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Welcome to the British Association for Local History’s new e-newsletter!
During these strange and challenging times, we hope every one of you is keeping safe and well.
With normal activity in the local history world on hold for the near future, we have decided to bring forward the first of our new e-newsletters, a feature we were intending to develop later this year, in order to keep in touch with our members, highlight recent developments and to help keep everyone informed and entertained during this unprecedented situation.
This newsletter is designed to work alongside our existing website and social media platforms and to highlight both our own activities and those of other bodies in the world of local history. Hopefully, this will give you a taste of what’s available, and we urge you to follow the links and explore the resources.
David Killingray, Chair of Trustees of BALH, has sent a message in response to the coronavirus crisis, reflecting on what materials will be available for future historians to use in writing the history of Covid-19, while Dr Gill Draper, BALH’s Development Officer, has a wealth of ideas for anyone looking for a new project to occupy their time.
Events
We were very sorry to have to cancel BALH’s first Regional Conference, planned for 21 March in Taunton. However, plans are in hand with all concerned to reschedule this event for Saturday 21 November 2020.
BALH’s flagship Local History Day, and the AGM, due to be held on 6 June, have also had to be cancelled. Again, we hope to restore the planned programme at a later date.
More information on both events will be posted on the website soon.
Local Society Updates
With the current situation forcing us to remain at home, we’re inviting our member societies to send messages to share on our website. For instance, Lamorbey and Sidcup Local History Society have recently shared details of their ongoing project looking at ‘Famous People of Sidcup’
If you would like to share a message from your local history organisation, to publicise your activities, ask for help with ongoing projects, or just to highlight how you’re passing the time, please email webmanager@balh.org.uk
Reading Early Handwriting 1500-1700
If you’re looking to brush up on your palaeography skills, BALH’s latest publication, Reading Early Handwriting 1500-1700 by Mark Forrest, is available via our on-line shop, alongside all our other titles. And don’t forget, BALH members receive a discount on all publications.
Ten Minute Talks
Do you have a subject you would like to share with a wider audience? Or a paper for a conference that has now been cancelled? Then we would love to put it up on our website for everyone to see. For more details and instructions, click here.
The Local Historian – Paywall Suspended
The Local Historian is one of BALH’s two quarterly journals, containing a range of scholarly articles and features on local history issues. BALH has decided to remove the paywall on recent editions until the autumn, to allow full access to the journal while libraries and other facilities are closed.
And don’t forget, all issues of Local History News, BALH’s members' magazine, are also available on the website as usual.
Living the Poor Life - A Talk by Dr Gill Draper
With so many events cancelled or postponed, we are inviting people who were due to give talks to put them up onto our website, so that they can still be enjoyed. In the first of these, our own Development Officer, Dr Gill Draper, presents a paper scheduled for this year’s Family Tree Live, examining records associated with the poorhouses. This, along with links to various other presentations, is available here.
BALH/HA Local History Teacher Fellowship
This autumn BALH, in partnership with the Historical Association, will be running a Teacher Fellowship Programme focused on developing the teaching of local history at primary and secondary schools. For more details, click here.
Heritage Sector Updates
The National Lottery has announced a £50m Heritage Emergency Fund for heritage projects across the country facing uncertainty due to the on-going Covid-19 pandemic.
Historic England has also launched an Emergency Response Fund to help organisations, voluntary groups and self-employed contractors survive the immediate challenges posed by the pandemic, and to prepare for recovery.
Volunteers Wanted
The Legal Records team at The National Archives is seeking volunteers to create new item descriptions for cases brought before the seventeenth century Exchequer Court, using the contemporary indexes. If you like a challenge and have Latin and palaeography experience, please email Dr Dan Gosling (Daniel.Gosling@nationalarchives.gov.uk)
Useful Online Resources
A selection of websites to keep everyone busy!
ReadMe – a tool for reading pre-modern handwriting
http://straylight.cs.st-andrews.ac.uk/readme/
Community Archives & Heritage Group (CAHG) - a central online resource of advice and guidance for the collection, care, preservation and enjoyment of community archives
https://www.communityarchives.org.uk/resources
Royal Museums Greenwich and The National Archives – get involved in a virtual volunteer project
https://royalnavyrecordsww1.rmg.co.uk/
Watch 85,000 British Pathé films
www.britishpathe.com
More material is being added to our website all the time, so check back regularly!
The BALH team
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