When you think of a county record office or archive service, the chances are you think of family history, and sources such as parish records, in particular baptisms, marriages and burials. Alternatively, you may think in terms of bundles of parchment documents covered in spidery handwriting (but no dust, I hope!) I have to admit we do hold large quantities of these sorts of archives, normally bundles of title deeds or manorial records, which often come in either from families or solicitors’ firms. It is less common for people to associate the county archives with the records of individual societies and organisations, and yet these are also important for the history of the county and make up a sizeable, and significant, part of our holdings. Societies and organisations represent communities which are often linked by common interests as well as location.  It is important to preserve records of those links for future generations to understand what mattered to their ancestors, and to appreciate them as three-dimensional people, not just a set of names in a family tree.

One of the organisations which regularly pass on their archives is the Women’s Institute, and in October we were delighted to receive records from the earliest Women’s Institute in the county, namely Downton and Redlynch. These include a complete set of minutes back to 1916, several scrapbooks with photographs and newspaper cuttings concerning local events, and an unusual record of jam-making during the Second World War. The records are in the process of being catalogued and will then be available for research. The W.I. is clearly far more than ‘jam and Jerusalem’ and the records of individual institutes reveal its evolution into the varied and wide-ranging organisation it is today. Please 'read more' to find out about another organisation that has renewed its commitment to preserving its records at the History centre...

Another organisation which has deposited many of their records for safe-keeping is the Freemasons. On 3rd November a group of Freemasons from across Wiltshire visited the History Centre to make a renewed commitment to preserve their records for future generations to enjoy. The Centre already holds records of at least ten Lodges – the earliest of which date back to 1732. Lodges cover much of the county from Marlborough to Bradford on Avon and Salisbury to Swindon.  Francis Wakem, Provincial Grand Master for Wiltshire and Swindon, joined fellow Freemasons at the History Centre to officially hand over the first minute book of the Wiltshire Masters’ Lodge, which dates back to 1948. On hand to show her support was Susan Snell, Archivist and Records Manager at the Library and Museum at Freemason’s Hall in London.

The first minute book of the Wiltshire Masters' Lodge
at the official handover ceremony
 

In addition to the records of individual lodges, anyone researching the history of Freemasonry in Wiltshire will find information in the Quarter Sessions archives helpful. A1/405 comprises certificates of the names of freemasons' lodges and lists of members' names, abodes and occupations, submitted to the clerk of the peace under the Unlawful Societies Act, 30 Geo. III, c.79 (1798-9). The certificates and lists form an unbroken series covering over one and a half centuries – from 1799-1955. More information about the history of Freemasonry is available at www.ugle.org.uk

The core records of organisations are their constitution and policies, their minutes, final accounts, programmes, newsletters and photographs, but other records such as letters on important topics can also be useful. If you run a local group and are not sure what to do with records (once no longer needed for financial or legal purposes) please get in touch with us on archives@wiltshire.gov.uk. Your group can still retain legal ownership of their archives but have the peace of mind of knowing they are being stored securely in our environmentally-controlled strong rooms, for posterity.

Author: Claire Skinner, Principal Archivist