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Local History and the art of serendipity

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Jul 9, 2010

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Like many researchers, when I am browsing newspapers and other records I am often distracted by other interesting stories or snippets of information. When searching for articles online, there is less distraction as you are already narrowing your search terms to produce that eureka moment. But what online research does provide for, something that should be in every Local Historian’s toolkit, is what I call the art of serendipity, or more bluntly putting in a couple of keywords and see what happens, with surprising results! (You see, we have all done it).
The Titchbourne Claimant 
The Titchborne Claimant

In the spirit of research on behalf of our faithful blog readers I thought I would search two online resources to which both Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council subscribe on your behalf. These are the Times Digital Archive and Nineteenth Century Newspapers Online. These are available 24/7 to Wiltshire Libraries and Swindon Libraries members respectively, through the following links: http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/leisureandculture/librarieshome/libraryonlineresources.htm. To find out which other Wiltshire stories were discovered, please 'read more'... 

 

http://www.swindon.gov.uk/leisuresport/libraries/24hourlibrary.htm



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Victorian Prisioners Seen Through Modern Eyes

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Nov 24, 2009

Students from the Wiltshire College evening class for adults improving their literacy skills have been creating powerful pieces of creative writing based on documents, books, photographs and newspaper accounts on prison life in Victorian Wiltshire. Please 'read more' to see this and other excerpts....

Jennifer Hart was inspired by a journal article on Bratton’s worst murder to write the diary of Rebecca Smith.

1848 Friday 31 December

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Crime and Punishment in Wiltshire

Posted by: Blog Administrator on Oct 13, 2009

In 1849 a crowd of 30,000 people gathered outside the imposing gates of Devizes prison to watch the public execution of Rebecca Smith of Bratton for poisoning her baby. Rebecca spent the night before in the prison chapel with her open coffin for company. After her execution her body is taken for burial in unhallowed grounds within the prison wall.

Devizes Prison Gate, 1889 
Devizes Prison Gate, 1889


Students from Wiltshire College have been investigating crime and punishment in the county as the basis for their creative writing. You can find out more by reading the prison diaries, letters appealing innocence, court room scripts and newspaper accounts that they have written. Their work will be appearing here soon and will be on display in the public search room at the History Centre in December.

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