So stated Roger Ottewill at the introduction of our evening on local political history which was a call to arms supported by practical guidance. For those who missed this fascinating evening or are looking for a reminder this blog provides a short summary in addition to a reading list. There was much to take away for those looking to start, or to develop, their own local political history research.

Roger’s interest is in the history of local politics and administration, with particular reference to the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and he has published a wide variety of articles in these fields. Roger’s belief, shared by many local historians, is that local political history should concern all of us. In his talk he argued that ‘political developments at local level have at least as much impact on those living in particular communities as the more extensively publicised and studied items on the national political agenda.’ Politics, says Roger, should not be ‘swept under the carpet’ by local historians. Rather it should be researched, analysed and celebrated. It should be centre stage ‘as it has always been for national historians.’ Politics, however, is far broader than just ‘party politics’ which has distracted attention away from politics at the local level, especially with the centralising trend in British politics. Political history also means the politics of local affairs. The example used to illustrate this point was the transition from horse drawn to electric trams in Bournemouth, where their running on Sundays aroused considerable political discord during the first couple of decades of the twentieth century.

In considering some of the reasons why local political history has been neglected Roger made two further observations. First, the desire by local historians to foreground harmony which makes for a more appealing narrative than discord. Second, that the source material tends to be scattered and therefore inordinately time consuming to locate, access and interrogate. The case was strongly made during the evening that local political history should however receive greater attention. It enriches our understanding of the way local communities have evolved and also enables fine tuning over overarching narratives of nationally focussed historians, such as the rise of the Labour Party and the decline of the Liberal Party. Furthermore, case studies of local variations in public policy show local difference, encapsulating a principal rationale for local democracy, to allow communities a degree of autonomy in order to pursue their own distinctive interests and political agendas.

Roger’s talk, drawing extensively on his Hampshire and Surrey research, continued to outline the substance of local political history as he sees it. This includes the disagreements and related conflict which arise over issues affecting communities, the result of differences between groups and individuals. The role of local historians, said Roger, is to explain the character of disputes, the motivations of those involved and who benefited from, and were disadvantaged by, the outcome. He also offered four possible approaches to the subject to help the local historian. The first is to focus on a particular issue, which may arise locally or follow from national developments. A second is to explore a particular political process, such as elections. A third is to concentrate on the participants. A fourth is to study a particular administrative institution, such as a local authority or appointed body.

To end our evening David Killingray presented some insights into the political history of Sevenoaks to illustrate further some of the points made by Roger. David is Emertius Professor of Modern History, Goldsmiths and with Dr Iain Taylor has recently completed a book Sevenoaks 1790-1914: Risk and Choice in West Kent (University of Hertfordshire Press, https://www.herts.ac.uk/uhpress/books-content/sevenoaks-1790-1914)

The reader is further directed to a selection of articles written by Roger:

General

‘Virgin Territory? Researching the local political history of interwar Britain’, The Local Historian, Vol. 37(1), 2007.

‘Local Electoral History: A Suitable Case for Treatment?’, The Local Historian, Vol. 46(3), 2016.

Issues

‘Redrawing the Boundaries: The politics and outcomes of the county review process in Surrey 1929-1933’, Southern History, Vol. 26, 2004.

‘The Battle to Preserve Bournemouth’s ‘Quiet Sunday’: The Tramways Question 1902-13’, Southern History, Vol. 41, 2019.

‘An Assessment of the County Review Process in Hampshire 1929-1932’, Hampshire Studies, Vol. 76, 2021.

Single Elections

‘Cotton versus Ashmall: A Microcosmic View of the Education Act 1902’, History of Education Researcher, No. 82, 2008.

‘The Municipal Election Upset of 1890’, Basingstoke Archaeological and Historical Society Newsletter, 235, May 2021.

‘Grassroots Democracy in Action’: An Assessment of the First Parish Council Elections in the Kingston Union 1894’, Surrey History, vol XX, 2021.

‘The non-election of 1876’, Basingstoke Archaeological and Historical Society Newsletter, 236, August 2021.

’When a Few Women First had the Vote: The Municipal Election of 1869’, Basingstoke Archaeological and Historical Society Newsletter, 238, February 2022.

‘The Sectarian Election of 1881’, Basingstoke Archaeological and Historical Society Newsletter, 240, August 2022.

Multiple Elections

‘The changing character of municipal elections 1835-1974’, The Local Historian, Vol. 34(3), 2004.

‘County Council Elections in Surrey: The First Sixty Years 1889 to 1949’, Southern History, Vol. 27, 2005.

‘Democracy impaired? A review of County Council elections in Hampshire between 1889 and 1974’, Hampshire Studies, Vol. 63, 2008.

(with Ivor Slocombe) ‘Electoral Revision Courts in Nineteenth Century Wiltshire’, The Local Historian, Vol.50 (10), 2020.

Other Processes

‘Law Breaking in Hampshire as an Expression of Nonconformist Opposition to the Balfour Education Act: 1903-05’, Family and Community History, Vol 23 (1), April 2020.

Campaigning For and Against Women’s Suffrage in Edwardian Basingstoke’, The Local Historian, vol 51 (1), January 2021.

Participants

‘The Town Association of the Borough of Guildford: Parts 1 and 2, Surrey History, Vol. VII(2), 2005, pp. 14-28 and Vol. VII(3), 2006.

‘Religion and Politics in the Edwardian Era: The Experiences of Hampshire Congregationalists’, Journal of Liberal History, No. 99, Summer 2018.

Administrative Bodies

‘The Establishment of Parish Councils in Hampshire’, Southern History, Vol. 30, 2008.

(with Ivor Slocombe) ‘Parish councils in England and Wales 1894-1974’, The Local Historian, Vol. 39(1), 2009.

‘Parish Councils in the Rural District of Basingstoke: The First Twenty Years 1894 to 1914’, Hampshire Studies, Vol. 74, 2019.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the British Association for Local History (BALH). Any content provided by our contributors is of their own opinion and is not intended to malign any individual, group, organisation, or entity.