Victoria County History
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The original Red Books (Vols. 2 -5) for Hampshire are HERE
The Victoria County History (VCH) was founded in 1899 as a national project to write the history of every county in England. At its inception, the project was dedicated to Queen Victoria, which is how it derives its name. It was rededicated to the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2012.
The VCH aims to complete authoritative, encyclopaedic histories of each county, from the earliest archaeological records to the present day, as well as topics such as topography, landscape and the built environment. Some VCH volumes were published over a century ago, while others are now in progress or planned for the future.
The Victoria County History produces a number of publications: the iconic Red Books of county history, as well as the VCH Shorts, which focus on single parishes and towns. The VCH is also a vast, diverse and lively community of historians, researchers and local groups, working on county histories across England. The project is led and managed in London at the Institute for Historical Research, but is driven by local County Trusts and their members, most of whom are volunteers.
Counties A-Z Explore a list of all counties covered by the VCH since 1899, including areas where research is underway – from Bedfordshire to West Riding in Yorkshire, with maps.
County Histories in Progress Research taking place in areas across England, and more about VCH publications in progress. All new work is published here in draft chapters for each active county with free public access (see down).
Writing for VCH To keep consistency, VCH has established Style Guidelines and a Framework for Content, which can be viewed and downloaded from the site.
VCH Smartphone App ‘History of English Places’. Navigate over 13,000 English places by historical maps, linking to VCH content. (Available for Android and Apple).
The New VCH Hampshire
Hampshire Volume I was the very first VCH Red Book to be completed, and the only one to be published during the lifetime of Queen Victoria on 1st January 1900. The county set was completed in four further volumes published in 1903, 1905, 1911 and 1912. Part of the original Volume II and all of Volumes III, IV and V are available on British History Online
Nearly a century after the county volume was completed, in 2008 new VCH Hampshire was set up by Hampshire County Council, the Hampshire Archives Trust, the Hampshire Field Club and the Universities of Winchester and London, to update the original volumes and add topics including local government, public services, economy and society. The project is financed by fundraising, donations and book sales.
The aim is to produce new Red Books initially for Basingstoke and its surrounding area. Work towards these has so far (2024) produced five VCH Shorts to date, the very first, Mapledurwell, published in 2012. This was followed by Steventon (2016), Medieval Basingstoke (2018), Cliddesden, Hatch and Farleigh Wallop (2018) and Dummer and Kempshott, Two Chalkland Parishes (2022). (See VCH Publications page).
VCH Hampshire has published modern sections of Basingstoke history and many chapters for its surrounding rural parishes including Herriard, Nately Scures, Newnham, Old Basing, Tunworth, Up Nately and Andwell, Upton Grey, Winslade and Ellisfield. Material and work in progress for the ‘New Series’ of VCH Hampshire is now freely available to all on the VCH County History page for Hampshire, with draft material for Volume 1, Basingstoke and Environs and for Volume II, Old Basing, Steventon and Environs.