History

In this part of the site we look at different aspects of history, to provide some background into our ancestors’ lives.  This can be very illuminating when attempting to understand why people did what they did.  The industrial revolution resulted in hundreds of thousands leaving the countryside for a better life - they hoped - in the rapidly expanding towns.  The highland clearances left crofters with little option but to move.  Likewise the Irish famines of the mid nineteenth century gave little choice to many but to emigrate.  But throughout history, the politics, the economic climate, religion and many other factors have all helped to shape why our ancestors did what they did and lived where they lived.

One of the things that makes  the study of family history so interesting is to put in the context of what was happening at the time a particular ancestor was living.

History in the context of family history