Heritage and History Publications

Recording the Past

James Howson

£3

This publication is a tribute to the research and writing skills of James Howson, Curator/Archivist at Valence House from 1974-1986.

A selection of favourite articles, which originally appeared in the Dagenham Digest and Barking Record, will present new, as well as former, readers with interesting examples of his best work.

Writing about local history in an enthusiastic and thorough way was one of Jim's talents. His production of A Brief History of Barking and Dagenham and The Fanshawe Family and Other Portraits stands as a testament.

His painstaking work in documenting Valence House's collections, including the photographic archive, has enabled so many later researchers, staff and public to benefit from his thoroughness.

Jim retired as the Curator/Archivist at Valence House in April 1986, after 38 years with the library service.

Leslie Cannon, former Borough Librarian of Barking and Dagenham and Editor of the Barking Record, remembers, as a colleague, that

'Jim Howson joined the staff of the borough of Dagenham Library Service as a casual assistant in 1947. He worked mainly in the Reference and Information Library and subsequently in Valence House Museum.

He worked closely with John O'Leary from 1950 onwards, tracing and cataloguing materials for the long series of historical exhibitions and researching for Dagenham Place Names and the third edition of the Book of Dagenham published by John O'Leary.

With the amalgamation of the boroughs of Dagenham and Barking the workload of the local history Department increased dramatically and, in 1974, the post of Curator/Archivist was created.

Jim Howson was appointed to this post.

Jim suffered from chronic ill-health caused by his war service. He bore this stoically and never asked for special treatment, although it was obvious that, at times, he was in considerable pain.

He brought to his duties all the attributes of a true scholar - patience, accuracy and method. His writing on local history topics remains fresh, relevant and is laced with his dry sense of humour.

This can be seen in the many articles he wrote for the Dagenham Digest and, later, the Barking Record. These are models of local historical research.'

Upon hearing the sad news of Jim's death in 1993, the Friends of Valence House had the idea of producing a memorial publication and they have made a very generous donation towards the production of this book.

Contact

Susan Leighton

Interim Group Manager - Libraries

Library Services Headquarters

Unit 18

Muirhead Quay

Fresh Wharf

Highbridge Road

Barking

IG11 7BG

Tel: 020 8724 8725

Fax: 020 8594 8489

Email: susan.leighton@lbbd.gov.uk or libraries@lbbd.gov.uk|