Between 1916 and 1918 about 1.3 million men were conscripted into the armed forces. This resource draws on extremely rare records to examine cases where men applied for exemption from conscription. What were their motivations, and how were decisions made about who should go to war and who should stay at home? The resource includes activities working with documents and guides students through analysing data in a spreadsheet. This resource can be used to learn about: How conscription during WWI affected people’s lives How and why men or their employers applied for exemption from military service, and the reasons they gave How the needs of the local economy were balanced with the need for men in the army How historians can analyse large quantities of data The resource is based on rare surviving records from the Bury St Edmunds Local Tribunal. You can find out more in our online display.

This resource can be used to learn about the life of Walton Burrell as a significant figure in Suffolk history and in deaf history. It has been created particularly with primary school students in mind but could be adapted to be used with any age group. Walton Burrell was born in 1863. He was a photographer, world traveller, and deaf pioneer. About 3,000 of his photographs are today looked after by Suffolk Archives. They include pictures of daily life in the late 19th and early 20th century, his travels, and the effects of the First World War on Suffolk. Walton was one of the earliest members of the British Deaf and Dumb Association when it was founded in 1890 to advocate for improved rights for deaf people.

This resource gives students the opportunity to try out reading a real Tudor document for themselves – the will of Jone Bysco of Harksted, dating from 1564. The will lists all of Jone’s worldly possessions, almost allowing us to have a look around inside her house (and her wardrobe!). The resource can be modified to be used with all ages from KS2 to A Level and provides a real insight into the skills that historians need.

This resource takes you on a deep-dive into John Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, which is best known for its vivid accounts of the persecution and execution of Protestants during the reign of Mary I. The materials in this resource can be used with students from KS2 up to A Level. The resource will provide students with an overall impression of the shape, size and content of the book, and contains selected extracts which focus on Suffolk martyrs.

This resource is aimed at KS1 pupils for learning about significant people from their own locality. It can be used as a standalone resource or as part of wider topics on local history, science, geography, or art. Orlando Whistlecraft (1810-1893) was a pioneering meteorologist who for several decades kept a detailed record of the weather in his garden in Thwaite in mid-Suffolk. He published annual almanacs with his predictions for the year’s weather, and notes on what plants and animals you could expect to see at different times of year. The presentation tells a biographical story about Whistlecraft, and compares present-day weather recording with Victorian weather recording.

This resource uses primary sources from Suffolk Archives collections to explore the life and ideas of the abolitionist Thomas Clarkson (1760-1846), and endeavours to place him within wider context of abolition movements. Sources include: extracts from Clarkson’s ‘Essay on the Slavery and Commerce of the Human Species’, illustrations from Clarkson’s publication of the Brookes slave ship, extracts from public letters between Clarkson and Benjamin Greene, who was a slave owner, and an advert from a Haverhill grocer who was boycotting West Indian sugar.

This resource includes a Word document and a PowerPoint which explore several key primary sources relating to the history of the women’s suffrage campaign in Suffolk. You can use the sources to immerse your students in the stories of the women who fought for the right to vote, hearing their words and discovering the risks they took. Sources include photographs, census records, and newspaper articles which will give your students a ring-side seat at dramatic moments in the campaign. You can use this resource with your students to explore local links with the national campaign for votes for women. The pack includes detailed background information about each source and suggested activities to spark curiosity and actively investigate the sources.

This pack will enable to you to take your class through the story of the murder of PC Ebenezer Tye in 1862, and the subsequent trial and execution of John Ducker. Ducker was the last man to be publicly hanged in Suffolk. It is all based on primary source material, particularly newspaper records. The resource provides everything you need to run a history/drama session where you act as a narrator, guiding your class through the investigation. You could use the content to explore questions such as: Did John Ducker get a fair trial? Could the police have done more to keep their officers safe? Why do you think people went to see public executions?

This pack includes background information about two Suffolk soldiers, George and Albert Stopher, and examples of the letters they exchanged with their family during the First World War. This pack can be used as part of a First World War history project and/or a local history topic. It can also be used as part of a creative writing task or as inspiration for art projects.

This image resource is for any age group studying the local history of Somerleyton Hall and Estate in Suffolk. The resource consists of a PowerPoint containing historic photographs of Somerleyton Hall and Estate, detailing the history from being mentioned in the Doomsday book to modern day. This also includes some contextual historical information and incorporates: Somerleyton Village Somerleyton Estate Estate Owners Hovercraft The resource is fully editable, so you can use the images most relevant to your class.

This image resource is for any age group studying the history of Beccles, Suffolk. The resource consists of a PowerPoint containing historic photographs of the town of Beccles from it’s early history through to the Word Wars. This also includes some contextual historical information and the following themes: Early History The New & Old Market Beccles Quay & River Waveney Floods Beccles St. Michael’s Church World War One & Two The resource is fully editable, so you can use the images most relevant to your class.

This resource is for KS1 and KS2 and is packed with archive images. It takes your pupils through planning an imaginary day out at the Victorian seaside, and includes local history, Victorian history, Maths, literacy, and art and design. Find out what the Victorians did at the seaside, make your own bathing hut, write a postcard home, and more.

This image resource is for any age group studying the history of the Fishing industry in Lowestoft. The resource consists of a PowerPoint containing historic photographs and contextual information including: Development of the Lowestoft Port The Fishing Industry Through Time The Beach Village The Herring Trade Scottish Fisher Girls The Prunier Trophy The resource is fully editable, so you can use the images most relevant to your class.

This image resource is for any age group studying Seaside holidays in Lowestoft. The resource consists of a PowerPoint containing historic photographs of the history of Lowestoft as a seaside holiday resort from the Victorian Era to Modern Day. This also includes some contextual historical information and includes: Samuel Morton Peto’s plan for Lowestoft Arrival of the railway The atrraction of the sea for visitors Soldiers holidaying after WW1 Activities undertaken on the beach The resource is fully editable, so you can use the images most relevant to your class.

This pack could be used with students from Key Stage 2 onwards. It includes background information about the Armistice, Peace Day celebrations and the origins of First World War memorials in Suffolk. You will find photographs and documents which record the way people at home responded to the end of the war, how they celebrated peace and how they chose to commemorate those who were lost. The resource consists of a PowerPoint which you can edit to tailor it to your students.

This resource investigates how communities created First World War memorials, from the end of the war through to the Centenary in 2014-2018. Students are invited to think about the things they would need to consider if designing a war memorial themselves.

This pack could be used with students from Key Stage 2 onwards. It includes photographs of the site in West Suffolk used for top secret testing of the new weapon the British military hoped would break the deadlock on the Western Front – tanks. You could use this resource to link local events with international events, and to investigate the development of technology during the First World War.

This resource uses primary sources from Kerrison Reform School to explore crime and punishment in Victorian Suffolk. The pack includes background information about the Reform School which can be taught in class, and suggested activities. Kerrison’s Reform School opened in 1856. Boys as young as 9 were sent there by the courts in an attempt to deter them from committing further crimes. The History activity gives your pupils the opportunity to explore the primary sources for themselves. Statistics activities give them the chance to extract and analyse data, and draw their own conclusions. Your pupils will: Develop historical enquiry skills using a primary source Develop a sense of place by understanding the Reform School was part of Victorian life in Suffolk Explore the links between crime and poverty in Victorian England Make judgements and draw conclusions Select key information from a source Try reading old handwriting Compare and contrast the lives they lead today with the lives of the boys in the Reform School To consider how wider social conditions during the Victorian period affected the lives of individuals

Census returns provide a fantastic snapshot into the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and make a brilliant starting point for any local history study. You can also use them for a whole range of activities with your class – not only History, but Maths and creative writing. Census returns are essentially big lists of everyone in the country, recording where they were living, how old they were, what their job was, and where they were born. They have been taken every 10 years since 1841, and the latest available is 1911 (the next one will be in 2021). These teachers’ notes include: Background information on the census Ideas for using the census with your class How you can find your local census returns Sample worksheet for a simple statistics activity

This image resource is for any age group studying VE Day celebrations in Suffolk in 1945. The resource consists of a PowerPoint containing historic photographs of VE Day celebrations around the county. The resource is fully editable, so you can use the images most relevant to your class.