British History Reference website, and other Books too. (Announce)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Monday, February 01, 2016, 00:54 (3001 days ago) @ RogerrGriffiths

Hi Roger,
yes the BH "Victoria County History" Reference website is an exceptional "collection" of various references from all sorts of sources, and a regular point of reference for this site, I learnt that from Slowhands who probably has a good FoD library too. However as a straight read it can be clumsy and disjointed, with later additions sometimes appearing out-of-place. I find the best plan is to use the website's own search box to look-up a particular subject, but then also word-search that section of text too it. Perhaps the best index to use for the FoD area is;
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/glos/vol5

The BH site has been digitised from the original books, each volume is hefty, for the whole UK it goes to dozens of volumes, our Borough library has an old set and it takes up a complete bookcase. Unfortunately the website doesn't yet include the text from the newish Volume for my mum's homeland of Longhope (which many including mum don't consider "real" Forest), but luckily she has a paper copy of that one.

These are the various areas of Glos county that the website currently covers.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/search/series/vch--glos

Our own Black Dwarf Lightmoor website has produced some excellent books on the area, altho then they're mostly industrial history rather than social-economic. Some are out-of-print now but many are available at Glos librairies, or can be bought at the usual second-hand online sellers etc.
http://lightmoor.co.uk/category.php?&section=CatForest

Not sure if the links still work, but you may find this old post of mine of interest re FoD books that can be read online.
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/fodmembers/index.php?id=38594

I expect you already know most of these books, this is quite an old list but still valid, altho I fear some authors such as Latham & Foley perhaps too recent & biographical for what you're seeking ?
http://www.fweb.org.uk/local-history/7-Books_on_the_Forest_of_Dean

Also, perhaps this old post of mine,
http://www.forest-of-dean.net/fodmembers/index.php?id=40885
Very sadly the excellent Coleford Bookshop is no-more, but this post also includes a link to the Glos Libraries Prism catalogue website, just search "Dean Forest" etc and see what that yields, hopefully you're not too far away ?. That said, I live in West Middlesex, only a few miles from Surrey, and both these Boroughs' library websites have provided some unlikely "FoD serious reference" books for me as well as the more obvious Foley/tourism titles, and public libraries from different counties should be able to transfer books on request. Similarly, searching a well-known internet sales site (not "Nile"! ) will suggest possible titles, some can even be read online.

Hope this helps, Jeff.