Perfect Christmas gifts for history buffs; feature by Barry Shurlock

THE desperate quest for something to give to loved ones at this time of year can be effortlessly satisfied by a huge range of books and society subscriptions on heritage and local history.

There are reckoned to be well over 100 local groups of one kind or another in the county. Almost all have a programme of talks (and walks), and publish a range of interesting books and papers that will open up the local landscape and stories of the past. To join or buy, just find the website – or failing that, look on the village noticeboard!

A must-join organization that has driven research in the county since 1885 is the Hampshire Field Club. Its publications are an under-visited treasure-house of information created by hundreds of historians, currently being feted in the HFC Celebrating Hampshire’s Historians project (for more, visit: balh.org.uk/blog-celebrating-hampshire-historians-a-southampton-perspective-2022-11-16).

HFC President Jo Bailey said: ‘Membership of the HFC would make a wonderful Christmas present for anyone interested in the county's past, allowing friends and family to be the first to hear about the latest discoveries and research into the county's archaeology, history, landscape and historic buildings.

‘Through its regular publications, talks and field trips, members can keep up-to-date, visit unusual places not normally open to the public, and hear directly from experts. We would love to have new members. To join, visit: www.hantsfieldclub.org.uk.’

The Hampshire Genealogical Society is a must for anyone with an interest in family history – and that includes all local historians (www.hgs-familyhistory.com). Subscription includes a quarterly Journal, The Hampshire Family Historian and free membership of a local group in 12 locations, including Winchester. HGS also has drop-in desks at the HRO, and Basingstoke Library, with plans to open ones at Fareham and Locks Heath.

HGS spokesperson Sue Stannard said: ‘Membership includes access to our Members Surname Interest Database allowing contact with other members researching the same name, and members-only data sets online, not available elsewhere. Members can also join National and International Zoom meetings on topics of interest to family historians.’ 

An organisation that at first thought might not be for historians is the Friends of Winchester Cathedral. However, until modern times the Diocese of Winchester was woven into the history of almost everywhere in the county.  Membership includes live-streamed talks and videos on a wide range of subjects (www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk).

FWC Chairman Bruce Parker said: "An annual subscription to the Friends gives free entrance to the Cathedral throughout the year.  For lovers of history and heritage, it provides a unique opportunity for young and old to study the life of the English nation over the past 1,000 years. Its stones tell the stories of our Kings and Queens, statesmen and politicians: Friends can enjoy informative talks throughout the year and monthly coffee mornings."

Step Into Anglo-Saxon Winchester is the latest show organised by the Hampshire Cultural Trust (www.878ad.co.uk). Staged in the Brooks Centre, Winchester, it’s a delight for lovers of the Assassin’s Creed ‘open-world action-adventure stealth video game’ and other immersive software experiences. It’s the perfect Christmas family treat – led by grandparents with debit cards!

Amongst the many features of the Hampshire Record Office in Winchester is a little-known bookshop on open access in the foyer. It’s packed with publications on all aspects of local history, including the Hampshire Papers, as well as low-priced second-hands books.

Other HRO products ideal for the Christmas stocking include CDs of tithe maps, bishops’ registers and pipe rolls (https://shop.hants.gov.uk/collections/hampshire-records-office).

The Hampshire Archives Trust, which provides another window into local history, is approaching its 40th birthday and membership is open to all. Its grants scheme provides cash for a wide range of projects – and it recently launched a schools competition for pupils aged 11-18.

HAT Secretary Sue Woolgar said: ‘The print Newsletter and the electronic HAT-Chat are leading lights for anyone with an interest in the past. A modest annual subscription helps to preserve Hampshire’s unique collections and enable more research into the past. There are also visits to places usually out of bounds for the public. To join visit: mem.sec@hampshirearchivestrust.co.uk.’

The Historical Association covers a wide spread of topics that help to put local history in a broader context (membership@history.org.uk). The January talk of the Winchester Branch, for example, is on Tudor Espionage! Branch secretary, Eleanor Yates said: ‘Membership of the HA would be a wonderful gift for Hampshire Chronicle readers.  We passionately believe that the study of history – in the classroom, at college, in the library or at home – should be accessible to all people at all levels.’

The British Association for Local History is for those who take an interest at the national level. Southampton historian Roger Ottewill recently led a session to make the case for more research on local politics, with examples of his own from the region. 

Vice-Chair Joe Saunders said: "BALH is the national charity for local history, supporting local historians and societies. We publish a quarterly academic journal and news magazine as well as a range of research guides. We also run in-person and online events. In 2023 we have a Local History Photographer of the Year competition and also, in partnership with The National Archives, a contest for the best writing on a 1920s local history subject."

For those already hooked by local history there are many books and papers that will deepen their interests – there’s no end to the reading and research that can be done!

High on the list is the Winchester volume of the British Historic Towns Series, edited by Martin Biddle and the late Derek Keene. It’s extraordinary good value for £70 plus delivery (www.oxbowbooks.com), with 17 historic maps from c.350 to 2017 (many repeated on a CD). There are also 11 plates with hundreds of engravings, paintings and photos of landmarks and an authoritative multi-author history of the city with a A-Z gazetteer. It's Volume 11 of the giftworthy Winchester Studies Series (www.winchesterstudies.org.uk).

Another real treat is Bill Hoade’s George Shepherd: Art & Life, 1784-1862 (Sarsen Press, 2021), limited to 310 copies with 242 illustrations, most in full colour and many of Winchester. It is a drooler’s dream and the finest piece of publishing in the county for a long while. For local stockists, email: billthebook2000@yahoo.co.uk.

Amongst a host of other ideas is the new Hampshire VCH ‘short’ on Dummer and Kempshott (vchshorts@gmail.com), as well as its other volumes on Steventon; Medieval Basingtoke; Mapledurwell; and Cliddesden, Hatch and Farleigh Wallop.

One of the best local history publications around is Brian Tippett’s Alresford Through Time, which distils years of work by the town’s historians (https://alresfordhistandlit.co.uk/). Also, on the gift list should be The Portsmouth Artillery Volunteers 1797-1908 the tale of the volunteer militia during the Napoleonic Wars (www.palmerstonfortssociety.org.uk). Much more on local military history is contained in the modestly priced publications by David Moore (david@victorianforts.co.uk).

Given Hampshire’s past, it is surprising that more historical fiction is not written. For the creative writer, the county’s history is a gift! Edward Fennell, founder of Hyde900, has made a start with Charter for Murder (Amazon and stocked by P&G Wells, Winchester, and The Long Barn, Bishop’s Sutton). Set in Winchester in 1381 it features key characters from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales with real-life figures such as John of Gaunt and William of Wykeham.

Ropley historian Chris Heal has also taken to the genre with Winchester Tales, which imagines how it was when William the Conqueror came in 1066 (candspublishing.org.uk). But don’t believe the book’s claim to be based on ‘pages of Gilbert of Bayeux’s manuscript …discovered in 2021… in the attic of a private house in Ropley’. The author admits that they are, in fact, ‘a distillation of fourteen original chronicles researched first hand in the archives in London, Rouen and Winchester’. So, it is fiction, but with ‘a thorough grounding in the record’. 

For the desperate last-minute shopper there is always Winchester market: some traders regularly offer interesting historic photographs of almost anywhere in the county.

barryshurlock@gmail.com