The Amateur Historian Volume 1 Number 4 February March 1953

By Pennethorne, Gwyneth

pp 102-105

An account of toll-houses and the payment of highway tolls. In the medieval period most tolls were applied by the landowners and were regarded as a general source of income, but by the 17th century they were increasingly seen as raising revenue to pay for repairs and maintenance. By the 18th century the payment of tolls had become more widespread as the turnpike network grew and road maintenance on major routes passed into the hands of trustees. Opposition to the turnpikes was vocal and occasionally violent, but the sharp increase in traffic and the improvements in road construction led, albeit in piecemeal fashion, to a much-improved national road network. Many turnpikes were killed off by the advent of the railway. The author looks at the procedures of the turnpike keepers and the various styles of toll-house.

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By Reynolds, J.D.

pp 106-111

Bibliographical guide to reading and research on medieval history, including suggestions for sources on secular buildings, monastic buildings, military architecture, battlefields, heraldry and biography. 

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By Latham, R.E.

pp 112-116

Another article in this important early series, dealing with the ministers' accounts which were the accounts of lands either owned or administered by the Crown. The accounts were prepared and drawn up by royal officials and are very specialised, but they are a key source for the study of medieval land tenure, land ownership and farming practices. Their terminology is frequently arcane and highly technical. The article details all the items of expenditure and credit which are likely to be found in these documents and presents a translated example (see also 01 01 5-8; 01 02 47-50; 01 03 77-81; 01 05 155-158).

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By Bullock, Brigadier Humphry

pp 117-121

An outline of source materials available to those researchers investigating family members who had served on the Indian sub-continent. The author recommends the following: East India Company records, including the East India Register; specialist biographical dictionaries, including lists of army officers; lists of Indian monumental inscriptions, including the Bengal Obituary; provincial newspapers; ecclesiastical records of the India Office; and the Society of Genealogists' library.

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By Harris, P.V.

pp 122-124

A simple glossary of terms which the local or family historian might find in parochial records, including non-register material such as churchwardens' accounts.

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By Johnson, W. Branch

pp 127-129

Brief introductory account of the work of the National Register of Archives, which aims to list and make known the location and whereabouts of archives which are held in local and national repositories, public and private, throughout Great Britain.