Staffordshire Medieval Settlements Survey Research Group

Led by Matthew Blake, Archivist, Staffordshire Record Office; Steve Dean, Principal Archaeologist, Staffordshire Historic Environment Record; Dr John Hunt, FSA.

Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service in partnership with the Historic Environment Record has set up a small research group to support the work of the Staffordshire Medieval Settlements Survey.  Based at the Staffordshire Record Office and meeting on Friday mornings the group researches primary and secondary material to support the survey.  The group is supported by Dr John Hunt who is engaged on writing up the research.  We hope that working on the group will be both stimulating and rewarding and will provide a useful opportunity to those who wish to develop or hone their research skills.

Acton Trussell, circa 1370        © Ben Cunliffe, 2007

The aim of the Medieval Settlement Survey for the County is to improve our understanding of medieval settlements by answering fundamental questions concerning their development in the rural landscape.  The results, presented in a series of village reports, will inform our understanding of settlement formation and development in the context of the historic landscape.   This will enable local communities to better understand and appreciate their own town or village's historic environment.  The reports will also function as valuable tools in the provision of planning advice both within the cores and on the fringes of historic villages within the County.

The group met for an introductory session on Saturday 22 September and now regularly on Fridays mornings.  No specific prior knowledge of medieval history is required, but experience of dealing with original sources will prove helpful.  Although some of the documents are in Latin, it isn't necessary for all members of the research group to have a knowledge of Latin.  Some training in research techniques and understanding of the different types of source material is provided.  For practical reasons numbers are limited.

If you have an interest in joining the research group or if you have any questions about your suitability for the group please telephone Matthew Blake on 01785-278371, who will be happy to discuss this further with you.

Last Modified: 16/11/2007 11:50:38
Back to top