THE SCHOOL OF FAMILY HISTORY SYLLABUS OF STUDY IHGS QUALIFICATIONS DISTANCE LEARNING COURSES Trace YOUR family history as you learn Flexible - no fixed timetable Study at your own pace Enrol at any time Expert tutors www.ihgs.ac.uk THE INSTITUTE OF HERALDIC AND GENEALOGICAL STUDIES 79-82 Northgate, Canterbury, Kent CT1 1BA, UK Tel: 01227 768664 Facebook TheIHGS Twitter @IHGS THE INSTITUTE OF HERALDIC AND GENEALOGICAL STUDIES School of Family History 1957 The Institute established in Canterbury 1961 Registered Educational Charity 1964 No. 313304 Incorporated in England 1982, No. 1629916. Patron: The Lord Colgrain, DL President: The Rt Hon. The Earl of Lytton, Bt Vice Presidents: The Earl of Erroll, Lord High Constable of Scotland W. H. Connell, Esq. C. R. J. Humphery-Smith Esq, OBE, FSA THE TRUSTEES J.M. Allen-Petrie, Esq, OBE, MSc (Windsor Herald) D. Broomfield, Esq. A. A. C. Cottrell, OBE, DL Dr P. A. Fox, MA, FSA, FHS, AIH (Chair) P.F. Heren, Esq. J. S. Titford, MA, M-ès-L, LHG, FSA (Chairman of Examining Board) Dr David A. Wright, MA, FSA, FSG (Principal) TUTORIAL TEAM: Leslie Mitchinson, DipGen (Director of Education) Ann Ballard, LHG Lucy Browne, DipGen Chris Broom, DipGen Sarah Bulson, MA Lorna Kinnaird, PGDip Jane Sheehan, DipGen Elizabeth Yule, MSc, DipGen CONTENTS INTRODUCTION TO IHGS ...................................................................... 2 THE CORRESPONDENCE COURSE ........................................................ 3 SYLLABUS OF STUDY ............................................................................. 6 1. Introduction 2. Family Records 3. General Register Office 4. Census Returns 5. Parish Registers 6. The Parish Chest 7. Wills and Probate 8. Palaeography 9. Service Records 10. Education and Occupations 11. Nonconformity 12. Names 13. Migration 14. Census Substitutes 15. Miscellany 16. Quarter Sessions 17. Manorial Records 18. Title Deeds 19. Maps and Associated Records 20. Heraldry 21. Scotland and Wales 22. Irish and Other British Records 23. Legal Records at The National Archives 24. Ecclesiastical Records EXAMINATIONS AND QUALIFICATIONS .......................................... 13 Elementary to Advanced Level Examinations Higher Certificate Diploma in Genealogy Licentiateship THE INSTITUTE OF HERALDIC AND GENEALOGICAL STUDIES 1 IHGS ~ THE SCHOOL OF FAMILY HISTORY The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies is an independent educational charitable trust established to provide full academic facilities for training and research in the study of family history. It was founded in Northgate, Canterbury, in 1961. Set in its own grounds in a property dating from the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Institute arranges courses of instruction leading to qualifications in genealogy and related subjects. There are several levels of award, of which the highest is the Licentiateship of the Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies (LHG). This is awarded to those who have demonstrated by examination, by dissertation and by practice their specialist ability at a high professional and academic standard. Universities and government bodies recognise The Institute's standards and qualifications for several purposes. Graduates of the IHGS Higher Certificate and Diploma in Genealogy are granted differing exemptions for some elements of the Association of Genealogists & Researchers in Archives (AGRA) membership application process. The IHGS Higher Certificate and Diploma in Genealogy awards are recognised by the Register of Qualified Genealogists. All of our distance learning courses are accredited by the Open and Distance Learning Quality Council (ODLQC) which was set up by the government in 1968 to monitor and enhance quality in training and education. The ODLQC is the guardian of quality in open and distance learning and is now independent. We offer a range of Distance Learning courses in both genealogy and heraldry. From elementary level, Awaken Your Ancestors, to Intermediate, Broadening Your Family Tree, on to advanced, Completing Your Ancestral Journey, and the Higher Certificate course The Correspondence Course in Genealogy. Our Heraldry course is a six module elementary to intermediate course. We also offer Tracing Your British Ancestors from Overseas, a course design from those researching from abroad. Students may also take a course at the Institute by attending day and residential courses. We maintain a presence on Facebook TheIHGS, and Twitter @IHGS and offer a free monthly newsletter to anyone who wishes to subscribe. 2 THE INSTITUTE OF HERALDIC AND GENEALOGICAL STUDIES THE CORRESPONDENCE COURSE IN GENEALOGY The Correspondence Course in Genealogy was launched in 1961 and has been growing in popularity ever since. Students tell us that they find the course to be great value for money, being significantly less expensive than other distance learning courses with comparable academic content. The lecture material is excellent and the individual tutorial guidance is first rate. The course modules are under continuous review to ensure that they are both accurate and up to date. Unlike other courses that have come and gone during the last five decades, the Correspondence Course in Genealogy encourages the student to apply the subject material to his or her own personal research. Our students also speak of the fun and enjoyment of following the course and how it has helped them to get over apparently insurmountable problems in their own research. The course, which is suitable both for beginners and for reasonably experienced genealogists, is designed to prepare students for professional genealogical practice. As such it covers the full range of genealogically useful sources in considerable depth. This also makes it the best available course for those simply tracing their own families as a hobby, ensuring that they have the fullest knowledge base so that their research is as good as it can be. The Correspondence Course is both challenging and demanding, but the principal qualifications for embarking on it are enthusiasm and dedication. DIRECT ENROLMENT Students may enrol at any time by completing the enclosed Enrolment Form and paying the full fee or first instalment as set out in the accompanying Schedule of Fees form. Correspondence Course students enjoy the benefits of a web-based Student Forum, which allows them to discuss the course, research problems, exchange books and also to contact their Tutors. A number of relevant textbooks are also supplied free of charge. All students are entitled to reduced fees for attending Institute courses and seminars, and free access to the library AIMS OF THE COURSE 1 To provide the opportunity for students from a wide range of backgrounds to gain the necessary resources and skills to develop and write up their own research interests in selected aspects of family and community history in a systematic and contextualised form. 2 To develop students’ interests onwards from individual-based study towards an appreciation of social, scientific and historical debates, resources, skills and insights. THE INSTITUTE OF HERALDIC AND GENEALOGICAL STUDIES 3 3 To encourage students to extend, and reflect critically on the research skills and aims that they have been developing in their project work. 4 To facilitate the above by introducing concepts of research in family and community history and related topics, such as migration, demography, family structure, occupations, religious affiliation. 5 To act both as a stand-alone course in its own right and as preparation for related post-graduate research in the same area. 6 To prepare the student for examination at the level of Higher Certificate in Genealogy, with continuous assessment counting towards 50% of the total marks (taking the Higher Certificate examination is optional). COURSE STRUCTURE The Course comprises 24 lecture modules, which may either be downloaded from our dedicated website as Adobe Acrobat PDF files or delivered as paper copies. These lecture modules will enable the student to cover in full the syllabus required for the Institute’s Higher Certificate in Genealogy. THE LECTURES Each lecture module contains, along with the lecture itself, copies of relevant documents, an introductory sheet summarising the topic to be covered, and the reasoning behind the set assignments. A select bibliography, around which a programme of supplementary reading can be built is also provided. We do not recommend that the student should buy or even attempt to read every book listed, but we would encourage students to read around the subject as much as possible. Because genealogy is essentially a practical endeavour, each lecture is accompanied by two or more assignments designed to give the student knowledge and experience of record sources and repositories. Students are encouraged to apply their own family history research in their assignments thereby enabling their family tree to grow as they are studying. Completed assignments should be returned to the registrar either by post or by email. Receipt of assignments will trigger the despatch/download of the next module. Each student will be allocated a personal tutor, who should normally assess submitted assignments and return them within four weeks. 4 THE INSTITUTE OF HERALDIC AND GENEALOGICAL STUDIES TIMESCALE The pace of instruction will be determined by the time available to the individual student. There is no set time limit; students may complete the assignments at their own pace. However, a student is unlikely to gain full benefit from the