Graveyards And Burial Grounds: A Summer School For Family And Local Historians

Introduction

Generally speaking, family historians love nothing better than to explore graveyards and burial grounds in the hopes of finding that elusive family grave. Often, we make a note of  any inscriptions found, and hurry away to record the data in our files. However, there is so much more to the records and commemoration of death than this. On this course, we will explore a wide range of topics that can help us get the most from death records and burials/cremations. These will include:

·     An overview of records, memorabilia, and ephemera relating to a death

·     The history and development of graveyards and cemeteries, both denominational and civic

·     The architecture, anthropology and design of monuments, and what they can reveal about our ancestors and the community they lived in 

·     How to  record what you find

·     Getting the most out of what you find -  using death and burial data to further your research

Each day school will be held on the following dates (all Wednesdays):

19th July

26th July

2nd August

9th August

Each day will begin at 10.00am and finish at 4.00pm.  The mornings will be spent at the guild in the classroom, and in the afternoon we will embark on field trips, to visit a selection of graveyards and cemeteries to put into practice your newfound skills and knowledge. 

You are encouraged to bring along a packed lunch for each day school, wear sturdy footwear for the field trips and have rainwear in reserve! The tutor will make every effort to make sure all sites visited are accessible for everyone. If you have concerns about this, please get in touch to discuss.

Please note that there will not be group transport (minibus, etc) available for the field trips. 

About the tutor

Gill Rossini is a published, highly experienced family and social historian who has been teaching family history and related topics since 1988. She is a regular contributor to the BBC genealogy magazine Who Do You Think You Are? and a regular expert presenter for the genealogy website Find My past, both publicly and as an expert lecturer for their researchers. She has been interviewed on television and by BBC Radio and is as [assionate now about her subject as she was when she began teaching.