The Amateur Historian Volume 7 Number 3 August 1966

By Munby, Lionel M.

pp 78-83

A report on a recent survey of the readership of the journal which had been prompted by debate about the title - whether the word 'amateur' was now appropriate? The discussion covers the title of the journal itself, and the proposed change from The Amateur Historian to The Local Historian; the future editorial policy and the debate over 'amateur versus professional'; and readers' comments concerning possible improvements and development of the journal (see also 07 04 102-108).

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By Duckham, Baron F.

pp 84-87

The author suggests that more work needs to be done on the local history of communications and transport, and that properly-researched regional studies are crucial to a fuller and clearer understanding of the social and economic effects of transport change. In his article he focuses on the following themes which merit the attention of local historians: i) town studies, to consider the effect of road development and the transport implications and consequences of the growth of industrial areas; ii) canal history, investigating the impact of canals on smaller towns, together with assessment of the role of ferries; iii) research into turnpikes, with full studies of the work, policies and effectiveness of individual trusts; iv) railways and their implications for the growth of towns and ports; and v) the relationship between ports and the development of the railway network.

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By Newton, K.C.

pp 88-91

This is a reprint of the article which was originally published in 03 02 81-94.

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By Hutton, Barbara

pp 92-94

A bibliographical guide to the study of domestic buildings and their vernacular architecture, including timber-framed buildings, long-houses, and roof structures; the guide lists many general reference books as well as those devoted to particular topics and themes.

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By Harris, Alan

pp 95-98

A brief contribution to the hotly-debated subject of ridge-and-furrow, in which Harris seeks to disprove the theory that field sizes and the dimensions of field strips varied according to factors such as soil weight or drainage. He suggests that variations in strip size clearly did occur, but refers to evidence and examples from Yorkshire to suggest that more plausible reasons for these variations were associated with local differences in land tenure and farming techniques.