Occupations

Discover the occupations and jobs people in your family history and ancestry had

First World War nurses, Christmas Day 1914

Discover your past

How to find First World War nurses’ records

A British coal miner c.1915

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How to find coal miners in your family history

An operation in a lecture theatre at University College Hospital Medical School, London, in 1898

How to find doctors and nurses in your family tree

Sweater Salesman

How to find commercial travellers in your family history

Choir of St Martin's Church, Dorking, Surrey, 19th century.Artist: MJ Starling

The 15 best websites for finding clergy in your family tree

Who Do You Think You Are?

Discover your past

Researching workhouse ancestors

Servants at Biddlesden Park House, Buckinghamshire, c.1896-1920

Was your ancestor a domestic servant?

War Time Fruit

The 14 best websites for shopkeeper records

Agriculture

How to find cheese-makers in your family history

Women sewing straw hats, c. 1920

How to find hat-makers in your family history

Fundraising for an orphanage in East London in the 1920s (Credit: Getty Images)

The 14 best websites for finding records of orphanages and children’s homes

1603, An English blacksmith using an anvil in a forge. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Where does my surname come from?

International Sheep Dog Trials Take Place In County Down

Best ancestry websites for agricultural labourers

On Made in Great Britain, Claire 'de Lune' and Katie Ventress try their hands at traditional pottery making in Stoke-on-Trent (Credit: BBC/Endemol Shine/ Rudi Gordon)

How to find potters in your family history