Uncover the villains, victims, law-keepers and law-breakers in your family tree!
Every family has a hidden story. Some ancestors were upstanding pillars of their community… while others found themselves on the wrong side of the law. From petty theft to brutal murder, from courtroom scandal to transportation across the seas, our ancestors lived through dramatic events that shaped not only their lives, but the society we’ve inherited.
Crime and Punishment for Family Historians will guide you through the darker corners of the past, helping you to find, interpret and understand the criminal records that reveal extraordinary truths about the people in your family tree.
This unique online course runs on Thursday evenings, 6:30–8:30pm GMT, with expert speakers, powerful case studies, and practical guidance you can immediately apply to your own research.
All sessions will be recorded and available until 26th April, so you can watch live — or catch up at your leisure.
Special Bonus for Early Bookers
Book by 30th November to secure our 2025 price and receive three exclusive bonus sessions — FREE:
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The Science of Sleuthing: The Hidden History of Victorian and Edwardian Detectives — Angela Buckley (Monday 16 February 7pm)
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The Science Behind the Stories: Using Genetic Genealogy in Crime Fiction — Nathan Dylan Goodwin (Monday 23 February 7:30pm)
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Forensic Genetic Genealogy and Crime — Debbie Kennett (Thursday 9 April 7:30pm)
These bonus talks are available free ONLY to early bookers — don’t miss out!
What You’ll Experience Each Week
The course opens with an extended 2-hour scene-setting masterclass by Dave Annal, followed by two expert talks per evening for the remaining Thursdays. You’ll gain:
✔ skills for tracing criminal, police and court records
✔ confidence navigating archives, databases and newspapers
✔ context to understand laws, punishments and social attitudes
✔ inspiration from gripping real-life stories
Programme of Talks
Opening Night (2 hours)
Crime and Punishment in the 19th Century — Dave Annal
Further sessions include (two one-hour talks each evening):
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Behind Bars: Using 19th Century Criminal Registers — Valerie Brenton An introduction to finding and using 19th century criminal registers in England and Wales.
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A Study of Women in Littledean Prison — Melissa Pearson
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Tyburn and the Newgate Calendar — Don Chiswell By 1800 there were over 250 crimes for which the penalty was hanging. The fate of many of the condemned was recorded as a warning in the Malefactors Register or Newgate Calendar.
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The Spinning House — Caroline Biggs Did you know that during the nineteenth century Cambridge University arrested and imprisoned thousands of young women for walking the streets after dark?
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Crusader Criminals — Steve Tibble The Knights Who Went Rogue in the Holy Land. From gangsters and bandits to muggers and pirates, extraordinary evidence of an illicit underworld.
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Ducking Stools, Dissenters, Debtors and Drunks: crime and punishment in the 17th century — Janet Few How was crime dealt with in the seventeenth century? What were the punishments for various crimes and how could you avoid them?
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How to Plot a Murder — Angela Buckley Crime historian, Angela Buckley reveals how she investigates real historical homicides, retracing detectives’ steps to uncover their suspects and sometimes making surprising discoveries along the way.
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Famous Murders 1811–1911 — Ian Porter What makes a murder famous? Discusses infamous crimes such as the Jack the Ripper case and the Siege of Sidney Street.
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Murder, Shipwrecks and Celebrity: Prisoners on licence — Janice Tullock An incredibly detailed record set that includes photographs, physical descriptions, letters to and from family, pleas for clemency and records of punishment.
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The Lives of the Five Victims of Jack the Ripper — Gay Evans Exploring the lives of the five canonical victims of Jack the Ripper and why they ended up so vulnerable.
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Curious About Criminals? How to Find Records for The Old Bailey — Kelly Cornwell A brief history of the Old Bailey, an outline of the court system, and the records useful to family historians.
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Mother Dead, Father in Prison — Kate Keter The fascinating story of a deaf girl, her family and the impact of her father's exploits through a range of sources in Scotland and England passenger lists, British Home Children, American records and more.
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A Forger in the Family — Rachael Rowe The story of a great great great great grandfather who was pressed into the navy and became a forger- and was executed for the crime.
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Ragged, Poor and Mischievous: Researching Criminal Children — Linda Hammond Explores historical records of mischievous children, deemed criminals, including where to find them and how to uncover social and genealogical insights.
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Transportation — Lorna Kinnaird & Kelly Cornwell
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International War Crimes Following World War II — Julie Goucher
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Female Criminals of Surrey: Victorian crimes and punishments — Sarah Pettyfer A look at crimes committed by women in Victorian Surrey, their circumstances and punishments .
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Family Felons: Uncovering the Criminal Past — Angela Buckley Researching criminal ancestors in England and Wales
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Criminal Conversation, Adultery and other Social Crimes in the English Church Courts — Else Churchill
Who Is This For?
This course is ideal for:
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family historians and genealogists
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lovers of crime history and social history
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writers and researchers needing authentic detail
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anyone curious about the secrets in their family’s past
No prior knowledge required — just enthusiasm and curiosity.
Join Us and Unlock the Stories Hidden in the Shadows
Step into the world of thieves, forgers, detectives, courts, prisons and scandal — and find the truth about your ancestors.
- 20% Discount for all Society of Genealogists Members
- Recordings available until 26th April for everyone who pre-books
Click here for information about our events. Contact events@sog.org.uk if you have any questions.
About the Speaker
Dr Angela Buckley
Angela Buckley is a historian specialising in crime and policing history. Her PhD is in the evolution of Victorian and Edwardian detective practice. Angela has published five books, and her work on crime and detective history has featured in national magazines and newspapers, and on radio and TV. She is a regular contributor to family history podcasts. Angela is associate lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and a former chair of the Society of Genealogists.
About the Speaker
Debbie Kennett
Debbie Kennett is a well-known author and speaker and an internationally recognised expert on genetic genealogy. She is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment at University College London. She is the author of two books: DNA and Social Networking and The Surnames Handbook. She has written widely about DNA testing both for the family history press and in academic journals. She has been interviewed about genetic ancestry testing for BBC Radio 4, appearing on You and Yours and The Business of Genetic Ancestry, and has also appeared on TV on the BBC programme Watchdog.
About the Speaker
Nathan Dylan Goodwin
Nathan Dylan Goodwin is a writer, genealogist and educator. He was born and raised in Hastings, East Sussex. Having attended school in the town, he then completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, Film and Television Studies, followed by a Master of Arts degree in Creative Writing at Canterbury Christ Church University. A member of the Society of Authors, he has completed several local history books about Hastings, as well as several works of fiction, including the acclaimed Forensic Genealogist series, the Mrs McDougall Investigates series and the Venator Cold Case series. His other interests include theatre, reading, running, skiing, travelling and, of course, genealogy. He is a qualified teacher, member of the Guild of One-Name Studies and the Society of Genealogists, as well as being a member of the Sussex Family History Group, the Norfolk Family History Society and the Kent Family History Society. He lives in Kent with his husband, son, dog and an assortment of chickens.
About the Speaker
David Annal
Dave Annal is a professional researcher with over 40 years' experience. He is a former Principal Family History Specialist with the National Archives and worked at the Family Records Centre. He is a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists and of the Royal Historical Society. Dave has written family history books including the bestselling “Easy Family History”, “Birth, Marriage & Death Records” (with Audrey Collins) and is the co-author of “Census: the Family Historian's Guide”. He has spoken at major events including Who Do You Think You Are? Live and Rootstech. Dave has been researching his own family history since the mid-1970s and he hasn't finished yet!
About the Speaker
Steve Tibble
Dr Steve Tibble is the author of 'The Crusader Strategy' (2020), ‘The Crusader Armies’ (2018), recently published in Italian as 'Gli eserciti delle Crociate' (2020), and ‘Monarchy and Lordships in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, 1099-1291’ (1989). He has also contributed to the Oxford Encyclopedia of Medieval Warfare and to the forthcoming Cambridge History of the Crusades.
He is a graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge and completed his PhD on the internal politics of the crusader states at London University. Steve is an Honorary Research Associate at Royal Holloway College, University of London.
About the Speaker
Don Chiswell
Don Chiswell holds a Humanities degree from Bristol Polytechnic and later qualified as a Further Education teacher. He has been passionate about history for as long as he can remember and particularly enjoys challenging popular historical myths. Over the past twenty years, Don has delivered courses on a wide range of historical subjects—always with enthusiasm and humour—at Peterborough City College, Stamford Arts Centre, the Guildhall Arts Centre in Grantham, as well as for numerous local groups and societies. When asked about his favourite historical period, Don usually replies: “Just the last 3,250 years.” Since 2006, he has presented a series of lectures for Peterborough Museum and has taken part in historical re-enactments and guided tours. He is currently researching a book on Bosworth Field and co-writing a history of Peterborough, both of which he hopes will be published in due course.
About the Speaker
Valerie Brenton
Valerie Brenton is a professional genealogist, volunteer researcher at Dorset History Centre and co-ordinates the Brenton One-Name Study. She is a MSc alumna of the University of Strathclyde’s Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies course and has a keen interest in unearthing snippets to bring to life the invisible women of the past.
About the Speaker
Melissa Pearson
Melissa Pearson has been researching her family history for over 20 years. Originally from Rutland she has been a resident of Gloucestershire for 30 years.
She was a student on the University of Strathclyde’s Genealogical, Palaeographic and Heraldic Studies Course, gaining her Masters in 2022 with her dissertation on the Hardwicke Reformatory School in Gloucestershire. The Women of Littledean Prison was her final project for the Diploma element of this course.
As well as being a member of the RQG and SoG, Melissa is currently a PhD student at the University of Gloucestershire, researching juvenile criminals in 19th century Gloucestershire.
About the Speaker
Caroline Biggs
Caroline Biggs has lived all her life in Cambridge. She was an active Trustee of The Museum of Cambridge, where she founded a history festival to redress the massive imbalance between the historical knowledge about the ‘town’ as opposed to the ‘gown’. She has a Diploma in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge and an MA in Biography and Creative Writing from UEA. She has previously researched and written several booklets about the history of Cambridge.
About the Speaker
Janet Few
Dr. Janet Few is an experienced family, social and community historian who has presented throughout the UK, overseas and at sea. She has written several books of interest to genealogists and contributes to local and family history journals. She also writes historical fiction. Working as an historical interpreter, Janet spends time living in the seventeenth century as her alter ego, Mistress Agnes. You can read her very interesting blog, ‘the history interpreter’ online. Janet manages Swords and Spindles, a company providing living history presentations. Janet is currently serving as the president of the Family History Federation. She is heavily involved in the work of family history societies and was awarded the Society of Genealogists certificate of recognition in 2020 for her work.
About the Speaker
Ian Porter
Ian Porter is a historian, novelist, walks guide and public speaker. He is particularly interested in women's 19th and early 20th century social and political history. He guides over 50 different walks in London, all but one (street art) history related. He is particularly well versed in the Suffragettes, Women in the Great War, the Spanish Flu and 19th century East End crime. He is presently writing his fifth novel, which is set during the 1908 London Olympics. Previous novels have been set at the time of Jack the Ripper, on the Titanic, in the Suffragette struggle, and during the Spanish Flu.
About the Speaker
Janice Tullock
Janice Tullock is an archives consultant, researcher and genealogist working with collections and archive services across the UK. She was co-consultant on the establishment of the UK Archives Accreditation Standard and was in the first group of Fellows of the Archives and Records Association. Janice has worked with many diverse collections including Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, Edinburgh University and the National Waterways Museum.
About the Speaker
Gay Evans
Gay Evans' fascination with genealogy began in 1987 when she was entrusted with original documents, igniting a passion for exploring family histories. She established her company, The Curious Past, dedicated to unravelling the rich tapestries of people's stories. The years she has devoted to researching her own and her client’s family trees have been filled with both excitement and frustration. She finds inspiration for her history talks in the captivating narratives of her ancestors. Alongside genealogy, Gay finds art therapeutic and regularly immerses herself in art workshops. However, she acknowledges that her expertise lies more in genealogy than art!
About the Speaker
Kate Keter
Kate Keter has been researching family trees for over 30 years. What started as a hobby soon became an obsession and ultimately led her to complete an MSc in Genealogical, Palaeographical and Heraldic Studies from the University of Strathclyde in 2016. Since then, Kate has worked as a professional genealogist based in Linlithgow, a small town to the west of Edinburgh, and is also a tutor on Genealogy and Family History courses at the Strathclyde Institute of Genealogical Studies. Kate is a member of the Register of Qualified Genealogists (RQG) and the Association of Scottish Genealogists and Researchers in Archives (ASGRA).
About the Speaker
Rachael Rowe
Rachael Rowe is a writer and journalist from Dorset with a passion for social history and genealogy. She has an MA in Research from City University Birmingham and an NCTJ Diploma in Journalism. Rachael first got involved in family history after being given old papers by a relative and rapidly became addicted to genealogy research. Her work, using several sources, led her to a hidden criminal ancestor with a twist in the tale. Rachael’s research has led to the publication of The History of Forgery by Pen and Sword in January 2026 and she is under contract for three further books.
About the Speaker
Linda Hammond
Linda Hammond is a professional genealogist with over 35 years’ experience. As well as carrying out research for clients, she also works as a tutor for the Strathclyde Institute for Genealogical Studies on their Masters programme. Linda's specialized research focus is on Reformatory and Industrial Schools in England. As well as publishing articles on the subject she has also created a website (http://www.deris.org/) to allow people to search for their ancestors in the records of the Devon & Exeter Reformatory and Industrial Schools for boys.
About the Speaker
Lorna Kinnaird
Lorna Kinnaird, PGDip, FSAScot, QG, ASGRA, is a Scottish professional genealogist living and working in Edinburgh under Dunedin Links Genealogy. With almost 40 years’ experience of accessing Scottish sources, her connection to Aberlady with her Thomson and Burn lines has inspired her to work towards her Licentiateship with I.H.G.S. She is a Course Tutor with I.H.G.S. as well as a course provider with East Renfrewshire Arts & Culture delivering courses on Family and House Histories.
About the Speaker
Kelly Cornwell
Kelly Cornwell is a Professional Genealogist and Speaker, with over 20 years experience of researching family histories across England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, U.S.A. and Australia. She started her business (Who Am I? Family Tree Research) in 2016, which offers a range of services from archive lookups to extensive family history research packages. Kelly has a special interest in Transported Convicts, and has presented talks to the Society of Genealogists, the Society for One-Place Studies, the FHF’s Really Useful Show, and local history groups, amongst others. She gained Distinction in both the Intermediate and Advanced Pharos Family History Skills & Strategies certificate courses, and is now on the team of Pharos Tutors where she runs courses on the benefits of Using Social Media for Family History, and Researching Online for Advanced Genealogists.
About the Speaker
Julie Goucher
Julie Goucher has been actively researching her own ancestry since the late 1980s and that of her husband since 1993; inspired by visits to and information from her Great Aunts and Uncles. Her own maternal ancestry is very much focused on the UK Counties of Surrey, Sussex, and Hampshire with a degree of migration and links to India, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Her paternal ancestry is from Sicily. Julie has been the project administrator for the Orlando DNA Project hosted at FamilyTreeDNA since 2007. Julie spends her time writing for a variety of genealogical magazines and books both relevant to genealogy, pharmacy, or education & learning. Julie has also presented & lectured at Who Do You Think You Are? Live, the Society of Genealogists and globally either in person or electronically. Julie is also a tutor for Pharos Tutors teaching three surname & One-Name Studies courses and one of European Research. Julie has been a Trustee for the Guild of One-Name Studies since 2015 and is currently Chairman.
About the Speaker
Sarah Pettyfer
Sarah Pettyfer holds the IHGS Higher Certificate and Diploma in Genealogy and is a professional family and house history researcher and a solicitor (no longer practising). It is therefore not surprising that her specialist areas of interest are legal records, such as court records, both civil (manorial, chancery, etc) and criminal and deeds. Sarah prefers to undertake pre-C19th research. She is a Member of AGRA, RQG, APG.
