The Amateur Historian Volume 7 Number 6 May 1967

By Spufford, Peter

pp 178-181

In a study of genealogical techniques and a comment on the recent upsurge in popular interest in the subject, Spufford suggests that techniques and procedures have improved and become more systematic and academically-sound. He refers to a number of new developments which will aid the family historian, including better access to original sources; the copying and publishing of parish registers and the compiling of indexes; the work of the Society of Genealogists; surname surveys; and the work of the Cambridge Group for History of Population and Social Structure in carrying out a statistical survey of parish registers as well as in promoting family reconstruction and the tracing of 16th and 17th century parish censuses.

[Hide]

By Iredale, David A.

pp 182-189

An introduction to the basic methodology and sources for tracing the history of a house. Iredale recommends a systematic approach, which he considers should include the following major elements: i) identification of the origins of the existing structure, and of the identity of previous owners, from readily-available sources such as deeds and observation of the building itself; ii) a careful and thorough examination of the structure and of the materials from which it is built, in an attempt to confirm tentative dates - followed by the drawing of plans; iii) consulting standard reference works to obtain corroborative evidence - published local histories, directories and gazetteers, pictures, and prints; iv) examination of a wide range of primary documentary sources, such as title deeds, estate papers, manorial documents, and probate records; v) use of census returns, land tax returns, rate books and account books; and vi) investigation of published and manuscript maps, including successive large-scale Ordnance Survey sheets, estate maps, tithe maps, enclosure maps, and road diversion plans.

[Hide]

By Cole, E.J.L.

pp 189-191

Advice for those researching Welsh family and local history, in which the problems of nomenclature of individuals and families is highlighted. The author warns that tracing Welsh surnames is very difficult due to naming conventions. Early parish registers are rare in Wales, and the survival of legal records and title deeds is also very variable. Probate records may offer better information, but progeny may often not be specifically identified. The fluidity of surnames, and the fact that names might take several different forms, including the arbitrary adoption of the names of notable ancestors, create further difficulties, as does the continuing Welsh tradition of using nicknames.

[Hide]

By Ramsey A.R.J.

pp 192-195

Detailed study of the evidence for flour-milling through place-names. Ramsey begins with the earliest hand-operated technologies, in which corn was ground with querns, and notes place-names such as Quarndon and Quorn. Subsequently the development of water-powered and wind-powered mills gave rise to a numerous category of place-names such as Milborne and Millbrook (see also 07 05 146-148; 07 08 250-252; 08 01 16-21).

[Hide]

By Harley, J.B.

pp 196-208

Harley discusses the development of urban cartography from the 16th century onwards, noting the very variable quality and reliability of town maps and plans and indicating where they may be found. He identifies several stages in the mapping of urban areas: i) Tudor plans, which typically are 'birds-eye' views showing the main features and general plan of the town - scales may be inaccurate; and much ancillary detail omitted. Marine charts developed at this time and they may also show ports; ii) John Speed's plans, dating from the early 17th century and often included as insets on his county maps - they are of a much higher standard than their predecessors, and are drawn to approximate scale; iii) later 17th and 18th centuries: John Ogilby's plans carried on the work of Speed, with greater detail and accuracy, and in the 18th century, as urbanisation progressed, many new one-off surveys of individual towns and cities were undertaken; iv) in the 19th century rapid town growth and development of railways led to a very rapid increase in the extent and quality of cartography, and published maps become ever more commonplace - they are found in, for example, guidebooks, street directories, and gazetteers; and v) the work of the Ordnance Survey, with its larger-scale mapping from the 1840s onwards, provided detailed depictions of towns and cities to unprecedented levels of accuracy as well as outstanding artistic and technical quality. Other sources mentioned include specific plans for certain areas of towns, such as urban landowners plans, plans of housing schemes and public works, and deposited plans for transport schemes (see also 07 07 223-231; 07 08 265-274; 08 02 61-71; 08 03 86-97; 08 05 167-179).