Newbies to UK genealogy start here

GENUKI: Newbies Guide by Roy Stockdill:

" GENEALOGY in its strictest sense is the study of blood lines of descent from a particular ancestor or ancestors, with no attempt to examine or reconstruct the lives of those concerned. This is the fundamental building block, the foundations, leading on to.....

FAMILY HISTORY which covers a far wider spectrum and entails what might be called 'putting flesh on the bones'. Family history covers not just genealogical descents but the relating of your ancestors and their lives to the social and economic history of the times in which they lived.

Thus, anything at all which impinged on the lives of your ancestors can be said to be legitimate family history. This includes how they lived, the kind of houses they lived in, the clothes they wore, the food they ate, the jobs they did, how they brought up their children, where they went to church, the shops they shopped at, what kind of things they bought, the hours they worked, how they spent their leisure time, etc, etc, etc - and a million other things which all help to build up a practice and realistic picture of your ancestors' lives."