The UK and Ireland are regarded, for the
purposes of this Genealogical Information Service, as being made up
of England, Ireland (i.e. Northern Ireland and
the Republic of Ireland), Wales, and Scotland,
together with the Channel Islands and the Isle of
Man. Together, these constitute the British Isles -
which is a geographical term for a group of islands lying off the
north-west coast of mainland Europe. (Legally, the Channel Islands
and the Isle of Man are largely self governing, and are not part of
the United Kingdom.) The Administrative
Regions into which the UK and
Ireland are divided have changed frequently in recent years.
However, in line with normal genealogical practice, this
Information Service is structured according to the counties as
shown in these maps of England, Scotland and
Wales, and of Ireland, i.e., as they
were prior to the re-organisation that took place in 1974 (1975 for
Scotland).
Dictionary of National Biography Index and Epitome, ed. Sir
Sidney Lee (1903), based on the 63-volume work. It's part of the
Bolles London Collection in the Perseus Project, Tufts University
in Massachusetts. This volume, with 30,378 biographical entries on
English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish notables up to the late 19th
century, grew into today's three-volume Concise DNB, and the entire
DNB is now being revised by Oxford University Press.
The BBC's Memoryshare website is "a
living archive of memories from 1900 to the present day [to which
readers] can contribute, share and browse memories of life
experiences and see them in the context of recent and historical
events."
Rod Neep has compiled comprehensive details about the subject
of Monumental
Inscriptions. There are details of techniques for recording
them and references to some that are online.
U.K. National
Archive of Memorial Inscriptions - "enables you to check
whether or not there are any memorial inscriptions which are
relevant to your researches. If there are none, then you pay
nothing. If you find what you want, then you can download, and
print out if you wish, not only the inscriptions themselves, but
also a brief description of the memorial, a photograph of the
church or chapel, a plan of the burial ground. . ." (As of August
2006 holds 70,000 MIs, all from Norfolk.)
Gravestone
photograph resource - an "index of the names that appear on
photos taken by the Gravestone Photographic Resource Project
team".
The Catholic
History Website is a partnership of societies and individuals
with an interest in Catholic history in the British Isles since the
Reformation.
The UK BMD web site
offers links to over 400 web sites that provide on-line information
for UK births, marriages and deaths.
Graham Pitts' Births, Deaths
& Marriages Exchange - a subscription-based facility for genealogists who
wish to share information about details contained on birth, death
or marriage certificates registered in the UK.
Derek Wilcox's Black Sheep Index - "an
index of Victims and Villains (and some heroes too) extracted from
newspaper reports of court cases and inquests between
1865-1900".
Capital punishment in the 18th & 19th centuries - many
listings and articles.
The Court of
Chivalry 1634-1640 - "The aim of the site is to make available
to scholars, researchers, local historians and genealogists the
records of the Court of Chivalry during its heyday between 1634 and
1640. Over this period the court dealt with well over a thousand
cases of which it has been possible to recover details of 738.
These cover a wide variety of topics relating to the social,
political and cultural history of the period, from ship money and
the Bishops' Wars to pew disputes and duelling, from heralds
visitations and grants of arms to brawls in the street and quarrels
at race meetings."
Robin Alson's Country
House Database is listing of country houses in the British
Isles from the late medieval period to about 1850, and their
occupants.
Travellers
Tales - transcriptions of a number of books describing early
travels in Britain, from Vision of Britain.
The College of
Arms website. "The College of Arms is the official repository
of the coats of arms and pedigrees of English, Welsh, Northern
Irish and Commonwealth families and their descendants. Its records
also include official copies of the records of Ulster King of Arms
the originals of which remain in Dublin."
Additional information is provided by the Society of
Genealogists' Information Leaflet: "The right to
Arms".
The Great
Britain Historical Geography Information Service (GBHGIS)
provides a mass of information about Britain's localities as they
have changed over time. Information comes from census reports,
historical gazetteers, travellers' tales and historic maps.
A Vision of
Britain Through Time, in the GBHGIS, provides maps and
statistical information derived from census reports covering the
period 1801-2001, searchable by place name or post code.
The Association of
British Counties (A.B.C.) "is a society dedicated to promoting
awareness of the continuing existence of the 86 traditional
Counties of Britain".
Robin Alston's Country
House Database "represents a first attempt at listing country
houses in the British Isles from the late medieval period to ca.
1850, together with an index to all the families so far traced as
having occupied them".
Copies of wills proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury
from 1384 to 1858 can be obtained for a fee the National Archives
via their
Documents On line service.
Village
Games by Colonel Alex Johnson describes games which Alex
remembers from his childhood in the 1920s and 30s. Although the
names of the games are those used in North-East England, most of
these games were played throughout the country.
An indication of the taxes in force in 1823 can be found in
Abstract of the Principal Tax Acts taken from the "History,
Directory & Gazetteer, of the County of York, by Edward Baines
(1823). This publication also gives details about the law relating
to
rent payable.
Taxes in force in 1837 from "History, Gazetteer, and Directory,
of the West-Riding of Yorkshire, with the City of York and Port of
Hull." by William White (1837). Transcribed by Susan Johnson.
Note: The information provided by GENUKI must not be
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[Last updated: 1
Jan 2008 rian Randell]
