The Tewkesbury Historical Society
Welcome to our local History Society website
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July's Photograph:
Children performing for pennies before boat trippers,
19th August 1911
Bryan Jerrard Award
Tewkesbury's Slave Labourers
2025-2026 Talks Schedule
Diaries of Sir George Dowty Event
Railway Commemoration Video
2025 AGM & Woodard Award
John Stedman
We are sad to report the death of our past member, John Stedman, on Tuesday 29th April 2025, aged 83 years. A private cremation will take place followed by a Service of Thanksgiving at St Mary Magdalene Church, Boddington on Saturday 31st May 2025 at 12.00 noon. Family flowers only, donations if desired for Sue Ryder Hospice [https://www.sueryder.org/donate/#], may be left at the service or sent direct to the charity. All enquiries to:- B Sweet & Sons Funeral Directors, 12a Oldbury Road, Tewkesbury GL20 5LZ 01684 293180.
April 2025 Meeting
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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
February 2025 Meeting
Codrington Talk: March 2025
Bulletin 34
Woodard Award
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War Graves Tour - Conducted by Sam Eedle
March 2025 Meeting
THS Social Evening
2025 Dowty Themed Calendar
Woodard Award 2024
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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
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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Gloucester History Festival
Tewkesbury Museum
Tewkesbury Museum are seeking to recruit more volunteers so that they can aim to open for longer hours and on every day of the week. Click here for more details.
Heritage Hub
Upcoming events at Gloucestershire Hub.
Meetings Videos
Video recordings of talks given at our meetings are often made and can be viewed on our YouTube Channel
CLHS Local History Afternoon
Dowtys
Remarkable Incidents Relative to Tewkesbury
1974. Tewkesbury Borough Council was ‘dissolved’ and many of its powers and assets were transferred to the new District Authority, confusingly called Tewkesbury Borough Council, based in Gloucester Road. The Town Hall of the High Street remained the seat of Tewkesbury Town Council, which now enjoys only Parish Council status.
GLHA Societies' Events List
Wheelie Bins
Tewkesbury Civic Society have started a petition calling for Tewkesbury Borough Council to address the issue of wheelie bins permanently stored on pavement areas and alleys. The PDF gives details.
'True Blue Farm'
Article on 'True Blue Farm' in Kinsham Worcs. by Joyce Tole-Moir.
The Winter of 1962-63
William Thomas Clarke