Library news: November 2010
by Tony Cooper
The short interval since the last Library Notes and Queries, summer holidays leading to absence at different times of members of the library team, and fewer enquiries from both members and non-members, means that the last couple of months have been quiet, with nothing of note to report here. The regular maintenance and development work undertaken by the library team has continued as ever.
Books recently added to stock
The making of the British landscape: how we have transformed the land, from prehistory to today,
by Francis Pryor. London, Allen Lane, 2010 811pp, maps, plans, illus. bibliog. A personal view of the subject, drawing on research conducted in the years since W G Hoskins "The making of the British landscape" was published in 1955.
Hertfordshire secrets and spies,
by Pamela Shields. Stroud, Amberley, 2009. 128pp. A collection of 42 biographical essays on Hertfordshire residents who were involved in espionage and intelligence work.
Redbourn ,
by May Walker. Privately published, St Albans, 1960. 77pp, photos, illus. In writing her account, the author draws on published and manuscript sources, and recollections of old inhabitants of Redbourn.
Nicholas Breakspear: the Pope from England,
by Simon Webb. Durham, The Langley Press, 2009. 56pp, illus, bibliog.
The history of St Peter’s church, London Colney,
by Kenneth Barker. London Colney, The Author, 2010. 127pp, illus, plans, references.
In search of Bede,
by Simon Webb. Durham, The Langley Press, 2010. 48pp, illus, bibliog.
The story of the English towns: St Albans,
by William Page. London, Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1920. 114 pp, illus, plans, maps. The author was a distinguished antiquarian and a former secretary of the Arc and Arc.
Codicote hedgerows,
by Heather Bardner. Codicote, The Author. 16pp, 36pp (unnumbered), illus, maps, tables. An entry for the Mayor of St Albans Prize Competition, 2010. The 36 page appendix provides a detailed description of the hedges surveyed.
Roman spade-irons from Verulamium, with some examples from elsewhere,
by Philip Corder. 8pp Offprint from TheArchaeological Journal, vol.C, 1943, published 1945.
Samuel Ryder, the man behind the Ryder Cup: the biography of Samuel Ryder,
by Peter Fry. Weymouth, Wright Press, 2010. 159pp, illus. Although the primary focus is on Ryder’s golfing activities, there is substantial information on his life as a businessman, philanthropist and councillor.
Royston Cave: used by saints or sinners?: local historical influences of the Templar and Hospitaller movements,
by Sylvia P Beamon. Watchet, Somerset, The Temple Publications, 2009.314pp, illus, bibliog.. Sets Royston Cave in its historical context, and explores similarities in carvings and graffiti found in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, and elsewhere in Britain and Europe.
Recent journal articles
In: Independent Archaeology, June 2010,
pp.12-16. The chieftain’s Iron Age burial at Baldock, Herts – a fresh appraisal. The author discusses some of the finds resulting from the excavation in 1968: firedogs, which may have been used in the cremation, and the use of ice for refrigeration.
In Rickmansworth Historical Society [Newsletter], No 87,
pp. 3-4. The poor and the parish, part II, by Sheila Jennings.
A well-referenced article focussing on the Poor Law in Rickmansworth and Watford.
In: The Local Historian. February 2010,
pp3-19 The English almshouses and the mixed economy of welfare: medieval to modern, by Nigel Goose.
The British Association for Local History’s Annual Lecture, 2009.
In: Landscape History, Vol. 31 No1, 2010,
pp.53-72. Land use and landownership: a recent history of parts of Hertfordshire, by Hugh Prince.
Raises questions about the use of land for parks, and conflicts between private and public interests over ownership and access to parkland.
Journals received
Bricket Wood Society Newsletter ,
September 2010
British Archaeology ,
Sept/October 2010
Conservation Bulletin (English Heritage),
Summer 2010
Current Archaeology ,
August 2010
Hendon and District Archaeological Society Newsletter ,
August, and September, 2010
Hertfordshire People ,
September 2010
History Today ,
August 2010
Independent Archaeology ,
nos. 66 and 67
The Local Historian ,
May, and August, 2010
Local History News ,
Spring, Summer and Winter issues, 2010