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...

Comment (0) Read More...

The World Cup in South Africa is almost upon us and I’m sure all you avid England supporters are already debating which players should be picked for the squad. As Wiltshire is not well known as a county that ‘sports’ England players; it may surprise you to know that we have produced a few over the years…

John Atyeo's England Shirt, c.1950s

Harold Fleming from Downton was born in 1887 and excelled at all kinds of sport, but was spotted playing football for his local church team by Swindon Football Club’s secretary/manager Sam Allen and invited for a trial. He played for Swindon Town, ‘drifting’ at inside right towards the forward line, balance and ball control being his main attributes.  In his time, Swindon Town were playing in an Edwardian version of today’s premier league. Harold played eleven times for England, but his official total was nine; quite impressive for his day. His best known achievement was in 1912 when he scored a hat-trick against Ireland. He remains the only full international England player to have played for Swindon Town.


George Marks' Baptism Entry, 1915

George Marks was born in Figheldean in 1915 and began his career at his local club, the Salisbury Corinthians, before joining Arsenal as an amateur (and later professional) in 1936. During World War II he served in the RAF but still managed to gain eight caps for England as their goalkeeper. After the war he was sold for £5,000 to Blackburn Rovers, a record fee for a keeper in those days.


Salisbury football match in Victoria Park, Salisbury, early 20th century
Ref: P7957

Peter John Walter Atyeo was born in 1932 in Standerwick, Somerset, moving to Dilton Marsh aged five. He played junior football for Wiltshire Schools and also for Westbury United FC, becoming semi professional at Bristol City FC in 1951 (where he has a stand named after him). He obtained offers from Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, and AC Milan whilst at City; reputedly the Italians were willing to pay £50,000 for him. He played at inside right for England, his first match being against Spain in 1955 when England won 4-1. Whilst playing football Atyeo worked as a quantity surveyor and a trained mathematician, teaching at Kingsdown School, Warminster for 20 years. He also wrote for a Plymouth based newspaper, the Sunday Independent. To find out about our other England players, please 'read more'...

Comment (1) Read More...