NEWS SPRING / SUMMER 2011 England’s Past for Everyone Greetings from the Director of the Institute of Historical Research The autumn round of county council funding cuts has not been kind to the VCH, and many of our flagship county research teams are now facing their In this issue most challenging times. Austerity, however, is sometimes the handmaiden to industry. As the Spring newsletter demonstrates there is no let up in page one the energy and creativity which VCH county staff, appeal committees, from the Director volunteers and enthusiasts up and down the country are bringing to existing and new projects. Here at VCH Central Office, the reorganised editorial IHR @ 90 team are working superbly well under Elizabeth Williamson’s guidance. They are on schedule with the next handful of red books, the improved website is up and running, and we have a new summer school in local page two history planned for July. The IHR itself is in rude health as it celebrates its flying the VCH flag 90th birthday year with a series of events and fundraising initiatives (see county farewells below for more). Do join in if you can. Miles Taylor – March 2011 page three meet the administrator IHR @ 90 Locality and Region Seminar In 2011 the Institute of Historical Research turns 90. We are the oldest such Institute in the world. Since 1921 we have been running a unique page four open access library, seminars and conferences, innovative research learning and research resources projects, and, through our fellowship and training programmes, support- online ing generations of younger scholars from around the globe. To mark the Institute’s birthday we are hosting a year-long celebration page five of other notable milestones of 1921. In that year the first PhDs in history were awarded in the UK; Marie Stopes opened her first birth control Phillimore: local history publishers clinic; Asa Briggs, one of the UK’s most distinguished historians, was born, as was the Duke of Edinburgh. Please see the IHR website for more details of these events: www.history.ac.uk. pages six and seven Hampshire volunteers: enthusiasm, ferrets and ‘spectacular’ results page eight events page nine Anglo-American news get in touch The temporary buildings on Malet Street where the IHR was intially housed until it moved into the Senate House building in 1938 VCH News – Spring/Summer 2011 www.victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk page one VCH NEWS VCH NEWS Flying the VCH flag Locality and Region Those in the business world are Alongside this, the VCH central Nottinghamshire and we regularly Meet the administrator Seminar – Summer 2011 apparently seeing out the doldrums team is developing the VCH brand welcome new volunteers. of the recession by focussing on with a new website (read more about As important as voluntary Venue: building up their brands ready for it on p. 4), a revamped newsletter, research is the huge effort that goes Ecclestiastical History Room an upturn in economic fortunes. At new leaflets, a soon-to-be-improved into fundraising by our county the VCH we continue steadfastly to mailing list and more inclusive VCH appeals and trusts, including the trust Time: research and write to high standards meetings. Also new are our online launched in Gloucestershire at the Tuesday, 5.15pm to maintain our reputation as the training materials, intended to help party to celebrate the publication of greatest publishing project in English volunteers write VCH parish and Gloucestershire XII. Despite loss of 3 May – John Beckett local history. Somerset X has been urban histories, and this summer the funding and, sadly, the consequent (University of Nottingham) published already this academic IHR’s first Local History Summer loss of permanent jobs for staff This paper will be based on new year and three more – Essex XI, School (see p. 8) at which several in four counties (Gloucestershire, research into the early years of the Oxford XVI and Wiltshire XVIII of our most knowledgeable county Oxfordshire, Essex and Somerset) VCH – will appear this summer. These contributors will be teaching. work continues there thanks to publications fulfil our obligations to Like those brand-conscious the support of the fundraising 17 May – Carlos Lopez Galviz our partners in the counties and to businesses we are trying to make sure committees. Fortunately two counties (IHR, University of London) the University of London and satisfy that the VCH name and reputation have been spared in the current round A London micro-history a public, especially in the counties, become ever better known and more of cuts: in Staffordshire funding has eager to use new VCH volumes. attractive to those able to support been renewed and in Wiltshire the In the next few years a new series us with funds and volunteer effort. existing agreement continues. For the 31 May– Alistair Hawkyard of paperbacks will be published. The exciting aspect about the VCH up-to-date news about all counties (IHR, University of London) Inigo Jones and the Parliament Phillimore have agreed to continue at the moment is that so many are please go to the county micro-sites on Coral Pepper with Lady Banham at the Royal Cornwall Show the EPE series and we already have becoming involved in the project, www.victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk. House received several proposals for new carrying on the good work of EPE. 2002 to 2011 – where has the continue, time to be accounted titles. You can learn more about the Volunteer historians are working time gone? I was recruited by for and project leaders, on kind of paperback we would like to in Cornwall, Cumbria, Derbyshire, occasions, to be comforted. VCH Cornwall when the first This seminar welcomes all be proposed on our website (see p.4). Essex, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Words will not convey Elizabeth Williamson bid for Heritage Lottery funding those who are interested in the Read more about Phillimore on p.5. Leicestershire, Middlesex and our excitement that day on a [email protected] seemed just a ‘twinkle in the relationship between local and field at Marazion, opposite eye’. We were chosen to pilot national history and who wish to St Michael’s Mount, when a County farewells what were to become our two share ideas, viewpoints and work time being for love rather than money. always followed up our fieldwork with England’s Past for Everyone cardboard box was opened and VCH colleagues and supporters are in progress. It seeks to make an Mary has led the way in making her interesting new information stimulated we held the first VCH publication very sad to see that spending cuts of projects. At first I was somewhat county micro-site special; it is full of by what we had seen. John had a original contribution to local and various kinds have meant redundancy intimidated to be surrounded by in Cornwall for over 100 interesting material about her work, magnificent send off at the launch of regional history by drawing upon for several long-serving colleagues, the County; professors, doctors, years. Since then we have had about VCH Somerset and about the his Gloucestershire XII volume in the the long-established national whose skill and experience have historians, librarians, archivists, published another paperback and history of county. We are very grateful architecturally uplifting surroundings resources of the VCH and co- been invaluable. We send our very our second Red Book, and on the to Chris, Mary and Herbert for their of Bromesberrow Place on 28 all of whom seemed to have their best wishes to Dr Simon Draper of operating with participants from loyalty to the VCH and commitment September 2010. own vocabulary. However, when new website we are flagging up VCH Gloucestershire who has found universities, record offices, local to completing the volumes they have We also send good wishes to the EPE London team started two more – it is to be hoped they new employment with the University history societies and heritage started. Dr Sue Parkinson who left the VCH arriving I realised we were all will be achieved in less than 100 of the West of England, and to Dr organisations, as well as with Dr John Jurica, who joined at the end of February. Sue put a huge new and grabbed the challenge years. Robert Peberdy who is to leave VCH those engaged in independent VCH Gloucestershire in the 1970s, amount of effort into stimulating All this, and on my Oxfordshire shortly. with gusto. has just retired and those in VCH interest in the VCH in the East Riding research. If you would like to join Despite redundancy from There was so much watch, what more can an central office and his colleagues at the of Yorkshire, making new friends and our mailing list, please contact: permanent jobs Dr Chris Thornton work to be done in a short time. Administrator ask? County Record Office, where he had influencing local opinion. Her work [email protected]. and Dr Herbert Eiden have just Volunteers to be recruited and worked for so many years, will miss will culminate in an exhibiton and started VCH Essex work on contract Coral Pepper – March 2011 him very much. His contributions accompanying talks at the Treasure supervised, images to be sourced, as consultant editors rather than were ingeniously researched and House in Beverley in the autumn. To schools projects to be planned permanent staff. Mary Siraut, who elegantly written – a model to us keep abreast of events there please see and executed, training days to takes early retirement at the end of all. As architectural editor, I made www.victoriacountyhistory/counties/ be organised, fundraising to March, will continue VCH work in the many rewarding explorations of the yorkshireeastriding.