Finding and Using Primary Sources

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Finding and Using Primary Sources

• Original Sources
• Your own records oral or manuscript
• Hard copy/microform reproductions
• Lancaster University Library
• National Archives
• Local Sources near you wherever you live..
• University Holdings
• County Record Offices
• Libraries and Museums
• Specialist Collections film, photos, oral
  history, businesses, organisations etc

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Translations and Reproductions in Book Form

• Lots of these in the library
• Use FULL SEARCH facility on Library Catalogue
• Try searching for Documents and Elizabeth or
  Russian or Hitler etc
• Try State Papers or Privy Council
• OR Browse the shelves, especially at MWVA for
  regional material or oversize books for other
  parts of the country/world

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Translations and Reproductions in Book Form

• Chertham Society (Lancashire and Cheshire many
  reproductions of early modern texts) L6
• Lancashire and Cheshire Record Society L6
• Lancashire Parish Register Society L6
• Catholic Record Society
• Tudor and Stuart State Papers and Acts of the
  Privy Council MU5 B Floor and more in (and Legal
  History collection)

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University Library Archives

• Rare Books Archive
• Patten Collection of WW2 leaflets (1000)
• Jack Hylton collection
• Specific collections eg Quaker, Railway, Local
  Newspapers, History of Lancaster University
• Microfiche/film collections (search microtext)
  eg..
• Newspapers New York Times, Illustrated London
  News, Punch
• Mass Observation (1930s social surveys))
• Butterworth MSS (1830s)
• Womens journals of early 20th century
• Political papers Conservative party Home Office

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All British Government Reports covering virtually
every aspect of British and Imperial
History Available Pre 1800 and post 1900
Microfiche/card using BOPCRIS for guide 1800-1900
Full Text searchable through Metalib but BOPCRIS
useful summary
6
Parliamentary Papers MicroficheIndex on CD
ROM - ask at library enquiries desk Online
summary of papers from mid 18th late 20th
century at BOPCRIS
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• Gaols and houses of correction, England and
  Wales third report
• Short titleGaols and houses of correction,
  England and Wales
• Corporate authorHouse of Lords.Select Committee
  on Gaols and Houses of Correction (England and
  Wales)
• ChairmanDuke of Richmond
• AbstractThe inspections of the Visiting Justices
  have had a beneficial effect on the state of
  prison discipline. As recommended in the Second
  Report, specific days should be set aside for
  these visits, but for the greatest benefits the
  visits should be 'frequent and unexpected'.Those
  prisons under 'corporate or peculiar
  jurisdictions' found to be unable to impose
  adequate levels of discipline should have their
  prisoners removed to the custody of the County
  Prisons, and the expenses for those prisoners
  should be met by the bodies previously
  responsible. The prison ships, or hulks,
  present special problems. Separation and silence
  are impossible to achieve in the same way as in a
  prison, and the circumstances of the labour
  carried out by convicts on the hulks are less
  likely to lead to reform. The number of boys held
  on the hulks is a cause for concern. Many are
  held for several years, until they have reached
  the age at which they may be transported (14
  years). Their situation leads to further
  corruption. Provision of religious instruction is
  inadequate to address the problem. Convicts
  sentenced to transportation should only be sent
  to the hulks en route to the Penal Colonies, and
  none should stay permanently. Boys should not be
  kept on the hulks at all, and some unused
  barracks or fort should be found to accommodate
  them. The question of secondary punishments
  should be considered by Parliament as soon as
  possible
• Tables, pictures etcDetails of prisoners held in
  some London prisons, abstracts of answers from
  governors of approximately 90 gaols in England
  and Wales.
• Date presented etcSigned July, 1835
• Other featuresReport minutes of evidence
  appendices

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1800-1900 Full Text searchable through
Metalib but BOPCRIS useful summary
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Original Manuscript Materials on Microfiche in
the Library

• Butterworth Reports on Oldham to Manchester
  Newspapers
• 1830-1842
• Microfiche specify Microtext in University
  Catalogue

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On Line Sources available through Metalib

• EEBO Early English Books On Line
• ECCO 18th century books
• Times Digital Archive (1785-1985)
• Lexis Nexis (Times and other newspapers since
  1985)
• Film and Sound Online eg Soviet Film on
  Anglo-British Cultural Relations 1956

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On Line Sources Originals and Reproductions

• Web and CD resources
• Enrich (150 links to NOF sites)
• WW1 archive
• Cartoon Centre (Kent University)
• Old Bailey On line
• Historical Directories On line
• Workhouses
• Early English Journals
• PatheNews (20th century newsreels)
• British History Online (early modern)
• Use Google but often best sought through
  dedicated gateways which provide links eg
• History Dept On Line Resources
• HUMBUL

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Internet Sources

• Hallsall Internet Source Books
• Internet African History Sourcebook
• Internet East Asian History Sourcebook
• Internet Global History Sourcebook
• Internet Indian History Sourcebook
• Internet Islamic History Sourcebook
• Internet Jewish History Sourcebook
• Internet History of Science Sourcebook
• Internet Women's History Sourcebook
• People With a History An Online Guide to
  Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans History

Netserf Medieval Resources
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Archives- near you?

• National Archives
• Local archives eg county record offices,
  local studies centres
• University Archives
• Specialist archives business, film, etc

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National Archives

• National Archives Kew
• British Library (books and manuscripts) St
  Pancras London
• British Newspaper Library Colindale, Hendon
• Scotland Edinburgh
• Wales Aberystwyth
• Ireland Dublin

These contain national official documents of
whatever sort PLUS a huge amount of other related
materials check their catalogues 9m records at
National Archives
15
Local Archives much Historical Material is kept
locally
Carlisle Public Library (also film of pageant)
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County Record Offices, Archives and Local Studies
Centre

• Established from 1940s
• Primary function to preserve OFFICIAL documents
  related to a county
• Quarter Sessions
• County, Borough, Poor Law Union, Parish,
• Official Organisations Hospitals, Schools, Home
  Guard etc
• Church records
• Records of Landed Estates
• Societies and Businesses
• Individual Businesses
• Eg NINE miles of shelved records at Lancashire
  Record

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County Record Offices, Archives and Local Studies
Centre

• North West Examples
• Lancashire Record Office (Preston)
• Cumbria Archives (Barrow, Kendal, Whitehaven,
  Carlisle)
• Cheshire (Chester)
• Merseyside (Liverpool Wirral etc)
• Manchester (Greater Manchester Record Office,
  Manchester City Archives, John Rylands Library,
  Chethams, Oldham, Bolton, Trafford etc etc)

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Public Libraries Local Studies Centres

• The larger libraries hold primary materials,
  usually printed or on microfilm/fiche including
• Census 1841-1901
• Local Newspapers and Magazines ( c1800-)
• Local Trade and Street Directories
• Maps
• Printed Guides to the area
• Occasionally Manuscript Documents (letters etc)
• Photograph Collections
• Sometimes they list in their (on line) catalogue
• Lancashire County Library Catalogue
• Cumbria On line Catalogue
• (Try other counties to see if they have .)

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Local Archives Finding out what there is

• Archon
• National Register of Archives
• A2A (Access to Archives)
• Past Finder (Greater Manchester)
• AIM25 (London)
• Newsplan (location of local newspapers)
• Individual Catalogues on line (through the above
  sites)

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University Archives

• Archives Hub

Most universities, but especially the old ones,
have archive collections. Not all are accessible
or easy to use, but it is possible to think of
using some of them ArchivesHub is an online guide
to what is held where including Lancaster
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Specialist Archives

• Film Moving History A guide to UK film and TV
  archives
• Pathe News (Cinema Newsreels)
• Business eg
• National Cooperative Archive
• London Transport Museum
• Oral
• (Centre for North West Regional Studies in Fylde
  College)
• NW Sound Archive at Clitheroe
• Subject Based
• Imperial War Museum
• National Maritime Museum

NW Film Archive
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You need to know how Archivists THINK and
therefore CATALOGUE

• Most catalogues are NOT subject based like
  libraries and even attempts to include SUBJECT
  searches are not always successful what is a
  subject?
• Most titles of archive collections do not give
  much of an idea of what they can be used for..
  They catalogue by ORIGIN of source rather than by
  USES whether the KEYWORD you search for is in
  the title is pot-luck. Catalogues
• Some are on line
• NONE are complete whether on line or on paper

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Worked Example Gender, Disability and Community
WW1 casualties convalescence (Convalescent
Home Magazine in Lancs Record Office, Preston
secondary sources, web)
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Summing Up

• Choose something which interests you
• Be prepared to change subject depending on what
  you find
• Be realistic in your ambitions dont try to do
  too much FOCUS
• Consider using primary sources as a way in to
  find a subject find something in university
  library, local to you, or on the web - enjoy the
  search!
• Then check secondary sources to provide debates,
  questions, context, and structure

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Advice on Local Sources

• If you think you might like to use sources in
  this region please let me know before you submit
  your form since I have close contacts with
  several of them and I will try to get back in
  time!
• Mike Winstanley
• Email m.winstanley_at_lancaster.ac.uk

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FINISHED!!
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The Welcome Hut

• Ninety men arrive to-day!
• Order quickly what is needed!
• We can never say them nay
• Though the limit be exceeded
• When the cake I see their jaws on,
• I rejoice say Mrs. Dawson.