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 history, cultural and social history, social aspects of history. Local history is not mer ...

is the study of the history of a relatively small geographic area; typically a specific settlement, parish or county. English local history came to the fore with the antiquarians of the 19th century and was particularly emphasised by the creation of the

Victoria County History The Victoria History of the Counties of England, commonly known as the Victoria County History (VCH), is an English history project which began in 1899 with the aim of creating an encyclopaedic history of each of the historic counties of Englan ...

series in England. Its establishment as a formal academic discipline is usually credited to W. G. Hoskins, who also popularised the subject with his book ''The Making of the English Landscape''.

History

There is incidental material in the writings of

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

which can be used for local history, although he wrote a national rather than local history. During the late medieval, travel writers such as John Leland frequently visited and described local antiquities, although again, these writers did not set out to write local history. The Tudor period saw the publication of national gazetteers (for example Camden) that frequently contained brief local histories. The eighteenth century saw the emergence of county historians such as Nichols and Morant who were arguably the first local historians. These writers took an interest in subjects that are currently unfashionable (such as manorial descents), but often contain important details which can be used by a modern local historian. The nineteenth century saw the widespread publication of parish histories, often written by the local minister. In 1879, Cox published the first edition of his ''How to Write the History of a Parish'' that would be used by local historians and genealogists for many years. In 1899, the

project began to provide a sound academic basis for local history. The early twentieth century saw individuals in universities with job titles related to local history, and the first department of Local History was established at Leicester in 1947. Interest in local history expanded in the second half of the twentieth century both in numbers and scope. Contemporary researchers gather conclusions from a wide range of academic disciplines.

Research techniques

Local history research, like that of

family history Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

, is accessible to people without prior historical training or experience. This is because the very nature of local history is such that starting points are always available locally. A lay researcher can learn the necessary skills as they research.

Archivists An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can cons ...

and societies can provide advice, encouragement, and information; formal courses of study are also widely available. Many local historians are non-specialists, who have an enthusiasm for history and have applied this to their area. Most local history researchers follow a process in which they start from the basic facts offered by the available evidence, make a more detailed analysis of that evidence to explore its implications, and then put that analysis in its wider temporal and geographical context. Some take a more theoretical approach: starting from a hypothesis, which they seek to demonstrate or disprove through evidence.

Primary sources

The survival and availability of local records differ significantly from area to area. West is a good guide to what records may exist and how they might be used. Similarly, Iredale describes where records may be found and how they can be used, although his work is somewhat dated in parts. There are numerous guides to individual record categories which can be found in bibliographies or referenced in more general works. N. W. Alcock's ''Old Title Deeds'' is an introduction to an under-used source for local history.

Secondary sources

Where it exists, the appropriate volume of the

is the best starting point for a locality in England. There is often a local studies library which will contain a wealth of local material. Early county historians, e.g. Philip Morant and his ''History and Antiquities of Essex'', often provide parish by parish accounts, although they frequently include long descriptions of manorial descents which are of little interest to the current generation of historians. If there is a history of the parish church, this may well contain useful material.William Edward Tate, ''The parish chest: a study of the records of parochial administration in England'' (Cambridge University Press, 1969).

*Celoria, Francis (1958) ''Teach Yourself Local History''. London: English Universities Press *Dymond, David (1999) ''Researching and Writing History: a practical guide for local historians''. British Association for Local History * Fowler, Simon (2001) ''Starting Out in Local History''. Countryside Books *Friar, Stephen (2001) ''The Local History Companion''. Stroud: Sutton * Hey, David (1992) ''Oxford Companion to Local and Family History''. Oxford: Oxford University Press *Richardson, John (1974) ''The Local Historian's Encyclopedia''. New Barnet: Historical Publications *Rogers, Alan (1972) ''This Was their World: approaches to local history''. London: BBC (to accompany the BBC radio series broadcast Apr.-Jun. & Oct.-Dec. 1972) *Tiller, Kate (1992) ''English Local History: an introduction''. Stroud: Alan Sutton *Trubshaw, Bob (1999) ''How to Write and Publish Local History''. Heart of Albion Press *Winterbotham, Diana & Crosby, Alan (1998) ''The Local Studies Library: a handbook for local historians''. British Association for Local History

Magazines

*''Local History Magazine'' *''Economic History Review'' *''Agricultural History Review'' *''

Urban History Urban history is a field of history that examines the historical nature of cities and towns, and the process of urbanization. The approach is often multidisciplinary, crossing boundaries into fields like social history, architectural history, ur ...

'' *'' Past and Present'' *
Midland History
' *''Northern History''
Somerset & Dorset Notes & Queries (SDNQ)
*
Southern History
' *'' Journal of Regional and Local History'' *'' Local Population Studies'' *''

Local Historian Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural history, cultural and social history, social aspects of history. Local history is not mer ...

Notes

External links

British Agricultural History SocietyEconomic History Society
* A Researcher's Guide to Local History Terminology at Wikibooks {{DEFAULTSORT:English Local History Local History, English