Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Sep 14, 2010
Tagged in:
Wiltshire ,
visit ,
victims ,
Tudors ,
tour ,
theme ,
Terry ,
teams ,
strong rooms ,
staff ,
seal ,
Saturday 25 September ,
Richard the Lionheart ,
research facilities ,
replica sword ,
quiz ,
prize ,
pox-ridden ,
Planning ,
performers ,
peasant ,
musicians ,
Middle Ages ,
microfiche ,
Medieval Open Day ,
Medieval ,
logitistical exercise ,
Library ,
Labs ,
knights ,
Investigate ,
ills ,
History Centre. ,
History Centre ,
helmet ,
Hedge Witch ,
guest ,
fun ,
free ,
film ,
documents ,
display ,
demonstrations ,
day out ,
cure ,
creative writing ,
costumes ,
conserved ,
computers ,
castles ,
broadsword ,
Black Death ,
behind the scene ,
Arts team ,
artefacts ,
armour ,
Archives & local Studies Manager ,
Archives ,
Archaeologists ,
annual ,
all the family ,
activity ,
activities ,
10 am - 4 pm
Medieval Open Day
Saturday 25 September
10 am - 4 pm
Please 'read more' to find out which fun and free activities are on offer this year...
Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Jul 9, 2010
Tagged in:
Yorkshire ,
Wiltshire Weather Proverbs ,
Wiltshire shepherd ,
Wiltshire Libraries ,
Wiltshire Independent ,
Wiltshire Council ,
Wiltshire Archaeological Society ,
William Camden ,
Westmorland ,
weather ,
Wales ,
verdict ,
Titchborne Claimant ,
Times Digital Archive ,
The Preston Guardian ,
The Lancaster Gazette and General Advertiser for L ,
Terry Bracher ,
Swindon Libraries ,
Swindon Borough Council ,
subscribe ,
stories ,
Sir Roger Titchborne ,
Shrewsbury ,
Shoulder of Mutton ,
serendipity ,
search terms ,
Rev. C. H. Smith ,
researchers ,
relieving-officer ,
records ,
Public House ,
prison ,
poor man ,
Poor Law ,
online ,
observations ,
Nineteenth Century Newspapers Online ,
newspapers ,
Malmesbury Union Workhouse ,
local history ,
libraries ,
landlord ,
keywords ,
jury ,
John Matthews ,
John Aubrey ,
Jacksons Oxford Journal ,
information ,
Inclemency of the Weather ,
http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/leisureandculture/libr ,
http://www.swindon.gov.uk/leisuresport/libraries/2 ,
History Centre ,
heir ,
family fortune ,
eureka moment ,
distraction ,
Devizes prison ,
Death ,
court case concerning ,
Coroner’s ,
computers ,
clergyman ,
browsing ,
Bromham ,
Brinkworth ,
astrological ,
articles ,
Arthur Orton ,
art ,
antiquarian ,
1873
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 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
Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Apr 13, 2010
Tagged in:
Yatton Keynell ,
walking ,
Victorian School life ,
uniform ,
televisions ,
teaching ,
teachers ,
Swindon ,
subtraction ,
subject ,
students ,
snow ,
slates ,
six feet ,
school log book ,
rude ,
roads ,
pupils ,
playground ,
noisy ,
maths ,
literacy ,
letters write ,
Lacock ,
interactive white boards ,
insolence ,
indolent ,
high flood ,
heat ,
health and safety ,
experience ,
English ,
dress code ,
dress ,
Disruption ,
disorderly ,
dipping pens ,
Cricklade National School ,
computers ,
collection ,
class ,
children ,
behaviour ,
beads ,
bad weather ,
arithmetic lesson ,
1866
Following on from our glimpse into Victorian school life, school today seems so different to the experience of Victorian pupils. Computers, interactive white boards and televisions would certainly seem as foreign to those children as slates and dipping pens would to today’s students. However, a recent trawl through the delightful school log book collection for extracts to show teachers also found some things in common. All the teachers agreed that whether it was bad weather, uniform, behaviour in class or the challenges of teaching maths and English, parts of school life from 140 years ago seemed very familiar.
Swallowcliffe Schoolchildren
Posted by: Blog Administrator
on Dec 1, 2009
Tagged in:
tended ,
Swindon soldier ,
Swindon and Wiltshire History Centre ,
solved ,
school trip ,
research ,
records ,
Northern France ,
never going to be forgotten ,
neither famous ,
History Centre ,
GWR works ,
graves ,
First World War ,
expert staff ,
Europe ,
computers ,
Clyffe Pypard ,
Belgium ,
battle fields ,
ancestry.co.uk ,
Albert Cook
For a school trip to the First World War battle fields in Northern France and Belgium, we had to research a Swindon soldier from the war. We visited the History Centre with the school on a Monday; they kindly opened it for us so we could have the place to ourselves with the full attention of their expert staff who were extremely helpful (we would have found it very difficult if not for them!). Our soldier, Albert Cook, was a worker in the GWR works. His parents were from a small village called Clyffe Pypard and his mother died when he was six. Although he is no relation to us, neither famous nor very important, from all the hours of hard work and visiting his grave we now feel like we’ve known him all our lives.
Using original archival material at the History Centre
Since we didn’t get enough information on the first visit to the centre and we were too tight to pay for an account on ancestry.co.uk, we decided to go back to the centre where it’s free and more fun. We took the train down and were surprised the staff could remember us and our problems with our research we had the first time we visited. They showed us round again and helped us with the computers. The other people visiting that day were also very helpful and friendly; they showed us some great websites and how to get around on them.
From this visit we solved most of our previous mysteries but aroused some others, we found he had a sister who had disappeared when he was in his toddler years and we still didn’t know how his mother died. We decided to go again the next day; it’s so fun and interesting. We cleared all but a few of our problems, these few were not solvable because no records existed that would have held the data we wanted.
The trip was amazing, it seemed the soldiers of the First World War are the most remembered in Europe and they are never going to be forgotten. Their graves are still tended to like they died yesterday and schools from many different countries visit the cemeteries. When we sat by Albert’s grave we both had tears in our eyes. This was the reason why we came, to sit by the grave side of a person we felt we knew so well. If not for the centre and its bursting information of the past we wouldn’t have felt anywhere near like we did. Thank you Swindon and Wiltshire History Centre!
Emily Kellett and Charlotte Manser
Commonweal School, Swindon
