This 5-week course is designed for genealogists who want to make the most of the array of maps available to help with family history.
1. Maps for Genealogy with Cathy Soughton
Discover the joy of maps for genealogy and how to unearth more about your ancestors’ lives and the places where they lived. Find out where to find maps online and in archives and how to use them. We'll take a look at a variety of maps and associated records from the 17th century to the 20th century including parish and estate maps, enclosure maps and awards, poverty maps and sales maps and catalogues.
2: Getting the Most from The National Library of Scotland Maps with Chris Fleet
The National Library of Scotland is a British legal deposit library, and it holds strong collections of British printed mapping, especially maps by Ordnance Survey. Over 430,000 maps are accessible for free online, spanning the last four centuries, and are especially strong in maps from the 1800s onwards. This talk will briefly describe the most useful maps for family history, before looking at how to find them, and how to make best use of them. Discover how to navigate the website and make the most of its impressive features.
3. Pinning Down Your Ancestors with Mark Bayley
Discover how to time-travel through your family’s landscape. Watch a village evolve, trace a forebear’s path from farm to city, and uncover the stories buried beneath familiar streets. In this talk you’ll learn how to use The Genealogist's Map Explorer to overlay tithe, Ordnance Survey and Lloyd George Domesday maps onto today’s satellite imagery and see pins linking to census returns and other key records, turning static data into vivid geography. All course attendees will be offered a fantastic offer of a discount for The Genealogist.
4. Mapping Alchemy for Genealogists with Sophie Kay
Maps help us navigate – and that’s equally true in our family history research. In this session, prepare to be persuaded that maps really are genealogical gold! Focusing on Sophie’s Outlier Method and Ancestral Walks techniques, we’ll unite historical maps with historical records in order to spot research errors, separate out namesakes, understand our ancestors & bring their worlds to life, all using freely available Ordnance Survey maps. Examples will focus on U.K. towns for the period 1800-1950, but these methods can be applied to any place or era where suitable maps and address data are available.
5. Using Maps to tell Ancestral Stories on WeAre.xyx with Simon Davies
WeAre.xyz is an online family and one place study collaborative archiving platform. One of its most fabulous features is the creation of 3D globes taking you back in time to chart ancestral adventures. Following in the footsteps of his forebears, Simon will fly through Welsh border valleys, WW1 battlefields and cross the oceans to Queensland, Australia where one unfortunate family member was consumed by sharks in 1897. Simon’s faithful ancestor hunting companion Kevin the Drone will also be putting in an appearance.
Each class will be recorded and available to those that book a place until 31 December 2026.
In addition, all course attendees will receive a fantastic offer - a £40 lifetime discount on TheGenealogist's Annual Diamond Subscription, saving £40 every year for as long as the subscription remains active, plus a bonus digital bundle worth over £75. (Details on how to claim the offer will be available nearer the time).
Programme details
| Maps for Genealogists | Online | 02/11/2026 | 19:30 - 20:30 | |
| Getting the Most Out of NLS Maps | Online | 09/11/2026 | 19:30 - 20:30 | |
| Pinning Down Your Ancestors | Online | 16/11/2026 | 19:30 - 20:30 | |
| Mapping Alchemy for Genealogists | Online | 23/11/2026 | 19:30 - 20:30 | |
| Using 3D Maps on WeAre.xyz to tell Ancestral Stories | Online | 30/11/2026 | 19:30 - 20:30 |
About the Speaker
Simon Davies
Simon is an obsessed genealogist and lover of anything relating to history and nostalgia. His ancestry spans the social spectrum from Irish night soilman in Manchester, South Shropshire farmers, watchmakers in Clerkenwell to a Cornish landowner who drowned crossing the River Camel at Padstow on a dark stormy night in 1814.
His background is in digital product design and tech entrepreneurship. Outside of work, Simon is a Trustee of the Shropshire Family History Society, a keen naturalist, cyclist and supporter of Liverpool FC. He lives with his wife and two teenage children in West London, England.
About the Speaker
Sophie Kay
From DNA to historical maps, from research methods to historical occupations, Dr. Sophie Kay is a professional genealogist and geneticist at Khronicle® (www.khronicle.co.uk) who tackles all manner of family history research challenges from the medieval era to modern day. She’s the Ancestry and Genealogy Expert for popular archaeology show, Time Team, and the Scientist in Residence for The Mixed Museum, where she delivers educational sessions and content in genetic genealogy. A qualified research scientist, Sophie is also a Member of AGRA, a UK organisation of professional genealogists, and works on a variety of projects in both DNA and archival research for private clients and public organisations. Sophie’s family history blog can be found at The Parchment Rustler (www.parchmentrustler.com), where she shares tips, tricks and strategies for making the most of your ancestral research journey.
About the Speaker
Mark Bayley
Working as the head of online development for TheGenealogist and also as a Director of S&N British Data Archive, Mark has been involved in many aspects of genealogy and the family business from an early age. During his time at university, Mark followed a passion for technology, studying Computer Science. A combination of interests in web design, social networks and genealogy led him to develop TreeView for his dissertation. http://treeview.co.uk/ is a free online family tree builder that lets you record, display, chart, import, export and share genealogical information. Mark graduated with a first-class honours degree and joined the company full time. Mark doesn’t just develop new genealogical research tools. At evenings and weekends, he can be found giving talks on breaking down brick walls using these tools along with alternative record sets at events across the country.
About the Speaker
Chris Fleet
Chris Fleet worked at the Bodleian Library, Oxford and the National Library of Wales before joining the National Library of Scotland in 1994. His main responsibilities at NLS relate to modern and historical digital mapping and making historical maps available online. He has researched, written and spoken widely on these subjects and is a co-author of Scotland: Mapping the Nation (2011), Edinburgh: Mapping the City (2014), Scotland: Mapping the Islands (2016), and Scotland: Defending the Nation (2018).
About the Speaker
Cathy Soughton
Cathy Soughton is a qualified professional genealogist and house historian who specialises in researching the history of properties for both private homeowners and commercial clients. Homes researched have been as diverse as Victorian Gothic mansions, Georgian townhouses, converted schools, pubs and medieval manor houses and she particularly enjoys finding out more about the lives of the previous owners and occupants. Cathy is a Member and the current Secretary of AGRA, the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives which maintains and promotes high standards of professional conduct in the field of genealogy and historical research.
