Janet is a longstanding Guild member who speaks regularly on a variety of topics throughout the UK and overseas. Well known for her appearances as her seventeenth century alter ego, Mistress Agnes, on this occasion, Janet will be appearing as herself. She has several books to her credit including the recent re-edit of  Family Historians Enquire Within and Putting Your Ancestors in their Place: a guide to one-place studies. Janet tutors online courses for Pharos Teaching and Tutoring www.pharostutors.com and is a columnist for the In-Depth Genealogist magazine theindepthgenealogist.com. More information can be found on her website https://thehistoryinterpreter.wordpress.com.

Ship to Shore: sources for researching coastal communities and their inhabitants

This session will cover a range of documentary sources, websites and books that might be useful to researchers wishing to learn more about those who went to sea, those who lived by the sea and about coastal communities. The presentation will have an international feel and will bear in mind the needs of one-namers.

Jean-Marc is a retired detective sergeant after 30 years’ service, with both the Metropolitan and Essex Police services. Since his retirement, he has taken on the role of editor for the Guild and is currently undertaking a master’s degree course (Family and Local History) with CAIS at the University of Dundee. He has been interested in his family history since the late 1970’s with research being carried out in both in England and in France where his mother was born. His father is also a retired police officer having served 36 years with the Port of London Police Authority hence Jean-Marc’s interest in giving this presentation.

History of the London Dock Police

Due to the many cargo ships sitting idly in the Pool of London and the continual loss of those goods through theft, the first of the London Docks was opened in August 1802. Just two months later, Captain Robert Bartlett was sworn in as the first Head Constable of the newly established police force, shortly followed by seven constables. Jean-Marc’s talk will look at the various London dock police forces that were created during the early part of the nineteenth century.

Debbie began researching her family history in 2001 and registered her Cruwys One-Name Study with the Guild in 2007. She started her Cruwys DNA project later that year. She now also runs the Devon DNA Project and the mtDNA Haplogroup U4 Project. Her expertise in genetic genealogy led to her appointment as an Honorary Research Associate in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London. Debbie is the author of two books: DNA and Social Networking and The Surnames Handbook. Her highly regarded blog Cruwys News, although originally set up to focus on her one-name study, has now evolved into the leading genetic genealogy blog in the UK.

Getting started with DNA

Are you thinking about taking a DNA test or starting a DNA project for your surname? In this session Debbie will explain how the different tests work, what you can expect to learn, and the benefits of adding a DNA project to your one-name study. She will also provide an overview of the many DNA resources provided by the Guild, including discounted DNA kits and the services of the Guild’s DNA Advisor.