Research your roots and learn about your heritage.

Be sure to be with us on Saturday 12 May 2018 in Hook, Hampshire at the RTFHS Society Day. It’s a one-day conference full of talks by experts to help you in your family history research and also to help you learn more about the history, culture and heritage of British Romanies, Travellers and Fairground people of past centuries.

What can you discover about an ancestor from a coroner’s record?

Nicholas Rheinberg, a former Senior Coroner and now archivist for the Coroners’ Society of England and Wales, will be on hand to introduce you to the history of coroner’s reports and the biographical and family information they can give.

How did a West Country Gypsy join the British aristocracy?

RTFHS member and regular Romany Routes contributor Anne Ford will guide you through the surprising journey she took to reveal the life of a countess with Gypsy Stanley and Fletcher roots and record her story in a new biography that the RTFHS will be publishing in 2018.

Where did the fairground year take your travelling showfolk?

Graham Downie, chairman of the Fairground Association of Great Britain, will take you across England, Scotland and Wales to discover the history of major and lesser-known fairs, with the help of his historic photo collection.

Where will the event take place?

Our venue is The Raven Hotel, Station Road, Hook, Hampshire RG27 9HS. It’s opposite Hook station, offering frequent trains on the mainline from London Waterloo to Basingstoke and beyond. Free parking is available plus eating options in the hotel and in nearby pubs and cafés.

And how do you book a place?

If you’re an RTFHS member, please fill and send us the booking form that you received in your March 2018 edition of Romany Routes. Entry is free for RTFHS members.

If you’re not an RTFHS member, please complete this RTFHS Society Day 2018 Booking Form. The fee for the day is £5 but if you join the Society on the day for a one-off special price of just £10 (a discount of £2 on the normal annual membership fee) you can get free admission too!

Booking is advised to avoid disappointment as places as limited. If you arrive on the day without a booking, we may not be able to guarantee a space for you.