Skills and Sources for Family and Local History in England module (RM50012)

This module is about the sources that are found in English archives. It also covers the skills needed to support local and family history users.

There are a wide range of record types in English archives which are relevant to local and family history users. In this module you will learn what sources are available, how to find them and how to read and use them. 

You will look at local and national series of records and at the archives themselves. This will cover their form, structure, function and meaning.

The main source material will be records that were created by:

• local authorities and their main functions
• churches
• civil courts
• families
• estates
• businesses
• organisations

The module also explores the local functions that generate record types. It also examines the context that affected the contents of records.

You will also consider how to understand and interpret the information held in these sources accurately. You will consider the challenges in making records understandable and accessible. This will also cover how to select and present relevant record types for users. 

What will you learn

In this module you will:

• gain an overview of the main record types generated, or held, locally in England from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries
• develop palaeographic skills
• obtain the ability to interpret legal aspects of English documents
• develop a contextual understanding of English local archives. This will be done through study of the bodies or functions that created them
• have the ability to locate and utilise appropriate primary sources for English historical or genealogical research

By the end of the module, you will be able to:

• interpret and understand the form and purpose of a wide range of English primary sources
• identify pertinent archive sources for particular genealogical or historical researches
• comprehend the evolving structures of English local society from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries
• synthesise and present research findings
• understand the relationship between different record types at the local and national level
• have a greater knowledge and confidence in using the archives held by local record offices
• read a wide variety of manuscripts written in English from the seventeenth century onwards

Assignments / assessment

Coursework (100%) consisting of: 

• essay (30%)
• report (30%) 
• assessed tasks (30%) 
• discussion board participation (10%) 

This module does not have a final exam.

Teaching methods / timetable

• independent study (100%)