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300,000 farm records going online with The National Archives

The following news is written by The National Archives:

The National Archives is delighted to announce that we will digitise the National Farm Survey (MAF 32 and MAF 73) in full, thanks to a generous grant of £2.13 million from Lund Trust.

The 1941 National Farm Survey is one of the most comprehensive records of land that we hold in our collection and is a window in time on the UK’s agriculture and land use in the middle of the Second World War. Containing extensive data on over 300,000 English and Welsh farms, the survey is among the most-requested record series at The National Archives.

Currently, the complex filing of the paper record makes it difficult for readers to order and use, with the records only available in physical copy. This project will digitise the series in full and create a new digital cataloguing arrangement to make each farm searchable online.

It will not only make the survey permanently and freely available, but will also improve its accessibility and searchability.

Genealogists, family and local historians will be able to consult the series for their own research, and the project will lay the ground for new analyses by historical economists, geographers and ecologists.

Jeff James, CEO & Keeper of The National Archives said:

“This is a unique opportunity to realise the potential of what was seen as a ‘Second Domesday Book’, a ‘permanent and comprehensive record of the conditions on the farms of England and Wales’. Thanks to this partnership, the National Farm Survey, an enormous database of land ownership and land usage in mid-20th century Britain, will be freely available online to researchers in the UK and globally.”

Andrew Wright, Director of Lund Trust said:

“The National Farm Survey was born out of a wartime need decades ago but still has much to teach us about the land. We are pleased to support making these records accessible to help people in England and Wales to know their local areas better and aid scholars researching our rich agrarian history.”

The project began in October 2023 and will finish in March 2027, with teams from across The National Archives working on the conservation, digitisation, transcription, cataloguing, and publishing of the records. More information about the project’s progress and first image release will be published later this year.

About The National Archives

The National Archives is a non-ministerial government department and the official archive for the UK government, and for England and Wales. We look after and make available to the public our collection of historical records dating back more than 1,000 years, including records as diverse as the Domesday Book and MI5 files. We are also a cultural, heritage and academic organisation which promotes public accessibility to iconic documents while ensuring preservation for generations to come.

Lund Trust supports work that greens people’s lives in the UK and also gives to other causes its donors especially care about. Since 2002, it has given more than £107m.

For more information:

You can find out more about the National Farm Survey in Explore the Collection, or by reading our Research Guide.

 

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Go behind the scenes at The National Archives

EVENTS NEWS:

Behind the Scenes Tours of The National Archives

  • Thursday 25 January 2024, 15:30
  • Thursday 15 February 2024, 15:30
  • Thursday 21 March 2024, 15:30

The National Archives are opening the doors of their repositories to offer you the chance to go behind the scenes.

Discover how they keep and maintain the record for future generations and explore some of the hidden gems in their collections.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/behind-the-scenes-tours-january-to-march-tickets-763441543207

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The National Archives' events for Black History Month

The National Archives is promoting Black History Month on its website: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/black-history/

TNA's collections span 1,000 years of difference, debate and progress as they say:

"Created from the perspective of state and empire, we hold important records that bear witness to past injustice, and the long and continued fight for racial equality."

The National Archives are playing their part in finding greater ways to make their significant records more accessible.

Help with your research using The National Archives

The National Archives research guide on black British social and political history in the 20th century is a useful place to start.

You can find further guidance in other research guides, such as social and cultural, political and economic, foreign and colonial, and family history.

 

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Historic Records and Maps for Oxfordshire Launched Online

Over 1,000 square miles of searchable property records have been released


Today sees the launch of a superb new resource for family historians, providing a great way to discover what type of property our ancestors once occupied. TheGenealogist has just added records covering every head of household and property owner in Oxfordshire around the period 1910-1915 with their latest release. Known as the Lloyd George Domesday Survey, the site now has over 2 Million records searchable online from this collection, covering all boroughs of Greater London plus Middlesex, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and West Hertfordshire, along with the newly added Oxfordshire.

 

High Street, Oxford TheGenealogist’s Image Archive

 

The records were created when one of the most important government surveys took place in Britain as a result of David Lloyd George’s 1910 Finance Act. The Board of Inland Revenue Valuation Office Survey, or The Lloyd George Domesday Survey as the records have become known, is safely held by The National Archives at Kew. 

 

Following many years of collaboration between The National Archives’ conservation and records team and TheGenealogist’s digitization staff at Kew, the project to publish these records, comprising of the IR 58 Field Books and accompanying IR 121 to IR 135 Ordnance Survey maps, has now reached a major landmark.

 

This latest release of Oxfordshire records from The National Archives joins the millions of records in TheGenealogist’s powerful tool, Map Explorer™.

 

  • The Lloyd George Domesday Survey identifies individual properties on extremely detailed 1910-1915 maps, zoomable to the exact plot
  • The surveyors’ field books provide fascinating details about the house, often revealing the size and number of its rooms
  • Maps reveal the features of the neighbourhood in which an ancestor lived
  • Search using the Master Search or by clicking on the pins displayed on TheGenealogist’s powerful Map Explorer™ 
  • Historic maps are layered over modern street maps, allowing you to see how an area changed over time
  • The project will expand to cover the rest of England & Wales

 

Dr Jessamy Carlson, Family & Local History Engagement Lead at The National Archives, said:

“The Valuation Office maps are a key resource for house and local history, and this project is an exciting development for future research. Oxfordshire is an excellent addition to this growing set of online resources, and the variety of residences it covers reveals some fascinating insights into communities before the First World War.”

 

Mark Bayley, Head of Online Content at TheGenealogist, said:

“This release marks a major milestone in the Lloyd George Domesday Project, with now over 2 Million records available for family historians to search. These records enable genealogists and researchers to gain insights and reveal the intricacies of our ancestors' homes, gardens and property ownership.”

 

Oxfordshire is the latest release of TheGenealogist’s Lloyd George Domesday Records

 

Visit thegenealogist.co.uk/1910Survey for more information.

 

Read TheGenealogist’s article in which these records were used to find the property of Oxford resident William Morris: The Cyclist Champion who built a Car Empire

https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/featuredarticles/2023/the-cyclist-champion-who-built-a-car-empire-3795/

 

About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, which puts a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections. 

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations and Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

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Windrush Day 2023

Today is Windrush Day, marking 75 years since the arrival of the Empire Windrush to the UK.

The National Archives records can help you to understand the significant impact the Windrush generation has had on British society, the challenges they faced, and the global context of these migration stories.

Read their blog to find out how TNA is continuing to mark the anniversary.

 

https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/the-empire-windrush-passenger-list/

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National Archives blog that "the gloves are still off"

Back in 2013 The National Archives in the UK decided that it no longer required the wearing of white gloves during document handling. Now, in an update ten years on, they have set out their rational as to why the gloves are still off at Kew.

Check out their new blog post here: https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/handling-historic-collections-the-gloves-are-still-off/

Key points are that the "wearing gloves reduces sensitivity in your fingers, which can be problematic when handling fragile or already-damaged documents. Cotton gloves in particular can catch easily on torn or uneven edges, can transfer dirt between surfaces and do not provide a moisture-proof barrier, all of which can lead to further damage. Additionally, poorly-fitting gloves can make it difficult to handle large or heavy items safely, increasing the risk of accidental damage."

 

Online event

While on the subject of The National Archives, you may be interested in their online event:

Webinar ┃From Strangers to Citizens: Immigration and citizenship records

Join the TNA online for a fascinating webinar introducing you to and explaining records relating to UK immigration and naturalisation from the 1800s to the 1970s. This informative talk will give you vital tools to take away and apply to your own research.

This webinar is presented by Roger Kershaw, Head of Strategic Operations and Volunteers at The National Archives.

Tuesday 13 June at 14:00 - tickets from Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/from-strangers-to-citizens-immigration-and-citizenship-records-tickets-546222735907

 

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TNA Webinar ┃Researching your family history: 20th Century sources

News from The National Archives (TNA)

Join The National Archives (TNA)'s experts as they introduce you to the key 20th century sources for family history, including the 1939 Register, and the census records.

You will learn how to maximise your use of these popular sources, setting you on your way to discover more about your family tree.

This webinar is presented by Jessamy Carlson, Family and Local history engagement lead at TNA.

Tuesday 16 May at 14:00

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/researching-your-family-history-20th-century-sources-tickets-546100309727

 

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Cabinet Office Files 2000-2002 release by The National Archives

 

The National Archives (TNA) has released almost 600 Cabinet Office files (PREM 49) that cover the period 2000-2002. Some 170 of which can be downloaded from Discovery on TNA's website

The newly released files shed light on a range of subjects both at home and abroad at the time when the government was led by Prime Minister Tony Blair. An example of the types of files that are being released include:

PREM 49/2352 USA. UK/US relations. This file contains a range of material in the wake of the US Presidential election in late 2000 and the victory of George W. Bush as the President.

Also included are files which cover the United Kingdom's relations with other countries including China, Japan, France, and South Africa.

 

Read more about the release in TNA’s blog: https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/stories-from-home-and-abroad-in-the-cabinet-office-file-release/

 

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Learn how to use The National Archives' Discovery

Using The National Archives' Discovery Catalogue | Webinar

Join Sarah Castagnetti, Visual Collections Team Manager at The National Archives (TNA) to learn top tips for using Discovery, The National Archives' online catalogue which allows you to download 100 free records a month. You will come away with all of the tools needed to make the most of the catalogue for your research, whether you are a new user or an experienced researcher.

This webinar will be delivered by Sarah Castagnetti, Visual Collections Team Manager at TNA.

Saturday 14 January at 10:30
Tickets from Eventbrite:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/using-discovery-tickets-482321164587
 
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Announcing the largest collection of fully searchable RAF Operations Record Books online

TheGenealogist’s latest release of transcripts of RAF ORBs provide the most complete collection of indexed AIR 27 records

TheGenealogist has today released over 4.2 million transcripts for its RAF Operations Record Books (ORBs), fully searchable by Name, Rank, Aircraft, Squadron, and Date plus many other fields, making it simpler to find your air force ancestors. 

 

TheGenealogist uniquely allows you to search the period 1911-1963. With over 11 million records online, this is the largest collection of searchable AIR 27 records making it the best place to find details about your RAF ancestors. 

 

 

Handley Page Hampdens taking off in formation at RAF Waddington

 

TheGenealogist’s significant transcription effort has been aimed at providing detailed indexes which cover 1911 to 1963. 

 

Mark Bayley, Head of Content at TheGenealogist said: “We are delighted to be releasing such a large number of AIR 27 ORBs, making TheGenealogist the most comprehensive site for AIR 27 records online.” 

 

The ORBs on TheGenealogist include not only the journal-like day to day entries recorded on Form 540 in which you can find RAF personnel mentioned, but also all of the appendices that go along with these documents, giving many statistical details as well as “Secret Orders”.

 

Some feedback TheGenealogist has received:

 

“One of your best. To be able to follow the day to day activities of individuals down to the hours the planes take off and land is amazing. I look forward to the rest of this data set.”

 

“A 2 minute search brought up 2 years of operations logs for my Father, who was a pilot in 123 Squadron stationed in North Africa, India & Burma. They are full of amazing information. Everything from a near miss when a Japanese machine gun bullet ‘entered his cockpit’, what films they watched & complaints about the food. Just wonderful.”

 

“Just to say a big THANK YOU for giving my family access to records of my late Uncle Douglas Thom's operations in 90 Squadron Bomber Command in 1944. We have been very frustrated that his log books seem to have "disappeared" when his home in mid Wales was cleared. Now at least we have a time-line of his sorties and more information to add to his "not often spoken about" story. I will be passing what you have on him to my cousin, his son Doug, in Canada.”

 

Learn more about RAF records and read TheGenealogist’s free articles here: https://www.thegenealogist.co.uk/raf/ 

 

This collection is provided in association with The National Archives. 

 

These records and many more are available to Diamond subscribers of TheGenealogist.co.uk



About TheGenealogist

TheGenealogist is an award-winning online family history website, who put a wealth of information at the fingertips of family historians. Their approach is to bring hard to use physical records to life online with easy to use interfaces such as their Tithe and newly released Lloyd George Domesday collections. 

TheGenealogist’s innovative SmartSearch technology links records together to help you find your ancestors more easily. TheGenealogist is one of the leading providers of online family history records. Along with the standard Birth, Marriage, Death and Census records, they also have significant collections of Parish and Nonconformist records, PCC Will Records, Irish Records, Military records, Occupations, Newspaper record collections amongst many others.

TheGenealogist uses the latest technology to help you bring your family history to life. Use TheGenealogist to find your ancestors today!

Leave a comment
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