Berkshire Family History Society

When: Friday 25 September 2026 Introduction My interest in the Alexander family stems from research related to families in the Wendlebury, Merton and Bicester area of Oxfordshire. Through the interesting history of the Dunkin family, our line eventually arrives at the family of Walter Hunt and his wife Margaret Alexander who married on 20 January 1577/8 in Bicester. In the 16th and early 17th centuries the Hunt family were prominent members of the local community and Walter who was a glover by trade formed part of the ruling oligarchy of the town in the late 16th century1.  Alexanders of Bicester 1 Margaret Alexander was probably a daughter of Humfrey Alexander, weaver, and his wife Dorothy who made their wills in 1631 and 1637 respectively 2 . Walter Hunt made his will on 14 January 1621/22 and one of the beneficiaries was his son Humfry. Evidence for the link to Margaret comes from the fact that Humphry Hunt carried out the inventory of Humfrey Alexander’s goods in 1631. In ...

Berkshire Family History Society is looking for an Editor for it’s quarterly magazine, the Berkshire Family Historian, which is distributed to all members as a 40 page A5 booklet. Some desktop publishing experience is required although the outgoing Editor is available to  help the new Editor transition into the role.  We are an entirely volunteer-run charity and this a voluntary role.   If you are interested please contact editor@berksfhs.org.uk Time commitment 12 – 15 hours, every three months Location This is a remote working position.  The Editor does not have to be a resident of Berkshire or even the UK.  Membership of the society is  preferred but not essential Tasks and responsibilities Gathering in or originating text and images for each issue, consisting of:  main section of 36 pages, of which roughly one third contains regular items mostly compiled by society officers, and two thirds contain feature articles from contributors (and sometimes the editor). cover of 4 pa...

When: Friday 11 September 2026 The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here! After a long wait, Ancestry has released the Berkshire Parish Records. The official launch has not been announced yet, because adding and indexing massive data sets takes time and needs checking. It’s hard to keep a lid on these things and the news has escaped through unofficial channels.  For now, search results may be patchy while Ancestry put the finishing touches to the indexes, and access to some or all of the images is limited. You’ve been able to find Berkshire parish register transcriptions on Findmypast and through our data CDs and downloads for many years – all produced by our team of experienced voluntary transcribers. Now you will be able to see facsimiles of the original registers without having to visit the Royal Berkshire Archive. There’s something almost visceral about seeing the hand of the actual scribe in the original source from centuries ago, so th...