ALEX CRAVEN

The Victoria County Histories of England, founded in 1899 and dedicated to Queen Victoria, is a project to write histories of every parish in England. VCH accounts are comprehensive, detailing the history of a community from the start of human settlement until the modern day, and covering all aspects of human endeavour. Work continues across the country, overseen by the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London.

 

I spent six years working at the Victoria County History of Wiltshire, a research project based at the University of the West of England, Bristol, researching and writing histories of parishes in Wiltshire. During that time, I undertook editorial work on draft histories for VCH Wilts. XVIII: Crickland and its Environs (Boydell & Brewer, 2011), and then researched and wrote five parish histories (two with Dr Virginia Bainbridge) for VCH Wilts. XIX: Longleat and the Deverills. Recently, I have been commissioned to research the early modern history of Cheltenham and the surrounding parishes, for volume XV of the Victoria County History of Gloucestershire.

 

Working for the VCH for six years has provided me with an unusually wide range of skills: the knowledge and expertise to research the entire span of English history; an understanding of non-textual sources necessary to study landscape history; the ability to work with partners from other heritage organisations; and strong outreach skills to share the research of a public history project with a range of audiences.