Archive for June, 2009
Census maps leave users bewildered
In the July issue we unfortunately gave the wrong address for the registration maps from the 1871 census which are now available on the Cassini Maps website free of charge. The correct URL is [url]www.cassinimaps.co.uk/shop/tna1.asp?id=164&page=hh[/url]. Mind you it seems impossible to navigate your way to the maps from the site’s home page! This is a pity, because the maps are both interesting and useful and they link in well with the company’s other products.
UPDATE – a colleague has pointed out the best way to get access to these maps is via The National Archives census links page at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/census. It is strange how blinkered one can become because not in a million years would I have thought of looking here!
Latest news
1911 census complete
The whole of the 1911 census is now available online. The last schedules for the Channel Isles, the Isle of Man, the Royal Navy and the military overseas were posted up yesterday evening. Also available are the enumerators’ schedule books containing a list of which household schedules were distributed to which householder. These books are available free if you have already downloaded the appropriate household schedule. August’s issue will include a piece about the military overseas and the importance of these books was discussed back in the March issue. Find out more at http://www.1911census.co.uk
Features online
I think I may have mentioned in the past that can you download individual articles from back issues from The National Archives’ Documents Online service. Another forty or so articles have recently been uploaded covering a variety of topics from convicts in Bermuda to silly surnames. More will be added over the next few months. Individual articles cost 75p to download or you can buy a package of up to five features for £1.50. Find out more at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline
Who Do You Think You Are
Coming shortly to BBC ONE is the new series of Who Do You Think You Are? The press release mentions a summer transmission. I haven’t been able to find out anything more definite than this. Unfortunately the transmission date is likely to be fixed only a few weeks before the programme is aired. This is very frustrating if you are trying to plan a monthly magazine!
Celebrities to be included in this series are Kim Cattrall, Davina McCall, Chris Moyles, Martin Freeman, Kate Humble and David Mitchell. With the exception of the comedian David Mitchell I can’t say I have heard of any of them; it’s probably a sign of getting old!
Pub History Society
The current issue of Ancestors contains a number of short articles about pubs and publicans. One of the key websites we mentioned, from the Pub History Society, has had a makeover and now looks very professional. There’s also additional material about researching pubs and the people who ran them. http://www.pubhistorysociety.co.uk
Tickled apes yield laughter clue
Research carried out by tickling apes and infants suggests laughter evolved in a common ancestor of great apes and humans.
A new home in Britain
In this month’s summary of records indexed by the National Register of Archives Alex Ritchie looks at immigration.
Since 1066 (at least) Britain has been a land of immigrants. Behind each group lies a story of how and why they came here. Naturally, they formed organisations that preserved the ties to their native land, language and culture, while adjusting to their new life. And that is how they pop up on the radar of the National Register of Archives. So let’s have a look at a few of these and the stories they tell us.
The Onion Rings of Identity
If you are Swiss. And an Italian-speaker. And come from the canton of Ticino. And live in London. Then this could be the very organisation for you. However, if you are all of these things, then you probably know about it already. For the rest of us, there’s an interesting discovery to be made if we just follow the links.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=O93144
Out of Africa
A lot of people have come from Somalia in recent years. Not so many are in a hurry to go back. There are Somali communities in many parts of the country these days (they form a large part of my sister’s theatre company in Glasgow, for example). Lovely people from a war-torn country, so it is shame that Somalia is only linked in the public mind with asylum-seeking and piracy. So here is something that sounds entirely benign.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=O122980
Two for the price of one
Patterns of settlement for Britain’s Jewish population are interesting and Manchester has long supported a thriving community. On the other hand, we think of Poles as recent arrivals. This overlooks the wartime influx of Polish servicemen-and an even earlier wave. At the end of the 19th century Poland was still partitioned between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia. It was not unusual then, to be Polish, Jewish and a subject of the Tsar. No wonder many decided it was a good time to move to Manchester, leaving behind the state-sponsored pogroms that blighted their life. All of which is reflected to some extent by the following link
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=O34427
(and don’t forget the article about the Polish community in Britain in issue 51 of Ancestors!)
Tractors in History
Many of us will have read Marina Lewycka’s touching and funny book, A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian, rooted in her personal experience. Many Ukrainians came to Britain in the aftermath of the Second World War, but the earliest settlement dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and to Manchester, once again. Maybe it is surprising that there is not more about the Ukrainian community in the NRA, for they seem pretty well organised, with specialist schools and everything. But here’s a starting point, at least.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=O121362
Our most overlooked immigrants?
The Chinese community somehow manages to retain a strong identity, while at the same time being part of the fabric of everyday British life. I’m never happier than when I am in Soho, enjoying a bowl of won ton soup in the Wong Kei. Of course, London has a strong and defined Chinatown (as does Manchester, that’s three mentions now). But there are Chinese communities in many places, so maybe it is not so surprising to find one in…well, click on the link to see.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra/searches/subjectView.asp?ID=O62064
This is a big subject and I probably haven’t done it justice. If you have some interesting but obscure collections connected with immigrant communities, why not respond to this post?