Newsletter
- 29th June 2015
Over
2 million criminal records go online NEW
Last
chance to get a Findmypast subscription for £1 ENDS
TUESDAY
1841
Census: date was changed to avoid haymaking
American
War of Independence made paupers of Englishmen
Canadian
records free at Ancestry.ca ENDS WEDNESDAY
Interview:
Jess Welsby EXCLUSIVE
Review:
Tracing Your Birmingham Ancestors
Review:
My Ancestor Was a Bastard
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As family historians we look upon the
census as a valuable repository of personal information - but censuses were
never intended to be used in this way. There were four British censuses before
1841, but it was only in that year that every member of the population was
recorded by name, and as far as I can see this information was collected
primarily to minimise errors, omissions and double-counting. It was only when
the Old-Age Pensions Act was passed in 1908 and census information became a way
of verifying entitlement that the wisdom of writing down the names became
apparent.
You won't, therefore, be surprised when
I tell you that the 2021 Census Roadshow I attended this week focused on the
numbers. It was held at the premises of the Royal Statistical Society whose
members had, on 15th November 1841, been amongst the first to be presented with
the results of the 1841 Census. Looking at the long list of Presidents of the
Society on the wall of the Lecture Theatre I noticed some familiar names,
including Lord John Russell, who as Home Secretary oversaw the introduction of
Civil Registration, and William
Farr, who rose to the position of Deputy Registrar General.
After two hours listening politely to
the presentations and the discussions that followed, I decided to ask a
question on behalf of the historians of the future: "In view of the fact
that the 2021 Census may be the last conventional census, will heritage issues
be taken into account when deciding what questions to ask? For example, as the
census hasn't included a question about birthplace since 1951, might it not be
a good opportunity to record that information in 2021?"
I was somewhat taken aback by the tone
of the response from Ian Cope, the man at the Office for National Statistics in
charge of the 2021 Census. He began by referring to the fact that the 1901
Census had asked whether people were idiots, perhaps trying to make the point
that some questions asked in the past were no longer relevant, though I
couldn't help thinking that he was trying to suggest to the others in the
crowded lecture theatre that I was an idiot for asking the question I did!
But to cut a long story short, we were informed
that the legacy that the 2021 Census represents for future generations is not
something that is going to influence the decision-making of the Office of
National Statistics - they are only interested in producing statistics for
immediate consumption.
I must admit to finding it somewhat
ironic that in a year when we’re celebrating the 200th anniversary of the
Battle of Waterloo, the 600th anniversary of Agincourt, and the 800th
anniversary of the Magna Carta, history counts for so little over at the ONS
(their website doesn't even tell you much about their own history). All the
more reason for genealogists to respond to the Consultation
before it closes on 27th August (in a future newsletter I will set out some
suggestions to guide you in your own response).
Finally I'd like to take this
opportunity to thank the LostCousins members who also attended the London
roadshow - I met David, Mike, and Ann but there well may have been others.
Also, if anyone reading this attended one of the other roadshows I'd be
interested in any feedback you have.
Over 2 million criminal
records go online NEW
This week Findmypast, in conjunction
with the National Archives, added 1.9 million records to their England & Wales, Crime, Prisons &
Punishment, 1770-1935 collection which, with around 3 million records in
total, is now the largest collection of its kind.
I discovered that in 1913 my 3rd cousin
twice-removed was acquitted of stealing 48 rings, two watches and other
articles belonging to the Great Northern Railway Company (lost-luggage items,
perhaps?). However he may have been given the benefit of the doubt by the jury
- in 1910 he had been sent to prison for 6 weeks after being convicted of
stealing a car tyre and in 1935 he got 18 months hard labour for receiving
stolen property.
Note:
not all of the records have been transcribed to best effect - I found some
where there was both an age and date but the date hadn't been transcribed, as a
result of which neither the year of the record nor the year of birth of the
criminal were shown in the search results.
Looking at a page of prisoners at
Newgate Gaol in 1826 I wondered at how young - and how short - most of them
were. Three lads aged 13, 14, and 16 - two of them well under 5 feet in height
- were sentenced to 7 years transportation for stealing a handkerchief valued
at 10d. I suppose that at the time some would have said they were fortunate to
escape the hangman's noose.
Many of those transported are also to be
found in Australian criminal records that went online last week:
Australia
Convict Ships 1786-1849
New
South Wales Registers Of Convicts' Applications To
Marry 1825-1851
Australia
Convict Conditional and Absolute Pardons 1791-1867
Victoria
Prison Registers 1855-1960
If you don't already have a subscription
to Findmypast, you've got a final chance to get a 1 month subscription that
will allow you to see ALL of these records (plus over a billion others, as well
as hundreds of millions of newspaper articles) for just £1 - see the next
article....
Last chance to get a
Findmypast subscription for £1 ENDS TUESDAY
Nobody can say that family history is
expensive when there are offers like this around - a 1 month World subscription
for just £1 - see the last issue for full details
and special links, but don't delay because the offer ends at 11.59pm (London
time) on Tuesday 30th June.
Remember that many of the records,
especially parish registers and newspapers, are only available online at Findmypast - serious genealogists simply
can't afford to be loyal to a single website (even if it's called
LostCousins!).
1841 Census: date was changed to avoid haymaking
Since 1851 British censuses have taken
held in late March or early April, but as everyone reading this newsletter will
know in 1841 the census was taken on Monday 7th June (based on the inhabitants
residing at the address on the previous day).
However, this wasn't the date originally
planned - the Population Act, 1840 (right) specified Thursday 1st July as the
date of the census. Unfortunately it was realised at the last minute that the
July date would conflict with haymaking, so many agricultural labourers would
be away from home.
The Census
Amendment Act, specifying a new date in June, didn't receive Royal Assent
until 6th April 1841 - so it's a wonder that the census went as well as it did!
Other amendments introduced were the
rounding down of ages over 15 to the nearest multiple of 5 years and the
introduction of household schedules:
V.
And be it enacted, That Schedules shall be prepared, under the Direction of the
said Commissioners, for the Purpose of being filled up by the several Occupiers
of Dwelling Houses as herein-after provided; and the Registrars in England and
Wales, and the Schoolmasters and other Persons charged with taking the said
Accounts in Scotland shall, in the course of the Week ending on Saturday the
Fifth Day of June in this Year, leave or cause to be left at every Dwelling
House within their District One or more of the said Schedules for the Occupier
or Occupiers thereof or of any Part thereof; and upon every such Schedule shall
be plainly expressed that it is to be filled up by the Occupier of such
Dwelling House, (or where such Dwelling House is let in different Stories or
Apartments, and occupied distinctly by different Persons or Families, by the
Occupier of each such distinct Story or Apartment,) and that the Person charged
with taking the said Account will collect all such Schedules within his
District on the Monday then next following; and every Occupier of any Dwelling
House, or of any distinct Story or Apartment in any Dwelling House, with or for
whom any such Schedule shall have been left as aforesaid, shall fill up the
said Schedule to the best of his or her Knowledge or Belief, so far as relates
to all Persons dwelling in the House, Story, or Apartment occupied by him or
her, and shall sign his or her Name thereunto, and shall deliver the Schedule
so filled up, or cause the same to be delivered, to the Persons charged with
taking the said Account, when required so to do; and every such Occupier who
shall wilfully refuse, or without lawful Excuse neglect, to fill up the said
Schedule to the best of his or her Knowledge and Belief, or to sign and deliver
the same as herein required, or who shall wilfully make, sign, or deliver, or
cause to be made, signed, or delivered, any false Return of all or any of the
Matters specified in the said Schedule, shall forfeit a Sum not more than Five
Pounds, or less than Forty Shillings, at the Discretion of any Justice of the
Peace or Magistrate before whom Complaint thereof shall be made, to be
recovered, in case of Non-payment, by Distress and Sale of the Goods of such
Offender.
I've seen comments suggesting that a
census couldn't possibly have been carried out on a single day, but a trial run
was held to determine how many households an enumerator could visit in one day,
depending on the type of district; following this pilot study 35,000
enumerators were appointed.
In practice, however, there must have
been many households where there was nobody at home when the enumerator came to
collect the form, and whilst this wouldn't have been an insurmountable problem
if the schedule had been correctly completed by the householder (since it could
have been left out, or with a neighbour), a significant proportion wouldn't
have been sufficiently literate to read the instructions and fill in the form.
American War of
Independence made paupers of Englishmen
For 10 years* from 1st October 1783 a
Stamp Duty of 3d was charged for each baptism, marriage, or burial entry
recorded in parish registers in order to finance the war with the revolting
colonies in America. It is thought that some parishioners may have chosen to
delay the baptisms of their children (which might well explain why I can't find
the baptisms of some of my ancestors around this time); it has also been
observed that in some parishes the number of paupers - who were exempt - rose,
perhaps because the incumbent felt uncomfortable about collecting the tax.
It's certainly something that we need to
take into account when searching the registers of this period.
* it was actually 11 years - see the next newsletter
Canadian records free
at Ancestry.ca ENDS
WEDNESDAY
Until midnight on Wednesday 1st July all
Ancestry's Canadian records (235 million of them) are free - but only at
Ancestry's Canadian site (follow this link).
Interview: Jess Welsby EXCLUSIVE
It was a LostCousins member, Liz, who
encouraged me to read The
Daddy of all Mysteries: The True Story of my Parents' Secret Love and the
Search for a Father who I Never Knew by Jess Welsby. I
tend to relax with genealogical fiction, because I hear so many fascinating
true stores from members - but I was eventually persuaded that this book was
special (as you'll know if you read my review a
couple of months ago).
I was delighted when Jess Welsby agreed to be interviewed for this newsletter:
Peter: Jess, you've written an amazing story - but the
difference between your book and the other genealogical mysteries I've reviewed
is that your story is true! At what point did you decide to turn your story
into a book?
JW: It was the
people who helped me to find my late father who bulldozed me into writing the
book. The search itself has a website following, which has accumulated close to
300,000 hits and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to these people. Even so, at
first I was completely against the idea for several reasons - from practical to
emotional.
a) I had never written before.
b) I’ve been in business for 35 years and although I knew
nothing about the publishing business, I knew enough about business in general
to recognise that writing a book was a massive risk, both financially, for
obvious reasons, and emotionally, because I would be putting myself up for
criticism.
c) My biggest worry of all was - how would my mum feel
about her life being revealed in a book. Even though she had died in 1989, I
still asked myself… do I have the right to tell her personal story? She was
such a private person and I had never told anyone about my parents, which is
why my search for my father had taken me nearly 20 years. So the answer kept coming
back - NO.
Then, when I found descendants of my
father’s family and realised that I was going to be welcomed with open arms, it
occurred to me that the entire community would eventually find out bits and
pieces of my mum’s story through the grapevine. The bits the community would
not hear about, could be filled in by people - and it’s
human nature to jump to the wrong conclusion. Wagging tongues, ridicule and
bigotry were the things that ruined my mum’s life and I didn’t want that to
happen to her again, even though she was in her grave. I wanted her to rest in
peace. She didn’t deserve what she was
put through, just for falling in love with a Jewish man. So I decided to write
the book to give my mum a voice. Something that she never
had. The book shows my mum as the hero that she was, and I think she
will be overwhelmed with the response her story has had.
Peter: Did you have any concerns about publishing personal
details for all to see, and if so are there some things you decided to leave
out?
JW: Yes, I had
many concerns, most of which I’ve explained in reply to your previous question,
but I was also mindful of the story not just being about my mother and my
family’s history. So I asked permission from the descendants of my father’s
family and I also let them read the book before I published it.
I was also mindful of living descendants
of my father’s extended family who I had not yet met. The people I had not yet
found. They may not want their family’s history made public, so I left a lot of
details out and I’ve also changed the names of a few people in one particular
chapter because, although the story was important for the book, I felt it would
be unfair to name names. I didn’t want to open a can of worms.
Peter: There are lots of exciting moments recounted in the
book - which is the one that really stands out for you?
JW: Gosh, that’s a hard question, so I’ll give you three
answers:
The first has to be meeting my father’s
niece Shirley, and seeing my father’s photograph for the first time. I knew him
straight away; picked him out from all the other men in the wedding photograph!
The second was when my father’s other niece, Margaret, sent me a telegram that
my father had sent to her when she married in 1941. It was not his handwriting
but just reading the words that he had chosen was
magical.
The third has to be when I rang my
father’s niece, Joyce, to introduce myself. Then went on to tell her how sorry
I was not to have met her sister before she had died. "WHAT!" she
said - poor Joyce had no idea her sister was dead! These three ladies are much
older than me but they are all my first cousins and I love them to bits.
Peter: What would your advice be to anyone else in a similar
position?
JW: Don’t give up. There might be family out there who don’t
know you exist; a mother or father who is afraid to talk about their secret son
or daughter. Another reason for writing the book was to inspire others and to
show that it can be done, without it costing the earth. There’s help out there,
but discretion and consideration for the person you’re looking for and whatever
family they may have, is paramount.
Peter: Are you still continuing to research your father's
family?
JW: Yes, I still have a few mysteries to uncover and I’m
helping other people to solve their family mysteries too. I was keeping my
fingers crossed that the book might help to solve a few of the remaining
mysteries and it has already solved one mystery, which I knew nothing about!
Peter: How difficult was the process of publishing your own
book - would you do it again, knowing what you know now?
JW: There’s not enough space to answer this
question! I could write a book about
writing a book!
But after 4 years of writing, rewriting,
submitting and then going down the self-publishing route, I’d say it was one of
the most difficult things I’ve ever done, because I was thrown in at the deep
end. Knowing what I know now, I would do it all differently. I would go with my
first instinct, which was to self-publish an eBook without bothering with the
paperback. It’s been a massive learning curve.
Peter: Are you planning to write any more books, and if so
will they be fact or fiction?
JW: If you had asked that question a year ago when I was
often in tears and wishing I’d never started, my answer would have been... are you havin’
a laugh! Something that we say in Liverpool in reply to a question we consider
ridiculous! However, seeing the reaction
I’ve had to The Daddy of all Mysteries
and the amount of people who are asking me to write again, your question is not
so ridiculous after all and my answer is...
maybe.
I don’t think I could write fiction,
though. Maybe something based on fact. There has to be a grain of truth in
books for me to read one, so I think it will be the same for me to write one.
Peter: Thank you, Jess - what you've achieved is an example
to all of us!
Note:
if you haven't read the book yet this article
from the Liverpool Echo will tell you a little bit more about Jess's incredible
voyage of discovery.
Review: Tracing Your Birmingham Ancestors
I was rather tardy reading Michael Sharpe's debut
book, Family
Matters - A History of Genealogy, but it was well-worth waiting for -
so I was confident that his new book, Tracing
Your Birmingham Ancestors would be equally comprehensive. I wasn't
disappointed.
The Birmingham area is one of the most
difficult to research, because there are so many different counties that meet
up - and the headlong expansion of Birmingham, from a small manor at the time
of the Domesday Book to the Britain's second largest city today means that when
we discover that our ancestor was born in Birmingham our first question must be
"which Birmingham?". (For the purposes of the book
Mike Sharpe defines Birmingham as all of the area now covered by the City of
Birmingham within its post-1974 boundaries.)
Even the name has changed over the years
- though called Birmingham or Bermingham in the
Middle Ages, the letters were often interchanged, and by the 17th century the
spelling Brummagem (from which we get the term "Brummies")
seems to have been widely accepted. However, in the 18th century this spelling
was regarded as vulgar, and Birmingham found favour once again.
The author covers every aspect of life
(and death) in Birmingham: successive chapters cover the Church, politics,
industries, transport, education, health, law & order, migration and
housing, leisure; the final two chapters cover respectively the period before
industrialisation and military matters (from the local regiments and militias
to the 20th century wars).
There are two handy appendices: the
first has a timeline from 1715, when St Philip's church was consecrated through
to 1974, when Sutton Coldfield was incorporated into Birmingham and the two
registration districts were amalgamated. The final appendix is a directory of
archives and resources both online and offline - 12 pages of them!
Tracing
Your Birmingham Ancestors is
available either as a paperback or as a Kindle book - it's an essential guide
for those with ancestors from the area.
Review: My Ancestor Was a Bastard
At least 3 of my direct ancestors come
into this unfortunate category, so I had been meaning to read My
Ancestor Was a Bastard by Ruth Paley, which is one of the excellent My Ancestor Was... series from the
Society of Genealogists, for quite some time. I now wish I'd read it earlier!
Illegitimacy has always been with us,
but the way in which illegitimate children, their mothers, and their putative
fathers have been treated by the legal system has varied considerably over the
years - as a result of which the chance of finding surviving documentation, and
the nature of that documentation changes. Also, it's fairly well-known that the
rate of illegitimacy has varied over the centuries - prior to the 20th century
the peak of 7% was in the mid-19th century - but the author expands on this by
pointing out that between 20-30% of 19th century brides were pregnant on their
wedding day.
I discovered that, because two of my
illegitimate ancestors were born between the passing of the Poor Law Amendment
Act in 1834 and the introduction of a new system of affiliation proceedings in
1844, this greatly reduces the chances that I'll ever find any paperwork that points in the direction of the fathers. But it won't
stop me trying - at least I now have a much better idea of what to look for.
The book also introduced me to the filius nullius rule and demonstrated how this
could operate in the case of an adoption prior to 1927 - it's one of many
useful and fascinating pieces of information to be gleaned from this short but
jam-packed work of reference. If you decide to buy it from Amazon please use
one of the following links if you can:
Amazon.co.uk Amazon.com Amazon.ca
I've mentioned on a number of occasions
that I'm earning a high rate of interest by lending money through the Ratesetter peer-to-peer lending
site. An investment like this isn't for everyone - there IS a risk involved,
although because only a small amount is lent to any one borrower the risk is
spread (and there's also
a Provision Fund which has more than enough to cover the
anticipated losses).
If you do want to invest some of your
money in this way - current returns range from 3% per annum over 1 month to
more than 6% per annum over 5 years - you can get a bonus of £25 on the first
£1000 you lend by following this link.
When you join you'll find that there's also another offer running, which is for
both new and current investors, but it only applies to investments made between
1st-14th July: there's an extra £25 bonus when you lend £2500 for 1 year or
longer (and larger amounts for bigger sums).
But don't take my word for it - check it
out yourself, as I did when Ratesetter was recommended to me by a LostCousins
member. Remember, everyone's financial position and risk profile are different
- which is probably why opportunities like this exist!
Finally, if you missed out on the Amazon
Fire Phone, which was reduced from £299 to just £99 when I wrote about it
last month, you've got another chance to pick one up for just £99 - but only
while stocks last. They are locked to the O2 network, but you're not tied in by
a contract, and you should be able to use a GiffGaff SIM
(as I do) instead.
GiffGaff once again came top in the Which? survey so even if you're not
changing your phone, you might want to give them a try - when you follow this link you'll get
a free SIM and £5 free credit when you first top-up. Calls and texts
between GiffGaff phones are free (within the UK), something that my wife and I
find extremely useful.
I forgot to mention that there will be a
leap
second added on Wednesday 30th June - after 23.59.59 the time will be
23.59.60! It will be interesting to see how various electronic devices
respond.....
Peter Calver
Founder, LostCousins
© Copyright 2015 Peter Calver
Please
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