CHAPTER 10 - Manuscripts and Records

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the role of manuscripts and records in the local government. The two main sources of local government documents are the Public Record Office and the Local Record Office, usually a separate County Record Office in counties but often a part of the Local History Library in municipalities. The local university can also have sizeable collections. Having ascertained what record repositories there are, guides to the material available in them should be consulted. The Historical Manuscripts Commission and the National Register of Archives also issue an annual List of Accessions to Repositories. The National Register of Archives, Quality House, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, London, WC 2, is usually willing to give what help it can to locate material. The local record society is usually willing to help and many of them have an active publishing program. Furthermore, How to read Local Archives, 1550-1700 (the Historical Association, 1968), is a typical example of the kind of pamphlet material published by the Historical Association and the British Records Association. This one is written to encourage those interested in English history.