Local history
Local history is the study of the history of a relatively small geographic area; typically a specific settlement, parish or county. Local history came to the fore with the antiquarians of the nineteenth century and was particularly emphasised by the creation of the Victoria County History 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.
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History of English local history
- For the main article see History of English local history.
The history of English local history begins with the incidental material in the writings of Bede and runs through early modern antiquarianism, and twentieth century academicism to contemporary pluralist synthesis of specialisms.
Researching local history
Local history research, like that of family history, 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. An intelligent lay researcher can learn the necessary skills as they research. Archivists and societies can provide advice, encouragement, and information; formal courses of study are also widely available. Many local historians are non-specialists whose 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 for local history
Secondary sources for local history
Further reading
Books
- Dymond, David. Researching and Writing History: a practical guide for local historians (British Association for Local History, 1999)
- Fowler, Simon. Starting out in local history (Countryside Books, 2001)
- Friar, Stephen. The Local History Companion (Thrupp: Sutton, 2001)
- Hey, David. Oxford Companion to Local and Family History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992)
- Tiller, Kate. English Local History: an introduction (Thrupp: Alan Sutton 1992)
- Trubshaw, Bob. How to write and publish local history (Heart of Albion Press, 1999)
- Winterbotham, Diana and Crosby, Alan. The Local Studies Library: a handbook for local historians (British Association for Local History, 1998)
Magazines
- Economic History Review
- Agricultural History Review
- Urban History
- Past and Present
- Midland History
- Northern History
- Southern History
- Journal of Regional and Local Studies
- Local Population Studies
- Local Historian
External links
References
- The Victoria History of the Counties of England (VCH).
- Allison, K. J. (ed.) The Ealing Census
- Bede, History of the English Church and People (AD 731).
- Burke, Peter (ed.), New Perspectives on Historical Writing (Polity Press, 1991)
- Clanchy, M.T. From Memory to Written Record (Blackwell, 1992).
- Currie, C. R. J. and Lewis, C. P. A Guide to English County Histories (Thrupp: Sutton, 1994) ISBN 0-7509-0289-2
- Hoskins, W. G. The Making of the English Landscape.
- Phythian-Adams, Charles. ‘An Agenda for English Local History’, in Societies, Cultures and Kinship 1580-1850 (Leicester Univ. Press, 1993).
- Sheeran, George and Yanina. ‘Reconstructing Local History’, Local Historian (November 1999)
See also
Categories
Fields of History