"A superb new book . . . explores the history of Britain's first National Park from the Stone Age to the modern day . . . lavishly illustrated."—Reflections MagazineThe moors of the Peak District provide some of the finest walking country in England. The pleasure of rambling across them is enhanced by a knowledge of their history, ranging from prehistoric times and the middle ages to their conversion for grouse shooting and the struggle for the "right to roam" in m...

This highly informative book covers the history of the ancient parish of Penistone from early times to the present day and combines a scholarly account with personal memories of the district in the 1940s. Much of the character of the ancient parish of Penistone was formed in the 19th century, when textile mills, steel works and the railways provided work for the growing population.

A look at how our ancestors shaped the South Yorkshire human landscape over the centuries from the author of The Grass Roots of English History.South Yorkshire has some of the most varied countryside in England, ranging from the Pennine moors and the wooded hills and valleys in the west to the estate villages on the magnesian limestone escarpment and the lowlands in the east. Each of these different landscapes has been shaped by human activities over the c...

This book combines linguistic and historical approaches with the latest techniques of DNA analysis and shows the insights these offer for every kind of genealogical research. It focuses on British names, tracing their origins to different parts of the British Isles and Europe and revealing how names often remain concentrated in the districts where they first became established centuries ago. In the process the book casts fresh light on the ancient peopling of the British Isles. The authors...

In medieval and early modern Britain, people would refer to their local district as their 'country', a term now largely forgotten but still used up until the First World War. Core groups of families that remained rooted in these 'countries', often bearing distinctive surnames still in use today, shaped local culture and passed on their traditions. In The Grass Roots of English History, David Hey examines the differing nature of the various local societies that were found throughou...

The Oxford Companion to Family and Local History is the most authoritative guide available to all things associated with the family and local history of the British Isles. It provides practical and contextual information for anyone enquiring into their English, Irish, Scottish, or Welsh origins and for anyone working in genealogical research, or the social history of the British Isles. This fully revised and updated edition contains over 2,000 entries from adoption to World War re...

Considered to be the classic introduction to the subject, this third edition has been carefully revised and updated to take account of the developments in the subject, and includes an extensive newly compiled bibliography and twice the number of illustrations as in previous editions.

This is a book for those thousands of family historians who have already made some progress in tracing their family tree and have become interested in the places where their ancestors lived, worked and raised children. It emphasises the diversity and extraordinary complexity of the rural and urban communities in provincial England even before the great changes associated with the Industrial Revolution.

Exploring West Yorkshire's History - is a journey through the wonderfully varied landscape of West Yorkshire, and examines its rich history through contemporary colour photographs and words. Many of the areas we will explore throughout our journey have been designated Areas of Outstanding Beauty. West Yorkshire is a place of history and legend, with its many ruined castles and abbeys. Moving from its ancient origins to its modern day splendour, the guide invites you to discover one of the ...

A facsimile edition of Bradshaw's Handbook of 1863, the book that inspired the BBC television series 'Great British Railway Journeys'.When Michael Portillo began the series 'Great British Railway Journeys', a well-thumbed 150-year-old book shot back to fame. The original Bradshaw's guides had been well known to Victorian travellers and were produced when the British railway network was at its peak and as tourism by rail became essential. It was the first n...

A superb guide to Britain's villages, towns and connecting railways, dating from 1866.'Hard to put down ... truthful and opinionated, often funny but never predictable ... the finest travelling companion.' – Michael Portillo on George Bradshaw.Unavailable for many years and much sought after, this classic guide book is now faithfully reissued for a new generation. Bradshaw's Railway Handbook was originally published in 1866 under the title Brad...

In addition to his high-profile railway lines, Isambard Kingdom Brunel was engineer to a number of minor and branch lines including those from Slough to Windsor, Didcot to Oxford and from there via the OWWW - generally known as the 'Old Worse & Worse' - across to Moreton, Evesham, Pershore and up through Worcester to Wolverhampton, the Gloucester to Cheltenham line, as well as the railways to Ross and Hereford, plus additional lines in Wiltshire, Somerset and South Wales. 'Seldom has the g...