Awards

Winner of 2025 Award

John Dixon & Derek

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Derek Benson for his article, Quakers: Keeping on their Hats in Tewkesbury.

Winner of 2024 Award

Joanne

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Joanne Raywood for her article Two Views of the Severn Ham.

Winner of 2023 Woodard Award

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Sam Eedle, THS Chairman, for his article The School Mistress and the Cross, which was also the winner of the county Jerrard Award.

Photograph shows Sam with Woodard judges, David Aldred and Steven Blake.

Winner of 2022 Woodard Award

Joanne

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The Woodard Award for 2022 has been won by Joanne Raywood for her article Mayor James Blount Lewis and the Missing Portrait (part II), published in Bulletin 30, part I was published in Bulletin 29 in 2020.

Winner of 2021 Woodard Award

Karl

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The Woodard Award 2021 has been awarded to Karl Freeman for his article Great Balls of Fire (the Story of Tewkesbury Mustard). Our judges, Dr. Steven Blake and David Aldred, attended our AGM via 'Zoom' where they praised the quality of the THS Bulletin publication and chose Karl's article with the runner up being The Rise and Fall of Tewkesbury High School by Clementine Oliver.

Click here for full details of the 2021 award.

Winner of 2020 Woodard Award

John

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The Woodard Award 2020 has been awarded to John King for his article Humphrey King, Redoubtable Victorian Ironmonger. The award is yet to be made publicly as our AGM was postponed due to the Covid-19 Crisis. The judges have therefore submitted a written judgement.

Winner of 2019 Woodard Award

Derek Benson for his article The 1714 Coronation Riot in Tewkesbury, which was also runner-up for the county Jerrard Award.

Photograph shows THS president, John Dixon, Derek Benson and Woodard judge, Steven Blake.

Winners of 2018 Woodard Award

John Dixon & Barbara Jones

Winners of 2018 Woodard Award are John Dixon & 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.

by John Dixon

Woodard Award Winner 2017 - Judy Dwyer

Judy Dwyer

Judy Dwyer is an 8th generation Australian, with three of her forebears arriving aboard the ‘First Fleet’: two convicts and one Royal Marine. The Marine and a convict married, and their granddaughter married Richard Staight of Tewkesbury.

Judy is a proud member of the ‘Fellowship of First Fleeters’ Association in Australia and is currently the Secretary of the Lachlan Macquarie Regional Chapter of this Association. She grew up in New South Wales and obtained a university degree in Early Childhood Education. Judy and her husband, Chris, have four adult children and 1 grandchild. Judy continues to work part time as a specialist teacher within an Early Childhood Intervention Program. Family history is now a 30-year-old addiction.

This year Judy has returned to University as an external student where she is currently undertaking a degree in Family History.

When researching information regarding her great-great-great grandfather, Richard Staite, a convict who was transported to New South Wales, she discovered that he was originally from Tewkesbury. Judy encountered many brick walls with Richard, particularly with his surname, which has been spelt in numerous ways.

It was during this research that she emailed John Dixon who alerted her to the notice within the Tewkesbury Abbey Church Registers regarding Richard. Judy couldn’t believe her luck! Since then, the brick walls have been demolished and the story of the Stait family has evolved.

Tewkesbury has a special place in Judy’s heart. She has had two visits to Tewkesbury recently, the first in 2012, then returning last year. She has had an absolute ball discovering the places where her ancestors walked and lived. The town has a wonderful ‘feel’ to it for her – almost ‘like she’s home’. The people they spoke to throughout their visits were very warm and friendly, which adds to the appeal of the place.

Judy’s hope is to revisit one day in the near future-hopefully when the President is in residence so they can actually meet.