The Local Historian Volume 10 Number 4 November 1972

By James Batley

Account of a local history event and associated displays in Coulsdon, Surrey.

[Hide]

By George Redmonds

Redmonds argues that, despite claims that surname heredity arose out of a need for more specific identification of individuals, as a result in part of the growth of population growth and the repetitive nature of forenames, in fact there were other reasons and he uses examples from Yorkshire by way of illustration. Nicknames, although in a minority, did not stabilise into surnames before the 14th century, whereas occupational names display clear evidence of becoming inherited before this period. He suggests that this may be because occupational names imply positions of responsibility or status. Other names have been derived from forenames, usually by the addition of the suffix 'son', and geographical influences are also evident in the large number of locative and topographical surnames.

[Hide]

By R.J.A.W. Lever

Brief account of a search for ancestral records, in which the author highlights the problems which he faced in locating previous places of residence of the people being traced.

[Hide]

By V.J.M. Bryant

An early non-technical review of the value of oral history, which suggests that talking to elderly people about the past can provide valuable information and insights. The author indicates some of the particular advantages of this approach but also notes that there are inherent difficulties involved in interviewing or conversing in this way.

[Hide]

By Robin Chaplin

A study of some of the 'unofficial' new towns of the 19th century, written when the post-1945 new towns movement was approaching its peak. Chaplin analyses examples from Warwickshire, including Leamington Spa, where a new town was founded in the early 19th century by developers who sought to avoid the mistakes of uncontrolled urban development. The site was separate from the original village of Leamington and was focussed on the spa itself. Bishopton near Stratford was based around a new church, but failed to develop, while Hillfields was a 'villa town' outside Coventry and was to be provided with a wide range of attractive amenities. Here there were later attempts to build smaller houses on in-fill sites, but the author suggests that this was due not to idealistic attempts to mix social groupings but for more basic commercial reasons in order to cater for those aspiring to leave the congested town nearby. At Aston there was also a scheme for a 'villa' town but the developers abandoned this as the demand for cheaper housing increased. Failures are attributed to poor sales - people were reluctant to espouse the arcadian vision of leafy retreats - and to the encroachment of the cities. Chaplin suggests that other areas will reveal comparable examples to researchers.