Printer Friendly Version
| Earls Colne Research Guide |
Compiled by: Gordon W. Miller |
Earls Colne is a three part series of documentation on 68 microfiche. The major years of coverage are 1400-1750. A multifaceted index is located with the microfiche. They are microfiche numbers 71-113. Three printed guides are available in the Microform Area. 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.
Scope of the Collection
Earls Colne is in Essex near the coast to the northeast of London. It is on the Colne River. The records in this series reflect life in this area from ca. 1400-1750. The available information is primary source material. Repositories from which records have been taken include the Public Record Office, Essex Record Office, London Record Office, and several library and private collections. Over 7,000 pages of documentation are in the collection.Accessing the Collection
Earls Colne is located in the Microform Area of Carrier Library. It is filed under the title Records of an English Village. The three guides, noted above, are on an index table in the area. They have the call numbers 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:
- 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - 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. - [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.
This page is maintained by: Patricia Hardesty
© James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA
