<研究ノート>英国地方史研究文献 (一) : イースト・ライディング・オブ・ヨークシアの場合

Abstract

外国人による外国史研究には、どのような構えと手続きとが、必要なのか。このような素朴な疑問を、英国一地方史研究のうえにぶつつけてみたものが、本稿である。結果、そこに意外な困難と多様さとを発見し、またこれらを通じて、英国ならびに英国史研究方法なるものを再考させられたことを、筆者はひとつの収穫であつたと、考えている。ふたつには、主として、ディケンズ・マクマホン両氏の手引きにすがりながら、整理し、考えてみたせいぜい上記一地方の文献目録ではあるが、いま書庫の塵埃に光を消した、こうしたペデストリアンな堆積物のなかにも、なんらかの英国地方史研究の一趨向がキャッチできれば幸いである、と思う。わが国の英国史研究に役立てば、なおさら望外のことである。ここで、直接便宜をあたえられたハル大学図書館・ハル市中央図書館・ベヴァリー州立古文書館、その他イースト・ライディング地方史学会のひとびとに深謝したい。

A forigner's attempt to treat of Western history meets insuperable difficulties at every turn. He may be unable to access the documents and literatures or else understand the evidences. He may moreover be a mere stranger to the neccessary publications of a given theme. Now the local and regional studies of history are keenly pursued in this country and abroad and it is not unnatural that some of the students are eager to approach the subject even of the Western nations. Their incitement comes from the scientific directions recently assumed by historical studies and their intentions must be justified. But intentions are one thing and historical studies another. We cannot deny the difficult situation in which our foreign studies stand. Neccessary steps, therefore, must be taken beforehand and one of them will be to inform the students of how the local history studies have been carried on in foreign countries and are being run with regard to the social and academic background of those nations. This paper is an attempt to report of the regional studies of England which are now being assumed by the University of Hull, East Ring of Yorkshire, where I had the privilege of staying for a past year. Mostly relying on Professor A. G. Dickens' bibliography but inserting my views and the documents from such repositories as of the Record Office and other libraries, I hope to describe one of the recent currents of English historiography and also hope it to be of some use to the students who are reading English history in this country. My thanks are due to all the people who helped me to initiate into this study.