What’s On.

Local History Research, A Series of ‘How To . . .’ Workshops

Ten workshops to be held in the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre, Cocklebury Rd, Chippenham SN15 3QN fortnightly on alternate Monday mornings, 9.30 – 13.00, beginning 7 October 2024.

Each workshop will divide into two sessions with a refreshment break. Tutoring and discussion will be led by historians from the Victoria County History and University of the West of England in a friendly and informal atmosphere. Open to all, from beginners to experienced researchers, £10 per workshop. The programme is printed below (but may be subject to minor changes).

7 Oct: THE HISTORIAN’S CRAFT: Trends and movements in history – antiquarian tradition, local history and national history – primary and secondary sources – disciplines and conventions – practical aspects of using archives and libraries.

21 Oct: THE LOCAL HISTORIAN’S TOOLBOX: key resources. Online – Ancestry, British Newspaper Archive, Historical Directories, BHO/VCH. Printed sources – record series, journals. Archival sources – by creator (local govt, diocese, parish, estate, etc).

4 Nov: THE HISTORY OF THE LANDSCAPE: landscape archaeology – maps – place-names– archaeological resources (HERs) – aerial photography and Lidar.

18 Nov: THE HISTORY OF BUILDINGS: examining and describing buildings – vernacular and polite architecture – modern and recent buildings and housing – special types of building (religious, industrial, civic, etc) – documentary sources and techniques.

2 Dec: WORKING WITH DOCUMENTS: palaeography and techniques of reading documents – Latin – identifying and understanding different types of deeds, manorial records, parish records etc.

16 Dec: BONUS SESSION on Conservation, organised by WSHC Conservators

13 Jan 2025: OWNERSHIP AND GOVERNMENT: landownership – feudal tenures and manorial descent – manorial courts and control – development of the vestry and parish responsibilities – proliferation of local authorities and their functions.

27 Jan: MOVEMENT AND MIGRATION: roads, canals and railways, and the evolution of travel – the study of population, including migration, immigration and emigration – the drift from countryside to town.

10 Feb: COMMUNITY, SOCIETY AND WELFARE: caring for the poor, sick and elderly –local and national justice – bringing up and educating children – social activities, legal and illegal, moral and immoral.

24 Feb: WORKING LIVES OF MEN AND WOMEN: farming the land – rural and urban trades and industries – sources for women’s history – restoring the balance between male and female work.

10 Mar: THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION: ubiquity of the medieval church – monasteries and chantries – effect of the reformation – puritans and nonconformists – Victorian religiosity and its aftermath.

Please note. There may need to be minor changes to this syllabus as the course progresses.

Participants will be notified as early as possible. You are welcome to attend some or all workshops.

Prior booking is recommended, with limited tickets available on the day. Email archives@wiltshire.gov.uk for more information.

THE COUNTRY HOUSE GATE LODGE

by James Holden

Wednesday 27 November 2024 - 7:30pm

Country houses are often hidden from view at the centre of their estates and it is the gate lodge by the public road which announces their presence. So the gate lodge stands in for the house, and in its architecture provides an advertisement for the taste of the owner. The result is a set of small buildings with big architectural pretensions, from the serious to the entirely fanciful, giving a fascinating insight into the tastes of the last 200 years. James Holden's talk will trace this story, plentifully illustrated with examples from Wiltshire, a county which contains some of the finest gate lodges in the country.

Tickets are £10 per screen