Society Honours

The following are categories of honours which involve the Society.

The Honours Board

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The Society's Honours Board is mounted in the Town Hall by kind permission of the Town Council.

The Woodard Award

Named after the late Bob Woodard, Honorary Life member, it is awarded each year for an article published in the annual Bulletin of the Society which is deemed by independent judges to have contributed significantly, by the quality of its research and the clarity of its communication, to increasing the knowledge of the history of Tewkesbury and District. The award is a silver bowl with the names of winners inscribed upon it and a medal for the winner to keep.The independent judges, who report to the AGM, have been David Aldred, local author & Head of History at Cleeve School, Nicholas Kingsley, County Archivist, John Loosley, Chairman of the Gloucestershire Community Council for History & David Evans, Author, Academic and Broadcaster. John Loosley has now retired and has been be replaced by Dr. Steven Blake.


2024Joanne RaywoodTwo Views of the HamVol.32 (2023)
2023Sam EedleThe School Mistress and the CrossVol.31 (2022)
2022Joanne RaywoodMayor James Blount Lewis and the Missing Portrait (part II)Vol.30 (2021)
2021Karl FreemanGreat Balls of Fire (the Story of Tewkesbury Mustard)Vol.29 (2020)
2020John KingTewkesbury's Redoubtable Victorian IronmongerVol.28 (2019)
2019Derek BensonThe 1714 Coronation Riot in TewkesburyVol.27 (2018)
2018John Dixon & Barbara Jones'From Howell's to Hollams [and on to Canada]!'Vol.26 (2017)
2017Judy Dwyer'Notorious Highwayman of Tewkesbury'!
From Tewkesbury to Tasmania
Vol.24 (2015)
Vol.25 (2016)
2016Karen BanksThe Ownership of Goods and Cultures of Consumption in Ludlow, Hereford and Tewkesbury, 1660-1760Vol.24 2015
2015Derek BensonRipples from the French Revolution in TewkesburyVol.23 2014
2014Tom Wilkinson, B.A.Did the Purchase of Tewkesbury Abbey Reflect the Continuation of Traditional Catholic Belief?Vol.22 2013
2013Mick WilksTewkesbury's Home Guard (Parts 1&2)Vols.20-21, 2011-2012
2012Jim Freeman Phd.Neville's Post-War PreoccupationsVol.20 2011
2011Cliff BurdLife Achievement Award
2011Derek BensonChartism in Tewkesbury and DistrictVol.19 2010
2010Sam Eedle"Adieu with Bangs and Whistles" the Last Passenger Rail Service to Tewkesbury Station 1961 Vol.18 2009
2009Adrienne Roche, B.Ed."George Dyson (1850-1932)"?Vol.17 2008
2008Janet Devereux, B.A."A Land of Hope and Glory"?Vol.16 2007
2007John Dixon, M.Phil.Tewkesbury's Obsession with Nelson?Vol.15 2006
2006Derek & Cath RoundTewkesbury Pioneer in TransportVol.14 2005
2005Sam EedleThe Abbey Boys in the TerriersVol.13 2004
2004John Dixon, M. Phil.Tewkesbury's First - and Forgotten - Railway StationVol.12 2003
2003David WillavoysUnwillingly to AustraliaVol.11 2002
2002John Dixon, M. Phil.Walton House & the CartlandsVol.10 2001
2001Janet Devereux, B.A.Glimpses into the Tewkesbury House of Industry, 1832-1850Vol.9 2000
2000Bill Camp & Derek Round91 Church Street and J.M.W.TurnerVol.8 1999
1999David WillavoysThomas CollinsVol.7 1998
1998John Dixon, M.Phil.The Oxford Movement in GloucestershireVol.6 1997
1997Colin Wicken, M.A.77 Barton Street Vol.5 1996

The Bryan Jerrard Award

Since 2003 the Gloucestershire Rural Community Council Local History Committee annually awards a prize to the author of the best article published during the year on any aspect of local history in Gloucestershire. Bryan Jerrard was the former Chairman of the Committee, he offered great practical advice and encouragement when THS was set up in 1991. The judges look for interesting topics, organised material and footnotes (endnotes), and bibliography where appropriate; use of illustration, maps and plans, and a variety of sources with awareness of their reliability, together with how they relate to the regional and national context. The winner must demonstrate the connection between a local topic and its national context.

THS interest is as follows:

Year THS Interest Author & Title
2022 Winner Sam Eedle: The School Mistress and the Cross (Vol 31)
2021 Short-Listed Derek Benson: Tewkesbury Tax Riot of 1805 (Vol 30)
2020 Short-Listed Karl Freeman: GREAT BALLS OF FIRE A Brief History of Tewkesbury Mustard (Vol 28)
2019 Runner-Up Derek Benson: The 1714 Coronation Riot in Tewkesbury (Vol 27)
2018 Short-Listed John Dixon & Barbara Jones: From Howell's to Hollams [and on to Canada]! (Vol 26)
2015 Short-Listed Derek Benson: Women's Suffrage Activities in Tewkesbury (Vol.24)
Peter Raggatt: Elizabethan Ships and Merchants Associated with Tewkesbury (Vol.24)
2014 Short-Listed Derek Benson: Ripples from the French Revolution in Tewkesbury (Vol.23)
Sam Eedle: Goodbye, Mr. Harrison (Vol.23)
2013 Short-Listed Derek Benson: The Tewkesbury Bread Riot of 1795 (Vol.22)
Tom Wilkinson: Did the Purchase of Tewkesbury Abbey Reflect the Continuation of Traditional Catholic Belief (Vol.22)
2012 Short-Listed Karen Banks: 'A Stitch in Time' Tewkesbury's 17th and 18th Century Stocking manufacturers (Vol.21)
Derek Benson: William Penn Gaskell (1808-1882) (Cheltenham Local History Society Journal 28)
2011 Short-Listed Karen Banks: The Cat with the Cream? Gentility through possessions in 17th Century Tewkesbury (Vol.20)
Derek Benson: William Morris Moore (1813-1841) (Vol.20)
Mike Everley: Tragedy in Tewkesbury : Thomas Holland's Daughter (Vol.20)
2010 Short-Listed Derek Benson: Chartism in Tewkesbury and District (Vol.19)
Mick Wilks: The Unfought Battle of Tewkesbury (Vol.19)
2009 Short-Listed Sam Eedle: Adieu with Bangs and Whistles - the Last Passenger Rail Service to Tewkesbury Station 1961 (Vol 18)
2008 Short-Listed John Dixon: William Harrison Gray - a corrupt official? (Vol 17)
2006 Winner Richard Sermon: The Jew of Tewkesbury: an Urban Myth? (Vol.15)
2005 Winner Sam Eedle: A Tewkesburian at Trafalgar (Vol.14)
Short-Listed Derek Benson: The Tewkesbury Races (Vol.14)
2004 Short-Listed Dr. Anthea Jones: Tewkesbury's Flour Mills (Vol.13)
2003 Short-Listed John Dixon: Tewkesbury's First - and Forgotten - Railway Station (Vol.12)
Janet Devereux: Our Tommies' are Always Cheerful (Vol.12)

The British Association of Local History Award

Year THS Interest Author & Title
2017 Winner Rosemary Wherrett: They Left a Lasting Impression - some of Tewkesbury's Early Photographers (Vol. 24 2015)
2004 Winner Wendy Snarey: Lloyds George's "Domesday Book" (Vol.11 2002)
2005 Winner Martin Holt: "Irresponsible and Self Seeking Faddists" (Vol.13 2004)

The Colin Wicken Bursary

As you can read in his obituary, the late Colin Wicken was the founding Editor of the Society’s Bulletin. He was also a teacher of many years’ standing and was immensely concerned to encourage young students to research and write articles for the Bulletin.

One of the reasons why the Society was founded in 1991 was the collaboration between the Library, the Museum and Tewkesbury School which, at that time, offered a GCE Local History Course for Lower Sixth Form students. It was the outstanding article by Cameron Lawrence which inspired the Colin Wicken Bursarywhich was awarded retrospectively.

That course itself passed into history but in 1996 the school embarked upon a new A Level syllabus that required the writing of a 6,000 word assignment. The Colin Wicken Bursary – an award of £25 – was subsequently awarded to the writer of a Local History Assignment which was worthy of publication in the annual Bulletin.

Education change has once again intervened and the requirement to write a substantial assignment has been reduced. In recent  years no assignment on local history has been submitted to our great disappointment. Thus there has been no award made.

Year Winner Article Bulletin
1994 Cameron Lawrence The Tewkesbury Textile Industry  Vol. 2 p.7
1997 Katie Horner The Baptist Sunday School Vol.6  p.26
1998 Hannah Lord Early Hospital Provision in Tewkesbury Vol.7  p.53
2000 Gemma Wall Voluntary Recruitment 1914-1916 Vol.9  p.58
2001 Coralie Merchant Tewkesbury &the Abolition of the Slave Trade Vol.10  p.45
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