James Madison University
Libraries and Educational Technologies

History

Records of an English Village - Earls Colne

---

Scope of the Collection

Earls Colne is a village on the Colne River in Essex, northeast of London. The primary source material in this collection reflects life in this area from 1375 to 1750, although earlier and later dates are also represented.  It includes documents from the Public Record Office, Essex Record Office, London Record Office, and several library and private collections. The collection contains more than 7,000 pages of documentation.

---

Accessing the Collection

This research collection is now freely available on the Internet at:

http://linux02.lib.cam.ac.uk/earlscolne/. 

The online edition includes all of the documents from the microfiche collection, along with helpful maps, guides, and indices corresponding to those described below. 

Until recently, this collection was only available on microfiche, and Carrier Library holds the microfiche collection along with several finding aids, described below. While it is unlikely that researchers will continue to use the microfiche rather than the digital edition, this guide is maintained to provide researchers with an overview of the collection and the several ways to approach it. 

---

Earls Colne is a three part series of documentation on 68 microfiche. A multifaceted index is located with the microfiche. They are microfiche numbers 71-113. Three printed guides are available in the Microform Room (1st floor, Carrier Library). These are Church Records (microfiche 1-19), State Records (microfiche 20-30) and Estate Records (microfiche 31-68). Maps are available on microfiche 69-70.  It is filed under the title Records of an English Village. The three guides, noted above, are on a bookshelf in the area (call number DA 690 E118 R4 Guide).

Several indexes are available to assist in locating desired documentation. The indexes use code numbers from 1.00005 to 676.00005. These numbers are on the microfiche headers. Available indexes are:

1. Date Index
   This index is used to locate documentation for the year in which an event occurred. If an event happened over multiple years this indexes all the years of the occurrence. An event covering the years 1610-1612, for example, is indexed in 1610, 1611, and 1612. Although most dates are from 1400-1750 the range is from 1344 to 1902. The Date Index is on microfiche #71-78.

2. Name Index
   This index is used to locate individuals in the documentation. At the start of the indexing there are two preliminary lists which should be consulted. The first list (microfiche #79-80) is a list of forename and surname variant spellings. Opposite each variant name is the standardized name that is used. Example: Booles is under Bowles. The second list (microfiche #80-83) has the standardized name along with the one, or more, variant names. Microfiche #83-96 indexes the collection.

3. Subject Index
   This indexes the documentation by subject. Microfiche #97 has an introduction on how to use this index.Microfiche #97 has a list of keywords and "Their Expanded Meaning." Microfiche #97 has a list of words appearing 500 or more times and the number of times they are used. Example: Daughter is used 5,325 times. Words appearing over 500 times are not in the index. Microfiche 97-99 has a list of words indexed and what keywords they are under. Example: Alms is under Poor. Under each of the keywords is a list of subcategories used. Microfiche #99-108 has the subject index.

4. Land Index
   This indexes every occurrence of named places of real estate. It includes the names of houses. Microfiche #109 has a list of variant land names and the standard name used. Example: Ballardescroft is under Ballards. Microfiche #109-111 has the land name index.

5. Place Index
   This indexes named places, e.g. cities, towns, villages, and manors. Microfiche #112 has a list of variant names and standardized name used. This followed by a second list of standardized names with a list of the variant names. Microfiche #112-113 has the place index.

6. [Printed Guides]
   The three printed guides, noted above, can be useful in providing additional information on this document collection. They each give detailed information on the three areas covered. Each guide has a section listing specific areas and code location numbers on the microfiche.

 

Have a suggestion? Need Help? Ask Patricia Hardesty -- hardespn@jmu.edu
This page last reviewed by P. Hardesty on 1/9/2009.