The Amateur Historian Volume 4 Number 1 Autumn 1958

By Fussell, G.E.

pp 1-8

Lengthy article by one of the leading agricultural historians of the post-war years, discussing the influence of Norfolk farmers, who were traditionally seen as the pioneers of crop rotation techniques and of innovation in the range of crops grown - notably their popular role as the originators of clover and turnip growing in England. The article questions the assumption that these crops were introduced into 17th century Norfolk by Dutch immigrants, as there is evidence to suggest that clover was already common in Norfolk by that time - several sources for this reappraisal are quoted. Other 'new' crops include sainfoin and carrots, allegedly grown in the 18th century for feeding livestock, but they appear to have needed intense husbandry in order to make them successful. Growing techniques for coleseed and mustard are also mentioned.

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By Bailey, Patrick

pp 9-11

Notes on the early settlement of Stanstead, Quebec, compared with the development of early settlements in East Anglia. Parallels are drawn between establishing and naming the settlement and the author points out the number of place-names common to both areas. 

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By Willis, Arthur J.

pp 12-22

A description of the archives of ecclesiastical courts of the 17th and 18th centuries, concentrating on the following aspects of the work of the courts and their creation of documentary records: i) office causes, including prosecutions of behaviour, and evidence of 'manners and excesses'; ii) testamentary causes, made by individuals in cases of probate; iii) defamation cases, in which ecclesiastical courts had jurisdiction over spiritual defamation; iv) cases concerning church rates; v) cases which dealt with disputes over the ownership of pews and church seating; vi) tithe disputes and questions, including many cases of tithe evasion or non-payment; and vii) matrimonial causes: divorce was virtually impossible and hence largely unknown at the time under discussion, but the church courts could annul a marriage if there was just cause.

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By Helen, Miles

pp 26-27

Short bibliography to assist researchers in understanding the procedures and processes of land transfer and the various documents which are likely to be encountered.

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By Wicks, A.T.

pp 29-33

Public school registers traditionally include lists of staff, governors and school captains, but are of greatest interest for their lists of past and present students and are thus a potentially useful source for the family historian. This article comments on the content of these documents and other complementary sources likely to exist, including governors' minutes, university records, records of the East India Company, and local newspapers. The great majority of schools - those which came under the state system - are not considered in this article.

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By Robinson, A.H.

pp 35-36

Short article on collecting information about statues, with comments and suggestions about the information (whether pictorial or textual) which statues and monuments can offer.