Maps for Family and Local History shows how three great land surveys can provide information on ancestral homes, as well as fascinating historical snapshots of specific areas. Covering 1836 to 1943, the Tithe, Valuation Office, and National Farm Surveys provide a wealth of information on rural and urban localities, on dwellings, settlements, and landscapes as well as the status of householders. The text gives the rationale behind the surveys and covers each in detail. Fully updated by map experts from The National Archives, this illustrated guide is the perfect companion to researching those maps.

This guide shows you how three great land surveys can provide information on your ancestor's home as well as historical snapshots of your area. The tithe, Valuation Office and National Farm surveys were comparable to the Domesday Book in their coverage. Spanning the period 1836-1943, they provide abundant information on rural and urban localities; on dwellings, settlements and landscapes; and on individual householders and tenants, farmers and industrialists. The surveys are of value to family and local historians. This guide is your companion to researching these records. The text explains why and how the surveys were made, and shows you how to identify and interpret the records that will put your ancestors or neighbourhood 'on the map'.

This 1997 book is a standard reference to the 1910 'New Domesday' data; essential for historians of Edwardian Britain.

Popular television programmes highlight the satisfaction that can be gained from investigating the history of houses, and there is always plenty of interest in the subject, with archives becoming ever more accessible with access to the internet. As the subject covers a broad field, the authors have set out to include advice on those aspects that usually apply to a project and others that will be of particular use for beginners. The reader is guided through every stage of research, from the first exploration of the archives to the completion of the task. Suggestions are also included on how to present the findings – a house history makes a very attractive gift. The authors describe how to deduce the age of a property (it is very seldom directly recorded when a house was built) and characteristics of research on particular types of property – such as cottages, manor houses, inns, mills, former church properties, and farms – are discussed. In one example, research demonstrated that a farm was likely to have been a Domesday manor – a fascinating discovery achieved using records accessible to any beginner.

Do you want to know more about the history of your house, find out about the lives of former inhabitants, and discover more about the local community in which your house stands? Pamela Brooks, author of "How to Research Local History" will help you get started. She'll take you step by step along a fascinating trail of discovery, starting with the building itself and progressing to who lived there. Contents: 1. Introduction; 2. Preparing to research; 3. Secondary sources; 4. The Architecture of Your House - External Features; 5. The Architecture of Your House - Internal Features; 6. The building itself: Maps, Photographs and Sketches; 7. The Building Itself: Other Documents; 8. Who Lived There? Deeds and Taxation Records; 9. Who lived there? Personal Records; 10. Other sources; Appendices; Index.