The Local Historian Volume 51 Number 4 October 2021

By John G. Harrison

pp 274-283

This paper was the winner of the 2021 British Association for Local History Research and Publication Award in the ‘long article’ category. It is a slightly edited version of one which was originally published in the journal Scottish Local History. The main part of the paper is a meticulously-detailed account of the winter of 1673-1674, which was among the most severe ever recorded. It draws particularly upon the evidence of kirk session records, which not only note the interruptions which took place in the holding of services and meetings, but also often give explicit statements as to the nature and severity of the weather conditions which occasioned the disruption. These records relate to most parts of Scotland, emphasising that this was not a localised crisis.
The analysis demonstrates that the severity of the crisis was exacerbated by the fact that it immediately followed a very poor harvest in 1673, which had already led to serious hardship, food shortages and price inflation. Because of the prolonged cold, storms and heavy snowfall from the end of December to the beginning of April 1674 the farming calendar was severely disrupted and the harvest of that year was also poor, resulting in several more years of high mortality, an increase in vagrancy, and a consequent resort to charity and public parochial assistance. The paper assesses contemporary perceptions of the crisis, and especially the view that it was a divine retribution for sinfulness. The concluding paragraph observes that the research shows how archival sources may illuminate historical topics which were not the primary concern of their creators – in this case, weather phenomena recorded in parochial kirk minutes.

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By Andrew Walker

pp 284-296

This important paper seeks to show how recent and sometimes controversial developments in the field of Black history can impact on local history research, helping to shape new approaches and to influence ways in which heritage, slavery and related issues are tackled. it draws attention to the growing range of key resources which are available to researchers, and highlights current or recent initiatives such as the work of the National Trust, and the English Heritage volume Slavery and the British Country House. The paper provides an audit of previous work in local history on Black people, which emphasises the patchiness of geographical coverage and the obvious prominence of attention to, for example, Northampton in contrast to Derby, Leicester and Nottingham.

As a central element of his paper, Andrew Walker provides a case study of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Lincolnshire, pointing out lines of enquiry which might be pursued by researchers in other parts of the country. These include undertaking local analysis of the data contained in the UCL Legacies of British Slavery database, with careful assessment of the families and properties in the county which link with that evidence. Walker emphasises the importance of the local press during the nineteenth century, especially in the context of, for example, Black people visiting during anti-slavery campaigns, for musical and religious meetings and events, and in contrast the reporting of blackface minstrels. In conclusion, he urges much greater attention to these important issues in which local and regional studies can greatly enhance understanding at national level. There is a very substantial and comprehensive set of notes and references.

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By David Killingray

pp 297-308

In this case-study David Killingray focuses on the town of Sevenoaks and its hinterland in west Kent, looking at the range of sources which include references to the presence of Black people, and showing how these may be used. He begins with an overview of work on Black history in British localities, arguing that they and other minorities have been overlooked or marginalised in local studies, but also warning against patronising them and their achievements. He then reviews all the available archival and newspaper evidence for Black people in the town, from the earliest references – two servants at the great house, Knole, in the early seventeenth century. Sources covered include parish registers, paintings, diaries, and the particularly important potential of newspapers. The significance of the anti-slavery campaigns is highlighted, and there is a separate section on Black entertainers and sportsmen. Black preachers, professionals and servants are also discussed.

The second part of the paper considers research approaches and methods. There is appraisal of the challenges posed by shifting terminology, and the finding of incidental references, and Killingray draws attention to the need for contextualising the evidence. He cautions that finding a coherent story is highly unlikely until the sources become more numerous in the nineteenth century, and observes that local historians may need to exploit a wide range of perhaps less obvious archival resources. He urges them to take up the challenge.

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By Margaret Lock

pp 309-321

In this very detailed case-study, Margaret Lock discusses the non-literate Black woman Mary Prince (c.1788-post-1833), a former slave who was the author of the first slave narrative by a woman to be published in Britain. She concentrates on the period when Prince was living in the household of Thomas Pringle, an influential anti-slavery activist, journalist, poet and publisher. The paper includes extensive assessment of the circumstances whereby Pringle collaborated with Prince as part of the former’s work for the anti-slavery campaign, and introduces the remarkable Susanna Strickland, who acted as the amanuensis for Prince, transcribing her narrative. The complex relationship between these individuals, their social and political connections, and the steps towards publication are carefully recounted. The paper then considers the reactions to the narrative, and its impact in political circles, concluding with an overview of the episode in the context of the abolition of slavery. Throughout, there is an emphasis on the local history of the events described, the social structure of Finsbury, and the influential individuals who lived there in the 1820s and 1830s.

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By Derek Morris and Ken Cozens

pp 322-331

This paper begins with an overview of peculiar jurisdictions and their legal identity, and then focuses on the example of St Katharine’s by the Tower in East London, which became a royal peculiar (held by the Royal Hospital of St Katharine) in 1441 and survived until 1825. The authors discuss its distinctive character, as the most densely populated part of London in the 1690s and, because of its location on the riverside, its exceptionally diverse social geography and built environment. For their analysis they draw particularly upon the minute books and other records of the Royal Hospital, reconstructing aspects of parish administration and the management of the foundation’s estates. There is much fascinating detail about the upkeep of buildings, or lack of it; the circumstances of the parish poor; the development of dock and warehousing facilities as international trade grew rapidly; and the political role of the foundation. The final section shows how the medieval church and its surroundings were cleared in the late 1820s to make way for St Katharine’s Dock, and the close-packed community largely disappeared.

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