Mapping Edinburgh’s Social History

This month’s video talk was given by Professor Richard Rodger and was presented to the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland in the NMS Auditorium on 12 December 2016. He uses digital mapping techniques to present large amounts of historical data, such as census records, trade directories and health surveys, to vividly illustrate social change as Edinburgh grew. The MESH project (Mapping Edinburgh’s Social History) has added huge amounts of new data to open mapping databases to facilitate future research and other benefits. He makes the case for the broader use of these and similar techniques in historical research, some of which he demonstrates live during his presentation.

Richard is Emeritus Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Edinburgh. He was Director of the MESH project and his research interests include the urban history of the UK since 1750. He has published fifteen books including The Transformation of Edinburgh: Land, Property and Trust in the Nineteenth Century which was awarded the Frank Watson Prize for works on Scottish history.