Our thanks to Professor Andrew Prescott of the Centre for Research into Freemasonary at the University of Sheffield for this useful guide to getting started with Local History research.
Books about how to study English local history are very numerous. Nevertheless, there are some which are outstandingly useful for beginners. Best of all is Philip Riden's Local History: a Handbook for Beginners (London: Batsford, 1983; paperback; revised edition, Merton Priory Press, 1998 ), which is short and very practical. One particularly good introduction to family history is Stella Colwell's The Family History Book: a Guide to Tracing Your Ancestors (Oxford: Phaidon, 1984; paperback), while houses are covered by John H. Harvey in Sources for the History of Houses (London: British Records Association, Archive and the User vol. 3, 1974; out of print but available in libraries).
For inspiration in choosing a theme, any one of three well-written and well-illustrated books can be recommended: David Hey, Family History and Local History in England (London: Longman, 1987; paperback); the latest edition of W.G. Hoskins, Local History in England (London: Longman, 1984; paperback) ; and Alan Rogers (editor), Group Projects in Local History (London: William Dawson, 1979; paperback), which is equally suitable for individuals. David Dymond also has sensible ideas on choosing a subject in Writing Local History: a practical guide (London: British Association for Local History, 1981; paperback [updated and revised edition: Chichester, Phillimore, 1999; paperback]. For more advanced work, the standard guide to sources is W.B. Stephens, Sources for English Local History (Cambridge: University Press, 1981; [reprint Chichester, Phillimore, 1994]). A valuable reference work is David Hey, ed., The Oxford Companion to Local and Family History (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996)
Many counties have societies which publish journals and editions of documents relating to the history of the county, such as the Sussex Archaeological Society . A directory of local history groups is maintained on the Local History Magazine website. A quarterly journal, The Local Historian , and a magazine appearing six times a year, Local History , keep readers up to date with news, guides to sources, and reviews of new books. The British Association for Local History also has a useful web site.
Major national archives and national records also contain a wealth of information on local history. The Public Record Office has an on-line exhibition on local history. Its catalogues can also be searched on-line. The British Library has many catalogues available on-line. The catalogues of other major libraries can be searched via COPAC . Other indispensable resources are the National Register of Archives and Register of Manorial Documents, maintained by the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts .
