The Local Historian Volume 16 Number 7 August 1985

By Barbara English

Description of the setting-up of the BA (Hons) degree in Regional and Local History at the University of Hull in 1985; run as a part-time course with an initial two-year certificate followed by the degree, it has attracted a wide range of students and has benefited from being designed as a flexible mode of learning.

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By Donald Brett

An assessment of surname distribution based on an exercise which employed, using modern telephone directories, the methods adopted in Guppy's 1890 surname survey which was based on Post Office directories. Alternative methods of name identification and sampling are referred to, but the author devised a system of measuring columns in directories and then expressing the results as a percentage of the total, using a computer to reduce the drudgery of the task. A series of names are mapped, with comparison between Brett's results and those of Guppy. Those mapped include Smith, Wheeler, Fuller, Tucker and Walker. They all conform well to the Guppy results, and the author discusses the relationship between these medieval occupational names and the cloth industry of the Middle Ages. The work, he suggests, offers clear patterns of distribution and trends, and can be viewed in the context of the origins of surnames despite the several centuries which have elapsed since the names were 'created'.

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By Ian F.W. Beckett

A survey of the literature available on military history, intended to guide the local historian to particularly useful background and explanatory texts on a wide range of themes. Beckett notes that in recent years the emphasis in military history has moved away from the traditional approach towards more searching historical enquiry, on issues such as the impact of war on society, the reality of battle, illustrated historical accounts, English 'local wars', social histories of regiments, volunteer and yeomanry studies, and fortifications. Specialist sources for research are indicated.

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By Peter D. Turner

The article describes the author's search for 'signatures' - the distinctive marks used by individual masons who made headstones in 17th and 18th century Gloucestershire churchyards. He noted that in the churchyard at Standish, Gloucestershire, the work of a particular mason could be identified by an unusual way of carving hands. He then identified this motif in other local churchyards, and continued study suggested that different masons could be similarly identified by distinctive devices employed on many gravestones. The work of an individual craftsman, and the geographical range of his activities, could thereby be assessed, although it is noted that such exercises are time-consuming and that identification is often speculative rather than confirmed.

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By Michael Sill

This important diary gives much information on the management of the Northumberland and Durham coalfield in the 1830s, at a time when a range of key issues were coming to the fore. Dunn's work as a colliery manager involved planning and overseeing such activities as shaft-sinking, construction work and haulage. He had to deal with flooding, and to make regular mine inspections. The diary refers to developing themes such as the creation of rail links to tidewater ports and staithes, the formation of shipping alliances with other coal companies, the operation of the local coal cartel which was designed to maintain prices when demand fell (as happened during the depression of 1832), and meetings to try to restore trade. He also had to deal with trade disputes, and these occupied an increasing proportion of his time - the 1830s saw the first serious attempts to unionise the coalfield and strikes were common. The diary reveals the antagonisms between the tow sides and the methods used to break strikes, as well as Dunn's satisfaction as, during the winters, the workers' resolve weakened and their defiance crumbled.