David G. Hey (18 July 1938 – 14 February 2016) was an English historian, and was an authority on surnames and the
local history
Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history. Local history is not merely national history writ small ...
of
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
.
Hey was the president of the
British Association for Local History
The British Association for Local History (BALH) is a membership organisation that exists to promote the advancement of public education through the study of local history and to encourage and assist the study of local history throughout Great Bri ...
, and was a published author of several books on local history and the derivation of surnames.
Early life
Hey was born to George and Florence (née Batty) Hey in
Catshaw. When he was eleven years old the family moved to
Penistone, where he attended
Penistone Grammar School. He graduated from the
University College of North Staffordshire in 1960.
Career
He taught at Matlock College of Education. During this teaching stint, he received a master's degree and doctorate from
Leicester University
, mottoeng = So that they may have life
, established =
, type = public research university
, endowment = £20.0 million
, budget = £326 million
, chancellor = David Willetts
, vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah
, head_label ...
, finishing his studies in 1971. Hey's doctoral adviser was
W. G. Hoskins
William George Hoskins (22 May 1908 – 11 January 1992) was an English local historian who founded the first university department of English Local History. His great contribution to the study of history was in the field of landscape history ...
. Four years later, he left a research fellowship at Leicester to join the faculty of
Sheffield University
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
. In 1992 he became a chair professor and, in 1994, the dean of extramural studies. Hey was president of the
British Association for Local History
The British Association for Local History (BALH) is a membership organisation that exists to promote the advancement of public education through the study of local history and to encourage and assist the study of local history throughout Great Bri ...
and the British Agricultural History Society, and led the
British Record Society
The British Record Society is a British learned society that focuses on publishing historic records, or, more specifically, indexes to such records. In recent years, the Society has concentrated on the publication of name indexes to English proba ...
as council chair.
Hey's interest in local history led to books on the town of
Penistone and city of
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...
, and also the counties of
Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
and
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
. His research into surnames, which grew from local history, determined that many rare names originated in the 13th century, and that most people with such surnames still lived close to the area from where their surname came. Linking genetic studies with surname prevalence indicated that people did not move as much as social scientists thought at the time.
On 12 April 2014, Hey delivered a
Marc Fitch Lecture on "The Origins and Spread of Derbyshire Surnames."
Personal life
Hey was married in 1970 and had two children. He died in 2016 aged 77.
Selected publications
*1996: ''The Oxford Companion to Local and Family History''. Oxford University Press. (as editor)
*1997 (published online 2003):
iew/10.1093/acref/9780198600800.001.0001/acref-9780198600800 The Oxford Dictionary of Local and Family History
*1998: ''A History of Sheffield''. Carnegie Publishing.
*2002: ''A History of Penistone and District''. Wharncliffe Books.
*2003: ''Journeys in Family History: Exploring Your Past, Finding Your Ancestors'', PRO Publications.
*2005: ''A History of Yorkshire''. Carnegie Publishing.
*2008: ''Derbyshire: a History''. Carnegie Publishing.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hey, David
1938 births
2016 deaths
20th-century English historians
British university and college faculty deans
Alumni of Keele University
Alumni of the University of Leicester
Academics of the University of Sheffield
People from Penistone
People educated at Penistone Grammar School
21st-century English historians
English local historians
Historians of Yorkshire