Isn’t it funny how some people find certain things attractive, yet to somebody else, the exact same thing doesn’t do anything for them. Beauty, as the saying goes, is in the eye of the beholder.
For example, some people would look at a growling, floppy-jowled, saliva-dripping bulldog flashing fangs as sharp as razorblades and would think it’s as cute as a new-born kitten.
But there are some people who would run away extremely fast because they believe they’ve just come across an evil beast from the deepest pit of doom.
I shall let you guess which category I fall into, but here’s a clue: I’m not a fan of dog dribble.
It’s the same with virtually anything – art, movies, sport, food. You name anything and someone will like it just as passionately as the next person dislikes it.
Spaghetti Bolognese for example. Some people’s eyes pop out of their heads with glee when they see it on a menu in a café or restaurant, whilst others cannot stand the awkwardly stringy, overly floppy, sauce-flinging laces of pasta that will just not stay on the blasted fork, spoon, chopsticks, fingers or whatever implement is chosen, without permanently staining everything within a half mile radius with the sauce of shame.
I shall let you guess which category I fall into, but here’s a clue: if you see a spag bol in front of me, it would be wise to give me half a mile of clearance.
There is one particular thing that I find rather good to look at that not many other people do though (although I’ve never really asked, so maybe people do?) and it’s this: a page of text.
For day 26 of #Archive30 we are getting to know some of the amazing #ArchivePeople at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub. Learn more about some of our staff and volunteers below!
John Putley, Community Heritage Officer
D4431/2/56/1 Castle accounts roll
Explain what you do in 10 words or less? Work with the public and do outreach
What is the best thing about working at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub? The collections: we have stuff on more or less everything & you learn something new every day!
Do you have a favourite item or collection from Gloucestershire Archives? Item: the Gloucester Castle accounts roll from the second Barons War 1264-5 (D4431/2/56/1) Collection: Gloucester Railway Carriage & Wagon Works (especially the photograph albums)
Favourite tearoom snack? Sainsbury’s jam doughnuts but homemade cakes & cookies come a close second!
Sue Webb, Gloucestershire Constabulary Archives
Birch rod
Explain what you do in 10 words or less? Rummage around in police personnel files, documents and photographs
What is the best thing about working at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub? The expertise of people around you
Do you have a favourite item or collection from Gloucestershire Archives? The birch in the Chester Master Room
Favourite tearoom snack? Chocolate hobnobs
Ally McConnell, Senior Archivist
Close up of Stephen Jefferys (PC/905)
Explain what you do in 10 words or less? I catalogue, accession and package records at the Heritage Hub
What is the best thing about working at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub? The other lovely people! It’s a fun place to work
Do you have a favourite item or collection from Gloucestershire Archives? A map of Long Newnton (Wiltshire) drawn by Stephen Jefferys of Minchinhampton, aged 68, in 1748. He’s drawn himself surveying the area on the map and signed it, I see it as a very early selfie! (PC/905)
Favourite tearoom snack? Sue Webb’s ginger cakes
Laura, Graduate Trainee Archivist
Deed with attached Queen Elizabeth I seal
Explain what you do in 10 words or less? Looks at cool stuff to organise and write descriptions of
What is the best thing about working at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub? Sharing our stories and findings with people
Do you have a favourite item or collection from Gloucestershire Archives? Elizabeth I seal – it’s so big and feels very important holding it!
Favourite tearoom snack? Homemade chocolate brownies that appear in a tin every so often…
Helen B, Senior Archivist and Customer Services Manager
D1655 Map of Thornbury
Explain what you do in 10 words or less? Oversee Customer Services, answer queries, accept deposits, plan new ventures.
What is the best thing about working at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub? The documents which are unique, interesting and normally quite well-behaved.
Do you have a favourite item or collection from Gloucestershire Archives? Map of Thornbury with pen and ink drawings of ships sailing down the River Severn, 1716 (D1655)
Favourite tearoom snack? Banana
Kate O’Keefe, Archives Assistant
D1245/F64 bundle of recipes
Explain what you do in 10 words or less? Meeter and greeter, document orderer and search room guide
What is the best thing about working at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub? Without a doubt my wonderful colleagues
Do you have a favourite item or collection from Gloucestershire Archives? There are some tiny weeny little recipes in the Dodington Park collections which I absolutely love (D1245/F64)
Favourite tearoom snack? Tricky. We have a lot of talented bakers in the team and often have wonderful home-made cakes
Sal, Cheltenham Local History Society volunteer
Two bundles from D2202
Explain what you do in 10 words or less? We [CLHS] catalogue deposits that have not yet been catalogued in detail.
What is the best thing about volunteering at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub? Meeting a wider circle of friends, socially and engagement in a worthwhile activity.
Do you have a favourite item or collection from Gloucestershire Archives? Mostly enjoy the deposit we are working on at the time.
Favourite breaktime snack? The cakes I make for the CLHS gang and the ‘extras’ from the GFHS!!
Brenda, Archives Team Administrator
Edward VI seal
Explain what you do in 10 words or less? Finance, Customer Service, Room Bookings general all-rounder!
What is the best thing about working at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub? The team of course!
Do you have a favourite item or collection from Gloucestershire Archives? The Seals – (who would have had the opportunity to see them when they were first made/used ?– only a privileged few and now I have looked upon something that a Royal would have seen)
Favourite tearoom snack? anything that appears! It is great to celebrate the team’s birthdays and holidays
Kate Maisey, Archives Development Manager
Page from D9374/1
Explain what you do in 10 words or less? I look for ways to connect people with archives
What is the best thing about working at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub? My brilliant colleagues and the wider Heritage Hub community
Do you have a favourite item or collection from Gloucestershire Archives? A beautiful, manuscript history of Denmark Road girls school, Gloucester written and illustrated by teacher Miss Emily Middleton in 1958 (D9374/1)
Favourite tearoom snack? Fruit cake especially home made
Rhianna Watson, Community Cataloguing Archivist
Buttons from D4251
Explain what you do in 10 words or less? Support and work with volunteers and catalogue cool archival stuff!
What is the best thing about working at Gloucestershire Heritage Hub? As cheesy as it sounds, the amazing people I work with!
Do you have a favourite item or collection from Gloucestershire Archives? That’s a hard question! I do quite like the random assortments of buttons that can be found in the Erinoid Ltd (earlier Syrolit Ltd) of Rodborough collection (D4251). They are just so colourful and pretty!
Favourite tearoom snack? Brownies or any kind of cake someone is kind enough to bring in!
This small notebook might not look like much on the outside, but it is perfect for #ArchiveDestination! This travel diary records the writers “impressions of events, mostly of places I have been to, & things that have happened there” as he travels via bus and train and enjoys walks around the area. Including a trip to Stroud Valley on 17 April 1954!
Outside cover of the travel diaryDiary entry including railway ticketsEntry for 17 April 1954
The entries about his different travels are really interesting to read and he touches on many places in the South West of England, including places such as Berkeley, Cirencester and Harefield in Gloucestershire, as well as many places in Somerset and Bristol.
The diary includes many personal snippets of the authors opinions on both where he is visiting and how he is getting there.
“We went on a Saturday at 1.50 on the 29 bus. It was, in a way a pity to go by bus, as it wasn’t half so pleasant (or so quick) as the train – but still, it was an experience.”
That being said one of my favourite parts is where you can see he has accidently skip two pages, so has crossed them out and annotated the page with “Damn!” I think this along with other comments throughout the dairy really showcase the man behind the travels and so his sense of humour!
On the 5th December 1628 George Beard made his way to Gloucester from his home in Whaddon. A dispute had arisen concerning the will of his friend John Copp and he was going to give his testimony at the Bishop’s Court. There he was asked how old he was and he told them that he was 90. Yes, 90! Just think about that for a minute. He had lived through the reigns of six monarchs from Henry VIII to Charles 1. He was alive when the Spanish Armada threatened England. He was in his sixties when Guy Fawkes and his gang had tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. And now he was mentally and physically fit enough to give evidence in court. So much for the notion that no-one lived past sixty in “olden times”.
The census can be a great tool for tracking your family history through the years. Our January Passport to the Past event focused on what the census could tell us about one women. The full event is available on our YouTube channel here!
Living in Chadstone Lodge in Northampton Mary Robinson first appears on the 1871 census at age 3, along with her parents Mary Elizabeth and James White Robinson and two younger sisters Margaret and Edith Maria.
Mary listed in the 1871 census
From the 1881 census we can learn that Mary is now 13 and has four more younger siblings James, Ethel, Katherine and Louisa. The family have now moved to Waterfall Farm in Northampton. Mary is still living at the family farm in the 1891 census and is not listed as employed.
Mary listed in the 1881 censusMary listed in the 1891 census
A lot changes in the 10 years between the 1891 and 1901 census for Mary. At age 34 she is now married to bank manager John Riddey and has three children Edith Mary, John and Cicely. She has also moved to London.
Mary listed in the 1901 census
1911 is a bit interesting as Mary is not found in the same household as her husband John who has now moved to Moreton-in-Marsh a Cotswold Village in Gloucestershire. Instead, Mary and her youngest child Cicely is found visiting Elizabeth Dunkley in Lincolnshire.
John listed in the 1911 censusMary listed in the 1911 census
Before the release of the 1921 census in January 2022 this could have been where Mary’s story stopped for us but we are lucky to have two more document that call tell us more about Mary and her children.
Firstly the 1939 register, from this we can learn that Mary is now 72 and living with her daughter Cicely and Cicely’s husband Rev Reginald G Bennett at The Steps in Morton-in- Marsh. The register also shows that Cicely is in the Women’s Voluntary Service.
Mary listed in the 1939 register
The Second document we have is a scrapbook compiled by Joyce M Deacon the grandaughter of Mary Riddey (nee Robinson). This scrapbook contains family photographs, of Mary and John Riddey as well as their children and grandchildren.
Photographs from the scrapbook (D13668/2/1/1) including Mary and John Riddey and their daughter Cicely
The census is a great source of information for finding out about your family history. But it is great to have this scrapbook, so that we can be able to put a face to Mary and her family!
As Remembrance Day approaches, I thought I would share my findings in the Gloucester Borough Records (GBR/L6/23/B5018), on how the names of World War Two fallen on the Gloucester City War Memorial, in Gloucester Park, were collected by the Council using official sources and a public appeal.
My name is Natasha Young and I am a Digital Archive Trainee taking part in the 2021 cohort of Bridging the Digital Gap trainees. The traineeship is run by The National Archives and I have been seconded to Gloucestershire Archives to get hands-on archiving experience. I have had the privilege of learning traditional archiving skills from professional archivists and digital preservation experts in an active archive setting. As well as learning whilst working, The National Archives have also set up an online training program that teaches us how to be archivists and how to approach the various considerations for digital archiving and preservation.
Next week is the Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester. If you carry out a search of the phrase Three Choirs Festival on our online catalogue you get 579 hits, including programmes, musical scores and printed histories of the Festival and its key performers. The Festival was originally called the music meeting and was in existence by 1718. If you’re visiting it don’t forget that you can see any of the items listed on the catalogue here at the Heritage Hub, as long as you give us prior notice of the items you wish to see. You can either order documents directly through the catalogue, or by emailing archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk.
The Heritage Hub is making its own contribution to the Festival by hosting two talks, both of which are free to access without prior booking, and are specifically timed to avoid events on the Festival programme.
Gloucestershire Archives has been stock checking, listing, enhancing and structuring the collection ready to being fully catalogued into CALM, with the help of volunteer Amber Patrick, also a member of GSIA (Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology) and an expert in the Maltings Industry. Is she partial to an amber ale then? No, she doesn’t drink beer!
Gloucestershire Heritage Hub’s nearest pub, which has a West Country Brewery plaque on the exterior
The series of photographs taken of the staff at the brewery is an interesting feature which can be useful for family history reseachers, looking for relatives employed by the brewery. Another good set of photos are of b/w inn signs which again allow locals to identify with their specific landscape and memory; and connecting their local pub with an image of what the sign would have looked like in the past.
Working 1 morning a week from November 2015 to October 2018, Margaret and Terri ploughed through 44 large boxes coming across mutinies, shipwrecks and desertions along the way.
Gloucestershire Archives 