The paper in British History is a key element of the First Year. Study of English History from the late Roman period has been central to the History School at Oxford since its inception, and Oxford historians have consistently been among the most distinguished in the field, leading the way by their research. Recently the interests of the Faculty have broadened, and now cover Welsh, Scottish and Irish history as well as English: correspondingly the scope of the papers studied by undergraduates has expanded to cover the History of the British Isles as a whole. The syllabus now offers seven papers in British History, from which you must choose one in the Preliminary Examination and a further one in the Final Honour School. In many, but not all, colleges this will be the first paper you will study (for which reason it is almost certainly undesirable to repeat a period you have studied at A Level). You should note, however, that some colleges may restrict your choice at this stage.
The papers in British History are specifically designed as ‘outline’ papers. This means that they are intended to give you an understanding of broad developments within the period; and in examination you will be expected to show an awareness of such developments. Within any given period important individual events will of course continue to command attention: but the great discontinuities in British History, the Norman Conquest, the Reformation, the Civil Wars and the Republic, the Industrial Revolution, the World Wars, are studied for their longer-term significance as much as for themselves. The subject-matter of the papers is by no means restricted to politics and affairs of state; social, economic, cultural and intellectual developments may equally be studied. For many, English history will remain the primary focus of their studies; but students may choose to devote some of their essays to developments in Welsh, Scottish and Irish history. At certain times in the 20 medieval and early modern periods, and increasingly in the modern periods, a British perspective will be essential. As long as you bear in mind that you will need to demonstrate to the examiners that you can think broadly within the period, there is considerable scope for you to choose the specific topics of your tutorial essays.
Tutorial study for this paper will build on the skills which you have already learned in preparation for the outline paper in your A Level syllabus or equivalent. But there will also be critical differences. In particular, the British History papers are intended to introduce you to the reading of scholarly monographs and articles in scholarly journals as the principal basis for your weekly essays. Where textbooks synthesize the findings of many scholars, monographs and research articles are written directly from the evidence: in reading them it is for you to assess whether the evidence referred to does in fact support the interpretation which the author places upon it. Your weekly essay will typically be composed after reading several such monographs and a number of articles: on this basis you will be expected to engage directly with the major interpretative issues related to the topic, to form your own conclusions rather than simply reporting those of the historians. Seven hours of tutorial teaching are provided for each paper in the history of the British Isles. One hour of tutorial time is available for revision in the Trinity term and may be used for British or General History.
There will be 16 lectures (given twice-weekly) provided for each of the British History papers. The lecture courses have been designed to provide an introduction to important aspects of each period, and to offer the opportunity to listen to historians addressing subjects on which, in many cases, they have themselves done original research. The lectures in British History are not intended to be a comprehensive guide to the content of the course or the examination paper, and are no substitute for tutorial reading.
British History is assessed in the Preliminary Examination in a three-hour unseen paper, which will contain about 20 questions in each case. You will be required to complete answers to three questions. The wording of the rubric at the head of the examination paper may differ between the seven period papers, but in every case you will be expected to show understanding of broad developments within the period, and to avoid undue narrowness of focus.
