Did you have ancestors’ from London? Explore this edition of London in the olden time. The publication is a topographical and historical memoir of London, Westminster and Southwark.
Did you have ancestors’ from London? Explore this edition of London in the olden time. The publication is a topographical and historical memoir of London, Westminster and Southwark.
Each record is available in a PDF format. Use the previous and next buttons at the top of the page to browse through the publication. The PDF search experience can be different from searching transcribed records. Use our search tips below to get the most out of this collection.
To the left of the PDF, you will find the Transcription Box, which includes:
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Page number – this will tell you where you are in the publication and help you to explore the publication further.
The London in the Olden Time with a pictorial map of the city and its suburbs was written by William Newton and published in 1538 is a topographical and historical memoir of London, Westminster and Southwark.
In the publications preface, William Newton writes ‘The advantages which a correct map of the City of London, of Westminster, and the Borough of Southwark, as the existed in the olden time, would present to the archaeological student, couple with a desire to foster among the citizens of London a feeling of veneration for the relics of antiquity which they still possess, suggested to the author the idea of collection from many of the fragmentary records of the metropolis materials for representing the ancient city in graphic form.’
Searching through a PDF (Portable document format) is different from searching through fully transcribed record sets. Here are some tips to keep in mind while you search for your ancestors:
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Name searches
A name search will return results which have the search terms on the same page within the document. This means that searching for John Smith will return pages where the names 'John' and 'Smith' occur. For this reason your search may return the name William Smith or John Brown. By inserting quotations around the full name the search function will locate the terms together; for example, “John Smith.”
To search for your ancestor by their name, write it as it would appear on the document. For example, if your relative was known as ‘Will’ it is likely that the name used for official records was ‘William.’
If you are unable to find your relative on your first search you can try different name variations. A number of register books only use abbreviations for first names. For example, if your search is unsuccessful for William Smith, try W Smith or Wm Smith.
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If you wish to read through the whole document you are searching, then order the results by page number. You can start from the beginning of the document and read through to the end using the next button above the image.
Page numbers often correlate with the individual images of the documents rather than the page numbers used within the publication. Therefore page 1 starts with the cover page.