Guild of One-Name Studies

Today the Guild was proud to be able to issue a Press Release, announcing awards made by the FFHS for 2011. In the Elizabeth Simpson Award, "Large Societies" category, the Guild Journal was awarded third prize (above, left), and in the Best Website Award, "Large Societies" category, the Guild website received second prize (right). (28th March 2012)

Booking has opened for the Guild's Industrial Revolution seminar, at Coalbrookdale, Shropshire, on Saturday 19th May 2012.
Come along and listen to our team of experts in the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution!
Full details of this and other forthcoming seminars are given in our Event Calendar. (4th March 2012)

Another Press Release was issued today:
The Guild has reached another milestone: today the 6,000th member joined the Guild. (23rd February 2012)

image of a man about to step on a banana skin

Apologies! Our apologies are due to anyone trying to access the website on the morning of Saturday 4th February, when they would have found the website suspended. Our new ISP had got a little over-zealous in performing its anti-virus checks, and had (wrongly) diagnosed a few of this website's files as containing viruses. The situation has now been satisfactorily resolved, and the files acquitted of any charges against them. We are assured that the suspension will not happen again! (7th February 2012)

Please note: Our new ISP uses a firewall to protect its hosted websites from malicious attacks. If you have difficulty accessing the website at any time, it may be that you have entered a wrong password too many times, in which case you (and only you) will be temporarily blocked by the firewall. You are recommended to read the information about how to deal with the situation on the Members Room entry page - before you get blocked! (7th February 2012)

Website move: Since last July, when the Guild's website had to be rebuilt from scratch following a disastrous hardware error at our ISP, we have been evaluating alternative web hosting providers. We are glad to be able to report that on 1st February 2012 our website and database operation was moved to a new ISP. The move went well and has now been completed. The Guild's email had already been transferred to the new ISP last October, so we now have both parts of our internet presence with the same ISP. (3rd February 2012)

Another Press Release was issued today, announcing a special reduction of £1.00 on membership applications made at the Who Do You Think You Are - Live! show at Olympia, London, in February. (8th January 2012)

Another Press Release was issued today: The Guild introduces flexible membership joining rates in six currencies to enable new members to assess the benefits of the Guild over an extended period. (1st December 2011)

MyHeritage.com, who offer membership on favourable terms to Guild members, today announced their acquisition of FamilyLink.com and WorldVitalRecords.com. For an introductory period, subscribers to MyHeritage will be entitled to discounts on FamilyLink and WorldVitalRecords subscriptions, and vice versa. (22nd November 2011)

Booking has opened for the Guild's Army Records seminar, to be held at Ash in Surrey on Saturday 18th February 2012. Where better for a seminar on Army Records than at the home of the British Army, Aldershot? Well, not quite Aldershot, but at Ash Victoria Hall, some three miles to the east, and home of the Army Medical Services Museum at Keogh Barracks. We shall be assembling a group of experts in the field, and trust you will join us. Full details of this and other forthcoming seminars are given in our Event Calendar. (22nd November 2011)

Members are reminded that the subscription year of the Guild ends on 31st October, and so your renewal subscriptions are due on 1st November. The standard renewal subscription is now £14.00 (or £15.00 if you receive a printed copy of the Register). Full details of how, when, and what to pay (including the form for paying online through PayPal) are in the Members Room. (1st November 2011)

Seven-pillars image to illustrate Conference theme

Booking has opened for the 33rd Guild Conference and AGM, to be held over the weekend of 13th - 15th April 2012 at Five Lakes Hotel, Maldon, Essex. The theme for this year's Conference is "Seven Pillars of a One-Name Study", reflecting the seven activities involved in one-name studies - namely Data Collection, Analysis, Synthesis, Publicising the Study, Responding to Enquiries, Publishing the Results, and Preserving the Study. (26th October 2011)

Another Press Release was issued today for an extended membership offer, this time to coincide with the Federation of Genealogical Societies' Conference in Springfield, Illinois, September 7-10, 2011.
Details of the extended membership offer are given in www.one-name.org/fgs-pathways-offer.html. (4th September 2011)

The Guild Railway Records seminar was held at the Steam Museum in Swindon on Saturday 19th November 2011. The Guild has selected this magnificent venue, and invited as speakers some of the country's most eminent specialists in railway records for family historians. Topics will include trades unions and the old railway records, and the seminar will include free entry to the museum. Full details of this and other forthcoming seminars are given in our Event Calendar. (16th August 2011)

A Press Release was issued today for an extended membership offer to coincide with the NZ Family History Fair in Hamilton on 26-27 August, and to celebrate August as New Zealand's Family History Month.
Details of the extended membership offer are given in www.one-name.org/nzfhf-offer.html. (2nd August 2011)

We apologise to all visitors who were unable to use the website during the week 25th - 30th July - it was out of action owing to a major hardware failure at our ISP. Our apologies for any inconvenience. (1st August 2011)

Another Press Release was issued today for an extended membership offer for attendees of the Colorado Family History Expo in Loveland, Colorado, on Friday 24th June and Saturday 25th June 2011.
Full details of the extended membership offer are given in www.one-name.org/colorado-offer.html. (10th June 2011)

A further Press Release was issued today, to announce another special extended membership offer for new members, to coincide with the Yorkshire Family History Fair being held in York in the UK on Saturday 25th June 2011.
Full details of this special membership offer are given in www.one-name.org/yorkoffer.html. (31st May 2011)

Booking is now open for the Art of One-Name Studies seminar, to be held in Alwalton, Peterborough, in August 2011. This seminar is directed at new members and those interested in joining the Guild, with emphasis being placed on what a One-Name Study involves. Since we intend to expand on methodology in One-Name Studies, this may also provide a useful update on new methods and facilities for established members. Full details of this and other forthcoming seminars are given in our Event Calendar. (31st May 2011)

Press Release issued today:
TheGenealogist provides discounts to members of the Guild of One-Name Studies. (15th May 2011)

Press Release issued today:
Kirsty Gray, Chairman of the Guild of One-Name Studies, has been appointed the new Director of English Studies at the Canadian National Institute of Genealogical Studies. (12th May 2011)

The 2011 Guild Conference and AGM was held over the weekend of 15th - 17th April at the De Vere Hotel, Daresbury Park, Warrington, with the theme of "Northern Lights". The Conference was outstandingly successful and was much enjoyed by all! A Chairman's Newsflash has been issued with news from the Conference and AGM, and members can read the text of the Chairman's address to the AGM in the Members Room. (19th April 2011)

Another Guild Press Release issued today:
Surname Atlas, which was first launched in April 2003 at the Guild of One-Name Studies AGM and Conference in Liverpool, has been updated to version 1.1 and will be available at the Who Do You Think You Are? Live show at Olympia, London, on 25th to 27th February 2011, and from the Sales page of this website. (24th February 2011)

Booking is now open for the Guild "Mining" Seminar, to be held in Northumberland in May 2011. Come and join us on the beautiful Northumbrian coast, and learn all about mining - not just coal mining, but also the lead and iron ore mining that took place in Durham, Northumberland, and the adjacent counties. We have collected a group of local experts who will tell you the story of mining in the region and assist you with names and stories to enhance your research. Time has been allowed for a visit to the Northumberland Archives and to their very interesting Museum. Full details of this and other forthcoming seminars are given in our Event Calendar. (20th February 2011)

A further Press Release was issued today, to announce the offer of a special extended membership to new joiners, to coincide with the Who Do You Think You Are? Live show being held in the UK at Olympia, London, on Friday 25th to Sunday 27th February 2011. Full details of this special membership offer are given in www.one-name.org/specialoffer.html. (14th February 2011)

In line with recent reductions by FindMyPast to their subscription prices, the Guild is pleased to announce lower prices for FindMyPast subscription vouchers. The annual full subscription vouchers, previously £143, will become £124; the price for a 3-month full subscription voucher will be £38 (was £47). The price of the 40 credit, 90 day voucher remains the same, at £5. Guild members are entitled to a further discount from these prices as usual. See our vouchers sales page for details. (2nd February 2011)

Two Press Releases were issued today :

(28th December 2010)

The Guild's "Rogues" Seminar, held in Taunton, Somerset, on 12th February 2011, was very well received. Dr Colin Chapman was the principal speaker at this seminar, covering many aspects of the criminal and religious justice systems. Two hundred years of Rogues and Victims - were any of yours in court records? (22nd November 2010)

The Guild "Born Abroad" seminar at Sevenoaks on 20th November 2010 addressed the question of research into family records of people born outside the United Kingdom - specifically, those with Huguenot, Jewish, or black ancestry, or those born in British India.
Three of the presentations from this seminar have been generously provided by the speakers, and are available in the "Seminars" section of the Members Room. (22nd November 2010)

Prospective Guild members in the USA may be interested to learn that the online form on this website for applying for Guild membership has been enhanced to allow payment of the Guild subscription directly in US dollars, independently of the current sterling / dollar exchange rate. For more details, see the online application form. (8th September 2010)

The Guild's Computer Seminar at Epsom on 7th August 2010 was very well attended, with virtually all places booked. The material from this Seminar has been added to the "Seminars" section of the Members Room. Further details of forthcoming events are given in the Event Calendar section of this website. (16th August 2010)

Following the very successful Maps and Mapping Seminar held at Helsby Community Centre, Helsby, Cheshire, on Saturday 15th May 2010, five of the PPT presentations given, together with handouts, have been added to the "Seminars" section of the Members Room. Further material will be added as it comes available. (4th June 2010)

Further to the announcement last October of the new Guild Fellowship Scheme, the first twelve Master Craftsmen of the Guild were announced at the AGM held in Thame, Oxfordshire, on 10th April 2010. (10th May 2010)

image representing conference The 2010 Guild Conference was held 9th - 11th April 2010, in Thame, near Oxford. Its theme was "Around the World - an international perspective".
Conferences and Seminars are open not only to Guild members but to interested members of the public.
Further details of forthcoming events, and booking information, are given in the Event Calendar section of this website. (12th April 2010)

Pharos Teaching and Tutoring Ltd has developed an Advanced Course in One-Name Studies. Take your one-name study to new levels! Whatever drew you into the investigation of your surname, you are now deeply immersed in gathering and analysing data. You have mastered the practical aspects of managing your project and are eager for more discoveries. The course starts on 26th April 2010.
More information about this new course from Pharos is available in the Members Room. (28th February 2010)

DNA Developments Seminar: Our DNA Seminar took place on Saturday 20th February 2010, at Cheltenham, National Star College, and nearly 100 delegates attended to hear about DNA Projects. (23rd February 2010)

Seminar: One-Name Sources at The National Archives: This seminar took place on Saturday, 21st November 2009. It took as its topic some of the valuable but under-used records at the National Archives, Kew, and included a "behind-the-scenes" tour. Like all Guild seminars, the seminar was open to the public as well as to Guild members.

Remember that you can always see the programme of seminars for the next year or so on the "Event Calendar" page on this website. (22nd November 2009)

A new facility for buying FindMyPast vouchers online has been added to the website. Pay-as-you-go vouchers are a useful way of getting started with collecting data, giving access to the impressive collections of genealogical data provided by FindMyPast (including the 1911 Census), without entering into any commitment - although we sell vouchers for subscriptions too! (16th November 2009)

Two new Guild initiatives were announced in the October 2009 issue of the Journal:
"There's more than one way to do it!" - our Guild Competition for 2010, where we asked you to describe your own way of going about one of the seven aspects of running a one-name study. (4th October 2009)	New Fellowship Scheme to honour members of our Guild who are outstanding either in the depth and range of their expertise, or in their contribution to the running of the Guild. (4th October 2009)

Members are reminded that the subscription year of the Guild ends on 31st October, and so your renewal subscriptions are due on 1st November. The standard renewal subscription is now £.15.00 (or £14.00 if you have opted not to receive a printed copy of the Register). Full details of how, when, and what to pay (including the form for paying online through PayPal) are in the Members Room. (1st October 2009)

Full results of the Guild Publication Award 2009 are now available in the Members Room, together with details of a new Library Loan scheme for the Award entries. (1st July 2009)

The Guild's PayPal facilities for booking on seminars or conferences, or for members paying their renewal subscriptions, have proved very popular, allowing payments to be made online through this website easily, quickly, and safely, from either credit card or PayPal account. These facilities have now been extended in two significant areas:

You can now join the Guild online and pay your Membership Subscription via PayPal
You can now make a donation online via PayPal

(18th May 2009)

Our "New Members" seminar, held at Amersham on Saturday 8th August, was a great success with nearly 80 participants, including a good proportion of new members and non-members. (updated 10th August 2009)

The Guild Seminar on Non-UK Sources for One-Namers was held on Saturday 16th May 2009 in Harrogate, Yorkshire, and some of the material is now available in the Members Room. (16th May 2009)

The special introductory offer on the Pharos Introduction to One-Name Studies course has now ended, although places can still be booked at full price. The course has proved very popular, and the April and June 2009 offerings are fully booked, but a further course offering is scheduled to start on 17th September 2009.

More information about Pharos is available in the Members Room. (20th April 2009)

Latest Journal - April-June 2009 issue New facilities available on this website (as featured in the April-June 2009 Journal):

NEW! The Guild Register Search widget (for Mac users)
NEW! RAOGK - Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness page
NEW! JournalSearch - search facility for items in online journals

The first two are for members only, but the JournalSearch facility is available to all users of this website.

Incidentally, the link to the page on Membership Benefits has moved since the Journal was put together; you will now find this page within the "Guild" section. (6th April 2009)

"New look" applied to the website, together with substantially extended information on both The Guild and on One-Name Studies. (29th March 2009)

The Guild of One-Name Studies
Box G, 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7BA
E-mail: : Telephone: 0800 011 2182

Member of the Federation of Family History Societies
Registered Charity in England & Wales No. 802048
President: Derek Palgrave
Chairman: