The Amateur Historian Volume 1 Number 3 December January 1953

By Percy-Smith, H.K.

pp 70-72

Account of the origins and activities of the Society of Genealogists. Its library holdings include copies of parish registers, marriage indexes, indexes of apprentices and masters, records of the East India Company and a number of collections from schools, colleges, universities, as well as an extensive library of secondary sources.

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By Dopson, Laurence

pp 73-76

Detailed discussion of several rural footpaths in Somerset and the evidence which they offer of much older roads and tracks. The conclusions are supported by reference to early maps. Other tracks and paths are mentioned, including drovers' and tinners' paths. As source material the author recommends the use of old road and county maps, tithe maps, enclosure maps, turnpike maps and early editions of the Ordnance Survey, together with written descriptions. Occasionally, paths were the subject of disputes which may be reported in local newspapers. Dopson suggests that field work is often necessary to investigate further, and lists possible clues for finding ancient routeways: the presence of churches on obscure sites; T-junctions, which often turn out to be crossroads that have 'lost' one arm; and a variety of visual clues.

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By Latham, R.E.

pp 77-81

Inquisitions post mortem (often abbreviated for convenience to IPM) are an important source for medieval local history research. They were investigations into tenancies held on behalf of the Crown, detailing the tenancy arrangements and obligations of the tenant and giving some indications of the type and area of land held by a deceased individual (usually of gentry status). They survive from the immediate post-Conquest period and were compiled until the late 17th century. The crown controlled the revenues of the tenants through a complex network of royal officials who also decided if the lands could be assumed by a rightful heir. Hence, Inquisitions Post Mortem also represented the investigations by these officials into the exact process required, including seeking proof of an inheritor's rights. They may thus give useful genealogical detail. Very large numbers of IPMs survive. Latham indicates where they may be found and gives a translated example (see also 01 01 5-8; 01 02 47-50; 01 04 112-116; 01 05 155-158).

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By Hilton, Rodney H.

pp 82-85

An account of the structure and organisation of the medieval manor by one of the leading historians of the subject. Hilton argues that generally the manor was an organisation of peasant workers who were subordinated to a local landlord. They paid rent in the form of labour, produce or money, or all three. The manor's officials included the bailiff and the reeve, and the manor was administered by the manor court. Manors varied hugely in size and did not always correspond with the boundaries of a single village or of other administrative units such as parishes. They also differed in their practices and customs depending on the type of farming found - for example, there were major variations between and within sheep areas, arable districts and areas with extensive woodland or forest. Where arable farming was predominant the open-field system was a prominent feature, whereby a peasant's lands were in strips which were intermingled with those of his fellows. This 'collective' system usually required the manorial officials to organise crop rotation. The peasants were of two main types: the freemen, who paid rent to the land lord, but held their own lands as well, and the serfs, who could do little without permission of the lord and whose rent was usually paid in the form of labour on the lord's land. The article includes a short glossary of manorial terms

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By Hilton, Rodney H.

pp 86-89

Useful glossary of terms connected with the legal, administrative and land-ownership roles of the manor and its courts, including the names of officials, agricultural terminology, tenancy terms and some commonly-found manorial records.

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By Clinker, C.R.

pp 90-94

Discussion of the expanding research area of railway history, with recommendations on how to locate and use different types of primary source material including the holdings of county record offices (especially when looking for documents relating to the setting up of railway companies, and for maps and plans); local newspaper files; British Transport Commission records; early maps, especially where they show evidence of deviation from original plans; specialist papers and journals; guides and travellers' books.