Gloucestershire Archives
Update
Secrets Revealed - online talk
The popular “Secrets Revealed” online lunchtime talks by John Putley are continuing through 2023. The next talk 'Opening the door on house history' is on Wednesday 25 January, read all about it here.
Saturday events
Our Heritage Hub on site monthly Saturday events are also going from strength to strength. December’s event “Anything that moves” was on the theme of transport and attracted over 80 people!
Picture showing a model railway set up in the searchroom.
In January our theme was 'New Year, new hobby' with talks by Averil Kear, local author and researcher and Ben Nicholls of footstepsfamily.co.uk. Experienced members of Gloucestershire Family History Society also ran a live ‘question and answer’ session.
Upcoming themes to look forward to in the next few months are house history (February), literary archives (March); schooldays (April) and heritage careers (June.)
You can check out and book for these and other events via the Heritage Hub website www.heritagehub.org.uk/events/
A Schools Newsletter for you!
If you are a teacher, know a teacher or are otherwise involved with schools, we have a new schools’ newsletter starting which might interest you!
Starting this January, the Gloucestershire Archives, in partnership with Gloucester Views (Historic England) will be sending out a half-termly e-newsletter to Gloucestershire schools. Packed with relevant information, this will be a great way to find out about everything education going on. From learning offers from Gloucester heritage sites to upcoming schools’ training and projects, there’s plenty to discover.
To sign up, please email archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk
You can find out more about what Gloucestershire Archives does by reading the information leaflet below.
Download the Gloucestershire Archive leaflet here
Thank you to our volunteers.
Gloucestershire Archives works with 100+ volunteers who do a vast variety of tasks including catalogue enhancement, transcribing wills and inventories, describing photographs, cleaning documents, helping visitors to Gloucestershire Family History Centre with family history related enquiries, and looking after Gloucester Rugby, Fielding and Platt and Dowty heritage. Staff also volunteer, tending the community garden and looking after our bee colonies.
From April 2022 until end of December 2022, volunteers gave a staggering 6,500 hours which is an average of 64 hours per volunteer over the 6 months.
The monetary value of those volunteer hours is a very impressive £141,336 which equates to £1,400 per volunteer.
Volunteers enable the archives to do so much more than it otherwise could and we greatly value their contribution.
To say a big thank you, we held a tea party here at the Heritage Hub on December 13th, attended by volunteers and staff. It was lovely to see so many people and to be able to spend time chatting to everyone.
As part of the afternoon we also showed a double bill of short films, commissioned by Gloucestershire Archives, about Gloucester’s Kindertransport hostel (if you haven’t seen the films they are available to watch on our YouTube channel – 'The Boys at No 18' and 'Why Archives? The Kindertransport in Gloucester')
If you would like to volunteer with Gloucestershire Archives please email archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk
To find out more visit the volunteering page on the Heritage Hub website Volunteering - Heritage hub
Website re-vamp
The Gloucestershire Archive website has been re-vamped
You might have noticed recently that the Gloucestershire Archives website is looking a bit different-hopefully in a good way! We’ve re-vamped the site, improving navigation and refreshing content. To make sure that you’re seeing the new site rather than the old one (which may still be cached, or found by webcrawlers), type the web address into your browser and then bookmark for future reference Gloucestershire Archives
You can read more about the new site in a recent blog New Gloucestershire Archives Website! | Gloucestershire Archives (wordpress.com)
Visit the website here
Gloucestershire Archives accessions
Accessions can be from any place, person or organisation in Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.
During the second half of 2022 Gloucestershire Archives added 226 new accessions onto our online catalogue.
This includes oral reminiscence recordings with members of different communities in Gloucester; documents concerning the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the Proclamation of King Charles III; research papers of local historians; Gloucester Rugby Football Club matchday programmes; cinema and theatre programmes; short films and other material concerning the Kindertransport hostel in Gloucester; records of the Ducarel family of Newland House; and Witts family papers, including correspondence and papers relating to the army and estate and finance, 20th century.
Find a full list of accessions for July-December in the downloadable PDF below.
accessions-report-january-2023.pdf (wordpress.com)
Some items within these collections may be closed in accordance with the Data Protection Act and/or if they contain sensitive information. However you can find details of all the accessions, and further information if they have been catalogued, by visiting our website Online Catalogue – Gloucestershire Archives.
To read this and previous blog posts visit -
Gloucestershire Archives accessions, July-December 2022 | Gloucestershire Archives (wordpress.com)
Cotswold Life
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.
In this newsletter we're including two articles written by John Putley which featured in the October 2022 issue.
Gloucestershire Character
P13/IN/4/6- Vol.2
This is John Evans, taken from one of the photograph albums compiled by Rev Edward Blackwell, vicar of Amberley. These photographs often have brief biographical details, but this one – which was taken around 1865 - has none, which is a great shame because it surely begs a tale! The most obvious aspect is that John has lost his right leg and has a classic ‘peg-leg’ prosthetic. The 1851 census has a John Evans living at Nailsworth Hill in Amberley who is listed as an agricultural labourer. Farming was (and still is) a risk-laden occupation so it seems likely that John lost his leg after some agricultural accident. For the photograph, it looks like the wooden leg has been deliberately exposed as a trouser leg can be seen behind it. Another mystery here is what is John making? We thought it might be thatching crooks (wooden pegs used to fix thatch directly onto the roof timbers), or tines for wooden hay rakes or tent pegs but they look too fragile for these and are more like kebab skewers! If any readers can suggest what these mystery objects are please let the Editor know!
Document of the Month
D45/E17
This is a contract made on 23rd January 1656 when Sheriff of Gloucestershire Richard Whitmore of Lower Slaughter engaged Valentine Strong of Taynton to rebuild his ruinous medieval manor house at Lower Slaughter. Originally a convent it was seized by the Crown during the Reformation and came into the Whitmore family in 1611. The contract was “for the sum of £200 in lawful English money” and Strong was to ‘provide make reddy and sett up all the walls windows chimney tuns and stone worke’. He was also to ‘find and bring to the place of building of the said house all sutch wall stones and morter as shall be necessary for the building of the house’ as well as ‘wheelbarrowes hods, handbarrowes, buckets and towles’(this word is either trowels or tools!). Strong was a noted mason, having rebuilt Fairford Park House and helped at Lodge Park at Sherborne House near Burford. His sons became masons also and helped Sir Christopher Wren build St Paul’s Cathedral. Whitmore’s Lower Slaughter manor house remained in the family for over 350 years and is now a luxurious hotel, although greatly altered from Strong’s mid-17th century rebuilding.
If you are interested in the county’s buildings Gloucestershire Archives has two events coming up -
Our monthly Secrets Revealed online talk by John Putley, 'Opening the door on house history' on Wednesday 25 January, 1 - 2pm. Free of charge.
For more information visit Secrets Revealed online talk: opening the door on house history
Gloucestershire Heritage Hub's next Saturday event ‘If walls Could Talk' on Saturday 4th February from 1- 4pm. For more information visit If walls could talk - Heritage hub
Local History
Victoria County History
Since mid-October last year, the Victoria County History team (in collaboration with the University of the West of England, and supported by Gloucestershire Archives) have been running twice monthly workshops on aspects of local history. These have proved incredibly popular, attracting audiences of around 40 people each time.
The workshops continue until the beginning of March so there is still time to get involved. www.heritagehub.org.uk/local-history-workshops/local-history-workshops-2022-2023/
- 31 Jan: MOVEMENT AND MIGRATION: roads, canals and railways – the study of population, including settlement shift and desertion – migration, immigration – women’s lives under-represented - drift from countryside to town.
- 14 Feb: COMMUNITY, SOCIETY AND WELFARE: caring for the poor, sick and elderly – local and national justice – bringing up and educating children – social activities, legal and illegal, moral and immoral.
- 28 Feb: WORKING LIVES: farming the land – rural and urban trades and industries – labour relations and conflicts – restoring the balance between male and female work.
- 14 Mar: THE INFLUENCE OF RELIGION: ubiquity of the medieval church – monasteries and chantries – effect of the reformation – puritans and nonconformists – Victorian religiosity and its aftermath.
PLEASE NOTE - If you are having difficulties booking onto a particular session, it may be because it has reached capacity. If this happens, please contact kate.maisey@gloucestershire.gov.uk in case a place becomes available. The sessions may be repeated at a later date if there is enough demand.
Stroud Local History Society
A new book from Stroud Local History Society
In October 2022 Stroud Local History Society published an anthology of research, first circulated in newsletters to entertain Society members suddenly isolated by the Covid lockdowns. Several new topics surfaced during those two years, ranging from Stroud's early police force and bus companies to 1960s dancing classes.
The existence of a previously unknown painting of Rodborough Church by Edgar Bucknall (our cover illustration) was one of the most exciting discoveries and SLHS members had the time to explore Stroud's institutions, buildings, manufacturers, people and pastimes from their armchairs. The result - Homegrown Histories - is a thoroughly entertaining read.
For more information visit -
www.stroudlocalhistorysociety.org.uk
www.digitalstroud.co.uk
www.facebook.com/StroudLocalHistorySociety
Pauline Stevens, Secretary, Stroud Local History Society
For information about upcoming Stroud Local History Society meetings visit the events page
March 16th 2023
“What is this life, if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare”, W H Davies (1873-1940) the Super-Tramp Poet by John Roberts. W H Davies’ last home was Glendower at Watledge, Nailsworth.
April 20th 2023
Major General, Sir Fabian Ware, KCVO, KBE, CB, CMG - “A truly great Gloucestershire man”. Teacher, newspaper editor and the founder of the Imperial War Graves Commission, who came to live in Amberley. A talk by Maureen Anderson.
To book a place for either meeting (pay on the day) please email: contact@stroudlocalhistorysociety.org.uk
Gloucester Local History Society
Gloucester History
Gloucester Local History Society brings together everyone with an interest in the history of Gloucester. It was formed in 2012 under the chairmanship of Jerry Jenkinson who had previously spent over 20 years researching the history of this fascinating area. His papers now form the basis of the Society’s archive.
The first two years of the Society’s existence saw a steady increase in membership. Meetings took the form of open discussion as members shared research experiences and memories of by-gone days. There was a keen emphasis on social history, gathering the memories of local people who had lived in the city all their lives and who had seen and felt the impact of ‘progress’.
Since 2015 speakers have been invited to share their local knowledge with members on topics central to Gloucester’s heritage. Contact is made with the wider community through Twitter and Facebook. The hope is that Gloucester Local History Society will continue to thrive and to inspire people to take an interest in the centuries of history that lie beneath our feet.
All meetings now take place in the Dunrossil Centre, Gloucestershire Archives (aka the Heritage Hub), Clarence Row, Gloucester, GL1 3DW, on the first Tuesday of the month (September – June), at 7pm unless otherwise stated.
Parking is available at the archives. Non-members are welcome to attend (admission £3).
For more information about the society and how to become a member visit www.gloucesterlocalhistory.co.uk/
Twitter - twitter.com/GloucesterLHS FB - www.facebook.com/groups/GLHS.Info/
Members celebrating the society’s 10th anniversary in September 2022
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS 2023
Tuesday 7th February – The Fab 50s, Virginia and David Adsett
Tuesday 7th March – Dendrochronology in Gloucester: Past, Present and Future, Dr. Andy Moir
Tuesday 4th April – Port to Port, a historical journey along the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, Paul Barnett
Tuesday 2nd May – Who Lived in Westgate Street? Gloucestershire Family History Society Volunteers
Visit the Events page here for more information
Voices Gloucester
Join our Community Panel
At Voices Gloucester we rely on invaluable advice from members of the local community to curate our programme, to ensure that it’s as accessible, relevant and as representative of Gloucester as possible. If you want to celebrate Gloucester’s history, people and share untold stories why not join our Community Panel?
We’re currently looking for two new members, and are especially interested in hearing from young people (18 - 25yrs) and those from a non heritage sector background. See more information about our Community Panel here, and for more information do get in touch.
Gloucester's Regeneration Journey
September's event looking at the highs and lows of the city's development was fully booked, and out of it came some interesting conversations! As promised, we gathered up all the questions and with the help of Gloucester City Council we got some answers. These are available on our website. Click here to view a copy.
Website & Film Content
We have listened to your feedback about it not always being easy to access our digital content and have been working behind the scenes to make some improvements. Look out for announcements on social media in the New Year when we'll be sharing some of the wonderful films commissioned or shared through Voices in 2022, on topics as varied as the memories of Gloucester's Kindertransport hostel; the city's first interracial marriage and a wonderful interpretation of Gloucester's bygone LGBTQ+ scene in the 1980's.
We also keen to hear from potential Guest Blog contributors. We have had some great folk share their memories and reflections - take a look and get inspired to send in your own
For more information visit the Voices Gloucester website
Visit the Voices Gloucester Events for more information
Gloucester History Festival
Seasons Greetings from the Gloucester History Festival
Janina Ramirez, our Festival President, offers a sneak preview of the Festival’s plans for 2023.
‘As we gear up for the Coronation of a new King, we’re thrilled to bring you our new Spring History Festival from Friday 21- Sunday 23 April and, of course, the main Gloucester History Festival which is back from Saturday 2 - Sunday 17 September. Watch out for the line up of speakers for the Spring Festival coming soon.
2023 also sees the 600th anniversary of Dick Whittington - the Gloucestershire man of legend who became thrice Lord Mayor of London - visit gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk to read all about his intriguing story and links to the village of Coberley which we’ll be delving into at next September’s Festival. And visit our Christmas page to enjoy the best of past festivals with David Olusoga and Mary Beard, plus a Christmas message from historians and Festival Patrons Michael Wood and Bettany Hughes, sharing an ancient Babylonian greeting from 4,500 years ago: ‘to peace and to life and to love’.
‘Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year.’
www.gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk
Events
Gloucestershire Archives: Secrets Revealed online talk
Opening the door on house history
Wednesday 25 January, 1 - 2pm. Free of charge. Online talk.
Castle or cottage; villa or farmhouse; town or country - whatever its size, age or location, your house will have a history. Whether you will be able to find out much about it is another question – for as with all historical research a great deal will depend upon what has survived.
This presentation will start you off in the process by providing examples of things that you can use to help – we’ll look at the use of visual evidence (what you can see by looking at your house and dating features through architectural evidence), archival evidence (information provided by old maps, plans, deeds, planning records, taxation and sales particulars), evidence of former occupiers (diaries, census returns, electoral registers and photographs etc), oral evidence (by talking to people who recall things to do with the house and its former inhabitants, which is often overlooked) and, if the house happens to be on an ancient site, archaeological evidence.
There is much that you can look at and hopefully much you can learn.
To book visit Gloucestershire Archives Events
This monthly series of leisurely lunchtime learning sessions are great for those who are new to learning about the past and for those passionate about history, keen to expand their knowledge on a given subject in a focused session.
Led by experts at Gloucestershire Archives they are easy to digest, laced with humour and full of headline facts and context information ready to unlock an the secrets of a time gone by.
Secrets Revealed are live online seminars that bring together a community of people with a shared interest in history, heritage, culture and their importance in today’s world.
We are now doing Secrets Revealed talks via Microsoft Teams rather than Zoom. When you book on to the event you should immediately receive a Teams link. This will also be sent a few days before the event. If you have not heard from us by the day of the event, please email kate.maisey@gloucestershire.gov.uk
South Gloucestershire Mines Research Group talk
Wednesday 25 January. 7:00pm for 7:30pm PROMPT start
“Vale of Berkeley Railway - what is, was and might be'. A talk by David Stevenson of Vale of Berkeley Railway
Miners Institute (aka Coalpit Heath Village Hall), 214 Badminton Road, Coalpit Heath, BS36 2QB
Non members welcome - £2 each
(Membership is £17.50 per year, includes talks and newsletters)
For more information visit the SGMRG website
Saturday Events
Upcoming themes to look forward to in the next few months are -
4 February - 'If walls could talk' A house history focus. More information and booking details.
4 March - 'Telling tales' Local literary archives. More information and booking details.
1 April - 'Milk bottles and conkers'. A focus on school days of the past. More information and booking details.
3 June - Want to work in Heritage? A focus on heritage careers.
Saturday events all take place at the Heritage Hub, Gloucester GL1 3DW, between 1 - 4pm. Free parking on site.
You can check out and book for these and other events via the Heritage Hub website https://www.heritagehub.org.uk/events/
Gloucester Local History Society
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS 2023
Tuesday 7th February –
The Fab 50s, Virginia and David Adsett
Tuesday 7th March –
Dendrochronology in Gloucester: Past, Present and Future, Dr. Andy Moir
Tuesday 4th April –
Port to Port, a historical journey along the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, Paul Barnett
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Tuesday 2nd May –
Who Lived in Westgate Street? Gloucestershire Family History Society Volunteers
Image copyright - Ian Capper
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For more information about the society visit www.gloucesterlocalhistory.co.uk/
Gloucestershire Family History Society
Programme of online talks, 2023
All the talks are free and we welcome non-GFHS members. We use the Zoom platform; the talks start at 7.30pm (UK time) and finish around 9pm.
Please visit the GFHS website gfhs.org.uk for more information and to book a seat.
Wednesday 8 February @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Speaker: Ben Nicholls
Title/topic: Bringing your family history to life, based on Ben’s own research
Edith-Da-Costa
Wednesday 8 March @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Speaker: David Evans
Title/topic: The ancient schools of Gloucester.
This illustrated talk will outline the many different types of schools that existed in Gloucester before the advent of 19th century state education.
The-Crypt-Schoolroom-1539
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Wednesday 12 April @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Speaker: Helen Baggott
Title/topic: Posted in the past - stories behind early 20th century postcards.
Based on the books Posted in the Past and Posted in the Past Second Delivery, this talk reveals the true stories behind postcards sent in the early years of the 20th century.
Gloucester-Tram-A
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Later in the year.....
Wednesday 3 May - note the change of date
Speaker: Janet Few
Title/topic: Putting your ancestors in their place - 10 steps to a one place study
Wednesday 14 June
Speaker: Jackie Depelle
Title/topic: Bridging the gap - tracing forwards from 1921
Online Events
Any member who has a computer, tablet or smart phone, is able to join in using Zoom via a link that we will send you. You do not need a Zoom account. We will send you the specific link to join the event a day or so before.
If you have not joined one of our talks before and would like to attend please email events@gfhs.org.uk.
Gloucestershire Archives - Secrets Revealed online talk
Tall Stories!
Wednesday 22 February, 1 - 2pm. Free of charge. Online talk.
Gloucestershire has been the home of and inspiration for numerous authors and storytellers over the years, some well-known others less so. This presentation will look at some of the work of these writers such as Gurney, Haines, Harvey, Moore and Lee as well as others. We will also look at the county’s other literary connections, ranging from weary ways, rabbit holes, pirates, cricket pavilions and even a ring of power.
We will also investigate some of writer’s tools of the trade in terms of ink and paper …will all this cut the mustard? Join us and see!
To book visit Gloucestershire Archives Events
This monthly series of leisurely lunchtime learning sessions are great for those who are new to learning about the past and for those passionate about history, keen to expand their knowledge on a given subject in a focused session.
Led by experts at Gloucestershire Archives they are easy to digest, laced with humour and full of headline facts and context information ready to unlock an the secrets of a time gone by.
Secrets Revealed are live online seminars that bring together a community of people with a shared interest in history, heritage, culture and their importance in today’s world.
We are now doing Secrets Revealed talks via Microsoft Teams rather than Zoom. When you book on to the event you should immediately receive a Teams link. This will also be sent a few days before the event. If you have not heard from us by the day of the event, please email kate.maisey@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Voices Gloucester
Save the Dates for 2023
We're thrilled to announce that on Tuesday 14th March Voices Gloucester will be bringing the award winning, collaborative embroidery project The Red Dress to Gloucester! Conceived by British artist Kirstie Macleod, the project provides an artistic platform for women around the world, many of whom are vulnerable and live in poverty, to tell their personal stories through embroidery. Keep an eye on the Voices Gloucester website for more details.
Voices Gloucester Green Day
We are delighted to be rescheduling our first environmental event, Voices Gloucester Green Day to Saturday 22nd April at the Heritage Hub, to correspond with World Earth Day. Learn about the history of the Severn, and how Gloucester folk engaged with the environment in the past through films, exhibits, talks and creative activities.
Free activities for all the family include:
- Learn how to darn a sock or make a waxed food wrap - learning from the past for a more sustainable future!
- Find out about Gloucester's Anglo-Saxon residents and their use of natural remedies and relationship with the river, with with Tirnagog Heritage Education,
- The Heritage Hub will also host an exhibition and share a selection of films about the Severn, past present ...and future?
- Drop in or bring a picnic and stay for the day - this is a free event but please book to avoid disappointment
Book for Green Day
For more information visit the Voices Gloucester website
Stroud Local History Society
Stroud Local History Society meetings
March 16th 2023 Thursday evening 7.15 for 7.30pm
St Laurence Church Hall, The Shambles, Stroud. Non-members welcome £4.50
“What is this life, if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare”, W H Davies (1873-1940) the Super-Tramp Poet by John Roberts. W H Davies’ last home was Glendower at Watledge, Nailsworth.
April 20th 2023 Thursday evening 7.15 for 7.30pm 7.15 for 7.30pm
St Laurence Church Hall, The Shambles, Stroud. Non-members welcome £4.50
Major General, Sir Fabian Ware, KCVO, KBE, CB, CMG - “A truly great Gloucestershire man”. Teacher, newspaper editor and the founder of the Imperial War Graves Commission, who came to live in Amberley. A talk by Maureen Anderson.
To book a place for either meeting (pay on the day) please email: contact@stroudlocalhistorysociety.org.uk
Gloucestershire Archives - Secrets Revealed online talk
The happiest days of your life!
Wednesday 22 March, 1 - 2pm. Free of charge. Online talk.
School days generate a vast raft of memories: school milk, PE/gym, games, endless maths lessons, school dinners (chocolate crunch = heaven, tapioca = hell), playground noise, exams, conkers, pushing and shoving in the corridors, and not forgetting dinner ladies, teachers and the head. This presentation will look at the origins of schooling in the county and some of the wealth of school related records that are contained within Gloucestershire Archives. The bulk of these records are from the Victorian period and are mostly drawn from school logbooks (almost magical tomes that recorded the daily activity at schools and which provide fascinating insights onto the past lives of schools), admission registers and punishment books. Don’t be late or you’ll be detention!
This monthly series of leisurely lunchtime learning sessions are great for those who are new to learning about the past and for those passionate about history, keen to expand their knowledge on a given subject in a focused session.
To book visit Gloucestershire Archives Events
Led by experts at Gloucestershire Archives they are easy to digest, laced with humour and full of headline facts and context information ready to unlock an the secrets of a time gone by.
Secrets Revealed are live online seminars that bring together a community of people with a shared interest in history, heritage, culture and their importance in today’s world.
We are now doing Secrets Revealed talks via Microsoft Teams rather than Zoom. When you book on to the event you should immediately receive a Teams link. This will also be sent a few days before the event. If you have not heard from us by the day of the event, please email kate.maisey@gloucestershire.gov.uk
Gloucestershire Police Archives
Winter 2022 update
Newsletter Winter 2022
It was a busy autumn with a rush to fit in all the requested talks before the start of the bad weather and we are now looking forward to working in the office until the weather improves.
The talks we ‘did’ were
A potted History of Gloucestershire Constabulary
Thornbury Rotary Club - 12 October and Newent Local History Society - 13 October
A History of Gloucestershire Constabulary
Stroud Local History Society - 20 October
100 + years of women in Gloucestershire Constabulary
Footlights - 7 November
Newent LHS Stroud LHS Footlights
Sandra was delighted to find a picture of her father in one of the books that we took along.
Although some of the talks have the same name they are all written to order and where possible are linked to the geographical area that we are giving the talk. We are also happy to write new talks based on the areas of interest of particular groups.
We are looking ahead to the start of the spring when talks and displays will resume. April is already fully booked with an event linked to a visit to Headquarters by NARPO (National Association of Retired Police Officers) and talks to be given to Dymock WI and Alveston Local History Society.
We have had lots of queries over the last few months, 40 since the start of September.
- We have identified officers that died both on duty and in service and worked with other departments on how we remember them. This was linked to Police Memorial Day and resulted in a trip to the National Memorial Arboretum to look at the way groups are remembered.
- As usual one of our saddest tasks is to provide photographs of officers for their funeral services
- The other side of the coin is that we also get requests for photographs for big birthdays
- Many of our queries are still about tracing families. The most interesting ones are those that take a turn that was not anticipated by the family. One of our most recent queries led to finding that the officers daughter made an allegation against the then Deputy Chief Constable in 1845. It was unfounded but we know that the DCC was a ‘wrong un’ as in 1853 he absconded with £485.9.4d which was the months wages.
- We have also had a plea from a TV production company to help them produce historically accurate documents for a programme that they are making.
Alongside this the archive volunteers are very busy with their day to day tasks
- Helping local authors research for their next books
- Transcribing station diaries - PC 154 Marfell made a complaint to ER that Sgt Cook's wife was not attending properly to the domestic needs of the constables. 1856 Cirencester
- Extracting information about individual officers from general orders
- Transcribing circular orders - 3rd August 1881. It has been reported to me that some of the men returning from duty at Tewkesbury Regatta were smoking in a railway carriage. I wish it to be clearly understood that no officer in this force is allowed to smoke while in uniform in any public place. Henry Christian. Rear Admiral. C.C.
- Finding information about stations officers served in
- Adding to lists of collar numbers
- Transcribing the commendation and default books
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.
For more information visit gloucestershirepolicearchives.org.uk/
The office is usually open Monday to Wednesday until 2.30 but it is worth checking before you make a visit as we do go out and about quite often.
Sue Webb, Gloucestershire Constabulary Archives Communications and Engagement Department, Gloucestershire Constabulary
