With TV shows like Ancestors and Who Do You Think You Are? attracting well known celebrities to explore their family history, ancestral travel has continued to rise in popularity in recent years. Genealogy is reported to be one of the second most popular hobbies.
The forthcoming 400th anniversary of the historic voyage of the Mayflower ship from the UK to the ‘New World’ sets to attract even more ancestral visitors. The anniversary will commemorate the legacy of the passengers and crew who undertook the epic journey inspired by an unquenchable desire for freedom; and for whom the voyage promised newfound liberty, there are today over 35 million descendants of the passengers and crew who sailed on the Mayflower. The UK national visitor project aims to reach out to these descendants and other ancestral tourists to invite them to visit England and follow in the footsteps of their Pilgrim ancestors.
Here are just a few of England’s new facilities and genealogy services for travellers looking to learn more about their ancestral roots in the UK:
The Box, Plymouth
Brand new for 2020, Plymouth’s flagship building for the Mayflower 400 commemorations will also be the principal archive for the area’s historical records. Archive highlights include Plymouth’s Bomb Book, which records where and when various devices were dropped on the city during World War II air raids.
Group tours and talks and help from a private researcher are available on request. There’s an online catalogue too. Opening 16 May 2020.
Plymhearts.org/thebox
International Bomber Command Centre Digital Archive, Lincolnshire
A world-class facility with the most comprehensive record of the Command in the world – acknowledging the efforts, sacrifices and commitment of the men and women, from 62 different nations, who came together in Bomber Command during WWII. There is a free-to-use digital archive of documents and oral histories from across the world, covering aviation and military heritage. The Wall of Names carry the names of almost 58,000 men and women who lost their lives while serving for Bomber Command. Visitors can dedicate an engraved paving stone to commemorate relatives, ancestors and friends.
internationalbcc.co.uk
Cambridge American Cemetery & Memorial
3,812 US personnel are laid to rest at the Cambridge American Cemetery and a further 5,127 names feature on the Wall of the Missing. The visitor centre incorporates personal stories, photographs, films and interactive displays including Americans in Great Britain. Group tours are free and visitors are advised to book in advance.
abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/cambridge-american-cemetery.
Essex Records Office, Chelmsford
For US residents, tracing English ancestors can begin at home, through Essex Records Office’s remote search option. The Essex Record Office holds many thousands of documents, maps, photographs, sound recordings and videos. Parish registers date back as far as 1538 and have now been digitized so can be accessed from home. One to one genealogy support is available with prior booking, as are archive behind the scenes tours.
www.essexrecordoffice.co.uk for more information!
Kresnon Kernow, Redruth, Cornwall
A new modern archive and library in a bespoke building bringing together the world’s largest collection of manuscripts, books and documents related to Cornwall. Opened 2019. Excellent digital facilities, events and exhibitions. Cornwall.gov.cro
Brunel Institute at Brunel’s SS Great Britain, Bristol
Visitors to the award winning SS Great Britain can access objects and expert help from one of the world’s finest maritime collections. The 67,000 items in the collection include books and periodicals, logs and personal diaries of crew members and passengers. The collections also include the complete run of Mariner’s Mirror and an almost complete run of Lloyd’s Register.
Written by: Pamela Badham, Mayflower 400
Mayflower 400 will be exhibiting at stand F20 at the British Tourism and Travel Show 2020.
If you haven’t already, don’t forget to register for British Tourism & Travel Show, taking place at the NEC Birmingham on 22-23 October.