Searching for London Ancestors

 

Temple Church, London

Libraries and archives are starting to reopen under special conditions, such as pre-booking a seat or specific records.  It’s always a good idea to check opening hours and other arrangements, and that’s especially true at a time when repositories are restricting the numbers of visitors per day, as well as the number of documents you can order or view in one visit.  Some of the first sites to welcome researchers in person again are in London.

The National Archives at Kew have been open for a few weeks now, but they continue to offer free downloads of records that are already available in digital format.  As this will probably return to being a paid service, find out what they have that's of use to your research, and get your free documents while you can!

If your focus is on the City of London, the Guildhall Library has excellent resources for that area, such as parish records for many of the oldest churches, including some that were destroyed in the Second World War.  For those planning a trip to the Library once it's open again, its virtual open day should be of interest.

The Library recently had a reprieve from controversial proposals that would have seen it merged with London Metropolitan Archives, which hosts a myriad of original sources, including workhouse, electoral, and school records.  They have a comprehensive guide to London family history research and a video introduction to using the archives.

For those of us who can't visit in person, certain relevant collections are available online.  One of the lesser-known ones is the Consistory Court Database, which covers the late medieval period in London.  Although an ecclesiastical body, the consistory court governed all aspects of life, including debt, marriage, defamation, and probate matters.

If you’re investigating the life of someone who lived and worked in London, they may appear in the records of London’s Livery Companies, who provide lists of apprentices and freemen. Trades such as chandlers, musicians, salters and goldsmiths feature in these fascinating rolls.

To learn more about ordinary Londoners through social history, check out London Lives.  Its resources include a database of convicted criminals who were transported to Australia.  Some fascinating cases are highlighted and will give you an idea of what kind of information can be gleaned from these records, which also cover the Old Bailey - this has its own separate searchable database of criminal trials from 1674 to 1913.

Finally, you may think of joining a family history society that covers the part of London your forebears come from.  GENUKI has a useful guide to the various groups that take in London and the surrounding areas.  Many societies are taking to video conferencing as a way to include their members near and far in meetings and workshops.  And they are continuing with traditional FHS routes like magazines, newsletters, and registers of members' surname interests.