Shropshire Family History Society

Shropshire Family History Society
Name	Shropshire Family History Society
Formation	1979
Type	Charitable organisation
Headquarters	Shrewsbury
Region served	Shropshire

Shropshire Family History Society The Shropshire Family History Society is a county-based genealogical organisation focused on researching pedigrees, parish registers and civic records for Shropshire. It connects local historians, family historians and archivists across towns like Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Telford and Oswestry with broader networks such as the Society of Genealogists, the British Association for Local History and the National Archives. The Society supports research into parish families, landed estates, and migration patterns related to industrial centres like Ironbridge and coalfields near Wrexham.

History

The Society was founded in the late 20th century amid a revival of local history interest associated with institutions such as the Victoria County History, the Royal Historical Society, and county record offices like Shropshire Archives. Early figures involved in foundation included members from the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society, local family historians influenced by publications from the Family History Federation and methodologies promoted by the Society of Genealogists. Over succeeding decades the Society collaborated with civic bodies in Shrewsbury, Ludlow Castle Trust, Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and university departments at Keele University and the University of Birmingham to digitise parish registers and transcribe wills, aligning with national initiatives at the National Archives, the British Library and The National Trust.

Activities and Services

The Society organises local meetings in venues across Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Much Wenlock and Bishop's Castle, and runs research help desks at county archives and history centres like Shropshire Archives and the Centre for Life History Research. It provides guidance on primary sources including parish registers, tithe maps, manorial records, probate inventories and census returns from 1841 to 1911, often liaising with institutions such as the General Register Office, the Public Record Office, FamilySearch and Ancestry. Volunteers deliver training workshops referencing methodologies used by the Society of Genealogists, the Federation of Family History Societies and regional studies by the Historic Houses Association.

Publications and Resources

The Society produces a regular journal, parish transcriptions, marriage indices, burial indices and bespoke name databases, mirroring practices seen in county journals like those from the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society and the Lancashire Family History & Heraldry Society. Its publications include printed volumes of baptisms, marriages and burials for parishes in Ludlow, Church Stretton, Albrighton and Shifnal, and specialist studies on topics linked to figures such as John Selden, Sir Rowland Hill, Robert Clive and early industrialists associated with the Ironbridge Gorge. The Society’s resources complement holdings at the National Archives, the British Library and local museums including the Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery and the Museum of the Gorge.

Membership and Organisation

Membership is open to individuals, families and institutional subscribers, with governance structures reflecting best practice from charities registered with the Charity Commission and committees modeled on those used by the Federation of Family History Societies. Officers often include a chair, secretary and treasurer drawn from local communities in Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Market Drayton and Ellesmere. The Society collaborates with learned bodies such as the Royal Historical Society, the Institute of Historical Research, and regional groups like the Worcestershire Family History Society and the Herefordshire Family History Society to coordinate county-wide initiatives and reciprocal public lectures.

Research Projects and Events

Ongoing projects have included transcription of 17th- to 19th-century parish registers, indexing of nonconformist meeting records associated with movements like Methodism and the Quakers, and studies of emigration to colonies linked to figures such as Captain Cook, the East India Company and settler movements to Australia and Canada. Special events feature talks on hearth tax returns, enclosure awards, and local case-studies tied to estates like Attingham Park, Hawkstone Park and the Ludlow Castle landscape, often inviting speakers affiliated with Trinity College, Cambridge, the Open University and local history societies. The Society also organises research weekends, workshops on palaeography, and participation at county heritage open days and the Shropshire History Festival.

Relationships with Archives and Societies

The Society maintains formal and informal relationships with Shropshire Archives, the National Archives, the British Library, county museums such as the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust and university special collections at the University of Birmingham. It liaises with national and regional bodies including the Society of Genealogists, the Federation of Family History Societies, the Royal Historical Society and local groups like the Shrewsbury Local History Association, the Ludlow Civic Society and the Oswestry Borderlands History Society to share transcriptions, pursue joint digitisation projects and contribute to collaborative exhibitions with institutions such as the National Trust and Historic England.

Category:Genealogical societies of the United Kingdom Category:Organisations based in Shropshire