History pages

Population & National Debt

The population of England began to rise dramatically in 1800, and so did the National Debt.

Parson Woodforde's £300

The country vicar James Woodforde managed to live comfortably on £300 a year in the 18th century. How did he manage?

What did bread cost?

If poor people lived mainly on bread, how much of their income did they spend on it?

18th century roads ... NEW

It was impossible to drive a carriage faster than a man could walk before the turnpikes were built.

London sewers in the 17thC

London's rivers carried away the sewage in the 17thC, but the streets still filled with stinking garbage. Enter the Borough Scavenger...

Building the Pall Mall sewer

In the late 17thC Pall Mall needed its own sewer. The consequences were comic, smelly, and George II was marooned at Kensington Palace.

Germany surrenders the Dodecanese islands

Gen Wagner signed the surrender in 1945. The official photographer was there.

Stroud Trade directories

People & businesses in 1820-1923 trade directories, plus maps, 1825-1903

Nidderdale

How the family name of Hearfield came into existence in the 17th century.

Otley vestry meetings

Vestry meetings in the early 19th century were the beginnings of local government.

The Leeds gas strike of 1890

Everyone relied on coal gas for lighting, and to power factories. What happened when the workers decided to stop making it?

The parish of Adel

Population trends, a map, a flood, heckling, and the first railway engine in the world.

Berlin-Weimar by air ... NEW

Why did Germany establish the world's first scheduled airline service in 1918?

The Weimar swastikas ... NEW

Was the Weimar Republic promoting the swastika as a national symbol in 1919?

Swaledale stories

Swaledale's population fell drastically in the 19th century. Analysing the censuses led to many separate stories.

• Who did what in the dale?

• Farms and farming

• Births and marriages

• Transport and communications

• Migration in the 1880s

• Origins and destinations

• Home ownership in 1870

Cowkeepers

How were the newly-urban citizens of the 18thC supplied with fresh milk? A new industry evolved to supply them.

This research is divided into four main sections.

• Background - 18th century London

• Demand and supply - herd and farm sizes

• The price of milk and the cost of living

• Living in style - some personalities

William Cowle

- a Stroud grocer, who bought some land for development in 1873. The research suddenly got much more local.