The Local Historian

The Local Historian contains articles and features for the general reader that may be of a wide, perhaps national, application or may reflect a local subject.

There is emphasis on applying principles and methods to local research and study, so that you can benefit from the work of others. Family historians can learn about the local world in which their forebears lived and worked. There are extensive reviews and lists of publications.

Published in February, May, August and November.

Back Issues

Issues published within the last three years can be purchased for £5.00 each (subject to availability). Members have access to downloadable copies of these issues.

Issues older than three years are available for download free of charge.

Check out our back issues for free

All back issues (excluding the latest issue) are currently free to view.

Why BALH?

Nick Barratt Historian and Author

Where did your ancestors live?

It is impossible to trace the history of one’s family without considering where they lived. Local history societies and one-place study groups have researched and published content that will allow you to place the lives of your ancestors in the context of their local communities, villages, towns and cities as well as some of the key socio-economic factors that lay behind their development. They often use the same sources as family historians, and can help provide an alternative interpretation of a document or suggest new resources to help your research.

Nick Barratt, Historian and Author

Meet the team

Lisbet Sherlock Trustee

Lisbet Sherlock

Lisbet, after a successful corporate communications career in the high-tech sector, now focuses on environmental, cultural, and history projects. A history graduate with a passion for the Victorian and Edwardian eras, she is particularly interested in women’s history. Her current projects include researching two forgotten militant suffragettes in Manchester and documenting the century-long history of Woodoaks Farm for the Soil Association Land Trust. She also serves as a trustee for Dorset Wildlife Trust, chairing its marketing committee. As a BALH trustee, she brings expertise in research, storytelling, and public engagement to promote local history.

Lisbet Sherlock, Trustee