Department of History,
,School of Humanities, University of Reading
Whiteknights, Reading, Berkshire, RG6 6AA
Telephone: 0118-3788147, Fax: 0118-3786440

Links to Research Projects based in the Department of History

Completing the Calendar of Patent Rolls, Elizabeth (Professor R. Hoyle)
The patent rolls (The National Archives: Public Record Office, C 66) are one of the most important and valuable sources for the administrative, political and social history of the British Isles. From the thirteenth century, down to the present day, these documents have recorded the issue of royal letters open or 'patent', whereby the sovereign has conferred a privilege or communicated his or her will. Their contents provide key information about government action, intention and patronage, and they embrace a wide and varying range of business.

Clergy of the Church of England Database (Dr. S.J.C.Taylor)
The Clergy of the Church of England Database will run for five years, and began formally in October 1999.  Its objective is to construct a relational database of clergymen of the Church of England between 1540 and 1835, and it is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Board.  The database will fill a major gap in our knowledge of one of the most important professions in early modern England and Wales, and will take advantage of new technology to provide an invaluable research tool for both national and local historians who often need to discover biographical information about individual clergymen.

Last updated: 01/08/2005