The Tewkesbury Historical Society
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February's Photograph:
Mythe Row, Flooded cottages near King John’s Bridge
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THS Bulletin 35 has now been produced and will be available from 19 February 2026. It can be bought at THS Meetings, at Alison's Bookshop in the High Street and via the 'shop' on this website.
February 2026 Meeting
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Our Man at Trafalgar
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Social Evening
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Derek Round
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Derek and Cath Round were winner of the THS Woodard Award in 2006 for their article on Samuel Osborne 'Pioneer in Transport' which can be read here
Derek Round: Passed away at Magnolia House Care Home, Northway on Wednesday 17th December 2025 aged 82 years. Dearly loved husband to the late Catherine Ann, much loved Dad to Stephen and Joanne, loving Grandad and Great Grandad. The funeral service will take place at Tewkesbury Abbey on Wednesday 14th January 2026 at 2.00pm followed by cremation at Cheltenham Crematorium Willow Chapel at 3.30pm. Flowers welcome or donations if desired for the Poppy Appeal, these may be left after the service or sent direct to the charity. All enquiries to B Sweet & Sons Funeral Directors 12a Oldbury Road Tewkesbury GL20 5LZ 01684 293180.
GSIA Zoom Talk
Dr. Ray Wilson of Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology [GSIA] has kindly issued an invitation to members of GLHA member groups to join their Zoom meeting on Tuesday 30th December at 7.15 pm. This is a Zoom version of a talk that was given in person in October.
To join the meeting go to https://gsia.org.uk/zoom after 7.15pm for a link to take you to the meeting.
GSIA President’s Lecture: The Industrial Heritage of the Cotswolds
Although the Cotswolds cannot be thought of as being an industrial area, two major industries, agriculture and quarrying, have been carried on for centuries. Furthermore, a range of much smaller industries have also thrived at one time such as woollen cloth manufacturing, silk thread production and brewing, of which happily, the last one continues today. Good transport systems are vital to support all industrial activity and the remains of these systems are a very important part of our industrial heritage. Accordingly, roads, canals and railways will also feature in this fully illustrated talk.
50th Anniversary of the death of Sir George Dowty
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To mark the 50th anniversary of aeronautical pioneer Sir George Dowty’s death, some Safran (previously Messier-Bugatti-Dowty) employees gathered to commemorate the milestone. Managing director Alex Ball, (centre), is flanked by one of the company’s longest serving employees, financial controller, Linda Collinson who is sharing her considerable knowledge and experience with finance apprentice, Lucy Sturdy. To the left of Linda is team leader, Steve Goode, who was employed by Dowty Rotol 50 years ago and works alongside latest recruits, like design engineer, Joe Everett-Hicks, who joined the company this month.
This small group typifies the range of long and new service, skills, experience and innovation that is characteristic of Safran’s 1200 plus Gloucester based employees. Alex is an embodiment of this, joining the company 33 years ago as a Dowty craft apprentice, working in different functions, roles and locations within Safran before returning to the Gloucester site as vice president for production and then taking the opportunity to be the site managing director in 2024.
Together, the workforce continues Sir George Dowty’s legacy of research and innovation in aerospace.
Dowtys
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As part of the 50 year commemoration, Chris Morgan, a former Dowty Apprentice prize winner, has written a book charting landing gear developments over the last 50 years .
The book is available from the 17 December and can be ordered by emailing martinrobins@btinternet.com at a cost of £15 posted.
New Book: A Wonderful Childhood
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A Wonderful Childhood is a book written by members of the Priors Park History Group, led by James Baker of Charity CCP. The book was edited by John Dixon with cover design by Sam Eedle.
The book is available for purchase from our online ‘Shop’. publication date is 21 November 2025.
Jane Gill book
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In 2019, Jane Gill, gave a talk to THS on her book Dance With Fireflies, a novel inspired by the Indian connections her grandmother. Jane has now published a sequel, In the Shadow of the Tamarind Tree which is available on Amazon
October 2025 Meeting
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A video of the talk can be viewed here (please note that due to recording issues the video begins some minutes into the talk).
September 2025 Meeting
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[Andrew photographed with Same Eedle, discussing Andrew's book - which can be read by clicking on 'Read More'.]
2025-2026 Talks Schedule
18 Sep 2025 Andrew Paterson – The Power and Pitfalls of Family History - the case of Alderman Frank Knight
16 Oct 2025 Charles Whitney – The Adventure of Discovering the History of Tewkesbury Abbey
20 Nov 2025 David Elder – Wildlife and Culture: Travels with a Camera Across Five Continents
22 Jan 2026 Social for Members and their Guests (Quiz)
19 Feb 2026 Simon Lawton – Baptists in 17thC England: 'An Island of the Godly in a Sea of the Ungodly'
19 Mar 2026 Jonathan Hart – ‘Peasants, Cows and Monks': the Archaeology of a Medieval Moat at Cowfield, Tewkesbury’
16 Apr 2026 Dr. Steven Blake – George Rowe (1796-1864), artist & lithographer - who illustrated Tewkesbury before photography!
21 May 2026 Industrial Heritage by Adam – The World’s Oldest Industrial Heritage in the UK
(Please note that Season 35 AGM has been moved to 17 Sept 2026)
Railway Commemoration Video
Elizabeth Wyatt House
Tewkesbury Old People’s Welfare Committee owns Elizabeth Wyatt House in Barton Road. They are at a point where they need an injection of new energy and ideas. Elizabeth Wyatt was a remarkable lady and a short article written by Steve Goodchild can be read here: The Welfare Committee charity that she established recognised the outstanding work she had done by naming their headquarters after her.
Since 1947, when the charity was established to help address the huge welfare problems with the post-war elderly, state and local authority support has increased hugely and many of the early initiatives, like regular meals, have been made redundant. The charity reviewed and replaced its constitution in 1978. It needs a new review, to take account of the changes of the last fifty years.
As the 1978 trustees have got older, they’ve not necessarily been replaced. The associated committee has lapsed, and the organisation has dwindled. Recently, one of the last two trustees passed away, leaving only one. Hence the need for action.
Regular use of the hall is by the Golden Hour Club, who hold bingo sessions there. The Tewkesbury Battlefield Society have also utilised Elizabeth Wyatt House for many years to paint and store the medieval banners which have become such a popular feature of the town’s summer streetscape. The building needs some updating, but the large space has potential for many activities for both old and young. Similar committees established around the country at the same time are still very active.
It is hoped to start a process of recruiting new trustees and committee members, and to bring the facility back into the community’s consciousness. A public meeting is to be held at Elizabeth Wyatt House on Wednesday 3 September at 7.30pm. The building will be open from 5, for anyone who would like to look around or discuss things informally.
Sir George Dowty book release invitation
The initial response to the release of the Sir George Dowty Diary book has been most enthusiastic - both here and overseas. It is a most fitting accompaniment to his statue erected a year ago. Few 20th century industrialists have received such international recognition - it reflects the magnitude of his achievements. The formal release of the book is to take place on the 9th June at the Graeme Hick Pavilion at the Worcestershire County Cricket Club. Rhodesian born Graeme played his entire domestic career of over 20 years exclusively for Worcestershire. The event commences at 10.00am in the presence of many distinguished guests and is to be followed by refreshments. The diaries from 1919 to 1975 will be on display including the fully restored 1953 edition. The setting is most appropriate given that Sir George Dowty was Worcestershire born, educated and apprenticed in Worcester and President of the Worcestershire County Cricket Club during their championship winning sides of 1964 and 1965. The Dowty Group acquired Worcester based mining engineers Meco in the late 1960s. To reserve a place at this iconic occasion email willmundy331@icloud.com
Woodard Award
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At the AGM we were not able to present the winner of the Woodard Award, Derek Benson, with his individual medal. That was because the manufacturer had ceased business - but our supplier, Tewkesbury Trophies, made a great effort to find an alternative. Thanks, Nick!
Derek received his just reward at the meeting of Tewkesbury Voices on 30 May 2025 and the photo is of Chair, Emma Ash, with Derek and the medal in the Mayor's Parlour.
Competition for the award this year was so intense that it is beneficial that Dr. Blake sent us his deliberation.
Even more Census Data
We are pleased to announce that the Tewkesbury Census Data for 1841 to 1891 has doubled in size. We now have 37,608 people spread over 9,575 property records. Take a look here.Dowty Group
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Now available is a booklet charting the hugely successful careers of the three Dowty Group Chairmen.
A.W. Martin - sometime Chairman of the world renowned wood and stone carvers H.H. Martyn, Gloucester Aircraft and Dowty. Hitherto unpublished material on his life story and his association with businesses of world renown.
Sir George Dowty - his son's thoughts on his father’s amazing career.
Sir Robert Hunt - his daughter's ideas of the reasons for her father’s remarkable life story.
Over 50 pages of riveting history and a fitting sequel to Dowty Days Remembered.
Email Martin Robins on martinrobins@btinternet.com for a copy- £5 posted.
Cemetery and Burials database for Tewkesbury
Over the years we have collated information from the various burial grounds in the town and now is the time to release a one-stop location for all of them on this site. The new Burials Database in our Research section tries to do this. There is also an accompanying history and guide to finding the resting place of persons buried in the town. There are currently an impressive 18,564 records. For the decades 1841 to 1881 we can also link to the Census Database (not guaranteed they are same people)Two large scale maps of Tewkesbury from 1811 and 1880
We are proud to present two maps on our site using new zoom and pan technology.We have the 1811 Enclosure Map of Tewkesbury and the huge 1:500 scale map of Tewkesbury created in the 1880s, both full of amazing detail. Use your mouse wheel to zoom and left mouse to drag.
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1832 Cholera Epidemic in Tewkesbury
One of our members, Dr Peter Raggatt, who is a retired NHS Clinical Biochemist at Addenbrookes Hospital and Lecturer in Cambridge University School, was moved to research and write an article about this epidemic with its comparisons with the present pandemic. [see attached PDF above] It links in with previous research on Cholera in Tewkesbury. Such was the impact of these two epidemics on the town that a monument was commissioned which now resides in the Cemetery, adjacent to the ‘Cholera Pit’ where many victims received a mass night burial [see attached]. Although John Snow, clean water for the Mythe Waterworks and improved housing conditions have ensured that 1849 was the last appearance of cholera, the brutality which occurred in World War II Japanese POW camps caused the death of several Tewkesbury soldiers of cholera in 1943-44. Here is a biography of one of them, Frederick Key.
Smallpox was another medical curse of the18-19th centuries but by the late 19thC vaccinations were made compulsory and a significant number of people in Tewkesbury became anti-vaccination. For more on this familiar tale, see Martin Holt's award winning article.
History is always so topical!
Results of Tree-Ring Dating for Tewkesbury Buildings
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17 Feb2026Tuesday7:00pm
Our Man at Trafalgar - Sam Eedle [Museum: at Baptist Church, Station Rd.]19 Feb2026Thursday7:45pm
THS - Baptists in 17C England: an Island of the Godly ... [Simon Lawton]Remarkable Incidents Relative to Tewkesbury
In 1735, a child of four years old (named John Newman) fell into the water wheel of the mill, at this town, while it was working; was carried under the wheel between the ladles, and very miraculously escaped injury. What is the more remarkable, it was only a space of two inches between the bottom of the wheel and the sheeting. Vide Feoffee Book.
Heritage Hub
Upcoming events at Gloucestershire Hub.
Dowty
GLHA Societies' Events List
Meetings Videos
Video recordings of talks given at our meetings are often made and can be viewed on our YouTube Channel
CWGC
Commonwealth War graves Commission June 2025 Newsletter.
Tewkesbury Museum
Lionel Walrond
Lionel Walrond, curator of Stroud Museum 1955 to 1990, took many photographs of Gloucestershire. A searchable collection is available on the GlosDocs website.
William Thomas Clarke
The Winter of 1962-63
Tudor House Hotel
A comprehensive building assessment has been published by Johanna Roethe of 'Historic England' - click here to read on their website.
'True Blue Farm'