June 13, 2013 9.15 am This story is over 140 months old

Family history website reveals details of Lincolnshire famous figures’ pasts

Family records: Lincolnshire residents can now get insight into their family history or other famous county figures with Find My Past at local libraries.
Mike Rogers browses through the old handwritten records at the Lincolnshire Archives in Lincoln. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

A family history website has opened up more records detailing the life of famous figures from Lincolnshire.

The handwritten registers from Lincolnshire Archives dating back to 1538 are now available to see online at Find My Past.

They detail baptisms, marriages and burials from 500 parishes across the county, and have information on people like scientist Isaac Newton and poet Lord Tennyson.

There is also information on the burial of hangman William Marwood, who invented the “long drop” hanging technique, which sees the prisoner’s neck broken instantly at the bottom on the drop.

Family historian Debra Chatfield from Find My Past, said: “The Lincolnshire parish records include fascinating information about some of our most noteworthy and infamous figures, not just from Lincolnshire’s history, but the whole of British history.

“Publishing them online so that people can find their ancestors and see whether they are related to Sir Isaac Newton or one of the other celebrities we’ve uncovered, such as poet Lord Tennyson, polar explorer John Franklin, or mathematician George Boole, is really exciting.”

Councillor Nick Worth, executive member for libraries and culture, said: “Lincolnshire has a rich cultural heritage, and the county council has long sought to celebrate and enhance this through digital access.

“The partnership with Find My Past is a very positive development that will help bring these records to a wider, global audience, and hopefully encourage people to explore more of the county’s vibrant history.”

The national website has a database of 1.6 billion family records, ranging from censuses, military, newspaper and crime records. It also has the largest parish records in the country.

Access to the records carries a fee, though most of Find My Past can be accessed for free in Lincolnshire libraries, such as parish registers, census records, maritime births, marriages and deaths, merchant navy records, British Army service records and crime, prisons and punishment records.