WSA has a very large number of maps, from 16^th-20^th centuries, mainly manuscript surveys of individual parishes and estates. They come in various sizes, but one of the largest, was recently found in the attic of the parish office in Calne. Measuring 12 feet x 9 feet (3.6m x 2.75m), the equivalent of a good sized room in a modern house, it was so long that the only way to get it out of the house was for it to be lowered from a first floor window to the street below.

The map laid out on a row of tables

It is a beautifully drawn and accurately surveyed map of the parish of Calne also including Blackland and Calstone Wellington that was made by land surveyor Thomas Cruse in 1827 and 1828 at a scale of 20inches to the mile. The archive team at WSHC was alerted and brought it to the History Centre. It is a very important discovery because of the wealth of topographical information it provides about Calne more than 180 years ago. A copy of the schedule giving details of owners/occupiers field names, acreages and state of cultivation is held the archives as is the associated map of the borough. Years of neglect have taken its toll and the map cannot be available until it has been cleaned and conserved, although it is complete and there will virtually no loss of detail.

Detail of damage the map has sustained

It presents quite a challenge to the archive conservators as it is bigger that the vertical wall board on which maps are repaired, and will have to be repaired in sections. However, they are experienced in handling some large items, and once cleaned and mounted on a new cloth backing it will be available for researchers to use in the History Centre.

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The 200 Year Old Time Capsule

Why was Wiltshire 1st?

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Wiltshire and Swindon Archives has been successful in securing a grant of £22,700 to help open up the historic archives of the Earls of Radnor, including unique letters by George Washington, Horatio Nelson and Queen Elizabeth I.

Writing to Lord Radnor in 1797, former U.S. President Washington was looking forward to retirement: “I am now placed in the shade of my vine and fig tree; and at the age of sixty five, am recommencing my agricultural & rural pursuits; which were always more congenial to my temper and disposition than the noise & bustle of public employment; notwithstanding so small a portion of my life has been engaged in the former.”

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It is always hard to single out any particular collection as a favourite, but some are obviously outstanding due to the sheer scope and variety of their contents. One of the great treasures at Wiltshire and Swindon Archives is the archive of the Earls of Radnor, of Longford Castle, near Salisbury in Wiltshire. Part of the archive is an uncatalogued collection referenced 1946, which has recently been added to thanks to a very generous loan of archive material from the current Earl. This is the subject of a bid for funding to enable us to catalogue and make this fascinating archive more accessible to everyone.

This autograph letter of Elizabeth I forms part of the collection

The uncatalogued archives of the Earls of Radnor in collection 1946 supplement the earlier deposit 490 (see: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a). The material in 490 contained mainly estate material, and 1946 also includes some manorial and other estate records which will be of enormous importance for local history and will benefit the continuing production of the Victoria County History of Wiltshire. Importantly, however, 1946 broadens the scope of 490, as it also contains a lot of unique material relating to the building, maintenance and governance of Longford Castle and its household, which will be of great interest to anyone researching either the house or its contents, including its famous art collection. The records also include family and personal material. However, the records do not just shed light on nobility but will also be of interest to family historians wanting to find out about ancestors who were involved with the Radnor family. The records include wage books and accounts for both household servants and agricultural labourers, dating back to the early 19th century. Please 'read more' to find out which other interesting documents can be found in the collection...

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Documents in WSA suggest that the famous Time Lord may have spent time in Malmesbury in the mid 17^th century.

A Dr Qui [the Latin for who] is mentioned several times between 1657 and 1675, and was an important person in the town. He was described as a surgeon in his marriage licence bond, when aged 40 he took a bride aged 26 from Wroughton. In Easter 1673 he signed a letter filed in the Quarter Sessions records as Alderman (Mayor) of Malmesbury.

He was buried in Malmesbury abbey church yard 1675, and his will was proved in the following year. However as fans of the TV series know only too well the Doctor has been re-incarnated at least ten times so evidence of his death may well have been exaggerated.

Alderton deeds saved for Wiltshire
Although most of the archives placed in our care are deposited on loan or outright gift, we do purchase material of particular importance. In August we were alerted to sale of about 150 medieval deeds relating to the estates of the Gore family of Alderton, a small parish in North West Wiltshire. Unfortunately in order to maximise the vendor’s profit they were broken up into many separate lots. Principal archivist Claire Skinner spent a stressful but exciting morning bidding by telephone at an auction taking place in Norfolk, and managed to purchase about half of the lots (95 deeds) which covered the earliest documents. This was achieved by a combination of our own budget and generous contributions from the Friends of the National Libraries, and Wiltshire Family History Society.

Close-up of the earliest Alderton deed purchased in 2009 – reference 3815/1/1
Grant by William Lycame of Alderton (spelt Aldrynton here) to John Bovetoun and Christine his wife, of the rent of a grain of wheat for a tenement, dated 1332. The deed is in Latin, which was the language of the law until 1733.

Many of the deeds have seals attached which illustrate the craftsmanship and vitality of medieval small scale sculpture. A good example is the punning seal of William Gore which has a bull’s head between his initials. To find out more and see if you can help us with identifying a family and church in some photographs dating back to the 1950s please 'read more'...

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David Light of Hardenhuish School and Samantha Lethaby of Abbeyfield School both spent a week at Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, working for the archive service in July this year. In their own words they describe what they did and what they thought of working here…

What kind of things did you do?

You are most likely to be doing a different job everyday, whether this is helping out with public enquiries downstairs or cataloguing new additions to the extensive archives. (David Light) Read on to find out more....

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The current concerns over swine flu call to mind the famous influenza pandemic of 1918. It has been estimated that the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 killed more people than the First World War, at somewhere between 20 and 30 million people world-wide. The flu, which was known as "Spanish Flu" or "La Grippe”, was most deadly for people aged 20 to 40. This age range was unusual for influenza which is usually a killer of the elderly and young children.

Sutton Veny burial register 1918

Wiltshire was not hit as badly as more densely populated areas, but nevertheless the impact was still felt strongly.

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