The documents on these pages have been compiled by small groups working on each period assisted by a wider group of consultees who have improved the document as it has developed. Because of the composite nature of the work and the method of group working it is not possible to identify the authorship of any particular section; the editor (usually the convenor of the group) and contributors are given at the head of each chapter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people were involved in the setting up of the project and over 200 people were consulted during the preparation of this report. Some of those approached were, understandably, too busy to contribute but only one person replied that they did \u201cnot wish to contribute to or be associated with the scheme\u201d. Some of the groups found their work more difficult than we envisaged at the start and we struggled with some chapters but I hope that most found it an enjoyable and productive excercise. It is also hoped that the mixing of people with varied period and local interests will have fostered new relationships and research interests across the region. It was certainly a feature of the seminars and part of the work on the final phase of the project, the Research Strategy, will be to develop a mechanism by which the enthusism generated by SWARF can be maintained for the benefit of research in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n