Surnames
The Name Game
November 23, 2019
As part of the preparations for a forthcoming village booklet on Burghclere I did a search through the HRO CALM Index for any relevant details. I found what appeared to be an interesting marriage license. – read more…
Headley village booklet now available
September 14, 2019
Headley, (VB104) is a large parish reduced in size by the creation of Grayshott in 1901, the creation of Whitehill civil parish in 1929 and the creation of Bordon ecclesiastical parish in 2002. Headley is 4 miles north of Liphook and 8 miles south of Farnham – read more…
Home Guard Names in the Hampshire Record Office
March 1, 2019
Did anyone in your family serve in the Home Guard during WWII? They may be included in the number of members in the Hampshire Home Guard who have been mentioned in the HRO catalogue and either appear in documents and photographs. Check out the table below. – read more…
RIP Private Herbert Frank French
December 14, 2018
Herbert Frank FRENCH was born on 21st April 1884 at 11 Hyde Close in Winchester, the illegitimate son of Emily. On 18th January 1908 he married Sarah Ann (Annie) BIGNELL in Meonstoke and then settled in the village to raise their daughters Emily and Ivy. Herbert was initially in the Territorial Army then when WWI […] – read more…
Benefits of the Wills Beneficiary Index (WBI)
July 31, 2018
Wills can be a wonderful source of information for family historians. The WBI, centred on Hampshire, contains the names of people that have been extracted by volunteers from many of the wills that are held in the HRO. – read more…
Poor Law Union Gazette – 2
July 14, 2018
Another interesting entry appeared in the Poor Law Union Gazette on 25 April 1857 naming Lewis POSNER, formerly of Southampton, who the Southampton Union would like to get their hands on. – read more…
Don’t Always Believe It Update
April 19, 2018
Duplicate entries in parish registers Resulting from an enquiry recently received in the Research Center a very good example of duplicate entries in registers was found in Nutley and Preston Candover. – read more…
Hardship Cases in a Portsmouth Court – Correction
June 26, 2017
HGS member David Hall has kindly pointed out an error in the original post I added to the website in October 2014. I had incorrectly stated that William Jeremiah ATRILL married Elizabeth GRIFFITHS on 2 July 1808. These details are correct but the William in the court case was a labourer who married Elizabeth THOMPSON in Alverstoke […] – read more…
Will of John Biggnall of Kingston
May 19, 2017
Can an early will help with family trees John Biggnall The early registers for both Portsmouth parishes have disappeared. Later 17 Century registers are not always complete. Trying to trace early families on Portsea Island can be difficult but early wills may help. John BIGGNALL of Kingston wrote his will on 8 February 1684/5 and […] – read more…
Inquest verdict of Visitation of God
January 27, 2017
Term used in a coroner’s verdict to explain an unexplained death Hampshire inquests The Hampshire coroner’s records were all destroyed which means that no official records exist. The best remaining source is from local newspaper reports though not every inquest and verdict was reported. When reported the content varied from very brief to quite detailed. Examples of […] – read more…