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Victoria county history
The Victoria County History (invariably abbreviated to VCH) is the greatest publishing project in English local history, and a national treasure in its own right. It began as a way of marking the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897, with the intention of publishing a comprehensive parish-by-parish, multi-volume definitive history of each English county.
In the year of the Golden Jubilee of Victoria's great-great-granddaughter it is still in progress. The VCH is (for local historians in a county which has been covered by its magisterial volumes) the starting place. It gives a history of each parish and township, has superabundant references and notes giving sources, and has summary and overview volumes which discuss wide topics such as monasteries, political history and economic history.
Over the years the basic format has remained fairly constant, but today much more emphasis is given to social and economic history, industry, landscape and historical context. Most counties have at least one or two volumes and several, such as Cheshire, Shropshire and Wiltshire are still in progress. Local historians quickly get to know the 'big red books' and can easily spot them on the library shelves, always in the 'outsize volumes' section. Without fail, have a look at the VCH for your area. If your area is unfortunately not covered, start lobbying the funding bodies and campaigning to get work under way!
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Archive collections
In record offices and other archive centres the documents are usually arranged by collection, according to the person or institution which deposited the records or created them at some time in the past. Thus, many county record offices will have church and parish records, landed family and estate records, the papers of private individuals, the records of companies and businesses, and the large collections of local authorities (such as county councils, town and district councils, and parish councils). These ways of arranging documents are now reasonably standard throughout the archive world.
A guiding principle of modern archive practice is that records are kept in the order and arrangement in which they arrive at the record office. They are rarely resorted or rearranged, although this used to be much more common. This means that it is necessary to make full use of the indexes, finding aids, guides and handlists which are produced by most record offices and archive centres, as well as the detailed lists and catalogues which itemise and describe individual documents and their contents. In most offices there is a backlog of uncatalogued material, since staff resources are always under pressure, usage of most record offices has increased rapidly in the past 20 years, and cataloguing records is a time-consuming process. Some offices allow access to uncatalogued material; others do not, since they formulate their own policies with regard to the archives in their custody.
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Academic research
Local history is an area where amateurs play a very prominent part. Amateur does not have to mean 'second class' - many non-professional local historians produce work of the very highest quality. But it is always important to recognise that local history research and investigation needs to be put in context, and it is essential to find out about current historical thinking on the themes you are investigating. This means that you will need to read the latest books about your area or your theme, and make sure that you do not rely on out-of-date interpretations - something that is all too common a problem.
You should try to consult professional historians where appropriate, especially if they are involved in local history research and writing themselves. Don't be afraid of asking, but don't expect instant answers. Don't be afraid of challenging interpretations made by others, provided that you are able to find supporting evidence for your new view. But be prepared to accept, too, that your idea may be wrong or may be rejected by a professional historian: he or she might not have a detailed knowledge of your own specific case-study, but may well have an authoritative opinion on the issue as a whole.
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Monastic charters
The medieval Church was, after the Crown, the greatest landowner in the country, and the rich and powerful monasteries exercised some of the greatest power. They became very wealthy from exploiting their agricultural estates, industries, town properties and mineral resources. Even small monasteries could be a powerful force in their locality. Monasteries were very systematic in their business affairs, keeping careful accounts and making sure that legal and administrative records were properly filed and stored.
Charters were the documents by which many grants of land and property were made and particular privileges bestowed. Monastic charters, confirming that the religious house had legal possession of its lands, were often written up in large books which are known as cartularies. These often survive for many medieval monasteries despite the destruction of many archives at the Dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s. They were usually kept because they were still needed by the people who acquired former monastic lands, since these documents confirmed the legal history of the estates taken by the new owners. Today, because they give such fine detail of local families, estate boundaries, field names, agricultural activity and other information for landscape, social and economic history, the cartularies and charters are of special interest and importance.
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Tithe map and schedule
Tithe maps were produced for about 75 per cent of the parishes and townships in England and Wales, as a result of the Tithes Commutation Act of 1836. This legislation was designed to replace the old system whereby tithes (a tenth of all produce) were paid to the Church in kind, with monetary payments based on land values. As part of this reform, a comprehensive survey of titheable land was made, involving very large-scale maps which are supported by a schedule listing every field and every plot of land.
These surveys were completed (in most cases) in the 1840s and represent a uniquely informative survey and mapping at a key period in the historical development of many communities.
Today they are heavily used and richly rewarding source for local history research. A copy of each tithe map and schedule is deposited at the Public Record Office, and at least one and usually two copies of each are to be found in county and diocesan record offices.
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Wills and inventories
Collectively known as probate records, wills and inventories are among the most useful and interesting sources of information about individuals in the past, while collectively they can give crucial insights into the social, economic and cultural history of communities. Wills, in the past as now, were the documents by which people disposed of their worldly goods, but it was customary also to give a statement of religious belief and to express the hope of resurrection, as well as to make provision for burial.
The inventory, which was required from the early 16th century in order to assess the charges of the probate court, was a detailed listing of all the goods and livestock of the deceased (but not his or her real estate). Inventories are the most important source we have for details of household goods and furnishings, farm animals and equipment, craft and trade items, the contents of shops, clothing of relatively ordinary people, and the money transactions which are represented by debts due and debts owed. They have been extensively used by local historians to analyse information about houses and their contents, lifestyles and economic activity.
Inventories were rarely made after the mid 18th century, but survive in very large numbers from the previous 250 years (although survival rates between different parts of the country). Probate was a matter for Church courts until 1858 and so wills and inventories are usually found in county record offices among the diocesan or church records.
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Quarter sessions records
Major crimes were tried at the assizes, the records for which were held centrally and the judges at which were not local people. Most lower-ranking crimes, however, were tried by the justices of the peace at the quarter sessions, a court which in every county and, separately, in many larger towns, was held four times a year. In larger counties it also met in different places according to a fixed pattern.
The quarter sessions records, which usually survive from the mid 17th century though in a few counties from considerably earlier, and in one or two from a good deal later, are packed with the richest historical evidence, not only of crime itself but also, through the petitions to the magistrates and the records of examinations of witnesses, accused and victim, much marvellous stuff about daily life - vivid dialogue, recounted tales of trivial daily incidents, colourful descriptions of people, places and petty crime. The quarter sessions was also, until the creation of county councils in 1889, the main medium for county government. Their records will also include a wealth of material on roads, bridges, the poor and their problems, prisons, civil defence and the militia, lunatic asylums and early hospitals, and other civil business. The appropriate county record office or, in cases where a town has its own record office and also had its own quarter sessions, the borough archives, are the places to search for this material.
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Copyright
The copyright laws are complicated, have changed considerably in recent years, and are applied with increasing vigilance and rigour. It is important that all local historians should be aware of the question of copyright, especially if proposing to publish a book, article or paper, because they may even unwittingly breach the laws and run the risk of substantial penalties. All published and unpublished material is subject to copyright, including photographs, maps, drawings and paintings, and text, although ideas are not normally copyright. It is not a simple question of ownership - indeed, the owner of material may not be the holder of copyright. Instead, questions such as 'Who commissioned the item?', 'Who created it?', 'Who originally published it?' as well as the more familiar 'Who wrote it?' may need to be asked. It is always a good idea, therefore, to check on copyright before going ahead and reproducing material in a publication.
Short quotations and extracts from printed works are not normally subject to copyright but it is essential that all quotations should be attributed, by means of a note or reference. If in doubt, ask! And, as a matter of courtesy, it is usual to seek permission from owners and others before publishing even if copyright problems are not involved. Most owners are very co-operative and public bodies such as the Ordnance Survey will happily give advice on their material. Note that many museums and libraries now charge high 'reproduction fees' for the right to use material in their custody even when they do not own either it or the copyright.
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Religious history
In the past, local studies of religious history tended to focus upon the older parish churches of the Church of England, and to emphasise matters such as architecture, monuments and gravestones, and the clergy. More recently the emphasis has shifted somewhat, with greater emphasis being placed on non-Anglican churches, chapels, and congregations, on the growth of these 'alternatives' to the Established Church, and to looking at the religious feelings and churchgoing among ordinary people.
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School log books
School log books were kept from the 1870s onwards as a daily record of activity of all sorts within the school. They were written up by the head teacher and were usually intended to be confidential. Information to be given was not strictly specified, but it was customary to note any untoward events. These would typically include, significant levels of absenteeism among children and the causes of this; problems with parents; children and other members of staff; social events and fundraising activities; visits to the school by the local gentry, the clergy and others; seasonal activities such as nature walks and gardening; misbehaviour and corporal punishment (which may be entered in a separate punishment book); and national events which impinged on school life.
They can be engrossing and extremely revealing about education in its widest sense, as well as about specific schools. Their quality depends partly on the literary skills and ambitions of the head teacher, but few are lacking in interest. School records may also include registers (although these are unexpectedly rare); building records and deeds; notebooks with information about lessons and the curriculum; and miscellaneous material about prize-givings, fetes and fairs, awards and commendations, and photographs of serried ranks of little children. There may also be managers' minutes, detailed the financial affairs of the school and its governing body.
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Property deeds
Among the most voluminous records in any place which holds local archives are likely to be title deeds, present in their tens of thousands and found in just about every category of material - not much happens without a building of some sort, and most buildings have, or had, title deeds.
Older and more important buildings might have dozens of documents in their deeds. Because of their vital importance in confirming possession of property, title deeds were carefully protected, cherished and guarded in private deed boxes or solicitors' tin trunks, and today they are the key source for sorting out the often complicated histories of individual properties. They are also, sadly, the sort of records which, because they were usually made of parchment before the mid 19th century, were often regarded as suitable for making into lampshades or hanging on the pub wall. Title deeds are daunting in one obvious sense - they may be very large and closely written - and they make extensive use of arcane legal terminology, but they are of special value to the local historian and may produce all sorts of unexpected and otherwise unobtainable information.
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Published: 28-01-2005
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