By Wendy Tait Mayfield
Why study a place?
Is there one location where your ancestors settled for multiple generations? Were they landowners or holders of an important position? Or have you ever simply found yourself particularly drawn to a place and wanted to discover more? Creating a One Place Study can help to expand your knowledge and understanding of your ancestors. By putting them in their place, you gain an understanding of the context of their lives and the lives of the people around them. It is perhaps the nearest we can get to seeing life through their eyes.
What is a One Place Study?
Undertaking a One Place Study involves taking a ‘deep dive’ into the records relating to that place and to the people who lived there. The place can be whatever works for you – a village, a street, perhaps an institution such as a prison, a workhouse, or even a ship. But, be warned, once you start it can become quite addictive, so you may want to put some constraints around your study, such as a time period or geographical boundaries. As your knowledge of your place grows, be prepared to flex those constraints when it helps your study.
Getting Started: Graveney and Goodnestone, Kent
I formally began my One Place Study of Gravenet and Goodnestone in Kent following the excellent ‘All About That Place’ online event in October 2023. But, in reality, I had been subconsciously studying the area for over half a century. Although I only lived there for nine years, it is the place that calls me. So, we begin with…
Rule 1: Pick somewhere you feel passionate about
Although my original idea was to study only the parish of Graveney, it quickly became apparent that the multiple boundary changes, the excessive number of detached parts of parishes, and simple common sense meant that I needed to draw my boundaries, which leads us to…
Rule 2: Amend your first ideas if necessary to make your study workable
With my boundaries set, I then considered what aspects of history I wanted to study. As a genealogist, of course, I wanted people to be at the heart of the study. I began with a full transcription of the census from 1841 to 1921 (time-consuming but worth it) and have used this to analyse work patterns, migration, age demographics, education, family size, etc. This has been fascinating, but numbers must be backed by something more if a history is to be worth writing, and I had to decide what that something more would be.
Initially, I took a very broad approach to seeking further information. I ran a catalogue search at the Kent History and Library Centre for everything Graveney or Goodnestone, complicated by the fact that there are two Goodnestones in Kent, a search for old books in resources such as archive.org and many other website searches. Of course, the information was overwhelming, but it did not give me a view of what was available and where to find it…
Rule 3: Investigate what sources and resources exist for your place
But written resources only take us so far. How many of us have regretted failing to ask questions of our elderly relatives whilst we still could…
Rule 4: Speak to older residents
Show them old photos and let them talk, with a little prompting if necessary. If they will permit you to, record it. Do it now!
Rule 5: Don’t become the elderly relative who could have answered questions for the next generation
Record your own memories for those who come after us. Do it now!
Changing data into knowledge
So, now that I have a huge database of Graveney and Goodnestone-related facts, figures, and wonderful recordings of personal memories, what am I going to do with it?
I have given several talks to a variety of audiences on subjects such as crime, smuggling, work, electricity, and education in my place. I’ve also written a few magazine and journal articles, but ultimately, I intend to publish my findings in a traditional book. Thinking in this way has helped me to structure my findings into chapters. I expect these will change as I write up the narratives, but it has helped to give me a framework for organising my work.
Another huge help has been the Society for One-Place Studies.
Click this link to go to Graveney and Goodnestone.
There are also some excellent examples of One Place Studies online.
Rule 6: Look for help and guidance
And finally…
These are my experiences and my rules. Researching a place is personal to you. Do it your way, there is no right or wrong so…
Rule 7: Feel free to ignore all the rules
