KATE HURST

Social media is a huge part of our twenty-first century lives, so it occurred to me that Facebook and YouTube offer a very simple, easily accessible way for me to tell a wider audience about exactly what my work involves, whether that's investigating parish records or looking a bit further into a historic topic that might just make a good talk for a history society (or, indeed, any other group that meets for social reasons). Hopefully, it also helps other people to understand a bit more about what I can do, and the kind of historic records that I might be able to use to carry out research into your ancestors, or some other aspect of local or social history that interests you.


Since 2015, I have had a Facebook page for my work, which is a brilliant way to keep people up to date with my current projects, publicise my forthcoming talks and even showcase a few of the family tree charts that I have been commissioned to design.

Kate Hurst Family History Research on Facebook


In April 2020, I also established a YouTube Channel, where I can try out ideas for future talks, and generally discuss some of the weird and wonderful discoveries I have made as a result of my personal and professional research. A selection of titles is listed below:

Why I Love Family History Research
20 Curious Lancashire Parish Records
Exploring My Ancestors' Link To Escrick
Exploring Your Ancestors' World: Retford Cemetery Case Study
Drawing A Family Tree: The Creative Approach
A Tale Of A Teacher (a livestreamed version of a presentation listed on my History Talks page, without the illustrations included in the full talk)
A Family History Researcher's Bookcase Tour
I'm A Family History Researcher | What Do I Actually Do?

Jane Sharp: 1670s Midwife - Part One: Her World and Her Identity
Jane Sharp: 1670s Midwife - Part Two: Life In Restoration Britain
Jane Sharp: 1670s Midwife - Part Three: Childbirth
Jane Sharp: 1670s Midwife - Part Four: A Summary

Wills and Family History: Part One: The Men
Wills and Family History: Part Two: The Women
Wills and Family History: Part Three: Inventories

Christmas With Jane Austen: How Our Regency Ancestors Celebrated - Part One (Attitudes To Christmas)
Christmas With Jane Austen: How Our Regency Ancestors Celebrated - Part Two (Entertainment)
Christmas With Jane Austen: How Our Regency Ancestors Celebrated - Part Three (Festive Food)
Christmas With Jane Austen: How Our Regency Ancestors Celebrated - Part Four (Presents)

Pride and Prejudice : A Family Historian's Perspective - Part One (Setting and Social Class)
Pride and Prejudice: A Family Historian's Perspective - Part Two (Marriage)
Pride and Prejudice: A Family Historian's Perspective - Part Three (Literacy)
Pride and Prejudice: A Family Historian's Perspective - Part Four (The Darcy Family)
Pride and Prejudice: A Family Historian's Perspective - Part Five (Transport and the Darcy Family Tree)

Primrose Nature Reserve | A Brief Walk Through History
Organic Research | From Catholics To Cotton Mills In Clitheroe
Downham, Twiston and Martin Top | A Mini History Tour
Exploring Sawley Abbey | Sawley, Lancashire
Stories From The Churchyard | St. Mary Magdalene, Clitheroe
Stories From The Churchyard | St. Mary and All Saints, Whalley | Heritage Open Days 2022

Tracing Catholic Ancestors In Lancashire | Four Pre-1800 Resources
Pendle Witch Country | A Family Historian's Thoughts
Finding Food in Clitheroe | 1790 to 1860 (for the 2021 Heritage Open Days Scheme)
Demolishing Brick Walls In My Family Tree
Cough Elixirs and Man Midwives | Medical Adverts Before 1870
A Victorian Easter with the Preston Chronicle | April 1848

Primrose Mill, Clitheroe | The Thompson Family and their Connections
Primrose Mill, Clitheroe | Working Life in the Mill and at Home
Primrose Mill, Clitheroe | The Manchester Connection
Primrose Mill, Clitheroe | The Read Family
Primrose Mill, Clitheroe | The Story of Lucy Jane

Sense and Sensibility | A Family Historian's View | The Dashwood Family
Sense and Sensibility | A Family Historian's View | Barton Cottage
Sense and Sensibility | A Family Historian's View | The Ferrars Family
Sense and Sensibility | A Family Historian's View | The Steeles, Middletons and Jennings
Sense and Sensibility | A Family Historian's View | The Brandon Family

Adventures at the Ormskirk Mediaeval Weekend 2022
A Trip To Eighteenth Century Bath | Family Historian on Holiday
Christmas Tree Festival 2022 | Chester Cathedral

A Brief History of Clitheroe's Shops | Platinum Jubilee Virtual Tour