Issue 16 Cover

Discover Your Ancestors

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Issue 16 Cover

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Welcome again to Discover Your Ancestors Periodical – your monthly digital family and social history magazine.

This issue has something of an agricultural theme, appropriately enough at harvest time. We have Nell Darby’s fascinating account of rural poverty and the practice of gleaning leftover crops, plus a book extract about hop picking in Kent, and the mass exodus of London’s East Enders to work there every year.

The World War One centenary of course remains the issue dominating the history sector, and we’re pleased to bring exclusive details of Military Medal records poised to go online. Our article looks particularly at women in the records, and we’ll be exploring women at war further in our next issue.

And of course there’s plenty more, from the light-hearted, such as the history of straw boaters, to the more serious: convict transportation to Australia.

The Periodical works perfectly on tablets such as the iPad – if you’re off on research trips to museums, heritage sites or family graveyards this summer, you can take us with you to enjoy the journey!

Andrew Chapman, Editor.

Articles

Living on Leftovers

Living on Leftovers

One of the ways in which our poor rural ancestors could survive economically was to glean. Gleaning was the practice of collecting leftover crops from fields after farmers had finished their harvesting. It was carried out by all members of a family, but women were commonly to be found gleaning with their children - a way of helping the family economy while the husband took on work as a day labourer, for example.

Fit for a King

Fit for a King

The much-anticipated King Richard III Visitor Centre in Leicester has just opened its doors. The centre uses ground-breaking technology to bring to life the story of the last Plantagenet king, from his rise to power, brutal death and the eventual rediscovery of his remains in a Leicester car park in August 2012.

Justly honoured

Justly honoured

A major new collection of records from online data giant TheGenealogist.co.uk will help anyone researching their World War One forebears.

Short o’ pobbies

Short o’ pobbies

Our accents and dialects are very much part of our heritage and help shape our identity whichever part of the country from which we have originated. They also form a unique link with our forebears.

Hopping through history

Hopping through history

Today the words ‘beer’ and ‘ale’ are often used interchangeably but historically they are not the same beverage. Until the 13th century the predominant drink of Northern Europe and for all classes was spiced ale, brewed with malt. Brewed on a domestic scale, ale was cloudy, sweet and nutritious, but did not keep and did not travel well without spoiling. The addition of an extra ingredient into ale – the hop – not only changed the taste, making it bitter, it helped to preserve the concoction much longer and stabilised it. By 1400 this new flavoursome drink, beer, was being made on a commercial scale abroad and being imported into England. It seems that skilled Flemings and the Dutch made the good-quality beer, but that some London brewers were attempting to brew hop beer (though not always successfully).

To Botany Bay and Beyond

To Botany Bay and Beyond

In the 17th and earlier 18th centuries, thousands of people convicted of crimes ranging from petty to serious were shipped to British colonies in the Americas. The American Revolution brought transportation over the Atlantic to an end, but with Britain’s prisons full to bursting, the claiming of Eastern Australia by James Cook for Britain in 1770 opened up the option of sending felons west. Cook’s voyage of discovery allowed the British authorities to consult his findings and locate a suitable new penal site. Although Botany Bay was originally chosen, it was soon deemed unsuitable, and the fledgling colonies travelled to Port Jackson.

August 2014's books

August 2014's books

By the time war broke out in 1914 there were standard military manuals for just about every aspect of training for the British soldier. The Tommy’s Handbook is a compilation of chapters from original training manuals and booklets that would have been drawn upon by officers, non-commissioned officers and men to train recruits to become soldiers for active service in World War One.

Place in Focus: Newcastle upon Tyne

Place in Focus: Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle had its origins as a Roman fort on the River Tyne, and fragments of Hadrian’s Wall are still visible in the city, which was to become a major powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution, particularly through the shipbuilding industry.

History in the Details: Straw Boaters

History in the Details: Straw Boaters

Headwear made of straw or rushes has been worn in Britain since at least the 1200s. The straw hat known as a ‘boater’ appeared in the mid-19th century, reputedly originating in Luton, Bedfordshire, a town famous for hat-making by the 1600s and situated at the heart of the south-east Midlands straw-plaiting industry. The boater hat was distinguished by its manufacture and form: specifically, plaited straw was coiled into a mass then moulded into the familiar ‘boater’ shape comprising a straight, moderately wide brim, topped with a round, flattened crown circled with a ribbon band.

Additional Information

Other Formats

You can buy a printed version of the annual Discover Your Ancestors bookazine directly from the publishers, please see www.discoveryourancestors.co.uk and click on ‘Order print copies’ at the bottom.

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E: editor@discoveryourancestors.co.uk

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Discover Your Ancestors – The Family History Show

The Family History Show, York!

Saturday 22nd June 2024
10:00 –16:00 (GMT)

Put your research questions to an expert, watch a talk, speak to a local society, archive or genealogical supplier.

Free talks all day, held in a large lecture hall.
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Discover Your Ancestors Periodical is published by Discover Your Ancestors Publishing, UK. All rights in the material belong to Discover Your Ancestors Publishing and may not be reproduced, whether in whole or in part, without their prior written consent. The publisher makes every effort to ensure the magazine's contents are correct. All articles are copyright© of Discover Your Ancestors Publishing and unauthorised reproduction is forbidden. Please refer to full Terms and Conditions at www.discoveryourancestors.co.uk. The editors and publishers of this publication give no warranties, guarantees or assurances and make no representations regarding any goods or services advertised.