Local history
Tarja Moles does the groundwork for you to research local people, places and spaces
Each local area has its unique history. There are many aspects that can be explored, such as individuals, the community and its development, events, buildings and landscapes. Hence, local history research can provide fascinating material for both fiction and nonfiction writing.
Online material
These days there’s a good chance that you’ll find a fair amount of local history material online. Therefore, general internet searches are a good starting point for your research. Map out the resources that are available and determine the extent to which they are useful for you. Some localities are better covered than others, so you may or may not find all you need online.
While you’re online, also find out if there are locality- or subject-specific web directories or portals that list useful websites. For example, Local History Online (www.local-history.co.uk), British History Online (www.british-history.ac.uk) and Connected Histories (www.connectedhistories.org) are sites worth exploring.
Local libraries and archives
Local libraries are likely to have a huge amount of relevant material. They tend to have a local interest section which commonly includes reference works and other books, newspapers, maps and possibly even photographs.
If you want to extend your research, visit special local studies libraries, record offices and other archives. You can find these by using the National Archives’ archive finding search engine at https://writ.rs/find. It also allows you to browse different geographical areas so you can see what’s available in each locality.
Local studies libraries and archives hold a wide range of resources, such as parish and government records, legal records, maps and estate papers, records of local organisations and businesses, personal diaries, census returns, oral history recordings/transcripts, visual material and newspapers. Many local studies libraries and archives list their holdings on their websites. Always check these out when you’re planning a visit. Some have also produced research guides that can be helpful in making your research more efficient.
If you’re not sure about something, don’t be afraid to contact a member of staff and ask for advice. They are the experts and will be able to help you.
Museums and heritage sites
Visiting museums that chronicle their localities’ histories is a great way to deepen your understanding. In addition to their exhibitions, many museums hold library and archival material. You can find local museums by browsing the Museums.co.uk webpage (www.museums.co.uk/museum-type/local).
Visiting heritage sites may be useful too. There are several organisations that you can explore, including the National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org.uk), English Heritage (www.english-heritage.org.uk), Historic Scotland (www.historic-scotland.gov.uk), Visit Wales (www.visitwales.co.uk) and Heritage Ireland (www.heritageireland.ie).
Don’t forget to look at their websites for information.
For instance, the English Heritage website has a teaching and learning resources library (https://writ.rs/engherres)
which allows you to browse their resources by theme and geographical area.
When you visit museums and heritage sites, don’t be in a rush, but take your time to look at things. Ask questions from the members of staff. Also check out the gift shop. They tend to stock a range of local history titles and you may well spot a book that you haven’t come across before.
Visiting the wider local area
Even though these days you can do much of your research
online and in libraries, archives and museums, you shouldn’t omit visiting the locality in person. This will help you get a ‘feel’ for the place. Experiencing something by physically being there will give the information you have acquired earlier a perspective that you cannot get in any other way.
When you’re planning your research visit, you might like to try consulting both current and past maps of the area in advance. This way you can compare how the area has changed (or not) over the years. You can find maps online and/or in the local library.
Networking
There are a lot of local historians and local history enthusiasts around the country, so why not find them, ask for their help and share your interest with them? You could even consider joining a local history organisation. Communicating with experts will not only give you access to their knowledge – which can include details that are not available in any written resources – but they are also likely to be able to recommend further resources for you.
To find experts and local history organisations, do an online search. Alternatively, you could explore the directories of local history societies that have been compiled by the British Association for Local History (www.balh.org.uk/societies-az) and the Scottish Local History Forum (www.slhf.org/ scottish-local-history-directory). Even if you’re not looking for experts, have a look at both websites as they contain links to various local history sites.
Older individuals who have lived in an area for a long time can also provide a personal take on events. Interviewing them may give you a different perspective on what’s happened in the past. You can find people willing to be interviewed with the help of local history societies, or you could write a piece to a local newspaper and ask people to get in touch with you.
Networking with others who share your interests is always beneficial and can lead to unexpected discoveries.