Behind what may be the most famous piece of coast in the English world, lies Kent - an ancient English county jutting out in to the sea and around which many of our forebears sailed on their journey to Australia. They may even have commenced their journey being loaded from the Chatham Hulks. Having cleared the Thames estuary hundreds of sailing ships often sheltered in The Downs awaiting favourable winds to take them through the Strait of Dover and westwards into the English Channel. The Kentish coast may have been their last glimpse of England.
On Thursday 17 October 2019- 10:00 am to 12:30 pm - the GSV is privileged to host a seminar that you should not miss if you have any Kentish links.
'Genealogy, History and Geography' plus 'Tracing your Kent Ancestors'
Presented by David Wright,a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists and a member of the Kent Family History Society for over forty years.
History without geography is meaningless. This talk covers our ancestors' lives in context: how and why they moved and how such behaviour can be traced. It looks at county and other boundaries and the restriction of freedom they allowed.
Genealogically speaking, Kent is an important maritime county, which has played a prime defensive role in English history. It is large and diverse and replete with great houses, castles and other family homes, many with their own archives. It is also a fascinating area of research for historians. This talk is packed with vital information for anyone researching their own family history.
Bookings are required and can be made online, by email, in person or by telephone (Mon-Fri 9.00am-4.00pm). Go to our website for details. https://dev.gsv.org.au/ Maximum 35 attendees, and there will be a wait list available.
Our presenter
David Wright is a professional genealogist, historian and writer. He has taught at University College, London, and he is a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists.
David's career has covered over three decades of genealogical and historical research, by way of the study of classics and University lecturing, and he has written three books on Kentish records and the guide 'Tracing your Kent Ancestors'. He lectures widely on genealogy and allied subjects and has taught classical and mediaeval Latin and palaeography at the City Literary Instituteand, at both University College, Londonand the School of History at the University of Kent at Canterbury. He has been a member of the Kent Family History Society almost from its inception in the 1970s. In 2009, after nearly forty years’ membership, he was awarded a prestigious fellowship of the Society of Genealogists, and in November 2017 was honoured by being invited to sign the Fellows' Register of the Society of Antiquaries, London.
***