Past masters

But did you know that expert help is at hand on your doorstep if you want to trace your ancestors. Charley Morgan investigates...

THIS week saw hundreds of genealogy experts descend upon the historic town of St Andrews in Fife for one of the world's largest conferences on family history.

Hundreds of miles away in Trowbridge, the Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office is just as busy, with hundreds of people researching their own family histories there each year.

Robert Jago, an archivist at the record office, which is poised for a move to state-of-the-art premises in Chippenham, said: "People have left us huge quantities of records over the years - these records can tell us a lot about them as people and about their families."

Many people think the record office only holds certificates of birth, death and marriage, but they care for a vast amount of historic documents, including old copies of the Wiltshire Times which can help people tracing their family trees.

Some of these documents, such as wills, can make for amusing reading.

The last will and testament of Matthew Pinnell, dated November 2 1784, reads: "As to my brother, John Pinnell, he having a handsome fortune, the little that I have to leave will not be worth his acceptance, and as to my wife, Ann Swinburn and her family, they have taken no notice of me for a great many years therefore I shall take none of them."

This type of information certainly gives a more interesting background than simply tracing whom married whom and who their children were. Another useful type of document is a settlement examination.

These were drawn up by parishes for the poorest of people to decide which parish should take responsibility for them.

They often go into great detail about people's family history so a parish could work out whether the person was really their responsibility.

Mr Drago said: "You often get very cruel cases of pregnant women being sent from parish to parish while people decide who will take responsibility of her and her child. Settlement examinations often give a mini biography of a person."

One of these settlement examinations dates from 1756 and is for a nine-year-old boy called William Beard, from Trowbridge.

It says William was born a bastard' and lived with his mother Elizabeth Hutchings and stepfather.

His biological father was away with the Army and then his mother decided to leave him and go and work in London, leaving her son with his aunt.

At the age of nine it says he went to live in Trowbridge and got an apprenticeship there.

Another settlement examination from 1766 is for Hester Bishop, a young woman from Bradford on Avon, who wanted to be married.

She and her fianc had their bands read out but her mother objected to the marriage.

The papers say the couple were advised by a vicar's servant there was a man in Bath who would marry them without their bands being read out, and so they were married there.

The record office can also be used to research a building to find out who lived there before or to find out if buildings have been knocked down.

Steven Hobbs, an archivist, said: "Sometimes people research for interest and sometimes they need to for planning applications.

"It's sometimes easier to gain permission if there has been a similar building there before."

Using various censuses you can find out who has lived in a certain property, including their names and occupations.

Mr Hobbs said: "You get more of a feeling about a house in this way."

The record office has up to 10,000 visits each year with an average of 40 people visiting each day to find out more about their history.

It is free to use and is open between Monday and Friday, 9.15am to 5pm and Wednesday evening until 7.45pm.

For more information call (01225) 713515.