All Events

Join in this online discussion from your own home, wherever you live. Open only to members of Berkshire Family History Society. Informal discussion group, facilitated by Chad Hanna and Gillian Stevens. Topics are chosen by the group on a monthly basis. End time varies. This meeting's topics are: (1) Gravestones and memorials (2) anything else you wish to discuss. Free to attend, but pre-booking is required so that the meeting link can be emailed to you. 

Join Phyllida for the uplifting true story of survival and success against all the odds. Phyllida tells the story of Joe Stirling, with insights into her research journey, including visiting the Rhineland to find Günter's birthplace.

This all series ticket covers all three talks in the "Reading Heritage" talks series, for the discounted price of £12.50 (members £10.00). You may also book each talk individually - see each separate event page. All three talks are on Thursdays at 2pm in The Centre for Heritage and Family History, Reading. They last about an hour with time for questions and discussion afterwards. Tea, coffee and cake after the talk is included in the price.

In 2025, we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birthday of Jane Austen. So how better to start the year than with a talk by local historian and dedicated Janeite Joy Pibworth, exploring Austen’s connections with Reading. Reading’s Abbey Gateway was then home to the Ladies Boarding School which Jane Austen attended from 1785-6. With the help of contemporary sources, we shall look at the buildings, daily routines, the teachers and the local environment Jane would have become familiar with (and possibly even muse on the echoes in her writing). This is the first of three talks in the Reading Heritage Talks Series. You may book tickets for individual events or for all three talks in the series for a reduced price.  

The Museum of Eton Life brings to life the experience of learning, playing and living at Eton College across six centuries. The museum sets the history and traditions of Eton alongside stories of daily life of students, staff and visitors. The College Library holds articles dating from the 9th to 21st centuries and include, in addition to rare books and manuscripts, prints and printed ephemera, personal and literary archives, drawings and artefacts. The College Archives has a rich and varied collection of records and photographs relating to its own history as well as areas of special interest including travel writing, theatrical history and World War One.

This special interest discussion group is aimed at those wanting to get the most out of their DNA results. It is facilitated by international DNA expert, Debbie Kennett. Sessions are held quarterly, but there is no obligation to attend on a regular basis. First time attendees are always welcomed. This is a great opportunity to ask questions and to gain and share ideas for how you can use your results to solve questions and break down brick walls.

Discover hidden gems within the churchwardens’ accounts and vestry minutes, learn about the social economics of your ancestors’ parish with Poor Law administration records and unearth scandals and tragedies in the bastardy bonds.

Are you just getting started in family history and wanting guidance as to how to proceed? Or are you stuck at a particular "brick wall" and need some help?

Join Melanie King, author of The Secret History of the English Spa (2021), to share some of the Duchess of Marlborough’s adventures as she visits a few English spas.

This all series ticket covers all three talks in the Winter "Potpourri of Social History" talks series, for the discounted price of £12.50 (members £10.00). You may also book each talk individually - see each separate event page. All three talks are on Thursdays at 2pm and last about an hour. Afterwards there will be time for questions and discussion. This is an online talks series using Zoom. 

We are delighted to welcome the acclaimed and popular author and speaker Helen Baggott to lick-off our online talks programme for 2025. This talk explores the lives of our ancestors through the messages that they wrote and the postcards they sent. Mill workers in Yorkshire, families affected by the first national rail strike, visitors to London and the execution of murderers are just some of the stories included in this talk. Our ancestors left a remarkable record of their lives; will you discover your own ancestors through postcards from the past? This is the first of three talks in the Winter Potpourri Talks Series. You may book tickets for individual events or for all three talks in the series for a reduced price.