The Offley Family Society             Offley Newsflash  No.3

19 September 2005 

New FFHS publications

The following publications of the Federation of Family History Societies have been received by the Society.

Tracing your Twentieth Century Family History by Stuart A.Raymond £6.80

Most people rely on family hearsay, registration and the census for the 20th Century. But there is so much more, hence the twenty-two chapters covering such things as Newspapers, Monumental Inscriptions, Church Records of every denomination and Street Directories, to name just a few. Then, in case you have forgotten something, there is a Miscellaneous section. It is designed to fit your pocket, acting both as a preliminary guide as well as an aide-memoir.

History’s Midwives: Including a 17th and 18th Century Yorkshire Midwives Nominations Index by Joan E.Grundy  £8.25

The book is divided into two parts, the first dealing with midwives in history, together with eight appendices and a bibliography, and the second part consists of indices, by name and place, of 2000 Yorkshire Midwives Nominations from C1649, 1662 – 1736 and 1772.

The four un-numbered chapters in part 1 deal with the ‘History of Licensing Midwives, the Role of the Midwife in C17th and C18th England, C17th and C18th Childbirth in England and a Conclusion’.

The author is a nurse and a midwife, who writes with authority about her subject.

First Name Variants by Alan Bardsley  Third Edition  £7.15

My first reaction to the title of this book was who wants to waste their time studying such a boring subject as how to spell the same first names in different ways. However, I soon ‘saw the light’ when I realised that it is very important to identify an ancestor, when the same person can appear in different records with a variety of forms of a given name. It can be just as important as being able to identify an ancestor when his surname is spelt in different ways.

This book consists, primarily, of a really useful index of first names and their variants, which has been compiled from many sources. It is designed to help you in identifying whether someone recorded with two or more different forenames is, in fact, only one person. The Introduction includes sections on the sources used, the compiler’s sorting methods, the ‘Development and History of Variants’, an all-important section on how to use this book, as well as acknowledgements and bibliography. This briefly mentions how our forenames developed from everyday language words, which were later altered by misspelt and phonetic variants.

This is a fascinating book and this new edition is a welcome addition to the family historian’s bookshelf.

Researching Brewery and Publican Ancestors by Simon Fowler £4.95

In the UK, the history of pubs, breweries and brewing goes back several hundred years. Unfortunately, for many years, mergers, take-overs and cessations of brewery companies have been the norm. Many organisations kept their own internal records and this often made research difficult, with the records of interest often held in totally unexpected and possibly remote locations.

The author looks at some of the records that a family historian can use to find out about publicans, their staff and brewery workers. Most, but not all of these, fall into two categories: the internal records of the brewery and the records kept by local and central government as part of the regulation of the licensed trade. Such documentation includes licenses, brewery records, insurance records, trade directories and newspapers. He has included a detailed glossary, bibliography and some relevant websites. However, of possibly greater interest is the listing of numerous trade newspapers held at the British Library Newspaper Library, and details of various specialists archives with significant holdings of brewing and drink-related material. Many family historians, including myself, will have an ancestor who worked in the licensed trade and this booklet gives excellent guidance as to how to find out more about their lives. Those members of the Society who are descended from the Offilers of the brewery of that name will be particularly interested in the comments expressed about it in this booklet, reference to which is made elsewhere in this newsletter.

Members are reminded that all of these publications are obtainable from the Federation of Family History Societies (Publications) Ltd. units 15-16, Chesham Industrial Estate, Oram Street, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 6EN. The prices quoted are inclusive of UK postage, overseas postage is extra.

                                                 HGO

Exchange Journals received

Metropolitan July and Oct 2004, - The July issue included a list of surnames registered by members of the London, Westminster and Middlesex Family History Society.  Jul 2005.

“The Flowing Stream”, Sheffield & D.F.H.S. Autumn 2004 - including “The York Minster Archives - a little known source”; “The Refractory Brick Industry in the Bradfield Area” and “Explosion at Dyson’s Brickworks”.  Winter 2004 -  microfiche of  Members’ Interests received.  Spring 2005 and Summer 2005. The former includes a note that Jos Kingston <www.joskingston.org> has made an in-depth study of Norton, Derbyshire (the home of one branch of the Offley of Stafford family). The parish register for 1560 to1620 is now on a database; details from <joskingston.plus.com >. This issue also contains a very interesting article on the study of surnames by Professor David Hey.  Publications available from the Society are given in a separate booklet.

Derbyshire F.H.S. Sep 2004 - “Food Adulteration in the 1860’s” - makes a handful of “E” numbers look a positive health cure!  The Dec 2004 issue includes an account of the church built at Osmaston, near Ashbourne, in 1845 and an extract from the Derbyshire section of the National Memorial Card Index.  Surnames from “A” to “C” are listed and further extracts will be published in the future.  The Nottinghamshire section has already been published and cards from the index may be claimed by proven descendants of the families to which they refer.  Further details of the index may be obtained from Mr. Phillip Jones, 40 Regina Crescent, Ravenshead, Nottingham, NG15 9AE.

“Midland Ancestor”, September 2004 - Further notes on William Shakespeare’s family. Details of two museums are given, viz. “The Pen Museum” by Harry Scharf and  “The Avery Historical Museum” by Pauline Saul. (Avery scales at Smethwick)  See www.averyberkel.com for more information with regard to the latter.  December 2004. Mar 2005, includes a 34pp booklet of publications.  Jun, Sep 2005.

Shropshire F.H.S. Journal, Sep 2004 - General articles include  notes on the preservation of photographs and of electronic data.  The Dec 2004 issue is accompanied by a 44-page special edition commemorating the Society’s Silver Jubilee.  Mar and June 2005, includes a 28pp booklet of publications. Report on he DNA project for the Preen family.

Ormskirk & D.F.H.S. Oct 2004, Feb 2005, jun 2005. The October issue includes items extracted by Jean Kidman from the Church Wardens Accounts for the Parish of Ormskirk for 1665-66.  Disbursements for the maintenance of the church and other parochial obligations are of course included but there are also many entries concerning payments for the destruction of vermin.  Parishioners were paid 2d for hedgehogs (orchants) and kides (kites), 1s for foxes, 1/2d for magpies(pianets), jays     (gees),  moles (mauderts) and mopes.  (I am unable to discover the identity of this last item.) Hedgehogs were the most numerous of the vermin, totalling 112, followed by magpies (84) and moles (69).  There were 47 jays, 34 mopes, 5 kites and 3 foxes. Over 20 parishioners were rewarded and there did not seem to be any particular person who was performing in a professional capacity. In the six months from November to April 1665/6 over 350 vermin were taken – an average of about two per day - and no doubt the bounty paid was a useful supplement in the winter months for some of the parishioners.

Lancashire F.H. & H.S. August and November 2004 -  August issue includes “Notes on Sources, 42: Poor Law Records”, by W.J.Taylor.  A history of the Poor Law and associated records.  Feb and May 2005. The February issue contains an interesting and illustrated article on heraldry.

Derbyshire Family History Society. Mar 2005, includes a 12pp pull-out section of publications.

The Offley Pedigrees

This quarter’s update includes amended or additional pages for the following sections:

Fenstanton  C1  C9     Stafford  C2  E15  F4  F12     Wolverhampton     Shirley

Prices (post paid):  Individual sections  50p           Complete update (20pp)  £2.00.

(Order from 2 The Green, Codicote, Hitchin.  SG4 8UR)

Annual fee (usually 4 updates):  £4.00 (Disk or CD-ROM £2.00}.