When you hit a brick wall in your online and local archive investigations that’s when it is time to call for some help! I knew that some of the documents we needed to check were in London. I also knew that I wasn’t the best person to get to check! Some of the handwriting, although beautiful, is tricksy to read.
So I searched for someone with these skills who was approved to access the National Archives in London and was also a professional historian. And Lo! I found Joe. www.josephsaundershistory.co.uk ( See photograph to the left!)
His enthusiasm for his work shone through. I always find that people who love their job…well their enthusiasm is contagious and translates into a high standard of work. This is the case with Joe. As Joe has been helping us find out information about early Plas Coch I thought it would be a cunning plan to introduce him! So I’ve asked him a few questions to help explain what it is that he does.
How would you describe your job?
I’m a freelance historian so I do all kinds of research into the past for people and organisations. A bit like a detective for the past. This is mostly genealogy and house history research though my work is really varied which I love. It involves writing for books and websites as well as just doing the research. I also do a bit of history teaching and give talks and tours.
Do you work on a wide variety of projects? If so what do they include?
I feel really lucky to have been involved in all kinds of fascinating projects. For example I am currently working on the history of a Catholic teacher-training college in nineteenth century, assisting with a project on smallpox in Britain in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, helping a client establish land ownership and rights in a London suburb and researching the genealogy of a family who emigrated from eighteenth century Cumbria to America.
What’s your favourite part of historical research?
There is so much I enjoy but perhaps most of all it is that I learn so much about different people, places and things from history. Every day is a school day!
What is your personal favourite period to research? Why?
I find the seventeenth century probably the most interesting period to study. At this time there was huge political turmoil in Britain with civil war and revolution alongside economic and cultural transformations such as early industrialisation and the rise of popular print. I love researching ordinary people and places and finding out about them during this fascinating time where life changed so much.
What is the most difficult thing about researching historical evidence?
There are lots of difficult things about historical research. Perhaps the biggest thing is that we don’t always have clear answers. Sometimes things were never recorded, sometimes they were but the records have been lost or damaged. It can be hard to not find answers to the things you’re looking for. It is a lot like doing a puzzle, which can be incredibly fun, though when some of the pieces are missing it can be tricky!
So far what has been your most exciting research project?
I should say Plas Coch shouldn’t I! I have been involved in some really exciting research but I think the most exciting is my own family history which has that extra level of enjoyment. It is the reason I got into historical research in the first place, so I could help people feel joy and success in their own research.
