British Cemetery and Cremation Records from Deceased Online

This week we're offering a chance to win a copy of the second edition of  Tracing Your Ancestors Using the Census by Emma Jolly (Pen & Sword, 2020). The book, which was published this week, is aimed at all family historians, whether experienced or beginners, and explores the full history of the census in the UK while giving hints and tips on how to find your ancestors. English, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish censuses are all explored thoroughly, with differences noted between the census questions and the manner of enumeration in the respective regions. The format of the book is chronological and includes details on surviving early censuses and census substitutes. This latest edition brings the book up to date, and includes sections on more recently released records, such as the 1939 Register. Providing the researcher with a fascinating insight into who we were in the past, Emma Jolly’s new handbook is a useful tool for anyone keen to discover their family history. With detail...

Thank you to all who entered our latest book competition to win a copy of My Ancestor was a Woman at War (SOG, 2013). The winners will be announced on our Facebook page next week. The answers to the competition are:   (i) Who was known as 'the lady with the lamp'?   B Florence Nightingale (ii) Aethelflaed was the daughter of which famous English King? A Alfred the Great (iii) Women killed in the First World War are named on memorial screens in which cathedral? C York Minster. Mary Seacole (c.1805-1881) Florence Nightingale (who was born this week 1820, 12th May) features in the book as the founder of army nursing. Her innovative work in the Crimean War of 1854-56 led to the formalisation of nursing as a profession, but there were other women present in the region who took an alternative approach to tending the sick and wounded soldiers. One of the most well-known is Mary Seacole, who was obliged to arrange her own travel to the Crimea, where she op...

Look out for thousands more burial records from Deceased Online's Aberdeenshire Collection  By the end of Friday 2nd May, the Deceased Online database will hold over 75,000 burial records from Aberdeenshire in North East Scotland. All the burial grounds from this collection are managed by Aberdeenshire Council .  The magnificent 17th century Craigievar Castle lies close to the village of Alford, which features in the latest release Aberdeenshire is a large county, covering 8% of Scotland's land mass, and is steeped in history. The parishes covered in the new release are predominantly rural, with a number, such as Alford, Udny and Cluny, lying in the shadows of great castles. Unfortunately, neighbouring Towie Castle now lies in ruins. Auchindoir, which features in the latest records, takes its name from the Gaelic Auehindoir , or 'field of the chase'. This is associated with the flight of Macbeth's successor, Lulach, who is believed to have run thr...

As we await new South London records on the Deceased Online database , this week's post looks back at our recent book competition Thank you very much to all those who entered the competition to win a copy of my new book, Tracing Your Ancestors Using the Census (Pen & Sword, 2013) .  We had a great response, with answers emailed from all over the world. Congratulations to the four winners who will each receive a copy of the book: Jo-Ann from British Columbia in Canada Lesley in Cheshire Anne from East Yorkshire Dawn in South Africa The full list of questions and answers for the competition is as follows: (i) What date was the 1841 census taken?  Answer: Sunday 6 June 1841   (ii) What year was the first separate census for Scotland introduced?  Answer: 1861   (iii) In 1896 a quinquennial census took place. Where?  Answer: County of London/ London   (iv) Which census is known as the 'fertility census'?  Answer: 1911 ...

To link with Deceased Online's forthcoming competition to win one of five copies of my new book, Tracing Your Ancestors Using the Census (Pen & Sword, 2013), this week's post examines the use of burial records and censuses in family history research.  Besides records of birth/baptism, marriage and death/burial, census records are some of the most commonly used in genealogy. Once you have found a burial record on the Deceased Online database , you may want to look further into the life of the deceased person. Using the details on the burial record alongside those in censuses will help to give you a more rounded picture of your ancestor and his or her life. Most family historians use the Victorian and Edwardian censuses of 1841-1911 . These were taken every ten years and have been digitized on a number of databases. The original records are held at The National Archives. The 1841 census was the first to name each individual (as opposed to just heads of household)...

This week we have three copies of Nick Barratt's new book Greater London to give away. To celebrate the release of the latest collections of London records on the Deceased Online database , we have teamed up with the publisher Random House for an exciting new competition. This week we will be uploading over 100,000 burial records for Manor Park Cemetery, dating from 1930 to the present day. We'll be adding the final stages throughout February. In the Spring, we'll add the records of Brompton Cemetery, West London - one of the "Magnificent Seven" Victorian cemeteries that were built just outside the centre.  Nick Barratt's book, Greater London: The Story of the Suburbs , looks further into the Magnificent Seven and at the growth of London that led to them being built. For Nick, though, London's most significant cemetery is Abney Park in Stoke Newington. He said, " Despite the architecture displayed in the mausoleums of Kensal G...