Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Jun 10, 2011
Tagged in:
Wiltshire ,
wall tomb ,
Victorian ,
Sir Thomas Wroughton ,
Secret ,
rood screen ,
Photographed ,
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Compton Bassett ,
Codford ,
churches ,
Church of St. Swithin ,
Church of St. Mary ,
Australia ,
artistic ,
architectural ,
Anzacs
I have visited several churches recently and photographed some really interesting features in their interiors. When a church is unlocked you will often find some good architectural and artistic work that has survived many centuries and Victorian restorations. The font can often be the oldest surviving feature of the church and may be Saxon or Norman. There can also be wall paintings, remains of medieval stained glass, 17th century woodwork, royal coats of arms, carved medieval stone heads and much, much more. I’d like share a few of my pictures with you.
A very fine early 15th century rood screen in the Church of St. Swithin at Compton Bassett. Not at all what would expect to find in a small village church but it is believed to have been brought from Salisbury Cathedral, or possibly Winchester Cathedral, in the 18th century.
The Rood Screen, St. Swithun's Church, Compton Bassett
Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Jul 3, 2009
Tagged in:
www.workhouses.org.uk ,
Workhouse ,
Workhouse ,
Wiltshire Registration Service ,
Swindon ,
Stratton St Margaret ,
Secret ,
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Registrar General ,
registers ,
Ordnance Survey map ,
New Accessions ,
Living ,
institutions ,
inmates ,
informative ,
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family historians ,
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certificates@wiltshire.gov.uk ,
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acquired ,
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1923 ,
1909 ,
1904 birth ,
1820
An interesting enquiry recently came in from a person seeking corroboration of the birth of her ancestor in Highworth and Swindon workhouse in 1909. This child’s birth certificate gave her address as 8 Highworth Road, Stratton St Margaret.
Devizes OS Map of Workhouse, 1923
It provided an example of the implementation of the advice of the Registrar General, who in 1904 suggested that the birth and death certificates of inmates should have a euphemistic address, one that spared the family the disgrace of the workhouse.
The correspondent will send this example to the website www.workhouses.org.uk which alerted her to this practice, which has interesting implications for family historians. Intrigued by this I did a spot check on two births in the Devizes workhouse in December 1909. The birth register gave the address as 7 Commercial Road, Devizes. In each case the address was for the roads in which the institutions stood.
Checking the Devizes example was possible because all but the most current registers of the Wiltshire Registration Service are held in the History Centre. Its copy certificate service is now based at the History Centre. Its email address is certificates@wiltshire.gov.uk. Read on to find out about some of our new accessions......
