Barrie Trinder facts for kids

Barrie Stuart Trinder, born in 1939, is a British historian and writer. He is known for his work on industrial archaeology, which is the study of old industrial sites and how they shaped our world.

After working as a teacher, he earned his PhD from the University of Leicester in 1980. His studies focused on the history of Banbury, a town in England. He later became a researcher at the Ironbridge Institute. He also taught industrial archaeology at Nene College of Higher Education in Northampton.

Barrie Trinder helped start The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (TICCIH). He has written many books about the history of Banbury and Shropshire. He also writes about industrial archaeology and the history of industries in Britain. In 1992, he edited The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Industrial Archaeology. He became a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2000.

Early Life and Education

Barrie Trinder was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, England, in 1939. He studied modern history at St Catherine's College, which is part of the University of Oxford.

Career Highlights

Trinder started his career as a teacher. Later, he earned his PhD from the University of Leicester in 1980. His special research project was about the social and economic history of Banbury between 1830 and 1880.

In the 1980s, he was a senior researcher at the Ironbridge Institute. This institute is a partnership between the University of Birmingham and the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. After that, he became a lecturer in industrial archaeology at Nene College of Higher Education in Northampton.

He was a founding member of The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage (TICCIH). People say he helped make industrial archaeology a respected academic subject. Before him, some people thought it was just a hobby for unusual enthusiasts.

Writing About Industrial History

Barrie Trinder's first books were about the industrial history of Shropshire and its famous Iron Bridge. In the 1980s, he wrote about his hometown of Banbury in Victorian Banbury (1982). He also wrote more about Shropshire's history.

He started writing more broadly about British history with books like The Making of the Industrial Landscape (1982). Another important book was Industrial Heritage of Britain (1988). A famous historian, Asa Briggs, said Trinder's book on the industrial landscape was groundbreaking. It helped people imagine what life was like during the Industrial Revolution.

In The Industrial Archaeology of Shropshire (1996), Trinder used a "landscape approach." This meant he looked at how industrial growth affected wider areas. He included small towns, rural areas, and workers' homes. He didn't just focus on large industrial sites that were already well-known.

In 1997, Trinder wrote another general book called Book of Industrial England. In the 2000s, he wrote several books about specific places. He also wrote more general works like Britain’s Industrial Revolution: The making of a manufacturing people, 1700–1870 (2013). He co-authored Twentieth Century Industrial Archaeology (2016) with Michael Stratton. In Britain’s Industrial Revolution, Trinder focused on the people involved. However, the book also had long sections about specific industries like coal mining and textiles.

Editing an Encyclopedia

His most important edited work is The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Industrial Archaeology (1992). This large book, with 964 pages, aimed to cover the entire field. Some reviewers noted that certain industrial processes, like "Foundry" and "Iron," had rather short articles.

There were also some areas of the world not covered, such as Central or South America, Asia, or Africa. This was partly because the industrial history of those regions had not yet been fully written. Some country entries were written by Trinder and his team in Britain, not by experts from those countries.

The field of industrial archaeology was developing differently around the world. Some countries focused more on the archaeology part, while others focused on architecture. Some integrated it into local studies or museums. This led to some parts of the encyclopedia being uneven in quality.

Recognition

Barrie Trinder was made a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in May 2000. This is a special honor for people who have made important contributions to the study of human history and culture.

Selected Publications

Articles

• "Industrial Archaeology in Britain", Archaeology, Vol. 34, No. 1 (January/February 1981), pp. 8–16.

Books Authored

1970s

• The Industrial Revolution in Shropshire. Phillimore & Co., London, 1973.
• The Darbys of Coalbrookdale. Phillimore & Co., Chichester, 1974.
• The Hay Inclined Plane: How tub boats were raised and lowered between the Shropshire Canal and Coalport Basin. Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, 1978.
• The Iron Bridge: Symbol of the Industrial Revolution. Moonraker Press, Bradford-on-Avon, 1979. (With Neil Cossons)

1980s

• The Making of the Industrial Landscape. J.M. Dent, London, 1982.
• Victorian Banbury. Phillimore & Co., 1982.
• A History of Shropshire. Phillimore & Co., 1983.
• Industrial Heritage of Britain. Automobile Association, 1988.

1990s

• The Industrial Archaeology of Shropshire. Phillimore & Co., Chichester, 1996.
• Book of Industrial England. Batsford & English Heritage, London, 1997. (With Michael Stratton)

2000s

• Barges and Bargemen: A social history of the Upper Severn Navigation 1660–1900. Phillimore & Co., 2008.
• Beyond the Bridges: The suburbs of Shrewsbury 1760–1960. Phillimore & Co., 2008.
• Britain’s Industrial Revolution: The making of a manufacturing people, 1700–1870. Carnegie Publishing, 2013.
• Twentieth Century Industrial Archaeology. Taylor & Francis, 2016. (With Michael Stratton)
• Junctions at Banbury: A town and its railways since 1850. Banbury Historical Society & Lamplight Publications, Banbury, 2017.
• Georgian Banbury. Banbury Historical Society / Robert Boyd Publications, Banbury, 2023.

Books Edited

• "The Most Extraordinary District in the World": Ironbridge and Coalbrookdale. Phillimore & Co., 1977.
• Yeomen and Colliers in Telford: Probate inventories for Dawley, Lilleshall, Wellington and Wrockwardine, 1660–1750. Phillimore & Co., London, 1980. (With Jeff Cox)
• Victorian Shrewsbury: Studies in the history of a county town. Victorian Shrewsbury Research Group, Shropshire Books, 1984.
• The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Industrial Archaeology. Blackwell Publishing, 1992.