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House history research - an introduction
From Your Archives
These pages provide a brief introduction to sources for the history of houses. House history can be enormously rewarding, though it is rarely straightforward. Research into the history of your house can be divided roughly into two main areas: the ownership and occupation of your property, and its building and architectural history, but the sources available are often useful for both.
Contents |
Introduction
Before visiting The National Archives or your local record office, some preliminary research is advisable. If you are uncertain about the age of your house, you might find it helpful to consult one of the many books now available which describe the development of British architectural styles, and which can help you to roughly identify the period in which your house was built. A number of these are listed in the bibliography.
Published local histories can also provide valuable background information. England is particularly well served by the Victoria History of the Counties of England, a project begun in 1899. Some counties are now completely covered, and work is in progress on thirteen more.
If your house is of particular interest architecturally, you may be lucky enough to find a mention of it in one of the Pevsner architectural guides.
More detailed descriptions of buildings listed as being of special architectural or historic interest have been published by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and related departments. Some 360,000 buildings have been listed in England alone. The National Monuments Record operates an online enquiry service about English buildings: information about this service can be found on the English Heritage website. In Scotland, copies of statutory lists of buildings are held both at the National Monuments Record for Scotland (website) and by Historic Scotland (website). A searchable database is available on the Historic Scotland website. For enquiries about historic buildings in Wales, contact the National Monuments Record of Wales (website). The National Monuments Records for England, Scotland and Wales each hold extensive additional information, including photographs and surveys, relating to a great many buildings of historic or architectural interest.
Other published sources worth consulting include local directories, which were issued in large numbers in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The National Archives' library holds a good selection. The level of detail contained in local directories could vary considerably, but if you are lucky you might find that your area was well covered. Some directories contain street-by-street lists of houses and their principal occupants. Remember though that house numbers might have changed in the intervening years.
Sources for house history
This following summaries provide a guide to the types of material available for the study of house history. It is by no means an exhaustive guide, but aims to highlight some of the most useful of the many sources of information available.
- Title deeds
- Manorial documents
- Taxation records
- Probate records - Wills can provide important information about houses and their fixtures and fittings. Even more useful for the house historian are probate inventories and accounts. Inventories vary greatly in the amount of detail provided, but if you are lucky they may include minute room-by-room descriptions of houses and their contents.
- Census returns
- Maps for local history research
- Building plans
- Rate books
- 1910-1915 Valuation Office Maps and Books
Further reading
The following list includes guides to tracing the history of your house, a selection of useful books on architectural history, and major architectural and topographical surveys.
General guides
- Nick Barratt, Tracing the History of Your House (Public Record Office, 2001)
- NW Alcock, Documenting the History of Houses (London, British Records Association, 2003)
- Bill Breckon and Jeffrey Parker, Tracing the History of Houses (Countryside Books, 1991)
- A A Dibben, Title Deeds (Historical Association, 1971)
- David Iredale, Sources for the History of Houses (Shire Publications, 1977)
- Julie Myerson, Home. The story of everyone who ever lived in our house (Flamingo, 2004) - a biography of her house in Lillieshall Road, Clapham and the people who had lived there since it was built - with a description of her research and sources used.
- Short Guides to Records (Historical Association, 2 vols 1994, 1997)
Local guides
- Guide to Research No. 4: History of Houses (Gwent County Record Office, nd)
- A Guide to Sources for Tracing the History of a House or Property in Norfolk (Norfolk Record Office, nd)
- Tracing the History of Your House (Sheffield Archives: Local History Guides No. 1, revised 1991)
Surveys
- The Pevsner Architectural Guides (Buildings of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) (Penguin Books and Yale University Press, 1951-present)
- The Victoria History of the Counties of England (Institute of Historical Research, 1900-present)
- The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England: county inventories and thematic surveys (1912-99)
- Survey of London: parish volumes and monograph series (1900-present)
Architectural history sources
- M W Barley, The English Farmhouse and Cottage (1961)
- M W Barley, The Buildings of the Countryside 1500-1750 (Cambridge University Press, 1990)
- R W Brunskill, Illustrated Handbook of Vernacular Architecture (Faber & Faber, 1971)
- H M Colvin, A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600-1840 (3rd edition, Yale University Press,1995) (new edition in preparation)
- Nicholas Cooper, Houses of the Gentry 1480-1680 (Yale University Press, 1999)
- Stefan Muthesius, The English Terraced House (1982)
- John Summerson, Architecture in Britain 1530-1830 (9th edition, 1993)
