Civil Registration in Great Britain and Ireland

Birth, marriage and death certificates are invaluable to genealogists. In Great Britain and Ireland, civil registration began in the 19th century: Before those dates, we need to rely on parish records. England and Wales Birth, marriage or death certificates for England or Wales can be obtained from the General Register Office. Currently (July 2024) hard Read More…

Ministry of Labour Instructions Centres

In 1934 my grandfather worked at Bourne Transfer Instructional Centre in Lincolnshire, 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 ground owned by the Forestry Commission, prior to re-afforestation. Although grandad may not have learnt much about Read More…