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Blackmore Vale Group

The amazing story of Dr James Barry

Posted on 19th August 2022

Speaker: Felicity Herring Dr James Barry was first female doctor in Britain! Born in Cork in 1789 she was the niece of the artist James Barry RA In 1809 she disguised herself as a man and went to Edinburgh University to train to be a doctor Following her graduation in 1812 she joined the army and was posted to South Africa where she maintained her male persona throughout, even fighting a duel In Cape Town she performed the first successful caesarean section in which both mother and baby... more

Dissecting the Documents: UK Censuses from 1801 to the Present

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Please note 7pm start! Speaker: Dr Penny Walters This session will look at the development of the United Kingdom decennial censuses from 1801 headcounts through the decades to last year’s 2021 census A 100-year closure rule was established after the 1911 Census, so it has been very exciting to have the 1921 census revealed in January 2022 This was the first census after the First World War and Spanish Flu pandemic The 1939 Register, originally designed for the issuing of ID cards,... more

Parish Registers: A social history

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Speaker: Ted Udall Parish Registers are an amazing snapshot of life in a local area These handwritten books, usually kept in the parish church, contain details of weddings, baptisms and funerals From them, it’s possible to find out who lived where in a Parish and what was happening locally at any given time The Registers were introduced in England and Wales in 1538 – and, bearing in mind that ten-yearly censuses were not introduced until 1841, the importance of Parish Registers... more

Member and Guest Blogs Welcome

We welcome guest and member blog posts on any topic with a family history connection and invite you to send your contributions, which should include photo/photos, to the editor Barbara Elsmore

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