Guilds & freemen

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

This is one in 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 st

The congestion charge, LEZ and ULEZ charges… All schemes introduced by mayors of London in recent years, but another has been running in our capital city for much longer. Cart marking, the practice of

Why look for clues about old occupations? Our ancestors’ occupational details add both character and substance to our family history research. Noting the jobs our ancestors once held can provide a ric

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

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