The Society took part in the largest of the BBC Roadshows that link in with the BBC TV series The Great British Story presented by Michael Wood, held on Saturday 23 June at Hall Place. Sporting London-London Metropolitan Archives on Tuesday 10 July from 2 to 3 pm and repeated on Wednesday 11 July from 6 to 7 pm.

The Society took part in the largest of the BBC Roadshows that link in with the BBC TV series The Great British Story presented by Michael Wood, held on Saturday 23 June at Hall Place.





NWKFHS Volunteers helping Visitors with their family history.



A programme of talks ran throughout the day including a talk given by historian, broadcaster and writer Michael Wood who discussed the TV series. Help and advice was available from family history experts, North West Kent Family History Society and the Society of Genelogists.



NWKFHS had a major presence in the Long Gallery and Great Chamber on the first floor, fielding 28 volunteers. They were busy all day helping visitors with researching their ancestors. We had several internet-enabled PC's, and access to various commercial websites such as FindMyPast and Ancestry as well as many free websites and Steve Archer's Surname Atlas CD-Rom (Available from NWKFHS).

Both FindMyPast and Ancestry.com had kindly agreed to provide free access to their sites for the day so that NWKFHS volunteers could  assist visitors who were researching their family history. NWKFHS also provided visitor packs containing leaflets, guides, Free copy of Who Do You Think You Are Magazine and other useful information dontated by Federation of Family History Societies, WDYTYA, FindMyPast and NWKFHS. More details and photographs can be found at NWKFHS The Great British Story



NWKFHS Volunteers helping visitors new to family history.




Sporting London

If you live in the London area or are visting you might wish to consider this talk held at London Metropolitan Archives on Tuesday 10 July from 2 to 3 pm and repeated on Wednesday 11 July from 6 to 7 pm.

London boasts a fine amateur sporting history from street football played by apprentices in the City, bowls played on Bowling Green Lane to local cricket clubs. You can find out about the varied and colourful stories around London’s sporting past through documents and images.This talk is FREE - but you must book in advance at City of London Visitor Information





New Free On-Line Database of Kent Wills. National Archives-Royal Navy records available online to search and download.

New On-Line Database of Kent Wills.

Kent Archaeological Society has announced that the Leland Duncan lists and transcriptions of the Medieval and Tudor wills of Kent inhabitants and landowners is now available on-line. Previously they had only been accessible at the Kent Archaeological Library located at Maidstone Museum. 

A team of volunteers ‑ Margaret Broomfield, Dawn Weeks, Zena Bamping and Pat Tritton – is completing the task of transcribing Duncan’s records for the society’s website, from which they can be downloaded free of charge. There are some 2,188 records.

The records are now on a database which has two indexes. One enables the surnames of testators to found and is convenient for family historians. For Local Historian the second index the areas, parishes or dioceses in which the testators lived or owned land. The areas include boroughs which were once part of Kent but are now within Greater London.

Further details and the Indexes and Transcriptions can be found at Medieval and Tudor Kent Wills

National Archives-Royal Navy  records available online to search and download.

The National Archives has naval records on-line that include ratings' service records (1853-1923), officers' service records (1840-1920), and Women's Royal Naval service records (1917-1919). These all help to fill gaps in a naval ancestor's story that may have been lost over time, such as hair and eye colour.

You can search the index free of charge. The results will give you the full name, the date, reference etc. If you wish you can download a copy of the original record (cost £3.50).

Details and the search page can be found at    Royal Navy ratings' service records 1853-1923

The Federation of Family History Societies is reminding people that there is an e-petition for Research Copies for BMD Certificates for Genealogical Research Purposes. Only 4 days to go for The largest of the BBC Roadshows to be held on Saturday 23 June 2012, 10am-4pm at Hall Place, Bourne Road, Bexley, DA5 1PQ. Federation of Family History Free to Enter Competition.

The Federation of Family History Societies is reminding people that there is an e-petition at Research Copies for BMD Certificates for Genealogical Research Purposes

The idea is to have uncertified copies of certificates for family history research, which have no legal authority, similar to they do in the Republic of Ireland. These could be obtained at a much lower fee, the price of £2 per certificate is suggested. If you support this petition please consider adding your support by signing it.

The largest of the BBC Roadshows  to be held on Saturday 23 June 2012, 10am-4pm at Hall Place, Bourne Road, Bexley, DA5 1PQ

There are only 4 days to go before the event. A large number of people have already booked their free tickets ( BBC Events)

The NWKFHS will have volunteers to help with your Family History. The Society of Genealogists will also be there as well as Museum of London  (learn how experts conserve and protect historical artefacts.)  Learn how to become a house detective helped by archivists from Bexley to discover the history of your home using local archive sources. Discover the archaeological treasures that unearth Bexley's hidden landscape. Local historians will use photos, films and artefacts to bring the past to life.  Find out how to date old photos, if you've inherited a family photo bring it along to find out more.

You can also explore the history of Bexley through local heroes, landmarks, working lives and industrial heritage and take part in a reminiscence session and share your memories of working in and around the Thames Gateway.

Plus a full programme of talks will run throughout the day. Including a talk by Michael Woods.

Please note that places for Michael Wood's talk are limited, ticket holders will be contacted by the BBC nearer the time and invited to apply for an additional ticket to Michael's talk.

Federation of Family History Free to Enter Competition.

The FFHS is running a competition "Do you have a sportsman or sportswoman in your family tree?" "Write an account of the special sportsman or sportswoman in your family tree in no more than 1,000 words".

Prizes are: 

First Prize – One year’s Full Subscription to findmypast.co.uk. Second Prize – One year’s PremiumPlus MyHeritage.com account. Third Prize – One year’s Premium Membership to ancestry.co.uk. Fourth Prize – One year’s Diamond Premium Subscription to TheGenealogist.co.uk

Full details and how to enter can be found at FFHS Competition 

NWKFHS-Society Library closed 13th-24 August, 2012. Female Convict Research Centre Database:1803-1853.

NWKFHS-Society Library closed 13th-24 August, 2012.

Due to work being carried out by Kent County Council over the period Monday the 13th until Friday the 24 August 2012 the Society Library will be closed. The Society Library will re open Wednesday 29th August 2012. Information about the Library can be found at NWKFHS Library.

Female Convict Research Centre Database:1803-1853.

Female convicts were transported to Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land)  from 1803 to 1853, when transportation to Van Diemen's Land ceased. Many of those convicted of crimes in the UK, which at the time included southern Ireland were transported to the colonies. This site concentrates on the women who were sent to Tasmania. 

At Tasmanian Female Convicts  You can download details of the women who were transported which also contain information about the ship they were transported on, their age and when known where in the UK they were convicted.

The Centre is currently trying to connect the female convicts who were transported to Van Diemen's Land with their birth and marriage families in the UK and their descendants in Australia. They are searching for gaol and trial records and newspaper stories about the women.  You can if you wish become a member of the website (which is Free)

They are currently transcribing all the records that can be accessed in Australia into a database, bringing together the woman, her family and all records pertaining to her. They are appealing for volunteers who reside in the UK to help in researching the lives of some of the convict women in British  records  Family historians and academics will use this to help them better understand the female experience of the convict system.

National Archives: Online Exhibition of Golden and Diamond Jubilee messages sent to Queen Victoria. London Lives. Free to search database of 3.35 million 18th century Londoners. Up and Comming talks for July 2012 at North West Kent Family History Society Branches.

National Archives: new online exhibition features 60 of messages of congratulations and good wishes from around the world sent to Queen Victoria  to celebrate her Golden Jubilee in 1887 and Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

The Golden and Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria were national events. This is a chance to see some of the messages created and sent from  schools and colleges; social, cultural, educational and religious societies; military and medical establishments; trades associations and manufacturing companies to the Queen. NA Jubilee online exhibition 

London Lives. Free to search database of 3.35 million 18th century Londoners.

Is a fully searchable edition of 240,000 manuscripts from eight archives and fifteen datasets, which gives access to 3.35 million names.

Funded by the ESRC, and implemented by the Humanities Research Institute at the University of Sheffield and the Higher Education Digitisation Service at the University of Hertfordshire this is an important resource for researching your family history.

Access and full search and results are all free without the need to register. If you wish to register, also free, you will have access to advance search facilities and a personal workspace to link documents together and create biographies of 18th century Londoners.

Rich, middle class-working class can be found on this site. I have found details of some of my NW Kent ancestors who originated in London or moved there from Kent.  London Lives

Up and Coming talks for July 2012 at North West Kent Family History Society Branches.

Saturday 21 July 2012 Dr Jonathan Oates London Ancestry

Bromley Branch  in the main hall, Bromley Methodist Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3NS  There is free parking at the church, access is from College Rd. and from North St. The hall opens at 9.45am, the meeting proper is due to start at 10.30am.

7 July 2012 Tim Cox The history of how the seaside holiday developed or "I do like to be beside the seaside"

Dartford Technology College. This is on the north side of Heath Lane, Dartford, Kent. The meetings room is the New Auditorium. Open from 9.45am with the meeting proper starting at 10.30am.

12 July 2012 Lee Ault "All the Rage"

Sevenoaks Community Centre, Otford Road (at junction with Crampton Rd.), Sevenoaks, at 7.15pm.

Further details can be found at   NWKFHS Talks Please check with the website before travelling to any meeting to ensure there are no changes to the program.