The Amateur Historian Volume 3 Number 5 Autumn 1957

By Garside, Bernard

pp 183-184

Account of a local history project based on 16th and 17th century Hampton-on-Thames (Middlesex) and the publication of research on the area; the article focuses on the issue of publishing a series of local history works, including details of printing and sales. 

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By Marshall, J.D.

An article from one of the best-known regional historians of the later 20th century, in which he discusses the migration of people from rural communities and seeks to identify the reasons for this movement in different parts of the country. He recommends the use of parish registers for calculating population figures, but admits that these figures are frequently unreliable and very often difficult to estimate, especially in the pre-census years. Marshall comments on the effect of the enclosure movement on population migration, but suggests that the evidence is unclear, as population often appeared to increase after enclosure. In the 19th century the picture is much clearer, not least because census data becomes available. Change, often initiated by agricultural depression, was slow, but it appears to have accelerated as the railways arrived.

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By Dyos, H.J.

pp 191-197

Pioneering article by one of the founders of modern urban history, which considers the social and topographical impact of Victorian railway development in urban areas and suggests that although the coming of the railway had a very extensive impact upon local populations, there has been little historical research into these changes. The author considers the evidence for physical change, focussing on the alterations brought about by railway development in towns. Railway companies were able to spend less on compensation if they built their lines through areas of slum housing, and the consequences may be seen in the disruption to existing street layouts. Records and plans provide ample evidence of the scale of change, including the numbers of houses destroyed by the schemes. This destruction had other effects, such as increases in overcrowding elsewhere, and the collapse of small businesses.

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By Mayne, L. Bruce

pp 197-207

Examination of several folk museums, defined as those which include collections of everyday tools, implements, furniture, and ornaments, and where the collections are housed in an appropriate context. The author highlights the highly-influential folk museum in Skansen, Sweden, which not only housed collections of objects in vernacular buildings, but also revived old customs and practices. British examples discussed include York Museum, with its depiction of 17th, 18th and 19th century household life; the Manx Museum; and the Welsh Folk Museum. A list is included.

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By Green, Alan

pp 208-212

A review of the range and scope of non-conformist records and description of the main features of the development of the denomination and important sites in its history. These include the early non-conformist church at Horningsham, Wiltshire; the Pilgrim Fathers and their church at Southwark; the repression of nonconformity which followed the Restoration in 1660; the moves towards toleration and the achievement of freedom of worship from 1690 onwards; the subsequent development of a more organised church body; and the Congregational library and the records of the early nonconformist church.

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By McKay, D.A.

pp 213-216

Description of the origins and roles of the office of parish clerk. They were originally regarded as assistants to local priests, and in 13th century England, as their role developed, they often took on the role of schoolmaster, as well as organising the main ceremonial duties of the church and ensuring that the church was secure and clean. On special occasions the clerk would distribute holy water and holy bread. For performing all these duties the clerk generally received a wage and sometimes a house.

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By Smith, Christopher J.

pp 217-219

Short examination of the origins of the bear and the ragged staff symbol, which was most closely associated with Warwickshire. The bear was the badge of the 13th century family of Beauchamp, which appropriated many estates in the county, and later generations of the family adopted the bear and staff badge.