Public

Delivery method: Online learning with tutor support. 

Until the nineteenth century, a large proportion of the land in Britain was owned and managed by a relatively small number of elite, landed families. These households kept extensive records across decades and even centuries. 

Course Description

Until the nineteenth century, a large proportion of the land in Britain was owned and managed by a relatively small number of elite, landed families. These households kept extensive records across decades and even centuries. However, they don't just provide information about the landed families as they contain details about the local community, those who worked in the household and across the estate.  
 
Estate records can be an excellent source of information for the family and house historian or anyone completing a local history research project. Estate record collections can include deeds, rentals, leases, surveys, accounts, maps, wage books and other correspondence that can shed light on everyday life, employment, business transactions, property changes, historic land use, ownership and occupancy. 
 
This course focuses primarily on British research. Students will learn how to effectively search a number of free estate record and archival websites. Key collections held at the National Library Wales can be accessed for free online and these will be used as case studies.