IHGS: The School of Family History

IHGS August Newsletter -

IHGS August Newsletter Distance Learning Courses Summer Offers All our courses are flexible and self paced Higher Certificate in Genealogy - 10% with code IHGSAGRA10 Renown as the Correspondence Course In Genealogy - the Higher Certificate in Genealogy course, is suitable both for beginners and for experienced genealogist...

The latest edition of our journal, Family History, is now available in the IHGS online Members' Area!

With articles by our graduates, IHGS news and events and more.

Available to members through their login on the IHGS homepage.

We hope you enjoy this edition.

Our latest Newsletter is now out and its our Awards Day special!

IHGS July Newsletter Discover the story behind your home with this new online course, designed to guide you through the records and resources needed to research the history of a house and the people who lived there. Written by our expert Tutors Lucy Browne, Sarah Pettyfer and Lorraine Whale.

We are delighted to announce the launch of our New OnlineCourse now available Property, People and Place

Property, People and Place: A Guide to House History Research
Have you ever wondered who lived in your house before you? Or how your home and its surroundings have changed over the years?

Our brand-new online course, Property, People and Place: A Guide to House History Research, will show you how to uncover the fascinating history of a house and the people who called it home. Written by our expert tutors Lucy Browne, Sarah Pettyfer and Lorraine Whale, this course will guide you through the records, maps and historical sources that bring a property's story to life.

Ideal for anyone with some experience of family history research, you'll build on your knowledge of civil registration records, census returns and parish registers as you learn how to investigate the history of a house with confidence.

Best of all, you can enrol at any time and study entirely at your own pace, with no fixed timetable.

✨ Introductory Offer – Save 20%!

Now just £360 (usually £450)

For more details and to enrol

House History Course | IHGS Discover the story behind your home with this new online course, designed to guide you through the records and resources needed to research the history of a house and the people who lived there. Written by our expert Tutors Lucy Browne, Sarah Pettyfer and Lorraine Whale.

Our July Talk of the Month

Forget the Family Tree. Tend Your Family Ivy! by Dai Davies of GenealCymru

Fear not the rabbit holes! Looking beyond your direct ancestors is actually a crucial part of developing a deep understanding of your family history and breaking down your brick walls. In this talk, Dai discusses the concept of the “family ivy"—those families that appear generation after generation on the margins of your family tree—and how best to use it. The Family Ivy is a concept that sits somewhere between the FAN method, pedigree collapse, and those pesky rabbit holes.

Dai Davies (they/them) is a professional genealogist, speaker, and writer with a passion for connecting people with their Welsh ancestors. The foundation of Dai’s approach is their background in anthropology—MA and BA (Hons)—which they use to explore themes of social identity, culture, and history. Dai’s personal family history research is focussed on rural south Wales, the farming class, literary culture, religious nonconformity, and migration. This Welsh research, which is notoriously challenging, is the starting point for Dai’s exploration of universal questions around how to break brick walls, develop new research methods, gain an in-depth knowledge of your ancestors, and thoughtfully tell the fullness of their stories. You can find much of Dai’s work for free on their blog (www.GenealCymru.com) or join the more than 1.3 million people who have watched the GenealCymru YouTube channel.

Free to our Members and Students via your login until 3rd August

Only £10 for visitors https://www.ihgs.ac.uk/talk-of-the-month-7

Talk of the Month | IHGS The Institute of Heraldic and Genealogical Studies                       Terms and Conditions 80-82 Northgate Canterbury Kent, CT1 1BA UK Tel: +44 (0)1227 768664

Come and join us on 4th July for Canterbury's annual Medieval Pageant. This year the trail has a Bayeux Tapestry theme, in honour of its arrival at the British Museum later this year, and for the first time IHGS is going to be opening its doors as part of the pageant, and welcoming pageant attendees to its historic premises on Northgate. It joins venues across the city such as the Westgate Towers, Beaney Institute, St Augustine's Abbey amongst many others, offering 20 different trail activities. Collecting stamps along the way in turn earns you a chocolate coin from Canterbury Cathedral!

Further details regarding the trail and where is open, together with the trail map, can be downloaded here,

Family Trail - Canterbury Medieval Pageant Parade and Family Trail

Congratulations to Professor Turi King!

IHGS has awarded Professor Turi King the prestigious Julian Bickersteth Memorial Medal for her outstanding contributions to genealogy and the advancement of genetic family history research.
Professor King, Director of the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath, is one of Britain’s leading forensic geneticists. She rose to international prominence by leading the DNA analysis that confirmed the identity of King Richard III’s remains discovered beneath a car park in Leicester. She also co-presents DNA Family Secrets on the BBC. Her pioneering work continues to transform genetic genealogy, archaeogenetics, and forensic genetics.

Her influential research including her ground breaking PhD on the relationship between Y-chromosomes and British surnames has played a vital role in bridging modern forensic science with traditional genealogy.

The medal will be formally presented at the IHGS Awards Day in July 2026.

“I am honoured to receive the Julian Bickersteth Memorial Medal from the IHGS. Family history and genetic genealogy have always been central to my work. This award highlights the exciting ways in which scientific research can enrich our understanding of British heritage and ancestry.” Professor Turi King

A fantastic and well-deserved honour!

We are delighted to announce that the Higher Certificate in Genealogy has now been recognised by AGRA for the same membership pathway exemption as our Diploma in Genealogy.

This is because the IHGS Higher Certificate itself now concludes with a 20-hour research assignment that meets the AGRA criteria. This recognition means that future Higher Certificate graduates applying for AGRA Membership are now also exempt from completing the 20-hour research assignment, reflecting AGRA's confidence in the quality, rigour, and research skills developed through the course.

We are proud that the Higher Certificate continues to meet the exacting standards expected within the profession, and we remain committed to maintaining close alignment with AGRA's high standards of genealogical practice and research excellence.

To celebrate this exciting development, we are offering a 10% discount for all new higher certificate enrolments.

Enrol now and save 10% using the code IHGSAGRA10

Enhanced AGRA Recognition for our Higher Certificate in Genealogy We are delighted to announce that future graduates of our Higher Certificate in Genealogy (HC) are now exempt from the 20-hour research assignment when applying for AGRA Membership.

Join this lunchtime zoom talk Monday 18th May
AI: Its Origins, Meaning and Implications with Paul Carter

Paul will talk about the origins of AI and why it has taken until now for us to see so much development in the technology. He will also break down some of the technical buzzwords, offer his own view of the use of AI tools today & what the future means for us. Should we be ready to embrace or fear this technology?

https://www.ihgs.ac.uk/2721

https://mailchi.mp/ihgs/ai

Tutorial - AI (Artificial Intelligence): Its Origins, Meaning and Implications with Paul Carter 18th May 12pm The past couple of years has seen a significant increase in awareness and discussion around artificial intelligence (AI). But many of the concepts behind it date back many years.

IHGS May Newsletter -

IHGS May Newsletter Our June Live Talk AI (Artificial Intelligence) Its Origins, Meaning and Implications  with Paul Carter 18th May 12pm In this talk, Paul will talk about the origins of AI and why it has taken until now for us to see so much development in the technology. He will also break down some of the technica...