We have a bumper selection of courses coming up next month, including our brand new course on heraldry, Scottish and European research and a focus on research in the 20th century.

Unlocking Heraldry for Family Historians

Tutor: Richard Baker
Start date: 11th July 2022
Course length: 4 weeks

* COURSE OF THE MONTH*

This brand new course on heraldry comes from renowned heraldry expert, Dr Richard Baker. Heraldry was originally a means of personal identification in a world that was largely illiterate, by means of easily recognisable designs which we know as coats of arms. The hereditary character of coats of arms means that the subject is inextricably linked to genealogy and family history.

This course begins with an introduction to heraldry and the terminology. We will look at different types of coats of arms, and examine how they are being used for personal, civic and corporate identity. We will examine the components of an achievement of arms and the language of heraldry and you will learn to blazon simple coats of arms.

In the second half of the course, we will move onto ways in which coats of arms are combined in families, how to begin to identify an unknown coat of arms and where to dig for more genealogical information.

By the end of this course students should be able to:

* Describe a coat of arms in the language of heraldry or draw a coat of arms from a description
* Understand the different methods of marshalling arms
* Identify marks of difference on a coat of arms and be aware of their meaning
* Implement strategies to identify the bearer of a coat of arms

Scottish Research Online

Tutor: Chris Paton
Start date: 4th July 2022
Course length: 5 weeks

Scotland was one of the first countries to digitise its major family history records collections for accessibility online, and continues to this day to use such resources to promote a worldwide interest in family history for those with Caledonian connections.

In the first of our two courses on Scottish research, Chris Paton will lead you through the major websites and record types that you will encounter in your research, and how to analyse the results.

Lesson Headings:

* Understanding Scotlands People, FindmyPast, Family Search, Ancestry, and FreeCen
* Essential Maps and Gazetteers
* Civil Registration and Census Research
* Searching in Church of Scotland Registers
* Scottish Wills and Inventories
* Take It From Here

A previous student said: “Excellent tuition from Chris Paton; very good course materials; well-paced; excellent value for money. I very much liked the opportunity to work at my own pace.”

Discovering Your British Family and Local Community in the early 20th Century

Tutor: Janet Few
Start date: 11th July 2022
Course length: 5 weeks

Family historians often neglect the twentieth century as being not really history but there is plenty to be discovered about individuals and the communities in which they lived between 1900 and 1945. Twentieth century research brings with it the difficulties of larger and more mobile populations as well as records that are closed to view. This course sets out to provide advice for finding out about our more recent ancestors and the places in which they lived.

The course is all about examining more recent family members in the context of their community and their time. It is ideal for anyone aiming to tell their story in more detail. The course is not just about individuals but also about the communities in which they lived, so local historians and those conducting one-place studies should also find inspiration from these five weeks of study. This year has seen the addition of the 1921 census to the researchers’ toolkit and the course includes a new section about how you can get the most out of the 1921 census.

Researching Ancestors in Continental Europe (750)

Tutor: Julie Goucher
Start date: 12th July 2022
Course length: 5 weeks

Europe is a complex Continent, spanning more than 50 modern Countries. Europe has seen a huge amount of change, forced religious changes, border changes, war, mass displacement and much more. This course is about creating a solid foundation to research in continental Europe.

The course explores the standard resources across Europe, key websites, reading material and much more, providing the building blocks for robust and solid foundation research in Europe. We will consider the reasons for migration in the context of historical events. We will also look the culture that the migrants brought with them from their native land, keeping those links alive and also look at the impact of war and displacement and Europeans beyond Continental Europe.

Each student will receive a set of European Country information sheets with core material for genealogical research meaning that students complete the course with the knowledge and core information to research further.

Before the Modern Census – Name-rich sources from 1690 to 1837

Tutor: Else Churchill
Start date: 26th July 2022
Course length: 4 weeks
FULLY BOOKED

That’s all for this month, happy studying!