Hello Everyone,

I just wanted to say that English Manorial records can sometime provide very detailed information about medieval ancestors even for ordinary families. These records are difficult and not always easy to read but where printed transcripts are available provide a rich mine of information.

I have copies of the transcripts for the Manor of Cradley near Halesowen in Worcestershire. the lives of the inhabitants are documented in some detail from about 1480 to 1640. Some families can be traced right through this period and undoubtedly still have descendants in the area today.

If you are fortunate enough to trace your family to a manor where manial records survive then with a lot of luck and some skill it is possible to trace very ordinary families to a surprisingly early date.

Andrew