Local History News Number 96 Summer 2010

BATTLE
 

I went to Battle in early June to enjoy the 1066 experience. I find that battlefields are rarely a particularly impressive aspect of heritage, no matter how crucial the events which took place there. In fact, they can be very dull. Years ago, visiting Gettysburg, I was somewhat underwhelmed by the site, though fascinated by the museum, and moved by reading Lincoln’s words in the place where he spoke them. It being America, a broad and busy highway which snakes through the battlefield area, so you don’t have to emulate the young men from Missouri and Virginia and Massachusetts who scrambled up and down the slopes: you can view in comfort. I watched a visitor drive along the road, winding down the window of his very large car at every explanatory board (excellent they are, too), filming the board but not bothering to look at the sites and sights described.

 
But in England it’s different, and fortunately you have to walk round the battlefield at Battle, trying to reconstruct in your mind’s eye those dramatic and epoch-making events almost a millennium ago. It’s hard to perform that mental exercise, because the charming landscape, the abundance of wildflowers, the waterlilies in the monastic fishponds, and the well-trodden circular path, all diminish the notion of brutality, savagery and desperate struggle. That’s not to criticise English Heritage, which presents the site extremely well, but rather to suggest that the imagination can’t easily conjure up images so contrary to the present peaceful setting.
 
Peaceful, that is, except for the battalions of tourists, the regiments of tour groups, the stray infantry of families. On a hot day of lovely sunshine we went round the circuit accompanied by a massive party of German teenagers, for whom a degree of cultural confusion might have been understandable. An English king whose people were distantly Germanic with a hefty measure of Danish and Norwegian blood, having heroically fought and defeated Scandinavian foes to whom they were closely related, was himself beaten after valiant resistance by a Norman duke who was partly Scandinavian and partly French in his ancestry—except that France itself scarcely existed at that time. But the teenagers, though somewhat bored, were given exemplary instruction by their teachers. I speak no German, yet the clarity of their delivery and the emphasis on historical accuracy meant that I could understand at least the gist of what they said. Their students probably ended up with a far better grasp of the complex drama of autumn 1066 than most of the English visitors.
 
And what of the building which is the focus of the whole site, the great abbey which William founded in honour of his slaughtered rival and which almost five centuries later was desecrated on the orders of the twentieth king after Harold II? The surviving domestic ranges have magnificent vaulting, soaring and interweaving in an intricate geometry. How wonderful the church itself must have been. But hardly a stone remains, and only a rather dull slab marks the site of the high altar, placed on the spot where Harold fell. To some he was the last truly English king of the English, and to many he is a heroic figure—yes, unscrupulous, devious, grasping and power-hungry, but also patriotic and valiant in his defence of the realm he had so recently acquired. The almost municipal landscaping of the setting hardly seems sufficient. In France or Germany, Italy or Poland, America or Scotland, such a site would surely be marked by tributes, floral or in national colours. But at Battle there was nothing … no scatterings of flowers, no red and white ribbons.  

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THE MARKS & SPENCER COMPANY ARCHIVE
 

When, in February 2010, the M&S Company Archive exhibited at the Who Do You Think You Are? Live event at London’s Olympia, we were delighted with the reception we got from the public. Many visitors, however, were initially surprised to see us there: what was Marks & Spencer, a multi-national retailer, doing at a family and local history event?

In fact, as one of the UK’s oldest and best-established brands, M&S has long been devoted to preserving its history. The M&S Company Archive, formally established in 1984, holds around 60,000 records that illustrate in great detail the Company’s development from a market stall in 1884, to penny bazaars, to the well-loved chain of stores all over the UK and abroad.
Within the archive there are thousands of company documents, including reports, letters, contracts, magazines and other business records, alongside journals and photograph albums kept by employees over the years. Extensive store photograph albums give a dynamic picture of changing high streets. A large collection of merchandise (clothing, toys, books, homeware, etc) as well as food packaging and other promotional materials show what people were buying in decades gone by.
On a day-to-day basis the M&S Company Archive primarily serves as a business resource for M&S. It provides stimulus for new product designs, advice on the Company’s past, and information for use in legal matters. In 2009 the archive played a central role in M&S’s 125thanniversary celebrations, supplying research and materials for use in special commemorative events, media, packaging and product lines. Outside the business, the archive has served as a valuable research resource for academics and historians, assisting with a number of books on retail history.
The archive, however, can tell you about much, much more than just one business. As a record of one of the UK’s biggest retailers – and employers – it has considerable applications for social history. From a customer’s point of view, items such as magazines, fashion supplements, checking lists and the products themselves can show what your predecessors were wearing, how much they paid for it, and how it was advertised as the fashion of the day. The same can be said for food: packaging, advertisements, articles and even own-brand cookery books shed light on changing tastes and prices. 
If someone in your family ever worked for M&S, then there is a great deal of behind-the-scenes information to be learned about their working lives as well. Uniforms, training materials, and all manner of employee documents dating from before the term “Human Resources” even existed will show how your relative would have worked, the standards of appearance and service to which they adhered, and how they carried out their jobs. Employee magazines from the 1930s onward can tell you about the foreign holidays, theatre productions, sporting contests and other social events that were regularly organised by store employees after hours. There is also a considerable amount of material, both official and personal, from the Second World War, such as biographical accounts, ARP training manuals, and the “Forces Bulletin” sent out from Head Office to M&S employees on active service and in POW camps. These show how those M&S staff who were serving in the armed forces kept in touch and rejoined the company after demobilisation, and those who remained at home continued with their work under drastically different circumstances while the nation made arrangements for war.
The archive is currently closed to the public as it undertakes an ambitious relocation project (see below for more details). Until it opens there is, however, a fantastic exhibition which you can visit all year round. Admission is free and if you would like to a guided tour for your group we would be more than happy to arrange one for you as long as you email in advance. To book a guided tour, please email exhibitionbookings@marks-and-spencer.com. 
The Marks in Time exhibition, located in the Parkinson Building at the University of Leeds, opened in 2009 as a core feature of M&S’s 125th anniversary celebrations. Key items from the archive’s collections are woven into an audio-visual narrative that explores the inter-relationship between M&S and British social and economic history.
A visitor to Marks in Time can find out how Britain’s culinary habits changed over the decades as freezers and microwaves appeared in our kitchens and Chinese and Indian food seduced the nation; you can find out how fashions moved with the times by viewing articles that your family would have been wearing from the 1920s to the present day; you can see how innovations in employee welfare, corporate governance, and retail practices changed the way we worked. And you’ll be able to see how M&S led the way in all these areas, becoming an intrinsic part of the fabric of British society in the process.
If you can’t make it to Leeds, we also have an interactive website which illustrates the key themes and objects from the exhibition, and provides educational downloads for Key Stages 2 and 3. Please visit us athttp://marksintime.marksandspencer.com/Main/ for more information.
The Marks in Time exhibition is the first phase of M&S’s new partnership with the University of Leeds. The second phase is the relocation of the M&S Company Archive to a brand new facility on the University’s campus, which will make its collections open to academics, researchers and the general public for the first time. The catalogue will be taken online and core areas of the collection, such as clothing and food packaging, will be digitised to allow even greater access. This is an enormous undertaking, which has necessitated the closure of the archive to the public for the time being, but we are aiming to have the project completed and opened to the public in the autumn of 2011.
While we are currently unable to undertake new research, we are very happy to answer enquiries based on a wealth of existing research and already-catalogued material. You are welcome to contact us with enquiries (for example: when your local M&S opened, what your grandmother’s uniform looked like, and so on) and we will do our best to answer them. Additionally, we are always happy to receive donations of material of all kinds relating to M&S’s history. If you would like to follow the progress of our relocation project, you are invited to join our Friends of the M&S Company Archive scheme. For information on all of the above, please email us at company.archive@marks-and-spencer.com.
When it opens in the autumn of next year, the new M&S Company Archive facility will provide a first-class resource for family and local history researchers, and until then theMarks in Time exhibition is an excellent way to see the highlights from the collections in the wider context of how daily life, working and shopping in the UK have changed since the 1880s. There is ample scope to learn more about the past from the collections of a company that has been a fixture on local high streets for 126 years, has employed hundreds of thousands of people over successive generations, and whose products have been purchased by millions.
 

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VCH COUNTY SOCIETIES SYMPOSIUM
 

These three short contributions follow the VCH event on 1 May. It is hoped that BALH will be involved in further developments arising from the discussions at the symposium. These will be reported and explored in future issues of Local History News.

           
On 1 May 2010 in collaboration with the Royal Historical Society, the Historical Association, BALH and the Centre for Local History at the University of Leicester the director of the Victoria County History organized a symposium at the Institute for Historical Research for delegates from the historic County Archaeological and Historical Associations many of which date from the nineteenth century. About half of the Societies approached sent representatives. While the meeting had primarily been called to discuss record publishing in the twenty first century other issues particularly relating to education emerged as matters of great concern.
            Representatives of a commercial publisher and an independent publisher set out the advantages and disadvantages of electronic publishing compared with traditional publishing, concluding that publishing on line had not killed the demand for hard copy editions Two editors of Record Societies analyzed  the type of records published recently by County Societies and suggested that greater co-operation between local and national record publishing bodies such as the Canterbury and York Society and the Federation of Family History Societies, and between County Societies themselves to aid the publication of records which crossed county boundaries.
            Some County Societies had digitized runs of theirTransactions and Record Series and added them to their websites. Alternatively Societies in the future might choose to have their digitized publications mounted on the IHR’s British History Online site. [See below for details'>more...
            Two speakers described the closure of University Adult Education departments and the consequent catastrophic decline in the number of local history and archaeological courses being offered together with a steep rise in fees for those which were still continuing. The demand, however, for such courses remained very strong, and the decline of formal provision was leading to the creation of ‘self-help’ groups, which were contemplating employing their own tutors for which funding might be available from bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund and Rural Community Councils. .Some County Societies were responding to this challenge by establishing their own education officers to organize courses and conferences.
            There was some feeling that the County Societies might act as umbrella organizations for the many local history societies which existed within their boundaries. The question was also raised whether there was scope for a forum of County Societies linked to BALH, the HA or the CBA, but for the time being the consensus seemed to be that a virtual forum might suffice, and the HA representative offered the HA’s website as a means of linking the individual County Societies’ websites.
            Since from August the VCH’s presence at the IHR would be greatly curtailed BALH offered to host future County Society forums, and it was proposed that adult learning and current research in local history might be the focus of future meetings.
 
Summarized by Claire Cross from detailed notes on the Symposium written by Professor John Beckett. There will be a link from the BALH website to the full report when it becomes available.  Meanwhile anyone interested can email mail@balh.co.uk for further details. 
 
Andrew Foster has written in a personal capacity about the symposium on the Historical Association website http://www.history.org.uk/news/news_772.html
 
County Societies Symposium
John Chandler
            
I suppose that anyone bringing local historians together ‘to discuss matters of mutual interest and to share best practice’ will find that the agenda writes itself. For the pessimist there must be sessions about funding (lack of), the ageing process (society membership), and government cutbacks (the end of state adult education). For the optimist there are bright horizons – unlimited opportunities to publicise and disseminate local history and historical knowledge generally online and through new print media, lottery funding for community projects, lifelong learners and volunteers.
Against this oxymoronic background it was a timely initiative by the VCH Director, John Beckett, to bring together representatives of organisations promoting local history, at county and national level (including BALH), on 1May for this bittersweet but invigorating symposium at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. The aim was not really to resolve the challenges but to test whether airing them proved useful and should be repeated at regular intervals. The proverbial jury (as I write) is still out, and no decision will be taken until the autumn, when feedback has been received and considered, as to whether or not it becomes a single or multiplex annual event.
              For my own part the opportunity to hear and test ideas in areas that interest me – advances in local publishing in particular – was invaluable. Wisdom and enthusiasm oozed from the platform and the floor. And in the often too fragmented and parochial world of local history I find the conversations at such events with like-minded cognoscenti stimulating to the point of exhilaration. Where the symposium faltered (as its organisers recognized) was in defining the bewilderingly overlapping county societies – the Victorian antiquarian foundations, record publishing societies, local and family history umbrella organisations. Are we – should we be – all pulling in the same direction?
 
Has your Society got a website and, if so, are you proud of it!
 
One of the points to come out of the County Societies Symposium hosted by the VCH at the IHR on 1 May 2010 was that many societies now have a website which is usually maintained by a volunteer. It was clear, however, that not all societies were able to set up and maintain a site, and if so they might be interested in a hosting service offered by the Institute of Historical Research. The IHR offers a service for history-based organisations seeking a home for their website. It offers a clean and simple template and a URL on the IHR’s website (http://www.history.ac.uk/YOURSITE) for about £200 per annum and an initial set up cost of £120. For an additional £50 or so a year, the IHR will register your own domain name (.org, .org.uk). The IHR uses Drupal software which gives you flexibility to edit and manage your own web pages, and onsite training can be arranged if desired. If you would like more details of the service, email ihr.webmaster@sas.ac.uk.

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ON SECOND THOUGHTS
 

‘Before my pen has glean’d my teeming brain’

 
Keats’ line has seemed particularly appropriate to me as I have been working on the final stages of preparing an edition of notes and memoranda entitled Gleanings from Wiltshire Parish Registers, for Wiltshire Record Society. Last minute revisions and proof-reading of indexes create a febrile atmosphere in which the project is never far from my mind, as thoughts and ideas jostle for consideration, and Keats’ words describe my state of mind in the final weeks leading up to publication. I hope that readers will allow this preoccupation to spill over into this piece, not least because I wrote an article on this subject that appeared in TLH in May 2008. However, at the risk of appearing to be having two bites at the cherry, and  indulging in some self publicity, I hope that two revisions to the work will be of interest in illustrating the some of the challenges faced in editing historical sources.
 
The 18th century register for Devizes St Mary includes an epic poem about St George and the Dragon which I assumed was written and composed by the parish clerk. Although such an unusual text demanded closer scrutiny I demurred from this justifying that publication might draw it to the attention of experts better able to interpret a literary source. However, Brian James, a member of WFHS parish register transcription group, came across it as he was working on that register and became intrigued by it. He thought that the clerk’s son, Richard Clark, had written it out. Looking again at handwriting in the register I agreed, and realised that I could not leave it at that.
 
A few discrepancies between our transcripts of the verse led me to search on Google for the names of two of the historical figures mentioned in it; Alfred and Aldricus, expecting to find some connection between them. Such is the power of GoogleBooks, that I was directed to the ballad in a collection published in 1724. The anthologist, Ambose Philips, wrote of the ballad ‘I should think my Collection very imperfect, was this old Panegryick upon our English Saint and Patron to be omitted’. My initial disappointment that I had not found an original text was quickly dispelled by the realisation that the published copy was unlikely to have been the source. By 1724 Richard was in his twenties and unlikely to be still interested in making such annotations, the earliest of which he had made in 1711. The source must have been a broadsheet, by which means it had presumably achieved the popularity to merit inclusion in the anthology. This was confirmed by the replacement of one rather clumsy and obtuse line with one completely unrelated to the rest of the verse, in the anthology. The value of critical peer review combined with the power of the internet lead to an important revision for which I am most grateful to have been able to make.
 
In my initial trawl through I found pasted into one of the registers of Winterslow a statistical record of the preparations throughout Wiltshire against invasion by the French army in 1803, which is a unique source of this information for the county. The returns lacked the section giving information on numbers of men, their weapons and tools etc. The register had been closed by being spiked and tied down from cover to cover. Carefully re-examining it I realised that I had missed one opening which, included the additional information thus completing the record. What had defeated me initially were the torn edges of paper, created by the spike and tightly compressed by the closing of the register. This phenomenon came to prominence during the 2000 US presidential election, when the word chad entered the popular lexicon under particularly notorious circumstances. Although first used in 1959 (according to The Historical Thesaurus of the OED) to describe waste from machine-punched cards, it seems appropriate to be applied to the result of a manual operation.

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ARCHITECTURAL JOURNALS
 

From the 1840s three leading weekly journals were produced in Britain with news and information for the architectural and building trades.  As the second half of the 19th century progressed their format, especially of illustrations, became much richer and more extensive providing a fascinating insight into the development of not just techniques and the buildings themselves, but also the man–made landscape of many parts of U.K.

The earliest journal was The Builder established in 1843 and still published today as Building. Building Newsfollowed in 1855 with probably a wider geographical coverage of the country, especially outside of the Home Counties. In 1869 The Architect & Contract Reporterappeared with a similar emphasis to Building News and some 60 years later these two journals merged and continued until 1980.
The most elusive publication The British Architect, an oversize journal, Manchester based with emphasis on northern Britain, emerged in 1874 and ran to 1919 before being absorbed by The Builder. Finally in 1895 the Builders Journal appeared and continued until about 1910 before being renamed Architects & Builders Journal. This later became known just as the Architects Journal & remains one of the most vibrant journals of today.
All of these publications produced bi-annual indexes of varying degrees of detail and thoroughness, and it is these that may well be of use to local historians.
The weekly magazines varied in length from about 15 to 40 pages with copious advertisements, though very few exist in their original form today. Invariably only the text was bound, where they have been preserved, and apart from public libraries their bulk and storage space meant few exist in private hands.
Initially they were bound by the year, but from the late 1870’s by the half-year with corresponding indexes. The main ones are approx A4 size & quite handleable, though as they got thicker, the task of exploring and checking them can be time consuming, and on occasions quite frustrating. However a lot of building-related information is there.
The journals are considerably enhanced, nevertheless, with many splendid lithographic illustrations which grew in number from 1-2 per issue at the beginning to 7- 8 by the late 19th century.
There are generally detailed indexes sometimes broken down into categories, and all have a separate illustration index. However, frustratingly, they may list by subject or theme rather than location – e.g- hotel in Sussex rather than e.g. Brighton – Hotel [Victoria'>more..., hospital in Malvern or theatre in Ipswich , so careful inspection is vital.
While visual material is always prized, there is a vast source of miscellaneous local information, but this can mean trawling through hundreds of entries to find a particular location. Obviously if the date of a particular event or building is known, this should help in the search, but if one is less precise it may involve checking several years; at two bound volumes a year and using three or four journals it can be very time consuming. Some journals also index by architect, but unfortunately there is no cumulative index for any journal, apart from one for illustrations in The Builder covering 1843 when it began to 1883. This is very useful with considerable cross-referencing. Another possible source is The guide to Victorian architectural competitions with indexes by place as well as subjects & architects.
I have felt for years that a cumulative index by journal would yield a massive amount of local history material, but alas I’m unaware of any such project, but maybe one day these will be created. An exception, but based on the Antipodes, is Guy Murphy’s index which he has painstakingly created after manually checking every page of virtually all of these journals over a 2 year period at the Royal Institute of British Architects’ Library at Portland Place in London. This library is probably the best in U.K. and now gives access to the public with most of the journals on open shelves. The other I know of is the Cambridge University architectural department, though this is less extensive. No doubt research will reveal which other cities and possibly universities hold collections though where they exist they may only have microfiche copies.
However, having been fascinated by these publications for over 16 yrs, I have been fortunate to build up my own collection which has among other things, enhanced my local history knowledge of the places I’ve lived. In trying to achieve complete runs, one has often had to purchase several volumes for example at auction. Spare copies have enabled me to supply notes and particularly illustrations to other enthusiasts, history societies, museums, libraries etc throughout U.K. and even abroad. Ebay has been an invaluable medium through which to do this, and I now have a vast list of contacts and enthusiasts keen to add to their knowledge and collections of local material. A friend of mine who regularly advertises this type of material has such a site under the name ‘yelesomniloc’.
My main activity now is in researching indexes predominantly for illustrations, but also notes on particular locations, but this can be exceedingly time consuming. However it is very rewarding and always fulfilling to discover another piece in the jig saw of local history.
I have mentioned the idea of creating a national database of indexes based on these journals to various individuals and organisations, but as far as I am aware nothing has ever been attempted in this field, so until this is done, architectural journals will probably remain an unknown or underused source for local historians.

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SWINDON LOCAL HISTORY GALLERY
 

Like many local studies collections across the UK, Swindon Central Library holds an important historical photograph collection. This valuable archive of images includes some of the very earliest Swindon photographs, chronicling the dramatic transition from obscure hilltop market town with roots in the Domesday Book, to the vibrant industrial heart of Brunel’s Great Western Railway. It is worth noting a minor but revealing historical parallel: Brunel’s creation of ‘New’ Swindon neatly coincides with the innovations of local photographic pioneer William Fox Talbot. Our photographic collection continues the story of the Borough, charting the perpetual development of the town through massive post-war expansion right up to the present day.

 
Until recently this collection remained in archival storage, available only to on-site visitors prepared to wade through our filing cabinets. This lack of access, and corresponding lack of public profile, was a matter of great frustration to us. Consequently, over the last decade or so, there have been unsuccessful attempts to make this material more widely available. Failed funding bids and the constraints of our IT resources seemed to indicate that such accessibility was a distant prospect.
However, in July last year we opted for a new strategy, deciding to take advantage of the extraordinary facilities offered through so-called ‘Web 2.0’ technology. Using existing equipment and an integrated trio of Web 2.0 resources, Twitter, Facebook and the image-hosting website Flickr, we began the first phase of our own in-house digitisation process.
For a small annual fee we created an account within one of the most well-known online image repositories. Rather than try to attract people to a custom-built online gallery, we have gone to them - setting up shop in one of the busiest parts of the internet (Flickr claims to currently have 40 million users who collectively have uploaded 4 billion images).
What really excited us were the astonishing tools on offer. Every image we upload is given a full title and description, with dates, references and copyright information as applicable. However, in addition to these basic elements, there are several features of massive benefit to historians:
First, each image is ‘tagged’ with all relevant keywords. These terms, along with the title and description, are fully searchable, creating a very powerful historical database. We have tagged all surnames, years, road and place names, and much more.
Second, every image is ‘geo-tagged’ - that is, cross-referenced to Flickr’s mapping system. Users can browse by location to see what we have uploaded for any area.
Third, all images can be usefully grouped into themed sets.
Fourth, every image is marked with a ‘date taken’ allowing you to browse images by decade, year, month or even an exact date.
There have been a number of surprising but very welcome developments. For instance, local amateur photographers have independently gone to great lengths to capture hundreds of ‘Then-and-now’ comparison shots of our earlier photographs. These have then been posted alongside the original photograph with often startling results.
 
Perhaps the most pleasing unexpected outcome is the number of local historians and collectors who have come forward, allowing us to scan their collections, upload them to our gallery, and make prints for our own collection. Many of these private collections include items that have never been published. Almost 1000 images have already been acquired this way. There has also been a massive increase in donations.
We are currently working with Swindon Museum who are now scanning their 3000-strong postcard collection and will be joining us on the same website. We have also begun to hold events at our various library branches, inviting the public to bring along images to be scanned. The first of these events saw us collect scans of around 150 previously-unseen images.
While we are also undertaking a separate parallel project to comprehensively digitise our collection, this gallery has already been a success. To date we have uploaded around 3000 images, and have received a quarter of a million ‘hits’. However, we are still very much in the first stages of this project. To a great extent it has taken on a life of its own, creating new opportunities and connections.

 www.flickr.com/swindonlocal

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SEEKING REFERENCES TO TEXTILES
 

Who would have thought that a book entitled Fifty Years of the Water Cure would contain several pages that throw an interesting light on hand wool combers and their fate?

 
Yet that is exactly what members of West Riding Historical Research Group discovered when they put out a plea on the internet for unusual textile references. And now they are hoping you can unearth some more hidden gems.
 
WRHRG was formed a year ago by mostly mature students who had just completed or are about to complete a part-time degree course in Local and Regional History at the University of Leeds. Wanting to continue their personal research on different aspects of Yorkshire but realising it is easier to do so within a structure that creates both stimulation and deadlines, they set up the group, which meets at the university about eight times a year for lectures and workshops.
 
The group, which is open to others interested in local history, has as its main aims to contribute to West Riding research and to make the findings available to others via publications, displays and on the net. The programme is guided by Alan Petford, a lecturer on the degree course with interests in many aspects of West Riding history.
 
As well as individual research, the group is undertaking some joint projects, based around the textile trade. One of these is to locate and map the area’s remaining three-storey ‘weavers’ cottages, with their distinctive long row of windows in the upper floor. These are numerous in some parts of the county but almost absent in others, so, once the survey is complete, members intend to study their origins and usage, and to try and establish how they fit into the overall textile ‘story’ of the West Riding.
 
The group is also transcribing a series of just over 100 documents concerning the affairs of William Haigh of Delph, Saddleworth, whose wool business included trading with South America and New York.
 
Other projects are to trace and index textile images in the form of paintings, prints, photographs, stained glass etc. and to create a bibliography of the industry.
 
It was in discussing this latter project that it was realised that some diaries, biographies, novels and other works, which are at first glance on completely unrelated subjects, can contain small nuggets of information about textiles, and it was decided it is especially important to log these because they are the most difficult for researchers to find, often only stumbled across by serendipity.
 
Maybe you can help? If you know of a poem that describes a spinster at work, a diary that includes a visit to a grandfather working at his loom, a novel that includes a passage about fulling, or any other similar passages, please let WRHRG know. It doesn’t have to be about the West Riding – the database will cover all aspects of the textile trade wherever it is found.
 
The database is being compiled by Richard Coomber who can be reached by email at richard.coomber@virginmedia.com or by post at 11 Carlton Avenue, Shipley, BD18 4NJ.

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PRESERVING LOCAL HISTORY ON WEBSITES
 

As every historian knows,

Legal deposit for printed books and papers has existed in English law since 1662. It helps to ensure that the nation’s published output (and thereby its intellectual record and future published heritage) is collected systematically, and as comprehensively as possible, both in order to preserve the material for the use of future generations and to make it available for readers within the designated legal deposit libraries. These are the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, the National Library of Wales, the Bodleian Library Oxford, the Library of Cambridge University and the Library of Trinity College Dublin.1
In my own research on Victorian Turkish baths, I soon discovered that in the British Library (and in other copyright libraries too) this deposit was not limited to books. Much of my hard-to-find information came from 19th century pamphlets, leaflets, broadsides, and albums of ephemera (those absolutely invaluable pieces of elusive evidence so summarily dismissed not so long ago by a Local Historian review of the prize-winningEncyclopedia of ephemera).
But they don’t collect that sort of stuff anymore. Financial constraints resulted not only in reducing the number of pamphlets which are now retained and catalogued, but also in a cutback in the type of book collected (read the more serious books?) So in future real (ie, post-modern?) historians who are avidly seeking to document the commonplace will find a bare cupboard.
Wondering if I was about to write something more emotionally intuitive than factual I sought evidence from a spot check. I must emphasise categorically that my sample was much too small for it to be of definitive significance. Yet I do feel that it is significant.
I went back to the Local Historian for February 2008—a date chosen at random, yet far enough back on my shelf to allow the British Library to have catalogued any of the books it intends to catalogue from the Recent publications in local history listed on pp.76-8 of that issue.
Almost one quarter (23.53% to be exact), or twelve out of fifty-one titles, were not catalogued, ie, not in the stock of our National Library of legal deposit. Without in any way intending to develop a discourse of anxiety, I do consider this to be a deplorable state of affairs because books which are not catalogued by the British Library are less likely to be bought by other libraries.
And books are not the only sources of information which are increasingly difficult for local historians to obtain, especially as it has been suggested that the majority of local historians are not academics, and therefore have no access to an institutional library.
More important, they have no access to research reports and papers which were once published in journals obtainable at local urban reference libraries. Most public libraries can now only afford popular magazines. The more serious material is centrally digitised and made available online through companies such as Proquest, Questia and JSTOR, or services such as Athens and JISC Collections. But these are completely out of the reach of individual ‘independent scholars’.
To rub salt in the wound, search engines such as Google Scholar and Google Books tantalise the non-academic with mouth-watering materials which are completely unobtainable by those outside academia. The Victorian concept of the local publicly-funded library which allowed anyone to educate themselves according to their needs and ability is dead—replaced by public libraries whose funding seems to depend on how many loans of the latest best-seller have been logged.
The British Library, intended as a national library of last resort, has now in many subjects become the library of first resort—in some cases, the library of only resort. Fine, if you live next door, or can afford the peak-time trains that will get you there early enough to ensure getting a seat to consult the ten books you are now limited to each day.
Of course, it is important to emphasise that it is not the British Library at fault (you can tell I’m a retired librarian) but those who allocate its totally inadequate funds.
But the point of this note is that there is some good news to report. And it should be of especial interest to those who have afforded such a welcome to Jacquelené Fillmore’s Local history internet sites: a directory.
Used with care, the internet—which, at home or in a library is virtually available to everyone—does provide many useful sources of information. But those who frequent it will be only too familiar with the site that was earlier found to be helpful, and has now disappeared. The disappearance might be temporary as a web-author changes. But is more likely to be permanent as an enthusiasm wanes, or the site becomes too successful to be maintained by dedicated individuals in their spare time, or the author dies, or for any one of a number of different reasons.
And when an internet site dies, or the service provider goes out of business, the information on that site has often been permanently lost. That is until now.
On 25 February 2010, the British Library officially launched the UK Web Archive noting that the average lifespan of a website was between 44 and 75 days, one in ten is lost or replaced every six months and most of the unrecorded 99% are gone for ever. Of course, not all of them, even those dealing with local history, are of major importance. But many are, and some important sites have already disappeared.
The British Library is targeting those considered to have a genuine research interest. You can spend quite a while happily browsing some of them by going tohttp://www.webarchive.org.uk/ where you will find, for example, the London Borough of Newham Local History Bulletin Board, a rather more interesting site than its title suggests.
The British Library explains that the archive contains,
websites that publish research, that reflect the diversity of lives, interests and activities throughout the UK, and demonstrate web innovation… Because websites are revisited and snapshots (‘instances’) are taken at regular intervals, readers can see how a website evolves over time. The archive is free to view, accessed directly from the Web itself and, since archiving began in 2004, has collected thousands of websites.2
The most exciting aspect of the archive, however, is that the British Library intends to develop the archive technologically so that as storage media become obsolete (like the 78 and the CompactCassette), so it will transfer the archive to whatever storage medium takes its place. The archive will be ‘stored in the British Library\'s secure digital repository, designed to enable the UK to preserve and make accessible its digital output forever,’ by which they mean, it has been suggested, at least 100 years.
However, one of the major problems in speeding up the process is that they are currently required by law to obtain a web owner’s permission before adding a site to the archive. This is time-consuming and many of those approached do not even bother to reply.
It must be in our interest, as local historians who use archives set up by earlier generations, to encourage the growth of this project. Aided by Jacquelené’s guide, we are now all aware of many good local history sites. Anyone, including the site owner, can nominate a site for inclusion in the archive (though inclusion is not guaranteed). And if you know there is a strong likelihood of permission being granted, mention of this in the nomination might act as an encouragement for speedy inclusion.
And by the way, while someone is listening, why is there no Local History Award of the Year for the best new local history website?

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A FUTURE FOR CUMBRIA PAST
 

The Victoria County History of Cumbria project was launched on Saturday 15 May at a well-attended meeting held at the Rheged Centre, Penrith. The event was opened by James Cropper, Lord Lieutenant of Cumbria, and Patron of the newly formed Cumbria County History Trust (CCHT), who referred to the historic role of the Lords Lieutenant, including in particular their involvement in the original committees of the Victoria County History (VCH) at the end of the nineteenth century. Professor John Beckett, Director and General Editor of the Victoria County History (VCH), then told the fascinating tale of the early history of the VCH nationally, and of the trials and tribulations of the Westmorland VCH, which never got off the ground at all, and the even sadder tale of the Cumberland VCH, of which two volumes were printed, in 1901 and 1905. Volumes 3 and 4, written and edited by Canon James Wilson, vicar of Dalston, were never published as a result of an acrimonious dispute between Wilson and “Head Office”, which ended when the manuscripts, comprising some 500,000 words, were destroyed on Wilson’s instructions just before his death in 1923. 

 
Dr Angus Winchester, former President of CWAAS and a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Lancaster, who will be Project Leader for the Cumbria VCH, promised the new project would not be like that. He described how it would be managed by professionals and written by volunteers, with the aim eventually of publishing fifteen “Big Red Books”, the first of which is targeted to appear in 2015. He explained there are some 400 townships in Cumbria, of which twenty to thirty will be covered by each volume. However, as each township history is written, they will be published in an on-line “holding bay”, rather than having to wait until all are ready. He emphasised that while some volunteers might be interested only in their own locality, others might be interested in working on a theme – for example transport or buildings – across the whole county. Others might be interested primarily in sources – for example tithe maps, or probate inventories. There would be scope to include all of these, and the work of every volunteer will be acknowledged in the printed volumes. 
 
Angus explained that the VCH had to be the Gold Standard in local history, rooted in records, totally committed to accuracy, and fully referenced and footnoted. In that connection, he said the volunteers should take as their model John Denton, the sixteenth-century historian of the county, who, according to Reginald Bainbridge in a letter to Camden had always worked “not by hearsay but by ancient records”. The essential point was not to quote secondary sources, many of which were themselves based upon secondary sources – but instead to go back to the original records.
 
He went onto say that the old Victorian VCH had been obsessed with manorial descents, the great families and the Church of England, and tended to give very little space to places where ‘nothing much had happened’. The new VCH, though, would show that everywhere has a history worth recording, and that in addition to the manors, there would be a general history of landholding and settlement in each place, which would cover boundaries and the evolution of landscapes too.  The history of religion would include other Christian and non-Christian groups. There would be economic and social histories which would not just focus on the great and good. The history of buildings would look at vernacular architecture, not just the parish church and manor house. Finally, the history of local government would be covered. Angus went on to give a case study in how to write a local history, using Eskdale as his model, a place which had never had more than a few hundred residents, but which he showed had a significant history worth recording nonetheless. The main problem would be how to get it all into the 5-7000 words per township which is all that will be allowed!
 
The meeting was then addressed by Richard Brockington, Acting Chair of the Cumbria County History Trust (CCHT), who explained how the Trust had come into existence, how it was in the process of registering as a charity, and would have its first AGM in September. Rob Matthews, Acting Treasurer, then described the finances. The Trust needs to raise some £300,000 over the next five years. Funding so far has been promised by CWAAS who will pay £10,000 a year for five years subject to match funding being raised. Membership of the Trust had got off to a good start, with the aim of reaching the equivalent of 100 Founder Members paying £100 a year for five years. That still leaves a substantial balance to be raised from sponsorship and grant funding such as the National Lottery. Bryan Gray was then introduced. Bryan, who is former Chair of the North West Development Agency, has agreed to put his name forward as Chair of the Trust at the forthcoming AGM. The final speaker was Lord Inglewood, who like James Cropper is a Patron of CCHT. He reminded the meeting that local history is still dogged by bad books – “written by idle authors repeating the words of other idle authors”. He said that in a way we were lucky in Cumbria that we never got those early volumes published, because he was quite sure we can do it so much better in 2010 than we could have in 1910. He emphasised the scale of the task of producing those fifteen volumes - but closed by saying “This time we are going to get there – and hopefully in our lifetimes!”

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NEW WEBSITE ON OXFORDSHIRE
 

The new Oxfordshire History Website is published at http://oxfordshirehistory.modhist.ox.ac.uk  

This is a collaboration between the Oxfordshire Architectural and Historical Society (OAHS, est. 1839), with grants from two local trusts, and the Oxford History Faculty, which is hosting the resulting website with free access for all.
It aims to do two main things. First it offers, free and online, an outline guide for researchers, and would-be researchers, into Oxfordshire history, archaeology, buildings and landscape. It covers post-1974 Oxfordshire. Features include a research sequence, a framework history of Oxfordshire to provide context and ideas, a review of types of published studies already available, and an introduction to types of original evidence. The approach is to be concise, but add depth by links to specially prepared readings and examples, or to other selected websites or publications. Second there are sections on getting involved, with current information, including a rolling calendar of events, a directory of local and county organisations in history and archaeology, and a noticeboard for present or planned projects.
The team looked at many existing heritage and institutional sites, and believe they have developed some new features on this site. It tries to use the web to publish what would previously have appeared as a printed book. It tries not just to compile information and examples, but to offer guidance through selective content, and to do this by using the capacity of the web to construct sequences of information both within the site and outside it; and also to use the capacity for flexible cross reference, and navigation between sections of the guide. The second part is trying to foster networks of information and contact beyond the quarterly newsletter and local perspectives.
Although the material on this site relates to Oxfordshire, there are some generic features that would be valuable elsewhere. It also raises broader issues such as the double-edged implications of the web for local history (a source of e-antiquarianism, to which this is intended as a counter); the inequalities of access for the non-institutionally based to some of the key resources that have to be recommended in such a research guide; and the challenge of re-integrating archaeology/history, landscape studies, and different kinds of evidence.

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LOCALITY AND REGION SEMINAR
 

The Locality and Region Seminar, the Institute of Historical Research, Senate House, Malet Street, London.

One of our members, Dr Maggie Escott, will give the first seminar in the autumn Locality and Region programme. Her title is Residential Mobility in a 19th-century Parish and she will explore the ways in which late enclosure, the 1834 poor law, the arrival of the railway, and the rapid and selective urbanization of nearby parishes had an impact on the Berkshire parish ofBinfield. Other speakers during the year will include Andrew Senter on Class, health and leisure in late Victorian Clacton-on-Sea, and Pete Horne of English Heritage on Discovering past landscapes on Aerial Photographs. Later in the year Duncan James will speak on The Parochial Nature of Timber Framing, Alistair Hawkyard on Inigo Jones and the Parliament House, and Carlos Galvis on Congestion and Locality: London and Paris. The full programme will be available on the website of the IHR under Events. The seminar takes place at 5.15 on alternate Tuesdays in term time and all are very welcome to attend. Further information from Elizabeth.Williamson@sas.ac.uk or Gill Draper on development.balh@btinternet.com or 01732 452575.

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BALH REGIONAL LECTURES
 

                              The BALH Lectures in Local History
                                                     At
                                  Wolfson College, Cambridge
 Previously known as the Wolfson Lectures in Local History, thanks to a further grant from BALH this series of lectures is now save for two years, and renamed The BALH Lectures in Local History. The lectures are held once a term, and are given by eminent local historians.
Programme for 2010-2011
5th November 2010, Dr Peter Bysouth, ‘Small but flourishing Hertfordshire towns, courtesy of improved 19th century communications’
18 February 2011 Professor David Bates, University of Caen and University of East Anglia ‘The Empire of the Normans: A local perspective’
6 May 2011 Dr Kate Tiller, University of Oxford ‘English Local History: The State of the Art Revisited’
All local historians are welcome to attend these lectures.
Further details from:
Dr E. Lord
Wolfson College
Barton Road
Cambridge
CB3 9BB
e-mail eal22@cam.ac.uk orevelyn.lord@ntlworld.com
Home telephone number 01223-719402
Some of these lectures are published in The Local Historian. Already published is Dr Heather Falvey’s lecture ‘Voices and faces in the rioting crowd: identifying seventeenth-century enclosure rioters’ delivered in November 2008, and forthcoming are Dr Kenneth Sneath’s November 2009 lecture ‘A Consumer Revolution in Huntingdonshire’ and Dr John Lee’s February 2010 lecture ‘Landowners and landscapes: The Knights Templar and their successors at Temple Hirst, Yorkshire’. Other lectures in the 2008-2009 were by Dr Rosamund Faith and Dr Chris Thornton, and in 2010 by Dr Graham Winton.
 

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BALH AND THE BBC
 

BALH is a stakeholder in the BBC Learning History Campaign and members have been involved in the preparation of some of the BBC’s 14 ‘Norman Walks’ which nowfeature on the BBC History website Hands on History to accompany the new Normans TV serieshttp://www.bbc.co.uk/history/handsonhistory/. There are online interactive guides for Walks for in Sussex, Norfolk, Gloucester, Wales, Lincoln, Shropshire, Berkshire, Hereford and Worcestershire, Wiltshire, Essex, York, Kent, Jersey and Cumbria: just go to Walk in the Footsteps of the Normans and click on the name of the county you want. These Walks and related events are being publicised on national and local radio, and four local radio stations interviewed me on 4 August on their breakfast shows to publicise their local walks on the dayThe Normans series started on BBC2: Radio Essex (Castle Hedingham); Radio Wiltshire (Old Sarum); Radio Shropshire (Shrewsbury) and lastly Radio Kent on New Romney, on whose Norman Walk I advised. BBC4 is also showed three episodes of Walks with the Normans with Dan Snow starting on the same date; same theme, different walks.

Many local societies and heritage organisations have linked their summer events and Norman buildings to the BBC Hands on History theme, as Roger Hammett describes below; all the details are on the website given. Rochester Cathedral organised a Norman trail of the cathedral and city, ‘Totally Monked’, in which the children and adults taking part could wear ‘Benedictine’ habits if they wished. This coincidentally took place at the same time as the Textus Roffensis conference at the University of Kent at Medway and an exhibition in the cathedral crypt. The popular and more academic activities seemed sit happily together.
In the autumn local history groups and organisations will have a further opportunity to be involved in Hands on History activities related to the forthcoming BBC seriesHistory on the High Street. If you are interested please let me know on development.balh@btinternet.com or 01732 452575 and I will put you in touch with the BBC Learning Programme Manager for your region. Here are two short reports on what is on offer and what we have been doing.
Gill Draper, Events and Development Officer
History programming at the BBC
History is a major priority for the BBC over the next two years, with an unprecedented range of programmes across BBC One, Two and Four; from the Norman Conquest and Stonehenge to 100 years of the British High Street and the story of England told through 2,000 years in one village. This dedication to history from the BBC has the potential to stimulate a surge of interest and engagement in history across the UK. To compliment this broad range of programmes, BBC Learning has launched the Hands on History campaign. Under the Hands on banner it is working closely with partners in the heritage and community sectors to engage families with inspiring Hands on History activities relevant to each era covered. The campaign, starting with the Normans, is focussed on reaching a broad family audience with children aged up to 12 through subjects and places that appeal to both children and adults. To support partner organisations engaging in the campaign, museums, history societies, places of historical interest, etc, BBC Learning has produced attractive activity resources aimed at families that can be ordered through the BBC Learning Project Manager for each region. These include an activity pack of hands on activities related to the Normans - making a modern Bayeux Tapestry, building a model motte and bailey castle, designing a Norman shield, etc. and Norman timeline wall charts. All such resources are free to organisations running activities.
Roger Hammett, Learning Programme Co-ordinator, BBC South.
 
A walk around Norman Romsey, Hampshire.
We planned a guided walk around central Romsey concentrating on what the town would have been like in the Norman century. This was organised to take place once in July and once in August. We start in the Market Place with a general description of what the town would have been like and its access roads. We go through the gateway to the Outer Court of the Benedictine nunnery and talk about the nuns’ domestic range. These are on the south side of the church as is the Saxon Rood. Then we go to the north side of the church where remains of the 11th century church are still visible. Having discussed the possible places where the townspeople would have worshipped, we enter into the church itself and look at those parts that were built in 1130, and also the smaller Saxon rood in St Anne’s chapel. You can also find this walk online on the website of BBC Hampshire (just put these words into your search engine-BBC Hampshire Romsey Norman walk)!
Phoebe Merrick and the Lower Test Valley Archaeological Study Group.
 

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LOCAL HISTORY DAY 2010
 

Interesting surroundings and efficient air-conditioning set the scene for Local History Day this year at the Imperial War Museum. Our usual knowledgeable and enthusiastic audience of familiar friends and new faces gathered to listen and contribute to what was a stimulating and valuable programme. The morning discussion session, ably chaired by Nigel Tringham in the absence of Ruth Paley, examined local history on the internet. Jacquelene Fillmore, the author of regular articles in The Local Historian and of the BALH Directory of Internet Sites, described different types of site and explained how to approach them critically. Bamber Gascoigne, using the site he has developed on Richmond (see LHN 91 p 12), related his disappointment that other groups had not responded to an invitation to join in, and showed the potential if they did.

 
Professor David Hey, BALH President, chaired the AGM. The newly-elected members of Council can be found on page 36. After lunch, during which members were able to visit the bookstalls and other displays, the 2010 Awards were presented (see Whats New page on website for this year’s recipients, and on page 29 Alan Crosby comments on the publications awards).
 
The Annual Lecture was given this year by Adam Longcroft from the University of East Anglia. Research on vernacular architecture in Norfolk’s market towns and villages has revealed intriguing characteristics of surviving historic buildings. Questions and contributions from the floor demonstrated how the developments discussed and methods used by Dr Longcroft’s team, especially the crucial role of local societies and amateur enthusiasts, are equally applicable across the country.

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GUIDED VISIT TO HATFIELD HOUSE
 

On 20th May a group of ten members of BALH were greeted on the steps of Hatfield House for a two-part visit. In the morning we had a tour of the house, including some of the private rooms not usually open to the public, and after lunch spent time in the Muniment room.

The house and history: The house is the ancestral home of the Marquess of Salisbury, whose family name is Cecil. The line traces back to David Cecil from Herefordshire, whose support for Henry Tudor (Henry VII) started the rise of the family. The family was able to take advantage of the troubled times under Edward VI and Mary to augment its fortunes, and David’s descendant, William Cecil, Lord Burghley, became Lord Treasurer under Elizabeth; his son Robert was appointed her Secretary of State and in 1605 was created earl of Salisbury by James I. The house is on the site of a palace owned by the bishop of Ely. In 1558 Princess Elizabeth was staying at the old palace, and it was in its park that she was informed of the death of her sister, and her succession as queen. James I took a liking to Theobalds (near Cheshunt), then in the hands of the Cecils, and granted them the episcopal palace at Hatfield in exchange for it. Although part of the old palace still stands, much of it was demolished to make way for the present house, which was started in 1605 and took a mere 4 years, and £38,500, to build. (Theobalds was demolished during the Commonwealth period.) 
Hatfield House is built on three sides of a square, the south being open. The north wing is open to the public, the east and west wings comprising the family’s private rooms, and the estate offices. The house is frequently open to the public, and there are published guides to the house, so there is little need to describe it here.
Muniment Room: After lunch we were taken down under the house for a real treat. Robin Harcourt Williams, the archivist, showed us to the archives containing not only the estate records but also papers accumulated by the Cecils in the course of their official duties over the centuries, and others documents purchased by the family. Following the fiasco of Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne of Cleves, Thomas Cromwell fell from favour with Henry, and we saw the original letter from Cromwell pleading for his life. Similarly, Raleigh was not in favour under James I, and the archive includes a letter Raleigh wrote from Winchester prison, begging for his life, and signed with just two tiny initials in the bottom right-hand corner. Queen Elizabeth, or her amanuensis, wrote letters in code using symbols. We saw not only such a letter, bearing the queen’s signature, but also the key used to encode it: each letter had several symbols, so you could not use obvious pattern recognition to effect a decode. The Cecil papers relating to the reigns of Elizabeth and James occupy some 200 volumes: these were calendared by the Historical Manuscripts Commission, commencing in 1883 (no computers or internet then) and only finishing volume 24 in 1976. An early Italian chart (1586) of Europe showed Italy quite accurately drawn, but was hazy about the shape of Scotland.
Centuries later, in 1935, Lord Cranborne, who later became Fifth Marquess of Salisbury, attended a dinner in Germany. On the table plan of the meal, the places of Der Führer, Ribbentrop, and Richard Strauss were easily spotted: quite a company! Mr Harcourt Williams read us the dairy record of the meal from the personal papers: Lord Cranborne had quite a sense of humour. 
A separate underground library houses ancient and rare books, which include a thirteenth-century a bible some 6 inches high, beautifully written and illuminated: one shudders to think of the time taken to write it, the lettering was so small.
It was a thoroughly interesting day and a privilege to visit such an important private archive. The writer expresses his thanks both to Lord Salisbury for permission to visit, and to BALH for the organisation.

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VISIT TO UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
 

VISIT TO THE BARBER INSTITUTE OF FINE ARTS AND THE SPECIAL COLLECTION OF BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY

A small group of BALH members met on 8th July for a conducted tour of the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, part of Birmingham University, and were given a splendid insight to this hidden treasure. The Institute is often described as one of the finest small collections of European art in the UK and the high quality of the architecture of the building and the galleries set off beautifully the select range and quality of the contents.
The Institute was founded in 1932 by Lady Barber in memory of her industrialist husband, Sir William, and she set criteria that everything should be of the quality required by the National Gallery or the Wallace Collection. In consequence the collection of over 150 paintings range from the Renaissance through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and with several pieces of modern art to give a comprehensive span. The artists range from Botticelli, Bellini, and Veronese through to the English painters of Gainsborough and Turner. In a side gallery was a remarkable Coin Collection which includes the finest group of Byzantine coins in Britain. Also on display were a selection of sculptures and a series of works on paper including prints, watercolours, drawings and textile displays.
In the afternoon the group visited the Special Collection of Birmingham University and their new purpose designed facility located in the refurbished Muirhead Tower which was sponsored by the Edward Cadbury Trust and the Wolfson Foundation and is now known as the Cadbury Research Centre.
An introductory talk by the Director outlined the extent of the collection which has over 120,000 rare books and some three million manuscripts, indicating that this is a major UK research library. Among the political papers held by the Collection are those Joseph Chamberlain and the Earl of Avon – Anthony Eden. The visit to the restoration facilities was most enlightening in showing the ‘cutting edge’ technology used in the repair and conservation of books and documents with several examples being worked on. Finally in the Reading Room a broad selection of rare books, maps and documents were laid out for perusal, and this was a worthy end to a most appreciated visit.
 

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BALH PUBLICATIONS AWARDS 2010
 

At Local History Day in June the British Association for Local History Publication Awards 2010 were presented. This is one of the highlights in the BALH year, and it’s a great opportunity for us to reflect the excellent work which is published in local and county journals throughout the United Kingdom. Back in the last century—in 1999 to be precise—we made the first such award, and since then all of those who have been involved in judging have expressed appreciation of the variety of work being undertaken by local historians, and the imagination with which they approach their work. I think that we have all been impressed by the ability of our winning authors to combine scholarship, and careful research, with accessibility and simplicity of language. After reading the jargon-filled and impenetrable prose of some professional academic historians, it’s a pleasure to read clear and unpretentious English designed for a broad readership.

 
The winning article in 2010 was Patricia Newton’s ‘”And the Laxey River runs down to the Sea”’: the farming landscape of Lonan and the Laxey Valley’, which was published in Proceedings of the Isle of Man Natural History and Antiquarian Society vol.12 no.1 (2008). It began life as Pat’s presidential address to the IOMNHAS, and followed upon her survey work in the Laxey valley, recording farmstead and field patterns and seeking to build up a picture of agriculture and its development in the area in the period from the early 17th century to the mid-20thcentury. We all liked the article for its combination of fieldwork, documentary and cartographical research, and analysis of patterns, trends and processes. The Isle of Man only rarely—I think too rarely—features in British local history, and the extraordinary richness of its heritage and its landscape is often overlooked. Pat’s article abundantly demonstrates its fascination, including the very distinctive local political and legal circumstances, and successfully portrays the wide range of factors which are involved in shaping the agricultural landscape of any community. A slightly edited version of the article is published in the current (August 2010) issue of The Local Historian.
 
Carolyn Greet, from Cheltenham, won an award for her article ‘”Every measure that may gratify the public”: Humphrey Ruff’s contribution to Cheltenham’, published in the Cheltenham Local History Society Journal no.25 (2009). This, incidentally, represented a welcome return for Gloucestershire, which has an enviable record of local history publishing. Not only was the 2009 issue the 25thin the series, but over the past decade articles about the county have several times won awards. The article relates the story of Humphrey Ruff, a Worcester-born printer and publisher who first worked at Gloucester and then in 1803 opened an office in Cheltenham, from which he published a best-selling history and descriptive account of the booming and fashionable spa town. Later ventures included a circulating library, a lodgings register, pleasure gardens, and the town’s first newspaper. But he over-reached himself and in 1813 was declared bankrupt at the age of 40. Ruff moved to London, where he died in 1829. Carolyn’s article, very attractively written and illustrated, is a valuable contribution to the history of the town.
 
Another regular winner is the East Yorkshire Historian, which has a most creditable record of publishing high-quality local history. This year an award went to Kevin R. Stephenson, for his article on ‘The forgotten pleasure and strawberry gardens of Hull’, published in the EYH vol.10 (2009). The article, which could serve as a model for comparable studies in other towns and cities, looks at the 19th century history of commercial and private gardens on the fringe of the built-up area of the old city of Hull. Its scope includes pleasure gardens (which were of course not confined to the fashionable leisure resorts such as Humphrey Ruff’s Cheltenham) and tea-gardens, and the ‘strawberry gardens’ which combined fruit-growing with Sunday afternoon pleasure (there were alcoves, bowers, arbours, summerhouses, skittles and quoits). The article suggests that the role of these privately-run public amenities diminished with the emergence of public parks, run by the local authority, after the 1850s, and with the rapid encroachment of the built-up area, which reduced their charms and made them vulnerable to sale as valuable building land.
 
Graham Hendy, in ‘A pretty easy way of dawdling away one’s time: the canons of Winchester in the long eighteenth century’ (published in Hampshire Studies: Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club and Archaeological Society vol.63, 2008) scrutinised the cathedral clergy of the city which Trollope affectionately portrays and satirises in the Barchester novels. He examines them over the period from 1660 to 1840, considering their family and geographical backgrounds, their educational qualifications, and their careers. In the context of ‘Barchester’, issues such as patronage, financial rewards and the extent (or absence) of hard work are discussed—using a wealth of contemporary sources. As Graham notes, current historical opinion is relatively charitable to the Georgian Church of England, contrasting with the hostility which has been expressed for many decades. But it is evident that while at most times there was a core of three or four prebendaries who assiduously busied themselves with worship, upkeep of the cathedral fabric, and writing on theology and religion, words such as absenteeism, plurality, patronage and socialising must also be prominent in any analysis.     
 
All the articles discussed here are worthy examples of local history publishing and demonstrate the quality of the journals in which they appear, as well as the high standard of work presented by the authors themselves. As always, it was a pleasure to be asked to read them, and recognise the importance of the research undertaken on local and regional topics—for such work, published and made available, is of direct relevance to broader perspectives and more generalised observations. These case studies inform and enhance our understanding of historical processes and circumstances.

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BORDER HISTORY EXPLORATION DAY
 

Some four years ago, a number of like-minded local historians, believing that comparative studies of both sides of county borders could provide much useful information, arranged an experimental Border History Exploration Day. The day was financially underwritten by Border History, a group of local and family history societies already committed to the study of the Cheshire/Staffordshire border area. It was felt that the best way to arrange the day was to have introductory remarks from a speaker with a particular knowledge of a chosen subject, followed by informal discussion of various aspects of the matter within smaller groups. The emphasis was to be on informality and participation. 

So successful was that day, and two subsequent ones, that the fourth Border History Exploration Day recently took place in what has become the customary venue of Mow Cop, a village that, appropriately, lies right on the border of Cheshire and Staffordshire. The subject was that of peace keeping in village and town communities before about 1860. As this is such a wide field of study, a short bibliography and a brief outline of the particular subject-areas intended to be covered were distributed in advance, allowing the keener participants to do a certain amount of preparation. 

The pattern of activities of previous days was repeated, with introductory remarks this time from Jim Sutton, who has made a particular study of Staffordshire Associations for the Prosecution of Felons. Because the number of participants was slightly lower this year, only two (rather than three) afternoon discussion groups were assembled: one, guided by David Hayns, considered the self-regulating parish; the other, under Jim Sutton, looked at special interest action groups. Gerry Mort made his wide knowledge of policing history available to both. 

The fairly loose structure of the day is intended to give all participants the opportunity to put forward ideas, solicit help and information and to share knowledge in a relaxed atmosphere, with some of the most useful exchanges taking place during lunch and coffee-breaks. It would be interesting to hear whether any other meetings of a similar nature have taken place elsewhere (as mentioned in Local History News 95 Spring 2010, p 20) and, if so, whether a similar format has been followed or one which was felt to be better. The organisers of the Border History Exploration Day for Cheshire and Staffordshire would be happy to hear from, or to advise, any group considering following their example. Contact can be made through Peter Aston, chairman of Border History, at 3 Ullswater Road, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 4LX .

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WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE FARMERS
 

‘We have to deal with the farmers’ is a collection of essays on North Hertfordshire in the 19th and early 20th centuries by Margaret Bowyer, which will shortly be published by EAH Press. Margaret is a long term continuing education student, inspired to study local history by a continuing education course run by the late and much lamented Lionel Munby. Through taking other continuing education courses at Stevenage, Letchworth Garden City and Cambridge she has achieved a Certificate of Higher Education, and the essays in this collection are based on course work for these course.

The major essay is on Hertfordshire County Council Smallholdings, 1908-1926, which was research that she did for the Diploma of Higher Education, project based module. It deals with a much neglected but important subject both from the aspect of the county council who had to implement government legislation, but also from the experience of those displaced by compulsory purchases of land, and the incoming smallholders who had to make a living from a small acreage. It is a model of a research project.
Other essays include analysis of two north Hertfordshire villages, Willian and Aston in the 19th and 20th centuries respectively, employment opportunities for women and children during industrialisation, children in care in twentieth century Hertfordshire, the development of Hertfordshire County Council in the 1920s and 1930s, and Daily Life on a Hertfordshire Farm in 1938. The latter is based on a diary kept by her father during that year, and includes an account of the making of the film Speed the Plough, which featured her father’s farm.
Margaret is an example of how continuing education courses can inspire students into further research in local history, and produce written work which is a model of good practice in communicating local history to a wider audience. The work done by continuing education departments over the years has been of great importance to local history; research groups such as those led by David Dymond in Suffolk have contributed greatly to our knowledge, while other students who have started with continuing education certificate course now have doctorates on local history themes from premier universities. Equally valuable is the face to face tuition, field trips and visits to record offices by dedicated tutors such as Margaret Ashby who is Margaret Bowyer’s mentor, Chris Barringer or Joan Dils, and many other unsung heroes. We are in danger of loosing these courses and the body of expertise of tutors, partly through government funding policies, and partly through the closure and inertia of continuing education departments. BALH needs to take care of continuing education departments, as these are part of the future of local history.
Further details about the book can be obtained from EAH Press, 7 Thornton Court, Thornton Road, Girton, Cambridge, CB3 0NS, eal22@cam.ac.uk

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A GUIDE IN YOUR POCKET
 

English Churches Explained

Trevor Yorke
Britain’s Living History series from Countryside Books 2010
ISBN 978 1 84674 191 3 £8.99 www.countrysidebooks.co.uk
 
A ‘layman’s’ guide in ‘a simple-to-read form’ to church fabric and decoration is the purpose of this new book. After a brief introduction (with probably the least helpful illustrations anywhere in these pages) the volume has two major sections. The first traces the chronological development of church buildings, describing and illustrating the key features of each significant period, using an imaginary exemplar church, and copious photographs and drawings of surviving examples around the country under the somewhat curious sub-heading ‘still out there’. Secondly ‘The Church in Detail’ takes the reader around the nave, chancel, tower or spire, and the churchyard, exploring the structures and embellishments in different parts, again illustrated to show the variations and intricacies to be seen on a visit. Finally there is a ‘Quick Reference Guide’ that contains tips for dating churches, a rather vague timeline, a glossary, and a list of the churches illustrated, with their postcode and grid reference.
 
Given the size of the book, and the number of illustrations it is inevitable that some are frustratingly small (especially those trying to show a whole building), while others reveal details of stone or wood with superb clarity. The photographs are all explained with generous captions, though one irritating aspect is the inconsistency with which we are given the location. There are tempting and intriguing pieces of stained glass, fonts, and tombstones, for example, with no information about where they are to be found.
 
In the 21st century websites supplement (and indeed supercede) books as sources of information. For examplehttp://www.buildinghistory.org./buildings/churches.shtml;http://www.churchplansonline.org; orwww.britainexpress.com/History/english-parish-churches.htm
 
 
This book is the latest in a long and noble tradition of guides to looking at parish churches. Already on my shelves is a school prize copy of the pocket-sized Old Parish Churches and how to view them by N E Boyle (1953 edition) with the objective, charmingly expressed, ‘to meet the wish that a little more had been known about what had been seen, also the reasons for and the origin of this or that’. Alongside is a 1948 edition of A Needham’s How to Study an Old Church fromBatsford.
 
Then there are more idiosyncratic personal publications such as Simon Jenkins’ England’s Thousand Best Churches and Roy Strong’s A Little History of the English Country Church, but it could be argued those should be read alongside a guide such as this from Trevor Yorke.
 
It is hard to beat a book for this purpose that is comprehensive and portable. I have my doubts about how durable it will prove to be, but otherwise this is a worthwhile and good value modern addition to the collection.

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MAKING HAY
 

In May I was in Hay-on-Wye, officially just passing through but, naturally, I cannot just pass through Hay-on-Wye because there temptation is great indeed. There are quite a few towns where the secondhand bookshop is by strange coincidence an important stop on my itinerary—I think of Wallingford and Alfriston, Alnwick and Whitehaven, among others—but Hay is a particularly troublesome place in that respect, and generates a wide range of emotions.

 
First, there is self-deception. I tell myself that I will simply browse, and won’t buy anything because I am, despite appearances to the contrary, a sensible and rational being. It’s manifestly not true, but in the car park with the lovely view of the Black Mountains, well before I reach temptation, I can pretend. Second, there is self-justification. It is actually a good idea to visit, I recite as I walk away from the car, because I might be able to pick up really important books, genuinely needed for work, at bargain prices. Thus, I am likely to save money.
 
Third, as I reach the main road, there is steadfast determination. I will not be swayed by the greedy feeling of “I must have it, I can’t leave without it” and instead I will be cool and objective, weighing up the real worth of the prospective purchase. If necessary I will smile calmly as, with great strength of character, I replace the book on the shelf. Fourth, unfortunately, is excitement, for I am well aware that at that first cleverly-placed little shop, where the zebra crossing leads to the back alleyway into the town, is a box of old Ordnance Survey maps, beautiful one-inch sheets of the 1950s (in excellent condition and showing the pre-motorway pre-Beeching landscape), the insatiable acquisition of which is in me a classifiable medical condition.
 
As I wander along, these feelings are replaced by panic. Can I pass by that shop without entering? What’s in that one? I go in and become twitchy and sweaty. How can I possibly look at everything in the time available? How can I be selective? Which section shall I look at first? I begin grabbing randomly from shelves, rapidly scanning upended piles, feverishly flicking through boxes of maps, frantically glancing from medieval French history to industrial archaeology to antiquarian topography ... and what was the name of that book I wanted, who was the author of that volume I saw reviewed a couple of years ago?
 
[he, hesitantly'>more... “Do you have any old Ordnance Survey maps?’. [she, bored'>more... “Yes, there’s a box or two in the back room”. Quick, hurry, before anybody else gets there first. Oh, what joy! Treasure trove. But, oh damn, I’ve left behind the list of ‘those I’ve already got’ (mind you, I always forget it, leading to frequent duplication). Do I have the 1953 edition of Ipswich … can’t remember. Buy it anyway, it’s only £3.50.
 
On to the bookshop by the market hall. Several floors—always a matter of elation and gloom, for time won’t allow a comprehensive survey, just as well for the bank balance but very frustrating. It’s where, some years ago, I picked up a copy of Stephen Hughes’s The archaeology of an early railway system: the Brecon Forest Tramroads(1990) for only six quid. An unmissable bargain, though my beloved did point out, in her tactful way, that it was perhaps peripheral to the main focus of my work. Absurd. To the British topography section and there I find a wealth of local history. I glance along all the shelves and something familiar catches my eye. My own name, in fact. That book over which I laboured so long, which was my pride and joy. That definitive, accessible yet scholarly, exemplary volume which so brilliantly encapsulated the spirit and character of place as well as the thrilling narrative of the history of a town … here, in a secondhand bookshop. But worse is to come, for I observe that there are several copies. It’s a publisher’s remainder. Preposterous. I leave immediately, credit card still in wallet, smarting with the insult.   

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NOTES NEWS ISSUES
 

Cuts: in the current economic climate and under the prevailing spending constraints in local and national government, services for libraries, museums, archives and other ‘cultural’ activities, as well as educational provision considered optional, are likely to face cuts in resources. We would urge members to watch carefully what is happening in their area, and take advantage of local consultations to express their concerns.

 
BALH Lectures in Regional History: the 2010-11 programme of lectures at Wolfson College, Cambridge, can be found on p 18. We should welcome applications from anyone interested in establishing similar lectures elsewhere. A small contribution towards expenses could be available.
 
Web-based resources: several articles in this issue of Local History News mention the growth of resources for historians on the internet. While many of these are freely available, as those of you who have purchased ourDirectory of Local History Internet Sites will know, and some can be used through your local library service (though watch out for reductions there – see above ‘cuts’) increasingly others can only be accessed by subscription which in practice limits their use to people with institutional affiliation. We are investigating the possibility of offering access to one of the major historical bibliographies as an additional benefit to members at a small extra cost to their subscription. Further details to follow in the Autumn.
 
Heritage open days: this once-a-year opportunity to discover hidden treasures in your area takes place over the weekend of 9 – 12 September 2010. There will be free access to buildings that are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission. http://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/
 
Congratulations: the eCommerce award at the SpireFM Business of the Year awards in July was won byenotions, who look after the BALH website. Well done to Rob and the rest of the team (especially Seb).

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NEWS FROM ARCHIVES
 

The Archives Volunteering of the Year Project Awardwas set up to mark the merger of three former archive groups, including the National Council on Archives, into one body the Archives and Records Association (see LHN95 p 25). Volunteering opportunities, the important role volunteers play in their local community and the way archives work with volunteers will all be highlighted by the award. The first winner is Suffolk Record Office for its ‘Making a Difference Volunteer Cataloguing Backlog project’. This involved 69 volunteers assisting in cataloguing 13 collections, including a photographic archive of most parishes in Suffolk created by Captain Dunlop RN. Highly Commended Awards were given to Warwickshire County Record Office’s ‘Waller Volunteer Transcription project’, The Black Cultural Archives ‘The Heart of the Race: Oral Histories of the Black Women’s Movement’, and The National Archives ‘Living the Poor Life Project’.

 
It is excellent news to hear that the fundraising target to keep the Broadlands Archives at Southampton University was achieved in June when the National Heritage memorial Fund made a grant of nearly £2m (seeLHN 93 p 22). BALH was among many organisations and individuals who wrote in support of the campaign.www.southampton.ac.uk/broadlands/
 
The Ministry of Justice has launched a new website,www.legislation.gov.uk, which brings together every single piece of UK legislation, from Magna Carta to the present day. It is accessible to everyone and there are multiple options for downloading and printing the information. Although it claims to contain every single law ever made in the UK including all revisions throughout legal history since 1267, discussion groups of historians who have tested it have failed to find some material they wanted. Try it and see.
 
The lives of ordinary Londoners in the 18th century are revealed on a new website that is the result of a five-year project to digitise material from eight different London archives, including workhouse records, criminal registers, coroners’ reports, court orders and papers on poor relief. Users of this free site can read scans of the original documents and see transcribed texts. www.londonlives.org
 
The Church of England in LondonOnline Resource Guideis an innovative and user-friendly toolkit for those who want to find out more about the history of the Church of England in London and the wider role of religion in the communities of the metropolis since the beginning of the nineteenth century. This groundbreaking and free online resource, developed by the Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded Building on History project by historians from the Open University and King’s College London and representatives of the Anglican Diocese of London and Lambeth Palace Library, provides expert advice on how to find out about the congregations, churches and communities of London.www.open.ac.uk/buildingonhistory
 
An obituary for Mary Hill (1912-2010), the first County Archivist of Shropshire demonstrates very clearly how much is owed to the individuals whose pioneering work in embryonic county record offices after the Second World War established the collections and the service we know today. Their initiative, persistence, and diplomatic skills resulted in the deposition of important archives that might otherwise have been lost or remained inaccessible.Salopian Recorder. www.shropshirearchoves.gov.uk

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NEWS FROM LIBRARIES
 

The Local History Centre at Church Stretton Librarywas launched last Spring. It was created as part of the Heritage Lottery Funded Rectory Wood Heritage Project. To help those using the local history resources a volunteer advice service on Tuesday mornings has been established. The project has also supported the creation of the Church Stretton Area Local History Group. For further information emailchurchstretton.library@shopshire.gov.uk The Salopian Recorder from Friends of Shropshire Archives

 
Located in the Old Gaol, Hexham, the Border Library is appealing for volunteers to help in their work. The library contains a wide variety of material including the Butler Trust Collection of books, music scores, photographs and other sources about the history, culture and music of the Borders area. A particular strength is the material on Northumbrian pipe music and ballads.borderlibrary@btconnect.com Hexham Local History Society.
 
Sheffield Local Studies Library has discovered a new collection of photographs relating to Shrewsbury Hospital almshouses and St John’s School at School Street and Cricket Road, Park. They show residents at the almshouses, and pupils and teachers at the school, and can be linked to entries in the 1901 census. Sheffield Archives and Local Studies.localstudies.library@sheffield.gov.uk
  
Reading Central Library is planning events to link with special occasions. In conjunction with Heritage Open Days and the Berkshire Archaeology Group, there will be an exhibition on ‘Reading’s forgotten industries’ from 6 – 18 September. As well as the well-known beer, bulbs and biscuits, there was printing, engineering, clothing manufacture, jam, and paint pigments. As part of the Reading Festival of Crime Writing, the Local Studies Manager David Cliffe will be leading a Reading ‘crime walk’ around sites associated with crimes of days gone by. 0118 9015965 Berkshire Local History Association www.blha.org.uk

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NEWS FROM MUSEUMS
 

Nottingham Castle Museum has a new exhibition, which runs until 7 November, displaying the local brown salt-glazed pottery produced there during the 18th century. It was made at three main sites, now under the Ice Stadium, the Victoria Centre and a car park near Brook Street. The catalogue that accompanies the exhibition also contains two essays on recent research examining the technical and artistic development of the craft, and the other on the history of the local potters and their potteries. Contact tom.price@nottingham.gov.uk

Professor David Hey, President of BALH, will give the annual fundraising lecture at Wiltshire Heritage Museumin Devizes on 25 September entitled ‘Family History and Surnames’. His research, combining linguistics with genealogy and DNA, has enabled a firmer understanding of the places where surnames originated. www.wiltshireheritage.org.uk
 
Two 40th anniversaries are reported in the latest issue of the Bulletin from AIM (Association of Independent Museums). The Weald & Downland Open Air Museum at Singleton in West Sussex is marking 40 years since it first opened to the public as a leading museum of historic buildings and traditional rural life. As well as a celebratory weekend at the beginning of September, there is a history of the museum, a schools exhibition, and a conference ‘Building Conservation Comes of Age’.www.wealddown.co.uk
 
40 years ago the firm of J B Bowler closed its doors in Bath. The contents of the mineral water business were rescued, leading to the founding of the Bath Industrial History Trust, and the Camden Works Museum, now The Museum of Bath at Work. www.bathatwork.co.uk
 
Maidenhead Heritage Centre has launched an appeal to enable them to establish the only dedicated Air Transport Auxiliary Exhibition and Study Centre. ‘Grandma Flew Spitfires!’ is due to open in 2011 for research into ATA and to provide easy public access to one of the world’s largest collections of ATA memorabilia. www.atamuseum.org
 
In the last issue of LHN (p 23) we reported that theCoventry History Centre was then open on Sundays; their current opening times are Tuesday - saturday 10.30 - 3.30.

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BALH OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES FOR 2010-11
 

President: Professor David Hey

Vice Presidents: Professor Norman McCord, Mr Phillip Snell, Dr Joan Thirsk,
Dr Kate Thompson, Dr Christopher Charlton, Dr David Dymond
 
Council 2010-11:
Chair: Professor Claire Cross*
Mr M Farrar
Ms Jane Golding
Ms Helen Good*
Dr Tim Lomas*
Dr Jo Mattingly
Mr William Moss
Dr Margaret O’Sullivan*
Mrs Jan Shephard*
Dr Winifred Stokes*
Dr Anne Tarver*
Dr Nigel Tringham*
*members of Management Committee
 
Advisory Committees:
Publications: Dr N Tringham (Chair), Prof C Cross, Dr P Carter,
Dr A Crosby, Dr D Dixon,
 Dr D Dymond, Dr J Howells, Mr P Jackson, Dr E Lord, Mr S Pewsey,
Dr M O’Sulllivan, Mr W Serjeant (Hon Archivist), Dr W Stokes, Dr K Thompson
 
Education: Dr T Lomas (Chair), Mr R Hughes, Dr H Falvey, Dr R Hunter, Dr J Mattingly,
Dr R Paley, Prof E Royle, Dr KTiller, Prof G Timmins, Ms T Rounds
 
Events: Mrs J Shephard (Chair), Dr G Draper, Mr M Farrar,
Mr G Gascoyne, Ms H Good,
Mr R Lewry, Mrs P Merrick, Mr W R Moss, Dr A Tarver, Mrs J Tucker
 
Representatives:
Prof C Cross (Royal Historical Society), Ms T Rounds (Society of Archivists),
Dr N Tringham (VCH), Dr P Carter (The National Archives),
Dr D Dixon (CILIP), Mr R Lewry (FFHS)
 
Treasurer: Dr Ruth Paley
 
Editors: Dr Alan Crosby (The Local Historian) Dr Evelyn Lord (BALH Reviews Editor),
Dr Jane Howells (Local History News and website)
 
Events & Development Officer: Dr Gill Draper
Business Manager: Mrs Annmarie Jones Finance Officer: Mr Terry Clarke