We have some very popular courses coming up for you in April:

Progressing Your Irish Research Online

Tutor: Chris Paton
Start date: 5th April 2021
Course length: 5 weeks
* FULLY BOOKED * Booking now for November 2021

Organizing Your Genealogy

Tutor: Barbara Baker
Start date: 5th April 2021
Course length: 3 weeks

As you research your family history, you collect information, charts, copies of records, notes, lists of sources searched, etc. Whether you are just starting your research or whether you have been at it a while, it is important to be organized and have a record keeping system. It should be easy to file and store information when you get it, and to find it long afterward. Good organisation and record keeping will help you assess what you have, what you have learned, and what you need to learn. This three-week course is designed to help you get organised, stay organised and be ready for research online and on location by developing good record-keeping habits.

Old Handwriting for Family Historians

Tutor: Susan Moore 
Start date: 12th April 2021
Course length: 4 weeks

* COURSE OF THE MONTH *

This course takes a practical approach to reading and transcribing old handwriting, starting with the records of the 19th century and moving backwards in time. Students will be given the opportunity to examine handwriting styles and develop an understanding of how handwriting developed over the centuries. The course will then focus on Secretary Hand, a commonly used form during the Tudor and Stuart period. Historians will come across Secretary Hand in many types of documents such as parish registers, wills and inventories. The course aims to equip students with their own set of steps to being able to read, and successfully transcribe, the handwriting in old documents, enabling them to read documents which at first sight might appear to be written using a different alphabet.

The course most suitable for those who already have some understanding and practice with old handwriting in their own family history research, and some familiarity with parish registers, wills and inventories, as many of the documents examined will be from the 16th and 17th centuries. No prior knowledge of Latin is required, although the final lesson introduces the kind of Latin found in 16th century parish registers.

Nonconformity – Its Records and History 1600 – 1950

Tutor: Alec Tritton
Start date: 15th April 2021
Course length: 4 weeks
* FULLY BOOKED * Booking now for October 2021

Recording the Poor – From Parish to Workhouse and beyond

Tutor: Simon Fowler
Start date: 19th April 2021
Course length: 4 weeks
* FULLY BOOKED * Booking now for August 2021

Discovering more about your Agricultural Labouring Ancestors

Tutor: Janet Few
Start date: 26th April 2021
Course length: 5 weeks
* FULLY BOOKED * New date coming soon

17th Century Sources

Tutor: Stuart Raymond
Start date: 28th April 2021
Course length: 4 weeks

One of our Intermediate Certificate courses, students completing this course will gain a broad understanding of the problems encountered when researching in 17th century records. They will be able to locate indexes and finding aids, document copies and transcripts, and original records. In addition, they will appreciate the research value and practical application of the information found. The course gives significant emphasis to local and regional differences within records as well as to historical context. For genealogists the 17th century presents new challenges. These are not discouraging – if anything, challenges add interest and enthusiasm to research. Historically it is a fascinating period, and genealogically some familiar records continue to be used so the research is not with entirely new material. Themes within the course include: the structure of a gentry dominated society, the records created by 17th century civil and ecclesiastical government, and the problems created by the “Commonwealth Gap”. Sources for 17th century research are found in many formats, from original documents to print to microform to digital. This course presents 21st century techniques for finding ancestors in Stuart England and Wales and teaches record interpretation, analysis and planning.

We are delighted to announce that we have come to an arrangement with the Society of One Place Studies for our course, First Steps to a One-Place Study.

One-place studies are a fascinating blend of local and family history. They are frequently undertaken by family historians wanting to create a context for their ancestors. Through a one-place study, you can investigate the friends, neighbours and associates with whom your family may have interacted and you can begin to understand the community in which they lived.

Janet Few’s course, starting in August, is designed for those who are just starting on their one-place journey and for more experienced one-placers who would like guidance or inspiration, or who are seeking a more organised approach to their study. It will also be suitable for those who may not want to undertake a full-blown one-place study but who wish to investigate an ancestral area in more detail.

The Society for One-Place Studies is the leading organisation for anyone researching in this area and Pharos Tutors prides itself in engaging tutors and forming partnerships with those who are the experts in their field. The Society’s mission is to advance the education of the public in one-place studies, to encourage and assist those interested in this field of research, and to promote the preservation and publication of material relating to one-place studies, maximising its accessibility to the public.

We are now able to offer any student of the course, who is not already a member of the Society, free membership for one year when the course starts. We also offer any current members of the Society a discount on the purchase of the course.