MAC DOWDY

One of the guest contributors to the Society's 25th Anniversary Celebrations at Impington Village College this coming Saturday, 16th March, is architectural historian Mac Dowdy. He may be well known to many of you for the lecture courses that he has given all over East Anglia for the Cambridge University's Board of Continuing Education, and some of you maybe familiar with the documentary films that he as presented for Anglia and BBC television. The series 'The House Detectives" was initially based upon the work of the Architectural Research Group, based at Wolfson College, Cambridge, where he is a Fellow.

A part of Mac's work is making historic surveys of houses and settlements, from farmsteads to cities, for private individuals and corporate bodies. Throughout the day at Impington there will be times when he will be available to discuss details of the houses of the public attending. He will also be able to give Information on the method of work and cost of the survey that he offers.

Mac Dowdy can be contacted at Wolfson College. Cambridge, CB3 9DB.

DEREK PALGRAVE

Derek Palgrave was born in Norwich where he attended the City of Norwich School. After reading Natural Science at Cambridge University (Selwyn College) he embarked on a career in the Chemical Industry. For several years he was Technical Director of an I.C.I. subsidiary company. As a Chartered Chemist he remains involved in chemistry in his capacity as a freelance lecturer, university extra-mural tutor and occasional consultant.

His interest in history began in the early fifties when he started to study both medieval churches and his Palgrave genealogy and heraldry. During the late sixties and early seventies he became associated with several newly-emerging family history societies. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Federation of Family History Societies from 1976 to 1982 and also from 1994 to 2000. He has been involved in the Federation’s publishing programme since 1977. He was the first Editor of Family History News and Digest and since 1989 he has compiled and edited the abstracts for inclusion in the Family History Digest section of that Journal. He has been elected to Fellowships of the Royal Historical Society and the Society of Genealogists. He is also a Member of the College of Teachers.

During the 1970s his specialist knowledge of chemical fertilizers was applied to the drafting of technical specifications when he became a long-term British delegate and group convenor to the International Standards Organisation. He was also responsible for numerous scientific papers and patents in this field. Later he was invited by a U.S. publisher to edit a series of textbooks devoted to these matters.

He is currently Vice-President of the Federation of Family History Societies, President of the Guild of One-Name Studies, President of Doncaster and District Family History Society, Vice-President of Suffolk Family History Society, a member of the Advisory Committee to the British Newspaper Library, a member of the East of England Regional Archives Council and Editor of The Escutcheon,The Journal of Cambridge University Heraldic & Genealogical Society, in which he also holds office as Secretary.

He has written well over 200 articles, papers and booklets on various aspects of history, contributing on a regular basis to local newpapers and to the magazine, Practical Family History. Currently he is compiling the history of an agricultural chemical company. As an experienced speaker he lectures very widely to adult audiences on scientific and historical topics both in this country and in the United States. He has taken part in several television programmes and is a frequent broadcaster on radio.

AUDREY GILLETT

Audrey is a professional genealogist, family history tutor and lecturer living and lives within easy reach of the M25 and M11. She regularly speaks at various society meetings. She drives up to 75 miles (sometimes further) for daytime or evening lectures during the week or 200 miles at weekends.

"Family Skeletons Unearthed." - Most families have skeletons in their cupboards and my family seems to have more than most! These are the stories of just a few of them.

"Clothes our Ancestors Wore." - This is an informal and at times light-hearted look at the types of clothing worn by your ancestors and mine. (Illustrated).

"The Honeywood Saga" - Random jottings from a One-Name Study. The title very aptly represents the contents. Every family has it's stories and traditions, sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, sometimes even romantic! The Honeywood family is no exception.

"The Name Game." - A light-hearted look at the origins of our surnames, and the changing fashions in Christian names.[Illustrated - OHP. Double act with Mrs Meryl Catty.]

"An Enumerator's Tale." - This is a dramatic presentation, taking the audience back in time to the 1851 Census, where they meet an enumerator and eavesdrop as he interviews one of the Householders in his district. (Double act with Mrs Meryl Catty.)

"This War without an Enemy" - The lives of many of our ancestors were touched by the English Civil War, and numerous families were divided by the conflict. The Honywood family was split in this way, and in this lecture we follow the careers of two brothers - one a Royalist and the other a Parliamentarian - and see the effect that the Civil War had on their lives. (Illustrated).

"Willpower" - Far too many family historians make the mistake of assuming that their ancestors were much too poor to make wills, thereby ignoring a potentially invaluable source of information. The aim of this lecture is to explain just HOW a will was made and, using examples, show how wills can be used to solve a variety of problems. (Double act, with Mrs Meryl Catty.)

"Brandy for the Parson" - Did your ancestors live on the coast? If so, they may have been involved in some way in the smuggling of contraband. This lecture traces the history and activities of smugglers in their hey-day, and indicates some of the sources available for research.

"From Scribble to Script" - As in most things, there are right and wrong ways to research, record and present your family history, with some right ways being better than others. In this lecture, we aim to set you on the right path, help you to avoid some of the pitfalls, and to pass on a few handy hints (Double act, with Mrs Meryl Catty.)

"Poverty, Porridge and Pavlova" - The story of Emma - an ordinary woman with extraordinary strength of will, who lived through three major wars, brought up a family in the face of great adversity, and who never gave in! Born a Victorian, she died just two years before Victoria's great-great granddaughter succeeded to the throne - a true matriarch, who was both loved and feared. [For family historians, this is a wonderful example of family history being brought to life.]

"Leave No Stone Unturned" - Successful family history research requires patience, knowledge of a wide range of sources, and a facility for lateral thinking. Through a series of case studies, based on personal research, this lecture aims to suggest some alternative ways of resolving research problems. (Illustrated. Double act, with Mrs Meryl Catty.)

DR. PHILIP SAUNDERS

Philip is the Deputy Archivist for Cambridgeshire and is responsible for the Record Office, Cambridge. His knowledge of Cambridgeshire documents and archival information is second to none. If you cannot find what you are looking for in old Cambridgeshire then then, if it exists, this is the man to know.

MIKE PETTY

A very well known "Local  Historian" will help on a wide variety subject. His regular articles in the Cambridge Evening News are considered vital reading to the county historian. See Mike's website.

TOM DOIG

Tom Doig has travelled widely, in the UK and abroad, lecturing and researching various aspects of rural life in the Victorian Era. The one-time Director of the Cambridge & County Folk Museum and the Amberley Industrial Museum in Sussex, he is particularly interested in the role of women from agricultural labouring communities in the early 1800s.

He has written articles for a wide range of local history magazines including the 'Barkway' entry for the Hertfordshire WI County publication and monthly columns in the Barkway, etc Parish Magazines. This year, Tom Doig spoke on BBC Radio 4 Women's Hour on Women's Lying-in Clubs and is a regular speaker on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire. He has recently written a series of radio programmes on aspects of Victorian childbirth and death. In the early 1990s he co-presented part of the Anglia TV 'Portrait of a Village' series and appeared on BBC Network TV speaking on May Day and on Country Cures and Remedies. During 2000, he published 'A History of Reed, Hertfordshire.' He is currently working on a photograph book on the history of Much Hadham in Hertfordshire, and an 'Antiquarian's History of Kelshall.'.

With David Hillelson, Director of the Heritage Network's archaeological team, Tom Doig edits and produces Hertfordshire's local history and archaeology journal, 'Hertfordshire's Past.'

A qualified teacher, he is also involved in a spectrum of educational activities ranging from work with pre-school playgroups and holiday clubs through to adult education courses and geriatric reminiscence therapy sessions. He recently completed a series of lectures for the University of Cambridge Board of Extra-Mural studies, as well as two 'Millennium Histories' for villages in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. During 2002, Tom Doig will be running a number of courses for the WEA and for the Cambridgeshire and Bedfordshire Adult Education Initiative and organising a series of village 'open-days', etc in north Hertfordshire.

As well as his writing, lecturing and broadcasting interests, Tom Doig is an active member of the Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire Family and Local History Societies. His aim in life is to own a Daimler SP250 sports car similar to the one he drove before he took on a mortgage.

LIZ CARTER

Well known lecturer on many aspects of Local, Social & Family History, will answer questions about the "The Parish Chest" and lots more. See Liz's website.

CHRIS JAKES

Chris heads up the Cambridgeshire Collection to be found in the Central Library, Lion Yard, Cambridge. He and his staff maintain the invaluable collection of books, photographs and newspaper articles to be foudn there. Chris has spoken on many occasions at CFHS meetings, for example, he spoke at the 2000 conference on emigration with illustrations from the collection in the form of a slideshow. A Cambridgeshire man his talks are always enlightening and knowledgeable.

MERYL CATTY

Meryl is a professional genealogist, family history tutor and lecturer living and lives within easy reach of the M25 and M11. She regularly speaks at various society meetings. She drives up to 75 miles (sometimes further) for daytime or evening lectures during the week or 200 miles at weekends.

Her portfolio of lectures include the following:

"In Search of Ancestry" - Follows the lecturer's quest for some of her ancestry and learning about the basic sources used. [Illustrated with slides.]

"The Heritage Index" - This is a "lucky dip" index of more than 25,000 slips, compiled from the sale catalogue of a dealer in ephemera, together with names from miscellaneous newspapers. The talk is well illustrated with overhead projector transparencies, using examples from the index (humorous, tragic and macabre as well as the more mundane) to demonstrate its scope.

"Our Newspaper Heritage" - This is a variation on the above lecture, designed to appeal to a wider audience, being a basic introduction to the history of the press enlivened with extracts from old newspapers (humorous, tragic and macabre as well as the more mundane).

"Master of the Seas" - This lecture tells the story of the life and career of a 19th century merchant seaman, demonstrating some of the documentary sources available, and describing some of the conditions experienced by seamen at this time. The talk is not illustrated, since the inclusion of slides of documents would interrupt the flow of the story. There is, however, an optional slide sequence as a postscript to the talk AND/OR a display of the main documents used.

"The Name Game" - A light-hearted look at the origins of our surnames, and the changing fashions in Christian names. (Illustrated - OHP. Double act, with Mrs Audrey Gillett.)

"An Enumerator's Tale" - This is a dramatic presentation, taking the audience back in time to the 1851 census, where they meet an enumerator and eavesdrop as he interviews one of the householders in his district. (Double act, with Mrs Audrey Gillett.)

'The Breadwinner' - It would be impossible to list ALL the records relating to trades and professions. The aim of this lecture is to encourage family historians to explore the working lives of their ancestors by giving examples of a wide range of source material and background reading, using case studies to show how these can help our ancestors "come alive." (Illustrated OHP)

"The 'Promiscuous Letters': A lesser-known source for naval family history" - This lecture is based on "Certificates and Declarations for placing Widows of Officers of the Royal Navy on the Pension List: Index of Officers from Pension Forms in ADM1 promiscuous Letters, 1846-1865", which I published on microfiche late in 1991. However, this class of documents at the Public Record Office, Kew, also contains a wealth of other material about our Royal Naval ancestors, some of which will be covered in the lecture.

"Willpower" - Far too many family historians make the mistake of assuming that their ancestors were much too poor to make wills, thereby ignoring a potentially invaluable source of information. The aim of this lecture is to explain just HOW a will was made and, using examples, show how wills can be used to solve a variety of problems. (Double act, with Mrs Audrey Gillett.)

"To Coin a Phrase" - We all use phrases, such as "at sixes and sevens", "getting down to brass tacks" and "between the devil and the deep blue sea", in our everyday conversation, but what do they really mean? This light-hearted lecture explores the origins of these and other commonly used expressions.

"Side-tracked!" - There can be few family historians who have never found themselves side-tracked in the quest for their ancestry. The stories told in this lecture are some of those that have caught my attention over the years, and most have nothing whatsoever to do with MY family history. Will you recognise any of your ancestors among them? In telling these stories, the lecture may also point to some lesser known sources for research.

"Licence to Marry" - An in-depth look at Marriage Licences and finding aids, with particular reference to those at the Society of Genealogists. [Illustrated - OHP]

"From Scribble to Script" - As in most things, there are right and wrong ways to research, record and present your family history, with some right ways being better than others. In this lecture, we aim to set you on the right path, help you to avoid some of the pitfalls, and to pass on a few handy hints. [Double act, with Mrs Audrey Gillett.]

"Ancestors Anonymous" - One of the most frustrating things in family history is being unable to identify old family photos. Of course it may be impossible to be sure who these people are, but this lecture aims to give you some clues for dating photographs and thus narrowing down the possibilities. [Illustrated - Slides]

"Dudfins, Langles and Scummers" - An illustrated guided tour of some ordinary Tudor and Stuart homes, as seen through the pages of the inventories taken after the deaths of the occupants.

"Signed, sealed - and indexed!" - A basic guide to wills and their finding aids, with special reference to material at the Society of Genealogists. [Illustrated - OHP]

"Leave No Stone Unturned" - Successful family history research requires patience, knowledge of a wide range of sources, and a facility for lateral thinking. Through a series of case studies, based on personal research, this lecture aims to suggest some alternative ways of resolving research problems. (Illustrated. Double act, with Mrs Audrey Gillett.)