Workshops on everything from Family History to Tudor Handwriting are on offer at Warwickshire County Record Office this November.

Learn how to read Tudor Handwriting on Saturday 3 November 9.15am to 12.15pm. The sixteenth century produced some valuable documents for local and family history and this workshop will give hands-on practice at reading that tricky handwriting. The sessions cost £12 per person.

A session on Tuesday 6 November 10am to 1pm teaches participants How to research house or town history using title deeds. Title deeds are the bedrock of house history, but they often seem baffling to the researcher. This £12 session will explain how to extract the vital information from them and how to locate them in some unexpected places.

Illustrating Your Family History on Saturday 10th November 9.15am to 12.15pm offers skills to make family history look attractive. How can you track down old family photos?  What other sources can you use to illustrate your family history?  These questions, and many more, will be answered at this workshop with popular Family Historian Jennifer Cranfield. The workshop costs £12 per participant.

Visitors can learn how to use the record office, tour the strongrooms, view original records and discover Warwickshire’s records are cared for at Behind the Scenes at the County Record Office on Monday 12 November between 10am and 11.30am. Admission to the tour is £6, concessions £5.

House and Local History on the Internet will take place at the record office on Saturday 17 November 9.15am to 12.15 pm. The session costs £12 and will help historians to find information outside of Warwick, looking at different types of record for house and local history, and how to locate them using the internet.

A free Archives Online session on Thursday 22 November from 10am to 11am will show visitors how to use ‘Warwickshire’s Past Unlocked’, the County Record Office’s own online catalogue.

Family Tree Maker is perfect for people interested in displaying the results of their family history research. This workshop on Saturday 24 November 9.15 am to 12.15pm by family historian Jennifer Cranfield explores the Family Tree Maker genealogy software programme and shows you how to get the best out of it. 2010 version. The session costs £12 to take part.

How do we know about the history of our local area also takes place on Saturday 24 November at 2pm.This session will look at the sources available for researching your local history, what they can tell you and how to find them for your area. Participants will be able to explore the records generally available for most parishes including maps, estate records, parish records, tax and online records, with Rob Eyre, Senior Archivist at Warwickshire County Record Office. Tickets cost £6 (£5 concessions).

All of these workshops take place at Warwickshire County Record Office, which is located at Priory Park, Cape Road, Warwick, CV34 4JS.

Unless otherwise stated, places must be booked in advance by calling Warwickshire County Record Office on 01926 738959.