The Local Historian Volume 19 Number 1 February 1989

By Gillian Cookson

Study of 19th century textile-mill building plans in West Yorkshire, showing that the plans are likely to be a more reliable source for the physical and architectural detail of the buildings than are the pre-Ordnance Survey maps. Plans were increasingly required by local authorities after the 1848 Public Health Act which gave them more control over local building regulations. The plans were listed in well-organised registers, indexed by location and occupier, and most are carefully drawn and accurate. They may give much detail on the purpose of the building, although some are of poorer quality and were produced by untrained individuals. The author comments on the availability of these records and suggests techniques for tracking them down.

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By David Killingray

Study of the impact of the black (Afro-Caribbean and Asian) communities on local history, tracing early immigration in the 17th and 18th centuries via the slave trade and using contemporary evidence to show the spread of black communities throughout Britain. The author suggests that this research is valid because: i) the existence of black communities, including their origins, development and distinctiveness, is both important and a reality; ii) black communities have usually been ignored by local historians; iii) black communities have experienced racial discrimination, reflecting national patterns; and iv) the professional black middle classes have been studied more closely than working class groups. Other areas of research include crime and transportation, and political activism, but there are problems because members of the black community are difficult to trace through normal archive and records systems and few records contain details of ethnic backgrounds. The author suggests the use of: i) autobiographies by black people; ii) specialist newspapers; iii) black organisations; iv) published local histories where there is reference to, for example, black servants; v) portraits; vi) London-based records, which are more comprehensive than those for other localities; and vii) records of the anti-slavery organisations.

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By David Smith and James Turtle

Account of the work of the Gloucestershire Record Office in organising a 'local history school' for sixth-form students: a one-day workshop where students are familiarised with Record Office practice, shown various source materials and are advised on programmes of study.

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By Raine Morgan

Descriptive account of an index of references (including journal articles) to British agrarian history held at Reading University, including examples of the types of data included and the structure of the index.

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By Alan Rogers

David Russo, a historian at McMaster University in Canada, is one of the most influential local historians in North America today. Originally from Massachusetts, he has written several important works which, Rogers suggests, have much to offer local historians in other parts of the world. The first is Families and Communities: a new view of American history and the second Keepers of our Past: local historical writing in the United States, 1820s-1930s. In this article Rogers describes the content of the two books, analysing Russo's approach to his subjects and discussing the key themes which emerge from his writings - arguing, for example, that American history is not 'an aggregation of little bits' but should be seen as an upward process, in which nation-building evolved from the creation of community. He emphasises the great significance of family and the local community, and the need to integrate qualitative and quantitative work in community reconstruction. The decline of small towns and the extreme dangers of presenting models and constructs as realities are discussed ('cattle towns are not real: Abilene, Kansas, is'). There is extensive discussion of the antiquarian tradition in local history writing and of the real value of 19th century local history writing. Rogers concludes by noting Russo's powerfully-expressed view that academic historians should not only research, analyse, explain and investigate, but that they should also believe in involvement and have a passion or feeling for the past.