Discover Your Ancestors

Issue 096

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A warm welcome to the April issue of Discover Your Ancestors Periodical, your monthly digital family and social history magazine.

There’s some fantastic news from our associates at TheGenealogist this month: the release of the 1939 Register at the site (see p28). This was compiled in advance of the creation of the NHS, and is the closest thing we have to a 1941 census (cancelled due to the Second World War, of course) – and is simply the biggest and best resource for tracing family members in the mid-20th century (as long as they are not still alive).

Meanwhile we have our usual diverse mix of articles in this issue, from actresses to aristocratic paupers, confectioners to rhinoceroses! I hope you enjoy it.

Andrew Chapman, Editor.

Articles

'Common bargains'?

Marriage, especially for women, was an integral part of life in Georgian England. Indeed, unmarried women faced financial hardship and were considered unfortunate ‘old maids’ if they remained single. However, the entire process, from the courtship to the wedding day, was determined by the social class of the couple.

The chocolatier of York

In my family, as I was growing up, Easter Sunday brought the prospect of a chocolate feast to look forward to, as well as attending church. Later on, as a teenager, I remember that Chocolate Oranges became an alternative favourite for both my dad and myself, especially if we were away from the home on holiday as these particular confectionery delights were so much more easily packed in our luggage than a breakable Easter egg.

From theatrical princess to penniless waitress

The Victorians loved their theatrical stars, and, like today, the newspapers would breathlessly tell their readers about the latest ‘pet’ actress, publishing sketches or photos of them, and offering titbits of salacious gossip. However, trying to get a full picture of those actresses whose careers were relatively short is tricky, and researching them can be both rewarding and frustrating. One case in point is that of Kate Everleigh, a Victorian actress, comedienne and singer, who fascinated and amused audiences in both Britain and America in the 1870s and 1880s.

Posh paupers

In the 1800s the newly poor were viewed differently from those born to poverty, it being thought that the plight of gentlefolk who did not flaunt their poverty was all the more heart rending.

New women of the law

Sylvia Pankhurst’s father told his children ‘If you do not work for others, you will not have been worth the upbringing’ and the great socialist Beatrice Webb made it clear in her autobiography that by the end of the 19th century ‘the idea of service had been transferred from God to man.’ In other words, long before 1919, when legislation made it possible for women to become lawyers or county sheriffs, a steady pressure for reform in this area had long been in progress as women were increasingly involved in social work.

Do you want to buy a rhino?

Recently one of my children told me about a David Attenborough documentary that mentioned a rhinoceros called Clara which toured Europe in the 18th century, and ultimately died in London. This piqued my curiosity – surely there must be accounts of her British visit? Glenys Ridley’s book Clara’s Grand Tour tells this whole story, but alas the final London leg is only mentioned in advertisements (“To be seen at the Horse and Groom in Lambeth Marsh”), and a later German poster sadly appends: “It is 21 years old, and died in London on 14 April 1758.”

TheGenealogist adds thousands more parishes of tithe maps to Map Explorer

TheGenealogist’s Map Explorer, the unique resource for researchers to turn to when searching for an ancestor’s landholding whether owned or simply occupied, has been boosted with the significant addition of georeferenced tithe maps for Anglesey, Durham, Devon, Shropshire, Somerset, Suffolk and Wiltshire.

History in the details: Materials - Wool (part 3)

Following the surge in medieval wool production and exports, in Tudor England wool was an unrivalled commodity, generating great wealth, especially for individual entrepreneurs. The raw wool trade was controlled by powerful merchants – the broggers and staplers – while simultaneously capitalist employers – the clothiers – challenged the old, protectionist medieval guild system by organising the manufacture and distribution of woollen cloth. Continental workers continually arrived in Britain, including Protestant Dutch, Huguenot and Walloon weavers fleeing religious persecution in the 16th century. Their skill in producing lightweight, attractive textiles (called the ‘new draperies’) from combed wool (worsteds) revived the economies of towns like Colchester and Norwich, the latter home to 4,000 ‘aliens’ by 1572.

TheGenealogist adds 1939 Register & new military records go online

TheGenealogist has released the 1939 Register, adding the site’s unique and powerful search tools and SmartSearch technology. This offers a hugely flexible way to look for your ancestors at the start of the Second World War.

Place in Focus: Yorkshire

After the Romans left, small Celtic kingdoms arose in Yorkshire. An army of Danish Vikings invaded Northumbrian territory in 866 AD. The Danes conquered what is now York and renamed it Jórvík, making it the capital city of a new Danish kingdom under the same name, the only truly Viking territory established on mainland Britain. The division of Yorkshire into three historic ‘Ridings’ (North, East and West) was made by the Danes (South Yorkshire is a modern division, split off from the West Riding in 1972).

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: [email protected]

W: www.discoveryourancestors.co.uk

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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.