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‘A Great National Work’ – Charting the Changing Attitudes to the Census in Our Newspapers in the Nineteenth Century

With the next census fast approaching in England and Wales, we thought we’d delve into the history of the census, and the changing attitudes towards it from its inception in 1801 and throughout the nineteenth century. From initial fears and suspicions, to feelings of pride and honour, our newspapers chart the evolving attitudes to the modern British census, and how it was depicted in popular culture, in poetry, illustrations and even on the stage. So read on to discover more

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Webinar Q&A

During our first ever webinar, we have over 600 questions from more than 3,500 registered viewers. It was incredible to get so much feedback and interaction from our viewers.  Here we will share a sample of the questions from our webinar event. Didn’t get a chance to see the webinar?  Watch the event now. (The discount offer is no longer valid) Questions Sometimes I try to find a name in the newspaper archive and it says there are no matches. Why

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The ‘new game of badminton’ in India

Did you know that badminton originated in India? Versions of the game had been played by local children for years and it was adopted by British military officers stationed there. We’ve found this charming illustration of ‘the new game of badminton in India’, printed in The Graphic in 1874: View the whole newspaper page The Graphic – Saturday 25 April 1874 Image © THE BRITISH LIBRARY BOARD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.   British in India family history records If you’re interested in

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