Local population studies

During her lectures at last weekend's BIFHSGO conference Sherry Irvine stressed the value of seeing your ancestors in the context of social trends of the time. One of the free resources that she pointed to, previously unknown to me, is back issues of the journal Local Population Studies.

First published as a newsletter and magazine in 1968, it evolved to become a more formal journal. "It is published bi-annually and is the world's only journal on matters relating to population within a local or community context. Its emphasis is on Great Britain, but occasional articles about other local communities are published."

Expect a real mixed bag of articles. Was an ancestor named Victoria? Find out about the trends in the use of the Queen's name here. What was the population, and personal, impact of a major mining disaster on a small coal mining community in 1860s Northumberland?

It's worth browsing the tables of contents. Unfortunately the series is not computer searchable.