The Amateur Historian Volume 1 Number 9 December January 1954

By Franklin, T. Bedford

pp 261-264

An account of the Domesday Survey, which was originally intended to assess the tax potential of William I's new kingdom. The evidence shows that the compilers wanted to find exact details of agricultural land and animals as well as the people who worked it. The detailed evidence varies in quality, mainly because of differences in information-collection and assessment methods. The author suggests that much of the landscape was forested or 'waste' (that is, either 'natural' waste such as marshland, or manmade waste which resulted from military action). The Normans introduced forest law, much resented by the local populace as it deprived them of their traditional hunting grounds. The entry for Pytchley, Northamptonshire, is used as an illustration of the evidence afforded by the Domesday Survey (see also 01 10 297-300; 01 11 344-347).

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By Thacker, Helen

pp 265-268

This article concentrates on the use of probate records in family history, although the author emphasises the context of their use, in that they made legal arrangements for the passing-on of property and assets to subsequent generations. Their use for tracing parentage is shown to be of variable reliability, but the author recommends them as a source for tracing family names, continuity of occupation, heirlooms and transfers of property. She also comments on the background to history, composition and jurisdiction of the Courts of Probate, including prerogative courts, diocesan courts, consistory courts and peculiar courts, and indicates where (in 1953) the various records might be found.

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By Tupling, G.H.

pp 269-272

The records produced by the overseers of the poor at parochial level are among the most important sources for the lives of ordinary people in the past. Tupling comments on the reliability of the records and accounts of the overseers, noting the relative lack of records from earlier than the beginning of the 18th century. The overseers were chosen by ratepayers and their appointment was then confirmed by local magistrates. The work was often burdensome and only occasionally remunerated, although in the 18th century the appointment of paid assistant overseers became widely accepted. Overseers' accounts of expenditure and income are examined in some detail and clearly show the problems of putting the needy to work or otherwise supporting them. The costs of maintaining the poor grew substantially in the 18th century, and using examples Tupling shows the typical expenditure which was required to maintain needy families, including provision of clothing and food. Reference is also made to some 18th century medical practices (see also 01 07 198-202; 01 08 234-237; 01 10 301-304; 01 11 335-339; 01 12 361-364).

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By Musson, A.E.

pp 273-276

Important article on this major aspect of labour history, with suggestions for useful avenues of research into trade unions and recommendations for potentially valuable source materials. Trade union records may be very detailed, but they are rare for the crucial formative period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Newspapers and periodicals can, however, help in filling gaps during that time. The author offers a methodology for writing a trade union history, suggesting that thematic accounts are probably more useful than simple chronologies. He includes a general account of the growth of trade unionism, from the original 'fraternities' and guilds, through to the more organised bodies which grew to prominence during the Industrial Revolution. Reference is also made to the development of more aggressive low-skilled labour movements, and the article covers the link to socialism and the 'modern' unions of the 20th century, with their techniques for pressing the case of the working man. 

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By Robins, F.W.

pp 278-282

The origins of street names are discussed, with a number of detailed examples. Robins classifies the origins of the names into the following categories: i) topographical origins, based on local geography; ii) religious names, including those which refer to former monastic or church sites; iii) trade and craft names; iv) inns and public houses; v) local features and landmarks, such as waterways and wells; vi) descriptive names relating to, for example, meadow lands and market places; vii) streets named after property owners or local nobility; and viii) those whose names commemorate local or national events.