Spotlight on… the braund society

Whenever we start our family history research we can be quite excited at the speed of our initial discoveries, as they come at us thick and fast. Across time, as we push further back, challenges incre

My maiden name was Shenton, and for as long as I can remember I’ve had a fascination for names. I grew up in the Hanley area of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, in a community that was deeply rooted in

Q My great great grandfather, Enoch Coates, was wounded in the Crimean War at Sebastopol. His death notice in the Lichfield Mercury, on Friday 9 December 1910, describes him as a “Crimean Veteran” and

The economy of Suffolk traditionally relied on agriculture and fishing, but much of its prosperity in the Middle Ages resulted from the cloth and wool trade. In fact Bury St Edmunds, Clare, Hadleigh,

One of the architectural wonders of Wales, this 17th-century brick property was home to the influential Morgan family for over 500 years, and houses stories of eccentricity and rebellion

As every family historian knows only too well, researching your ancestry becomes significantly more difficult the further back you get. There are fewer records available before the 19th century, and f