TheGenealogist’s Map Explorer, the unique resource for researchers to turn to when searching for an ancestor’s landholding whether owned or simply occupied, has been boosted with the significant addition of georeferenced tithe maps for Anglesey, Durham, Devon, Shropshire, Somerset, Suffolk and Wiltshire.

From cottages with gardens to acres of farmed land and country estates, the addition of georeferenced tithe maps as a layer over modern and other historical maps will allow researchers to see how the landscape changed over time. Map Explorer gives the researcher the ability to switch between layers of tithe, historical and modern maps which are all tied to coordinates and so allow the user the ability to see how places change over the years.

From a plot identified on the tithe map it is possible to click through to then see the description as it was recorded in the apportionment record at the time, thus revealing more about what an ancestor’s holding had been. Using Map Explorer the family historian can browse an ancestor’s area to find other plots that they owned or occupied. Alternatively, TheGenealogist’s Master Search can be used to look for ancestors’ plots across the tithe records and then view them on Map Explorer.

Subscribers accessing TheGenealogist on their mobile devices, while out walking, can use the ‘locate me’ function when using the tool on the move and so open up the history of what is around them. This is explored further in their featured article (see the link below).

• Total number of maps in this release is 2,738
• Total number of Tithe maps in Map Explorer is now 9,710
• Map Explorer has over four million viewable records indicated by map pins
• Map Explorer displays maps for historical periods up to the modern day.

These features enable researchers to discover ancestors who both owned or occupied property between 1837 and the 1850s, with some additional altered apportionments in later years when property was sold or divided. The records allow TheGenealogist’s Diamond subscribers to find details of the plots, the owners of the land, as well as the occupiers at the time of the survey while also identifying the actual plots on the maps. Tithes usefully record all levels of society from large estate owners to occupiers of small plots such as a homestead or a cottage.

With this addition, Map Explorer now features colour tithe maps for more than 30 counties. See TheGenealogist’s article: Travelling back in time with MapExplorer™ in your hand

Find out more  here