Perhaps his most far-reaching achievement, however, was to have taught a generation of historians of the period how to think.

His lack of interest in economic and social history became less forgivable, particularly among the younger generation of historians, regardless of their politics.

If the next generation of historians hopes to understand the driving forces of humanity, they need to know the principles of ecology, population genetics and even molecular biology.

Early county historians often provide parish by parish accounts, although they frequently include long descriptions of manorial descents which are of little interest to the current generation of historians.