Sawston Village History Society

The October guest speaker was Wendy Anderson of the Department of Continuing Education at Madingley Hall. Her topic was "Local History and its effect on Family History" and she presented a fascinating account of how a persons family history was shaped by landscape history, political history, social history, national history and economic history. Wendy kindly provided the following summary of her lucid talk.

“In an effort to place Family History in the wider context of the whole topic of History, an examination was made of various other subjects, looking for the common link which joins them all together.

Starting with the associated titles of Local, Landscape, Social and Economic History, attention was drawn to the close relationship between these topics, until recently taught as separate subjects, but now more likely to be seen as one much larger area of research under a general heading of Local History. It is practically impossible to research one without the others as each has something to add to each of the others.

In the wider context, the influence of National, Political and International History was considered. The influence of the actions of Governments and the ambitions of local 'politicians' who make sweeping decisions about the area in which they live, with little thought for the changes inflicted on the local populace.

Finally it becomes clear that at the centre of all these subjects and fundamental to the history which is intrinsic to each of them, is Family History. But a Family Historian would say that!”