Do we have to bring this up again Had enough of it last time. And the other complaint about the list not being what it used to be, one of the reasons is that at this time of year a lot of lists go quiet but the humour and information is still trickling through Elmo may not make his prescense know but he is still there on the sidelines. I used to run hampshire Life for nearly five years and used to let the list run itself and only step in if need be. Stop knocking it, what more can a list master do? Put pretty lights on the emails or occassionally do a little dance to entertain you! This is a great list and the members are extremely helpful and still retain a bit of humour Chris History of the villages of Dorset, Hampshire and Isle of Wight http://southernlife.org.uk ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: Roy Stockdill <roy.stockdill@btinternet.com> To: ISLE-OF-WIGHT- <Isle-of-Wight-L@rootsweb.com>; LiverpoolLady <lesley.culshaw@blueyonder.co.uk> Sent: Saturday, 20 February, 2010 10:36:34 Subject: Re: [IoW] Surname On 20 Feb 2010 at 9:04, LiverpoolLady wrote: > Bear with me : ) can anyone give me the site to the map that is shaded > to show the surname and the coverage of where the name originated. > Sorry not very good at explainin,clear as mud : ) > > Lesley Ü > Well, I'm glad you said it and not me! I agree that your articulation of facts and questions could bear some improvement. However, I think I know what you mean. There are at least two major reputable sources for surname research and their origins. However, before I continue, here's a HEALTH WARNING! Do NOT pay any attention whatsoever to those commercial outfits that infest shopping malls and the Internet and purport to flog you your "family coal of arms" and a nicely framed scroll allegedly with the history of your surname. These people are charlatans and I call them "bucket shop genealogists". If all you want is something pretty to hang on the living room wall, then OK, but don't take them seriously! For one thing, there is no such thing as a family coat of arms or coat of arms for a surname, moreover I have looked at some of their surname definitions and they are frequently wrong, sometimes hilariously so! Now, I think the website you want is called "spatial literacy" and it can be found at..... http://www.spatial-literacy.org/?page_id=40 It was taken over not long ago by the National Trust. There is also a brilliant CD-ROM called "Surname Atlas" which is produced by a friend of mine, Stephen Archer. This takes all the unique names (surnames AND forenames) from the 1881 census of Britain and produces instant coloured distribution maps of any surname and where it is most strongly resident in the UK. You can have hours of fun with this CD and at 12 quid it's one of the best bargains in genealogy (and, no, I am NOT getting a cut!). Look with Google for Archer Software and you'll find it. -- Roy Stockdill Genealogical researcher, writer & lecturer Newbies' Guide to Genealogy & Family History: www.genuki.org.uk/gs/Newbie.html "There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." OSCAR WILDE ************************************** You can contact the Isle of Wight List Administrator by emailing: Isle-of-Wight-Admin@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ISLE-OF-WIGHT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ************************************** You can contact the Isle of Wight List Administrator by emailing: Isle-of-Wight-Admin@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ISLE-OF-WIGHT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message