The Centre for English Local History

English Surnames Survey

• Searchable databases

The English Surnames Survey was conceived in 1965 and funded by the Marc Fitch Fund. Sadly, the promotion of its seventh volume coincided with the death at 78 of its former director, Richard McKinley.

It was appropriate that the most recent volume covered home ground, The Surnames of Leicestershire and Rutland.

Previous titles in the series have comprehended:

• medieval Norfolk and Suffolk;
• The Surnames of Lancashire;
• The Surnames of Oxfordshire;
• The Surnames of Sussex; and
• The Surnames of Devon.

In 1990 Richard McKinley, Marc Fitch Research Fellow 1965-86, also produced A History of British Surnames, published by Longman in their series 'Approaches to Local History'.

The English Surnames project resulted from conservations between W. G. Hoskins, the famous founding head of the Department of English Local History, Dr Marc Fitch, who was a distinguished antiquary in his own right, Sir Anthony Wagner, a member of the College of Heralds and a supporter of the department, and the archivist Dr Francis Steer.

The Surnames of Leicestershire and Rutland is available from Oxbow Books, price £19, and was published by the Leopard's Head Press, Oxford (ISBN 0904920259)

Recently we have provided web-based access to some searchable databases.