Source material: Archive sources
Local printed sources generally go back to the early 18th century. Archive (manuscript) sources go back to the Middle Ages. This can help local historians to study in detail many features of a community's history over several centuries.
Archives in print
Many original documents about Calderdale have been transcribed, indexed and published to make the texts more accessible for local historians. You can save time by checking if we have these published editions of original manuscripts, in the Local Studies Collection.
Archives on microfilm
Microform (microfilm, microfiche etc.) copies of original documents have become increasingly common in recent years. This process makes it possible to consult documents, or documents with local content, which are housed many miles away. The originals can be too fragile to handle or only available to consult during restricted opening hours.
Sound archives
Sound archives, to be accurate 'oral history archives', give history from living memory. They draw on the experience of those who are often excluded from the formal documentary archive. This includes the experience of women, the working class and (increasingly) racial minorities.
Film archives
Like sound, film is a dynamic medium that brings history to life. It gives a window into the past, documenting local industries, civic events and leisure activities in local communities over decades.
Sources
- Acts of parliament
- Archive sources
- Autobiographies and biographies
- Census abstracts
- Census returns
- Churchwardens' accounts
- Constables' accounts
- Council minutes
- Diaries
- Directories
- Electoral registers
- Gazetteers
- Illustrations
- Manor rolls
- Maps
- Newspapers
- Parish registers
- Parliamentary papers
- Poll books
- Probate inventories
- Topographical surveys
- Wills
