A second consecutive week of Leicestershire additions on Findmypast, sees two new collections covering poverty, parish life, and the commemoration of the dead — alongside a newspaper update with a Welsh flavour.
Leicestershire Poor Law Records, 1678–1921
This collection of 14,626 records is sourced from several distinct record types. The Order Books for Removals and Settlements (1678–1832) document Quarter Sessions cases where parishes disputed the removal of individuals — often revealing detailed information about where people came from and where they belonged.
The Leicester Division Bastardy Book (1844–1874) and Leicestershire Bastardy Order Books (1678–1832) together cover around 3,700 Petty Sessions cases, recording sentences imposed by the court.
The Leicester Union Emigrants Register (1905–1921) documents those whose passage to the colonies — mainly Canada — was funded by the Poor Law Union, recording names, ages, destinations, and sailing dates.
Records can include name, birth year and date, father’s and mother’s names, abode, appellant, respondent, date of order, decision, quarter session period, destination, and date sailed — making this a rich collection for understanding an ancestor’s circumstances in considerable depth.
Leicestershire Monumental Inscriptions, 1850–2022
Brought together by the Nottinghamshire Family History Society, this collection covers burials in church graveyards, cemeteries, and war memorials across Leicestershire. Records include name, birth and death dates, age at death, place and cemetery of burial, memorial reference, and inscription details, with original images sometimes revealing additional family members buried together.
British Newspaper Archive: 259,548 New Pages
This week’s update adds 259,548 pages across five new titles and updates to 29 existing publications, with a notably Welsh flavour among the new additions.
New Titles
| Title | Date Range | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Yr Amserau | 1843–1859 | 3,956 |
| Musical & Dramatic World | 1881–1883 | 1,192 |
| Southampton Times | 1893 | 434 |
| Monmouthshire Gazette and Coleford and Forest of Dean Circular | 1849–1850 | 120 |
| Yorkshire Chronicle | 1873 | 400 |
Updated Titles with Over 10,000 Pages Added
| Title | Date Range | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Mail | 2000–2002 | 45,820 |
| Reading Evening Post | 2004–2005 | 35,890 |
| Nottingham Evening Post | 2002 | 29,286 |
| Times of Ceylon | 1867–1950 | 27,972 |
| Derby Daily Telegraph | 2002 | 23,238 |
| Hindoo Patriot | 1892–1922 | 18,550 |
| Formby Times | 2001–2005 | 14,504 |
| Scarborough Evening News | 2005 | 12,298 |
On this date in 1346 the battle of Neville’s Cross was fought outside Durham in the north-east of England. It was a decisive moment in Anglo-Scottish history that led to the capture of King David II of Scotland.
It’s not called that; it could well be. On Saturday, after having completed the reason for my visit to the Main Branch of the Ottawa Public Library, I wandered into the Ottawa Room on the 3rd floor. It’s cram-packed with publications documenting an amazing range of Ottawa history. Many years ago there was a staff member assigned full-time to the room; now it’s the subject of benign neglect. As I was leaving a bust near the room’s entrance caught my eye.
