Spring at the County Record Office
Step into the past at the County Record Office this spring with a variety of activities for those with an interest in local and family history.
Internet Skills For Family Historians will help those interested in pursuing their family history using the range of resources available on the internet. The course takes place on Saturday 30 April from 9.15 am to 12.15 pm and costs £12. Check whether you are you getting the best out of the internet; this workshop will help you to improve your research skills.
Medieval Warwick is a study day taking place on Monday 9 May, 10am to 4.15pm which will explore the origins and growth of Warwick, looking at the life, economy and buildings and the lordships of the medieval town.
Through looking at documents, archaeology, landscape and buildings, the session will explore how our understanding of medieval Warwick has developed. The course costs £28 to attend and participants are asked to bring their own lunch.
Family historians will be interested in Family Tree Maker on Saturday 14 May Family Tree Maker from 9.15am to 12.15pm. The short course costs £12 and shows people how to display their family history research. Historian Jenny Cranfield leads the workshop which introduces the Family Tree Maker genealogy software programme and demonstrates how to get the best out of it.
Also on 14 May, James Mackay will be giving a talk on twentieth century architecture. Hope, Light and Brutality: An Enthusiasm for Modern Architecture takes place from 2.30pm to 4.30pm and has been organised by Friends of the Record Office (FWCRO). Priced at £5 members of FWCRO, £6.50 non-members, booking is through Mrs B Sunley, 10a Barrow Road, Kenilworth, CV8 1EH. Please make a cheque payable to FWCRO and include and SAE.
Behind the Scenes at the County Record Office on Tuesday 17 May 7pm to 8.30pm offers an opportunity to peep behind the scenes at the record office. Archivists will show visitors how to use the record office, give them a tour of the strongrooms and they will view original records and discover how they are cared for. This session costs £6, or £5 for concessions.
Deciphering handwriting often poses challenges for historians. Help with Handwriting in the Parish Records on Saturday 21 May 9.30am to 11.30am will make this easier. Parish records are a useful source of information but the handwriting is often unclear. This informal, hands on session costs £6, concession £5 and aims to improve people’s skills at reading the different characters in writing from the 16th to 19th centuries.
All events take place at the County Record Office in Priory Park, Warwick. Places are in demand for each activity so to avoid disappointment please book in advance unless otherwise stated by calling 01926 738959.
Warwickshire County Record Office is involved in safeguarding, managing and developing Warwickshire’s archives so that they can be accessed, interpreted and enjoyed by all those with an interest in Warwickshire’s past and its people. We hold records dating from the twelfth century up to the twenty first.