September 2020 sees the centenary of Huddersfield Corporation’s purchase of the Ramsden Estate, ending more than three centuries of the Ramsdens’ dominant part in local affairs. Huddersfield Local History Society has brought together a series of original essays on the Ramsdens’ role, and reappraised the famous story of “the town that bought itself”, in a handsome new book from the University of Huddersfield Press.
Edited and with contributions by Edward Royle, emeritus professor of history at the University of York, the book also includes chapters by Society members Stephen Caunce, David Griffiths, Brian Haigh and John Halstead; architectural historian Christopher Webster; and Ramsden relative Meriel Buxton.
The book is available to purchase from Gazelle Book Services and other retailers (ISBN 9781862181762). As part of their commitment to improving access to scholarly work for the benefit of all, the University Press also provides PDF and ePub versions that can be downloaded for free under an Open Access license from their website.
As part of Huddersfield Local History Society’s 2020/21 season of monthly talks, Professor Royle discussed the book and its new insights into the events of a century ago…