The Tewkesbury Historical Society

Welcome to our local History Society website

Cross House

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THS formed in 1991 to research and add to our knowledge of the history of the town of Tewkesbury. The Society meets monthly, on the third Thursday, at 7.45pm in the Methodist Church at The Cross. Meetings are open to non-members and speakers talk on aspects of history. In addition, THS publish books and an annual Bulletin of Research, to which contributions are invited. Members have the option of accessing online the Society's extensive Woodard Database of Local History data.

Please consider joining the Society.

October 2019 Meeting

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Anthony Poulton-Smith at the 17 October 2019 meeting where he delivered alternative views on some generally accepted historical 'facts'.

THS 29th Season - First Meeting

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The first meeting of our 29th Season was held on Thursday 19 September 2019 at the Methodist Church. Terence Pendry gave a very well received and attended talk entitled All The Queen's Horses. Terry is currently the Stud Groom and Manager to Her Majesty The Queen, at The Royal Mews, Windsor Castle. He has held this position for 25 years after retiring from The Riding Staff, of the Blues and Royals Regiment, Household Cavalry, having started his career as a professional jockey riding mainly on the flat.

Events at the Anchor Pub

Woodard Award 2019

John Dixon, Derek Benson & Steven Blake

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Winner of the 2019 Woodard Award is Derek Benson for his article 'The 1714 Coronation Riot in Tewkesbury'

The article was also runner-up for the GLHA Jerrard Award.

Click on 'READ MORE' below to read the article.

Bryan Jerrard Award

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Each year the county Local History Association [GLHA] makes an award for what the judges believe to be the best published article on an aspect of Gloucestershire’s local history during the preceding year. It is named after Bryan Jerrard, the first chairman of the GLHA. It came to the notice of THS in 2005 when it was won by Sam Eedle and since then we have been nominated 19 times. The most successful THS nominee has been Derek Benson whose first article appeared in 2005 and, in all, he has been nominated eight times. In recent years, in addition to the winner, a runner up has been announced – and it was Derek for his article in THS Bulletin 27 [2018] entitled ‘The 1714 Coronation Riot in Tewkesbury’.

Derek’s article was inspired by a visit to the ‘Secret Garden’ of the Tudor House Hotel where there is a plaque: “This old oak door carries the battle-axe scars inflicted upon it by Jacobite rioters during the Coronation of King George I”. 1714-1715 was a turbulent time in British politics as apparently supporters of Catholics and Protestants competed to ensure that their nominee became successor to Queen Anne [made famous by ‘The Favourite’ film]. This passion was felt in this riot in which the occupier of the house suffered the indignity of losing his wig as well as his windows.
Derek has revealed that nothing is as simple in history as we would like it to be and he explains thoroughly all the issues surrounding it. Suffice it to say that Baron Tewkesbury was the winner and reigned - reasonably happily ever after - as King George I!
THS Bulletin 27 is available from Alison’s Bookshop in the High Street.

[Photograph: At the GLHA Local History Day on 11 May when the awards were presented. Bryan Jerrard, Derek Benson, Louise Ryland-Epton, the Jerrard Award winner for her article Cirencester Workhouse under the Old Poor Law published in 'Transactions of the Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society' 135 (2017)]

Wheatsheaf Inn

New article on the Wheatsheaf Inn, now Cornell Books in the High Street.

John Dixon

Tewkesbury's Own D-Day Hero

Read about Tewkesbury's own D-Day hero, Edwin Davis. Written by John Dixon in 2005/6 about the only military victim from Tewkesbury that we then knew about.

Tewkesbury Weather

It is a great talking point but do our impressions agree with statistics? Each month John Dixon will update Rainfall and Temperature Statistics and offer his Monthly Reflections. September 2019 update now available.

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.

As ‘Poor as a Church Mouse’? Assessing Wealth from the Ambiguous Source of Probate Inventories in 17th Century Tewkesbury

New article by our past Woodard Award winner and Jerrard Award shortlisted Member, Dr. Karen Banks.

Through the Magic Door

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Through the Magic Door is a 244-page illustrated biography by Colin Davison of local author Moray Williams. She was a prolific author of the children's classics Gobbolino, The Little Wooden Horse and many others. She lived for much of her life at Teddington Hands - where she wrote and illustrated The Good Little Christmas Tree, and then at Beckford and Kemerton. The biography tells of an exceptional life and how many of her stories were drawn from an extraordinary childhood with her identical twin sister at an isolated, tumble-down mansion in the woods. Ursula was also a very talented artist and the book includes many illustrations, a large number of them her own. The biography had endorsements from fan Nick Park, creator of Wallace & Gromit, friend Anne Wood, creator of Teletubbies, and Ursula's illustrator Shirley Hughes.

If anyone would like a signed copy, they are available from the author at £6 each, of which £1 would go to THS. Colin can be contacted on colin.davison@hotmail.co.uk

Margaret Day

The Society is sad to announce that our Life Member, Margaret Day, died peacefully at home on Saturday 27 April 2019. Dearly loved wife to Cliff, much loved mother to Paul and Peter and Grandma to Lucy and Amy. Our thoughts are with her family at this difficult time.

Bulletin 28

Our latest Bulletin for 2019 is now available for purchase. You can buy at discounted rates by contacting John Dixon on 01684 294262 president@tewkesburyhistory.org or purchase via our online Shop, Alison's Bookshop in Tewkesbury also have copies. for sale.

Contents and Information,

April Meeting

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THS President John Dixon, with Richard Chatham who gave a talk on his Chatham and Bishop families of Tewkesbury and district.

Book by John Dixon: 'Tewkesbury's Two Forgotten Railways!'

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With the support of THS, John Dixon has published his labour of love – Tewkesbury’s Two Forgotten Railways! – along with a reissue of Roger Butwell's 2011 commemoration dvd.

Reviewd by David Aldred:

Gloucestershire Local History Association

The Gloucestershire Local History Association includes representatives from many local history societies in the county, the county archives and local studies centres, and meets quarterly to discuss matters relating to local history in Gloucestershire. Details of events organised by the Association and member organisations may be found on their website:

GLHA Website

Friends of Glos. Archives

Archives & Friends
Digital Magazine (PDF)

Tewkesbury Christmas Lights Lottery

Click 'Read More' for details.

March Meeting

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A very successful and enjoyable meeting on 21st March where 'The Boaters' Craft Group' presented Canal Ladies: The Lives of the Narrow Boat Women, their Children and their Crafts. We also launched our latest Bulletin along with a reprint of John Dixon's in demand Railways book.

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.

Victoria County History

This newsletter contains information on the latest additions to Gloucestershire material in the series and details of forthcoming meetings.

THS February Meeting

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John Reid with Helen Carver at our February meeting. John gave an illustrated talk on "Funerary Monuments: Gloucestershire's Hidden Gems of World Class Sculpture".

A Noble Band of Heroes

Review by John Moore Society

Social Evening

24 January 2019 at the Hop Pole - was a great success with an attendance of 40.

The 1914-1915 Medal unveils the Rowley Family

The discovery of this medal on 'ebay' and its subsequent purchase by local enthusiasts for presentation to the Town’s Museum unveils some important aspects of World War I.

November Meeting

John Dixon & Peter Dawson

THS Life President, John Dixon, with Peter Dawson who gave an interesting and well attended talk on 'Burgage Plots in Medieval Towns' at our 15 November meeting.

Woodard Award Winner 2018

John Dixon and Barbara Jones

Winners of 2018 Woodard Award are John Dixon and Barbara Jones for their jointly written article 'From Howell's to Hollams [and on to Canada]!'

The article was also shortlisted for the GLHA Jerrard Award

Next Events:

12 Nov2019Tuesday12:00am

Tewkesbury Medical Volunteers at Mitton in WWI

21 Nov2019Thursday

THS - The Great Train Robbery (Ian Boskett)

Remarkable Incidents Relative to Tewkesbury

The same year, 1745, lord Gage and William Dowdeswell, esq. were elected members for this borough, without opposition.

Tewkesbury Medical Volunteers at Mitton in WWI

Talk at the Anchor pub in the High Street, Tuesday 12 November 2019, 12 noon to 2pm on Tewkesbury Medical Volunteers at Mitton in WWI.