The Local Historian Volume 9 Number 4 November 1970

By R.G. Garnett

Although the international co-operative movement is usually held to have been founded in Rochdale in 1844, there were several important earlier attempts to establish such ventures, and informal co-operativism was already well-established by the end of the 1830s. This article explains something of the background and development of this aspect of the movement, and then discusses the records which may be available for local historians who want to research further on these early efforts. There is a detailed bibliography of secondary and published sources as well as descriptions of documentary material.

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By David Jenkins

The agricultural economy of South Cardiganshire in the late 19th century was largely based on pastoral farming, with only limited amounts of arable, so the land use was heavily dominated by pasture, meadow and rough grazing. The majority of the population were born in Cardiganshire and had not moved elsewhere during their working lives. The area was relatively remote and the rail network was poorly-developed, so travel was difficult and many journeys were made on foot (and hence over relatively short distances). Inter-dependence was therefore a central theme in the functioning of the local communities - most farms were involved in, and relied heavily upon, communal activities at certain times of the year such as hay harvest. Jenkins suggests that this close relationship between members of the community meant that maintaining good relations was of paramount importance, so that economic activity and social ties were inextricably linked. He argues that, as agricultural patterns changed, mechanisation became more widespread, and migration from the rural areas increased, so these traditional patterns began to break down.

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By Jennifer Tann

The author argues the case for approaching industrial history from the perspective of the industrial archaeologist, as a way of obtaining important new understanding of themes such as industrial location and the use of power and raw materials. She notes that despite the existence of extremely large quantities of documentary source material, produced since the beginning of the 18th century, few studies have previously examined the material evidence of industries themselves. Crucial to the study, she suggests, is the investigation of sources of power - initially, water-power was essential, and although some factory-owners located their premises where such power was abundant, others located in sites which were determined by other factors. In these cases, power supply problems had to be overcome. The size of a factory might be determined by the availability of capital, as much as by what made sense in purely managerial terms.

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By Peter S. Richards

In this article a systematic approach to the study of towns is encouraged, in which research and analysis should focus on a range of key issues and themes: i) urban functions; ii) location, siting and communications; iii) migrations to towns and the reasons for these population movements; iv) population growth and other demographic assessments; v) industrial development; and vi) tenure and land use and their influence upon the form, plan and function of the town.