17th February 2009, 10:44 AM
It looks like pretty much everything has been covered so far, all I would add is that the Census can be quite useful in the right circumstances - for an urban area of housing, anything where there might be small-scale industries, or looking at individual farmsteads. The 1910 valuations are essential if you want to know owner/occupier details as there is usually an accompanying schedule in the same way as the Tithe Maps. This sort of information may not always be helpful but it is worth considering - owner details can point you in the direction of a particular family and then to a collection in the Record Office relating to them, occupier details might explain modifications to a particular building due to changes in use and so on. Of course, this depends on whether you are enlightened enough to consider the 19th and 20th century interesting from an archaeological point of view!
I will look at anything I can get my hands on, from modern local histories (dismiss these at your peril), to weighty academic tomes, antiquarian works (again, dismiss them at your peril), maps especially, and any number of original documentary sources. It takes time, familiarity and experience to work out what is and isn't going to be useful.
In terms of maps, I look at it like a game of Kelly's Eye (if that's the right name). What is different on each one. If there is basically no change from one map to the next you have to ask if there is any point including a copy of it in the report.
I will look at anything I can get my hands on, from modern local histories (dismiss these at your peril), to weighty academic tomes, antiquarian works (again, dismiss them at your peril), maps especially, and any number of original documentary sources. It takes time, familiarity and experience to work out what is and isn't going to be useful.
In terms of maps, I look at it like a game of Kelly's Eye (if that's the right name). What is different on each one. If there is basically no change from one map to the next you have to ask if there is any point including a copy of it in the report.