If you haven’t come across records that are difficult to read, whether in terms of the language, spelling or just the antiquity and condition of the document, it probably means you haven’t tracked very far back and have been less than successful in your endeavours. Or maybe you have a working knowledge of Latin, Old English and palaeography.

For most readers, tracing ancestors to the sixteenth century through parish records will be a feasible objective, but the contemporary will and testament of William Shakespeare we have just seen illustrates the problems of comprehending old documents, let alone accurate transcription as we discussed in Chapter 4.

Unintelligibility, to some degree or other – especially when you move on from the more common, vital records – is at the core of the family history process. The oldest records are more or less a different language. Even handwriting as we know it is a relative innovation.

The difficulty of understanding old records affects people differently. In one case it is a challenge, providing endless pleasure; in another case it brings a summary end to family history aspirations. I have therefore included sections in the chapter addressing our attitude and approach, as well as some of the mechanics and conventions with which we need to be familiar.

Fortunately, the ‘work backwards’ rule we met at the start means that this aspect of family history doesn’t confront you suddenly. In practice you will gradually meet quaint or ambiguous records that you can interpret and transcribe quite easily and add to your personal skill and knowledge database one step at a time.

In one respect this gradual, or ‘need to know’ basis is the only feasible way to approach old records, language and palaeography as there is so much variety. These variations in recording are more or less unlimited, as are the specialised subjects that family history draws upon, and the depth of skill to which you can aspire.

A working knowledge of Latin or Old English and the development of old handwriting are just the obvious ones. Family history covers every aspect of social and economic history, and that is part of the fascinating package of getting to know your ancestors.

Knowing What’s Important

Thankfully old records can be a perfectly manageable challenge for the average family historian. The thanks go to the ubiquitous 80–20 rule which says something like we use 80 per cent of our time and effort producing 20 per cent of what we want, or outputs, and vice versa. Applied to genealogy, reasonable knowledge and skill in 20 per cent of ‘inputs’ (spelling, language, transcription etc. – the main factors) will cover perhaps 80 per cent of what we are after – our aims, ‘outputs’ and what we reveal of our ancestors.

By the same token, beyond that level of knowledge and expertise, additional knowledge and skill would probably not make a proportionate impact on your results. The relationship reverses and 80 per cent of your effort produces just 20 per cent of the results you want. Or, according to another ubiquitous rule, you get diminishing returns for your time and effort. Even full time professionals cannot afford to go to the nth degree in their research, and they too, knowingly or unknowingly, apply this ‘what is important’ philosophy.

The good news is that many thousands of family historians produce remarkable results as amateurs, and enthusiasm makes up a lot for lack of professional training. An important part of this core know-how is understanding old records.

Mistakes Galore

We can also be thankful that what is important has long since been identified by generations of genealogists who learned the hard way – by making mistakes galore and putting disproportionate effort into relatively fruitless activities. For example, the handful of ‘rules’ for budding family historians in the ‘Getting Started’ chapter are a small selection of the rules promulgated over the years, yet they will take care of most of the pitfalls and tears that otherwise we would face.

Put another way, stick to a few common sense guidelines and you will have a sporting chance of success. When it comes to old records – or any aspect of your family history interests – a few carefully chosen bits of knowledge and core researching skills will suffice for most people most of the time. Mistakes are inevitable, but it is better to learn from one rather than six.