Meet the professionals...

In August, Max Parkin, an archivist based in our Collections Management Team, had the opportunity to attend the ARA [Archives and Records Association] Conference held at the Delta Hotels, Bristol. This annual event is a great way for archivists, conservators and records managers to converge, share knowledge and network with one another. In a jam packed 3 days, Max attended countless talks, met an abundance of colleagues from across the profession and attended two wonderful social events in the evenings.

The opening keynote speech set the tone for what was to come, with an inspirational talk on the importance of gathering the records from underrepresented and ethnic minority groups. The day proceeded well, with talks on ARA Strategy, new ways of working with inter-generational practices and trauma informed approaches to working with archives.

Day Two kicked off with highly topical talks on managing cataloguing backlogs, new approaches to appraisal and cataloguing ethics. Our Head of Service, Heather Forbes, delivered a talk on the importance of outreach, and our conservator Ann Attwood, provided a session on current practice in archive conservation. Both were very well received. An eye-opening talk on the environmental effects of digital storage closed the day, talks wise, but then there was the Gala Dinner at which we discovered that Gloucestershire Archives had won 'Record Keeping Service of the Year' as voted by the public. A great honour indeed! 

Heather Forbes and Max Parkin with the award at the Gala Dinner: Photo credit to ARA.

And just to prove it came home, the rest of the staff with the award!

At this point we need to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who voted for us. It means a great deal to the staff that this award was decided by both professional colleagues and the public. If you somehow missed all this excitement, voting is now closed but you can read our nomination here

Back to the Conference, the final day was a case of last but not least, as Max attended a talk about emotions in archives. Record keepers regularly have to process traumatic archives, and it is important to find ways to deal with the knock-on effects of dealing with sensitive material or triggering content. 

To conclude, Max felt that attending the conference had been both interesting and pertinent to his job, and he was really grateful for the opportunity to attend, thanks to an ARA Bursary. 

Gloucestershire Archives at the Gloucester History Festival – Voices Scriptorium Session: Sight Loss Then & Now

On Saturday 13^th & Sunday 14^th September, Voices Gloucester hosted Scriptorium Sessions at Blackfriars in partnership with the Gloucester History Festival.  One of the sessions was entitled ‘Sight Loss: Then & Now’ and was a mini project that Gloucestershire Archives had worked on.  It was the brainchild of Sarah Goddard, a sight-impaired mixed-media artist and writer who created a brilliant podcast series investigating experiences of sight loss in Gloucestershire in the 19^th and 20^th centuries through drama, discussion and lived experience.  As part of this project, we found some examples of sight loss in the archives and Sarah selected one and created a short play based on it, which was subsequently recorded by Gloucester’s am-dram group, the Crown Players – plus a certain John Putley from the archives (face for radio, voice for TV!).  The play was based on a letter of 20^th October 1834, from James Waite (a blind innkeeper) to the Lord of the Manor and Freeholders of the parish of Horsley.  The Scriptorium session was a chance for Sarah and John to share the challenges of blending historical fact with storytelling fiction and how it felt to be involved.  This has subsequently tied into a series of forthcoming events at the archives called ‘Reading the Records’, where we will be working with the Sight Loss Council to open our service to people who are visually impaired.

 

The Scriptorium stage ready for Sight Loss: Then & Now

Getting ready for 2027!

Thanks to a grant of £9.5k from the Lloyds Register Foundation, plans are well underway to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Gloucester Docks in 2027.

The image below shows the newly commissioned Gloucestershire Mariners' exhibition in the buttery of the 13^th century Blackfriars Priory, on display as part of the History Festival in September 2025.

This physical exhibition, compiled by local historian, Tony Conder, will be shown in a variety of venues around the City over the next few months including the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester. There is currently a mini version of the exhibition in the lobby of the Heritage Hub. Alongside this, there is also an online exhibition available via here and staff at Gloucestershire Archives have also produced a research guide to maritime resources in Gloucestershire for anyone interested in the history of the Docks and the people who lived and worked there.

Reading the records, open to all

For past four Wednesdays, we have held a series of sessions for visually impaired and blind people, collectively titled 'Reading the Records'. Six sessions have been planned in total, focusing on different types of records.  We've touched and talked our way through the 'treasures' of the Archives, Police records, tools of the trade - items used by archivists and conservators, listened to an array of sound recordings and handled a selection of media and associated machinery from the early 1900s, right up to the modern age. Our latest session will involve another partner service, the Gloucestershire Family History Society, who will be providing one to one assistance with online resources to research family histories. And, in our final session on 5th November, we will be reading from the school log books and hearing about the history of education in Gloucestershire. Get in touch with us via archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk if you would like to attend. 

 

         Feeling the button samples from the Erinoid collection                        Undertaking conservation repairs with Rachel

 

   Holding the first County Council minute book            Inspecting Raikes the rat and a nibbled register

People have queried our use of traditional flyers to advertise the 'Reading the Records' sessions as well as social media and word of mouth. It is worth noting that many people who are visually impaired can see to some degree and even if you are registered blind, there are all sorts of devices which can help you to navigate your surroundings.

Julie Stephens, a regular attendee who was born blind, gave us a short demonstration of the free and very clever app called ‘Be My Eyes’.  You simply take a photograph of whatever you are trying to see and in a matter of seconds, an audio description will be sent to your phone.  Whilst preparing for the 'Reading the Records' sessions, we’ve had to think outside the box.  We've incorporated a touch and feel element using associated objects in each session and have selected particularly informative, amusing or sad pieces of text to read out. We initially thought that the traditional PowerPoint presentation wasn’t the best way to operate…or was it? This type of presentation might still be interesting for partially sighted people and/or carers with full sight.  And by using the ‘Be My Eyes’ app, any images involved can be accurately described for everyone, meaning that the whole experience is inclusive.

    

Sound recordings. Heidi the guide dog was not impressed!   Helen and Jemma accept the wand from Helen Wollington (Talking Newspapers)

We have also acquired a useful tool which I’m describing as a wand because it is quite magical!  This small device can be pointed at text on a screen which can then be highlighted and enlarged, making it significantly easier for the audience to see. We are extremely grateful to Gloucester Talking Newspaper, who, represented by Helen Wollington, one of our regular volunteers, have purchased a wand for us to use, not just for Reading the Records presentations but for all our other learning and outreach activities too. We have also been supported by representatives of the Sight Loss Council as we've developed these sessions. 

It has been a successful series and consequently, we plan to run it again in the New Year.  We also have other ideas on how we can make our Service as accessible as possible. In September, thanks to funding from the Skilling Up the South West grant [more on this external award in our January 2026 newsletter], the Access and Engagement Team at Gloucestershire Archives visited Kresen Kernow, formerly known as Cornwall Record Office.  We wanted to see what they had done with Heritage Lottery funding specifically aimed at making their service more accessible. We came back inspired. Consequently, in the New Year, we are planning to run a survey on how we can make the Heritage Hub more user friendly with a view to applying for funding ourselves in the near future.  We want to ensure that our Service remains inclusive, interesting, relevant and appealing. 

Bryan Jerrard Award Winners

The Bryan Jerrard Award is given annually for what the judges believe to be the best published article on an aspect of Gloucestershire’s history during the past year. Further details, including the judging criteria and a list of previous winners, are available on the GLHA website.

 At the GLHA Forum meeting in September 2025, Steven Blake, Chair of the Judges, introduced the Award ceremony. He thanked his fellow judges John Chandler, David Aldred and particularly Mike Greet, who was standing down after many years as a judge.

Twelve local history groups had submitted journals and the judges had chosen a shortlist of 10 articles.

The winner of the 2024 Award was:

Steven Carter for his article ‘Coleford’s Jovial Foresters’, in the Forest of Dean Local History Society’s journal The New Regard 39 (2024). His prize of £60, sponsored by the History Press, was received by the editor, Nigel Costley, on his behalf.

 

The runner-up was:

Terry Moore-Scott for his article ‘The Manor, Hamlet and Tithing of Broadwell in Leckhampton’, Leckhampton Local History Society Research Bulletin 6 (2024).

Terry attended to receive his prize of £40 sponsored by the History Press.  

Visit the GLHA website https://gloshistory.org.uk/ to read the winning articles.

New voices to be heard...

In June it was announced that Voices Gloucester had received further funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. This vital funding ensured the launch of a new round of grants, agreed the same month. Voices had 28 applications, and were able to fund the following projects:

• The Man Who Fed the Cats – a mural by Murmur honouring the life of Gloucester Mayor Ralph Fletcher (1780-1851)
• Echos from Ingushetia – Milana Albakova creates an event to celebrate the heritage of the Ingusg people, see image below

• We Are Here: Stories of Belonging - Viva O’Flynn takes a unique view on Filipino Journeys to Gloucestershire
• Still Standing: Gloucester’s Picturehouse – Harriet Hughes focuses the lens on the Picturedrome and its community as a basis for imagining its future
• Quedgeley Folk! A fruit inspired community Wassail – a joint project with Carrie Sermon and Nicola Wilson to put the spotlight on Green Farm Orchard
• Memories of Debenhams – Clair Greenaway captures the stories and memories that connect generations of local people to this iconic store that is now the new University campus
• Barton Garden Party! This project with Kathy Williams will recapture the history of Barton and one of its forgotten spaces - Barton tea garden
• The Hidden Horse People of Gloucestershire – Imran Atcha will explore the stories of the pioneering horsemen and women

Please visit voicesgloucester.org.uk for details of the programme of events.

A Sailor's Life...

We always enjoy a chance to share our enthusiasm with other like-minded people and if this also gives us an opportunity to learn something completely new, even better.

Over the last months we’ve been involved with the Gloucestershire Mariners’ project led by local historian Tony Conder and funded by the Lloyds Register Foundation.  We investigated some of the families involved in the coastal trade working out of the port of Gloucester.  As you can imagine we discovered many astonishing stories which often shed a very poignant light on the lives of the sailors themselves and their families.  For us a very important aspect of any research is to retell the stories of those ordinary people who have been long-forgotten.

We soon realised how very risky the life of a seaman could be and, unfortunately, very few of the stories we found ended well.  One of the saddest but also most interesting tales involved Charles Edwin Prewett, whose body was eventually washed ashore near Tayport in January 1906.  Although his story is very typical in many ways, involving a combination of appalling weather, a rapid sinking of the vessel and the loss of the whole crew, it seems especially poignant.

A badly damaged photo, seen here, was washed ashore at St Andrews in November 1905 along with other wreckage including a lifebelt marked ‘Beaconsfield Gloucester’ but no bodies.  So when local people saw the name of the photographer: H E Jones, Gloucester, they sent it to him in the hope that he’d be able to identify the man.

It was Captain Prewett. However the story doesn’t end there.  When Captain Prewett’s body was found in early January 1906 the newspaper reports included a detailed description of his clothes, right down to his mismatched socks, and his tattoos, particularly the name ‘Edwin Prewett’ on his right arm.  His fiancée, Catherine Duncan of Tayport, confirmed his identity, mentioning specifically his socks so perhaps she knitted those herself.

This opens up more questions. How did a sailor based in Gloucester come to have a Scottish fiancée?  We know from the newspapers that ‘Beaconsfield’ was carrying china clay from Cornwall to Tayport and was going to take potatoes from Alloa back to Gloucester.  So perhaps this was a regular route.  Edwin Prewett was in his mid-40s and he’d been the Mate on ‘Gem’, another Gloucester ship, so perhaps he’d visited Tayport many times.  We’ve found other sailors who married far from Gloucestershire so this seems quite reasonable.

 

Then there is the tattoo of his name.  We’ve found many references to tattooed images and initials but no other example of a sailor’s full name.  So was Edwin Prewett especially concerned that he might not be identified and his family informed? 

And there is the photograph.  ‘Beaconsfield’ was Captain Prewett’s first command so perhaps he had his photo taken to commemorate this.  Maybe he was planning to give it to his fiancée.

 

Drop into our Research Centre to discover how you can start (or continue) your own family history journey. www.gfhs.org.uk

Saturday events at the Heritage Hub in 2026 - Save the Date!

We are pleased to announce that the themes for our Saturday events in 2026 have now been set and we are busy arranging content. If you would like to participate as a speaker, have a stall or run an associated activity for an afternoon, please get in touch with either Helen Bartlett, Archive Access and Engagement Manager or John Putley, Community Heritage Officer. 

📅 Saturday Events in 2026 – Save the Date! 

 January 
No event 
🔍 Secrets Revealed online talk – 4th Wednesday monthly, starting 28th Jan at 1pm 

7th February 
❤️ Love - Love, Laughter and Ever After… 

7th March 
🦊 Wildlife - Hide and Seek! 

4th April 
🏛️ Institutions - ‘Incarcerated’ – Focus on the gaol, workhouse, and asylum 

2nd May 
🎵 Music – Make a Note! 

9th May 
🪧 Special Centenary Event – Strike! The General Strike of 1926 

6th June 
⚽ Sport – They Think It’s All Over… 

4th July 
🧵 Heritage Careers and Crafts – With Voices Gloucester 

1st August 
🎬 Cinema – Lights, Camera, Action! 

5th September 
🌊 Rivers – Go with the Flow… 

3rd October 
🍻 Breweries – Cheers! Good Health! 

7th November 
📜 The Family History Fair – With GFHS 

5th December 
✈️ Aviation – Up in the Clouds… 

📍 Location: Heritage Hub, Clarence Row, Alvin Street, Gloucester GL1 3DW 
🚗 Free Parking 
🔗 More info & booking: www.heritagehub.org.uk/events/ 

 

Secrets Revealed - one more for 2025 but exciting plans for 2026

A fresh series of online talks for 2026 is currently being researched and written by staff at Gloucestershire Archives. You can enjoy these sessions, always on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 1pm, in the comfort of your home.  Ideal, if the weather is unpleasant or for when you just need a quiet moment to sit, relax and listen.

Each talk will be advertised via the Heritage Hub events page and a link will be sent out when you book.  

Our remaining Secrets Revealed talk for 2025 is on the popular theme of industrial heritage. Join us on 26th November at 1pm for 'Sweaty Toil and Sulphurous Airs – Gloucestershire’s Industrial Past'

However, in the New Year, our Winter-Spring programme is as follows: 

January (Love) - ‘The Talk of Negotiable Affection – a peek at the ‘oldest profession in Gloucestershire’

February (Wildlife) - ‘Red in tooth & claw – Gloucestershire wildlife’

March (Institutions) - ‘The Poor are already with us’

April (Music) - Medieval Music in the Archives

May (Sport) - ‘All shaped balls’

We look forward to seeing you there!

War memorial research in South Gloucestershire

South Gloucestershire Council has a series of useful webpages dedicated to documenting the many museums, important collections. heritage sites and projects within this region, see here for details.

However, as we approach Remembrance Sunday, you may be interested to know that the names of over 1500 local people who lost their lives in both World Wars are recorded on more than 62 war memorials across South Gloucestershire. 

  

 

Honouring Police Officers who died in Service

After a long and industrious Summer, the volunteers have continued to work hard on various tasks mentioned in the previous newsletter.

We have been particularly preoccupied with the search to trace the family of Herbert Hall, the last serving member of Gloucestershire Constabulary to be killed during World War ll. This is his picture and we are waiting for a higher resolution copy to use at our Remembrance event to be held at Police Headquarters in November. 

We are planning to share his full story on our website https://gloucestershirepolicearchives.org.uk/ shortly. We have continued to research past police officers as earlier this month, Gloucestershire Constabulary held a memorial service for all those officers and Police personnel who died on active duty between 1839 and 2025. This was a very poignant event for all those who attended. 

Over the next few months we will all be working away on our research including (we hope) a collaboration with the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum. While doing that we will still be in the office to answer your queries and plan our talks and events for next year. 

If you have any police related photographs we are always happy to receive Jpegs via gloucestershirepolicearchives@gmail.com and queries can also be sent to the same email address. We are also able to scan photographs in our office at the Heritage Hub.  The Police Archive Office is usually open Monday to Wednesday until 2.30pm but it is worth checking before you make a visit , as we do go out and about quite often.