Emma Elizabeth Thoyts

Born in Marylebone, London, on 8 July 1860, Emma Elizabeth Thoyts became known as an English palaeographer, historian, and genealogist. She was closely associated with Berkshire, and much of her writing drew on the county’s archives, families, and historic buildings.

Her books include History of the Royal Berkshire Militia and Old English Glasses, showing the wide range of her interests—from military and local history to material culture. She also wrote on parish registers, family history, and older handwriting, helping readers make sense of records that might otherwise have stayed inaccessible.

Thoyts died in 1949. Although she is not widely known today, her books still stand out for their patient research and clear enthusiasm for the past.