TRACING your family’s past has been made easier thanks to a new book from genealogist Mary Teviot.

Interest in our roots has been stirred by television programmes such as Who Do You Think You Are and Heir Hunters, a series Lady Teviot was heavily involved with.

Now her book, The Street-Wise Guide to Doing Your Family History, seeks to help everyone who wants to know more about their ancestors.

The title is the latest in a How-To series from Brighton-based publishers Edward Everett Root.

It condenses more than half a century’s experience of family history research in a detailed yet easily accessible guide from a researcher with an enviable international reputation.

Mary said: “I have used my own genealogical journey to cover every aspect of family history, offering tips and shortcuts to smooth the beginner’s path in what can be a treacherous field.

“The popular TV shows do make it all look rather easy when, in fact, it is much more involved than it appears on the screen.

“That said, this is not a book just for the inexperienced.”

The guide has been endorsed by the county archivist for East Sussex, Christopher Whittick.

He said: “You may not be a street-wise genealogist when you start this book, but you certainly will be when you finish it.”

Lady Teviot has decades of experience to call on, having run the professional genealogical research company Census Searches which provides expert scrutiny into family history, probate and media investigation.

This has taken her on lecture tours across the globe and she was made President of the Federation of Family History Societies, and is now a life vice-president.

The book is available at www.ladyteviot.co.uk/