Simple Site Research *

There are many ways of doing research. Go to the nearest library, where you should find lots of local history books will be available. Old issues of local newspapers are good for finding out about local events from the past, and where they were held. Most villages made their own entertainmrnt years ago. They held village fairs and school fetes, with people coming from miles around. You would probably see the same people at half a dozen different events. Most counties had 2 or 3, sometimes more, cattle fairs or markets. Some were quite big affairs. Some are agricultural shows today, some no longer exist.
Find out where the older ones were held many years ago. If the area is still farmland, and access permission can be obtained, it will be a good place to search.
Maps are a very good way of doing research , but you need the older maps as well as the recent ones. A lot of Roman roads are not on the latest 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey series. To do your research with maps, first select your area. It is easier if you select an area close by where you live as you will probably already be familiar with the lay of the land. Many maps are available and useful:
Roman maps showing the roads, the 1 inch to the mile Ordnance Survey (fifth or sixth) series, the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 series, the Ordnance Survey Pathfinder 2.5 inches to the mile, the latest county A to Z map books, and many more. A very good map book, with a lot of information, is the early AA Book of the Road. Dating from around the early 1970's, in a green or brown cover, it can be found on car boot sales, or at second-hand markets.