English County Chess Histories

[Paul Cooksey]

Are there any good County histories available online or elsewhere?

I noted the discussion of the London League changing it's site. While, for example, Berkshire does have an established site it only covers recent history. There might be some value in us adding something and I am looking for advice and inspiration.

[Brian Valentine]

Bedfordshire has an Archivist and our (incomplete) records are here:http://www.adrianelwin.co.uk/Bedfordshi ... rical.html

[Ian Thompson]

Bedfordshire has an Archivist and our (incomplete) records are here:http://www.adrianelwin.co.uk/Bedfordshi ... rical.html

Looking at that URL, I'm wondering what would happen if Adrian got run over by a bus tomorrow?

[Brian Valentine]

we'd see how diligant the archivist had been!

[MJMcCready]

You may find this very helpful.

https://sccu-chess.com/index.php/en/org ... cu-history

[GrahamStuart]

You may find this very helpful.

https://sccu-chess.com/index.php/en/org ... cu-history

And an excellent book it is indeed! Certainly for SCCU counties this covers all counties who have been part of the SCCU at some time.

Slightly biased, but my site on Hampshire Chess History does cover County Chess and includes County Champions, County Matches, SCL and PDCL champions (individual and leagues).

https://hampshirechesshistory.co.uk/ham ... y-matches/
https://hampshirechesshistory.co.uk/ham ... mpionship/
https://hampshirechesshistory.co.uk/por ... ss-league/
https://hampshirechesshistory.co.uk/sou ... ss-league/
https://hampshirechesshistory.co.uk/ham ... ss-league/

https://hampshirechesshistory.co.uk/ham ... tory-1944/

Still plenty to add / update but quite a lot of material to browse.

[MJMcCready]

OP are you based near The British Library?

[MJMcCready]

The British Newpaper Archive will help greatly also.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Bedfordshire has an Archivist and our (incomplete) records are here:http://www.adrianelwin.co.uk/Bedfordshi ... rical.html

Looking at that URL, I'm wondering what would happen if Adrian got run over by a bus tomorrow?

As is so often the case, the Wayback Machine would come to the rescue:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240621140 ... rical.html

[Ian Thompson]

Bedfordshire has an Archivist and our (incomplete) records are here:http://www.adrianelwin.co.uk/Bedfordshi ... rical.html

Looking at that URL, I'm wondering what would happen if Adrian got run over by a bus tomorrow?

As is so often the case, the Wayback Machine would come to the rescue:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240621140 ... rical.html

That's better than losing everything completely, but it doesn't give you a website that you can update with the latest information or access to the raw data to set up a new website.

[MJMcCready]

Bedfordshire has an Archivist and our (incomplete) records are here:http://www.adrianelwin.co.uk/Bedfordshi ... rical.html

Looking at that URL, I'm wondering what would happen if Adrian got run over by a bus tomorrow?

In all probability a large number of Bedfordshire county players would hunt down the driver responsible, run him over and see how he liked it. It's claimed by many people that Bedfordshire has many of the hardest chess players in the country. Some of them are ex-cons.

[Nick Ivell]

Mike Conroy on Lancs is first class.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Looking at that URL, I'm wondering what would happen if Adrian got run over by a bus tomorrow?

As is so often the case, the Wayback Machine would come to the rescue:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240621140 ... rical.html

That's better than losing everything completely, but it doesn't give you a website that you can update with the latest information or access to the raw data to set up a new website.

In all seriousness, and agreeing with Ian, there is a real need for clear standards to be promoted for the proper preservation and handing over to either properly funded archives or a successor, of digital data and paper archives. There is a lot that could be done to encourage this. So much is lost when people pass on (either unexpectedly or after illness) without planning for this.

[MJMcCready]

As is so often the case, the Wayback Machine would come to the rescue:
https://web.archive.org/web/20240621140 ... rical.html

That's better than losing everything completely, but it doesn't give you a website that you can update with the latest information or access to the raw data to set up a new website.

In all seriousness, and agreeing with Ian, there is a real need for clear standards to be promoted for the proper preservation and handing over to either properly funded archives or a successor, of digital data and paper archives. There is a lot that could be done to encourage this. So much is lost when people pass on (either unexpectedly or after illness) without planning for this.

Yes agreed but that trend has been in place for not decades but centuries. Standardization and the internet never have gone hand in hand, so how is this to be done? It is still the case that most of what can be classified as English chess history cannot be found on-line. I can't see that changing anytime soon. It's more tragic than it is resolvable in my opinion.

[Roger de Coverly]

I can't see that changing anytime soon.

Something that the ECF could do would be to digitise all the back copies of the BCF and ECF Yearbooks. As shown by the "Rachel Reeves chess champion" thread these give a definitive view on who was or wasn't a champion. Going forward, the ECF could ask for a regular round up from county associations and leagues to give a permanent archive of their results and officers.