Glossary
A . B . C . D . E . F . G . H . I . J . K . L . M
N . O . P . Q . R . S . T . U . V . W . X . Y . Z
This glossary lists some of the common terms used in genealogy and family history. To find a particular term, either click the appropriate letter in the navigation bar below or browse the list.
A
- Affidavit
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A written or oral statement made under oath before an authorised official.
- Ahnentafel
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A genealogical numbering system for listing ancestors that enables a large amount of information to be presented in a compact format. Thus the root person is numbered 1, the root person's father is numbered 2 and so on, as illustrated by the following ancestry chart.
- Ahnentafel number
-
The unique number assigned to each ancestor.
- Almshouse
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Charitable establishment enabling people to retain their independence and continue living within their community.
The first recorded Almshouse was founded in the 10th century in York by King Athelstan.
- Ancestor
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A person from who you descend; a parent, grandparent, great-grandparent etc.
- Ancestry
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All ancestors of a person backwards in time from their parents.
- Apprentice
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A person who is bound to serve another for a period of time for the purpose of learning a trade.
B
- Banns
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A public announcement of a proposed marriage. Banns are traditionally read aloud in church for three successive Sundays prior to the marriage to provide notice to anyone who may wish to contest the validity of the proposed marriage.
Marriage banns came into effect in 1754 as part of Hardwicke's Act.
- Baseborn
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Born outside of marriage.
- Birth record
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Entry in an official register for the birth of a child. The entry often includes date of birth and place of birth, father's name, father's occupation and mother's maiden name.
Sometimes records include further information such as names and ages of siblings, date and place of parent's marriage and birth details for the parents.
- Bishops' transcripts
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From 1598 copies of entries made in the parish registers were sent annually to the local Bishop. Occasionally the Bishops' transcripts contain additional information to the original entry in the parish register.
C
- Census
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An official count, usually government sponsored, of a nation's population. A census often records further information such as name, gender, age, relationship to the head of the household, place of birth and occupation of each person.
- Chapman codes
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A set of codes widely used in genealogy to identify historical administrative divisions in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
- Citation
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A reference to a published, or occasionally unpublished, source used to obtain genealogical data or other information.
- Clandestine marriage
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A marriage with an element of secrecy, possibly taking place away from the home parish of the spouses without banns or licence.
- Codicil
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An addition to an existing will. Codicils are used to explain, modify or revoke part of a will.
- Common ancestor
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A single ancestor shared by two or more people, for example the grandparent of related cousins.
- Conveyance
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A legal document transferring the ownership of property.
D
- Death record
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Entry in an official register for the death of a person. The entry often includes age at death, place and cause of death, occupation, name of person registering the death and maiden name for a woman.
Sometimes records include further information such as name of date of birth, husband or wife, date and place of marriage, occupation and place of residence for person registering the death (informant) and relationship between the deceased and the informant.
- Deed
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A legal document transferring the title and ownership of property.
- Deposition
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Written testimony by a witness used in court in absence of that person.
- Descendant
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A person descended from a particular ancestor, for example a child, grandchild or great-grandchild.
- Descendant chart
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A diagrammatic view of a person's descendants.
E
- Electoral register
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A list of people eligible to vote in an election.
- Enumeration district
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A pre-defined geographical area used for collecting census data. The size of an enumeration district nominally equated to the area an enumerator could cover in a single day.
- Enumerator
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A census worker. A person who collects census data for a specified enumeration district. An enumerator distributed forms, known as schedules, to each household within their district, returning after Census night to collect the completed schedules. The enumerator then transcribed the details on each schedule into an enumeration book.
- Executor / Executrix
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A person appointed in a will to carry out the directions given in the will. Originally executor referred to a male, whilst executrix referred to a female.
F
G
- Gregorian calendar
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Calendar in use from 1582 until the present day. Pope Gregory XIII decreed that the Gregorian calendar should replace the Julian calendar in 1582 when Julian Thursday 4 October was followed by Gregorian Friday 15 October.
The Gregorian calendar was devised because both the mean Julian Calendar year was too long and because of an increasing error in calculating the date of Easter from the lunar calendar (the Catholic Church wanted to adjust the calendar to celebrate Easter at the time it thought the First Council of Nicaea had agreed upon in 325).
Most non-catholic nations refused to adopt the new calendar. Great Britain and its territories only adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752, by which time it was necessary to adjust the dates by an extra day (Wednesday 2 September 1752 was followed by Thursday 14 September 1752).
H
- Hardwicke's Act
-
In 1754 Lord Hardwicke's Act "for the better preventing of clandestine marriages" came into effect to outlaw clandestine and irregular marriages.
The Act laid down that all marriages, except for those of Quakers and Jews, had to take place in church after banns had been announced or a marriage licence obtained. Also, minors could only be married with the consent of a parent or guardian. A further requirement was that all marriages had to be entered into a register.
- Heir
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A person whose right of inheritance of an estate is established by law provided they outlive an ancestor.
- Heir apparent
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A person entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit property on the death of another.
- Hourglass chart
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A chart that includes both ancestors and descendants of a particular person.
- Hundred
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An ancient geographical division of a shire or county, originally introduced by the Saxons.
Hundreds were phased out by the 19th century in favour of poor law unions and parliamentary divisions.
I
- Incumbent
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The clergyman in charge of a parish.
- Indenture
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A deed or contract stating that a person would be bound in service to another for a specified number of years.
- Indentured servant
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A person bound into service to another for a specified number of years.
It was common practice in the 18th and 19th centuries for emmigrants to have their passage paid by an individual and in return working for the individual for a specified number of years.
- Intestate
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Dying without making a valid will.
- Irregular marriage
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A marriage taking place away from the home parish of the spouses or occurring at an improper time.
J
- Journeyman
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A person who has served their apprenticeship and is hired day by day.
- Julian calendar
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Calendar, named after Julius Caesar, in use from 45 BC until 1582, when it was replaced by the Gregorian calendar.
L
- Lineage
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Direct line of descent from an ancestor.
- Livery company
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A trade association that represented a trade or craft. Livery companies, which were based in the City of London, were originally developed to regulate their trade.
M
- Marriage licence
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Permission from a legal authority (the church or state) for a marriage between two people to be performed. A licence enabled, on payment of a fee and a sworn statement that there was no legal impediment to the marriage, for the usual notice period to be waived.
Marriage licences came into effect in 1754 as part of Hardwicke's Act.
- Marriage record
-
Entry in an official register of a marriage. The entry often includes age and place of residence for the bride/groom, the groom's occupation, name and occupation of the father of the bride/groom and names of witnesses to the ceremony.
Sometimes records include further information such as date and place of birth for the bride and groom, maiden name of the mother of the bride/groom and details of previous marriages.
- Master
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A person who has served their apprenticeship and works independently. A master could take on apprentices or employ journeymen.
N
- Nuncupative will
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An oral will declared or dictated by the testator, usually for sudden illness, just prior to death or military, before witnesses and afterwards put in writing.
P
- Paleography
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The study of handwriting.
- Parish
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Ecclesiastical Parish: An ecclesiastical division under the jurisdiction of a clergyman. Counties were divided into several ecclesiastical parishes.
Civil Parish: The smallest unit of local government. Civil parishes only came into being after 1832.
- Parish records
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Records of baptisms, marriage banns, marriages and burials that have taken place in the parish.
Parish records have been kept since 1538 in Great Britain, although very few survive from the 17th century.
- Passenger list
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Lists of individuals sailing on a particular ship.
- Pedigree
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A person's ancestry.
- Pedigree chart
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A diagrammatic view of a person's pedigree.
- Primogenitor
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The earliest known direct ancestor.
- Primogeniture
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The right of the eldest child, usually son, to inherit the entire estate of their parents.
- Probate
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Legal process to determine the validity of a will.
- Progenitor
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A direct ancestor, for example a parent.
R
- Repository
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The location of a source, for example a library.
- Riding
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Unique to the county of Yorkshire, prior to 1974 the county was sub-divided into three divisions, North Riding, East Riding and West Riding.
S
T
- Testator / Testatrix
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A person who makes a will. Testator refers to a male, whilst testatrix refers to a female.
- Tithe
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Annual payment due as a tax to support the lord of the manor or church.
V
- Visitation
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A visit by officials for the purpose of making an inspection or examination.
- Vital records
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Records of a birth, marriage, death or divorce.
- Vital statistics
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Data for a birth, marriage, death or divorce.
W
- Wapentake
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Each of the Yorkshire Ridings was sub-divided into administrative areas known as Wapentakes.
A wapentake is roughly the equivalent of a hundred in other counties.
- Will
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A legal document stating how the property and estate of a person is to be divided after their death.
- Witness
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A person present at an event who can vouch that it took place.
