Local History News Number 98 Winter 2011

In 2007 I wrote and published an article in The Local Historian on the historical geography of English and Welsh dioceses. It traced the evolution of the present structure of (Church of England) dioceses over the past fifteen hundred years, up to the changes of the late 1920s, when the creation of the sees of Blackburn, Derby, Guildford, Leicester and Portsmouth marked the end of a period of sporadic reorganisation that had been going on for a century.
 
Since then, of course, the world has changed beyond recognition. The social, economic, demographic and spiritual map of the land has been completely redrawn, and the Church of England has experienced fifty years of often painful and seemingly inconclusive soul-searching. Quite by chance, in 2007 the Church established a new internal body, the Dioceses Commission, with the remit of reviewing the boundaries of dioceses (especially in areas where the administrative and demographic context had altered so much as to present problems) and, more ambitiously, to consider the question of wholesale reorganisation of diocesan geography.
 
In November 2010 its second report, on the dioceses of West and North Yorkshire, was published. It looks as though I might have to do an update of my article at some point, for if this report and its proposals set the pattern for future investigations, the Church will experience a change more dramatic than it has encountered since Henry VIII created six new dioceses in only five years immediately after the dissolution of the monasteries.
 
The report proposes to amalgamate the dioceses of Ripon & Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield (it also considered the future of the diocese of Sheffield but decided to leave that intact). The new diocese would (will?) be based at Wakefield, and there will (would?) be four other ‘area bishops’, for Ripon, Leeds, Huddersfield and Bradford. The cathedrals would, perhaps inevitably, have to stay as they are – though it’s clear that demoting Bradford (only made a cathedral in 1919) back to parish church status was seriously considered – and Huddersfield and Leeds, though graced with bishops, will not gain a cathedral each. Though the report is adamant that mission and faith, not finance and cost-cutting, lie behind the strategy, spending more money is for obvious reasons not on the agenda.  
 
It’s a radical attempt to refocus the Church of England in a county where it is now less influential than at any time since the Reformation. The authors of the report observe a nice touch of historical perspective, pointing out that Ripon Minster is destined to ‘serve as a secondary cathedral within the new diocese – in a sense, returning to its pre-Reformation role as a subordinate cathedral for the Yorkshire Dales within a larger diocese’.
 
In terms of local history it’s an interesting turning point. The high-water mark of the Church was eighty years ago, when the diocesan structure was completed. Now, less than a lifetime later, that edifice, the product of decisions and historical accidents going back to the beginnings of Christianity in England, is about to be, if not dismantled, at least fundamentally altered. If future reports for other parts of the country follow suit, my carefully-drawn maps of four years ago will need to be supplemented by another before too long.      
 

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Many counties and some towns have record societies which produce publications based upon original documents held by their local authorities. Survival of the original documents is often patchy, with lacunae existing either within a series of records such as parish registers, or the total loss of records, for example rate books. Southampton however, is well served with surviving original documents in many areas. These begin in the early post-Conquest period and continue into the twenty-first century, covering legal and parish records, port books, mayoral and town clerk records and accounts, Corporation journals and so forth. For those historians lucky enough to work on an aspect of either local or national history where Southampton played a part, there is a wide range of local documentation well supported by records at the National Archive.  Those who concentrate on the history of the Southampton are often horrified at the loss of documents from other towns when trying to make comparisons with other communities. 
Thus it was that for all these reasons, in the first decade of the twentieth century, a small group of enthusiastic academics from the Hartley University College in Southampton embarked upon a momentous task – to transcribe, translate and publish the wealth of original medieval, Tudor, Stuart and eighteenth-century documents held by the town. The first volumes were printed by the Southampton firm of Cox and Sharland in 1905-06 and were limited to one hundred and fifty copies, with the number of each copy carefully recorded inside every book. 
Each publication had its own introduction and overview of the contents, followed by a full transcript formatted as far as possible to reflect the appearance of the original document, with uncorrected spelling and marginal notes included. Reflections on the handwriting by each book’s editor aimed to give the reader as full an understanding of the record as possible, without hindering the reader’s own potential analysis. The format became a tradition largely maintained to the present day for the publication of original records’ publication. The introduction to each book highlighted some of the more noteworthy passages, such as the murder of one Dutchman by another in a fight; or the connivance of Nicholas de prese and his wife, in ‘certain offences of immorality between a certain captain of one of the Venetian gallies and a certain maidservant dwelling with the aforesaid Nicholas and his wife’ during the year 1482-83.[i'>more...  Surely an early example of data protection – ‘the names have been changed to protect the innocent’?
The group’s first choice of records were those of the Court Leet, a series of documents that give great insight into the concerns of Tudor and Stuart townspeople. The court was held annually, under the auspices of the Sheriff, with its own jury to hear and judge the merit of ordinary people’s complaints brought to the jury’s attention. This was the people’s Lawday,their opportunity to right some wrongs and airtheir grievances against neighbours and authority. Originally, the Court was held in the open air at the Cutted Thorn (Cutthorn) mound on Southampton Common. The mound can still be found near the crossroads at the north end of the Common (OS ref. SZ418 153). Traditionally it and the Court, are said to have originated with the Danes, not unlike the Viking Parliament mounds of Tynwald in the Isle of Man, and Thingvillir in Iceland. How or when ever the Southampton Court began, it still exists today and local residents can still air their concerns and expect some sort of action or redress from their Local Authority, at the annual Court Leet in October, held in the Council Chamber. Many concerns raised have changed very little in five hundred years; antisocial behaviour, litter and amenities featured just as prominently then as today.
The Southampton Record Society as they dubbed themselves, produced a variety of publications. Among the earliest was a collection of old Southampton maps dating from the reign of Elizabeth I; the first attempt at a full history of the town written by Dr John Speed (a direct descendent of the famous cartographer) and the Oak Book of the guild merchants’ ordinances, bound within oaken covers, to stress its importance to the business of the town.
Initially the Record Society books went to other academics, public and university libraries, and did not always include a full translation of the Latin text. A decision demonstrating the belief that all educated individuals could be expected to have a knowledge of Latin.  Despite the intention to print the full text of the records, some of the earliest publications exhibited a certain coyness and excluded the ‘rude’ bits. Thus the 1914 edition of The Books of Examinations and Depositions, by Misses Aubrey and Hamilton, is not complete. In 1994 however, the omissions were redressed with Sheila Thomson’s unexpurgated version of the text.
The Record Society continued to produce volumes until the Second World War when stocks of the publications were destroyed during the blitz. After such a setback it seemed doubtful that the enthusiasm could be rekindled, but it was and in 1951 Alwyn Ruddock’s seminal volume on the Italian merchants in the town launched the reformed and renamed Southampton Records Series.  Bound in blue cloth instead of the original dark green,, this particular book also marked a change from the original format – it was a monograph. Drawing on many original records, Ruddock presented a coherent picture of the influence and significance of the Italian merchants not only locally but also nationally, through their international trading activities. If its importance can be measured by monetary value, then this was a very significant production and the first edition now attracts high prices on the internet.
The changes in appearance and format also signified an important change in the constitution of the group, it would now operate under the auspices of the University of Southampton. Whereas previously the initiating members had been part of the early University’s staff, the Society itself had remained independent and ran its own financial arrangements. Now the new Southampton Records Series’ finances would be held within those of the rapidly expanding post-war University.
One of the questions which had to be considered by the reconstituted group; should they reprint the lost books? The decision was left in abeyance. It was considered still more important to make publicly available the variety of records held in the city vaults. In the internet age this has proved to have been the right decision. The Court Leet records have proved to be some of the most popular and can be found online as scans produced by Cornell and other Universities. All of which, underlines the farsightedness of the original Society members with their first choice of records to print.  More recently however, the significance of Ruddock’s Italian merchants volume, convinced the editorial panel of the Series to reprint it and it is available once more, in the modern paperback format now used.
For more than a century Southampton’s exceptionally rich collection of early documents has been printed and there is still an abundance remaining to be explored and harvested. Long may the SRS and all the other record societies throughout the country continue to make these important resources available to all historians.
 

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A shining example
 
Kay Collins was nominated for a BALH award by Rushden & District History Society and she is a superb example of a ‘local and family historian’ who appreciates the importance of both approaches. Another feature revealed in the references written about Kay is the inter-relationship between organisations such as the History Society, Rushden Museum, Rushden Family History Society, Northamptonshire Record Office, and Northamptonshire Records Society, all of which have benefited from her skills and enthusiasm.
 
Born in Chesterfield, Kay Collins grew up and still lives in Rushden. After a varied working life in book-keeping and shop work, she is now retired. Kay writes ‘my hobbies used to be gardening, jam-making, sewing, house maintenance and decorating, but I now rarely do any of them’. That is due to her tireless commitment to Rushden’s history.
 
Twenty-five years ago a chance remark when her nephew was doing a project for school first took Kay to the Northamptonshire Record Office, and set her off on the history of her and her husband’s families. Those were the days when access to original documents was the still the norm (‘wonderful’ as she says!) and they travelled south to Exeter and north to the Outer Hebrides in the search. Her experience led her in 1988 to volunteer at NRO to transcribe parish registers. She was involved in founding a project group to computerise and index records. Kay concentrated on some of the less-known family history sources, she indexed the vast array of probate records there, and chose to deal with the earliest parish records which can be difficult to read. She says she thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.
 
Rushden History Society was founded in 1991, and Kay has been involved in many aspects of its activities, including its project for the millennium which published A Thousand Years of Rushden. In 2002 she was invited by the chairman of Rushden History Society to run a research group. They began by transcribing and indexing the newly-released 1901 census for Higham Ferrers Hundred, then made it available on CD. The group continued with local parish records and Rushden wills, photographed at NRO and printed for members to work on at home.
 
A Georgian Country Parson: the Rev John Mastin of Nasebywas edited for Northamptonshire Records Society by the late Christine Vialls, also a volunteer at NRO, and Kay Collins. Christine and Kay worked together on several projects at the record office, and were thrilled when these memoirs were discovered. Mastin (1747-1829) was a farmer’s son who made his way in the world, developing his talent for ‘country business’ before taking holy orders as a ‘literate person’ despite his lack of a university education.
 
Kay’s tireless commitment to researching, recording, interviewing, transcribing and indexing has brought Rushden’s history to the attention of an ever-wider audience. Her ability to inspire others, teach new skills, and lead a team came to fruition through ‘Rushden Research’ where a successful HLF grant in 2007 supported the creation of a website built to attract and inform. After four years work by a dedicated team (who continue to meet weekly), the website now has over 9,000 pages. Its wonderful title is ‘Hearts and Soles’ from the churches which grew alongside the factories and the importance of the boot and shoe trade to the town. Visitors range from older people involved in reminiscence, school children investigating for projects, established residents interested in their surroundings, and incomers to the area curious about their new location.
 
Rushden Museum opened in 2006 and Kay has been a Trustee since the beginning. She is also actively involved in planning and preparation of exhibitions, cataloguing, promoting and staffing the museum – all on a voluntary basis. Conscious that not everyone had their own computer, but that the internet is becoming an ever more vital tool for local and family historians, Kay was instrumental in procuring an ‘IT kiosk’ in the museum as another point of access.
 
Kay Collins is held in high regard by everyone with whom she comes into contact, and her enjoyment of local history shines through in everything she does.
 
 
With thanks to Kay Collins, Joy Clayson, Jon-Paul Carr, and Eric Jenkins
 

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Making a difference
 
Looking at his CV, you would see Nat Alcock living two parallel lives. Professionally he was an academic chemist, employed at the University of Warwick, undertaking research, sitting on committees and boards, and publishing numerous papers. At the same time he was following his historical interests as a ‘leisure activity’, and becoming equally authoritative on vernacular architecture as on crystal structure analysis.
 
One early source of inspiration, as for so many, was reading W G Hoskins and taking on the suggestion that any self-respecting local historian should look at the buildings of his parish. Following this lead, his first historical publication (in 1963) analysed the houses in a Devon village. As Nat Alcock’s interests developed he has focused both on specific structures, such as crucks and base-crucks, and also on the combined use of building recording and archival evidence. His contributions have resulted in the importance of documentary sources such as title deeds and probate records reaching their current prominence for architectural history. And this has led beyond the houses themselves; one of his referees says ‘he was a pioneer in the strand of local history research which has given much clearer insights into the day to day lives of the more modest class of villager’. He comments, though, that he has been extraordinarily lucky in finding outstanding evidence as, for example, in the parish of Stoneleigh, Warwickshire which contains some 40 timber-framed houses, is documented by more than 400 probate inventories, and has a magnificent collection of estate documents.
 
Although involved in many organisations including the Vernacular Architecture Group of which he is a past President, Warwickshire Local History Society, and the Dugdale Society, Nat has long been associated with the British Records Association, holding senior roles including Vice Chair, and chair of its Outreach Committee. He has organised key events for the Association, and wrote the highly successful Documenting the History of Houses(2003) in their Archives and the User series.
 
His expertise and knowledge were called on in a high profile study for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust when it was Nat who finally and irrefutably identified the home of Shakespeare’s mother, ‘Mary Arden’s House’, as what was then known as Glebe Farm at Wilmcote rather than the building given this name for 200 years, and now called Palmer’s Farm. This discovery also threw new light on the social standing of the Arden family, which was much more modest than had previously been supposed.
 
Perhaps the value of a scientific training is revealed in Nat’s approach, expressed by a referee as ‘he is precise and dedicated, double-checking everything and correlating evidence ... there are no flights of fancy or leaps of faith … if Nat presents a statement you can be sure it is correct’. He has shared his enthusiasm and skills with many students over the years at evening classes and with local groups, often stimulating research and publications that have added to the sum total of knowledge and understanding. ‘It is the work of people like Nat that makes a huge difference to local history studies’.
 

Thanks to Nat Alcock, Michael Roberts, Mairi Macdonald and Julia Sheppard

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New figures show that there is a revived interest in the teaching of Latin, and that the supply of teachers is outstripped by demand. Several public figures, notably Boris Johnson, are calling for its inclusion in the curriculum of State schools. They argue that 50% English words derive from it; as the previous sentence exemplifies. Furthermore as a dead language taught entirely by its grammatical rules it provides an understanding of the mechanics and structure of language that facilitate the learning of modern tongues.
This trend is an important potential benefit both for future historical research, and the archive profession. Latin was the legal language of England and Wales until 1733, and as such was used for formal records of civil and ecclesiastical court records, most deeds and the whole range of manorial records, courts rolls, custumals, surveys and accounts. Might we hope that more historians and archivists schooled in Latin will feel able to understand and use these important sources for the social and economic history of the Middle Ages and Early Modern period.
The significance of manorial records was given prominence by Michael Woods in his recent excellent TV series ‘The Story of England’. He chose the village of Kibworth, Leicestershire as the central theme in part because of the vast quantity of records for the manor of Kibworth Harcourt in Merton College archives, and the excellent research work on them by Cicely Howell.  Writing in the book of the series he states ‘The Merton archives does what cannot be done from the centre or above ... it shines a light on an English community. And on the daily lives of ordinary people throughout history.’  The records allow the fortunes of Peasant families be traced over many centuries. For me some of the most encouraging scenes in the TV programme were of Michael and college archivist, Julian Reed, poring over long parchment court rolls discovering and interpreting fascinating details.
I wonder how many viewers were also inspired but feel thwarted by the stumbling block of Latin, in which they may have no grounding. For the pertinacious student (of any age) some encouragement can be offered. There several good reference books, if not all in print then available in your local Record Office, and online courses, in particular, hosted by The National Archives and The Department of English Local History at Leicester University, as well as the excellent summer school in Latin and Palaeography at the University of Keele. These documents were generally written by people who thought in English and constructed their sentences accordingly; the nature of the language is formulaic, although this must be balanced against the heavy use of abbreviations. Furthermore under the Commonwealth, 1650-1659, English replaced Latin, and records of that decade are a useful crib.
If the interest in Latin does not increase the implications for the future conservation of the large numbers of records in local and national archives are considerable. At a time of budget constraint and emphasis on measurable outcomes and access it might be difficult to justify prioritising the repair of medieval records that very few researchers are able to use. Damaged and fragile documents may remain so indefinitely.

Writing about the demise of Latin in 1733, in his Parliamentary History, William Cobbett expressed the belief by held some that there would always be some ‘who out of curiosity, or for the sake of gain, will make it their business to understand both the language and character in which they are wrote’. I hope that this optimism in the power of curiosity, at least, will prevail. For school children British history now begins in 1066; we do not want that starting date to creep further forward.

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In April 2010, the 5-year Heritage Lottery-funded England’s Past for Everyone project reached  its successful conclusion and the Victoria County History returned to what could be termed ‘business as usual’, focusing on the production of the ‘big red book series’. However one of the legacies of the EPE project was a vastly increased and enhanced web presence comprising the EPE project communications website, the interactive EPE Explore site with its database of digital research resources, the EPE Schools Learning Zone and the VCH communications site with its associated county micro-sites. Since April, the VCH central office has embraced the challenge of consolidating all these websites and is now nearing completion on the construction of an all encompassing VCH site, a VCH Digital if you will.
The new site, which has been built using the Drupal content management system will retain the existing VCH communication site URLwww.victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk and will house within it, the individual microsites for each of the VCH counties, the EPE Schools Learning Zone resource sitehttp://www.englandspastforeveryone.org.uk/schools and the completely overhauled interactive Explore sitehttp://explore.englandspastforeveryone.org.uk.
Explore has been totally rebuilt using Drupal to remove the constraints imposed by the EPE-study areas and make Explore an appropriate platform for ongoing VCH work. VCH Explore is now a genuinely national resource which we look forward to expanding, in partnership with other organisations, both in areas of established VCH activity and in start-up counties. Although the site has been totally reorganised, the essential structure of the content remains the same, with ‘items’ (an historic building, landscape, event, person or place) and their associated ‘assets’ (the digital resources: photographs, maps, drawings, documents, transcriptions etc). The major change is that the content now sits within a series of themes , which equate quite closely to the structure of VCH red volumes. This provides a contextual introduction to the groups of content and a new means of navigating the site’s content. Items and assets can also be navigated geographically using the Google map interface, with each item displayed as a point on the map. 
The VCH communications site has also been totally overhauled and in addition to acting as the portal into the VCH’s online materials, has also gained a range of new and exciting functionality. Here is a taste of some of the changes you will notice when the rebuilt VCH national website is launched in March:
·         each county will have its own micro-site, irrespective of whether that county is active or not;
·         improved structure and navigation  making information easier to organise and locate;
·         better styling – the new site will be attractive and eye-catching e.g. the home page will contain a rolling slide show of images from active VCH counties;
·         better integration with the Institute of Historical Research’s site;
·         improved functionality for contributors to the site – a form-based upload system which is much more intuitive than the old system.
·         An online guide on how to write a complete VCH parish entry
Please do contact a member of the central office team if you have any questions or feedback regarding our websites, or if your local history organisation would be interested in contributing to the Explore site as partners
 

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If you are a local historian then at some stage the question of what to
do with your research will arise. Do you keep it to yourself, distribute
copies of it amongst immediate family or friends or do you make it
available to the world at large. Until recently the path to publication
has been via the print media but nowadays many historians are choosing
to make their work available by way of a website. The advantages of
doing so are enormous, particularly in that updates can be made so
easily and promptly, but it comes at a price. Whereas a book, once
published, establishes the historical studies forever, a website can be
transient, especially once the author is no longer around to maintain
it. Many historians have chosen to put their work onto disk and lodge
copies at their local museum or record office where at least it should
be available to future researchers, but this is not the same as making
it permanently available online. At present there are few means of
ensuring it's longevity, the most obvious perhaps being the Internet
Archive (www.archive.org/) and it's Way Back Machine that stores
snapshots of a website over many years. Regrettably this system is not
yet fully searchable, though may become so, which leaves the internet
based historian with an ongoing problem. Perhaps the British Library
will provide a service in the future but for many aging historians that
will not be soon enough. In the meantime we are left with the sole
option of finding a reliable successor who will agree to maintain the
website, or a copy of it, online until such time as it may be lodged in a national archive.
 

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North Yorkshire Archives have been working with young offenders in Northallerton Prison, disadvantaged teenagers and retired fishermen in Scarborough, and primary school children at Catterick Garrison, in a study of past conflict. The aim was to gain new skills, knowledge and confidence - and promote inter-generational activity.
 
Work with young offenders was led by the North Yorkshire Record Office (NYRO), collaborating with the County Library Service that managed a lending library within the prison. An 1890s police charge book, containing ‘mug shots’ and details of offenders, some as young as 11, provided inspiration. Education staff at the then Young Offenders Institution (YOI) saw its potential to engage young men in a study of past offending, and to contrast 19th century penal policy and prison conditions with today. Researching stories behind the photographs formed part of an exhibition, created by fifteen inmates, the ‘lads’. This was viewed by community representatives, each ‘lad’ making a public presentation on his panel, gaining a formal qualification in presentation skills. One lad, Karl, said, ‘What I learnt … was the confidence to learn to speak to other people‘. Another, Shane, said, ‘I feel excited. I feel relieved I achieved this. I feel good in myself’.
 
Scarborough’s Conflict and Change project brought together eight disadvantaged ‘at risk’ teenagers and eight retired fishermen, including three men in their 80s who had seen active service during the Second World War. The project aimed to overcome mutual distrust, and promote a better understanding between generations. Scarborough Maritime Heritage Group volunteers worked with youth workers and library and archive staff to help participants record living memories of the impact of the war on the local fishing industry, older participants sharing memories with the teenagers. A graphic artist, and a video artist, assisted with the capture of images and memories.
 
For the Behind the Wire project, Catterick Garrison residents - from primary school children to veterans - looked at the effects on families of conflict past and present, a sensitive issue with family members posted to Afghanistan. Partner agencies included the Army Welfare Service, Army Library, Garrison Radio, and Wavell Community Junior School. 15 adult volunteers and 42 pupils from year six at Wavell School were involved. Activities included interviewing, creative workshops, and the production of a song - available on CD - production of a newspaper, and a DVD exploring themes of ‘Keeping in Touch’, ‘Life Back Home’, and ‘Coming Home’. The project elicited children’s responses such as ‘When I looked at the letters and diaries from World War 1 and 2 I thought they are just like us’; and ‘Why do people fight?’
 
The new Catterick library - funded by Defence Estates, North Yorkshire County Council and Richmondshire District Council - was an ideal space for activities with workshops held simultaneously, creating a buzz of excitement. A typical pupil’s comment was ‘at the library you learn, but you have fun as well’, and for a teacher it was ‘a different and stimulating environment in which to learn’. Two thirds of year six children at Wavell School joined the library, and class visits from other year groups also resulted in new members
 
The three projects benefited from local partnerships: district councils, educators, museums, radio stations, and community welfare and youth organisations gave freely of their time and expertise. And the projects created a bridge between communities, and library and archive services, valuable not only to participants themselves, but as examples of best practice. For example, the young offenders’ work has been shown at Durham and Hull prisons, toured libraries and other venues in North Yorkshire, displayed at the Law and Order Museums in Ripon, and provided inspiration for historical re-enactment at Northallerton Magistrates’ Court. Video clips of the young offenders’ project can be viewed at Yorkshire Museums Hub’s MyLearning website:http://www.mylearning.org/gallery.asp?type=1&journeyid=511
 
The project was funded under the Big Lottery/ Museums Libraries and Archives Council programme ‘Their Past Your Future 2’ (TPYF2). Further details from Julie Blaisdale, Assistant Director, Library and Community Services, NYCC. e:julie.blaisdale@northyorks.gov.uk, or Keith Sweetmore, Development Manager at NYCRO e:keith.sweetmore@northyorks.gov.uk

 This piece is based on an article by Julie Blaisdale and Keith Sweetmore that appeared in the Public Services Journal.

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BAFM is an independent organisation established in 1973.  It represents Friends, supporters and volunteers within the UK’s heritage sector.  This includes museums, art galleries libraries, archives, cathedrals, churches, historic secular buildings, industrial archaeological sites and gardens.  Our many member groups represent 200,000 Friends and Volunteers throughout the UK.
 
It offers a friendly and practical network of support from people with first-hand experience of running Friends organisations, acts as a clearing house for common problems and their solutions and is a central source of information about Friends for Friends.
 
The Association is run by an elected team of volunteers drawn from Friends’ groups all over the UK, including Area Co-ordinators to support members at a local level.  A National Conference and AGM is held each year.  In 2010 this was held on the Isle of Man; next year it will be held at the National Transport Museum in London and in Eastbourne in 2012.
 
Area conferences are also held each by the Area Co-ordinators.  The South East (Western counties) had a most successful meeting at Gilbert White’s House in Selborne, Hampshire in September with a large group enjoying excellent keynote speakers and having the opportunity for serious networking and discussions.  Area co-ordinators also provide a personal contact who can visit to advise on a range of matters such as starting a Friends group or guiding members to sources of expertise and advice.
 
BAFM has links with a variety of organisations such as the Department for Culture, Media and Sport,  The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries, the Museums Association, the Association of Independent Museums; Area Museum Councils; the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, the Charity Commission and the National Centre for Volunteering.
 
BAFM is represented on national bodies providing a link between the ‘supporters and users’ and the professionals, and enabling our voice and views to be heard.   It is also a member of the World Federation of Friends of Museums.  At the Lisbon Council Meeting and General Assembly of the WFFM in 2010, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Dr Daniel Ben-Natan, the WFFM President, and Mrs Alissandra Cummins, the ICOM President (International Council of Museums), ensuring close co-operation in the future between the voluntary and the professional sectors of the museum world.
 
 A Handbook for Friends, a Handbook for Heritage Volunteer Managers & Administrators and a multiplicity of Information Sheets are available.  Our excellent and informative Journal is produced three times a year and an attractive Insurance scheme is available for members, which includes Employers Liability Insurance, Public Liability Insurance and Personal Accident Insurance.
 

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Not many people go into space. Fewer still get to pilot a time-machine. So when I was invited to become Director of Historypin, I put aside everything I was working on and accepted immediately.
 
Three aspects of the project appeal to me particularly. The first is the sheer scale and ambition of the venture - the fact that we can now not just dream about the possibility of a global archive with almost infinite storage capacity but actually realise it. Here is where the partnership with Google is crucial.
 
The second is that it is democratic. Everyone can use it. This is the people’s history. Kings, Queens, Empires and armies dominate conventional historical narratives, but Historypin is where the people get to walk onto the stage. I was going to say centre stage; but of course there is no centre stage – and that is the whole point. This is history from a million vantage points.
 
The third is the power that this has to change our consciousness, our sense of history itself. For, as we become graphically more aware of the world changing in front of our eyes, we begin to understand ourselves more clearly as part of that process: past, present and future.
 
In terms of my strategy for the project I see three strands. The first is an approach to archives, big and small, public and private. There are an estimated twelve billion undigitised photographs gathering dust in boxes around the world. Here’s our chance to dig out those unseen images and put them into a global album. This is Historypin as a giant conservatory and museum, preserving for posterity myriad stories and pictures that would otherwise be lost.
 
The second strand is schools and communities. Historypin is the brainchild of the social action movement, We Are What We Do, whose aim is to foster change through getting lots of people to take simple actions. Historypin is the centrepiece of a campaign to encourage people to share their stories, and especially to foster dialogue across generations and across communities. Children can ask their grandparents to show them old photographs and reminiscence about when they themselves were small. New immigrants can show off some of their heritage and share stories from distant places. Historypin is a place where everyone can meet on equal terms. It’s a wonderful tool for schools and communities.
 
The third strand is individuals - people making history now. People reading this blog. You! Your friends and families and neighbours. People taking holiday snaps, visiting places which are special to them, or simply recording the world they daily inhabit and the ways it’s changing. The neighbour that moved. The tree that was uprooted. The building that got bulldozed. The shop that changed hands. The graffiti that suddenly appeared – disappeared – then reappeared afresh ... and the stories behind all these events.
 
The past has the power to challenge, provoke, inspire, intrigue, redeem ... All human life is here. That’s what makes Historypin to my mind one of the most exciting cultural innovations of our time. Care to climb aboard?
 

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With the growth in interest in genealogy more and more people, from all over the world, have been contacting Kineton & District Local History Group for information regarding their forebears and, in particular, where they are buried.
 
Inscriptions on memorials in the churchyard have been recorded on two previous occasions, first by the Rev Harvey Bloom around 1910 and more recently by the Birmingham & Midland Society for Geneaology & Heraldry in 1989. Both records are excellent and valuable, but neither thought to make a plan of the churchyard, thus making it difficult for relatives to find graves even when they are known to exist.
 
The History Group, under the leadership of Gill Ashley Smith, therefore decided to map the churchyard, plot each grave and record all visible details on the stones before wind weather and isolated acts of vandalism caused them to deteriorate further.
 
The Parochial Church Council readily agreed to the project and a meeting was called in early December 2009 to plan a course of action. Twelve people began on the task of plotting each grave, led by three who had surveying experience who laid down the base-lines and ‘cut’ the area of the churchyard into four sections, north-east, north-west, south-east and south-west. Work began in the cold of January 2010 and continued through February and into March; the teams of to or three progressing through the areas lining up, measuring (to a scale 1 cm – 1 m) and plotting. Results were collated by David Freke who kept the plotters up to date with progress by email.
 
During March, with over 500 graves identified and plotted, each one was given a unique reference number marked on a wooden lolly-stick placed beside the stone. About thirty people, volunteers from the History Group, the church and the village community, were briefed on safety issues, instructed on how to fill in the recording form (which had been designed with reference to books and the experience of other groups), and advised on dealing with partially legible inscriptions. Amazingly, some graves of the 17th and 18th century have now been read and recorded for the first time. The results of the recording project are linked to a transcript of the Kineton burial registers. Kineton Camera Club has photographed each memorial and the photographs accompany the details.
 
The key map will be displayed prominently and permanently in the churchyard, and all the results, pictures and map are starting to appear on the History Group’s website, and when the work is complete copies will be in the church and local record offices.
The project has been awarded the Gold Award in the History & Heritage section of the 2010 Warwickshire Best Village Competition.
 
www.kinetonheritage.co.uk
 
 

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How you can get involved!
 
Ancient Britons is being broadcast on BBC2 on Wednesdays. You, or your children and grandchildren perhaps, can join Eric the hunter on his quest to discover what life was like in ancient Britain by downloading the learning resources from this website, or looking there for related days out (perhaps you will have seen the inflatable trilothon erected at Gateshead Metro shopping mall in February half-term): http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/british_prehistory/
Do you remember the BBC Domesday project of 1986? It is being re-launched as Domesday Reloaded in March on Radio 4 and on television. You can find out more- perhaps as an idea for your local history society- by entering these words into your search engine: BBC School Report pilot Domesday project in Birmingham.
A new series of Digging For Britain with Dr Alice Roberts will be broadcast in the summer, and The Story of the Nation with Michael Wood in 2012. This will be a follow-up to The Story of England (Kibworth) and will be based in 15 regions in Britain. There will be local opportunities for the involvement of community groups: I will let you know in due course.
In the meantime, please see the following request for your family stories for BBC2’s Reel History which is to be presented by Melvyn Bragg as a Time Lord. If you contribute, please mention you are a member of BALH!
 
The Reel History of Britain
 
BBC2 needs your family stories for a brand new history series showing how ordinary British people used to live.
The Reel History of Britain, presented by Melvyn Bragg, focuses on different aspects of British life in the twentieth century, told through rare film archive provided by the British Film Institute and other film organisations, alongside stories and memories from the public.
If you have any memories or family stories, no matter how small, relating to the following, the BBC wants to hear from you…
From the Early 20th Century
World War One Battalions (such as the Accrington Pals)
Factory Life in the Mills
Fishing Life in the 1920s
Life in the Aristocratic Households of the 1920s (told from either the perspective of the aristocracy, servants or village people)
From the 1930s
Shipbuilding in the 1930s
Working in Rural Industries in the 1930s
Coal Mining in the 1930s
Life in 1930s slum housing and slum clearance
From the 1940s
The Home Guard
Evacuation and Evacuees
The Birth of the NHS (life in hospitals either from the perspective of patients, medics or administration)
From the 1950s
British Seaside Holidays (did you go on seaside holidays or were you in the tourist industry?)
The Coronation (any memories of celebrating it, watching it?)
Teenage Life and Teddy Boys (were you a teenager in the 50s?)
From the 1960s
The End of the Steam Railway
School Life (were you a teacher or pupil at school in the 60s )
The Birth of the Motorway (did you own your first car during this period, do you remember your first motorway journey?)
Clearance of Post-war slums and the growth of new high-rise housing
From the 1970s:
The Silver Jubilee (did you have a street party?)
The Birth of Package Holidays Abroad (do you remember your first holiday abroad or your first flight? Were you in the travel industry?)
If you have a story to tell on these topics then we want to hear it. Your story, photo, diary or home movie could play a major role in telling the history of Britain. You could even feature on the programme.
For more information
Phone: 0161 244 3289 
Email: reelhistory@bbc.co.uk
Write: The Reel History of Britain, BBC Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M60 1SJ
(standard geographic charges apply and calls may be included in your telecoms provider\'s call package. Calls from mobiles may be higher)
 
Macmillan Cancer Support
Centenary
 
Can any members help with research for a proposed programme to help celebrate the centenary of Macmillan Cancer Support?
Charly Conquest wrote to us:
\'We are currently trying to compile a list of available archive (moving image predominantly) which we could use to tell the story. In particular we are looking for early film either of the treatment of cancer, or of fundraising events. The footage does not have to come from Macmillan, although this would be a fantastic find as unfortunately they have lost a lot of their early archive material’.
Contact details:
Charly Conquest
Northern Upstart
07908 405014
0191 276 3685
email: charly@northernupstart.com
 

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News from The National Archives
 
The outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review will require The National Archives to make savings of 25% over four years (16% in real terms). There are no immediate proposals for changes to services.
 
Online users group
 
In October TNA staff gave a presentation on their ‘Rediscovering the Record’ Project and invited comments. Main strands of the project are: a new catalogue, a new search tool; geographical-based searching and users’ contributions/collaboration.
 
TNA has launched its revamped in-depth research guides, searchable by keyword There is a wide range of terms. Some examples of key words are:Admiralty charts; American Revolution; Catholic records; Catholic recusants; China, records on; Canals; and Coastguard. Quick links are povided to help you find sources.
 
The National Archives Labs
This is a site showing projects in progress and inviting comments on how they should be developed further. They are not finished resources.
Strands include

UK history photo finder

This tool allows you to search and view digitised historical photographs of the UK and Ireland. Starting with the Dixon-Scott collection, which holds more than 14,000 photographs taken in the 1920s-1940s, You can search by location and view images for free.
 
·        Valuation Office Survey
This tool allows you to identify and order Valuation Office Survey maps of England and Wales from 1910 to 1915 provides a simple way to identify and order a map without having to visit The National Archives. The process previously required a complex, multi-stage onsite search.
 
·        Person search
Using the new person search, you can search for a particular name within a large number of records from our collection. These include a number of First World War records, Royal Navy records, criminal registers, law suits, wills and pension records.
 
 
Archives and Records Association Consultative Forum
This forum held its first meeting in October and discussions included the need to adopt a flexible approach in relation to regional groups, but there are no clear proposals at present as to how this should be put into effect. Further meetings are planned in the New Year. The users’ perspective valued and there may be a category of ‘supporter’ as well as member of the ARA.
 
Forum on Historical Manuscripts and Academic Research
 
This newly-established Forum will function as a sub-committee of the main Advisory Council on National Records and Archives and is intended to provide the sort of academic/private owner/professional archivist advisory function which the Commissioners of the now defunct Historical Manuscripts Commission used to supply in the past. It is hoped its remit will also include a focus on the research and research support activities of The National Archives. Members of the Forum are drawn from the Advisory Council membership, together with some additional members recruited directly because of their relevant backgrounds and expertise. Applications are being invited currently for these additional members. It has been agreed that BALH would find briefing members of the Forum an effective route to influence The National Archives’s policy on the wider archive sector and on research.

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Godmanchester: A Celebration of 800 YearsPam and Ken SneathEAH Press 2011
 
 
In 2009 in a major BBC series Michael Wood attempted to present England’s story through one village, Kibworth in Leicestershire. Wood argued that although Kibworth was an unremarkable village, it represented the nation in microcosm.
 
Likewise, Godmanchester was typical of an English country market town. Its economy was largely dependent on agriculture and it was a place of marketing and exchange with tradesmen and craftsmen plying their wares. Neither in the affluent south nor the poor periphery of the country, Godmanchester provides the opportunity to tell the story of middle England throughout the centuries.
 
Like Kibworth, Godmanchester has excellent surviving records and being a Roman town has been subject to many archaeological digs in the recent past. Authors, husband and wife Ken and Pam Sneath represent these two disciplines. Ken teaches at University of Cambridge and Pam fell in love with archaeology when she started to discover samples of Roman pottery in their garden. They believe that the two disciplines working together in harmony can provide a much fuller picture of a community.
 
Next year, Godmanchester commemorates the eight hundredth anniversary of its charter granted by King John in 1212. There will be a major historical re-enactment in the town and a range of other events involving the whole community. The book not only celebrates the town’s history of the last 800 years but it also extends from Godmanchester’s beginnings long before the Romans arrived to the present day. It focuses on the people of Godmanchester: the way they made their living, spent their leisure time and practised their religion.
 
One of the strengths of the book is the way it continually interacts with wider issues and historical debates. Godmanchester’s story is a microcosm of so many of small towns but it is also a community of fascinating characters who have shaped its own unique story.
Ken Sneath
 
Godmanchester: A Celebration of 800 Yearscan be obtained from the authors at 5 Grainger Avenue, Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, PE29 2JT (email: kensneath@hotmail.com). Price £9.95 plus £1.50 pp.
 
 
Biddenden in Pictures – People Places Events
 
Biddenden Local History Society
Edited by YoubyYou Books, Biddenden, Kent 2010
 
£8 (incl p & p) from Mrs P Stokes, Willow Cottage, Smarden Rd, Biddenden, Ashford Kent TN27 8JT
 
With the subtitle ‘a collection of pictures from the photographic age’ this book joins a vast list of similar volumes. So many are currently available, and the number continues to expand, that it is a challenge for any group or individual to find a new approach. Of course here again we see street scenes, important houses, pubs, shops, craftsmen plying their trade, local characters, means of transport, the gentry decorously taking tea, and the village decked out for special occasions.
 
But there are also some more unusual views: the Art and Needlecraft exhibition in 1984 for example, where the hanging is reminiscent of the early years of the Royal Academy in its density. There is the staff of the school canteen, rather than the teachers, and the girls’ cricket XI in 1930. Hopping was an important local industry; pickers from London worked hard in the hop gardens during the day and were photographed having a knees-up by an open fire in the evening. VAD nurses cared for sick and wounded soldiers, many from Belgium, in the Village Hall. A fine medieval house Vane Court was home during the 1930s to the former royal family of Siam, King Prajadhipok and Queen Rhambhai Barni, who did their shopping in the village and went around on their bicycles.
 
Its A5 size and landscape design makes for comfortable browsing, allows for almost every image to have a page to itself, and for those that are originally ‘portrait’ in shape to have generous captions. A map is provided for readers not familiar with the area. The quality of reproduction is excellent and the price is good value. As the introduction says, the book ‘may bring back memories to those who know the village well and will give newcomers and visitors a glimpse of the richness of our past’. It could also serve as an example for others planning a similar publication.
 
The editorial team, of course, expresses thanks to everyone who contributed information and images. Credits acknowledge ‘Editing design and typesetting YouByYou Books’. This is the brainchild of Anna Foster, formerly a journalist on The Times, who tales a text, and sees it through the production process to publications, the Biddenden group describe her as ‘a delight to work with’, someone who is very professional and who consulted them at every stage.
 
With a combination of ingenuity and good fortune it is possible to produce a ‘book of old photographs’ that is not exactly like all the others.
Jane Howells
 

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Thirty years have passed since the publication of one of the classic works of local history. I refer to Ambridge: An English Village Through The Ages, written by Jennifer Aldridge and John Tregorran. It first appeared in 1981, beautifully illustrated with reproductions of documents and old photographs (and delightful line drawings, the work of Caroline Bone, now the owner-manager of Grey Gables restaurant, hotel and health club).
 
By the time the book was published Mrs Aldridge (née Archer) was 36 years old, twice married, and the mother of three children (each by a different father). Though a very busy woman – as is evidenced by the foregoing – and now the wife of the leading farmer in Ambridge, a prominent figure in the Borsetshire county set, she and her collaborator found the chance to research and compile their excellent book. The precise extent of their collaboration beyond the searchroom of the Borsetshire Record Office was a matter for intense speculation at the time.
 
The genesis of the book is of interest, since current debates in local history often ask why people become involved in the subject. In this instance the process is less typical than most. Jennifer became involved as a diversion from the failure of a country crafts business which she managed with Jill Archer, another farmer’s wife from the village. But John Tregorran was a different matter. He arrived in Ambridge back in 1954, living in a gipsy caravan on Heydon Berrow ... a latter-day squatter on the edge of the common, continuing that tradition so well-established in the rural South Midlands. John was a university lecturer who had won the pools and decided to live a wandering life, an ultra-bohemian Lucky Jim perhaps? In the late 1950s he discovered, with his then-girlfriend Christine Archer (it is one of those close-knit communities where incest must surely have been rife in rather recent times) the remains of the ancient manor house at Coombe Farm.
 
This longstanding interest in Ambridge antiquities and young[ish'>more... Archer women bore fruit in his collaboration with Jennifer 25 years later. They began a historical survey (‘come and unroll a tithe map with me sometime … that’s a very fine pendant seal you have there’) and during the course of this, ‘riding on Blossom Hill in the evening as the sun was going down, saw the shadows from slight earthworks in the pasture adjacent to Grange Farm’. Since her husband was a licensed pilot Jennifer, following the example of Beresford and St Joseph, undertook aerial reconnaissance. Brian took her up in a light plane and, cutting a long story short, it was revealed that this was the site of Upper Ambridge, named (as ‘Ambridge Superior’) in the 1327 and 1332 subsidy rolls and now a deserted medieval village.
 
The Borsetshire County Archivist helpfully pointed out the significance of the name ‘Grange Farm’. Jennifer discovered that the site had been a possession of Darrington Abbey, a Cistercian house whose account rolls are apparently in The National Archives (in 1981, the Public Record Office). Unfortunately the on-line catalogue of TNA fails to reveal these documents, a damning indictment of the failure of that august institution to manage its holdings satisfactorily.
 
Jennifer’s interest in John Tregorran eventually waned – albeit revived some years ago when he unexpectedly returned to Ambridge for a short period, fiction being stranger than truth – but her passion for local history continues. Despite the birth of another child, and a turbulent marriage to a serial philanderer (and indeed now raising, in her mid-60s, Ruairi, the squeaky-voiced illegitimate offspring of her husband’s affair with the village doctor’s now-deceased Irish wife) she maintains the Ambridge website and is always available to advise on matters historical. A couple of years ago, for example, the local discovery of the remains of a Civil War soldier provided a welcome distraction from the emotional stresses of Home Farm.
 
But something puzzles me. Why does Ambridge apparently not have a local history society? In that part of England, between Solihull and Worcester, with its picturesque communities whose history stretches back to the Hwicce and beyond, it’s a strange omission to be rectified immediately. The Ambridge & District Local History Society will also cover the neighbouring parish of Lower Loxley, where the owner of the beautiful manor house so recently, and tragically, fell to his death from the roof. But his cousin-in-law, the delightful Jennifer, should be admirable as chair of the A&DLHS, and I’d very much like to think that she’ll send me an email and ask me to speak on a subject of my choice. I will accept without a moment’s hesitation.
 

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In LHN 91 Joan Heggie wrote about the beginnings of theBritish Steel Archive Project, and provided an image that made one of our most impressive front covers.Celebratory events are being held this winter will mark the work of the project, a partnership between Teesside University and Teesside Archives, which came to an end in December 2010. Its aim has been to increase awareness of the British Steel Collection, an extensive collection of photographs, maps, ledgers, deeds and other documents relating to the area’s iron and steel industries. Around 90 volunteers were trained to assist the project team in cleaning and re-packing records, digital photography, indexing, cataloguing and carrying out small research projects. In addition, 16 qualified engineers helped to mentor students in schools. Many activities were also developed by the outreach team for use in schools, museums, libraries and community groups. The team delivered over 200 events to more than to 5,500 participants and has produced a School Resource Pack which will shortly be made available atwww.britishsteelcollection.org.uk
 
 
Hackney Archives are closed while the service moves to its new home in Dalston. A reopening date has yet to be confirmed, but is unlikely to be before Easter. Archives staff will maintain a limited enquiry service during the closure. Both library and archives services will be moving to the new library which will be officially named the ‘Dalston C L R James Library’. Friends of Hackney Archives are disappointed that ‘archives’ does not appear on the front of the building, and they will be watching that appropriate signing is provided to give due recognition to this new location of the borough archives service. archives@hackney.gov.uk
 
During the popular TV series Edwardian Farm and Victorian Farm, viewers watched a number of traditional crafts demonstrated by the participants, advised by expert craftsmen and women. Acton Scott in Shropshire was the location for filming lime burning, charcoal burning, iron smelting and brick making. The Friends of Shropshire Archives annual lecture was on the subject of conserving traditional building skills in the county, where there is a programme of courses and apprenticeships, in association with local building firms.www.shropshirearchives.co.uk
 
 
The Olympic reference in this issue is a new publication from English Heritage. The British Olympics: Britain’s Olympic Heritage 1612-2012 by Martin Polley will be published in April. It is described as ‘a vital and entertaining source for anyone with an interest in the Games, in sport, and in the wider narrative of Britain’s social and cultural heritage’.
 
The theme for EH’s Conservation Bulletin Winter 2010 is ‘Inherited Infrastructure’. ‘Infrastructure is built to serve the needs of its day. It reminds us that change is the constant condition of our evolving society’.
 
www.english-heritage.org.uk
 
Wirral Archives has published the first issue of a new Newsletter, to demonstrate the breadth of their resources and to encourage more users. They have also established a User Group Forum which will meet twice a year. The oldest item in their collection is a charter written in Wallasey on Tuesday 17 May 1457. Recent acquisitions include leaflets from the 1945 General Election. www.wirral.gov.uk/archives
 
To mark the 150th anniversary of the Victoria Tower, theParliamentary Archives as selected 150 treasures from amongst the three million historic record of both Houses of Parliament. Victoria Tower Treasures include iconic documents such as the Death Warrant of Charles I and the Great Reform Act, as well as less famous but signifcant items such as a suffragette banner and a wartime bicycle lamp. www.bookshop.parliament.uk
 
Bedfordshire & Luton Archives Services have received a grant from the National Cataloguing Grants Programme for Archives. This will fund an exciting new project ‘Paths to Crime’ to catalogue the Bedfordshire Quarter Sessions Rolls 1830-1900. As Quarter Sessions originally formed the backbone of local government their records provide a hugely rich source for local and family historians. One example refers to a dominant local trade: in 1880 a group of men were accused of stealing 19 pieces of pedel plait, 69 score of white twist plait and ¼ bale of Canton straw plait, the value of each being given in the indictment. The thefts always happened at 4 pm when the owner had gone home to take tea with his wife. www.bedford.gov.uk/archive
 
Friends of Cumbria Archives has a Research Grants Fund. Recent support has been given to George Stewart (in the form of contribution towards travel costs) of Burneside Heritage Group who has published two books on Burneside’s World War II history. Other members are urged to enquire locally if similar resources are available in their area. We have publicised funds for research on Kent’s history in recent issues. Another possibility is to investigate specialist organisations – focussed on transport history or industrial heritage.
 
World War II features in two other newsletters. The magazine of the Friends of the National Archivescontains an article on child evacuees. Detailed descriptions of 2.664 children who left Britain for Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa under the CORB Scheme can now be traced in TBA catalogue. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue
 
Sheffield Archives & Local Studies have marked the 70th anniversary of the Blitz in Sheffield with an exhibition and events. Almost 700 people were killed, and over 82,000 of the total stock of 150,000 were damaged. www.Sheffield.gov.uk/libraries/archives-and-local-studies/
 

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‘A History of the World in 100 Objects’ selected by Neil MacGregor of the British Museum and broadcast on BBC Radio 4 was for many people a highlight of 2010. The idea has been followed around the country, and you can see what items have been selected to represent the history of your region. For example the Cornwall list ranges from Roman burial urns to a Cornwall RFU rugby shirt, and includes the Padstow ‘Obby ‘Oss and a Polperro knit frock. www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/
 
Kids in Museums has launched their 2011 Manifesto with several new and strengthened points, all suggested by visitors. Check on their website to see if your local museum is signed up as a supporter; if not encourage it to consider doing so. One of their current campaigns is to extend family friendly values to museum cafes; there is an opportunity to express your views on the website. The Guardian Family Friendly Museum Award 2011 is underway, over 100 have been nominated and the long list will be published this month. www.kidsinmuseums.org.uk 
 
The British Postal Museum & Archive often has a surprise in its regular Newsletter. In January 2011 there is an article about the Post Office Medical Department. The first permanent Medical Officer was appointed in 1855; their duties were to inspect prospective employees, to check on malingering, and to provide free medical advice and assistance to employees earning below a certain salary, with the aim of maintaining a healthy and therefore productive workforce. Many of the topics covered in the records (catalogued in POST 64) reflected wider attitudes towards vaccination, disease, gender and class. www.postalheritage .org.uk 
 
 
Chertsey Museum begins its 2011 programme of temporary exhibitions with ‘Take Care!’ (13 January to 19 March). This new display reveals some of the mysteries surrounding the art and science of conservation. It explains the causes of deterioration and the steps museums take to counteract them. www.chertseymuseum.org.uk
 
The fate of the collections in the Wedgwood Museumremains uncertain at time of writing. Stoke on Trent’s MP historian Tristram Hunt recently (24 January) published an article in the Daily Telegraph highlighting the campaign to save The Wedgwood Museum from liquidation at the hands of the Pension Protection Fund.
 
As local government budget cuts bite, there will be increasing concern around the country about future finance for museums, libraries, archives and other heritage and cultural services. Hendon & District Archaeological Society are highlighting the threat from Barnet Council to withdraw funding from Church Farmhouse Museum and Barnet Museum which would result in ‘residents and particularly school children being deprived of the opportunity to see, appreciate and engage with the long history and archaeology of Barnet’. The society has urged its members to take every opportunity to oppose this proposal. www.hadas.org.uk
 
A good news story is the opening of the new industrial gallery at Bakewell’s Old House Museum in Derbyshire. Funded largely by Heritage Lottery Fund grant, with a substantial contribution from the Peak District National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund, the rest of the money came from Bakewell & District Historical Society which owns and manages the museum. A special attraction is a sculpture incorporating part of the giant water wheel that drove Arkwright’s Lumford Mill built in 1777. http://oldhousemuseum.hammerdesign.co.uk/
 
On the programme at the Hunterian Museum is an exhibition which runs from 1 March to 2 July. ‘London’s Lost Museums: nature and medicine on show’ examines the contents, purpose and fate of London’s early anatomical and natural history collections. Often forgotten, dispersed or even razed to the ground, the remains of many have found their way into today’s museums. The Hunterian itself experienced devastating bomb damage during the Second World War. There are other events associated with the exhibition. www.hunterianmuseum.org
 
Between 14 and 20 May there will be a series of food related talks and events in several of London’s museums and libraries. ‘Pastcaring: Food in History’ includes 'Eat Your Greens! Food Education, Politics and History’ on Monday 16 May at the British Library. www.pastcaring.org