Studies in English Official Historical Documents [Paperback]

This 1908 work introduces historians to the categories of official records found in English archives, and how to interpret them.This 1908 book attempts to give historians the skills necessary to understand and interpret the large body of official documentation in English public and private archives. Hall deals with archival collections, the many different categories of official documents to be met with, and how to read them.This 1908 book attempts to give historians the skills necessary to understand and interpret the large body of official documentation in English public and private archives. Hall deals with archival collections, the many different categories of official documents to be met with, and how to read them.This 1908 book was a ground-breaking guide for historians in the use and interpretation of official documentary sources. Hubert Hall examines the topic under three headings  archives, diplomatics, and palaeography. In the first part he treats the history, classification and analysis of English archives. He argues that the user should take into account what once existed as well as what survives. The second part deals with diplomatics, from Anglo-Saxon to the sixteenth century. He calls for greater critical analysis of the different types of official documents, something lacking in England when compared to European scholarship. The final part introduces the student to palaeography, and the different kinds of handwriting and contractions met with in official documents. While the book makes no claim to be the definitive work on the subject, it raised the profile of a neglected tool of scholarship, and offers a starting point for further research.Preface; Part I. The Sources of Official Historical Documents: Introduction to the study of official documents; The history of the archives; The classification of archives; The analysis of archives; The bibliography of English official historical documents; Part II. The Diplomatic of Official Historical Documents:l#*