Wallingford borough
We are pleased to announce that we have completed a major project cataloguing the records of Wallingford Borough Council. Additional material from 1606 to 1974 has been added to the two existing collections W/ and WA/, which have also been added to our online catalogue for the first time; and the old bound volume for W/ has been superseded. We plan to explore this wonderful collection further in future blogs.
Bread and groceries: Berkshire businesses
Additional papers of the House family include postcards bearing photographic images of branches of the Home and Colonial Stores, Reading, and their staff (all men), dated 1913, and one of Tilehurst football team for the 1911-12 season (D/EX2407). We have also have received some copies of photographs of Market Place, Reading, in the early 20th century (D/EX2705). They show, among other things, a kiosk and tented market in situ. Another photograph shows a couple, believed to be Edwin and Winifred Keene, standing in front of the van belonging to Keene’s Machine Bakery, Stanford in the Vale, in 1930 (D/EX2833).
Rowing, rocks and women: clubs and societies in Berkshire
We have catalogued records of Maidenhead Rowing Club and Regatta, 1913-1985 (D/EX2810). The Rowing Club was formed in 1876, and was all-male until the 1970s. Club member Bert Bushnell famously won a gold medal in the double sculls at the 1948 Olympic Games. The club was very successful in national competition in the 1980s and 1990s. Maidenhead Amateur Regatta was originally a separate organisation. We have also received additional records of the Berkshire County Ladies' Golf Association (formerly Berkshire Ladies County Golf Club), 1922-2014 (D/EX2303); and catalogued the records of Reading Geological Society, 1976-2014 (D/EX2441). The records of Reading Rambling Club, 1931-2016, record the group’s walks in Berkshire and beyond, including one intrepid member’s climbing trip to Nepal in 1979 (D/EX2710). We have received additional records of the Berkshire branch of the National Farmers’ Union, 1920-1995 (D/EX1413). There are also some printed material relating to the 1st Colnbrook Group Boy Scouts, 1961-1969 (D/EX2703).
We have received some additional records of Berkshire Women’s Institutes from the Berkshire Federation of WIs (D/EX1925 as follows): Earley WI’s Memories project, 2000; a scrapbook compiled by Wash Common WI, 1932-1986; and records of Greenham WI, 1920-2019; Padworth WI, 1932-2016; Kentwoood WI, Tilehurst WI, 1961-2016; and Welford cum Wickham WI, 1999-2017; plus records of the Bisham (1957-1990) and Maidenhead (1932-1956) Groups. Separately, we have also acquired records of the WIs of Burghfield, 1920-2018 (D/EX2779); Chazey, 1982-2017 (D/EX2796); Hungerford, 1931-2010 (D/EX2403 and D/EX2730); Falkland, Newbury, 1984-2018 (D/EX2714); and Theale Green, 2002-2018 (D/EX2550). We have also received records of the Wallingford Deanery Mothers’ Union, 1925-1987 (D/EX2725).
‘A high sounding but ridiculous title’
We have received some records relating to the manor and so-called borough of Wantage, 1844-1935 (WT/). These comprise deeds and letters to the stewards of the Manor of Wantage, most from Sir Henry Martin, lord of the manor. Some of the letters relate to a former clerk of the steward called Kent, dismissed for 'rascality', who had appealed to Sir Henry for pecuniary assistance, 1848-1849. In a letter dated 1849, Sir Henry notes, 'I derive small profit from the high sounding, but in such case ridiculous, title of lord of the manor’.
No wedding bells
A recently deposited banns register for Ashbury includes an entry in 1916 for Sidney Pocock of Weston super Mare, Somerset, and Ada Wright of Ashbury which is annotated, 'The man - a soldier - left Weston & the Vicar there refused to publish the banns after the first time!'. Records from Binfield Church relate to the restoration of the church bells, 1993-2011 (D/P18). Other newly deposited parish records include the vestry minutes for Brimpton, 1894-1999 (D/P26).
New parish registers
Ashbury: marriages, 1975-2018; banns, 1867-2009 (D/P9)
Crowthorne: marriages, 2013-2019 (D/P102B).
You can find out more about any of the records mentioned here and more, by searching our online catalogue. Simply enter the collection references mentioned above into the Catalogue Reference field.