The Local Historian Volume 15 Number 3 August 1982

By Grace Wyatt

Brief note which contributes to the debate as to whether population stability in the past was much less than in the popular view. Wyatt argues that although there undoubtedly was a great deal of mobility among the population as a whole, some families remained firmly tied to the original place of residence. She suggests that surname stability, in particular, gives valuable evidence for this phenomenon, and that parish registers and telephone directories, among other sources, may be used to identify such stability. A number of examples of family names are given in the article.

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By Brian York

In this article the contribution to the history of education made by individual schoolmasters is discussed, with prominent examples such as Arnold of Rugby being contrasted with research done on the records of the grammar school at Kettering, Northamptonshire, which was founded in 1577. A country grammar school until the 1860s, it then had to cope with rapid population increase as Kettering industrialised and became a centre of footwear manufacturing. York highlights the disastrous tenure of Rev Richard Morton, master from 1845-1856, which led to falling numbers and the publication of reports drawing attention to the very inadequate teaching. His successor, Rev Frederick Tearle, reversed the downward spiral, widened the curriculum, raised academic standards dramatically and increased the numbers of pupils consistently over his tenure, which lasted to 1864. The article suggests that the character and quality of individual masters was therefore a crucial element in determining the success or failure of schools in this period.

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By C.W. Chilton

Discussion of the serious problems encountered in establishing the date of local entries in the Universal British Directory, which was published in no fewer than 69 separate parts between 1790 and 1799, most of the parts being issued not only as sections in the five 'official' volumes of the directory but also as individual local publications. Evidence from the section dealing with Hull suggests that although it is usually dated to 1790, it was in fact published in 1794, and that much of what it contains is lifted without change from other earlier publications. The conclusion is that its listings of traders and commercial entries are not to be taken as reliable for any particular year, and that it is not 'of any significant help to the student of the commercial history of Hull in the 1790s'.

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By Arthur Battagel

A case-study of 17th century agriculture in the very mountainous Jølster district of western Norway, using the limited contemporary evidence which is provided by material in the Bergen Archives and the Riksarkiv in Oslo and the evidence of the farms and traditional practices themselves (since they survived almost unchanged into the years after 1945). The article describes the costume and domestic lifestyles of farming families, and the layout of farms as listed in tax rolls. The agricultural economy is described in detail, as is the system of freehold and leasehold tenure and the renting arrangements including payment in kind. The article details farming practice and yields, patterns of livestock rearing and pasturing, and the problems of farming in this marginal area.

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By D.M. Palliser and L.J. Jones

Brief note drawing attention to the bishops' returns, which in 1563 were intended (on the orders of the Privy Council) to be compiled for each diocese in England and Wales, stating the number of households in every parish, and in 1603 were to state the numbers of communicants, non-communicants and recusants for each parish. The note lists the diocese for which original returns survive (in 1563, 11 dioceses, and for 1603 four and two partial returns) and notes their location. The article refers readers to a longer discussion of this source, by the same authors, in Local Population Studies no.29

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By G.E. Fussell

Survey of the development of agricultural history as a recognised sub-division of historical research, including the setting-up of the British Agricultural History Society (1953), the work of individual historians such as Eric Kerridge, the potential for further research using the resources now available in local record offices, and the relationship between agricultural history and other disciplines and branches of history.

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By Mary Paget

Case-study of the manors of Cheltenham and Ashley, Gloucestershire, concentrating on the manorial custom which prevailed and which was written down in 1625, at which point the system was changed by private Act. The custom (which dealt with inheritance matters) differed sharply from the usual West Country practice and the article describes the development of the manors and the principles of the custom itself, before going on to discuss in detail a range of specific examples illustrating the system in practice: i) division of freehold and copyhold between children; ii) a widow's provision for her eldest son; iii) a widow and widower providing for sons of their first marriages; iv) providing for a large family; v) protecting children of a first marriage; vi) a wife barring her own claim before her husband's death; vii) a widow incapable of managing her own affairs; viii) providing for an elder brother's widow and children; ix) raising a mortgage on retirement; and x) a tenant's death is presumed.