Senate House Library has a combination of print and electronic resources that will be useful for your dissertation. The information below is simply to get you started…
Printed materials
The starting point for your research will be the Scottish History section of the History collection. This section starts with classmarks beginning MX and can be found at the far end of the history collection on the 5th floor. Narratives of Scottish medieval political history for your period can be found in the classmark range MXBA to MXBH. This includes general works such as Kingship and unity: Scotland 1000-1306, and The Kingdom of The Scots, both by G.W.S. Barrow. You will also find biographies of significant figures in Scottish medieval history, such as William the Lion by D.D.R. Owen, and a recent biography of Robert Bruce by Michael Penman.
You may also find useful books in the classmark range MXAA-MXAV. This is material on specific themes in Scottish history, such as MXAS, Scottish nationalism, and MXAD Scottish diplomatic relations, such as Scotland and Europe: the medieval kingdom and its contacts with Christendom c. 1214-1560. Books on Scottish local history can be found in the classmark range MXC-MXY such as The kingdom of the Isles : Scotland’s Western Seaboard, c.1100-c.1336.
Books on the Scottish church however can be at 63 PSC3 which is in the gallery.
Although the majority of the secondary source material you require can be found within Scottish history, it is important not to neglect other areas of the history collection, or indeed other collections within the library. The general European history sequence in the classmark range MB contains not only general political narratives but also treatment of specific themes, such as feudalism which may support your research on Scottish history. And of course English medieval history will be of particular importance to your research on Scottish history. This can be found within the classmark range MVB-MVHK. You will find general and comparative histories of the British Isles and also accounts of reigns and events that have particular bearing on Scottish history, e.g literature on Edward I can be found at 63 MVHE.
Primary Sources
The English history sequence also contains several relevant primary sources for the study of Scottish medieval history, such as William of Malmesbury’s Gesta Regum Anglorum and The Chronicle of Lanercost. There are also some relevant sources in the Scottish sequence (i.e. Early Sources of Scottish history AD 500-1286) . However the primary sources are more widely dispersed throughout the library. For example in the Palaeography collection you will find a recent edition of the Chronicle of Melrose Abbey and A Descriptive catalogue of impressions from ancient Scottish seals, royal, baronial, ecclesiastical, and municipal, embracing a period from A.D. 1094 to the commonwealth : Taken from original charters and other deeds preserved in public and private archives.
The library also holds several books on Scottish coinage, such as A handbook to the coinage of Scotland : giving a description of every variety issued by the Scottish Mint in gold, silver, billon, and copper, from Alexander I. to Anne, with an introductory chapter on the implements and processes employed by J.D. Robertson. This, along with several others is part of the Goldsmiths Collection, one of the library’s Special Collections and can be requested online and in the Palaeography room.
Several of the relevant primary sources are held in the closed stack. These include the Regesta Regum Scottorum (ed. G.W.S. Barrow), Scottish annals from English chroniclers : A.D.500 to 1286 by Alan O. Anderson, and Scotia pontificia : papal letters to Scotland before the Pontificate of Innocent III by Robert Somerville. These can all be requested online.
Further primary sources are held at the library’s offisite store and can also be ordered online at 24 hours notice. These include The Chronicles of Scotland compiled by Hector Boece, and a number of monastic chronicles and annals published by the Bannatyne Club.
Journals and E-resources.
Senate House Library has a large collection of history journals. Bound volumes are held in the stack and need to be requested but many are also available online such as Past and Present. E-journals will be listed on the catalogue with the print copies. You have access to most of the library’s electronic resources from home and all of the resources while here in the library. All you need to do is enter your name and library identification barcode when prompted.
You can access our online databases the same way, either by searching the catalogue or accessing the list of history related databases on the history page of the website. One you may find useful is the Bibliography of British and Irish History.
When you are searching databases and library catalogues, it might be useful to know the most frequently used controlled vocabulary, or search terms. Some Library of Congress Subject Authorities for your topic are: Scotland History 1057 1603, Scotland history war of independence 1285 1371.
If you have any questions about the above information, please email me and just identify which King’s course you are taking. Best of luck with your dissertation.