The Local Historian Volume 25, Number 3 August 1995

By Julian Pooley

Article describing the discovery of the diary and its contents, as well as a more general overview of the significance of diaries as a source of local history information. The Nichols family owned the firm which published the Gentleman's Magazine and the diaries refer to many societies and prominent individuals in London society of the period. They include much mundane material, as well as detailed accounts of conversations and experiences, including the diarist's education, social life and her interests in the arts, family history and architecture. There are many references to visitors, including several important antiquarians, and there are descriptions of areas and buildings in London which were then undergoing large-scale architectural and social change.

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By Polly Bird

A study of Dulwich Baths, in South London, which begins with a review of the background to the development of public baths in the mid-19th century. Few examples of this once common feature of major towns and cities now survive. The encouragement of public bathing in the 1840s and 1850s was seen as an ideal way of helping the urban working class towards higher standards of cleanliness, as one way of combating the prevalence of disease. The first baths appeared in the 1840s and from 1846 local authorities were allowed to fund public bathing places from the rates. After 1847 it was permissible to have separate baths which were chargeable and aimed at middle-class patronage. Dulwich baths, opened in 1892, displayed many innovative architectural features and were designed after a public competition. The architects, Spalding & Cross, intended the baths to be well-lighted and properly-ventilated, with cheap and efficient heating systems. The documentary evidence shows that the baths had institutionalised sex discrimination among employees as well as customers. Male bathing facilities were much more commodious than those for women and the sexes were strictly segregated. Dulwich Baths are still operating, though on a reduced scale, and the building has been listed.

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By Peter Searby

The library at Saffron Walden, Essex, was founded in 1832 as the Literary and Scientific Institution, and was both a library and a centre for the promotion of scientific knowledge. Much of the impetus behind its foundation came from the Gibson family, prominent local Quakers, who were keen to support charities and philanthropy, and especially those with an educational role. The family also bequeathed large collections of books and documents to the library. Others promoters included a close-knit group of middle-class tradesmen and professionals, who used the Institution as a social club and for public lectures. In the 20th century a public library was founded, and eventually the Town Library was transferred to the control of the County Council. Recently it has been developed as a resource centre for Victorian studies in Essex, with extensive collections of rate books, periodicals and newspapers, biographies, genealogies, 19th century novels and travel literature. It maintains some of its traditions, such as regular lectures, but storage is a serious problem and the cataloguing is no longer up to date.

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By Paul Carter

A case study which investigates the provision of poor relief in the parish of Hanwell at a time of financial hardship, particularly associated with the period of inflation in the late 18th century. Expenditure on poor relief in Hanwell followed national trends, increasing steadily as the population increased. In this predominantly agricultural rural area the strain on the resources of the parish was considerable, but was met in several ways. Relief in the late 18th century generally consisted of casual provision of clothes, food and small sums of money, mainly to women (participation of women in agricultural work had declined very sharply). Strategies to reduce costs included extra vigilance to prevent the settlement of newcomers; the renting of a few badly-maintained houses to accommodate the poor; and using the funds of the Hobbayne Charity to provide money for blankets, food and education. Women were put to work, mainly spinning, and children were apprenticed out to traditional craft workers, but the records indicate that the latter aim had a low success rate. Some children were exported to a Nottinghamshire spinning-mill. Carter argues that parish officials acted harshly towards the poor, to reduce costs, and that nonetheless these officials, being mainly tradesmen and shopkeepers, stood to derive some personal gain from supplying food, clothing or rented accommodation. Finally, he suggests, the enclosure of the commons of Hanwell in the 1790s led to greater efficiency since the land was parcelled out as new ownerships were created, and this increased the rate income and so generated more support for the poor.

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By Gerald Morgan

Examination of the use of wills as a research tool, with specific reference to Wales. Wills written in Welsh are very rare before 1700 - often a priest translated an oral will into English - but thereafter the Welsh language or Welsh styles of will construction, are more numerous. There are large numbers of Welsh place-names in probate records, including specific farm and field-names, and the author provides tables to show the commonest place-name elements and their English equivalent. He also explains in detail the Welsh methods of naming, including use of patronymic nomenclature, abbreviations and nicknames. The evidence, he suggests, shows that Welsh migration into England can be traced using Welsh names in English wills and the use of sources such as these is recommended to local history researchers.