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Julian To Gregorian Calendars

Julian To Gregorian Calendars

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It’s likely you will have come across dates where the transcribed year appears a little ambiguous, written in the format 1748/49. The reason for this isn’t (usually) that the transcriber struggled to read the date, but rather that the year is being displayed using both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. In 1752, England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland adopted the Gregorian Calendar (the calendar we use today), prior to that the Julian Calendar was used. When reading old records, it’s important…

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Ministry of Labour Instructions Centres

Ministry of Labour Instructions Centres

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In 1934 my grandfather worked at Bourne Transfer Instructional Centre in Lincolnshire. This was one of many work camps set up by the Ministry Of Labour to retrain unemployed young men. At Bourne, the men spent much of their time clearing the ground, which was owned by the Forestry Commission, prior to re-afforestation. Although grandad may not have learnt much about agriculture here, it did give him a taste for working on the land, which was something he did until the…

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Llanberis Castle Hotel

Llanberis Castle Hotel

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Built in the mid 19th century, the Castle Hotel is located on High Street in Llanberis. It closed in the 1980s and fell into disrepair before being completely renovated and converted into a shop and flats. Slide the arrows to compare the images When the hotel was sold 1861, it appears there were no buildings across from it because it boasted views of Llyn Padarn and Dinorwic Quarry. The hotel, gardens, coach house and stables were sold again in 1883,…

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Mason Street, Bolton

Mason Street, Bolton

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In the late 19th century, my 3 x great grandfather William Higginson owned four houses on Mason Street in Bolton, numbers 78, 80, 82 & 84. He lived at number 82 with his family and rented out the other three houses. William was a sawyer in a wood mill, so I’m curious as to how he ended up owning four houses and what happened to them. This post is to try and help me get my own thoughts and research…

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Bolton St Peter & St Paul RC Church

Bolton St Peter & St Paul RC Church

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Just a brief history of the church and school that many of my relatives used. Parish records are partially available on Lancs Online Parish Clerk website – https://www.lan-opc.org.uk/Bolton-le-Moors/Great-Bolton/peterpaul/index.html History

Transcription Errors

Transcription Errors

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We all make mistakes, transcribers and the original form writers (whether they be parish clerks or census enumerators) included. As we know, it’s important to check original documents whenever possible and not trust in just the transcription, but sometimes the details on original documents should be taken with a pinch of salt. Poor Handwriting I would imagine that most people researching their family history have come across a few transcription errors – usually names that have been mis-transcribed from difficult…

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Catholic Records In England

Catholic Records In England

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If your ancestors were Catholic, you may find that you struggle to find parish records online. The National Archives has provided a guide to help in research. Between 1754 (Marriage Act) and 1837 it was a legal requirement for all marriages to take place in an Anglican church. Many Catholics also married in a Catholic church, with the record of this marriage never being handed in to the authorities. Because of this, some Catholic baptism and burial records that were…

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Ireland’s Lost Records

Ireland’s Lost Records

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Many of Ireland’s historic records were destroyed by a fire in 1922. Now a project is hoping to bring many of these records back to life. What happened to the original records? In the mid 19th century, it was feared that records, particularly those held by parishes, were in danger of deteriorating and being destroyed. In 1867 the UK parliament passed the Public Records (Ireland) Act, which was further amended in 1873. The act instructed that all court, probate and…

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1921 Census

1921 Census

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The 1921 census for England and Wales and the Scottish 1921 census are due to be released in 2022. Here’s everything we know so far. England And Wales Census What date will the census be released? The census for England and Wales was due to be released in January 2022, but transcribing has been slowed down by the Covid pandemic, not least by the 3 month lockdown in 2020. However, Find My Past told Who Do You Think You Are…

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Winter Hill Mass Trespass

Winter Hill Mass Trespass

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My grandad told me many times that his father and uncle where at the mass trespass at Winter Hill near Bolton in 1896. As this is the 125th anniversary, it seems like a good time to write a brief post about the event.

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