Stalwart -with its excellent research guide this book makes for another trusty reference work that anyone with northern family connections will find useful and illuminating - a lively guide to life in the north with a social history angle . it's crammed full of facts, local lore and regional social history. Your Family Tree

A surprisingly detailed introduction to the social history of the North-East and Cumbria, giving an insight into the world in which our ancestors lived…. It will be of interest to the general reader as well as family and local historians….. Particularly useful is the book's extensive directory of documents, local archives, museums and online resources that provide the essential routes for exploring the more personal aspects of our region's past. Northern Echo

A useful history of the kind of changes that affected population, and, more particularly, tells you where you can source the detailed information you will require if you are attempting to trace those long-lost relatives and draw up your family tree. Cumberland News

Accessible and informative introduction to the subject… gives a fascinating insight into the world in which our ancestors lived Global Genealogy

 If you were fascinated by the BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? - Then you'll enjoy Keith Gregson's Tracing Your Northern Ancestors… this book is as much a love letter to the north of his ancestors as it is a well-researched and informative guide on how to trace your own family tree…. A fascinating book for anyone interested in the north of England … it might inspire you to start digging to find your own friends and family in the north Yesterday Magazine

A fascinating review in BBC Who Do You Think You Are magazine where the reviewer noted he was upset with my acceptance of modern bureaucratic geography ( "I bristled when I read places were 'formerly in Yorkshire'). Thankfully he was then very positive as in  ' a jolly good read and an excellent guide to the history of a great swathe of Northern England . highly readable .. comprehensive detail ..splendid descriptions. The author's command of his subject is impressive and his numerous references to original sources invaluable' 

Read this book for more information about researching ancestors who lived in Northern England ...the author carefully examines (these) trades, often painting a vivid picture of the hardships and dangers that our ancestors faced on a daily basis in their working lives Ancestors -Magazine of The National Archives

In April 2008 it was the best selling family history book on Amazon where it also gained a 5 star review

 Google 'Keith Gregson' and 'Northern Ancestors' for hundreds of sites where the book can be purchased