A family history on the other hand is an attempt to set the subjects of a family tree into their historical contexts. This may involve studying the social hierarchy of a parish, a study of local industries and activities, the gathering of population data, or acquiring an understanding of the wider history of the times within which a forbear lived.

For many family historians there is often a realisation that a quest for knowledge of an individual’s life may result in the discovery of little more than the bare details of places and dates of birth, baptism, marriage and death. This is usually because most people are descended from that mass of people that toiled upon the land or worked in mines, quarries, woodlands or factories and who have left little written record of their lives. However, amongst the rich heritage of documents that are preserved in national and local archives there are documents that can reveal much about the lives of ordinary folk.

Labourers of all sorts, framework-knitters, and boot-makers swelled the ranks of the British Army and the records of service given by these people can give a wonderful insight into not only military service but of ordinary life also. The humbler sections of society also consisted of those that broke the law and the records made regarding the activities of criminals also shed light on the way in which lives were lived. Further, for those that simply fell upon hard times and needed the help that their community had to offer there are Poor Law records that show how society treated them.

This web-site contains three indexes of different classes of records, each of which are described in some detail. Each index contains references to many individuals. The acquisition of details relating to any single person could lead a researcher towards discovering many more details about the bygone world in which that person lived. The records of tinkers, tailors, soldiers, sailors, a few rich-men, poor-men, beggars and thieves await you interest.

Select the index that you would like to view by clicking on the tabs above. To return to this page click on home.