Welcome to the International Group!

This Group has been created to cater for HGS members worldwide and our aim is to provide online talks and presentations to inspire and help you with your research.

Wherever you are in the world, if you have Hampshire roots, this is a chance to join us online and get to know us better. Our speakers will be able to tell you more about the places where your ancestors lived and worked as well as covering a wider range of topics relevant to any family historian researching ancestors in England and Wales.

Joining this group will provide an opportunity for you to meet online with other people who share the same enthusiasm for their Hampshire ancestry. Skills and expertise can be shared during discussions and, whilst perhaps helping others break down ‘brick walls’ in their research, you may have some help with your own.

If you have ideas or requests for talks or discussion topics, please do get in touch to let us know.

Group Events & Meetings

Two meetings, one a repetition of the other, are held every two months, one on a Saturday morning at 10.00 am and the other on a Wednesday evening at 8.00 pm. The timings are GMT or BST (British Summer Time), depending on the time of year, and are to enable members from all parts of the world to participate in one or the other.

To attend a meeting, please contact the Group Organisers by completing the form on this page and specifying exactly which meeting you wish to attend. You will then be added to the invitation list. Remember to include your membership number or indicate if you are a guest.

• April 1, 2023, 10:00 am: [BST] Ideas for researching Non-Conformist ancestors - Jackie Depelle - via Zoom

  Many of our ancestors favoured a wide range of different denominations. Watch for signposts, discover where can we might find their records and see what will they tell us.

• June 7, 2023, 8:00 pm: [BST] Parish Records - Ian Waller - via Zoom

  As the parish authorities were responsible for many aspects of administration besides the keeping of baptism, marriage and burial records the wealth of information contained within the records of the "parish chest" are essential for family history. This talk examines just what is available and how they will enhance the information and social scene relating to your ancestors’ lives.

• August 5, 2023, 10:00 am: [BST] TBA
• October 4, 2023, 8:00 pm: [BST] Agricultural unrest and the Swing riots in southern England 1830-32 - Dr Judith Hill - via Zoom

  The riots took place against the increasing pauperisation of labourers and the attacks struck at the very roots of social cohesion.

• December 2, 2023, 10:00 am: [GMT] Young Dickens and How He 'Invente' Christmas - Ian Porter - via Zoom

  The talk starts with Dickens' early life before he became a writer,then you hear of his writing success and fame not leading to financialstability and thus his need to write a money-sinner, which turned out to be A Christmas Carol. I then change tack to give a brief history of Christmas prior to Victorian Times, before linking it with Dickens,and how he was important in bringing about some of the aspects of modern Christmases that we still enjoy today.

The Group Co-Organisers are Fiona Ranger and Kay Lovell. They can be contacted using the form below.