Created by the crown medieval records for the genealogist & local historian 1066-1485

L ooking at proceedings from the Chancery Court, which are held by The National Archives at Kew (TNA; nationalarchives. gov.uk), is like shining a torch back into people’s lives in past centuries. No

This is part of a series of articles; the intention is to provide an overview of useful family and local history records in existence, covering the period 1066-1485. Each article can be enjoyed as a s

From the mid-16th century, anyone running an inn or alehouse needed permission from the justices of the peace. Later, landlords were required to pledge not to allow disorderly conduct in their establi

When you’re ready to dig into your Essex roots, there are many museums and local-history collections that may contain traces of your ancestors’ lives. The Museum of Chelmsford (chelmsford.gov.uk/museu

The year 1841 was an important one for family historians. It was the year of the first full UK census; at least it was the first time that the UK census had recorded details of named individuals, but

Almost nine million parish records from Suffolk have been added to the family history website Ancestry (ancestry.co.uk). The site has released four sets of records from the Diocese of St Edmundsbury a