A very brief history of the project

The Occupational Structure of Britain c.1379-1911 (OSB) research program began with a chance discussion between Leigh Shaw-Taylor and Tony Wrigley around 2000 at one of the Cambridge Group's annual summer parties hosted by Richard Smith, then director of the Cambridge Group.

The first round of funding came from the ESRC in 2006 with both projects being rated at their conclusion as 'outstanding' by the ESRC. Since then, further funding has been received from the Leverhulme Trust; the British Academy and the Isaac Newton Trust (Cambridge) and a number of other bodies.

Since 2007, the research program has been designated a British Academy Research Project, a designation the BA intends as kitemark of its assessment of the national significance of 'major long term infrastructural projects or research facilities.' Max Satchell joined the program in 2005 which contributed to the project taking a fundamentally 'spatial turn.' Amy Erickson joined around the same time to spearhead work on female occupational structure in the period before the 1851 census. Many others have joined the OSB since then.

Full details of all project members can be found elsewhere on the website.