In 2025, the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society, incorporating the Shropshire Natural History Society and the Shropshire Parish Records Society, will publish the 100th volume of its Transactions. It has taken closer to 150 years than a century to achieve this feat, but it is nonetheless an important milestone for the society. In recognition of this, the Society is publishing these papers to reflect upon the rich and often under-explored historical and archaeological dimensions of the county with the twin aims of showcasing the research currently being carried out across Shropshire to a wider audience, and to alert other researchers of the huge potential that the county has to offer in the hope that they too could become involved in exploring its riches.
The papers offered here are loosely chronological rather than being thematic and contributors were given a free hand over what they wished to write. Equally, the choice of contributors reflects the two current aspects of the society (history and archaeology) and are fashioned to demonstrate the contribution that the authors are currently making to their respective fields. They are new research papers and are not designed to look back at the society and its earlier works. In making this distinction, the aspiration is that this volume’s contents will be of much broader interest than just the county and its region but will instead showcase the undoubtedly high potential for future research that can inform broader subject areas of national interest and importance.
1. Floreat Salopia: an introduction: Sir Neil Cossons.
2. Borderline practices? Reassessing the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods in Shropshire. Jodie Lewis and David Mullins
3. In the line of duty: new approaches to the Late Bronze Age and Iron Age Archaeologies of Shropshire. Andy Wigley
4. On the fringes or at the heart of it? Shropshire in the Roman era: Roger H. White
5. [[title to be confirmed – Mercian and Viking Shropshire] Morn Capper
6. Parish churches and Shropshire’s changing religious landscape. John Hunt
7. [title to be confirmed –Medieval Towns] Nigel Baker
8. ‘The whole Party of the King’s in this county being engaged, directly or indirectly, in this Business’: Shropshire and the regional conflict in 1648: Jonathan Worto
9. From medieval to modern: a story of early industrialisation in Shropshire. Paul Belford
10. Estate mapping in Shropshire: Bob Silvester
11. The Grand Tour and the Shropshire Country House - A Focus on Collecting and Architectural Response in the Long Eighteenth Century: Gareth J.L. Williams
12. Shropshire’s Industrial History: changing interpretations since 1875: Barrie Trinder
13. The impact of adult education on archaeological and historical scholarship 1945-2000: Barrie Trinder
14. Shropshire’s past, present and future. Roger White and Matt Thompson
