Excited for The Family History Show Liverpool 2026? Join family historians from across the region on Saturday, 9th May 2026, from 10:00 to 16:00, at Aintree Racecourse, Liverpool. Whether you’re just starting your tree or trying to break through a long-standing brick wall, the show promises free talks, expert help, and a wide range of family history societies, archives, and exhibitors all under one roof. There’s also an early bird offer, with single advance tickets at £9.00, two or more at £7.50 each, £13.00 on the day, and under-16s free. Advance ticket holders also receive a free goody bag worth £18! If Liverpool is your patch, this looks like a great chance to pick up fresh ideas, meet experts, and spend a day surrounded by people who love family history as much as you do.

Many genealogists and family history researchers will be heading to Bristol for The Family History Show, South West in just a weeks' time!

The show takes place on Saturday 8th February at UWE Exhibition Centre, with two Large Lecture Theatres with Free Talks, Free Ask the Experts Area, Societies, Local Archives and Ministry of Defence stands, Free Goody Bag worth over £8 on entry, Free Parking and Free minibus from Station.

 

Don't miss their Early Bird Offer, Two Tickets for £8, saving £4 on the door price, which you can claim here.

Not in the South West? Don't worry, they are also coming to York in June and London in September.

 

The Family History Shows 2019

York 22nd June  -  South West 6th July  -  London 24th August

There is some exciting news and special offers from the Discover Your Ancestors Family History Shows upcoming events for 2019! Here is what they are saying:

 

Due to the sell-out success of last year's London show, the extremely popular face to face Free 'Ask the Experts' section will be run at all of the Discover Your Ancestors Family History Shows this year. We're also expanding this area to cover your questions on DNA, Dating Photographs, Medals, Military Service and Research Problems. So don't forget to bring your ancestors' medals, records and photos along!

New for the 2019 shows we are also introducing Q&A panel sessions, where you can get your family history queries answered by a group of experts. So make sure you have time to ask those family history questions when planning your day.

 

Each show will have two lecture areas with Free Talks given by various expert independent speakers including Photo Dating Expert and Fashion Historian Jayne Shrimpton, DNA Expert Debbie Kennett and others we have lined up and will announce in later emails and on our Facebook page.

With over 100 tables already booked, space is filling up fast! If you or anyone you know are interested in exhibiting please contact bookings@thefamilyhistoryshow.com.

We are making The Family History Shows affordable events to attend with low-cost entry, Free Talks and Free Parking. Book your tickets now to avoid disappointment.

Keep up with our latest announcements for all our shows on Twitter and Facebook.

Ticket Offers

Purchase tickets now to save with our Early Bird specials:

• South West - Tickets on the day are £6, Early Bird: Two for £8!
• York - Tickets on the day are £6, Early Bird: Two for £8!
• London - Tickets on the day are £8, Early Bird: Two for £10!

https://thefamilyhistoryshow.com/

 

Special Offers for Exhibitors

Our shows have become synonymous with great value ticket prices, free talks and free parking, which continue to impress visitors and stallholders alike. We always have a good turn out with the halls nearing capacity, leading us to opt for bigger and better venues. With table prices at just £50 for Bristol, £57 for York and £79 for London, our events provide exhibitors a big show to fit any budget.

To celebrate our new South West show in Bristol for 2019, everyone who books tables at both London and York can Buy One Get One Free on tables for the South West event. But hurry as this offer will only last until the end of February. To claim this offer or find out more, please email us at bookings@thefamilyhistoryshow.com.

Fantastic Value on Sponsorship Opportunities

We have a range of sponsorship opportunities to fit all budgets. With options for stand space, branding and talk slots, contact bookings@thefamilyhistoryshow.com to find out more.

The London Family History Show

The first Family History Show, London at Sandown Park Racecourse was a great success with advance tickets selling out and a full capacity crowd say organiser', Discover Your Ancestor's Magazine.

The talks proved very popular and exhibitors were kept busy all day.

They are already looking forward to the 2018 event which will have more than double the capacity, have an expanded talks program with additional leading lecturers, and more social and local history stands. With free parking for visitors and exhibitors, and a shuttle bus from the train station, the organisers are hoping to expand on the success of this year's event.

The Family History Show - London Event will be back but in Sandown Racecourse's much larger Surrey Hall on Saturday 22nd September 2018. This gives the benefits of a food court area with plenty of seating and hot food, a larger talks area, additional stand space for those that need it and the ability to have various additional attractions. For those who book their tickets in advance, you can save with discounted prices : £5 each or two for £7.50 (Standard price £7 per person). Exhibitors can also save when they book their tables before the end of 2017. http://thefamilyhistoryshow.com/london/

New Family History Show for the London area

This Sunday, 24th September 2017 sees the first Family History Show  - London

Organised by Discover Your Ancestors Magazine, the same people behind the ever successful event called The Family History Show, York it is being held at Sandown Park Racecourse between 10 am and 4:30 Watch this video of this year's York event to get a taster of what is to come... [embed]https://www.facebook.com/thefamilyhistoryshow/videos/313329735787369/[/embed]  

Free Talks throughout the day

10:00 Show Opening with Caliban's Dream, Medieval Musicians 11:00 Breaking Down Brick Walls In Your Family History Research Mark Bayley, Online Expert  Resolve stumbling blocks in your family history research using innovative search strategies and unique record sets to find those missing relatives. 12:00 Tracing Your Military Ancestors Chris Baker, Military Expert & Professional Researcher  Chris draws on his experience from researching thousands of soldiers to explore what can be found when looking for a military ancestor. 13:00 Breaking Down Brick Walls In Your Family History Research Mark Bayley, Online Expert 14:00 Tips & Tricks for Online Research Keith Gregson, Professional Researcher & Social Historian Keith shares top tips & techniques for finding elusive ancestors, illustrated by some fascinating case studies. 15:00 Breaking Down Brick Walls In Your Family History Research Mark Bayley, Online Expert   Read more at: http://thefamilyhistoryshow.com/

This weekend is going to be great for family historians in the area of York!

One of the largest family history shows in the UK

With exhibitors coming from all over Britain and Ireland, this family history show is probably the largest event of its kind in England. Every year the fair is well attended by family history societies and companies plus there is lots of local history from the York area as well. The organiser's website says: 'You don't have to have Yorkshire Ancestors to come to this fair - they can be from anywhere at all! Everyone is very welcome and there is lots to see. There is plenty of parking and refreshments are available all day. There are several lifts to take you to the upper levels, and the whole place is wheelchair friendly. Do you really know who you are? Come and find out - you may be surprised!' Yorkshire Family History Fair Saturday 24th June 2017 10am to 4.30pm The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, The Racecourse, York, YO23 1EX Admission: Adults £4.80, Children under 14 FREE   To get a great deal on tickets take a look at their website now: http://yorkshirefamilyhistoryfair.com/index.php

 

Press Release from TheGenealogist

 

TheGenealogist releases York Colour Tithe Maps and Yorkshire Directories.

For example, if we wanted to find the plot where one William Gibb lived in the parish of St Cuthbert during 1845 we can do this by selecting Tithe & Landowner on TheGenealogist and then enter his name into the Master Search. In William’s case he was the occupier while his landlady was Ann Wilson and we can see from the description in the Apportionment book that he rented a house and gardens from her. The value is small and the Rector is only entitled to 6d tithe rent from the plot. This is in contrast to another example that we can find in the York tithes.

We are able to see an image of the apportionment book and this reveals in the description that the land is ‘Part of Knavesmire a stinted pasture’. A 'stint' or 'gait' being a pasture that is limited to a certain number of animals. A person who has the right to graze their sheep or cattle on the stinted pasture may allow a fixed number of their livestock to feed there. Each grazier holds a certain number of stints and a formula will be in force that calculates the different value of each type of livestock. So one stint could equal one ewe with her lamb, while four stints may equal one horse.

Anyone visiting the racecourse, whether it is for the family history show or to watch the races, can’t help but notice the old Terry’s Chocolate Factory next door. This art deco style facility, which no longer manufactures chocolate, was built in 1926. The company has, however, a long and rich history connected to York and by searching within one of the twenty three Yorkshire Trade, Residential and Telephone directories that have also been released by TheGenealogist this month, we can find the listing for the company. If an ancestor had a business then the commerical listings in the directory can help us find where they may have worked. In the 1897 Kelly’s York Directory we can find Joseph Terry & Sons Limited, manufacturing confectioners and see that at that time they had factories at Clementhorpe and at St Helen’s Square in York. The later address being where the family business had started and Clementhorpe was the factory on the River Ouse that allowed them to better distribute their products and import the raw materials - this move allowed Terry’s to really take off as a confectioner. We can, likewise, find the competing company of H.J. Rowntree & Co. within the same directory. It shows us that Rowntree’s had their business premises at Haxley Road and Tanner’s Moat.   Directories can also be useful to find the addresses of residents, the railways that served the area and read about communications links to other towns. These may be of help to the family historian who has ‘lost’ an ancestor as they could suggest where a person may have travelled and can be a great compliment to a census record. In the case of a head of the household we may be able to find an address different from that recorded in the decennial census. This may help fill in the gaps of where a stray ancestor moved to between the census. It can also add to our understanding of the place where our ancestors lived. Sir Joseph Terry had been the Lord Mayor of York and in the year of this directory, 1897, he is still listed as an alderman and a magistrate. Similarly, John Stephenson Rowntree had been a past Lord Mayor and he too was an alderman and magistrate in this year. The 1897 Kelly’s York Directory reveals that they both lived at Mount Villas on The Mount; from this we can work out that they were close neighbours in York. The racecourse is also listed in this publication as having an address of Knavesmire, The Mount and so in the same area of the city.

TheGenealogist’s National Tithe Record Collection covers all counties of England and Wales and so can be used to find where your English and Welsh ancestors lived at the time that this great survey took place between 1837 and the mid 1850s. The Trade, Residential & Telephone directories also encompass the whole country and can be useful both as research tool and as a valuable insight into the lives of our ancestors. They are a useful resource for tracing ancestors, particularly if they had a distinctive trade and can be used as a census substitute for the years prior to 1841 or after 1911 and also to provide information on their whereabouts between census years. To search for your ancestors using these and the enormous number of other records on TheGenealogist read more at https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk

  It is very sad news to have come out of Immediate Media in the past day. They have announced that the annual Who Do You Think You Are? Live show will not return. This was one of the largest family history event that attracted thousands of family historians to browse the stands and attend the various talks each year.

After ten years, first at Olympia in London and then at the NEC in Birmingham for the last three of those years, the event that took place at the beginning of April this year was the last ever!

The organisers say it was due to financial reasons that they are bowing out and so we must assume that the show, while popular with family historians of all abilities, just couldn't make them money. I am sure that we shall all miss the event, but perhaps it was just too large a venue.   While it is sad that it has gone there are always other more manageable family history shows to visit, including those up an coming in Yorkshire and the London area being organised by Discover Your Ancestors Magazine and sponsored by TheGenealogist. There will be FREE talks from a number of experts, to discover more see the talks page on their website: http://yorkshirefamilyhistoryfair.com/free-talks.php Do you really know who you are? Come and find out – you may be surprised!

Yorkshire Family History Fair

Saturday 24th June 2017

10am to 4.30pm

The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, The Racecourse, York, YO23 1EX

Admission: Adults £4.80, Children under 14 FREE

To get your tickets go to: http://yorkshirefamilyhistoryfair.com/

With exhibitors from all over the UK and Ireland, this is probably the largest event of its kind in England. Many family history societies and companies attend each year. There is lots of local history from the York area too.

You don't have to have Yorkshire Ancestors to come to this fair - they can be from anywhere at all! Everyone is very welcome and there is lots to see. There is plenty of parking and refreshments are available all day. There are several lifts to take you to the upper levels, and the whole place is wheelchair friendly. There will be FREE talks from a number of experts, to discover more see the talks page on their website: http://yorkshirefamilyhistoryfair.com/free-talks.php The Yorkshire Family History Fair is run by Discover Your Ancestors Magazine and sponsored by TheGenealogist Do you really know who you are? Come and find out - you may be surprised!

Yorkshire Family History Fair

Saturday 24th June 2017 10am to 4.30pm The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, The Racecourse, York, YO23 1EX Admission: Adults £4.80, Children under 14 FREE To get your tickets go to: http://yorkshirefamilyhistoryfair.com/

Yorkshire Family History Fair

Saturday 2nd July 2016 10am to 4.30pm The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, The Racecourse, York, YO23 1EX

The second largest Family History Fair in the UK is in its 21st year. With exhibitors from all over the UK and Ireland

many family history societies and companies attend each year. You don't have to have Yorkshire Ancestors to come to this fair - they can be from anywhere at all. Everyone is very welcome and there is lots to see. There is plenty of parking, refreshments are available all day, with exhibitors on two floors and FREE talks held throughout the day. This event is organised by family historians for family historians. Do you really know who you are? Come and find out - you may be surprised. Chose between two great ticket offers on www.yorkshirefamilyhistoryfair.com/ FREE gift when you pre-book tickets Claim your Discover Your Ancestors Issue 4 and Discover Your Ancestors Compendium (worth £17.94) at the show Or Buy One Ticket and Get One Free (offers valid until Wednesday 29th June at midday BST) See you at The Knavesmire Exhibition Centre, The Racecourse, York, YO23 1EX. Admission: Adults £4.80, Children under 14 FREE   For late availability on exhibitor space contact [email protected]