the seminar. Top left: Jeanne Bunting. Middle left: Gordon Adshead welcomes everyone to the seminar on behalf of the Seminar sub-committee. Bottom left: A packed hall eagerly awaiting proceedings. Bottom Centre: Graham Walter delivers an excellent presentation on “cloud computing”. Bottom Right: One of many packed classrooms.
Journal of One-Name Studies Quarterly publication of the Guild of One-Name Studies ISSN 0262-4842 £2.00 when sold to non-members