The landscape and people are the two most distinctive qualities of the Yorkshire Dales, and this book employs new sources and methods to help the reader see both in a different light. In earlier centuries, religious and social factors influenced the first names that were given to children. Distinctive surnames were inherited, and their expansion or decline can throw light on local communities, on migration and population growth. Place-names emerged from regional and customary practices tha...

The Making of Huddersfield' is not a systematic and chronological account of Huddersfield's growth but a series of illuminating snapshots which bring to life numerous aspects of the town and its surrounding area.Just 200 years ago Huddersfield was still a village. In a short time it was to become one of the most dynamic and vibrant towns in the north of England and this book traces the history of that development, from the early Middle Ages, through important changes in Tudor and Stuart ti...

Surnames have always provided key links in historical research. This groundbreaking new work shows that first names can also be highly significant for those tracing genealogies or studying communities. Standard works on first names have always concentrated on etymology. George Redmonds goes much further: he believes that every name has a precise origin and history of expansion, which can be regional or even local; up to c. 1700 it may even have centred on one family. This text fully explor...

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...

Exploring North Yorkshire's History - is a journey through the wonderfully varied landscape of North Yorkshire, and examines its rich history through contemporary colour photographs and words. North Yorkshire is England's largest county and being almost 100 miles wide and 65 miles long offers some of the country's most stunning scenery, from the breathtaking east coastline to the fabulous National Parks. Many of the areas we will explore throughout our journey have been designated Areas of...

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...

Samuel Pepyss London was a turbulent, boisterous city, enduring the strains caused by foreign wars, the Great Plague and the Great Fire, yet growing and prospering. The Restoration in 1660 brought the reopening of the theatres, with women appearing on the stage for the first time, and the period saw the development of English opera and the first public concerts. Pepys lived through a time of change in a city of contrasts, which maintained a sophisticated cultural scene, yet was a focus for...

Criminal incidents, accidents, whippings, beatings, jail escapes and hangings were all part of Dublin's 'brilliant parade' in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, including actors, clergymen, scientists, politicians and rogues and rascals of every hue. Hopkins describes the poverty, soup kitchens, food riots, street beggars and workhouses that were all a feature of Dublin life. He also introduces us to the weird, wonderful, and often downright strange customs and pastimes of Dubliners st...

This scarce book was first published in 1908 and is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. It provides an absorbing insight into the history of a selection of Manchester streets and their occupants - Cheetham Hill Road, Withy Grove, Shuderhill, Rochdale Road, and Oldham Road. A fascinating read for any local historian. With nine full page illustrations. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasing...

In the early evening of 16 October 1834, to the horror of bystanders, a huge ball of fire exploded through the roof of the Houses of Parliament, creating a blaze so enormous that it could be seen by the King and Queen at Windsor, and from stagecoaches on top of the South Downs. In front of hundreds of thousands of witnesses the great conflagration destroyed Parliament's glorious old buildings and their contents. No one who witnessed the disaster would ever forget it.The events of that Octo...

Did you ever see a big house in the countryside and wonder who used to live in such a property? Have you ever wondered about the story behind such an old and historic house? This book reveals the story behind some of the greatest houses in Ireland. Maurice O'Keefe has interviewed the surviving members of many of the Anglo-Irish and old Irish families who lived, and in many cases still live, in these great houses. They have talked about their family histories, their links to the communities...