A gentle introduction to the fascinating skill of reading old handwriting, focussing on archival documents written in English between 1600 and 1900. Upon first inspection many documents can appear illegible, but with a little practise and the tips and tricks we'll show you during this workshop, you should find it much easier to navigate the material you come across in your research. We'll look at parish registers, churchwardens accounts, wills and inventories and work through some example texts together. There will be a variety of handouts to take home, to allow you to build on, and practise what you've learnt during the session.