If you have Worcestershire ancestors, or are particularly interested in Worcestershire history or archaeology, then consider yourself lucky. The Worcestershire Archives (at The Hive ), have an excellent service, Explore the Past, to help you work out what documents you need and where to find them. Added to that, they have produced a very handy introduction to the sources held at the archives, also called Explore the Past.
Explore the Past is downloadable in pdf form for a small fee and takes you through all the most commonly used types of sources held at the archives, with information about what each type of source can help you.
The Contents Section at the beginning shows you clearly all the different sections of the guide, and each one is clickable so you can go straight to the page you are interested in. Once there, the pages are clearly laid out, with interesting images and concise information about that source. There is also information on how you find and order the relevant documents either on the website or at the archives in person.
The guide also includes a section for Frequently Asked Questions, a handy glossary of terms, and a contacts page.
I found the guide was very clear to read, with bullet-point lists and large print, plus there are links to the relevant sections of the Worcestershire Archives website.
Finding your way around county archives is not always easy, and for the individual just starting out on any historical research, the range of different sources can be overwhelming. The Explore the Past guide goes a long way to making the process as easy and stress-free as possible. All other archives take note!
You can buy the guide HERE.
