THE BCH ARCHIVE
LOCAL HISTORY FOR
BIRTSMORTON
CASTLEMORTON
HOLLYBUSH
And The Surrounding District
Archive of Reports and Anecdotes
http://www.francisfrith.com/castlemorton
http://www.francisfrith.com/hollybush,worcestershire
http://www.buildingstones.org.uk/
http://www.old-ledbury.co.uk/hollybush.htm
PDF of 1914 Birmingham Gazette concerning Hollybush Quarry Road damage
http://data.buildingstones.org.uk/assets/userfiles/quarry/000040_582c7deebff39.pdf
https://www.flickr.com/gp/jerryfn/mm1S15
https://www.flickr.com/gp/jerryfn/Ty8Jq3
LINKS TO USEFUL RESOURCES - FREE SITES (not in any particular order)
OLD OCCUPATIONS: This seems like a really clunky old website and is a bit unstable, but it does still work - just. I have found what I have needed on many occasions, particularly useful when reading an old census or an old document and the occupation just doesn't exist any more e.g. Alblastere (crossbowman) or Antigropelos Maker (made waterproof leggings). http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/a.html
Note: Sometimes the alphabetic menu doesn't appear immediately, it's at the very top of the page above the wavy flag.
RELATIONSHIP CALCULATOR. This is really great - especially for checking the more complicated relationships - I've never known it to be wrong: https://stevemorse.org/relation/calculator.html
Do also check out his link to 'my other web pages'. Many databases of interesting information. You will see he is based in the US, but for anyone trying to trace ancestors who emigrated there, they might find something to help.
Note: Quick guide to the 'cousins' relationship:
If you share grandparents you are first cousins. If you share great grandparents you are second cousins. If you share great great grandparents you are third cousins ... and so on.
The children of your first cousins are your first cousins once removed. Their children are your first cousins twice removed and so on.
The children of your second cousins are your second cousins once removed. Their children are your second cousins twice removed and so on.
GENUKI: https://www.genuki.org.uk/index.php FREE BMD: https://www.freebmd.org.uk
FREE REG: As is the case with a lot of these live sites, it will always be work in progress, so it's very much pot luck regarding how much information has been transcribed for the area you search e.g. I found loads of information for my family history in Somerset (some transcriptions date back to the mid 1500s) but sadly, very little so far for our area of Worcestershire: https://www.freereg.org.uk
INTERNET ARCHIVE:
https://archive.org/about/
Among other interesting and / or useful digital books, I have found, 'The Heraldry of Worcestershire' and The Forest and Chace of Malvern'
GEOGRAPH: This project aims to collect geographically representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of Great Britain and Ireland: A fascinating site, it's through this that I discovered we have a benchmark on our church of St. James, Welland. https://m.geograph.org.uk
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THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES: http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
BRITISH HISTORY ONLINE (BHO): https://www.british-history.ac.uk
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND (NLS). Don't be misled by the title, these maps don't just cover Scotland. This first link is to the main home page of the site ... https://maps.nls.uk/index.html
So many maps - there's something for everyone, but the part of the site I most frequently use is the 'SIDE BY SIDE GEO-REFERENCING'. To get there from the main home page: Scroll down and select 'Side by side viewer' (the fourth large square) / The page will open with a screen that is headed "Side by side - Help" If you need instructions click and read, otherwise just click the cross in the top right corner to get rid of the message and dive right in / It should default to Great Britain and it should default to Bing / Where it says '2. Select a map series', from a drop down menu: Select the 'OS 25 inch 1892-1914 (for the best quality detail) and zoom in on the area you want.
GRAVESTONE PHOTOS: https://www.gravestonephotos.com/?from=/index.php?&r=1&width=768&browser=981
OLD MAPS ONLINE: http://www.oldmapsonline.org
MEDIEVAL WRITING.
http://medievalwriting.50megs.com/writing.htm
Includes Glossary of Terminology for Ancient Manuscripts and Documents
DUSTY DOCS: This 'umbrella' site is free to use and has brought together the information contained in many separate websites via links. This is a really useful site, but just be aware of where the links take you - many links will take you to sites that are also free to access; some linked sites require a subscription to view detailed information; and some require a subscription through the Dusty Docs site, but are free if you access them directly, or through another site of which you might already be a paying member:
http://www.dustydocs.com
Not just a website, but a very useful contact if you are looking for an out of print book. Clive is a very helpful and obliging person who's easy to deal with and he only lives in Hanley Swan, so if you collect, it will save you P&P. If he doesn't have a book in stock he'll look out for it for you (he's found me three, out of print Pamela Hurle books).
Clive Houghton, Red-Books. You can view his collection on Abebooks: https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sortby=0&vci=4816826
But if you do find anything you would like on his listing or want to ask him to look out for a specific book, just use his direct email or telephone instead.
Tel: 01684 310 931
Email: clive.houghton123@btinternet.com
Note: Many newspapers have their own free History or Archive section, so if you don't subscribe to the National Newspapers Archive site, it's always worthwhile checking a paper's own website to see what's available.
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