Sporting Ancestors

From Victorian diarists listing boat-and horse-race results to war diarists mentioning organised games of football, cricket and tennis to the discovery of watch chains with Edwardian cricket medals attached, our family histories are littered with amateur or professional sporting references. Sport, in its many forms, is an important part of our heritage. It opens up a whole new range of sources for the family historian: minute books where teams were chosen and lists of competitors stored, match-day programmes, correspondence and club histories, newspaper reports, team photographs and cartoons. With London hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, interest in and exposure to sport is likely to increase dramatically, and Sporting Ancestors is the essential guide for anyone wanting to discover how sport figures in their own family history.

Auteur

Keith Gregson taught history in schools for 30 years and now researches and writes for Your Family Tree and Ancestors magazines. He is the author of Tracing Your Northern Ancestors and A Viking in the Family.

Résumé
Sport, in its many forms, is an important part of British heritage and our family histories are littered with amateur and professional sporting references. As people moved from country to town, sport became fashionable and organised, and our ancestors left us with records of their sporting deeds. Newspaper reports, minute books, club histories, team photographs and even cartoons are all available to the family historian. Discover which sports were played when, where and why. Read example case studies, find out how to begin your own research and learn what resources are available to help you progress. From Victorian prizefighters to Edwardian ladies' archery, from inter-war football teams to the shin-kicking contests of the Cotswold Olimpicks Sporting Ancestors is the essential guide for those wanting to explore what part sport has played in their national and family history.