Classroom Exercises in Local History

Introduction: Making the Past Count | Children at School & Work | Impact of Railways

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Events & Developments in Local History Education
from Local History News

The next contribution to Lancasterian Schools around the world from the Friends of The British Schools Museum, Hitchin, comes from Mexico. The first Lancasterian School in Morelia was opened in 1830 and a commemorative plaque was erected in 1932 in tribute to its teachers.www.hitchinbritishschools.org.uk

A member of Chadwell Heath Historical Society, Christine Goldsmith, was invited by a neighbour who teaches at a local school to answer questions from her class on the experience of the Second World War.  Christine had previously described being evacuated in a leaflet based on a series of articles for the society’s newsletter. Varied queries ranged from ‘was she homesick?’, ‘did they have sweets?’ to ‘were people kind?’ A couple of lads asked about the black market, and other children kept their questions til after the class session. Overall, this was considered a very valuable exchange.

Locality and Region Seminar at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London, welcomes all those who are interested in the relationship between local and national history and who wish to share ideas, viewpoints and work in progress. It seeks to make an original contribution to local and regional history by drawing upon the long-established national resources of the VCH and co-operating with participants from universities, record offices, local history societies and heritage organisations, as well as with those engaged in independent research. If you would like to join the e-mailing list, please contact elizabeth.williamson@sas.ac.uk  The seminar meets at 5.15p.m. on alternate Tuesdays. This year it will be held in a seminar room in Stewart House (adjacent to Senate House), University of London, while the IHR premises are being refurbished. Forthcoming topics are 6 Dec ‘The Great Fire of Westminster 1834’     Caroline Shenton, 31 Jan       - tba, 14 Feb ‘Shaping the seaside resort- the seaside urban developer 1820-1914’ Sue Berry, 28 Feb ‘Private housing to council housing, the development of Cambsbourne Estate, Hornsey N London 1866 – 1965’ John Hinshelwood, 13 Mar ‘The medieval peasant house in the Midlands’ Nat Alcock, 27 Mar     ‘The Trevelyans: a successful Somerset family’, 15 May ‘Black people in English localities since 1600: sources and significance David Lillingray, 29 May ‘Classicism after Grainger: Classical architecture in Newcastle upon Tyne 1870-1914’, 12 June ‘Archaeology and history in the Driffield area’ (title tbc) Alan Thacker, www.history.ac.uk/events/seminars/129

The 2012 programme for BALH Lectures in Local History at Wolfson College, Cambridge  is as follows: 17 February 2012 Professor David Killingray ‘Black people in English localities: sources and significance’

Professor Killingray is Emeritus Professor at Goldsmiths College, and Senior Research Fellow in the School of Advanced Studies, University of London, and

4^t May 2012    Dr Adam Longcroft, title to be announced.

Dr Longcroft is senior lecturer in the School of Continuing Education, University of East Anglia. His research is on vernacular architecture and local history. Further details from Dr E Lord, Wolfson College, Cambridge CB3 9BB, email eal22@cam.ac.uk 

The Centre for West Midlands History, University of Birmingham, is planning its programme for 2012. The first event is Staffordshire History Day on Saturday 4 February, to be held in Stafford. The Centre’s annual conference will be held from 30 March to 1 April, and is entitled’ The emergence of the West Midlands: culture, communities and change 1779-1918’. www.historycultures.bham.ac.uk email m.m.dick@bham.ac.uk

The continuing fascination of Jack the Ripper was represented recently at an international conference at Drexel University, Philadelphia. Dr Drew Gray, a Senior Lecturer in the History of Crime, School of Social Sciences, The University of Northampton, presented a keynote address to 100 delegates. He developed the theme of his most recent book London’s Shadows (Continuum, 2010) discussing the Ripper murders in the context of social conditions of Whitechapel in the 1880s,and was joined by a prestigious panel of speakers from academia, former detectives, profilers and Ripperologists at ‘Jack the Ripper through a wider lends: An interdisciplinary conference’. www.northampton.ac.uk/news

For the sixth summer, Hendon and District Archaeological Society held a week of excavation at Hendon School. On the final day of the dig in 2010 over 100 sherds of early medieval pottery had been found, so the plan for 2011 was to follow up this discovery. Some 260 volunteer pupils were given experience of practical archaeology, a huge organisational task at the same time as continuing the excavation of the site. Concurrent building work on a new sixth-form centre had the disadvantage that surfaces were churned by lorries, but the advantage that their machinery was used for de-turfing an back-filling. Again significant quantities of 12^th and 13^th century pottery was found, and is currently being analysed. www. hadas.org.uk