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Research in Local and Regional History

Lancaster, painted by John Weld in 1836

The department's location makes it an excellent base to study the diverse and distinctive history of north-west England, a region which encompasses a hugely varied environment, including both the Lake District and the 'dark satanic mills' of Lancashire and a wide spectrum of rural, maritime and industrial communities. That diversity makes the region an ideal 'laboratory' in which important historical themes of wider significance can be explored and challenged.

Staff whose research has a local or regional dimension include Dr Alexander Grant, Dr Ian Gregory, Professor Keith Stringer and Dr Angus Winchester. There is a strong record of research into the history of north-west England among the department's postgraduate community, with several recent and current postgraduate research students undertaking work in this area, or carrying out research at local or regional level in other geographical contexts.

The Department effectively acts as a 'hub' to a broader network of researchers, connecting the expertise in the staff with other well-qualified research historians in the region, the activities of local historical and archaeological societies and regional archivists. Personal and institutional contacts exist with North West Regional Archives Council, the Lancashire Record Office and Cumbria Archive Service, the National Archives, local museums and libraries, and regional historical societies across the region. The Department's research complements the study days and conferences and publications of the Centre for North-West Regional Studies.

The Department is also the base for a community of Honorary Research Fellows and Associates, many of whom are actively engaged in research into the history of the north-west England.

Research Projects

Members of the Department have worked or are working on the following projects which have a local or regional focus:

  • Contested Common Land: Environmental Governance, Law and Sustainable Land Management c.1600-2006,
  • Cumbrian Manorial Records (supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund),
  • A study of the historical papers of Edward Baines and Edwin Butterworth,
  • Cumbrian Archives: an introductory guide to historical sources held in the county's archives, libraries and museums,
  • John Denton's history of Cumberland c.1600 (supported by the British Academy),
  • An exploration and digitalisation of the official records of the Palatinate of Lancaster, stretching from the 15th to the 19th century.
  • Victoria County History of Cumbria project,
  • Village Byelaws: a project aiming to build a corpus of agrarian byelaws from northern England in the late-medieval and early modern periods.

    • Image: One of a series of watercolours by John Weld. Reproduced with kind permission of the Lancashire County Record Office, Preston.

    Page last updated: 09 July 2010

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