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RESEARCHING WELSH ANCESTRY can be fraught with difficulties for those who are unaware of, or unfamiliar with, the very different (from England) social, cultural, religious and linguistic circumstances which have prevailed in Wales. The poor survival rate of many records, the dominance of a small stock of settled surnames, unfamiliarity with Welsh place-names, etc, can all conspire to make life difficult for even the most dedicatedof researchers.

This is not a `how to do it' book. The principles of genealogical method: working from the known to the unknown, developing working hypotheses, and proving everything, apply as fully in Wales as in other contexts. These aspects have been written about at length elsewhere and are not repeated here. Instead this book is a compilation of contributions by a wide range of authors. Some of the contributions are by authors with direct experience of researching Welsh ancestry; others have been written by authors with a detailed knowledge of the historical background to Wales. An understanding of this wider historical background is essential for
serious research and in particular for the development of new strategies for research.

For this second edition each author was given the opportunity to update his or her text in the light of.changed circumstances (particularly in the area of local government, and hence archives) or additional research. While this has led to significant changes in a number of chapters, nevertheless the general aims and objectives of the first edition - as outlined above - have been retained. We hope that, as a result, the book will continue to make auseful contribution to the pursuit of Welsh ancestry.

FRONT COVER: This reproduces part of an heraldic pedigree roll compiled in 1591 by Thomas Jones of Tregaron (Twin Sion Cati) for Sir Roger Williams of Pen-rhos, near Caerleon, a famous Elizabethan soldier who died in 1595. This roll was the property of the late Lt. Col. Hopton Addams-Williams of Llangybi, who was descended from the same stock as Sir Roger, and who kindly gave permissionfor the roll to be reproduced here prior to his death in 1992.