Starting a Local History Group

Guidance for anyone thinking of starting a local history society, or for existing groups looking to strengthen how they operate. This guide outlines the practical considerations involved in forming a society, organising meetings and activities, managing finances, undertaking research, and sharing the history of your community.

Objective

Why do you want a local history group?

There are lots of possible answers, most of which are valid. However it is a good idea to have an answer to this question, even if with time it changes.

You may want to study the whole history of your community.

For example:

You live in a village or a part of a town and you want to know what happened there in the past.
You may belong to a minority group and want to know how your particular ancestors came to the area where you now live.

You may want to examine one particular aspect or time period relating to your community.

For example:

You might belong to a church or club and want to know about its past.
Perhaps there was once an important factory in the area, now gone, but you want to know more about it and the people who worked there.
There may be some very interesting buildings in your area and you want to know who built them and why.

Or you may have come across an interesting set of documents and want to study them.

These are just a few examples of what leads you to want a local history society. If you know roughly what you want to do, it will help you find others who are similarly interested.

By the way, have you checked that no other society is covering the ground that you are interested in?

Establishing and maintaining the society

1. Committee

To be effective, you need others to join with you to help run the society. If you can get even two or three others at the start, it will mean that the load is shared and will make the new society feel like a club that others can join. Subsequently, you may get more who will join the committee and you may lose some of your first helpers.

You will need people, who may or may not have formal titles, to:

Chair meetings
Arrange publicity
Look after funds
Book halls for meetings
Keep membership or contact records
Carry out other tasks required by the society

The committee should meet from time to time to run the society, but meetings can be as formal or informal as suits the members.

It is sensible to keep records of what is decided and who is going to do what.

If you have a very small group, you may not have a separate committee, but the jobs still need doing and you do not want to take up all your meetings with business, no matter how informal.

2. First meeting

You want to draw in other people so you will need to hold a meeting. You will need to advertise it and invite people along.

The purpose of your society will influence whether you put out public notices widely, or whether you target only those who you know are likely to be interested in your objectives.

Either way, you will need to tell people about the plans for the new society.

To encourage them, have a speaker (which can be yourself) who can tell them something about the subjects you are going to study and perhaps give some idea of where your researches will take you next.

You will need to decide whether to hire a room somewhere or meet in a private house.

A private house is cheaper but may deter the mildly curious.
If you hire a hall it will have to be paid for unless you have influence with its owners.

Decide also whether you will serve tea, coffee or biscuits and organise someone to do it. People will usually pay a small amount for refreshments which covers their costs.

At your first meeting, you may want to put on a small exhibition of pictures relating to your theme.

Pictures are best.
If you use text, keep it short.
Use a large font that is easy to read.
Remember that many local historians are over 50 and some have poor eyesight.

Although you may get one or two members who will join in active research, welcome the rest. Their subscriptions will keep the society going and they will make up the numbers at public meetings.

Above all, never complain to those who have turned up that they are too few, too indolent or not young enough, however much you may feel it. You want to show enthusiasm and be pleased that you are achieving more than was happening before you made your efforts.

At the end of the meeting you may have one or two more people who will join the committee, so be prepared to arrange a date and place.

There is also a case for fixing a date and subject for your second public meeting so that you establish momentum.

3. Publicity

To get an audience, you need to tell people about your events.

To advertise a meeting make sure you include:

Where the meeting is held
Date and time
Title of the talk
Name of the speaker
Cost if any
Whether refreshments will be served
Who to contact for further information

You have to think about publicity for the first meeting and continuing publicity. This is where balancing cost against coverage is difficult.

Methods include:

Word of mouth
Local newspapers
Local radio
Leaflets
Posters

Later you will need to contact your members regularly to keep them up to date.

You may find that someone in your society is happy to manage publicity by writing news items and designing posters or leaflets.

3.1 Personal contact

If you have an enthusiastic membership they will bring friends along. This is always a good way to recruit new members.

Make sure visitors are welcomed and not made to feel that they are on the edge of a clique.

3.2 Newspapers

If you can write stories about the history you are researching, local papers will often print them.

They may allow you to slip in a mention of when your next meeting will be.

The formation of your group is a news story in its own right so make sure that you tell the editor.

You might invite people to the first meeting by means of a letter to the editor.

If you include a photograph it will help publicity, but make sure it is not in copyright.

3.3 Leaflets

If your society covers a small community it may be worth preparing a leaflet and distributing it locally.

Keep the design clear and simple so people can quickly understand the message.

3.4 Posters

Large posters are rarely practical for local societies.

Most noticeboards will accept A4 size posters but few will take larger ones.

Design the poster clearly and make sure the essential information is easy to read.

4. Membership

You will need to decide whether you will have a membership structure.

Most societies do, but some simply organise meetings advertised through local newsletters.

If you have members you will need to keep a list of names and contact details.

Email is now widely used, but remember that some members will still prefer printed communication.

5. Keeping in touch

Many societies communicate through newsletters, programme cards, websites or email.

Typical newsletter content might include:

Details of forthcoming events
Short items of historical interest
Articles written by members

If you print newsletters, send copies to the local library, local newspaper, the county record office and BALH.

6. Naming your society

Your society will need a name.

It is usually better to choose a clear descriptive name such as "X Local History Society".

Obscure names can become familiar over time but may initially discourage potential members.

7. Constitution

You will need a simple set of rules describing how your society will operate.

A constitution should be practical rather than complicated.

Avoid creating rules that are difficult to maintain in practice.

8. Join BALH for help, insurance and ideas

Most local history societies are independent organisations.

However joining BALH provides benefits including:

Insurance schemes
Copies of The Local Historian
Local History News
Regular newsletters and ideas

It is also helpful to build links with neighbouring societies.

Finance

Societies should keep clear records of money received and money spent.

Likely outgoings

Hire of meeting rooms
Speaker expenses
Publicity
Refreshments
Printing newsletters
Postage

Membership subscriptions

Subscriptions should be set at a level that covers expected costs.

Many societies offer:

Individual membership
Joint or household membership
Occasionally corporate membership

Visitor contributions

Visitors attending meetings are usually asked to make a small donation.

Other sources of income

Publications
Exhibitions
Conferences
Donations

Activities

Meetings

Most societies organise a regular programme of talks.

You may choose:

A fixed meeting date each month
Individual dates announced in advance

Finding speakers

Speakers may come from:

Local historians
Museum staff
Record office staff
Members of your own society

Events beyond regular meetings

Local history walks
Excursions
Exhibitions
Conferences

Research

Many societies undertake research projects relating to their area.

Ideas for projects

Local pubs
Historic buildings
Industrial history
Second World War memories
Photographic surveys

Sharing your research

Research can be shared through talks, exhibitions, newsletters or publications.

Transcribing documents

Many historic sources are handwritten and require practice to read.

Record offices often provide palaeography training.

Managing documents and photographs

If societies receive original material they should record:

Where it came from
Who donated it
Where it is stored

Oral history

Recording memories from local residents can provide valuable historical material.

Publishing research

Results may be published in newsletters, journals or books.

Material with wider relevance may be submitted to BALH publications.

Computer storage

Digital files should be organised carefully and backed up regularly.

Conclusion

Setting up a local history society can be demanding but also extremely rewarding.

It provides opportunities to share research, hear interesting speakers and meet people with similar interests.

If you need advice, BALH can help and welcomes new societies as members.

Bibliography

Websites

The National Archives – Archives Principles and Practice
Guidance for non-archivists on caring for historical documents and collections.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
The Community Archives and Heritage Group (CAHG)
Practical guidance on cataloguing, caring for and managing community archives.
https://www.communityarchives.org.uk/resources
Oral History Society – Practical Guides
Advice on recording, preserving and sharing oral history interviews.
https://www.ohs.org.uk/advice/
Historic England – Research and Heritage Advice
Guidance on researching historic buildings, landscapes and heritage sites.
https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/
Institute of Historical Research – Resources for Historians
Research guidance and reference resources for historians working on local and regional topics.
https://www.history.ac.uk/resources
The Heritage Funding Directory
A regularly updated guide to funding sources for heritage and community projects.
https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/funding
The Pub History Society – Research Guides
Practical resources for researching pubs and brewing history.
https://www.pubhistorysociety.co.uk/research.html
Marc Fitch Fund
Small grants supporting the publication of local and regional historical research.
https://www.marcfitchfund.org.uk