Gloucestershire Heritage Hub

Gloucestershire Archives

Sally Middleton retired at the end of March.

   

Colleagues and friends at Gloucestershire Archives wished Sally a very happy retirement with lunch and of course cake.....lots of cake!

Joining Gloucestershire Archives in 2016 as part of the ‘For the Record’ archives transformation project Sally has certainly helped us transform our partnerships, learning and outreach offer. During her time our volunteer base has grown significantly and she has worked hard to break down barriers to participation.

Her commitment to Asset Based Community Development and to young people has led to some great results as demonstrated by the growing relationship with Kingsholm Primary School through ‘we love KingsHOME’, child ‘take over’ days, and oral history training for year 6 pupils. Other highlights include her collaborative work on mental health records resulting in the Never Better project which featured at Gloucester History Festival, 2019.  

Her cameo appearance as a cook in the passport to the past session for children based on our county estate archives will be remembered by colleagues for a long time. 

Sally as Mrs Bullas, the cook in Passport to the Past: Stories from the Big House

Sally requested that monies collected by staff for her retirement be donated to Gloucester food bank. Vicky Thorpe, representing the food bank, was presented with a cheque for £125 by Sally.

   

Ebullient, full of enthusiasm, optimistic, forward-looking, egalitarian, supportive, generous with praise, strategic, able to be direct -  all phrases used to sum up Sally. We will miss her positive approach, management and coaching skills, and her fresh perspective arising from her background in social work and libraries. We will do our best to build on Sally's legacy.

Passport to the Past family sessions at the Hub

‘Allo, ‘allo, ‘allo, what’s all this then? Our March Passport to the Past online family event was all about the law. We were extremely fortunate to have Sue Webb, Police Archivist, leading the session. She told us all about what happened to children who broke the law in Victorian Britain. Surprisingly, children as young as six were beaten and even sentenced to hard labour in prison for as little as stealing soup or rope. Others were sent to reform school and in one case, Ann Fisher was transported to Australia at the tender age of thirteen. 

 

Josh and Kelly, who work for the Police, also spoke to the children with particular emphasis on their police uniform. They made a fantastic impression on our young audience who could have carried on asking them questions well into the evening! 

Our next event, taking place on the 6 April, will highlight the lives of children in WWII.

Growing up in war time

We will be looking at food and rationing, toys and games, shelters, and the important work children contributed to the war effort. We are also delighted to have Judy, one of our Volunteers, attending the session. Judy, who was a small child during WWII, was evacuated at the start of the war and will be telling us all about her experiences. 

     

The sessions are aimed at six to thirteen year olds. It is also ideal for primary and secondary schools (KS2 and KS3) teaching WWII. 

 

To sign up for the live events taking place on the first Wednesday of every month, 4-5pm, please go to Gloucestershire Archives Events

Our sessions are also recorded and can be watched at your leisure on our YouTube channel. Our most recent recording ‘Passport to the Past: Tykes, ragamuffins and scallywags: children, punishment and the law’ can be seen here 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKiG224MKhE 

Please do spread the word to any children, parents and teachers you may know! Thank you. 

Women’s history month

Fielding and Platt workers

To kick off woman’s history month in the UK, every Friday in March Gloucestershire Archives has been bringing to light women in Gloucestershire, often overlooked or under appreciated.

The second week highlighted some local women in the workforce.

One of our partner projects was all about Fielding & Platt, an engineering firm from Gloucestershire started in 1866. You can see all about the company and the lives of the people that worked there here: https://www.fieldingandplatthistory.org.uk/

Black and white photograph of the women working at Fielding & Platt, Second World War

One particular page we’d like to highlight today though is this one about the woman who worked there, see here:

www.fieldingandplatthistory.org.uk/content/works/fielding-and-platt-in-world-war-ii/fieldings-female-workers-during-world-war-ii

Daphne Collier was one of these women. To listen her memories of working at the engineering firm, click on the link: www.fieldingandplatthistory.org.uk/content/people/people-general/daphne-collier

Daphne Collier

To read all the blogs written by Laura Cassidy visit Women's History Month

Oral History Interviews

In March 2022, just a couple of weeks before I retired, I carried out an oral history interview with the Rt. Rev. Bishop Rachel Treweek, the current Bishop of Gloucester, and the first ever female bishop in the Church of England. We recorded her talking for about an hour, and answering questions on her life and work. Much of the interview covered her aspirations for the people who live and work in Gloucestershire. We know Bishop Rachel is always immensely busy, so we are very grateful to her for making time for the interview, and would like to express our thanks.

It was part of a trio of bucket-list tasks I wanted to complete in the run-up to my retirement. An oral history interview with Bishop Rachel had been on my “to do” list for a considerable time! It was appropriate, as Gloucestershire Archives holds the records of the Diocese of Gloucester within our collections.

I’ve carried out several oral history interviews during my time with Gloucestershire Archives, and it is something I’d be very keen to do more of, despite retirement. A colleague at work gave me some training on how to do an oral history interview, some years ago, and we are guided by advice and information from the UK’s Oral History Society. Their website is a useful resource on issues like ethics, sample permission forms, the type of questions to ask, and so on.

The first time I did an oral history interview (recorded on an old cassette recorder, and self-taught) was in 1984, when I was an assistant (unqualified) social worker, near London. I interviewed a client who was in her 90’s. She had been born in around 1890 and was an abandoned orphan by the age of 6, in 1896. She was a Cockney, born in London’s East End, and was admitted to the East Ham workhouse when her mother died and the absent father could not be traced. England’s workhouses came into being through the New Poor Law Act of 1834 (championed, at the time, by Charles Dickens), and were only abolished in 1930. There were workhouses in every town and city in England. The history of the Poor Law can be traced back to Elizabethan England, when arrangements were made within each parish to provide “relief” for the poor.

I carried out this first ever oral history interview prior to undertaking an MA in social work. Part of my future dissertation was going to look at the history of social care institutions in Britain from 1790 to 1985. Bessie (not her real name) remembered very clearly what the workhouse had been like. She described her experiences and memories of shared clothes (in reality, workhouse uniforms provided by the institution’s Board of Guardians), having no personal possessions, lots of noise, and the pervading smell of stale food. I will forever recall her outraged comment that – young child as she was – “they put me in 8’s in boots, when I was admitted!” In other words, an adult sized pair of boots for a 6 year old child. The experiences she told me about, first hand, influenced my choice of career and the settings in which I worked for the next nearly 20 years. Listening to someone’s personal testimony is a powerful influencer. We all have a story to tell, and her story affected me deeply – it was about poverty, abandonment, never having a place to really call home, never having a history that was in any sense shared with others, having no family or kinship ties. And never (until well into adulthood) having anything of one’s own.

But, now, back to the present. What about Bishop Rachel’s story? I’d never met a bishop before. I had no idea, really, what they do day to day, and what they may or may not be responsible for. I have no dealings, professional or personal, with the Church of England, and so wasn’t sure quite what to expect. A colleague and I arrived at College Green, a few minutes before our appointment with Bishop Rachel, with 25 questions we wanted to ask, and all in the space of an hour or so!

Although I have no faith, I’m very interested in theological and ethical issues, and could have happily discussed these with Bishop Rachel for the rest of the afternoon. But the oral history interview was to look at the bishop’s ecclesiastical career, her ministry to the people of Gloucestershire, her leadership, her life, and her thoughts on the world today.

The oral history interviews we conduct are kept for posterity, as part of our diverse, and very large, collections. People visiting Gloucestershire Archives will be able to listen to Bishop Rachel’s interview and hear what she has to say about being Bishop of Gloucester in the first quarter of the twenty-first century.

In the course of the oral history interview, I discovered I had something in common with the bishop; we have been (or still are, in the bishop’s case) responsible for some of the work that goes on in HM Prisons. The bishop has been Anglican Bishop for HM Prisons, in England & Wales, for some time, and I once managed the library service at HMP Gloucester. At that time, we reckoned that in excess of 60% of convicted prisoners had low (or no) literacy skills. This is shocking. Prisons are yet another example of institutional life worthy of research and resources, especially in tackling functional skills deficits amongst inmates.

Oral history interviews are all about communication. Not in terms of questions and answers – those are the nuts and bolts, yes. But about expression, thoughts, inclusion, telling one’s story, reaching out, being self-aware, and aware of others, telling others about your experiences in ways that are meaningful. Effective communication is all about these skills.

I have an interesting anecdote about the power of communication. A close friend of mine once undertook a week long retreat, with a silent Order of nuns. She went on a pre-stay orientation visit, along with others intent on the retreat, to find out if it really was for them, and what to expect. I remember her telling me that one member of the cohort asked how she would know the person sitting next to her, at meal times, needed the salt and pepper, as it was a silent Order. The Mother Superior answered that it should not be necessary to ask what another needs; you should, as in life, always anticipate the needs of others, and act accordingly. This, to me, was a lesson in communication. Which, as we all know, is not always about words.

So, how did we get on with Bishop Rachel? We didn’t quite manage to get through all of the 25 questions we had prepared for her oral history interview. This is hardly surprising; you quickly learn that, when conducting an oral history interview, interviewees want to answer fully, and tell you their story. It is always a dilemma when you run out of time, and still have a few questions left. So we asked the bishop to choose one or two from the few that were left.

Oral history interviews make up an important part of our collections. They tell, first hand, about an individual’s experiences, work and interests. If you’d like to find out more, please go to the Oral History Society’s website at www.ohs.org.uk The OHS was founded in 1969, and its strapline is “everybody’s story matters.” This echoes Bishop Rachel’s words to me – that we are all equal, and we all have a story to tell.

Everybody's story matters

Oral history is part of a long tradition of social research which reached its peak, here in the UK, with the Mass Observation Project, set up in 1937 – mid-1960’s. Mass Observation was very much about giving ordinary people a voice (often through their written diaries and letters, but occasionally films), describing – in their own words – their day to day lives in Britain at that time.

I have read first-person accounts, from the Mass Observation archive (held at the University of Sussex) from World War 2, and it’s fascinating to read what preoccupied the people of Britain during the war. It very much constitutes what we would call a “people’s history”. It pre-dates the golden age of documentary film-making in the 1960’s and 1970’s, with such seminal documentary films as “The Family”, mirroring the “kitchen sink” dramas of the second half of the twentieth century, and the ever popular “Seven Up”.

If you want to explore the history of documentary film-making, go to the British Film Institute’s website at www.bfi.org.uk and – if particularly interested in World War 2 and the Home Front – search for the government’s GPO Film Unit.

Sally Middleton

Cotswold Life January

Each month the team at Gloucestershire Archives delve into our diverse collections and put together a piece that appears in Cotswold Life magazine. Articles often include - Photograph of the Month, Spotlight on Maps, Documents of the Month and Gloucestershire Character. 

This Spotlight on Maps article was written by John Putley and appeared in the Janaury 2022 issue.  

 

Among the most interesting maps held by Gloucestershire Archives are the county inclosure maps.  Although some lands, chiefly around villages, had been inclosed much earlier, most of the Open Field land in Gloucestershire, as well as many commons and wastes, was inclosed between 1750 to 1850 by awards following Acts of Parliament.  Although it’s often thought that every parish had an Inclosure Award, this isn’t so and of the over 300 ancient parishes in Gloucestershire, only about 200 were subject to an Inclosure Act.  Most consist of a map with award and show the land distribution after the enclosure.  The maps are usually well drawn and often show historical curiosities – as this 1815 inclosure map for Deerhurst and Leigh does in the shape of a red-coated man on horseback in the middle of the River Severn.  This is Jeremiah Hawkins, who owned land on both sides of the river, but refused to pay to use the ferry at the nearby Haw passage and always forded the river on horseback.  Local legend says that he made his servants do the same and at least one drowned!

Kindertransport film

Gloucestershire Archives is working with independent film maker David Grange to make a short film about the former Kindertransport hostel at 18 Alexandra Road, Gloucester, which has been awarded blue plaque status.  The film will be premiered at Gloucester’s City Voices festival in September. 

Most of our knowledge about the hostel comes from one of our collections, the archive of the Gloucester Association for Aiding Refugees (D7501).  It contains a wealth of fascinating detail about the 10 Jewish boys who lived at the hostel from June 1939 to December 1941. There is a short exhibition about the boys on the Gloucestershire Archives website - The Kindertransport Boys - The story of ten young refugee who came to Gloucester in 1939.

 

The plaque is the initiative of Michael Zorek, whose father Werner was one of the hostel boys.   Through Michael, we have been able to contact other descendants, and of the hostel’s wardens (themselves refugees from the Nazi regime), who have been sharing what they know.   We are also collaborating with Gloucestershire University history students who are working on their own exhibition about the boys, which will also feature in the History Festival.  

Sewing Seeds

If you have been in the Heritage Hub on a Tuesday recently, you might have noticed that the Dunrossil Room is a hive of activity. Following on from the successful Stitch in Time project that was hosted by Gloucestershire Archives as part of City Voices in 2021, this group of women from all over Gloucestershire, have come together again, sharing skills and stories to create ‘Sewing Seeds’ - a new artwork inspired by the gardens of the Heritage Hub.

 

This stunning artwork will be sited in the foyer in the Spring, and is being made from recycled and reclaimed materials, as well as fabrics that have been dyed using flowers from the garden. It was been inspired by the traditional ‘ Grandmother’s Garden’ Quilt pattern, and some of our very own staff have contributed hexagons!

Jacqui Grange - Creative Director City Voices. jacqui@cityvoices.org.uk

Archives Online Exhibitions

Did you know Gloucestershire Archives has a wealth of beautifully curated collections of records and images purposefully designed to take you on a journey of discovery. Many topics are covered including the census, gardens, newspapers, Gloucester asylums, civic buildings, Christmas and many more.

 

Visit Online exhibitions - Gloucestershire Archives  to see all the exhibitions.

Local History

James Hodsdon 1947 - 2022

James Hodsdon BA PhD FSA

It is with the greatest sadness that we have to announce that James Hodsdon, Chair of the Gloucestershire County History Trust, collapsed and died suddenly and unexpectedly on 20 January 2022.

It would be no exaggeration to say that the progress that the Victoria County History in Gloucestershire has made during the last decade – a red book and a paperback published, and three more red books approaching completion – could not have happened without his drive, enthusiasm and meticulous hard work. In fact it is most unlikely that without him the project would have continued in the county at all. For all of us who worked with him he was our inspiration, and we are reeling from the shock of knowing that he will no longer be there to organise, guide and cajole us with his unique brand of humour, wisdom and sincerity. We have lost a charming, gentlemanly colleague and a dear friend. Beside the leading role he took in the VCH, at national as well as local level, James has served at various times as Chairman of Council of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society, Honorary General Editor of the Gloucestershire Record Series (to which he contributed two volumes himself), Secretary of the Gloucester and District Archaeological Research Group, and Editor of the Cheltenham Local History Society Journal; and he has been involved in some way or other in virtually every field of local history activity in his beloved Cheltenham, where he lived from 1971, and in the county. Our loss, therefore, is shared by many other organisations. It is hard to think of anyone else who has played such an influential part in our local history world as he has, as leader, diplomat, scholar and advocate. We offer our heartfelt and deepest sympathy to Judie and his family.

John Chandler

John Chandler’s commemoration first appeared in the VCH Gloucestershire Newsletter16: January 2022.   

VCH Gloucestershire Newsletter 16

The Victoria County History of Gloucestershire

The Victoria County History is one of the world's longest-running research projects, exploring England's rich local history.

Eleven Red Book volumes have been published by VCH Gloucestershire. Three volumes are currently in preparation. Work towards one of these volumes, XV (Cheltenham and District) has produced a VCH Short, Cheltenham before the Spa (2018).

Ten volumes are available free, open-access on British History Online(Opens in new window). For full access to all volumes, check your local library catalogue or your local archive. 

Recent publications include Yate, Cheltenham before the Spa and Gloucester Xlll: The Vale of Gloucester and Leadon Valley

For more information about VCH Gloucestershire visit Gloucestershire | Institute of Historical Research (history.ac.uk)

www.victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk/counties/gloucestershire  

Alan Ball Local History Awards

   

Since 1986, the Local Studies Group of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, acting on behalf of the Library Services Trust, has given annual awards to recognise outstanding contributions in local history publishing. There are currently three awards – for hard copy, digital and community publications. The Award is named after Alan Ball, the former Chief Librarian of the London Borough of Harrow, whose publications include a number of books on topographical prints, including Gloucester Illustrated, published by Halsgrove in 2001.

   

Because of the pandemic, the Awards had been suspended since 2019, but late last year CILIP decided to offer awards for new local history publications in both 2020 and 2021. The County Archivist, Heather Forbes, passed this information to the Gloucestershire Local History Association, which ‘cascaded’ it to its members, at least two of whom decided to submit applications for the Award.

We were delighted to learn in February that both the hard copy and digital awards for 2020 had been won by Gloucestershire groups. The Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society’s (www.bgas.org.uk) Record Series volume on Managing Poverty: Cheltenham Settlement Examinations and Removal Orders, 1831-52, edited by Dr John Simpson, has won the award for the best hard copy publication and the Stroudwater Navigation Archive Charity’s website (www.stroudwaterhistory.org.uk) has won the best digital publication award. So congratulations are due to all involved – and do take a look at the two organisations’ websites to find out more.

      

As the Award is an annual one, it is hoped that other Gloucestershire local history groups and societies might consider submitting their new publications for future awards. To find out more about the awards, take a look at: www.communityarchives.org.uk/content/news/2021/alan-ball-awards-for-local-history-publication-of-the-year  

Steven Blake, Chair, GLHA

Gloucestershire Local History Association Local History Day

GLHA logo

14th May 2022, 10.30am - 4.30pm. Entrance £5 for the day

Gloucestershire Local History Association is organising a Local History Day to be held at the University of Gloucestershire, Oxstalls Campus on Saturday 14th May 2022.

The theme of the day will be The History of Education in Gloucestershire and will feature talks by four speakers on different aspects of the topic. There will also be displays from local history groups showcasing their research on education in their community.

The winner of the Bryan Jerrard Award for the best article on an aspect of Gloucestershire’s history in a local history publication during 2021 will be announced, and also the winner of the Best Display.

Refreshments will be available.

For programme details see the listing on the events page Gloucestershire Heritage Hub     

For information about GLHA visit www.gloshistory.org.uk 

Family History

Family History Centre news

We all love a traditional book despite all the obvious (and instant) attractions of e-readers and Wikipedia - nothing really replaces the pleasure of settling down with a real book.  The last couple of years have encouraged many people to return to reading - one of the few positives of the lockdowns.

You might not know that the Family History Centre includes a thriving bookshop.  This may be small in size but it includes a wide variety of new books, many with a local slant, written by local authors and produced by independent publishers.  In many cases the author has used sources preserved in Gloucestershire Archives, one of our Hub partners.  We’re delighted to be able to support and promote all this local expertise.

 

Alongside all the wonderful new books, we have a wide selection of good quality secondhand books.  This is an eclectic collection which covers a wide variety of topics with a history bias and all at bargain prices!  What’s not to like?

We don’t just stock books!  Over many years, GFHS volunteers have spent hundreds of hours indexing a wide variety of sources from the Gloucester Cemetery registers to a WW1 scrapbook from the Forest of Dean.  These are available as CDs or downloads.

You’re welcome to visit the FH Centre or you can browse online through our website gfhs.org.uk

We have a reference library as well.  This includes indexes created by our volunteers together with standard family/local history books.  You’re welcome to browse!

 

Friends of Gloucestershire Archives

Fast moving Friends spring into action!

The Friends of Gloucestershire Archives were delighted to be able to swing into action in March when they were alerted to a cache of material for sale on eBay – with just a few hours left until the auction closed.

The National Archives sales monitoring service had flagged up that, with just a few hours to go, there was a lot for sale on eBay that might be of interest to Gloucestershire Archives. It was an extensive collection material relating to the Davy family who owned Tracy Park, now in South Gloucestershire. Gloucestershire Archives already hold a set of deeds relating to the property (https://gloucestershire.epexio.com/records/D6623) but very little in the way of family and personal papers. This lot would fill that gap.

After a flurry of emails and calls, the Friends were delighted to be able to support Gloucestershire Archives by agreeing to bid for the lot. The price at the time was £48.00 so after setting a upper limit all that was left to do was for the bidder to hold their nerve and wait... Thankfully, the bidding didn’t rise too high, and in the end at £72.00 the Friends were successful in purchasing the lot!

Once the material has arrived, the Friends will donate it to Gloucestershire Archives and this unique insight into the life of the Davy Family in the mid 1800s will be permanently preserved for anyone to see.

If you’re interested in the work of the Friends, or would like to find out more about the purchases that have been made by them over the years, including this one, please join us on 20th April between 4.00 and 7.00 pm in the Dunrossil Room @ the Heritage Hub. Entry is free and you can stay as long or as little as you like! There is no need to book.

Visit Friends of Gloucestershire Archives drop in session

Talks and events

After a long break due to Covid the Friends have restarted their programme of talks and events.

At the end of February members came together to hear two short black history talks given by members of the Friends.  The first talk explored the life of Gylman Ivie, an ‘Ethiopian’ who appeared in the Gloucestershire village of Dyrham in the 1570s.  The talk also included a wider survey of Africans in Tudor England.

The second talk centred on John Hart, the son of a white slave owner and one of his black slaves.  John was sent to Gloucestershire to be educated, stayed, and became a school master and a pillar of the community.

The next event will be on Wednesday 20 April.  Members are invited to drop in at the Archives any time between 4pm and 7pm.  There will be a display of documents and other items purchased by the Friends in recent years.  Trustees and Archive staff will be on hand to talk about the documents and to answer questions. 

Tea, coffee and cakes will be available.  No need to book – just turn up at the time that suits you best. For more information visit FoGA drop in session

We are planning another afternoon talk in the summer and are making provisional arrangements for a mystery tour in the autumn.  Watch out for further details in due course.

If you are not a Friend but would like to join, and support Gloucestershire Archives, a membership form can be found on the Friend’s website: www.foga.online/join

Clive Andrews, FoGA Chairman

Events

Gloucestershire Archives: Passport to the Past

Passport to the Past: Growing up in war time

Wednesday 6 April, 4 - 5pm. Free of charge. For 6-13 years.

 

This session is about what daily life was like for children at the time of the Second World War. One of our friends who was a young child in WW2 will be with us to answer your questions about what life was like back then. Maybe you have relatives or neighbours of your own who are now in their eighties or nineties – they could tell you about their memories to share with us in the session.

Rationing is something you would definitely know about If you were a child in the 1940s. Sugar was hard to come by – so there were hardly ever any sweets or puddings. Meat and cheese were a rare treat. And your clothes and toys were probably home-made, ‘hand-me downs’.

Although children in rural places like Gloucestershire where there are lots of farms were sometimes luckier than children living in towns, their families would still have had ration books. Life could be hard – but we are going to celebrate that throughout history children have always found a way to play and have fun!

To book this talk visit Gloucestershire Archives Events

Coming in May...

Passport to the Past: Up Your Street

Wednesday 5 May, 4 - 5pm. Free of charge. For 6-13 years.

House Detectives! Whether you live in a high-rise flat, a 400 year old country farm or a brand-new house, your home in fascinating. Or maybe you live somewhere more unusual such as on a boat or in a mobile home? Wherever you are, we want to hear all about it! 

In this session focused on local history, we will be looking through windows of homes both in the UK as well as abroad. Find out about people in the past and the present. And imagine what homes might be like in the future. 

Did you know that one of the worst jobs in the past was collecting the ‘night soil’ or in other words, everything which ended up in a chamber pot before flushing toilets became common? 

‘Sleep tight’ is a saying thought to originate from tightening the bed strings before going to bed? 

Up until the last 150 years, houses did not have numbers. How did the Postman deliver the post?

To book this talk visit Gloucestershire Archives Events

Other useful information about the sessions.....

If you are aged 6 – 13 and enjoy history and what it can tell us about today’s world, don’t miss this monthly online after school club! You’ll meet, talk to, and have lots of real time fun as experienced session leaders from Gloucestershire Archives as they lead you on an hour-long adventure into the past.

For every monthly Passport event, we create new resources which can be used during the session. These will appear on the Passport to the Past: fun activities and resources for families and schools page at least 48 hours before each event takes place giving you time to print them off. This link will also be sent to you a couple of days before the event takes place.


If you can’t print off the pages for the session, please don’t worry! We will display the pages on the screen during the event and all your child will need is a couple of pages of blank paper and a pen or pencil.


Please note that there are other pages listed as downloads which you can also print and enjoy in your own time if you want to do so.

You should receive your Zoom link as an automated message when you book on to this event (remember to press the "Book now" button once you've entered your details). If you don't, please check your junk folder. If it's not in there, please contact archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk and we will send you a link.

    4 - 5pm. Free of charge.

Friends of Gloucestershire Archives drop in session

The next FoGA event will be on Wednesday 20 April. 4 - 7pm. Free entry

Pop in to the Gloucestershire Heritage Hub any time between 4pm and 7pm to see some examples of documents that the Friends of Gloucestershire Archives have helped to add to Gloucestershire Archives' collections, and hear a bit about how the Friends work.

There will be a display of documents and other items purchased by the Friends in recent years. Representatives of the committee will be there to answer any questions and archives staff will be able to show you some exciting recent purchases.

Tea, coffee and cakes will be available

No need to book – just turn up at the time that suits you best. Please be assured that the Friends of Gloucestershire Archives will be following Covid safety measures.

For more information visit FoGA drop in session

Gloucestershire Archives: Secrets Revealed

The Poor Are Always With Us

Wednesday 27 April, 1 - 2pm. Free of charge.

This presentation will investigate the history of the poor and their treatment in the county as found within the records of Gloucestershire Archives.

The poor are among the many unheard voices of the past, one of those groups that seem to slip by into history unnoticed as they were excluded from society as individuals, households and communities.

We will look at the systems that governed their treatment, places where they were sent, the charities that were established to help and how ultimately social reforms evolved into the modern welfare state.

To book this talk visit Gloucestershire Archives Events

Coming in May.......

Opening the door on house history

Wednesday 25 May, 1 - 2pm. Free of charge.

This presentation will show you how to start researching the history of your house. 

We will look at all manner of original resources that can provide information on the history of your house including official records, sales particulars, deeds, old photographs and maps. Whether you have a castle or a condo or a farm or a flat, this will have something for you.

To book this talk visit Gloucestershire Archives Events

Secrets Revealed are live Zoom seminars that bring together a community of people with a shared interest in history, heritage, culture and their importance in today’s world.

You should receive your Zoom link as an automated message when you book on to this event (remember to press the "Book now" button once you've entered your details). If you don't, please check your junk folder. If it's not in there, please contact archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk and we will send you a link.

      

Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society

Online Annual Symposium 2022

Saturday 7 May, 10am - 3.45pm. Free event

A day full of wonderful and fascinating speakers, and this year is all about the archaeology of Gloucester. Book to watch on the day, or the talks will be available to watch at your leisure at a later date!

 

Programme

Tickets are free https://tinyurl.com/dayofgloucesterarchaeology 

Local History Day

Saturday 14 May, 10.30am - 4.30pm. Entrance £5 for the day.

University of Gloucestershire Oxstalls Campus, Oxstalls Lane, Longlevens, GL2 9HW

Programme

10.30 Doors open. Refreshments available.

11.00 Welcome and Introduction.

11.10 Catherine Holloway - "Stroud Technical School for Girls, its alumnae, and technical education for girls in the post-war period."

12.10 Lunch break and time to view displays and History Press bookstall.

1.30 Announcement of the winner of the Bryan Jerrard Award 2021 for what the judges believe to be the best article on an aspect of Gloucestershire’s history in a local history publication during the preceding year. Prizes sponsored by The History Press.

1.40 Professor Nicholas Orme - "Going to school in Medieval Gloucestershire.”

2.40 Tea break and last chance to view displays and bookstall.

3.05 Announcement of the winner of the Best Display.

3.15 Judith Ellis - “The George Townsend Charity - educational opportunities for Gloucestershire boys over 250 years.”

3.50 Averil Kear - “The Girls’ School at Lydney Park in WWII.”

4.30 Close

South Gloucestershire

Yate Heritage Centre, Church Road, Yate, Bristol BS37 5BG. Tel: 01454 862200 

For more information visit Yate History at Yate Heritage Centre | Visit and Discover Yate

Yate Lecture Series

SHARPNESS SHIPBREAKERS

Tuesday, April 26, 2022 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Paul Barnett of the Purton Hulks Trust reveals the history of the Sharpness Shipbreakers. Discover this fascinating part of Severn industrial life with Paul.

£2 admission or free for Friends of YHC. Booking essential. Funded by Friends of YHC. Venue to be confirmed nearer the date. 

FUNERARY MONUMENTS OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE CHURCHES

Tuesday, May 31, 2022 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

John Reid discusses the fascinating subject of some of the amazing funerary monuments devoted to Gloucestershire people throughout the centuries.

£2 admission or free for Friends of YHC. Booking essential. Funded by Friends of YHC. 

VILLAGE LIFE IN THE GREAT WAR

Tuesday, June 28, 2022 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Yate lecture Series presents the talk "Village life in the Great War" with Rose Hewlett. Renowned historian Rose Hewlett charts the social history of the Severn villages during this dramatic period.

£2 admission or free for Friends of YHC. Booking essential. Funded by Friends of YHC.

MARGARET TOTHILL SUFFRAGETTE AND POLITICIAN

Tuesday, July 19, 2022 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Lecturer June Hannam of the UWE supplies our summer lecture on the famed Bristol suffragette and Bristol politician Margaret Tothill.

£2 admission or free for Friends of YHC. Booking essential. Funded by Friends of YHC.

For more information about becoming a friend of Yate heritage Centre visit Friends of Yate and District Heritage Centre | About us | Home | Discover Yate's History at Yate Heritage Centre

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Winterbourne Medieval Barn

Talk : Vernacular Buildings in South Glos - Tuesday 26th April, 7pm

Architectural Historian Linda Hall looks at the historic building styles and materials of houses in southern Gloucestershire, both town and country, from medieval times to the 17th century. 

Tickets £7.50 to come in person or watch the livestream on Zoom. Free parking on site. 

Tea and Tours -  First Thursday of each month, 2pm

Enjoy a cup of tea and a short talk about the history of the Medieval Barn, and then explore the recently renovated West Barn and the rest of the site.

Book via the website. Tickets £7.50

To see all Winterbourne Barn activities visit www.winterbournebarn.org.uk

South Gloucestershire

South Gloucestershire Museums Group

South Gloucestershire Museums Group is an unincorporated association whose group members are museums and heritage centres that are open to the public and whose collecting area is wholly or partly within South Gloucestershire.

The aims of the group is to promote inspiration, learning and enjoyment through the exploration of museum collections for the benefit of local communities and the general public.

The group meets about four times a year at different museums.

For more information visit www.southglos.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/museums-and-galleries/south-gloucestershire-museum-development/

Group members:

  • Acton Court
  • Aerospace Bristol (Bristol Aerospace Collection Trust)
  • Avon Valley Railway (Avon Valley Railway Trust)
  • Dyrham Park (National Trust)
  • Frenchay Village Museum (Frenchay Tuckett Society)
  • Kingswood Heritage Museum (Kingswood Heritage Museum Trust)
  • South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group
  • Thornbury and District Museum (Thornbury and District Heritage Trust)
  • Rolls Royce Heritage Museum (Rolls Royce Heritage Trust)
  • Winterbourne Medieval Barn (Winterbourne Medieval Barn Trust)
  • Yate and District Heritage Centre (Yate Town Council)

Museum development in South Gloucestershire

Whose mission is to support museums in the region to be ambitious, develop excellence and resilience, increase audiences and support community engagement

The museum development officer for South Gloucestershire, South West Museum Development Programme attends museum group meetings.  Information available at www.southwestmuseums.org.uk/

Read the latest newsletter : March 2022

To subscribe www.southwestmuseums.org.uk/join-our-newsletter/

South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group

South Gloucestershire has a rich and varied mining history. The date of the earliest mining in the area is now lost in antiquity but coal was worked in this area up until 1963. Other forms of open cast mining continued later still.  The remains of mining cover a vast area from South Bristol, Easton, Kingswood to Coalpit Heath, Yate and Cromhall – and even Filton.  Most of the mining was for coal, but ochre, celestine, iron, lead and stone were also mined in the area.

The South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group (SGMRG) was set up by local people to understand, record and where appropriate preserve the remains, of what was once an extensive industry, for the present community and future generations. SGMRG is a voluntary organisation that relies on grants and donations from local people. Our membership is made up of archaeologists, surveyors, historians, engineers, cavers and those simply interested in finding more about what lies under their feet. We have regular meetings, walks and talks including the opportunity to get involved in exploration, archaeology and restoration work

Our most recent meeting was the AGM on Wednesday 30 March followed by a talk by Steve Grudgings “A Mining Miscellany”.

Meetings and talks are usually held in the Miners Institute (aka Coalpit Heath Village Hall), 214 Badminton Road, Coalpit Heath

The next two talk dates for 2022 are Wednesday 28 October and 7 December, subjects and speakers to be confirmed soon. keep an eye on the events page for more information Diary of Events - SGMRG Website

If you would like to join us, please visit our Membership page for further information.

Tytherington

We are always interested to hear about new finds, old buildings or artifacts from the mining era.  Do you have relatives who were involved in mining?  If you have any information to share with us, please let us know.

If you wish to enquire about new or existing projects, please contact our Projects Coordinator.  If you’d like to get in contact with us for any other reason, please contact one of our members. 

Contact details of SGMRG key contacts can be found on our Contact Us page.

 

Gloucestershire Police Archives

It is great to be out and about again.

It has been great to get back to some semblance of normality after the short break that we had to impose over December and January. The majority of the volunteers are back in the office and those who work at home have produced some fantastic ‘stuff’ for the website

gloucestershirepolicearchives.org.uk/content/category/from-truncheons-to-tasers/police-buildings/police-stations

We are also trying to add to the information that we have about some of our officers and develop those pages of the website.

gloucestershirepolicearchives.org.uk/content/category/finding-your-police-ancestors/officers-before-1950

We are still having plenty of queries in the office, about 40 so far this year some of them very simple and some that can take several weeks to research. One of the most recent ones is about a Special Constable accused of murder in Thornbury which is ongoing as things keep popping out of the woodwork!

It is great to get out and about again for talks, I have been to Yate, recently and have Chipping Sodbury and Thornbury coming up in the next month or so. We have also supported colleagues in the Heritage Hub with both training and family activities on line

. 

Before the crime                                                                After they were caught!

Images above from the March Passport to the past session - Tykes, ragamuffins and scallywags: children punishment and the law

We are also working hard to extend our links with other organisations and have visited Northleach prison in the last few weeks and are planning ro renew our links with Tetbury Police Museum during the next few months. Everyone is suddenly very busy as restrictions have been dropped

We are really trying to ensure that things that are currently in the news are captured for the archives.

And we are still being sent photographs that have been lurking in people’s drawers for years.

If you have any photographs we are always happy to receive Jpegs via gloucestershirepolicearchives@gmail.com and queries can also be sent to the same address. The office is open at the Heritage Hub Monday to Wednesday until 2.30.

Sue Webb, Police Archivist

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