The Amateur Historian Volume 6 Number 3 Spring 1964

By Leach, Terence R.

pp 74-78

An account of a project which was carried out in Lincolnshire with the aim of recording and indexing all family portraits in the county. The article details the procedures and methods by which these pictures were located; discusses the methodology of the indexing project itself; and makes reference to its potential value for local and family historians.

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By Shoda, K. and Komatsu, Y.

pp 79-86

A detailed account of the development of local history research in Japan, and in particular during the period since the Second World War. The article considers the national infrastructure of societies and associations devoted to the subject, and indicates the Japanese approach to the idea of local history itself, while also noting the debate familiar to British local historians over the respective roles of amateur and professional historians.

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By Legg, E.

pp 86-90

A guide to the character, format and content of title deeds, which are one of the most bulky and voluminous categories of material in most archive repositories. They were legal documents which confirmed the transfer of land, and represented the evidence of title and ownership of property. Deeds were, therefore, detailed documents of proof of ownership and abstracts of title will list the successive changes which are recorded in detail in the deeds themselves. Legg explains the structure and layout of deeds and shows what information is likely to be given in each section of the documents. He notes: i) the date, usually by regnal year and by anno domini; ii) the listing of the parties to the transaction; iii) any evidence of previous dealings or legal agreements between the parties concerning the land or property in question; iv) the price or other consideration; v) a description of the property; vi) the definition of the course of action being agreed; and finally, vii) the signatures of parties and witnesses. The article comments on the procedures for examining deeds and makes suggestions for cross-referencing deeds with other documentary sources.

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By Willis, Peter

pp 91-96

A comprehensive list of the works and commissions of the highly-influential early 18th century landscape gardener and designer Charles Bridgeman (1680-1738) with a brief analysis of his achievement.