Genealogical and historical information and links for anyone researching their ancestors in England and the British Isles

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World Heritage Sites 2014
See France, Germany, India, Italy, United States of America

World Heritage Sites 2013
See Canada, Germany, India, Italy
The Red Bay Basque Whaling Station in Canada; the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Germany; the Hill Forts of Rajasthan in India and in Italy the Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany and Mount Etna were some of the 19 new sites designated World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO for 2013.

1 Local History Website and 26 Local Archives and Record Offices
Barnsley Archives and Local Studies - See Yorkshire
Berwick-upon-Tweed Record Office - See Northumberland
Bolton Archives and Local Studies - See Lancashire
Bury Archive Service - See Lancashire
Coventry Archives - See Warwickshire
Derby Local Studies Library - See Derbyshire
Dudley Archives and Local History Service - See Worcestershire
Doncaster Archives and Local Studies - See Yorkshire
East Dunbartonshire Archives - See Scotland
East Kent History Website - See Kent
East Renfrewshire Archives - See Scotland
Falkirk Archives - See Scotland
Isle of Man Public Record Office - See Isle of Man
Jersey Archives - See Channel Islands
Knowsley Archives - See Lancashire
Medway Archives and Local Studies Centre - See Kent
North East Lincolnshire Archives - See Lincolnshire
Oldham Local Studies and Archives - See Lancashire
Peterborough Archives Service - See Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire
Renfrewshire Archives - See Scotland
Rotherham Archives and Local Studies Service - See Yorkshire
Sheffield Archives and Local Studies Library - See Yorkshire
States of Guernsey Island Archives - See Channel Islands
Teesside Archives - See Yorkshire
Wells City Archives - See Somerset
Wigan Archives Service - See Lancashire
York City Archives - See Yorkshire

12 Local BMD Indexes (Births, Marriages and Deaths)
See Berkshire, Cumbria, Gloucestershire, Isle of Man, North Lincolnshire, Shropshire,
For Kingston upon Thames, Tower Hamlets - See London
For North Tyneside, South Tyneside, Stockton-on-Tees - See Durham
For Rotherham - See Yorkshire

World Heritage Sites 2012
See Canada, France, Germany, India
The Nova Scotian Landcsape of Grand Pré in Canada; the Nord-Pas de Calais Mining Basin in France; the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth, Germany and ; the Western Ghats in India were some of the 26 new sites designated World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO for 2012.

6 Family History Societies
Alde Valley Suffolk Family History Group - See Suffolk
Channel Islands Family History Society - See Channel Islands
Ryedale Family History Group - See Yorkshire
Stevenage Family History Society - See Hertfordshire
Waltham Forest Family History Society - See Essex, London
Woolwich Family History Society - See Kent, London

World Heritage Sites 2011
See Australia, France, Germany, Italy
The western Australian Ningaloo coastline, the ancient beech forests of Germany, buildings connected with the Longobards in Italy and the Causses and Cévennes in France were some of the 25 new sites designated World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO for 2011.

New link
Dr Williams's Library (Nonconformism) - See Miscellaneous Links

New person entries
The theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking - See Oxford University
The 2010 Nobel Prize Winner for Physiology or Medicine Robert G. Edwards - See Yorkshire
 The composer of Jerusalem Hubert Parry - See Hampshire, Oxford University, St Pauls, Sussex
The writer and garden designer Gertrude Jekyll - See London, Surrey
The navigator and cartographer Matthew Flinders - See Lincolnshire

5 World Heritage Sites 2010
See Australia, France, India, United States of America
The Australian Convict Sites; the Episcopal City of Albi and the Pitons, Cirques and Remparts of Reunion Island in France; the Jantar Mantar in India and Papahanaumokuakea in the United States were some of the sites designated World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO for 2010.

6 new person entries
The writer J.L. Carr - See Northamptonshire, Yorkshire
The writer Alan Sillitoe - See London, Nottinghamshire
 The poet Philip Larkin - See Oxford University, Warwickshire
The novelist Kingsley Amis - See Oxford University
The novelist Beryl Bainbridge - See Highgate Cemetery, Lancashire, London
The writer Flann O'Brien - See Ireland

2 Local Historical Societies
 Selsey Society - See Sussex
Rodbourne Community History Group - See Wiltshire

A new Prime Minister - David Cameron
 See 21st Century Prime Ministers See London See Oxford University

1 new person entry
The crime writer Dorothy L. Sayers - See Essex, Oxfordshire, Oxford University

The Royal Consorts
See Royal Consorts
The royal consorts - the spouses of the ruling monarchs - have often wielded influence in the background. And some - such as Eleanor of Aquitaine, Margaret of Anjou or Isabella of France - have been as influential or powerful as the rulers themselves. A list of the royal consorts since the Norman Conquest.

3 World Heritage Sites 2009
See Germany, Italy, Wales
The Wadden Sea in Germany/the Netherlands; the Dolomites in Italy and the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal in Wales were among the 13 new World Heritage Sites designated by the UNESCO for 2009.
1 new person entry
The civil engineer Thomas Telford - See Scotland, Wales, Westminster Abbey

New Poet Laureate
Carol Ann Duffy is the first woman to hold the position of Poet Laureate - See Poet Laureates, Scotland

7 new people entries
The statesman Richard Cromwell - See Hampshire, Hertfordshire
The second wife of Richard II, Isabella of Valois - See France
The third wife of King Edgar, Elfrida - See Hampshire
The second wife of Ethelred II and second wife King Canute, Emma of Normandy - See Hampshire
William, Count of Poitiers, eldest son and heir to the throne of Henry II - See Berkshire, Oxfordshire
Henry Fitzhenry, the Young King, second eldest son and heir to the throne of Henry II - See France
Richard, Duke of Bernay, second eldest son of William I - See Hampshire

A new National Park
The South Downs is designated England's tenth area to receive National Park status - See Sussex

37 Local Record, Historical and Archaeological Societies and 5 Local History Websites
 Bedfordshire Local History Association - See Bedfordshire
Berkshire Archaeological Society, Berkshire Record Society - See Berkshire
Buckinghamshire Archaeological Society - See Buckinghamshire
Huntingdonshire Local History Society - See Cambridgeshire
Cheshire Local History Association, Chester Archaeological Society - See Cheshire
Cumbria Local History Federation - See Cumbria
Devon History Society - See Devon
Dorset Record Society - See Dorset
Durham County Local History Society - See Durham
Essex Archaeological and Historical Congress, Essex Society for Archaeology and History - See Essex
Avon Local History and Archaeology, Gloucestershire Local History - See Gloucestershire
Hampshire Field Club & Archaeological Society - See Hampshire
Hertfordshire Association for Local History - See Hertfordshire
Lancashire Local History Federation - See Lancashire
Rutland Local History and Record Society - See Leicestershire
Heritage Lincolnshire, Lincoln Record Society - See Lincolnshire
Society for Lincolnshire History and Archaeology - See Lincolnshire
Centre for Metropolitan History, London and Middlesex Archaeological Society - See London
Federation of Norfolk Historical and Archaeological Societies - See Norfolk
Northamptonshire Association for Local History - See Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire Record Society - See Northamptonshire
Association of Northumberland Local History Societies - See Northumberland
Nottinghamshire Local History Association - See Nottinghamshire
Discovering Shropshire's History - See Shropshire
Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society - See Somerset
Staffordshire Parish Registers Society; Staffordshire Past-Track, Places and Views - See Staffordshire
Staffordshire History, Staffordshire Archaeological and Historical Society - See Staffordshire
Suffolk Local History Council - See Suffolk
Exploring Surrey's Past, Surrey Record Society - See Surrey
Warwickshire Local History Society - See Warwickshire
Worcestershire Archaeological Society - See Worcestershire

Local History Online - See National Links

4 new people entries
The explorer Sir Martin Frobisher - See Devon, Yorkshire
Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick - See Berkshire, Hertfordshire
The pirate William Kidd - See Scotland
The buccaneer Sir Henry Morgan - See Wales

1911 census
The census for 1911 is now available online - See Census

1 Family History Website
St Helens Family History Society Website - See Lancashire

3 new people entries
The writers and brothers Lawrence Durrell and Gerald Durrell - See Channel Islands, France, India
The discoverer of the circulation of blood William Harvey - See Cambridge University, Essex, Kent

6 World Heritage Sites 2008
See Canada, France, Germany, Italy
Joggins Fossil Cliffs in Nova Scotia, Canada; the Fortifications of Vauban in France and the French administered Lagoons of New Caledonia in the Pacific; the Berlin Modernism Housing Estates in Germany; and the towns of Mantua and Sabbioneta and the Rhaetian Railway in Italy were among the 27 new World Heritage Sites designated by the UNESCO for 2008.

The Earliest Universities
The ancient universities and the first of the civic universities
See Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales
For England see Cambridgeshire, Oxfordshire, Durham, London,
Gloucestershire, Lancashire, Warwickshire, Yorkshire
The earliest universities in England were those set up at Oxford and Cambridge in the 12th and 13th centuries. Four of Scotland's universities - St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh - can be described as ancient in that they were established in the 15th and 16th centuries. Trinity College was established in Dublin towards the end of the 16th century. In the first half of the 19th century the first Welsh university was set up at Lampeter and new universities were also founded in London, Durham and Belfast. As the century drew to a close the first of the "redbrick" universities in England's industrial cities were created, the start of the civic university movement which continued throughout the 20th century gradually opening the university system up to a much wider public.

25 Scottish Archives and Record Offices
See Scotland
15 Welsh Archives and Record Offices
See Wales

2 Nobel Prize Winners in Physiology or Medicine for 2007 (1 British and 1 British-born)
See Sir Martin J. Evans Gloucestershire and Oliver Smithies Yorkshire

Oxford University is the oldest in the English-speaking world with colleges whose origins reach back into the 12th century and beyond. Cambridge University is the second oldest with colleges founded from the 13th century onwards.

Of the innumerable students who have passed through the doors of these two institutions many have played prominent roles in the history of Britain's cultural, political and scientific development.

Information includes: links to all the colleges of both universities; links to the history webpages of the older colleges; information on a selection of the people who attended the colleges over the last eight centuries.
See Oxford University and Cambridge University

3 World Heritage Sites 2007
See Australia, Canada, South Africa
Sydney Opera House, the Rideau Canal in Ontario, Canada as well as the Richtersveld Cultural and Botanical Landscape in South Africa were among the 22 new World Heritage Sites designated by the UNESCO for 2007.

A new Prime Minister - Gordon Brown - takes over from Tony Blair
 See 21st Century Prime Ministers See Scotland

4 Local BMD Indexes (Births, Marriages and Deaths)
For Gateshead - See Durham, Northumberland
For Barnsley, Rotherham and Sheffield - See Yorkshire

2 Online Parish Clerk Websites
See Hampshire, Somerset

2 Family History Websites
Forest of Dean Family History Website - See Gloucestershire
Tipton & Wednesbury Family History Society - See Staffordshire

Improved index
Links from the index pages now go directly to the relevant sections

The further integration of links to paintings, photographs, portraits and more in-depth information.
                                                         Portraits from the National Portrait Gallery
                                                         Photographs from English Heritage
                                                         Paintings from the Tate Gallery
                                                         Historic information from BBC History

The forty-two cathedrals of England and six of Wales hold an important place in the history of the societies of both countries. Many of the cathedrals date back into medieval times and their development charts the changes in the society around them for more than a millennium and in some cases back into the 6th century.

Extended information on the Prime Ministers of Britain. Where they were born, where they died and where they are buried.

9 Local BMD Indexes (Births, Marriages and Deaths)
For Darlington, Durham, Newcastle, Sunderland, Tees Valley - See Durham, Northumberland, Yorkshire
 For Isle of Wight - See Hampshire
For Kent - See Kent
For Warwickshire - See Warwickshire
For Wrexham - See Wales
1 World Heritage Site 2006
(See Cornwall, Devon)
In July 2006 the UNESCO designated the copper and tin mines of Cornwall and West Devon as a World Heritage Site.

Many notable people have been buried in some of London's cemeteries
See London Cemeteries
4 Online Parish Clerk Websites
See Cumbria, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire
3 Family History Society Websites
Derbyshire Ancestral Research Group - See Derbyshire
Walsall Family History Group - See Staffordshire
Upper Dales Family History Group - See Yorkshire

5 Local History Society Websites
Berkshire Local History Association - See Berkshire
Huntingdonshire Local History Society - See Cambridgeshire
Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society - See Leicestershire
Saddleworth Historical Society and Yorkshire Ridings Society - See Yorkshire

11 Record Office Websites
Barrow, Carlisle, Kendal and Whitehaven Record Offices - See Cumbria
Hereford Cathedral Library and Archives - See Herefordshire
Lichfield Record Office, Burton Family and Local History Centre, Stoke on Trent City Archives, William Salt Library and Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies - See Staffordshire
Birmingham City Archives - See Warwickshire

8 Family History Resource Websites
Cambridgeshire Collection - See Cambridgeshire
Devon Libraries Local Studies Service - See Devon
Durham University Library Archives and Special Collections - See Durham
University of Southampton Libraries Special Collections and Staunton Park Genealogy Centre - See Hampshire
Norfolk Heraldry Society - See Norfolk
Nottingham University Manuscripts and Special Collections - See Nottinghamshire
Oxfordshire Studies - See Oxfordshire
5 Family History Society Websites
(Chesterfield and District Family History Society - See Derbyshire)
(Eastbourne and District Family History Society - See Sussex)
(Lancaster Family History Group - See Lancashire)
(Selby and District Family History Group - See Yorkshire)
(Wigan Family and Local History Society - See Lancashire)

2 Family History Websites
(Irish Genealogical Research Society - See Ireland)
(Lancaster Parish Register Society - See Lancashire)

1 Local (North East BMD) BMD (Birth, Marriage and Death) Index
(See Durham, Northumberland)
Links to portraits of famous people on the National Portrait Gallery website
Links to pictures of historic places on the English Heritage Viewfinder website
(See Counties, International, Prime Ministers, Monarchs)

9 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB's)
(See Northern Ireland)
2 County and 2 National BMD (Birth, Marriage and Death) Indexes
(See Scotland, Somerset, Wales, Wiltshire)

7 County Online Parish Clerks
(See Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Kent, Lancashire, Sussex, Wiltshire)
Various historic lists now grouped together under the information section
(See Infomation)
Includes: famous people imprisoned in the Tower of London; monarchs, royal consorts and famous people buried at Windsor, Winchester, Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral; the Poets Laureate.

3 new World Heritage Sites 2004 + 2 extensions to existing sites
(See Australia, Lancashire, National Links, Scotland, South Africa)
In July 2004 the UNESCO designated 34 new or extended World Heritage Sites, among them parts of the historic city and docks of Liverpool. The Inaccessible Islands were added to the 1995 designated Gough Island World Heritage Site in the South Atlantic and the remote islands of St Kilda off Scotland were extended.

In Australia the Royal Exhibition Building and the surrounding Carleton Gardens in Melbourne, Victoria were added to the list and in South Africa's Western Cape Province the Cape Floral Region was inscribed.

English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish Winners of the Nobel Prizes for
Chemistry, Economics, Physics and Physiology or Medicine
(See Counties, Australia, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Wales)
Since 1901 five prizes have been awarded in the above categories together with the literature and peace prizes. From 1969 a sixth prize for economic sciences was also awarded.

Poets Laureate
(See Counties, Ireland, Poets Laureate)
First held by Ben Jonson in 1616 the post has been held continuously up until the present day and is now awarded to poets seen as the most talented of their generation.

Royal consorts and heirs
(See Counties, France, Germany, United States of America, Wales)
The royal consort, the wife or husband of the ruling monarch, have often been as influential as the rulers themselves, as have heirs to the throne who have died before they could become King or Queen.

3 Family History Society Websites
(Burntwood Family History Group - See Staffordshire)
(Peterborough Family History Society - See Northamptonshire)
(Fenland Family History Society - See Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk)
Famous people imprisoned since 1100 at the Tower of London
(See Tower of London)
English and Scottish Monarchs from the 10th and 11th centuries onwards showing where they were born, where they died and where they are buried
(See Monarchs)
Archives, history, libraries, maps and other links for the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London
(See London Boroughs)
8 Australian State Archive Links, 13 Canadian Province Archive Links
and 51 United States of America District & State Archive Links
(See Australia, Canada, United States of America)
15 Australian, 13 Canadian, 3 New Zealand, 3 United Kingdom (Overseas),
5 South African and 20 United States World Heritage Sites
(See Australia, Canada, National Links, New Zealand, South Africa, United States of America)
Scottish Monarchs from the 11th Century onwards
(See Monarchs)
2 Family History Society Websites
(See Essex - Thameside Family History Group)
(See Italy - Anglo-Italian Family History Society)
4 links detailing the history, genealogy and heritage of black and Asian immigrants to Britain
3 links with information on passenger lists and ships for immigrants and emigrants around the world
(See Emigration and Immigration under Miscellaneous Links)
7 County BMD (Birth, Marriage and Death) Indexes
(See Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire , West Midlands (covers Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire) and Yorkshire)
1 National Archive and 1 National Library Link for India
(See India)
1 Northumberland Communities Link
(See Northumberland)
A website supplying maps, records, historical information and photographs of 76 communities in the county of Northumberland.

41 Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB's)
(See Wales and Counties)
37 areas have been set aside as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty in England in the last 50 years. In addition 4 areas have been designated in Wales (the Wye Valley straddles the border of the two countries).

40 Local Record, Historical, Genealogical and Archaeological Societies
(See Counties)
12 Nobel Peace Prize Winners
(See France, Hampshire, Lincolnshire, London, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Warwickshire)
20 Scottish Family History Societies
(See Scotland)
8 Welsh Family History Societies
(See Wales)
1 World Heritage Site 2003
(See Surrey)
In July 2003 the UNESCO designated 25 new or extended World Heritage Sites, among them the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.

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