Heart of Albion
Books, booklets and CD-ROMs on local history
Bedfordshire
How to Write and Publish Local and Family History Successfully
Leicestershire
Nottinghamshire
Rutland
Somerset
Surrey
Warwickshire
SURREY
SURREY PLACE-NAMES
Every village or town has a name. We use them every day, even though most were created at least 1,300 years ago. Yet, until now, we knew little about how these names were given and even less about the people who originally used them.
The innovative research in Surrey Place-names brings to life this little-known era of the past, the so-called 'Dark Ages' when Britons and Anglo-Saxon peoples coexisted and arrangements for administering the land evolved. Gavin Smith shows that geography is key to understanding these arrangements as river crossings, soil types and the need for trade at recognised places are all important. His work reveals that many parishes reflect patterns established in the Iron Age.
There were many influences on the naming of Surrey's places: early paganism, multicultural mixing, economic development, land management, ecclesiastical history, regional politics, the influence of London, and a gradual shift from Celtic to the Old English language. Surrey Place-names unravels these influences for the first time and reveals hitherto unknown aspects of the county's history.
Gavin Smith was born and brought up in Surrey. He is a geographer by training and a long-standing member of the Surrey Archaeological Society and the Surrey Wildlife
Trust.
'This book is a very absorbing read indeed.'
David Rose Surrey Advertiser
ISBN 978 1872 883 847. 2005.
Demy 8vo (215 x 138 mm), 131 + xii pages, 6 photographs and 8 maps, paperback.
£7.95
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE/BEDFORDSHIRE
GLAD FOR GOD
A history of the Bousfields of Newark and Bedford to 1903
Glad for God is the history of the Bousfield families of Newark
and Bedford from the late eighteenth century to the beginning of
the twentieth. It first traces the origins of the Newark families they
married into and then tells the story of two brothers, Edward and
Thomas Bousfield, and their descendants. Charting their triumphs
and disasters, their loves and losses, their jobs and good works
reveals how some of these descendants found a new religious
ideal which transformed their lives, while others stayed with the
faith of their fathers.
As the years passed, their differing beliefs and lifestyles led to a
widening gap between the two families. In Newark one family
remained Anglican and became publicans. The other converted to
Methodism, moved to Bedford and became energetic Temperance
campaigners. By the early twentieth century all contact between
the two had been lost.
Glad for God includes an account of the career of Edward Tenney Bousfield.
During 45 years working for J. & F. Howard of Bedford, he was at the
forefront of the development of agricultural equipment internationally,
making major though unacknowledged contributions in many areas including
both steam ploughing and sheaf-binding reapers.
This is the story of nineteenth century England in microcosm,
showing how the lives of both ordinary and extraordinary people
were fundamentally reshaped by the new society that emerged and
by the new opportunities and new beliefs that helped to form it.
ISBN 978 1872 883 724. 2003.
234 x 156 mm, 260 + xiv pages, 26 b&w photos, 1 map, paperback.
£16.95
SOMERSET
HUNKY PUNKS
A study in Somerset stone carving
High up on the famous church towers of Somerset, almost lost to the eye except for their silhouettes, are an amazing series of grotesque stone figures. Carved in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, to ornament corners and break up straight sections of masonry, these figures are known in some rural areas at hunky punks.
This book combines a fascinating historical and architectural study with a stunning collection of photographs. Peter Poyntz-Wright's research provides the first thorough account of the hunky punks and gives us a direct insight into the medieval mind. He examines the techniques and influences of the medieval masons, and considers methods of attachment and the effects of weathering.
The author has recorded a host of hitherto unknown and inaccessible medieval carvings the first time – and possibly for the last. They include such creatures as dragons, griffins, hounds, stags, heraldic creatures, a basilisk, the devil, a woman in childhood, and many others. However many of the hunk punks are suffering seriously from the effects of wearing, and some, without costly restoration, may not survive for many more years.
ISBN 978 1872 883 755. 2004.
A5 (210 x 148 mm), 156 + x pages, 76 black and white photographs; 3 line drawings, paperback. (new edition with revised photographs)
£9.95
WARWICKSHIRE
LOW SEAMS AND HIGH VISTAS
Baddesley Ensor of yesteryear
A wonderful first-hand account of this north Warwickshire village and its coal mines from an author who lived and worked there for 80 years. Illustrated with the author's attractive drawings which recreate lost buildings and village scenes.
ISBN 978 1872 883 267. 1994, A5, 130 pages, 50 illustrations, tinted paper, paperback.
£6.95
LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND
LEICESTERSHIRE PEOPLE AND PLACES ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO
A selection of photographs by George Moore Henton 1861–1924
Village pumps, shops and market places, places of work, churches, local monuments, hostelries and other places of refreshment, recreation and relaxation and even on boundaries – these are the places where people have met for time out of mind. George Moore Henton photographed people at such places in Leicestershire in the last ten years of Victorian England, through the reign of Edward VII, and for the first thirteen years of George V's sovereignty.
Selected from George Moore Henton's collection of photographs held at the Leicestershire Record Office by Anthony Wibberley. Henton concentrated his photography on some parts of the county more than others and this selection therefore reflects his omissions, though an attempt has been made to give as wide a coverage as possible.
Published in 2011 to commemorate 150 years since Henton's birth
ISBN 978-1-905646-19-7. April 2011. Royal 8vo (253 x 158 mm), 81 + x pages, 129 b&w photos.
£9.95
LITTLE-KNOWN LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND
second edition
Drawing upon nearly twenty-five years of research, Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland provides a unique source of information on the counties' holy wells, standing stones, ancient crosses and medieval carvings. arranged as twelve bicycle or car tours, with introductory information. The second edition is fully revised with entirely new illustrations and maps.
ISBN 978-1-905646-17-3. October 2010. Demi 8vo (215 x 138 mm), 147 + x pages, 71 b&w photos; 2 line drawings; 11 maps.
£7.95
NEW!
THE ESPECIALLY SACRED GROVE:
Six Hills and Vernemetum, Leicestershire
Little is known about the Roman small town on the Leicestershire:Nottinghamshire borders except its name: Vernemetum. This means the 'Great or Especially Sacred Grove' and tells us there was a regionally – or perhaps even nationally – important Iron Age ritual site in the vicinity.
In trying to understand more about this Iron Age site Bob Trubshaw also looks at the likely Anglo-Saxon successor, the hundred moot site at Six Hills a mile or so to the south.
This detailed look at these places is based on current academic research combined with twenty-five years of fieldwork and personal research. By looking closely at these places he also helps us to understand more clearly Anglo-Saxon ritual sites elsewhere.
The Especially Sacred Grove both draws upon and supercedes Bob Trubshaw's previous publications about Six Hills and the Leicestershire Wolds.
Published March 2012. Available as a free PDF download only.
Download The Especially Sacred Grove for FREE (2 megabyte PDF)
BLESS 'EM ALL! Pat Fox
Life in the Women's Land Army at Lubenham, Leicestershire
The members of the Women's Land Army – better known as the 'Land Girls' – worked to make Britain self-sufficient in food when most men working on farms went off to fight in the Second World War. From the backbreaking effort of haymaking and picking potatoes through to learning to drive tractors, the Land Girls were asked to take on everything that 1940s farm work entailed.
Pat Fox was seventeen when she joined the Land Girls and came to Lubenham. She quickly learnt all the necessary skills – even how to plough with a tracked Caterpillar tractor. Billeted in a hastily-built hostel, mostly far from their families, the girls quickly developed a strong camaraderie – and, despite all their hard work, found time to socialise. Pat courted an American serviceman towards the end of the war; she tells of the evening when his commanding officer informed her that he had died on the second day of the D-Day landings.
Many of the Land Girls did not want to leave the farms at the end of hostilities. Pat was among them, and she married David Fox, a Lubenham farmer, in 1950. In Bless 'Em All she brings to life the highs and lows of being a Land Girl in the fields of the Welland Valley in the 1940s. The thirty-seven photographs are mostly from Pat's own photo album.
ISBN 978 095 5768 613. May 2010.
210 x 210 mm, 64 + xiv pages, 37 b&w photographs, paperback.
£7.95
Distributed by Heart of Albion on behalf of Market Harborough Historical Society
GHOSTS AND HAUNTINGS IN AND AROUND LEICESTERSHIRE
Andrew James Wright
A white lady who waits at a bus stop by the ruins of a nunnery, but vanishes when the bus stops. A coach drawn through Bradgate Park by four black, headless horses. Factories on Frog Island that have been exorcised. 'Ordinary' houses with inexplicable sounds of chains rattling and doors slamming. A multitude of pubs and rectories with supernatural 'residents'.
Leicestershire has a wealth of tales of ghosts, hauntings, poltergeists and other anomalous events. In Ghosts and Hauntings in and around Leicestershire the experienced paranormal researcher Andrew James Wright recounts these reports and attempts to understand what is really going on.
Andrew James Wright was born in Leicester in 1955. His previous publications include The Ghosts of Braunstone Hall, The Lively Ghosts of Leicestershire and Haunted Leicester. An active ghost researcher for 30 years, although these days he prefers lecturing about the subject.
ISBN 978 1872 883 991. 2006.
215 x 138 mm, 104 + viii pages, 12 b&w photographs, 8 drawings, 1 map, paperback.
£7.95
IN MY FASHION
Starting work in the heyday of Leicester's knitwear factories
Mary Essinger
Winner of the Leicester Writers Club Trude Dub Award for Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2005
- In My Fashion is 'an evocative and enjoyable account of a bygone era. It's neither nostalgic nor whimsical but affectionately remembers the past as it was. There's a great deal of humour and a rich array of characters.'
Jenny Stephens, BBC Radio Drama Producer
Generations of women toiled in Leicester's hosiery factories. This is the story of one of them, a school leaver who started work cutting cotton vests for the Cherub factory in 1949, then went on to work in a dress factory and progressed to the design office.
Highlights in her life at this time included Saturday nights at the Palais wearing Max Factor makeup, weekends hiking to youth hostels, and listening to talk about sex. They are all described with matter of fact humour and innocence.
But this story is not just about one person's factory life – it's about everyone who gets a job, grows up and tries to figure everything out.
ISBN 978 1872 883 793. September 2005.
210 x 210 mm, 79 + viii pages, 22 b&w photos and drawings, paperback.
£7.95
2nd edition
CD-ROM
INTERACTIVE LITTLE-KNOWN LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND
2nd edition
A vast compendium of information on little-known aspects of the counties – such as holy wells, medieval carvings and crosses, standing stones, castles, moated sites, windmills and much else!
This CD-ROM contains information on over 250 places, with about 600 photographs and illustrations. All cross-references hyperlinked, with introductions to various obscure topics.
N.B. All the information and illustrations in the now out-of-print CD-ROM Interactive Gargoyles and Grotesque Carvings of Leicestershire and Rutland is included in this CD-ROM.
Changes for the second edition include:
Reviews of first edition of Interactive Little-known Leicestershire and Rutland
Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux OS. Requires Flash-enabled Internet browser software (such as Internet Explorer 5 or 6) to view. All very computer- and user-friendly!
ISBN 978 1872 883 823. September 2005.
Retail price £14.95 (incl. VAT). Mail order customers save £2.70 (because Heart of Albion is not VAT registered) = £12.70.
LEICESTERSHIRE LEGENDS
retold by Black Annis
'Let's you and I get a thing or two straight. The name's Black Annis, but you may call me 'Cat Anna' between yourselves – but not to my face, if you value the appearance of yours. There've been days when the aches and pains make me a bit awkward at times, I'll admit as much myself. I've been known to get a bit upset when silly little kids used to play around outside my cave and shout rude remarks like me being an old witch.'
But is she or isn't she? Just an old woman with an attitude problem or actually more of a witch? Herself one of Leicester's best-known legends, Black Annis never quite lets on if she really knows more than she is prepared to say about the Old Ways. But in her direct manner, and with a bit of help from some of her friends, she retells some of the tales of Leicestershire in a way they've never been heard before, with local phrases and dialect rather than written out all posh.
Phantom black hounds, weird goings on where saints were murdered, very odd ways of finding water, pipers who enter underground tunnels and are never seen again, stories about stones, strange lights in the sky, and any number of ghosts – it's all happened in Leicestershire and much more besides, at least if these legends are to be believed.
Black Annis's engaging way of telling of these Leicestershire legends will appeal to all ages and especially to those who think they've heard all this old stuff before.
Specially illustrated by Jenny Clarke, one of Britain's leading tattoo designers.
'I really enjoyed reading this collection. The stories are so well told and the printing is so well done that you can feel you are actually there listening to conversations about ghosts, UFOs, old Leicestershire witch trials, phantom hounds, silent sentinels, and so much more. There's just enough of local dialect to add to the reality... Highly recommended.'
Francis Cameron Pentacle
'... a rattling good read... '
Anna Franklin Silver Wheel
'Although seemingly light-hearted with its glorious cover art, whimsical storytelling manner and presentation as the ramblings of an old witch, Leicestershire Legends has the same serious intent as the other books produced by Heart of Albion Press. Whilst the form may belie it, the content is an important work recording both local lore and its likely interpretation... all told in marvellous prose.'
D J Tyrer Monomyth
'A bit of fun, and a good selection of local curiosities... '
John Billingsley Northern Earth
ISBN 978 1872 883 779. 2004.
Demy 8vo (215 x 138 mm), 99 + xiv pages, 10 line drawings, paperback.
£6.95
GOOD GARGOYLE GUIDE
Medieval Carvings of Leicestershire and Rutland
Grimacing gargoyles adorn many of the churches in Leicestershire and Rutland. Alongside them are a wide range of imaginary beasties, foliate faces and Green Men, face-pulling heads, contortionists, and other imaginative figurative carvings. While those on the outside of the churches may be badly weathered, their counterparts inside are usually near-perfect examples of the medieval mason's skills.
Leicestershire and Rutland is fortunate in having more such carvings than in adjoining counties, although this wealth of medieval art has been unjustly overlooked by church historians. These depictions provide a unique insight into the often rather disturbing thinking of the craftsmen who carved them many hundreds of years ago, people who are otherwise almost entirely invisible from historical records.
The aim of the Good Gargoyle Guide is to encourage people who would not normally take an interest in church architecture to get out and about hunting further examples of these extraordinary sculptures.
John Hinks Leicestershire Historian
ISBN 978 1872 883 700. 2004.
Demy 8vo (215 x 138 mm), 100 + xii pages, 151 b&w photographs, paperback.
£6.95
UNDERSTANDING LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND PLACE-NAMES
We take for granted the names we use for places. Yet these names are a valuable part of our cultural heritage, providing a detailed insight into the early history of the region. Place-names reveal the otherwise lost voices of our forebears who settled here.
Understanding Leicestershire and Rutland Place-Names analyses the whole range of place-names which occur in Leicestershire and Rutland, most of which were coined between 1,000 and 1,500 years ago. These place-names describe, often in fine detail, the landscape, geology, rivers, buildings, flora, fauna, boundaries, meeting places, roads and track-ways. This book also looks at the distribution of the names, the languages from which they are derived, the successive waves of conquerors and migrants who fought and settled here, and the society they created.
is an historian, archaeologist and museum professional who has specialised in the area of place-name studies and landscape history for over 20 years.
'... this will surely be the standard reference work on its subject for many years to come.'
John Hinks Leicestershire Historian
'... a useful little handbook... '
Veronica Smart Nomina
ISBN 978 1872 883 717. 2003.
Demy 8vo (215 x 138 mm), 145 + viii pages. 5 maps, paperback.
£6.95
RUTLAND VILLAGE BY VILLAGE
A guide to the history of all the villages in Rutland, with the emphasis on places that can be seen or visited. Based on the author's sixteen years of research into the little-known aspects of the county.
Bob Trubshaw's Heart of Albion Press has made a significant contribution to local history publishing in the East Midlands and this latest offering maintains the publisher's reputation for informative books, attractively produced and, importantly, at an affordable price. This A to Z account of the villages of Rutland – a county unsurpassed, in the words of W.G. Hoskins, for its 'unspoiled, quiet charm' – is both readable and very easy to use. Introductory material includes a short outline of Rutland's history and a brief glossary: very useful if you need to check the meaning of architectural terms...
John Hinks Leicestershire Historian
ISBN 978 1872 883 694. 2003.
Demy 8vo (215 x 138 mm), 73 + x pages, 53 b&w photos, paperback
£7.95
CD-ROM
A VIRTUAL WALK AROUND LEICESTER
A massive collection of interesting historical information about the city centre.
Contents include:
Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux OS. All very computer and user friendly!
ISBN 978 1872 883 748. Published by Heart of Albion 2004. Previously published by Tomax Publications.
Retail price £11.75 (incl. VAT). Mail order customers save £1.75 (because Heart of Albion is not VAT registered) = £10.00.
CD-ROM
SEPULCHRAL EFFIGIES OF LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND
The first comprehensive study of the sepulchral effigies of Leicestershire and Rutland. Over 500 full-colour photographs of about 177 effigies in 85 churches, with full descriptions of the effigies and biographical information about those depicted.
There is a wealth of superb effigies in the counties and this CD-ROM is the first publication to catalogue, describe and illustrate them all.
Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux OS. All very computer and user friendly!
ISBN 978 1872 883 540. 2002.
Retail price £14.95 (incl. VAT). Mail order customers save £2.70 (because Heart of Albion is not VAT registered) = £12.70.
On four CD-ROMs
THE HISTORY AND ANTIQUITIES OF THE COUNTY OF LEICESTER
Published between 1795 and 1811, this ambitious antiquarian survey of Leicestershire has long been difficult to obtain. These CD-ROMs contain all the pages of the original editions as high resolution scans.
Published on four CD-ROMs:
Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux OS. All very computer and user friendly!
£10.00 per CD-ROM; £40.00 for all four volumes.
CD-ROM
RECORDS OF THE BOROUGH OF LEICESTER
A series of extracts form the Archives of the Corporation of Leicester 1103–1603.
Originally published between 1899 and 1905 as three books.
Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux OS. All very computer and user friendly!
£10.00
N.B. Because CD-ROMs are much lighter than books, only 80p for post and packing (UK addresses only; overseas add £1.60 p&p).
MUSICAL LEICESTER
There was an amazing diversity of music-making in Leicester during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, involving many nationally and internationally renowned performers. Musical Leicester describes the evolution of such diverse forms of music-making as 'classical' music concerts, minstrel troupes, oratorios, local orchestras, brass bands, bell ringing, organists and church choirs.
Many notable citizens contributed their energy and enthusiasm to the growth and success of music-making in Leicester, although almost all of them are now unjustly forgotten.
Max Wade-Matthews' research reveals many aspects of Leicester's history that would otherwise have remained overlooked. The detailed information on the concerts, musicians, promoters and venues, combined with a lively style of writing, ensures that Musical Leicester will inform and entertain all those interested in music making, social history and local history.
Undoubtedly this will be of immense value to anyone interested in the cultural development of the modern city as it is a mine of information about all sorts of musical activities that have long been forgotten and of some that are still going strong today... Altogether this book is a treasure house of musical history – highly recommended.
Leicester Mercury
ISBN 978 1872 883 519. Published 1998. A5, 253 pages, 43 b&w photos, 58 line drawings, full colour laminated cover, paperback.
£14.95
CINEMA IN LEICESTER 1896–1931
Thorough research into the early cinemas of the city; fully illustrated.
An enormously detailed and extensively illustrated survey of cinema in Leicester from the earliest times... Meticulously researched... destined to become the definitive work on the subject. It is also an enjoyable and entertaining read...
ISBN 978 1872 883 205. Published 1993, A5, 260 pages, 233 illustrations, paperback.
Download two-page addenda for Cinema in Leicester as PDF.
Leicestershire Historian
£12.95
ASFORDBY 1905–1922
Memories of a Leicestershire village
Detailed and utterly compelling account of the author's childhood in this fast-changing Leicestershire village during and shortly after the First World War. With index of the many family names mentioned.
ISBN 978 1872 883 199. Published 1993. A5, 144 pages, 56 photos, paperback.
£7.95
THE MONUMENTS OF ST MARTIN'S CHURCH, LEICESTER
The most extensive of the series, covering the Cathedral's many notable interments.
ISBN 978 1872 883 304. Published 1994, A5, 76 pages, card covers.
£3.95
THE MONUMENTS OF THE CHURCH OF ST MARGARET, LEICESTER
The last of the series covering Leicester's medieval churches.
ISBN 978 1872 883 373. Published 1995, A5, 56 pages, card covers.
£3.50
LEICESTER TOWN HALLS
Produced for the centenary of the present Town Hall in 1976, the history of the earlier Town Halls and Gildhalls is also considered in some detail.
1976, 8vo, card covers, 16pp with illustrations.
60p
LEICESTER PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHERS PRE-1900
A useful glossary of photographers' names, addresses and dates to assist in the dating of family photographs with illustrations of the work of several studios and samples of some of their advertisements.
1988, A5 landscape, laminated covers, 20pp with illustrations.
£2.95
MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT FOR LEICESTER 1832–1983
1984, A5, 16 pages, 3 photos, card covers.
95p
LEICESTER'S GREAT INFLUENZA EPIDEMIC 1918–1919
1986, A4, 3 pages.
30p
LEICESTER TOWN WAYTES
1970, 8vo, 8 pages, card covers.
40p
WILLIAM GARDINER 1770–1853
A fascinating insight into a leading Leicester citizen who was known as a hosiery manufacturer, musician and dilettante.
1970, 153x250mm, 35 pages plus 7 photos, card covers,
£1.50
WILLIAM, FIRST LORD HASTINGS
1984, A5, 16 pages, 4 photos, card covers.
£1.50
BALDWIN OF LOUGHBOROUGH AND SHARMAN OF MARKET HARBOROUGH
1986, A5, 8 pages, 5 photos, card covers
50p
LOUGHBOROUGH STREET-NAME ORIGINS
c.1986, 8 pages.
40p