KEY RESOURCES

CREED REGISTERS

Workhouse creed registers were kept from 1869, so that correct arrangements could be made for inmates regarding education (for children) or in the event of death, depending on their faith, and can provide a wealth of information. Records are held locally, but are increasingly being made available online – learn more on page 63.

LIBRARY WEBSITES

Holdings available digitally via your local library website vary, but lancashire.gov.uk/librariesand-archives, which Julie used in her research, allows you to access some newspaper and photograph archives, plus indexes to holdings related to family history.

If you visit your library in person, you may well be able to access ancestry.co.uk and find mypast.co.uk, plus other local databases, free of charge.

LOCAL NEWSPAPERS

Local newspaper articles are invaluable for tracing ancestors’ daily lives. Julie used them to uncover Isaac Parker’s villainous activities from court cases and his bankruptcy – plus gained an insight into the Cotton Famine, which her Parker kin lived through. Generally held in local archives, more are being added all the time to britishnewspaper archive.co.uk, also accessible via findmypast.co.uk.

POOR LAW RELIEF

If an ancestor received financial help from the state, then there should be records of them. Prior to 1834, the system was largely parish-based so the records will be held in local archives. After 1834, when the Poor Law Unions were introduced, many of the records were centralised. Those who could, managed on ‘out relief’ – ie they were given handouts and lived outside the workhouse. Search The National Archives’ Discovery catalogue ( discovery. nationalarchives.gov.uk) for names; workhouses.org has details of the Poor Law system.