This desk has witnessed more rabbit holes than I care to admit. Every Regency Relatives article starts here, usually with one question, and ends with twenty more. #FamilyHistory #Genealogy regencyrelatives.co.uk

If you've hit a brick wall, have conflicting evidence, or simply don't know where to look next, I offer evidence-based #genealogy research to help move your #familyhistory forwards. From quick ancestor snapshots to in-depth research, every project is led by the evidence.

Research Services

Need help uncovering an ancestor, solving a family history puzzle, or bringing a forgotten life back into focus? I offer bespoke genealogy research and ancestor profiles, combining historical recor…

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Most family historians know where to look for soldiers, sailors and apprentices. But what if your ancestor worked for the Excise? After researching my own exciseman at Kew, I've written the guide I wish I'd had. #FamilyHistory #Genealogy

Navigating Excise Records: A Beginner’s Guide

Discovering an exciseman in your family tree is both exciting and slightly intimidating. Unlike agricultural labourers or blacksmiths, excise officers generated thousands of pages of official paper…

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Could you reunite these photos with their family 109 years later? ❤️ Private J McCarthy found these on the battlefield during WW1 and sent them to his wife back in Burnley, hoping she could find the family they belonged to. Can you solve the mystery?

Yesterday at TNA, a handful of Excise records helped join together pieces of John Hardwicke's life I'd been collecting for weeks. Still plenty of gaps, but the picture is finally starting to make sense. Part 3 of the Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke... #familyhistory #genealogy

The Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke c.1755 – c.1826 (Part Three)

The search for my 4th great grandmother Elizabeth Harris has gradually evolved from what appeared to be an entirely ordinary piece of family history research into something resembling a Regency det…

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Back on the train to Kew. Today's mission is John Hardwicke (again). I'm hoping somewhere in the Excise records there's another piece of the puzzle waiting to be found. If history has taught me anything, I'll probably leave with three new questions instead. #FamilyHistory #Genealogy

"I'll just check one thing..." Famous last words in #FamilyHistory. My latest article is about why some of the best discoveries begin when we stop searching for people and start searching for places. It's also a thank you to the volunteers who make those discoveries possible. #Genealogy

The Family History Resources We Don’t Talk About Enough

I have spent the last few weeks immersed in a family history mystery that has reminded me why I find this hobby endlessly fascinating. It has everything I enjoy: conflicting evidence, unexpected tw…

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I completely forgot about #AncestryHour tonight while trying to crack my latest #FamilyHistory case. Two possible ancestors. One has to go. Time to eliminate one from my enquiries... Actual footage of me this evening. 👇

Every #FamilyHistory article starts life as something much messier. Notes. Questions. Dead ends. Contradictory evidence. A few educated guesses (hopefully corrected later). I've shared a behind-the-scenes look at how I used an #EvidenceMatrix to organise one investigation. #genealogy

Behind the Research: Revisiting John Hardwicke through an Evidence Matrix

When I published The Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke, readers were introduced to a man who sits at the centre of one of my current family history investigations. By the time I finis…

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Apologies for being AWOL. The day job has been staging a hostile takeover, so my evenings have involved little more than negotiating with the sofa. #FamilyHistory resumes soon. Next: how I used my #EvidenceMatrix to unravel the life of my Wiltshire ancestor, John Hardwicke. Coming soon! #genealogy

Who doesn't love a bit of gossip?

A glorious weekend solo camping in the #NewForest, including a visit to #BucklersHard, an important 18th C. shipbuilding community, where HMS Agamemnon - reportedly Nelson's favourite ship - was built from 1777 and launched in 1781.

Yesterday's trip to see #LukeThompson in #WhiteRabbitRedRabbit left me with an unexpected question: have people always travelled extraordinary distances to see their favourite actors? My latest article explores the answer. #Regency #History #Theatre

What Waiting Outside a Stage Door Taught Me About Regency Celebrity

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about why historians are perfectly entitled to enjoy Bridgerton. It seemed to strike a chord with quite a few people, perhaps because so many of us feel we have t…

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Yesterday I posted that the evidence matrix would be available next week... Apparently I underestimated my own enthusiasm 😂 The article is now live, along with a FREE evidence matrix to help you organise your research, compare evidence, and keep your research moving. #familyhistory #genealogy

How I Use My Evidence Matrix (and Why I’ve Designed It This Way)

The article shares insights on employing an evidence matrix in family history research, emphasising critical evaluation of records, organisation of findings, and the importance of questioning evide…

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I'm gradually turning the way I approach #familyhistory research into a series of articles. The latest looks at why I use an evidence matrix to organise my research and why it's one of the most valuable tools I have. Next week, I'll share the template I actually use as a free download. #Genealogy

Why Every Family Historian Should Keep an Evidence Matrix

Family historians can enhance their research by creating an evidence matrix, which helps organise findings, track sources, evaluate reliability, and formulate research questions.

regencyrelatives.co.uk

Hello everyone joining #AncestryHour! This week, I've mainly been focussing on revisiting an ancestor who may or may not be an ancestor. Keeping an open mind and thinking outside the box for finding elusive baptism and burial records... What's been on your to do list this week?

Well, that's a lovely surprise. 200 followers on Bluesky. Thank you all for making this such a friendly place to share my enthusiasm for family history and social history 😊

I've been falling down another historical rabbit hole... This time: the mysterious causes of death that appear in our ancestors' records, and what they really meant. 📖 New article below. #familyhistory #genealogy

When the Register Says “Fever”: Understanding Illness in Family History Records

One of the most frustrating aspects of researching our ancestors is how little surviving records sometimes tell us. We spend hours uncovering baptisms, marriages and burials, yet when illness enter…

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I've realised over the past few years that I spend far less time looking for new records than I do trying to understand the ones I've already found. That shift has completely changed the way I approach family history, so I've written about it in my latest article 👇 #familyhistory #genealogy

What Family Historians Can Learn from Professional Historians

One of the biggest misconceptions about history is that historians spend their lives memorising dates and collecting facts. In reality, facts are only the starting point. Historians are interested …

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Morning coffee under the parasol, with chilled music and #familyhistory sleuthing. Is this the perfect morning? #genealogy

Maybe of interest to #GenHour friends 👇

Lisa | Regency Relatives@regencyrelatives.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Most #familyhistory problems can be solved with patience, persistence, and a vat of tea. For the rest, I offer #genealogy research services designed to uncover the stories behind the records. 📜 Ancestor Snapshots 📖 Ancestor Stories 🔎 Brick Wall Research regencyrelatives.co.uk/research-services

This may be helpful to my fellow #GenHour fans 😃

Lisa | Regency Relatives@regencyrelatives.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Have your census findings somehow ended up spread across three notebooks, several browser tabs, and a scrap of paper whose origin remains a mystery? I've created a *FREE* Census Tracker to help keep everything in one place. Click below to get your copy...👇 #familyhistory #genealogy

A little late for #GenHour this week. Just wanted to wave hello to all 👋 This week, I've been following up on my trip to The National Archives and trying to get to the bottom of who the father of my 5 x GGM really was - and trying to ignore the little green leaves that are very wrong!

Complaining about the weather is a long-standing British tradition. Regency Britons had plenty to complain about too. From heatwaves and droughts to freezing winters, failed harvests and the Year Without a Summer, weather shaped everyday life in ways that are easy to overlook today. #genealogy

Heatwaves, Frost Fairs and Failed Harvests: Weather in Regency Britain

The Regency period’s weather profoundly impacted agriculture, food security, and social dynamics, illustrating the historical significance of climate.

regencyrelatives.co.uk

I appreciate this is a niche topic. Most people don't spend their free time wondering about eighteenth-century tax officials. If you've found an exciseman in your family tree, or are curious about one of Regency Britain's least popular occupations, this article is for you. #genealogy

The Excisemen: the Regency officials no-one wanted to meet

A few weeks ago, I introduced you to my ancestor, John Hardwicke, a man whose family arrangements proved considerably more complicated than his occupation. While trying to untangle the various wive…

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Organising all those sticky notes and scraps of paper on your #familyhistory desk today? Why not head to the RR website and give the *FREE* resources a go? #genealogy #chaos

Lisa | Regency Relatives@regencyrelatives.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Have your census findings somehow ended up spread across three notebooks, several browser tabs, and a scrap of paper whose origin remains a mystery? I've created a *FREE* Census Tracker to help keep everything in one place. Click below to get your copy...👇 #familyhistory #genealogy

I travelled to Kew to answer three questions about an ancestor. I came home with one possible lead, two unanswered questions, several photographs of 18th Century tax records, and another archive visit booked. A fairly typical day in family history. #familyhistory #genealogy

The Curious Domestic Arrangements of John Hardwicke - Part Two

An Adventure at The National Archives This week I made my first visit to The National Archives at Kew. My mission was straightforward enough. I wanted to find out when my ancestor John Hardwicke jo…

regencyrelatives.co.uk

Morning all. I'm heading to @natarchivestrust.bsky.social at Kew today to look at tax records from 1785. I realise this may be a niche enthusiasm, but if old records and forgotten stories make you smile too, then you'll understand exactly why I'm looking forward to it. #familyhistory #genealogy

Think the cost of living crisis is a modern problem? Regency families paid taxes on windows, soap, candles and beer while navigating war, rising prices and economic uncertainty. Perhaps our ancestors were not so different after all. 📖 New post on RR 👇 #familyhistory #genealogy #socialhistory

The Regency Cost of Living Crisis

Family historians sometimes have a habit of making assumptions based on occupations. A labourer sounds poor. A farmer sounds comfortable. A shopkeeper sounds respectable. Yet occupations tell us re…

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As someone who spends far too much time researching the real Regency period, I am occasionally asked how I can possibly enjoy #Bridgerton. The answer is quite simple: historians are allowed to have fun. Also, Benedict Bridgerton. New post below ☕️ #FamilyHistory #Genealogy #RegencyEra

Confessions of a Family Historian: Why I Love Bridgerton Anyway

I should probably begin with a confession: I am a Bridgerton fan. This fact will surprise absolutely nobody who knows me. My friends have reached the point where any mention of Bridgerton is often …

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