CWGC, Beeb & Boz

As the title of today's post would suggest, we have a varied selection of news items to get through on this, the opening day of the month. We'll begin with a special bulletin from the CWGC - which is basically the low-down on their new website layout. Have a fiddle, why don't you.

Regular readers will know how much I love the BBC's website, especially the area dedicated to the BBC History Magazine. Recent activity has seen the release of their February issue, the publication of their 'Out and About' feature for February (exhibitions, events, etc.), and the unveiling of a new Podcast (Old & New World Civilisations, and Bristol's M Shed Museum).

Whilst we're on the subject, I might as well mention the latest TNA Podcast, which is entitled Nineteenth Century Merchant Seafarers & their Records.


Ancestry have made a couple of announcements on their blog concerning (a) their Interactive Image Viewer - currently in Beta mode (comments are being invited from users), and (b) a free update for Family Tree Maker 2012 for Windows.

Over to Ireland now, and with her usual efficiency Claire Santry brings us her February diary of lectures & events.

And there's a little bit more info on the forthcoming changes at the National Library of Ireland to be found on the institution's blog, here.

If you're keen to follow goings-on at the RootsTech Conference in Salt Lake City (see yesterday's post), then I reckon a good place to visit for a UK angle on developments is The Family Recorder blog. For those who don't know, this blog is run by Audrey Collins who works at The National Archives ... and she is actually in the US for the said occasion. Her latest post on the subject is here.

And you may have noticed that the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens (pen-name 'Boz') is fast approaching (7th February). For an excellent overview of his life check out the article by Ros Bott (a self-confessed Dickens nut) here.

From Twitter:

• Certificate of Irish Heritage competition (from @heritagecert);
• 3D castles on the Internet! (from UEA_History);
• The REAL Somme tunnellers (from @sommecourt);
• SCA's 'Broadsheet' now out (from @ScotsArchives);
• CAIRT newsletter (Scottish Maps) (from @ScottishHistory).

1800: A year of remarkable scarcity when all, the poor in particular, lived healthily on the worst of bread and not one died within the year in this parish.

(Great Creaton PR, Northants)