The Amateur Historian Volume 5 Number 6 Winter 1963

By Phillips, C.W.

pp 166-172

A history of the special sheets of the Ordnance Survey which depict various periods and themes in British history, from prehistory onwards. The publication of historical maps began with the 1870 publication of a facsimile of the Gough Map, the 1914 facsimile of Symson's 1596 map of Kent, and the 1923 first edition of the map of Roman Britain. The article discusses in some detail the archaeological work of the Ordnance Survey and the impact which this had on the publishing of special sheets. Lists of sheets published 1920-1940 and 1950-1962 are included and there is a detailed account of the technical process of the preparation of these maps, including choice of scale, level of detail, historical decisions such as whether to show coastlines as they are today or as they were, and possible future directions for the programme (see also 05 05 130-140; 05 07 202-211; 05 08 251-259).

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By Spufford, Peter

pp 173-176

Informal personal account of how the author traced his family history, beginning with a description of the large waste of time and effort involved in pursuing the wrong lines, using the wrong sources, and speculating wildly rather than using the systematic and more logical procedure of starting with himself and working backwards. He discusses the value of the census returns and the way in which they can be linked to earlier parish register evidence.

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By Bouquet, Michael

pp 177-182

Bouquet begins by commenting on the small size of most provincial ports in the early modern period, and the rapid increase in the overall scale of British maritime activity after the mid-16th century, even though the ships themselves were remarkably small and facilities often minimal. The development of the shipping industry seems to have peaked in the years 1855-1874, 'a time of intense activity and prosperity in many provincial seaports'. The article discusses the character of these ports and the commodities which they shipped, and explains the development of specialised trading patterns. Bouquet then argues strongly that after 1875 the coastal trade contracted, probably as a result of the growth of railways, and that after the First World War the small seaports reached a nadir, from which many were rescued by pleasure boating and tourism. He suggests a variety of documentary sources which might help to reconstruct the story of the ports and their activity - among these are shipbuilding records, cargo books, shipowners' records and their insurance papers, accounts and port books. Printed sources such as Lloyd's Register would also be useful and parliamentary papers help to give an overview.

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By Vaughan, J.E.

pp 183-188

Taking pre-1850 as a definition of the word 'early', Vaughan looks at the value of guidebooks - that date is chosen because it marks the publication of the first 'modern' guidebook series. In his analysis he emphasises that earlier books were much more personal and idiosyncratic than those published later in the 19th century, and that although they are therefore inconsistent they may have very useful descriptions of, for example, lunatic asylums or prisons. The article considers the quality of production of early guide books, including the use of illustrations and maps, and then notes the long ancestry of the genre - the first recognisable guidebook was published in 1635.The content and style of the books are discussed, including the rivalry between different publications and the claims to authority advanced by the authors and compilers. The absence of serious social comment and the uniformly favourable gloss put upon the places described, which characterise more recent 'official' guides, are contrasted with the often startlingly frank opinions expressed in some late 18th and early 19th century works: an 1838 guide to London, for example, noted the 30,000 prostitutes who were 'distributed through the Metropolis, offering as many temptations to sin as danced before the spirit of St. Anthony'.