Census substitutes & local records for medieval research

This is the first of a series of articles; the intention being to provide an overview of useful family and local history records in existence, with advice on where to find them. The articles will incl

Before the introduction of civil registration of births, marriages and deaths in England and Wales in 1837, it is the parochial registers recording the baptisms, marriages and burials of our ancestors

How Chaucer reshaped English poetry

On 10 August 1948 Felix Hull became Berkshire’s first county archivist. He was working out of the basement of Reading’s old Shire Hall, now the Roseate Hotel, and collections under his care eventually

Wearing its heritage on its sleeve, this medieval castle has lived many lives, including a fortified castle, a Jacobean mansion and a comfortable Victorian family home

“Hands of Saint Dominic” by Albrecht Dürer, 1506; ...