Introduction to the Database

There are thousands of genealogical databases on the Internet yet ours has been called "unique". We are wary of making that claim ourselves but it is true that our database is different from most others in the following ways:
1. Instead of presenting data generation by generation, we show our data in a way which makes it easy for many generations of a particular family to be seen at the same time yet which also permits connections between related families to be followed with ease.
2. The sources used for the data are identified on each page. We try to ensure that, if you manage to access the same sources, you could recreate each page yourself substantially as we have produced it.
3. We make great effort to ensure that our data is as reliable as possible yet even so we do not pretend that it is wholly reliable. We know that the world of genealogy (particularly on the Internet) is dogged by false data, some of which has been perpetuated for centuries but much of which has been created in recent years as too many people have been too quick to presume too much without justification. We try to highlight suspect data and to clear up erroneous claims & contradictions. We welcome constructive input & suggestions and are pleased to make corrections where such appears to be justified. This has encouraged a number of genealogists to use this database as a means of publicising corrections to some of the erroneous data that has been published about their families. With a policy of steady improvement as well as steady expansion, we hope that our database will obtain & maintain a reputation for being as reliable as is realistically possible. This does not stop us from including some ancient & mythical data for fun but we try to distinguish that from the serious part of our database.
4. We aim to do more than just help a few families with their genealogical research. Our main objectives are:
- to help everyone who has any British or Irish blood in them to identify more of their ancestors. To keep the project to achievable limits, we leave it to you to identify the first few generations back but, if you manage that, then there is a good chance that our database will make it easier for you to go much further back.
- to show that we are all connected in one way or another (even if you have to go back a long way to find the connection) and that even those who think of themselves as being of humble roots have some ancestors who were famous and/or played a part in making the world what it is today.
- to develop this database into something that steadily expands & improves, becoming truly worthy of being widely viewed as (what quite a number of people have told us they think already is) "the best genie database on the Internet".


The Database is divided into 3 sections:
SECTION I - ANCIENT & MYTHICAL
SECTION II - CONTINENTAL FAMILIES - MEDIEVAL & RENAISSANCE
SECTION III - BRITISH FAMILIES - MEDIEVAL, RENAISSANCE & MODERN

Our main focus is on generations of families born in the British Isles, including Ireland, by the beginning of the 19th century. These are covered by Section III which will always make up over 90% of the Database. Sections I and II are included for their interest value, in some parts purely for fun, to cover the real or mythical early ancestors of many British families, including the Kings & Queens of England, Scotland & Ireland down to King James II/VII. With very few exceptions, we do not cover other generations or other families but we are thinking about offering links from our database to other databases which do cover more recent generations and/or families outside the British Isles.

CAVEAT
All of the information in this database is provided in good faith but on the basis of 'Errors & Omissions Excepted'. We have certain aspirations for this database but we make no claims for it other than in respect of our good faith in pulling together data provided by others. For most of the data, reliance has been placed on the integrity of the sources used, some of which are known to contain errors, and no attempt has been made to provide independent 'proof'. However, we are making genuine effort to make this database the best of its type and are trying to correct the inconsistencies & other errors found in our sources. We welcome corrections & constructive advice and are pleased that a number of serious genealogists are using this site to help identify & correct some of the many genealogical errors that are being propagated elsewhere. If you find errors that we appear not to have discovered, please let us know.
For further comment on the reliability of our data, see Occasionally Asked Questions.

This database is still being developed. It was started in April 2002, initially not in particular earnest, but the favourable response received led us to decide to dedicate serious effort to its development. We recommend that, to make best use of it, new users should familiarise themselves with Information about the Database & Occasionally Asked Questions & Sources and Acknowledgements. The last page both identifies the main sources used by the database and acknowledges some other web sites that have been helpful either for providing data or for providing inspiration or leads. Where other data sources are used for a particular family they are identified on the relevant Family List page.