Link-up The latest issue of our journal, the Summer edition, has been published with a new design and layout of pages and amongst the items appearing are:

Focus on Surnames dealing this issue with the surname O'Brien. In origin this surname comes from the Irish Gaelic O'Briain, which means 'son of Brian'. Brian is an ancient Celtic name of uncertain origin - but the most likely explanation is that it means 'hill'.

Old Trades and Occupations as always, deals with a variety of trades and occupations, and the range in this issue covers  the Groom of the Chamber which in small households he was head of staffing, in larger ones he was directly under the instruction of the House Steward, to a rush light maker who was a blacksmith specialising in making holders for rushes soaked in fat or oil and used for lighting purposes when candles were expensive, absent or scarce.

Hampshire Villages covers Buriton which began as a Saxon settlement and was originally called burh tun, which means the farm of a hamlet by the fort.

The History Year was 1977, the year in which Bing Crosby, Maria Callas and Anthony Eden all died, Red Rum made horse-racing history when he won the Grand National for the third time, Jimmy Carter was sworn in as the 39th President of the United States, the US Space Shuttle made its first test flight and it was also the Queen's Silver Jubilee.

The Who Are series is all about B&Q, the retailer of DIY and home improvement tools and supplies which was founded in March 1969 in Southampton and which now has 331 stores in the United Kingdom, 9 in the Republic of Ireland and 63 in China.

Special items include the fourth one the series about War Memorials around the world, that of Fromelles in France,and also the fourth part about the history of the Sir George Staunton Estate in which our Centre is built. Other items included researching the Royal Marines for ancestors, rolling cheese in Gloucestershire, the Archers Radio show, the Mormon Family History Centres, Records in Hampshire Record Office, the commemoration of the Dunkirk evaluation, finds with a metal detector and many other items of a family history and heritage nature. 

Please remember, Link-up is now published quarterly.

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Parish Registers

As well as our coverage of Hampshire Parish Registers which you will find details of on the Parish Registers page of this site, we are trying to get all the local parishes done as a priority. The latest of the Haylings are now not too far behind.