Issue 60 Cover

Discover Your Ancestors

Issue 060

Issue 60 Cover

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A warm welcome to the April issue of Discover Your Ancestors Periodical, the only monthly digital family and social history magazine for the UK. No April Fool jokes here: just lots of useful and interesting information!

This year sees the centenaries of women (well, some of them) getting the vote, and of what became the Royal Air Force. In this issue we mark both of those, although in fact going back 50 years earlier in the case of the former, to look at the pioneering Manchester suffragettes. We cover plenty more of this year’s anniversaries in our latest annual print ‘bookazine’ (Issue 7) – this only came out recently and you can find it on the shelves of most branches of WHSmith and via our website at discoveryourancestors.co.uk. It has nearly 40 features on all aspects of genealogy and social history, plus some amazing free data offers, in this case worth more than £170. Do get hold of your copy! Andrew Chapman, Editor.

Articles

Northern Lights

Northern Lights

Manchester people have always pioneered radical new ideas. This cradle of the industrial revolution witnessed the bloodshed of the Peterloo Massacre (1819), when a mass meeting calling for voting reform was brutally broken up by the authorities. Manchester workers were also strong supporters of Chartism – a popular movement to win working-class men the vote – in mid-Victorian times.

through adversity to the stars

through adversity to the stars

On 1 April 1918 the very first air force in the world to be independent of army or navy control came into being: the RAF. Towards the end of the First World War saw the pilots of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service being amalgamated into a new airborne branch of the military, taking as its motto ‘Per ardua ad astra’ which translates in English as ‘Through adversity to the stars’. At its head was Major-General Sir Hugh Trenchard who was appointed as its first Chief of the Air Staff.

Penitent Women

Penitent Women

She may have been a servant seduced by a co-worker or her employer; or she may have been brought up in a poor area, surrounded by thieves and prostitutes, and so was at risk of becoming a sex worker herself. She was possibly in her mid-to-late teens, and from a humble background. When she was ‘seduced’ (a term applied whether or not she was coerced) and had sex, she was a fallen woman. However, the fallen woman might also include other kinds of societal outcasts, including thieves, those suffering from alcohol addiction and the homeless. In the latter part of the 19th century, many individuals were involved with the ‘rescuing’ of these women, and homes established by different charities and religious groups, including the Salvation Army and Ladies’ Associations. However, in some places, including the city of Oxford, similar efforts were being made even prior to Victoria becoming Queen – the first London penitentiary had been established just after the dawning of the 19th century.

Raiders on the Sea

Raiders on the Sea

Privateers were privately owned, well-armed, ships that were commissioned by the Admiralty to attack enemy merchant vessels during wartime. As such, they operated within the law and the commissioning process required them to be awarded an authorisation called a ‘letter of marque’ to prove their legitimacy. This document granted each ‘private ship of war’ the legal right to operate against named enemy nations of Great Britain during times of war only. It was a dangerous role, but the financial rewards for owners and crewmen alike could be great.

Food of the Gods

Food of the Gods

It’s funny how attitudes change. When chocolate arrived in Great Britain it was promoted as a health drink. Today we are warned against consuming too much in an attempt to prevent obesity, so in love are we with the brown stuff.

News for April 2018

News for April 2018

To mark the centenary of the establishment of the RAF on 1 April 1918, TheGenealogist has released thousands of records of individuals who were recorded in a number of Air Force Lists from 1921 to 1944. Also released at this time are copies of Flight magazine for 1909, 1910 and 1911, plus an important collection of historic reference books.

History in the details: Handbags and Purses

History in the details: Handbags and Purses

Humans have used receptacles for coins ever since they have had money to carry, and in different periods have kept coins in a larger purse or bag, along with whatever other personal items were needed for daily life. Until the late Tudor period, men and women kept valuables and personal belongings in bags or pouches suspended from a girdle around their waist.

Place in focus: Canterbury

Place in focus: Canterbury

In the first century AD, Canterbury became established as an important staging post for the Romans, situated between their port of Richborough and the growing city of London. The city’s current name dates from Saxon times, simply meaning ‘the town of the men of Kent’.

Books for April 2018

Books for April 2018

The Georgian period was a key stage in our modern history so some understanding of it is essential for family historians who want to push their research back into the 18th century and beyond. John Wintrip’s handbook is an invaluable introduction to it. In a sequence of concise, insightful chapters he focuses on those aspects of the period that are particularly relevant to genealogical research and he presents a detailed guide to the variety of sources that readers can consult as they pursue their research.

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.

Editorial Office

Discover Your Ancestors Publishing,

PO BOX 163,

Shaftesbury,

SP7 7BA

E: editor@discoveryourancestors.co.uk

W: www.discoveryourancestors.co.uk

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.
Free Experts on hand to help with your queries.
Many family history societies, archives and companies will be attending from all over the country.

Special Offer! Buy tickets for £8.00 (£12.00 on the day)

Buy your tickets early and get two for the price of one!

Find Out More Purchase Tickets

Future Events

Unable to make the next show? We also have shows planned for the following locations:

york show

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.