PEOPLE are being urged to discover their past with archive workshops at Hampshire Record Office.

A range of afternoon and evening workshops are hoped to reveal more about the life of people from the past, and how archive documents are conserved.

On Wednesday, from 2pm to 4pm, House History for Beginners will look at how to use archive sources to help discover the identity of previous occupants of your home.

They can also help uncover lost or forgotten features and where homes fit in to the history of the local community, or what was on the site before the house was built.

You can also Meet the Archive Conservators on Wednesday, March 13, from 2pm to 4pm, and find out how documents suffer damage and what is done to repair and protect them for future generations.

The popular Family History for Beginners workshop will be held this afternoon and on Tuesday, February 26 from 6pm to 8pm, and on the afternoon of Thursday, March 21.

The sessions will look at all the main sources available, including microfiche/film, and how people can use them for researching their family trees.

Sessions are £10 and must be booked on 01962 846154 or at enquiries.archives@hants.gov.uk.

There will also be two, free half-hour Thursday lunchtime lectures on Hampshire Quakers before the Toleration Act and Old Romsey at Work.

Donations would be welcome.

To find out more about these workshops and how to start digging into your past at Hampshire Record Office go to hants.gov.uk/archives.