This website provides further information about the three books I have written, and also includes accounts of my research on the origins of William Davenport, an ancestor of Catherine Elizabeth Middleton, now Princess of Wales.

After many years of personal family history research and several years as a professional genealogist, I had long been aware of the dearth of books focusing on research before 1837, when the sources available are markedly different to the Victorian era with its civil registration and census records, and 'brick walls' are much more likely to be encountered. In the continuing absence of such a book, I eventually decided to write one myself, which subsequently evolved into two complementary but self-contained books. Tracing Your Georgian Ancestors 1714-1837 focuses on sources and the relevant historical background. It is aimed at both total newcomers to research before 1837 and readers who wish to learn more about the sources available for research in this period, and the historical context within which they were produced. Tracing Your Pre-Victorian Ancestors: A Guide to Research Methods for Family Historians, focuses on research methodology and is aimed at readers who already have some experience of research before 1837. My book on the history of parish registers in the period from 1660 to 1837: A History of Parish Registers in England and Wales: From the Restoration to Civil Registration, is due to be published in early 2026.