If there is not already a local history society in your area you may wish to set one up. Broadly there are three ways in which a local history group gets started. The first is when a course of university extension lectures in a village or town has encouraged the formal setting up of a group to study in greater detail the history of a locality. The second, which may be a development of the first, is the desire to publish an account of the parish either in the form of a complete history of articles on various aspects of its past. Thirdly, and perhaps most frequently, there are one or more enthusiastic people who encourage others to share their interest in what happened over the centuries in the area in which they live.

Assuming that the desire for a local history group exists, a first step must be to find out if there is any organisation doing similar work already. For example, is there a village or town "civic society" which concerns itself with the past? Does the Parochial Church Council have any interest in or knowledge of the history of their church? Or the Parish Council? Is there a local Branch of the Devonshire Association or of the Devon Archaeological Society? Sometimes the Women's Institute preserves records donated by its members and so has information of value. If none of these bodies is doing the work of an LHS then the way is pen to start a separate and special group but their co-operation is always worth having.

The aim of any LHS must be the study of its own and adjoining areas and the dissemination of the information that it accumulates. This should be stated clearly in its Constitution or Rules. But the aim does not impose limits on a Group's activities since obviously your area will have been affected by what has happened elsewhere.

Any group tends to divide into those who want to be told the history of their village and those who wish to find it out for themselves. A division in fact between the supporters and the doers. To maintain a viable society it is essential to keep a balance between the two. The doers will probably have as their aim the publication of the results of their studies while the more passive members will expect talks and outings, with no contribution expected from themselves. Experience has shown that a group of people brought together for the purpose, say, of writing a parish history tend to break up once the work is done. Equally a groups dependent on a constant flow of speakers will find it increasingly difficult to maintain that flow. If the general aim of accumulating and disseminating knowledge of the history of a community is to be attained, there must be a compromise. The paragraphs that follow suggest some means to that end.

Whatever the reasons that lead to the decision to found an LHS, an early public meeting is essential. This meeting will establish likely membership, the inclinations of potential members, and possible income. It will also give some indication whether publication is a live issue. Supposing, then, that the launching ceremony is successful and that ad hoc officers and committee have been appointed, various issues will need to be agreed for presentation to the first annual general meeting for ratification. These are considered in the following paragraphs.

2. RULES

These should be as simple as possible but should include:

a) Aims. Area to be studied and dissemination about it.

b) Membership. Qualifications, types of membership, payment of subscriptions.

c) AGM, quorum, election of officers and committee approval of subscription for following year and approval of accounts.

d) Powers of officers and committee, co-option.

e) Properties, funds, donations.

f) Any special activities. Publications, lectures, resource collections

g) Provisions for special meetings and winding up of group.

The following rules are based, with permission, on those of the Uffculme Local History Group and provide an example for Groups operating at a modest and not too complex level:

In setting up a group a certain amount of expenditure will be inevitable. Tactically it is better for the initiators to either give or advance the necessary cash than to approach, say, the Parish Council for help. Later you may need their aid for publication or for an exhibition. Councils and similar bodies are often reluctant to give twice!

In setting a subscription it is necessary to estimate probable expenditure. This is likely to fall under the following headings:

a) Hire of meeting place.

b) Secretarial and miscellaneous expenses.

c) Advertising of meetings. This may include insertions in the Parish Magazine, for which some sort of financial contribution may be expected. Small posters on the parish and other notice boards are useful, and a printed version with a logo, if any, leaving blank space for particulars of meetings is worth considering.

d) Speakers. Few groups are able to pay for professional speakers. While talks by people employed by local government are sometimes treated by them as duty visits both they and private speakers should be offered travelling expenses which are normally "petrol costs". It is a welcome gesture if a light meal is offered to anyone coming from a distance.

e) Publications. One essential publication is a card giving the year's programme of events and with names and addresses of officers and committee. The advantage of separating the costs of this and other publications from those of running the group is worth considering.

f) Exhibitions. This will vary considerably depending on whether the exhibition is a touring one for which the group will be responsible only for fixed charges such as insurance, or whether it is the group's own.

g) Outside visits. These can prove expensive, especially if transport is hired. It is prudent to make each visit self-supporting and, if a bus is booked, to get members' shares of the cost in advance!

Sections 41 and 42 below are activities all groups will wish to be involved in. The other activities are special projects, many of which demand teamwork.

Further reading:
Rogers, A. (ed). Group projects in local history. (1977).

In the early days of a group it is useful to have two kinds of talks: on general subjects and on the availability of sources. The first, for example, could cover the history of Devon agriculture, communications, landscape, industries etc. The second would describe published works and their availability and what is to be found in Record Offices and specialist libraries and how to use that material. You may be fortunate in having a member who has already done some work on the parish or there may be a neighbouring group, the history of whose parish is closely related to that of yours. But for the first couple of years or so there should be no lack of subjects to be handled by outside speakers.

Apart from explanatory visits to Record Offices, museums etc, there is an advantage in seeing building and places with historical similarities to your own. Often there will be a LHG willing to help with the arrangements. If the group attracts a substantial membership, then distant visits become possibilities.

An exhibition on the general history of the village or a particular phase, if roperly presented, is a useful advertisement for a Group. If it commemorates a particular event you may be able to secure the cooperation of the Parish and/or Parochial Church Councils. Much of the substance will generally be in the form of illustrations or diagrams. In the likely event of the Group not being able to afford modern presentation techniques, you will be dependent on the abilities of your members. If you have a register of material in private hands you may be able to persuade the owners to lend it but remember your liabilities to them. Insurnace may be necessary, duty stewards while the exhibition is open will be essential.

Further reading:
Gray, V. and Liddell, B. Running a local history fair. (British Association, 1989).

Schools may be less willing to help than in the past because of the demands of the national curriculum. Nevertheless schools normally have parish packs of historical information supplied by Devon Library Services and would probably welcome interested individual who would be prepared to keep such packs in order and add to them. Indeed the scholol may be a useful base for the society, especially if members can be involded in giving talks to students. There are a wide range of other possibilities for cooperation from joint meetings to the production of a historical map of the village.

This can be recorded by individual members or at a LHS meeting. If the latter, a topic should be chosen and a moderator appointed to guide the discussion. Arguably the collecting and preserving of local history is one of the most useful activities a group can perform.

Further reading:
Humphries, S. The handbook of oral history: recording life stories. (Inter-Action Imprint, 1984).
Thompson, P. The voice of the past. (Oxford University Press, 1978).
Oral History Society. Website.

46. Recording the present (landscape, buildings)

The reconstruction of the geography of the village at different periods is a fascinating if frustrating undertaking. The sources for such a study will have been described in the early talks and individuals can be encouraged to contribute the history of their own houses. Listed building should always be noted and an eye kept on structures which English Heritage might be asked to consider listing.

Further reading:
Brunskill, R.W. Illustrated handbook of vernacular architecture. (Faber, 1971).

47 Indexing and transcribing /P>

It is important that all members of teams that are involved in transcribing and indexing should be working to the same guidelines. There are various standards laid down but some conventions are generally accepted, for example the use of square brackets for supplying information which is not present in the original document, the use of dots, normally in square brackets [...] to indicate material omitted in transcription. There are also various ways of expanding abbreviations. Examination of sample volumes of the new series of the Devon and Cornwall Record Society can show how these and other problems have been dealt with in a wide range of records.

Further reading:
Elliott, B.J. "The problems of indexing a local newspaper." Local historian 14:3 (1980) p.143-148

Inevitably the group will attract offers of objects of varying value and interest. Sometimes it will not be possible to refuse these without causing offence or without the item being destroyed. The storage of such things presents obvious problems and, unless a secure room or part of one can be got to store them, they will probably end up in some member's garage. A museum is not a practical proposition for an ordinary group but a secure storge place in which artefacts and records can be kept is always useful. Nevertheless the preservation of items which are a part of a village's past is important. One way of doing this is to establish a voluntary register and when an owner leaves the area to try to ascertain, as far as possible, what is going to happen to the items he or she is holding.

This can make or break a group. Some indication of the range of possible publications is given elsewhere with outlines of some of the problems. The publication of a newsletter demands the services of an editor, access to a cheap source of duplication and a continuing supply of new material. The abilities of members in desk-top publishing or word processing can considerably reduce costs.

Further reading:
Devon record Office. Stopping the rot: archive preservation good practice (2000)
Banks, N. Preservation of library materials. (Newberry Library, 1978).
Moor, L.I. & A. Conserving photographs. (Bishopsgate press, 1978).

When a Local History Group is founded it should be the start of an association that will outlive its founders. To ensure this it should seek to establish itself as a normaly part of village life, as usual as the football club or the Mothers' Union. This implies a broad based membership and avoiding any implication that to belong any especial educational qualifications are required. The only qualification is an interest in the past. Given the current population trends in most Devon villages, many of the initial members will be incomers, most of them retired. While, inevitably, the latter will play a large part in organising the new society, it is vital that the "old" villagers be involved in every stage of its development. It is on their knowledge that much of its work will be based. Remember that the LHG is not only recording the past for the present but is enabling the future to assess the present!

Advertisement is important both to attract members and interest. Apart from obvious channels such as the Parish Magazine or local paper, if one exists, church fetes and similar events give opportunities for displays and the sale of publications, if available. It may be possible to raise cash as well as interest by medieval tombola or the like! The aim of publicity is two-fold: to add to your membership and to encourage fellow villagers to come to you with information of all kinds.

These notes are intended to be of help mainly to societies in small towns and villages. In most cities organisations already exist but that is no reason for not considering a new body for an individual parish or to study a particular aspect of the city's history. Good luck - and don't forget to register your new society with the Devon History Society and with the County Local Studies Librarian.

Further reading:
Paget, M. Running a local history society (1988)