The Street-Wise Guide to Doing Your Family History

Lady Teviot • £14.99
Edward Everett Root Publishers

There are many general guides to family history research available, with more added to the list every year, but this book stands out for the vast experience of its author, and for the wealth of clearly presented information in only 160 pages.

Lady (Mary) Teviot is an internationally known expert on family history research. She was President of the Federation of Family History Societies from 2001 to 2011 and is a member of the Council of the British Records Association. She has also featured in several of the very successful Heir Hunters programmes on BBC1 television, and runs a professional genealogical research firm – so, all in all, there’s no doubt about her credentials.

The book begins, traditionally enough, with chapters on civil registration, census and parish records, although usefully then turns to the wider variety of ‘parish chest’ records which many starter guides tend to overlook. Similarly, a chapter on ‘underused sources’ delves deeper into sources such as churchwardens’ presentments, protestation oaths and manorial records, among others.

After a chapter on illness and medicine, Lady Teviot moves to exploring the history and records of various types of institution which our ancestors may have visited or lived in, such as workhouses, asylums and hospitals; a whole chapter on baby farming seems a little surprising, but contains useful information about lying-in hospitals.

The book’s focus is on the primary sources. A chapter at the end rounds up numerous useful websites – as with any printed book, it’s inevitably at the mercy of shifting sands, but the primary sources will always be there – and if you’re looking for a reliable guide to a wide variety of those, written by a real expert, this book represents great value.

Tracks: Walking the Ancient Landscapes of Britain

Philip Hughes • £24.95
Thames and Hudson

In over 140 superbly reproduced artworks, the artist Philip Hughes records 11 iconic walks across the length and breadth of Britain, from Allt Coire Pheiginn in Scotland to Zennor Head in Cornwall. Inspired and informed by maps, aerial photographs and electronic survey techniques, Hughes’s clean, spacious artworks, with their arresting blocks of colour, make contemporary some of the most ancient and formidable landmarks of the British Isles. Hughes’s artworks – often incorporating written notes, archaeological scans and contour maps – feature important heritage sites, including Neolithic settlements such as Maes Howe in Orkney, and places of particular mystery and beauty such as Silbury Hill. This beautiful, reflective book will resonate with artists, walkers and anyone who shares a love of ancient sites in the landscape.

Tracing Your Insolvent Ancestors

Paul Blake • £14.99
Pen & Sword

Debtors’ prisons are infamous but very little has been written about the records of those confined within them in London or elsewhere in the country. Even less has been written about the trials of those who were often incarcerated following misfortune or mismanagement rather than criminal intent. That is why Paul Blake’s handbook will be so useful for researchers who want to find out about forebears who may have been caught up in the insolvency system.

In a series of information-filled chapters he covers the historical background to the handling of debt and debtors, and bankruptcy and bankrupts. In addition he describes the courts and procedures faced by both creditors and debtors, and the prisons where so many debtors were confined.

Throughout the book details are given of the records that researchers can turn to in order to explore the subject for themselves. Many are held at The National Archives, but others are to be found at local