Archives & Libraries

For many people the first access they have with history outside of school is in the local library. Libraries are often the repository of huge swathes of local knowledge and expertise, while national libraries hold the key to pulling local knowledge together. In many places across the UK the library...

The Sheffield Branch of the Historical Association is a very active one. In addition to our monthly meetings we organise a range of study visits, from one-day trips to longer residential tours in the UK and occasionally in mainland Europe. In recent years, these have included visits to Portsmouth, Lincoln and Newark, Newcastle and Northumberland, and the battlefields of Waterloo....

Peter Stanley is working on the largely unexplored history of the thousands of British Territorial soldiers who served in India during the First World War using their letters and diaries. He is trying to discover what happened to these men when they returned to Britain. Did their service in India...

The Bibliography of British and Irish History (BBIH) is the most extensive guide available to published writing on British and Irish history.  It covers the history of British and Irish relations with the rest of the world, including the British empire and the Commonwealth, as well as British and Irish...

For advice and information about working as a Librarian or Information Professional, take a look at the following information from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) website. CILIP is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers. They provide practical support for members throughout their careers...

For advice and information about working in Archives, take a look at the following information from the Archives and Records Association website. The Archives and Records Association is the leading professional body for archivists, archive conservators and records managers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The principal aims of the...

In the last two decades or so there has been a movement towards digitising large collections of original sources. These projects have had a range of purposes, approaches and target audiences but there can be little doubt that they have had a profound impact on the practice of history in...

Undergraduate University of Hertfordshire Public History is a minor option at the University of Hertfordshire. It can be combined with other humanities subjects in the following courses: BA (Hons) English Language & Communication with Public History BA (Hons) English Literature with Public History BA (Hons) History with Public History BA...

In this short video Professor Mark Ormrod, Dr Jessica Lutkin and Dr Jonathan Mackman discuss their work on the England's Immigrants 1330-1550 project and give an idea of how they use primary medieval sources in their historical research.

The following podcasts are from an interview between Dr Andrew Foster, chair of our Public History Committee with Professor Miles Taylor, Director of the Institute of Historical Research. The podcasts look at the work of the IHR - what it aims to do for the historical profession and wider public, the...

Podcast of a second interview between Dr Andrew Foster from the Historical Association and member of The National Archives' Strategic Academic Stakeholder Forum and Oliver Morley, Chief Executive and Keeper, The National Archives, which took place on 6 December 2011. The interview covers the strategic challenges faced by The National...

Many people are fascinated by the rich cultural heritage to be discovered in art, literature, music and historic buildings. However the fact that so much of this heritage has been substantially shaped by Christian belief and practice can pose a major problem of access and understanding for those who lack...

Untold Live - British Library History Blog The British Library's collections contain stories of people's lives worldwide, from the dawn of history to the present day. They are told through the written word, images, audio-visual and digital materials. The Untold Lives blog shares those stories, providing fascinating and unusual insights...

An HA Podcasted Guide to starting your research in local and national archives featuring Dr Nick Barratt.

In this podcast Dr Nick Barratt discusses the challenges to archives in the digital age.

Large numbers of estate maps and surveys have been ‘discovered' and acquired by local record offices in the past thirty years; they are still being received at an encouraging rate. Descriptive surveys antedate local estate maps, which, apart from a few somewhat crude examples, do not appear as accurate records...

At the time of probate or administration being granted, executors of administrators were required to produce to the court an inventory of the deceased's goods, chattels, and credits, not only for the protection of the executors and the relatives of the deceased, but as a basis for the calculation of...

A rate is a levy for local purposes based on an assessment of the yearly value of property. Rates of various kinds were levied spasmodically in different parts of the country from at least the fourteenth century onward, e.g. Drainage and Bridge rates, Church rates, etc., and occasionally lists of...