Researching the history of your local area can be a very enjoyable and interesting activity. There are many sources of information that can be used when carrying out a study into local history. These fall into two main areas, primary sources, and secondary sources.

Primary sources are items that date from a specific period in history. These can be legal documents such as those produced in law courts, newspapers, letters, or any other miscellaneous document. Primary sources have to be studied and interpreted, and form the parts of a historical jigsaw.

Secondary sources are usually books or articles that have been written about a particular subject by someone who has carried out a study of their own. These can be very useful as they often provide information about a broad range of topics, or have information from a broad range of other sources. They also usually have a reference list containing all of the source material used, which will illustrate the important sources to look for to use with your own study. Secondary sources are the best place to start your research as they will give you good background knowledge. Primary sources are usually very specific, and you will often need to know a little about the period in which they were produced, or be searching for a specific piece of information, to realise their significance.

Both primary and secondary sources can be found in a variety of places which can be visited during your study.