Local History News

Local History News is published in January, April, July and October. It is a magazine with topical articles of interest to local historians, plus reports from local societies, record offices, museums and libraries. Developments in local history education reported in Local History News can be found on the Education page of this website.

Contributions are invited from all parts of the local history community. Information about local initiatives is particularly welcome and we are always keen to publish material that gives news of best practice, illustrating the diversity and vitality of local history. Material may be sent at any time to editor.lhn@balh.org.uk or by post to:

Local History News Editor
BALH Head Office, Fountain Precinct, 4th Floor Orchard Lane Wing, Balm Green, Sheffield S1 2JA

Purchasing Printed Back Issues

Recent issues of Local History News are available for sale, price £3, plus £2.00 postage and packing. Please email admin@balh.org.uk to check availability.

Why BALH?

Nick Barratt Historian and Author

Where did your ancestors live?

It is impossible to trace the history of one’s family without considering where they lived. Local history societies and one-place study groups have researched and published content that will allow you to place the lives of your ancestors in the context of their local communities, villages, towns and cities as well as some of the key socio-economic factors that lay behind their development. They often use the same sources as family historians, and can help provide an alternative interpretation of a document or suggest new resources to help your research.

Nick Barratt, Historian and Author

Meet the team

Adrian Webb Trustee

Adrian Webb

Adrian edits Somerset and Dorset Notes and Queries, the longest-running local history publication on Somerset. His focus on the late 16th and 17th centuries led to the Maritime History of Somerset series and books on church fonts, maps, subsidies, wills, and maritime charts for the Somerset Record Society. His research on St Decuman’s parish explores everyday life, and he studies Somerset’s loyalties before the 1642 Civil War. Holding a PhD from Exeter, he has lectured internationally on hydrographic heritage and manages the UK Hydrographic Office Archive, preserving historic cartographic records revealing insights into coastal communities.

Adrian Webb, Trustee