The Family History Show - London
2025-10-04 10:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Rd E, Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, TW16 5AQ
LWMFHS is attending.
Our volunteers will be on hand at our stand to give research help.
We will also be selling our publications, including our ever popular Parish Guides, plus maps relevant to our area and other sale items.

Brown's Hotel, London: A Family Affair
2025-10-09 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Andy Williamson.
The definitive history of London’s oldest luxury hotel, founded in Dover Street (off Piccadilly) in 1832 by James Brown.
Brown’s Hotel is London’s oldest luxury hotel and has hosted everyone from Agatha Christie, Rudyard Kipling and Lady Byron to President Roosevelt, King Zog and Mahatma Gandhi. Opened in 1832, it spent its first century run by two families: the Browns and the Fords. Andy Williamson, author of Brown’s Hotel: A Family Affair, reveals the trail of archive research and red herrings that led to the uncovering of the truth behind the owners of this legendary hotel.
For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
Join Us – LWMFHS

Oxfordshire FHS Family History Fair 2025
2025-10-25 10:00 - 16:00 | Cherwell School North Site, Marston Ferry Road, Oxford, OX2 7EE, United Kingdom
LWMFHS is attending.
Our volunteers will be on hand at our stall to give research help.
We will also be selling our publications, including our ever popular Parish Guides, plus maps relevant to our area and other sale items.

WSFHS Surrey Family History Fair
2025-11-08 10:00 - 16:30 | Woking Leisure Centre, Kingfield Rd, Woking, GU22 9BA

Help my Ancestor has vanished!
2025-11-13 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Simon Fowler.
One of the commonest problems faced by family historians is that ancestors suddenly vanish from the records often for no seeming reason. This thought-provoking presentation looks at why this might be so.
It discusses three main reasons:

the genealogist might have made a mistake in their research;
there is a problem with the records. Either the clerk made a mistake recording names or the records no longer exist;
the ancestor may have genuinely gone missing, perhaps emigrating overseas or becoming a tramp. There will be plenty of opportunities to ask questions and share experiences.

For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
Join Us – LWMFHS

Frost Fairs and Freezes
2025-12-11 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Ian Currie.
A 1000 years of famous winters when rivers including the mighty Thames froze and remarkable events took place on the ice.
For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
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The Forgotten Spy: the secret life of Ernest Holloway Oldham
2026-01-08 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Nick Barratt.
Nick explores the murky world of inter-war espionage and the corridors of power in the Foreign Office through the eyes of one of its key civil servants, Ernest Oldham – entrusted with tracking down a suspected mole selling secrets to the Soviets.
For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
Join Us – LWMFHS

LWMFHS Annual General Meeting
2026-02-12 07:00 - 19:30 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
All LWMFHS members are welcome to attend.
To receive meeting access details contact virtualbranch@lwmfhs.org quoting your name and membership number.
A copy of the 2025 LWMFHS AGM minutes can be found in the March 2025 METROPOLITAN.
A copy of the 2026 LWMFHS AGM information can be found in the December 2025 METROPOLITAN.
The AGM will be recorded to aid the provision of accurate minutes only.
The usual Virtual Branch meeting will follow at 8pm.

In Search of your Scottish Ancestors
2026-02-12 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Christine Woodcock.
Learn the basics to start finding your Scottish ancestors.
We will learn about using the ScotlandsPeople website, gleaning information from the documents, the importance of understanding the Scottish Naming Pattern, Irregular Marriages and so much more.
For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
Join Us – LWMFHS

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All Roads Lead to Tottenham
2026-03-12 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Karen de Bruyne.
A 19th Century family’s migration across the UK, through Lincolnshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Cornwall, Devon, Suffolk and Essex to Tottenham in North London.
Using sources from main genealogy websites, local archives and inherited photos and documents, this case study follows a Grocer, Blacksmith, Shoemaker and Teacher on their journey to London and onwards to the USA.
For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
Join Us – LWMFHS

A Theatrical Journey: the Addison Family
2026-04-09 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Dr Frances Hurd.
In their day the Addison family were stars of the London and New York stage, yet today their fascinating history is little known.
This talk traces their progress from a debtors’ prison in Devon to the top ranks of theatrical stardom.
For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
Join Us – LWMFHS

East Anglia FHF Really Useful Family History Show
2026-04-18 10:00 - 16:30 | Burgess Hall One Leisure, Westwood Road, St Ives,, Cambridge, PE27 6WU, United Kingdom
The East Anglia Group of Family History Societies in association with the Family History Federation (FHF) are holding a live family history show.
This FREE event will be jam packed with exhibitors and experts.
We went in April 2024 and we are delighted to be going again, along with 13 other family history societies.
More information can be found on their official show Facebook group #rufhsstives2026
Really Useful Family History Show LIVE in St Ives 2026 | The date for the East Anglian Group of Family History Societies LIVE show is Saturday 18th April 2026 at the Burgess Hall in St Ives, Cambridgeshire -… | Facebook

Suffolk Family History Society Fair
2026-05-09 10:00 - 16:00 | The Hold, 131 Fore Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1LR
At the home of Suffolk Archives the Suffolk Family History Society Fair are holding their annual live family history fair.
A FREE event with interesting displays and stalls from family history and related organisations.
We went last year and are delighted to be going again.

From Cottage to Factory: How the Industrial Revolution Shaped Our Ancestors’ Lives
2026-05-14 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Richard Marks.
The Industrial Revolution was not just a story of machines and inventions — it was a profound transformation of everyday life. This talk traces the journey from cottage industries and rural handcrafts to the rise of factories, steam power, and bustling industrial towns. We’ll explore how these changes affected the work our ancestors did, the homes they lived in, and the communities they built.
Drawing on vivid examples from textiles, railways, and local trades, the session will show how industrialisation created new opportunities but also new challenges, from child labour and urban overcrowding to migration and social mobility. Alongside the big picture, we’ll highlight the human dimension: how ordinary men, women, and children navigated this upheaval, leaving behind records in census returns, parish registers, and family stories.
By connecting economic history with genealogical sources, the talk will help family historians see the Industrial Revolution not as distant history, but as a living context for their own ancestors’ experiences — a time when the rhythms of work, home, and community were reshaped forever.
For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
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The Lloyd George Doomsday Survey
2026-06-11 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Gill Blanchard.
The Inland Revenue Valuation Office Survey of 1910-1920 is often referred to as the Lloyd George Domesday Survey. It combines residential data and maps to help you find, for example, the location of your ancestor’s house even if it no longer exists.
For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
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Treasures of the Camden Archives
2026-07-09 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Tudor Allen.
In this illustrated talk, Tudor Allen, Archivist at Camden Local Studies and Archives Centre, Presents some of the highlights from the Centre’s collections including photographs, art works, rare books, archives and ephemera. Among the items examined will be a 16th century deed, a King James the First letters patent, 18th century workhouse accounts, Hampstead Militia muskets, Second World War civil defence records, and letters of Millicent Fawcett, Charles Dickens and George Bernard Shaw.
For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
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William Maybank and the Hyde Park Riots
2026-08-13 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Jananne Rahman.
In the winter of 1870 the body of William Maybank was recovered from the Thames. How was his death linked to the events of July 1866 when protest turned into violence? Hear how disparate sources came together to form a narrative of one man’s physical and mental struggles in an age of political and social change.
For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
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Hidden legacies: what Chancery Courts reveal about our ancestors
2026-09-10 20:00 - 21:00 | Online via Zoom, London, England, United Kingdom
A talk by Sarah Pettyfer.
Chancery records are one of the most under used resources for family history but can reveal so much about our ancestors’ lives, their family, social and business connections, and their property. This talk will look at who and why our ancestors may have become involved in Chancery court case and explore the hidden stories to be found.
For LWMFHS members only.
Membership starts at £12.
Join Us – LWMFHS
