Down Your Way: researching local history

Lecturer: Michael Holland

 

Course Outline

 

ุ       Introduction: Studying Online

 

ุ       Detailed reading list supplied for each lesson

 

ุ       Online Self Assessments

 

ุ       Tutor-Marked Assignments

 

ุ       Local History Project Research Guidance

 

Lessons

 

 

  1. An introduction to the local and community history as a subject during which some short exercises will be presented to illustrate salient points.  A look at document analysis; basic tools and where to locate material.  Record sources on the Web.  Libraries and local study centres.

 

  1. Placing your locality into perspective: the origins of place names, maps, plans and their uses.  The changing face of Britain. Historic map websites. Local history in a national and international context.

 

  1. Provincial newspapers and how to evaluate them; the pitfalls of journalistic licence.  The British Newspaper library and how to make use of its Website. 

 

  1. Research organisation, cataloguing results, filing sources and those 1001 things that will ensure that you can locate that source when you next come to use it.  The place of the local history society in your research.  Websites.

 

  1. Rural life and parish records ranging from overseers account books to vestry minutes – the heart of local history.

 

  1. The English Poor Law part 1.  Examines the workings of the English Poor Law from its inception in 1601 through to its reform in 1834.  The importance of the Settlement law to both contemporaries and us as historians.

 

  1. The English Poor Law part 2 examines such issues as the Speenhamland System, (alternatively known as the allowance scheme), the labour rate, the roundsman scheme, and facets of the Select Vestries Act.

 

  1. The English Poor Law part 3. The Final Phase. An in-depth look at the New Poor Law linked to websites about poor law unions.

 

  1. Schools and Education log books, admissions registers, and a plethora of material on teaching the young.  Links to websites such as the Ragged Schools to illustrate the issues.

 

  1. Public Health: an interactive examination of cholera in London.  A look at the reports on the health of towns all of which contribute to an understanding of elements of town development.  Some aspects of town planning will also be covered.

 

  1. The Military: Over time, the armed forces have had an important role to play in English history.  This section focuses upon home defence and will look at the role of the local militia, the coastguard and the use of the military to suppress civil unrest especially during the riots of 1795, 1800 and 1816.  Other features will include military matters in both world wars, minor wars such as the Boer War and links to the community.

 

  1. Law and Order part 1: The first part of this section examines the strategies used to keep law and order before the advent of the modern police force. It will look at the role of the Justice of the Peace, Prosecution Associations (the forerunner of Neighbourhood Watch), and the parish constable. It will include the opportunity to take part in a 19th century arson trial.

 

  1. Law and Order part 2: This section will examine the emergence of the modern police force from the establishment of the Bow Street Runners, the Metropolitan Police, and the Rural Constabulary Act. Criminal courts and their structure will also be examined.

 

  1. Census and population surveys and their relevance to local history.

 

  1. Oral History: the interview techniques used to extract the maximum information from people.  Reminisces of the past.

 

  1. Diaries, letters, memoirs and autobiographies – how to evaluate them, their shortcomings and uses.

 

  1. Women and women’s history – their place in local history.  Also, ethnic history with websites and resources on both issues.

 

  1. Industrial History a look at the various material that is to be found on our industrial past including a look at relatively modern industrial archaeology.

 

  1. Transport history, road, rail and sea – this session harks back to session 5 when we look at such things as enclosure for the development of the railways and the role of the parish surveyor of the roads.

 

  1. Historical photography, videos, film making – the camera cannot lie but can still be manipulated – an examination of the uses of photography etc for the local historian. . Advanced historical techniques such as counterfactual and anthropometric history will also be discussed in this session.