Family HistoryYour guide to resources.

The ancestors of Moira Stuart and Meera Syal lay outside Britain, and consequently little research was required in British archives. Instead, it was necessary to arrange research trips overseas...

Moira’s quest to discover her roots led her from Scotland back to the Caribbean, and the island of Dominica. The requirement to travel overseas in search of records is often an obstacle to family historians whose ancestors came to Britain, but you will find important local resources, such as civil registration documents, parish registers and land ownership. Moira’s research led her to slave registers linked to plantation owners on the island of Dominica, of which related material can be found at The National Archives – some samples are provided

Catalogue reference: T 71
Office of Registry of Colonial Slaves and Slave Compensation Commission Recorded under the names of the plantation owners are the slaves that they ‘owned’ and were compensated for emancipating.

Resources for overseas research

If you have an ancestor that was born outside Britain, then the best place to find further advice about where to start your research is www.movinghere.org.uk.