Find out all the latest news from the County Record Office, including details of forthcoming talks, workshops, events and exhibitions.

This page is updated regularly so please return to check for new activities and events.

County Record Office - closure for building maintenance

Please note that North Yorkshire County Record Office will be closed on Thursday 2 and Friday 3 September 2010, due to building maintenance. Please also note that parking will be limited on Tuesday 31 August and Wednesday 1 September.

Friday lunchtime history talks (2010 programme)

The County Record Office in association with Northallerton & District Local History Society presents a series of lunchtime history talks at the County Record Office, Malpas Road, Northallerton.

The talks cover a range of subjects based on the use of archive sources and are held between 12.30pm and 1.30pm. You can book places in advance by telephoning 01609 771878. Admission is £2, payable on entry.

The programme for 2010 is:

• 27 August: No meeting.
• 24 September: All Human Life Project Team: "Cataloguing the North Riding quarter sessions records".
• 29 October: Tony Nicholson, principal lecturer in history, University of Teesside: "Putting flesh on the bones of people in the past".
• 26 November: Avril Edmondson and Mary Moseley, Ripon Local Studies Research Centre: 'Lace making in Ripon - the sixteenth century to the modern day'.
• 31 December: No meeting.

Learn more about family history at the County Record Office

We run half day and full day sessions for people wanting to research their family history. These sessions are aimed at both beginners and more advanced family historians. They are very popular so advance booking is essential, please telephone 01609 777585 or e-mail archives@northyorks.gov.uk. The three sessions running in 2010 and into early 2011 are:

Ancestry in the archives

This is a three hour session for beginners, led by an experienced family history tutor. It covers information on: how to go about research family history; how to make use of the internet; and what can be found at the County Record Office. The session also includes a behind the scenes tour. The cost is £10, including light refreshments. The sessions run of the following dates:

• Saturday 6 November, 10am

Family history beginners' day

This session offers a more detailed exploration of the first steps in researching family history. The session is led by an experienced family history tutor, with contributions from County Record Office staff on census, registration, parish registers and other archive sources. The cost is £25, including light refreshments and a buffet lunch. The sessions run of the following dates:

• Saturday 9 October, 10am
• Saturday 22 January 2011, 10am

Family history skills day

This session is for those wishing to develop their family history skills further. The session is led by an experienced family history tutor, with contributions from archivists. It includes: getting the best from the internet; approaches to Latin and palaeography (old handwriting); and family tree recording software. The cost is £25, including light refreshments and a buffet lunch. The sessions run of the following dates:

• Saturday 4 September, 10am
• Saturday 26 February 2011, 10am [CANCELLED]

Online archives Search through our catalogue of over 4000 summary descriptions from all our archive collections and item level descriptions of selected collections.