Your Ancestors in Derbyshire
can be traced
To
a large extent we all stand on the shoulders of our ancestors. We inherit
family genes, family traits, the family myths and traditions.
But who were
our ancestors? Where did they live? Who did they marry? How did they
make a living and support their families? Were they rich? Were they
desperately poor? Did they even leave skeletons in cupboards or vast
unclaimed fortunes?
Everyone has their own personal reasons for seeking their roots. Perhaps
a need to find a sense of place in an ever-changing world. Perhaps a
wish to prove a family legend, or simply surprise a relative or friend
with a distinctive and unique gift. Whatever you want I am here to help
you.
Your ancestors
can be traced by subjecting a wide variety of historical sources to
detailed investigation and analysis. These sources include civil registers
of births, marriages and deaths, census returns, parish registers, wills
and many others. These documents are located in both national and local
archives. Such research requires not only perseverance, thoroughness
and accuracy but also a high level of genealogical and historical knowledge
and expertise. I can offer you all of these.
This
is achieved by subjecting a wide variety of historical sources to detailed
investigation and analysis. These sources include civil registers of
births, marriages and deaths, census returns, parish registers, wills
and many others. These documents are located in both national and local
archives.
Such research requires not only perseverance, thoroughness and accuracy
but also a high level of genealogical and historical knowledge and expertise.
I can offer you all of these professional services
to help build a picture of your family origins.
I can either assist you with a query or conduct all the research for
you and produce a report for you to pass on through the Generations.
Brief
History of the References
Records
of baptisms, marriages and burials have been kept from the earliest
of times. However the survival rate for most of the earliest records
is somewhat small. During the reign of Henry VIII, in 1538, Thomas Cromwell
decreed that proper registers be kept of all baptisms, marriages and
burials that ocurred in every parish. However, the reality was somewhat
different from the ideal. There were further decrees during subsequent
reigns but it has to be said that they have left us with a less than
ideal legacy of records. In fact, of the 11,000 or so parishes, there
are fewer than 1,000 with complete records back to the 1500s. This is
due to various reasons, the primary one being that although it was the
responsibility of every priest to keep records the amount of information
actually recorded was left to his discretion (or otherwise!) .
The situation was improved somewhat with the introduction in 1597 of
what are known as the Bishop's Transcripts. These are transcriptions
of the parish registers which were required to be returned annually
to the Bishop. The theory was good, but in practice some registers could
not be transcribed because they had been lost or destroyed prior to
1597. Later records often suffered a similar fate. However, the survival
rate of the Bishops Transcripts was much better than the parish registers
so between the two we have a much more satisfactory (although not ideal)
source of information.
Roman
Catholic
Some registers survive from 1778 when the Roman Catholic Relief Bill
was enacted but few were kept prior to this. In 1840 registers were
supposed to be surrendered to the Registrar General to comply with the
Royal Commission of 1837. However, few were.
Quakers
Prior to surrendering their registers in 1840 an index was made of all
their entries. This index is accessible on microfilm. Usually Quaker
records are more detailed than their Anglican counterparts. Of course,
Quakers did not believe in baptism of children but they did record dates
of birth in registers. Furthermore they continued to perform marriage
ceremonies after Hardwicke's Marriage Act was enacted on 25th March
1754.
If
you would like further information on any point, or details on any of
our services please contact:
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