The Local Historian Volume 8 Number 2 May 1968

By Thomas, J.H.

pp 42-46

A review of important primary and secondary source materials for research into the paper-making industry, including: i) published histories; ii) local studies of the industry or particular sites; iii) maps and plans, including earlier manuscript maps and present or recent Ordnance Survey sheets which often still show the mills; iv) deeds and other property documents; v) aerial photographs; vi) pictures and engravings, and older photographs; vii) parliamentary papers which deal with the industry and may give useful statistics; viii) correspondence with existing paper companies; and ix) correspondence and reference books dealing with watermarks.

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By Lewin, J. and Parton, A.G.

pp 47-53

The authors have used 18th century glebe terriers to study vernacular buildings in the East Riding of Yorkshire, looking especially at the evidence which they provide for construction methods and building materials. They show, however, that terriers can be unreliable and must be treated with caution, and that the houses which they describe are substantially larger and more complex than those of ordinary people. However, they do give clear evidence for building materials and styles, specifying such important information as whether the house was or was not brick-built, whether it was timber-framed; what the roofing materials were; and even details of flooring. Materials used could be related to the availability of local supplies. The authors suggest that the terriers allow them to identify patterns of regional variations in building construction and to chart the gradual adoption of the brick-built dwelling as it replaced earlier stone houses with thatched roofs.

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By Lockett, Terence

pp 54-60

A study of the development of the English pottery industry, which refers briefly to medieval and earlier evidence and examples but concentrates upon the Tudor period and subsequent centuries. Lockett argues that the 16th century saw the real beginning of the pottery industry, as although much was still imported from Germany, China and elsewhere an increasing proportion was accounted for by domestic production. Most English pottery was made for simple and utilitarian purposes, but during the 18th century the Staffordshire potteries, with their increasingly sophisticated and ambitious styles and designs, began to have an international impact. The author discusses the role and influence of the Wedgwood family and shows that porcelain production was widely spread until the Staffordshire factories concentrated the market and successfully produced bone china. Reference is made to regional potteries and the decline of the 'country potter' (see also 08 03 78-85).

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By Harley, J.B.

pp 61-71

A review of specialised maps showing planned or actual routes, and larger-scale details, of transport and communications. The article includes a full bibliography and covers the following major types of map: i) maps of roads, with an assessment of how road-mapping developed over the centuries and highlighting the 18th century maps which show how the alignment of roads was changed because of land ownership and other 'external' factors; ii) river navigation plans, which may be of very variable quality because many navigation schemes were implemented before mapping and detailed preliminary surveying became general; iii) canal plans, which are usually more sophisticated and technically accurate than those for river navigations, and normally, from the late 18th century, include surveys of the route prepared ahead of construction or as part of the parliamentary process leading to the authorising Act (deposited plans); and iv) railway plans, which, like canal plans, will be increasingly accurate and properly-surveyed, and will have been submitted before construction - in which case they can give valuable evidence of landscape, buildings and land ownership. Railway plans may also include detailed designs for bridges, viaducts, stations and junctions (see also 07 06 196-208; 07 07 223-231; 07 08 265-274; 08 03 86-97; 08 05 167-179).