Ancestors in the medical profession

Do you have a doctor, surgeon or nurse in your family tree? Or an ancestor who worked in other medical professions such as dentistry, midwifery, district nursing or pharmacy?

You can find out more about their roles, training and places of work in this new book. It traces the development of medical practice and patient care; shows how to trace the careers of medical professionals; and describes all the key sources you will need.

Well illustrated with 40 images, this book is ideal for anyone with a medical ancestor as it is a comprehensive introduction to researching medical history.

The lives of Victorian servants

Did you know that female servants usually had to pay for their own clothing, and that their employers could dictate their style of dress and hairstyle? Or that footmen were paid more if they were a specified height or had good calves?

You can find out more about daily life for Victorian servants in this new book. It describes the servants' world, and the conditions they lived and worked in, together with detailed information about the employers; the social hierarchy within the servant class; and the recruitment, training and responsibilities of servants. It also includes a comprehensive guide to the sources that can be used to trace servant ancestors.

Well illustrated with 40 images, this book is ideal for anyone with a servant in their family tree. It will also appeal to anyone interested in delving into Victorian social history.

How can you trace forebears who were patients in British lunatic asylums and find out about their lives? What sources can you use to discover their personal history and gain an insight into their experience? This concise, accessible handbook provides the answers to these questions. It offers a fascinating introduction to the subject and gives readers the means to explore the records for themselves.

Covering the period from the eighteenth century through to 1948 when the NHS was founded, the book looks particularly at the Victorian era which is the most popular period for research. Using original records, contemporary accounts, photographs and illustrations, the story of the asylums and their patients is brought to life; there are also eighteen vivid case studies of real people who were treated in asylums.

Types of mental illness and asylums are described, as are the admission procedures and daily routine of the patients. Chapters look at the different kinds of mental illness treated, for instance, patients with melancholia, criminal lunatics, mothers with puerperal mania, epileptics, and soldiers suffering from shell-shock. There are sections on the systems in Scotland and Ireland, as well as England and Wales. Information is provided on all the relevant sources, from wills and the census to admission and discharge registers.

Tracing the history of the Christmas card from its Victorian origins up to the end of the Second World War, the text illustrates examples in colour of a wide variety from each decade and shows how to create your own collection. The first Christmas card appeared in 1843 but the idea did not catch on until almost twenty years late. The invention of the chromolithographic process and the introductin of comprehensive postal reforms sealed the success of the Christmas card. By the 1880s, sales were well into the millions per year and the Christmas card has retained its popularity ever since.

Victorian hospitals

Did you know that to get treatment in a Victorian general hospital, a prospective patient had to be recommended as a suitable person deserving of charity? Or that the standard length of stay for in-patients was six weeks?

You can find out more about daily life in Victorian hospitals for both patients and staff in this new book. It uses original research into the records of English, Welsh and Scottish hospitals to draw a national picture of the healthcare options available for the Victorian public.

Well illustrated with 80 images, this book is ideal for anyone with a doctor, nurse or hospital/asylum patient in their family tree. It will also appeal to anyone with an interest in Victorian medical history.

Victorian prisons

Have you discovered your ancestor had a brush with the law? Or that he or she worked in an English prison? This book will give you a real insight into what daily life was like for prisoners, convicts and prison staff. It uses prison and court records, newspaper reports, contemporary accounts and photographs to bring this period of history to life.

The book is divided into four parts: Part 1 covers the background to the Victorian English prison system and sentencing; Part 2 describes life in prison including the daily routine, living conditions, diet and health, work and discipline; Part 3 is devoted to different kinds of prisoners and convicts; and Part 4 focuses on prison staff.

Well illustrated with 80 images, this book is a mine of information about daily life in the Victorian prison.

The poor in Victorian times

With the explosion of interest in family history, more and more people are discovering ancestors who were workhouse inmates or who were members of staff in workhouses. This book has been specifically written for these family historians who want to find out what life was really like for their ancestors.

Using workhouse records, contemporary sources and oral testimony, this book presents an accurate picture of what daily life was like for inmates. It also looks at the living conditions and duties of the staff who, in many ways, were prisoners of the workhouse.

Step into the world of domestic service and discover what life was really like for these unsung heroines (and heroes) of society. Between 1800 and 1950, the role of servants changed dramatically but they remained the people without whom the upper and middle classes could not function.

Through oral histories, diaries, newspaper reports and never before seen testimony, domestic servants tell their stories, warts and all - Downton, it isn't!

Revenge on a mistress with a box of beetles
The despair and loneliness of a 14-year-old maid
The adventure of moving to London to go into service
An escape from an unhappy home life

Find out about the 'servant problem' and how servants found work; how National Insurance began to improve their lot; the impact WW1 had on domestic service; and what was done to try to make the occupation appealing to a new generation.

The ultimate visitor's guide to Victorian England

Have you ever imagined what it would be like to visit the Victorian era? How would you find the best seat on an omnibus, deal with unwanted insects and vermin, get in and out of a vehicle while wearing a crinoline or avoid catching an infectious disease?

Step into the past and relive the sights, sounds and smells of Victorian England, from personal hygiene and toilet arrangements to transport, pastimes and shopping - and everything in between. Drawing on a wide range of sources, this book blends accurate historical details with compelling stories to bring the Victorian period to life.