About the founder

 

John Guest, born John Lindsay Robert Guest, in Melbourne in 1960, is an author known for genealogical research and authorship, including works on his own family history, and for his books on early Australian Rules Football. He is also the founder of Heritage1066, a virtual museum of sorts, housing family artifacts and other family resources important to unsung aspects of British, Irish, and early European history.  


Philanthropic


Founded in 2021, Heritage1066, and along with his books available by open source, and free from charge, his Heritage1066 project is considered not only philanthropic, but also a demonstration of his commitment to adult education and free knowledge sharing. Whilst his primary genealogical work takes readers back to 1066, others consider him making a most valuable contribution to modern history of unique aspects of Melbourne capturing unique the lives of Melbournians during the 19th and 20th century Melbourne and their legacies. Across all of his books he writes about many people and captures biographical and genealogical facts about their lives, the city, and those people they inter reacted among their communities and family circles from the 1850s up until September 2025.   


His Australian Rules football research, through his family background in Melbourne, connects the Guest paternal and maternal lines to the sport of Australian rules football, field hockey and cricket history, spanning 1858 to 2025. 


Genealogical Book Series

 

He has written a four-part genealogical series, beginning with Volume I - Guest Paternal Heritage. This book explores the paternal lineage of the Guest family, tracing their ancestry back to Tewkesbury, England, and their subsequent journey to Melbourne, Australia. 

 

Volume II, titled Maternal Heritage, carefully traces his family's lineage back to 1066. The third instalment, Volume III is similar, but includes appropriate facts required for a petition invited by the Crown, highlighting the longest verified line of his family, subsequently verified by the College of Arms genealogists. Alongside his cousins and co-petitioners for Volume III, John Guest and his cousins and co-petitioners Dennis Lillee and Darren Halifax, were invited to submit a “Supplemental Petition, Volume IV” and focused on the relationship in 1067 between two of their ancestors. Volume IV serves as a culmination of the heritage journey, extending to Scotland in 1066 and exploring significant events related to the conquest.

 

The final instalment in his genealogical series was reviewed by Tom Licence, Tom Licence, M. A, M.Phil., PhD, FHES, FRHistS, FSA., Professor of Medieval History, University of East Anglia, Senior Research Fellow, Magdalene College Cambridge. In conclusion Licence found in favour of John Guest’s research and the petitioner’s claim that “on the balance of possibilities”, their ancient collateral relative, “Edgar the Atheling” was created and Earl by William I.” The latter being the petitioners’ lineal ancestors by prior verification, post 2024 petition, by senior heralds of the heraldic authority, the College of Arms.  

 

His genealogical work has been recognised for its significance by the Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies “Magnus Opus” and the College of Arms in the UK and by Tom Licence’s expert review of Volume IV.

 

Australian Rules Football Book Series 

 

Guest steps across historical genres and among his recent work he is recognised for four Australian rules football history. His football history books are: 


 

Honours and Industry Accomplishments

John Guest FCDA, was honoured with his lifetime fellowship of the Corporate Directors Association (CDA) by the esteemed, Dr Chris Peters, AM OI JP who handled the merger of the CDA with the Australian Institute of Company Directors Association (AICDA). In 2000 he was recognised for his significant industry and academic career, establishing for the automotive industry the VACC College of Automotive Business Management 1993-1996, now known as the VACC Skills Development Centre, and the Automotive Centre of Excellence in Melbourne's Docklands 1997-2001. Post fellowship he continued in a similar ilk and from 2007-2015, for VicRoads he established their internationally and nationally acclaimed Capability Building Program. He returned to the VACC as Leader  Industry Engagement & Policy in September 2015. During the period 2015 -2020 he advocated with some considerable success, compensation for automotive small business owners from financial institutes through the small business commission’s dispute settling process and the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).