Sue Wilkes - Tracing Your Ancestors Childhood: A Guide for Family Historians

First published in Great Britain in 2013 by
PEN & SWORD FAMILY HISTORY
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
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Copyright Sue Wilkes 2013

PAPERBACK ISBN: 978 1 78159 166 6
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CONTENTS

For Nigel, Lizzie and Gareth

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

O nce again I must express my gratitude to the many archivists and librarians who have patiently assisted with my enquiries, including Martine King (Barnardos), Edward Ratcliffe (Childrens Society Records and Archive Centre), Martin Rayment (Norwood), David Springer (NSPCC), Susan Gentles, the Red Cross Collections Officer, Simon Fenwick (Shaftesbury Young People) and Steven Spencer (Salvation Army International Heritage Centre).

Also of great assistance were Phaedra Casey (Brunel University Archives), Anne Clarke (Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham), Lisa Greenhalgh (Cheshire Archives and Local Studies), Karen Millhouse (Derbyshire Record Office), David Tilsley (Lancashire Archives), Laura Taylor (London Metropolitan Archives), Mike Bevan (National Maritime Museum), Jonathan Draper (Norfolk Record Office), Margaret Page (Quaker Family History Society), Heather Johnson (Royal Naval Museum Library), Jacqui Burgin (State Library of Queensland), Sarah Maspero (Hartley Library, University of Southampton), and Jennie Kiff (West Yorkshire Archive Service). Apologies to anyone I have inadvertently omitted.

I would also like to thank Bryony Partridge (Ancestry), Debra Chatfield (Findmypast) and David Osborne (The Genealogist) and Martin Brayne and Guy Etchells and (Parson Woodforde Society).

All TNA records quoted are Crown Copyright. Records held by Lancashire Record Office and Cheshire Archives and Local Studies, to which copyright is reserved, are reproduced by kind permission.

Information about the Society of Genealogists resources quoted from their website by kind permission of Else Churchill. Information from the Staffordshire BMD website quoted by kind permission of Ian Hartas. Information on the Navy League and Sea Cadets quoted by kind permission of the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

Any mistakes in the text are my own.

Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders for images used in this work. The publishers welcome information on any attributions that have been omitted.

I would also like to express my gratitude to Simon Fowler and Rupert Harding of Pen & Sword Books for their help and encouragement. Last but not least, I must once again thank my husband Nigel, and my children Elizabeth and Gareth, for their untiring help and support.

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

All illustrations are from the authors collection, and photos are by the author, except where otherwise credited.

Part 1

CHILDHOOD AND EDUCATION

Map of England and Wales. Barclays Dictionary, Bungay edn (T. Kinnersley, 1813).

Chapter 1

BEGINNING YOUR SEARCH

T racing your family history is an absorbing hobby which has become increasingly popular in recent years. There has never been a more exciting time to be a family historian: there are books, magazines, online genealogy services, family history or local history societies, online forums, reunion websites and even TV programmes exploring past lives.

However, to date, there has not been a genealogy title that surveys the many archival sources available for children and young people living in earlier times.

Your ancestors formative years were immensely important for their futures, and those of their offspring. Were your ancestors born to rich parents? Were they perhaps merchants, craftsmen or labourers? Did your ancestors follow their parents into the same trade or profession?

Maybe your ancestors were destitute, or came from a broken home: their chances in life would have been extremely limited. Poverty and poor nutrition had consequences for their health and that of their children. Literacy skills provided opportunities for poor people to better themselves: but could they afford to go to school?

Tracing Your Ancestors Childhood focuses primarily on records for England and Wales from 17501950. The first part of the book explores your ancestors childhood experiences from birth until 16 years of age.