Newsletter No. 85 - May 2006

Chairman's Corner

Attending annual general meetings is an opportunity to meet old friends and make new acquaintances; it can also involve risk, particularly of being persuaded or cajoled into serving on a committee. This was my experience a few weeks ago at the AGM when I found myself elected as your new Chairman.

My thanks to Cliff Debney who served the BLHA very well. Like him I have agreed to serve for one year only so please think about whether you or any of your fellow local historians could replace me in 2007. Meanwhile I look forward to working with the other very capable officers and a talented and dedicated committee who, I am sure, will make my job a pleasant one. If you have any suggestions for projects to improve the services we offer you and local history in Berkshire , please don't hesitate to contact one of us. We can't guarantee to implement them all but we will try.

One of the most successful events we held last year was the day to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of W G Hoskins, The Making of the English Landscape . This was a joint venture with the University's School of Continuing Education the Berkshire Record Society and held at the new Museum of English Rural Life who were magnificent hosts. If nothing else, the popularity of the day and the quality of the presentations showed the value of co-operation with other local history enthusiasts and is something we should consider doing again soon, though probably not in 2006. Meanwhile there are other possibilities for getting together to explore Berkshire 's history, which I hope the committee will consider and that you will feel happy to support.

One very important way of promoting the history of the ancient county is through Berkshire Old and New . We owe a great debt of gratitude to Jeremy Burchardt who has maintained and even improved the quality of the journal. I am now looking forward to working with the new editor, Jonathan Brown who brings considerable experience and expertise to the post. Please make his job easier by continuing to submit articles for publication. Research, which is not published, can so easily be lost.

We have an unexpected ally in promoting the 'real' Berkshire . According to The Guardian of 28 March, Count Nikolai Tolstoy plans to erect a sign in Oxfordshire (alias 'occupied North Berkshire ') saying 'Welcome to the Royal County of Berkshire'. The Count says, 'If St Petersburg can recover its name after 73 years of communism, I'm sure we can get towns like Abingdon, Wallingford and Wantage back into Berkshire '. BLHA has never let them go!

Joan Dils, Chairman, BLHA

Words from the Editors

I was very pleased that some of you sought me out at the AGM in Marc h and introduced yourselves; I am now able to put a face to some of those who send me copy, thank you. Speaking of which, you have all been very prompt with your reports for this edition and it looks as though we should have a very interesting and informative spring newsletter for you. Remember this is your chance to let the rest of the association know what you are up to, so keep it coming.

Again, there are changes to the layout, particularly the front cover and contents page, will it ever stop you might ask? Well, as long as there are areas for improvement then the answer should be no. I hope that each edition will improve the quality of the service that we bring to our members, so if you have any ideas or comments on what you see please let me know.

To all of those who receive the newsletter on behalf of their organisation, would you please make sure that it is made available to your members? The aim of the newsletter is to disseminate Berkshire local history to as wide an audience as possible and we cannot hope to achieve this if they are filed away or kept for personal use.

I would like to thank Sheila Hasted from Bracknell and District for her regular contributions; Sheila is retiring after 13 years as secretary at their next AGM.

Finally, enjoy your summer programmes.

Margaret Simons

Requests for Information

Responses to Emily Tarrant at webdesigner@blha.org.uk.

Kay Newby has contacted us asking for as much information as possible about the village of Yattenden She believes that her four times great grandfather Edward Shepherd was born in the village around 1784 and was a tailor/draper. If you have any information or know of any useful sources please contact her at "White Heather", 53 Wood Lane , Fleet, Hants GU51 3ED.

Mrs Eve Gillman writes 'I am a descendant of the Dolman family of Pocklington. I know that they also spread themselves quite a lot around England , including Monmouth where my great-great-great grandmother (Frances Dolman) was born. What I would like to know is whether the Thomas Dolman who sold Shaw House was the same one who married Barbara Metham (2nd wife). She died in 1624. He is described as a clothing merchant, but no one references him to the Pocklington family which has a considerable pedigree'. Any help would be much appreciated and Mrs Gillman can be contacted by Email at eve.gillmon@btconnect.com

Phil Howe and his wife are looking for information relating to ancestors who were living in Newbury during the period 1850 - 1920 and ran a business there. The family name is James and the main ancestor is Edward James who ran a building company in Pound Street . It would seem that Edward James was a Councillor during his time and that he ran a business in Pound Street from 2 Lynmouth Villas. What they would like to discover now is more about Edward James' life, he is reported to have built rows of houses in Craven Street (are these the same ones in Craven Road, and villas in Enborne Road and Pound Street, are they still there? Are there photographs of the buildings, are there photographs of the building works, are there details of his term of office as a councillor? Anyone who may be able to help them in their search please contact them at Email Phil.Howe@Honeywell.com .

Gwen Rankin contacted us with a request for information about an Ufton Court resident. She writes, 'I am an Australian post-graduate student seeking information about MissMary Sharp, tenant of Ufton Court in the 1890s and early 1900s, author of twobooks of local history and one about types of lace. In 1891 and on severaloccasions after this Miss Sharp had contact with the artist Bernard Hall, who left England in 1892 to become Director of the National Gallery of Victoria. I am particularly interested in the circumstances of this contact, but would be most grateful for anything that may be known of her life and work during these years.' Any information can be forwarded to Gwen on gran@deakin.edu.au .

A Mr Harry Bowman of Doncaster would like help in tracing his ancestors. He is looking for Henry Bowman his grandfather and his wife Ellen Bowman who were married in Reading on November 13 th 1903. He was 61 (second marriage, his first wife Rachel had died 2 months earlier), she was 28 and they lived at 31 Vachel Road Reading . In 1901 they are registers as Buwman and were living at Lemington Priors, his occupation was then given as contractor, but in earlier census he was a Sinker (of wells) and they moved about. There are records of other members of the family living just outside Basingstoke at a place called Cliddesdon. If anyone has any information Email it to Harry at Bowmanhv38@aol.com, by post to Mr Harry Bowman 38 Ivanhoe Way, Sprotborough, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN5 8DZ or tel 01302 788302.

Mary Talbot contacted our secretary with a request about hiring fairs. 'I wonder if you or other members of the association might be able to help or advise me. I am tracing my family history, and in particular a John Talbot who was born about 1760 and who married in Hurstbourne Priors, Hampshire. The only John Talbot I have been able to locate who might fit the bill, is a John Talbot born in 1760 in Chilton, Berks. I have his baptism record at Harwell, but I can find no other reference to him in that area. What I want to know is:- Is it possible that he travelled from Chilton to Hurstbourne Priors in search of work, possibly via a hiring fair at Newbury? Have you or your members any knowledge of the Newbury Hiring Fairs? From what distance might they have attracted customers?' Any information to Mary by Email at mjh.talbot142@btinternet.com .

Notice Board

Membership Rates - Increase 2007

As mentioned at the AGM and reported in the last edition of the newsletter, the committee have decided, that it will be necessary to increase individual and corporate membership rates from 2007. It is a long time since rates have increased and it is now necessary due to the rising costs of printing and mailing charges of both the newsletter and the journal.

For those of you who weren't at the AGM our treasurer and membership secretary Peter Johnson has asked that all standing orders etc for the payment of the annual membership should be cancelled. Although this may seem a backwards step, the system as it stands at the moment is not clearly identifying those who have paid. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

We hope that you will continue to support us and that you feel your membership represents good value. Increases from 1 st January 2007are as follows:-

Individual membership increases from £7 to £9

Family membership remains at £9

Corporate membership from £14 to £18

Margaret Simons

We are still waiting for some response to our plea. As we have previously reported our web manager Emily Tarrant has moved to pastures new and is now living in Cornwall . Whilst Emily is prepared to continue to manage the site from her new home, is there anyone out there more local who would like to consider taking on this very important role. If anyone is interested in doing so or would like to discuss the matter please contact a member of the committee.

Research Activities

It is some time now since we asked our members to let us know what research activities they are currently undertaking with a view to having a special feature on this in a future edition. We would still like to do this, as we are sure that the sharing of such information would be mutually beneficial. Please give this some thought, even if ideas are still in the formative stage it would still be useful to include such information. Please contact me either by Email or by writing to me at the address given in the newsletter.

Berkshire Old and New

If you have an interesting article or proposal for an article and would like it to be considered for publication in the association's journal Berkshire Old and New , then the new editor Jonathan Brown would be pleased to hear from you. Please contact him by Email at j.h.brown@reading.ac.uk or write to him at the Museum of English Rural Life : The University of Reading, Redlands Road , Reading .

Roman Archaeology - Inside and Out

Saturday 22 July

Join museum staff and Berkshire Archaeology for a day of activities on a Roman theme, including free coach trips to the University of Reading dig at Silchester. All ages 10.00 - 3.30 in museum (4.30 at Silchester). Event is free, but advance booking for coach trip is essential. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Please call the Museum on 0118 9399800 to book.

Jon Cat, Reading Museum Service

Local History Project influences birth of new society

Michael Bayley has contacted me with some information about a local history project he undertook on pre-17 th century canals in the Maidenhead area, which has recently been used for a feasibility study. It appears that a gravel extracting company working in Maidenhead read his study and was able to establish that a timber structure they had uncovered was in fact the remains of a wharf. The company then paid for a survey to be made by the " Jubilee River " engineers with a view to possible restoration of what was the site of an old canal. Not only would this provide a more environmentally friendly way of transporting the extracted gravel, but there are also leisure opportunities to be had from such a venture.

The matter was brought before a local planning meeting, sponsored by the Maidenhead Advertiser, Chamber of Commerce and the Civic Society. The ideas were so well received at the meeting that a society was formed to promote the restoration of Maidenhead's waterways and it has attracted lottery and other funding.

However, there is a body of opposition to the new proposal and claims that the canal never existed. Therefore, any information, particularly written evidence, would be gratefully received. One piece of written evidence that has recently come to light is dated 1 st Marc h 1795 and is a letter to W. Rowe at the New River Office (a canal junction in Islington) from Jos Searle of North Town an area of Maidenhead now ½ a mile from the present river. It refers to a barge going up to the "yard" and of an account of the freight. Does anyone out there have any other such written evidence that may help?

If you think you may be able to help or would like a copy of Michael's 2001 booklet, (pp 94, cost £8 or less for multiple copies) please write to him at 3, Westmorland Road , Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 4HD.

Margaret Simons

Women's Army Auxiliary Corps Records

The National Archives have announced that over 7000 records of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, records dating between 1917 and 1920, are now online and can be searched free of charge on www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documentsonline/waac.asp . Most of the original 57,000 records were destroyed during the 2nd World War by enemy action. Anyone can subscribe to the newsletters "News from the TNA" by email to marketing@nationalarchives.gov.uk

New Books

Wokingham Agricultural Association 1835 - 1985 - The First 150 Years , by Kerr Kirkwood .

It is with great pleasure that we announce the publication of this book by Kerr, who as many of you will know had served as membership secretary on the committee of the BLHA for the last four years until his recent retirement. On our speakers' list since its inception, he gave several interesting talks to members on farming in the county, with particular interest in the farmers in South-East Berkshire (Grazeley, Mortimer and Burghfield areas). He has combined these activities with working as a volunteer at MERL and as a very active member of the Old Redingensians Association.

Kerr spent every day of his working life amongst farmers; entering the family firm in 1948 he served for 38 years as an agricultural auctioneer and valuer. His long and very active involvement in the Wokingham Agricultural Association exceeded 50 years and he has enjoyed a very happy liaison with exhibitors and other personalities such as judges. In his career Kerr undertook a variety of jobs; his first was as assistant steward to the Wessex Saddleback pigs under the eagle eye of Lt Cdr Bott RN. This was followed by experience in stewarding Ayrshire cattle after which he became Senior Hereford Cattle Steward, organising an entry of over 60 at one show alone. He was proposed by John Keen as Livestock Chairman and served in this capacity for eleven years. He was made an Honorary Life Member of the Association for his services. He also served as show reporter, advertisement manager and, for many years, was on the Policy Committee, and when Roy Best, the Show Chairman, asked for a volunteer historian the author stepped forward. It took Kerr some seven years researching and writing long hand. Then it has taken the Trust four more years with the help of Jill Betts as editor to compile, find and add pictures and finally get to publication.

Thanks to Peter Johnson and Maureen Bowyer for supplying the above information.

The 2 nd Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment in the First World War is the second book by Ian Cull. It follows on from the well-received volume on the 1st Battalion, published last year by The Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment ( Salisbury ) Museum. This time Tempus Publishing have published the book in association with the Museum. The book covers the period from 1911 - 1919, starting in India and ending with the Battalion's return to Reading . It contains over 120 pages of main body text, images and maps, plus 8 appendices and a comprehensive index. The appendices include: Selected Biographies, The Battalion's earlier history, Visiting the battlefields today, Commanding Officers, Fatal casualties, Honours and Awards, The Roll of Honour and The Delhi Durbar Medal recipients.

A Brief History of the Abingdon Reservoir Area , by Vale Man. Published in January 2006; 32 pp with maps. Available from Millers Bookshop, Wantage (01235 770057) £1.50 plus p&p.

Special Feature

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

April 9 th 2006 marks the 200 th anniversary of the birth of Isambard Kingdom Brunel - arguably the greatest Victorian engineer and certainly one of the nation's most notable sons. Such was the brilliance of his engineering many of the structures he designed are still in use today. Notable amongst these in the local context is Maidenhead Bridge , a picture of which is on the cover of this issue of the newsletter. He also designed many of the first stations in the county, including the original one at Pangbourne, remembered by Bourne's wonderful 1846 drawing in "The History and Description of the Great Western Railway".

Brunel spent a tremendous amount of time in Berkshire throughout the Great Western project. He was a very 'hands-on' man, who supervised every mile of both the survey and construction of the line. During the time the route was being surveyed, he made personal calls on many of the landowners whose land was to be affected, including Mr Wilder at Purley Hall, and Robert Palmer of Holme Park. In his diaries he mentions meetings he had in Streatley with William Stone and his son (both of whom were High Sheriffs of Berkshire) and a Mr Keeps at Theale who showed him the new church. Brunel took the time to admire the local scenery and described the canal between Shinfield and Calcot Mills as 'a beautiful place in this hot weather'.

He had a reputation as a hard taskmaster both on others and himself. In one six day period in April 1833, he made a return coach trip to London from Reading , rode around Earley and Shinfield, to Wantage via Theale, Pangbourne and Streatley before returning to Reading from whence he took a coach back to London . While possessed of highly refined social skills which enabled him to mix easily with people such as the Duke of Orleans and Talleyrand, Brunel could be merciless in his criticism of those for whom he did not care. One such person was John Walters, proprietor of ' The Times ' and owner of Bearwood. Walters was, wrote Brunel, 'a most vindictive intriguing scoundrel'.

Perhaps the last words about this brilliant, but complex man should go to his good friend Daniel Gooch who described Brunel as a 'man with the greatest originality of thought and power of execution, bold in his plans but right. The commercial world thought him extravagant; but although he was so, great things are not done by those who sit down and count the cost of every thought and act.'

Rosemary Stewart-Beardsley

Society News

Berkshire Industrial Archaeology Group

The Group aims to encourage a wider appreciation of industrial archaeology and act as a stimulant to the study of the area's industrial heritage. Often little is known even to local inhabitants and frequently heritage is disappearing without adequate recording as the years slip by. There is still much that remains to be explored and recorded. While specific industries may have provided employment (and may still), they are all too easily forgotten as being some of the factors, which have gone to shape particular communities and environments.

BIAG is open to all who have an interest in industrial archaeology and for this purpose, a very liberal interpretation is put upon "industry", "industrial past" and the geographical area covered by the Group.

WHAT DOES BIAG DO?

- undertakes preservation and recording projects.

- arranges visits to appropriate sites both locally and regionally.

- arranges an indoor programme of talks by guest speakers on specific topics.

- publishes its own newsletter - BIAG News - 2 or 3 times a year.

- BIAG while independent has been associated with adult education studies in industrial archaeology and local history. This included being given associate status by the University of Reading in recognition of its origins in a long standing Joint Reading University / WEA course on Industrial Archaeology to 1992 and its connection with the University.

- liaises with other appropriate bodies including the planning authorities on the industrial history of Reading and Berkshire , its recording and preservation.

HOW TO JOIN BIAG

For those interested in joining, please contact the Treasurer/Membership Officer, the Secretary (their addresses or phone numbers are given below). You will then receive a copy of our application form + a copy of the latest newsletter.

Secretary :

Peter Trout, 7 West Chiltern, Woodcote, Reading RG8 0SG 01491 682002

Treasurer & Membership Officer:

Peter Pribik, 6 Harefield Close, Winnersh, Wokingham, Berks RG41 5NP 0118 978 5234

Bent Weber

Bracknell and District Historical Society

Attendance at the first meeting in the New Year can be quiet unpredictable. Will the temperature be zero? Will members be down with 'Flu'? We need not have worried as we fielded almost our full compliment for the talk "let's go Victorian Shopping" given by Tony King. The Great Exhibition (1851) whetted the publics appetite for more varied and generally available goods. Victorian entrepreneurs rose to the challenge. Names like Liptons, Sainsbury, Birds, Pears, M & S, Boots and much to my surprise Morrisons. All illustrated with a wonderful display of advertising material and pictures of outlets of the period, emporiums, shops and market stalls, accompanied by a lively commentary.

February we had our Reg Morris Memorial night, when members give short talks on a given subject. This year the topic was 'collections'. The evening began with memorabilia from the 'Titanic@, followed by a new member with stamps and matchboxes. Then 150 years of family jewellery and trinkets, each item with a tale to tell. Two collections one of Goss china and the other of old bottles. Then what can only be described as an imagined collection of letters written as by the member's ancestors to their descendants. Finally a recent family history find triggered off, a visit to a Sussex village, a musical trail and a vintage recoding all rounded off with a sing song - different!

Les Moody came to our Society in Marc h and gave a talk on 'The History of the Railway Police'. We were surprised to learn how far back the origins of the force were. First set up to control the unruly navvies who were building the railways and devastating the countryside they passed through. Once the railway was built, the police were stationed at intervals along the line and held sway over ½ mile either side of the track. They were the early signalmen too. Over many years the duties of the police changed and the force increased and decreased. At one time including coverage of the docks. More recently they concentrated on crime and tackling 'sporting' crowds.

Sheila M. Hasted

Goring and Streatley Local History Society

There was an excellent attendance at our January meeting for Michael Anderson's talk on " Goring Primary School - the first 150 years". Michael was Head Teacher at the school from 1975-83 and is the author of the School history published in 2005.

The School was established in 1855, funded by donation from local churchmen and a grant of £10 per annum from the Oxford Diocese, the intention being to provide the poorer children of the village with an education based on the principles of the Established Church.

Using extracts from the School log-books, the Admissions Register and the punishment book, Michael gave a vivid picture of school life in the early days. The curriculum originally comprised the three Rs but later was extended to cover subjects such as domestic science and gardening. The records show that there were frequent absences from school due to illness, farm work, domestic duties etc. Eventually the School numbers outgrew the original building and a new school was built at Cleeve in 1960.

Some 50 members attended our Annual Lunch in February in the Morrell Room, Streatley and enjoyed an excellent buffet meal provided by Pamela Fox and her team from South Moreton ; the occasion concluded with a successful raffle.

In Marc h Dr, Nicholas Doggett gave us a talk on "The historic building of South Oxfordshire ". His well-illustrated talk described the methods and materials used in the construction of vernacular buildings, described as everyday buildings, built of local materials for the poorer section of the community. Materials used included timber framing, limestone, local stone, cob, flint and brick. Roof coverings might be of thatch, Welsh slate or clay tiles; farm buildings were often covered in weatherboarding. Dr. Doggett's slides illustrated that South Oxfordshire is fortunate in having such a variety of historic building and styles of construction.

A.J. Simpson

History of Reading Society

Our final meeting of 2005, on 14 th December, was well-attended to hear the annual Presidential Address from Joan Dils, this year entitled 'The Making of a Suburb: Caversham c1840 to1914', in which she traced Lower Caversham's chronological development, which she was able to illustrate to show both speculative development and privately commissioned housing and how the village expanded in relation to drainage and the availability of mains water, gas and electricity under Caversham Urban District Council control before being absorbed into the County Borough of Reading.

The Society's meeting on 18 th January had a near capacity audience present for an illustrated talk by Ken Wells, Curator of the Thames Valley Police Museum at Sulhampstead Police Training College, exploring the gruesome discoveries of several murdered tiny babies in the Thames at Caversham weir in Spring 1896 and how the culprit, Mrs Amelia Dyer (or was she really a Mrs Stansfield?) was brought fairly swiftly to justice - and paid the price at Newgate after an Old Bailey trial. There are only a few surviving exhibits and there is no surviving case file, but it was interesting to compare evidence deemed sufficient in 1896 to condemn Mrs Dyer to hang with the forensic evidence and other techniques which would have been used today.

At the Society's meeting on 15 th February, John Oakes and Martin Parsons gave an illustrated and detailed account of the history of Reading School entitled 'The First 800 Years or More'. Their own researches suggest that the ancient Free Grammar School was founded, not in 1486 which several other learned accounts suggest, but as a school attached to Reading Abbey, which can be traced back almost to the Abbey's founding, in 1125. Since then, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Charles I, Archbishop Laud, Oliver Cromwell and, indeed, Margaret Thatcher, have all intervened in its history in one way or another. The school is also justly proud to have had many pupils who grew up to be eminent men.

Following the Society's AGM at its meeting on 15 th Marc h, at which the existing committee was returned unopposed, Margaret Railton gave an illustrated talk on the Manor of Billingbear, Waltham St. Lawrence, tracing its medieval origins through to the demise of the estate in the 1920s and a look at what remains today, nearly a century later.

Indoor meetings, which are held on Wednesday evenings, commence at 7.30pm prompt and conclude about 9.00pm, are at Abbey Baptist Church , Abbey Square , adjacent to the rear of Reading Central Library. They are open to all, with a small charge of £2.00 to non-members. Members may park their cars nearby at modest cost.

Ring 0118 947 2470 or eMail Edward.W.Hooper@btinternet.com for details of Society membership.

John Whitehead

Mortimer Local History Group

Our Christmas party was held in January and was very well attended. It is an occasion when we can socialize and discuss projects individually while enjoying a glass of wine and the prospect of an excellent buffet meal. After the meal we were treated to some local history quizzes in which we all excelled. It was a very happy evening.

Dennis Johnson spoke to us in Marc h and showed slides of brick making methods over the years and examples of brick architecture, both locally and nationally. This proved to be a fascinating subject and we are now inspired to "look above the shop fronts" at town buildings and study the brick patterns for which Reading is well known.

We had two speakers at the Marc h meeting, both are members of the Group. Carolyn Owen entitled her illustrated talk "Things you Never Knew about Mortimer". This proved to be a joke as she had researched various Mortimers around the world and we were shown how varied these proved to be; from a ten-garage mansion priced at £275.000 with swimming pool, fernery, private beach and gymnasium in Tasmania , to an island in Lake Superior inhabited by caribou. We have grown increasingly interested in our namesakes and hope to visit the original French village during the summer. After the coffee break we saw Margot Pyman's video of her visit to Northern Spain which was full of interest and expertly presented.

June Woodward

Project Purley

January 2006 was a Members evening with John Chapman in the chair. The theme being "Your house then and now". John opened the meeting by showing aerial photographs taken at different times over the past sixty years, these indicating how Purley had grown with housing development. He went on to explain how we can research our property, and the history of the land on which it stands, using the house deeds, old maps and records relating to the history of the area.

Some members then gave a brief history of their own house and land. These were most interesting to listen to, and revealed some interesting historical detail of the Purley of past times.

Members had brought along various documents of interest referring to their property and land which were examined with interest by everyone.

In February the theme of local architecture was carried on when our member Rick Jones entertained us with an interesting talk on the history of Purley Lodge. The house was built around 1760, and Rick, who lives in the Gatehouse, which is a part of the Lodge, had thoroughly researched the life and times of the house and its environs. With an illustrated presentation he told us of the many interesting people who had lived in the house over the years. There are various features in the house, described to us by Rick, and it is quite clear that Purley Lodge is a house of great historical interest and charm.

In Marc h the A.G.M. of the Society was held, with the election of the new Chairman and Committee members. Jean Debney, Chairman for five years was due to step down, and John Chapman was elected to take her place.

The business meeting finished, we were entertained with an interesting talk on Dovecotes given by Andrew Hutt of the Berkshire Archaeology Society. With an excellent illustrated talk Andrew produced a wealth of information concerning the history of pigeon keeping and of the dovecotes that housed the birds. It seems that there is evidence of pigeons in ancient Egypt , and in Roman times. In medieval Britain the pigeons were a source of food and were prolific, so much so that in 1476 it was decreed that the birds should be confined to dovecotes. By the end of the 18thC pigeon keeping was in decline and many dovecotes fell in to disrepair and were lost. However some were kept in good order, and Andrew had photographs of some fine examples in the Berkshire and South Oxon area. The Berkshire Archaeology Society are researching the history of dovecotes and are writing a book to record all pre 1791 dovecotes in the Berkshire and South Oxon area.

Milly Bordiss

Sandhurst Historical Society

Our meetings are held at The Sandhurst Community Hall, usually on the last Thursday of each month, commencing at 7.30 p.m. The Society's website is at www.sandhurst-historical-society.org . Alternatively, please ring Zoe on 01252 375579 for further information.

Marc h is a members only evening. Our speaker will be Edna Millington on the subject of "The Seymours of Elvetham". We will also be holding a Bring and Buy event to raise money for our 10 th Anniversary celebration in October.

Our Society was formed in 1996 and therefore this year celebrates ten very xuccessful years. We have a large number of happy members who regularly attend meetings to hear speakers on varying subjects and we organise coach outing to places of historical interest. We have researched and published three books during this time which have all been well received. To celebrate the occasion and our achievements we are holding a Photographic Competition, open to all Sandhurst residents, which we hope will depict Sandhurst in 2006 and be of interest to future generations. Entry is free and the subject can include events, buildings, or any item you think interprets Sandhurst in the year 2006. All entries must have been taken in the town between 1 st January and 30 th September which is the closing date. Entries should be size 6" x 4" and cannot be returned to the sender. The photos should be marked on the reverse with the photographer's name, address, and age if under 16 and should give a short description of the subject. A prize will be awarded to the winner, which will be presented at a special celebration meeting to be held in October. Please send entries to Mrs. Jean Baker, Secretary, 3 Hawkes Close, Hartley Witney, Hants RG27 8SD.

Janice Burlton

Sonning & Sonning Eye Society

Our winter lecture season got off to an entertaining start in late January, when brick consultant and Sonning resident, Nick Siney, gave a fascinating talk about bricks and brick making to a packed Pearson Hall. It seems incredible that a century ago there were 43 brick manufacturers in Buckinghamshire and 33 in Berkshire . Today there are three only located in Buckinghamshire despite, for instance, the superior natural terracotta available around Bracknell . Nick illustrated his talk with slides, examples of moulds, "swatches", and bricks old and new. At the end of an evening peppered with anecdotes from youthful stage appearances in the Pearson Hall, through strong views on Lord Hanson, to his discussion of extraordinary goings-on with the late John Peel on Home Truths , nobody could have gone away without being wiser about frogs and headers, scotch kilns and bottle kilns.

Our talk in early Marc h focused on heraldry in Sonning and Sonning Eye. John Allen, former biology master at the Blue Coat School and one-time rowing master also, has had a lifelong passion for heraldry. He concentrated on the arms you can see in St Andrew's Church, pub signs, and the wealth of heraldry visible in the Blue Coat School building (formerly Holme Park) itself. Heraldry is, however, far from being a moribund art - it is alive and well every time local government structures and boundaries change for instance. John's expertise is not only consulted by the fine art and antique trade, but is also sought by District Councils as well as by individuals seeking personal arms.

Our winter issue of bridge carries an article on Holman Hunt, who owned a house at Sonning from 1901 until his death in 1910, as well as a substantial piece on Sonning Fire Brigade. You can view back copies of bridge at: http://www.sonning.org.uk/publicity.html .

If you would like to contact us, here are some details.

Membership Secretary

Carole Barnett 0118 969 6693 gordon@barnett19.fsnet.co.uk

Tickets for open events

Diana Coulter 0118 969 2132 diana.coulter@orange.net

Tony Swell 0118 969 1390 patsy-tonyswell@tesco.net

Diane Coulter

Stanford in the Vale & District Local History Society

Back in the early 1990s, Stanford had a small Local History Group, which unfortunately only survived a couple of years. In 2004, following the tremendous success of THE STANFORD HISTORIAN, an A5, 36 page, twice-yearly magazine launched in 2002 (latest issue plus back numbers available from address below £1 + 50p postage), a new society, THE STANFORD IN THE VALE & DISTRICT LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY was launched, to serve Stanford and its smaller surrounding villages. Meetings are held in Stanford's small village hall on the second Tuesday of each month, 7.30 p.m. (not July or August). Membership is now about 50, and subscriptions are £5 per year for two adults at the same address. Members receive three newsletters a year, and 'The Stanford Historian' has now become the Society's journal, although copies are sold to non-members, via Wantage Library and Stanford Post Office/Paper shop. The Society is affiliated to the Oxfordshire Local History Association, and has recently joined BLHA as a corporate member.

As well as the monthly talks, several members of the Society have been active in variety of ways. There is a small 'oral history' group, recording interviews with elderly residents, and Census records - not already available on commercial discs - are being transcribed. A large photographic archive, collected by the late Mrs Violet Howse (who compiled histories of Stanford and surrounding parishes in the 1960s/70s) is being scanned onto disc and annotated, courtesy of her daughter. Last year the Society republished Revd. Maine 's book about Stanford (A Berkshire Village) first issued in the 1860s and long out of print. (Available for £8 + 50p postage). When the Society was formed, to embrace Stanford, Hatford, Shellingford, Goosey, Charney Bassett, and Denchworth, we were not aware of the existence of the small local history study group in Denchworth, but happily, some of their members have joined the larger organisation and Sue Brandon has joined the management committee, as liaison officer for Denchworth. Further details/publications can be obtained from the Secretary, Phil Morris, 71 Van Diemans, Stanford in the Vale, SN7 8HW ( philip.p.morris@tesco.net )

Philip Morris

Theale Local History Group

The membership of the Theale Local History Group (TLHG) has continued to increase and an active year has seen the publication of the Theale War Memorial booklet; three presentations by outside speakers; a visit to Nuffield Place ; and, a social barbecue in July. In addition, Roy Townsend, Theale's local historian, has given a presentation on the development of the Theale Trail Leaflet to a meeting of local historians at the West Berkshire Museum , Newbury; and a talk on Theale to the Mortimer Local History Group in November 2005. The TLHG mounted a display of its publications at the Berkshire Family History Society Conference at the Theale Green Community School on 8 th October 2005.

Sue Branfoot gave us a fascinating illustrated talk on "19 th Century Art and Architecture in Local Churches and their decoration in September. We learnt about the fundamental decorative changes that overtook our churches in the 19 th century. The building of Theale's Grade I-listed church, Holy Trinity began in 1819 and so just preceded the Gothic revival of the 1840s

In November, John Chapman gave us an illustrated talk on "The Royal Berkshire Regiment in the first World War. This was of particular interest as we had just completed our publication on the stories behind the 34 Berkshire names on the Theale War Memorial. The booklet contains short biographies of each of the men lost in the two great wars together with the story of Theale during each of the wars. Eight of Theale's veterans served with the Royal Berkshire Regiment.

In Marc h, we all thoroughly enjoyed walking back through "Rural Life as it Used to be", as Brian Eighteen gave us a delightful slide show drawn from his extensive postcard collection.

The group is still working on its next publication, which will be: Theale in Old Photographs with some hope that this will be published later this year. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, 9 th May when members will discuss plans for the next year's programme and management of the group. New members are welcome.

Andrew Spurling

Contact:

Theale Local History Group

7 Broadlands Close

Calcot Park , Reading RG31 7RP

Tel (0118) 942 7310

e-mail: ThealeHistory@aol.com

Twyford & Ruscombe Local History Society

Following the excitement of our Christmas festivities January brought Ted Fox, a natual speaker, whose sibkest was 'Ted's Country Talks'. From an early age he was so passionate about nature that he rejected the advice of this professionally educated parents by leaving school as soon as he could and working long housrs with friendly farmers. He soon learned the skills needed and aquired a farm of his own. Later in life he taught himself wheelrighting and even taught his daughter too. Now h has a fund of happy memories which delighted us all and continually caused laughter throughout the evening.

Peter Johnson who talked to us on 'The History of Hare Hatch and Kiln Green' is another enthusiastic speaker. His subject, aided by the use of maps and slides, revealed the history of the villages from Roman to our present times. Hare Hatch has many mansions built from the late 17 th century for wealthy families who needed to live near London and Windsor and yet still enjoy living in the pleasant countryside. Again, another informative and erudite lecturer who captivated the attention of all and in particular those who live in that area.

Marc h brought our 29 th A.G.M. attended by a goodly crowd who were grateful that both the Management and Editorial Committees had volunteered to remain during the coming year.

Our April meeting will bring Joan Dils who will tell of 'The Expansion of Reading 1840-1916. We look forward to meeting her and to learn why Reading became a successful town.

Betty Cossey

Wargrave Local History Society

In January, our speakers were John Gimblett and Ian Small who spoke about The Commonwealth War Graves Commission. John told us that our village war memorial, designed by Lutyens, is showing signs of wear and tear. The cross is a single piece of stone, so is hoped the names can be re-engraved in situ. Fortunately, information on the village war dead was published in a leaflet several years ago. Ian talked about the history of the Commission. In 1914, Major General Fabian Ware, commanding a Red Cross unit in France , noticed that bodies were buried in an unorganised way, and arranged that identifiable graves be recorded and cared for. Granted a Royal Charter 1917, his unit became the Imperial War Graves Commission. (Renamed in 1960 as the Commonwealth W.G.C.). It provides and cares for memorials of all who died during both World Wars - on a headstone for those with a known grave, or listed on a memorial for those who were 'missing'. The Commission's task is vast - as illustrated by their very moving film 'A Debt of Honour'. The website at www.cwgc.org has more information, and enables searching of their registers.

Maurice Owen spoke about Wargrave Gardens and Gardeners in February. Maurice's father, Bob, was appointed in 1948 as Head Gardener at Wargrave Manor. A man would begin as a journeyman, and would work through every department, so that they knew the job thoroughly. It was the Head Gardener's job to organise those under him - Bob Owen had eight men under him at the Manor. Their main task was to produce the fruit, flowers and vegetables needed for use in the house, and the Head gardener would therefore have to consult daily with the cook as to what was required. At the weekend, duties would include looking after the greenhouses, and stoking the boilers. The Head Gardener had also to order the seeds, fertilizers, sprays etc. Memories of other local gardens completed a most enjoyable evening.

The Marc h meeting of the Wargrave Local History Society began with a brief AGM. For the rest of the evening, members had brought along a photograph or an object of local interest to talk about. These included many old postcards of village streets and buildings - many of places that no longer exist, or have been greatly altered since, the 1865 volume of the Parish Magazine, and the 1947 volume of the Village Produce Association bulletins.

All are welcome to our meetings, which begin at 8 pm in the Hannen Room, Mill Green, Wargrave. Contact me, Peter Delaney, on 0118 940 3121 for information about the Society, or see our website www.wargrave.net/history.

Peter Delaney

Wokingham History Group

Our meeting, programmed for January, (Dr. David Peacock; "Jack of Newbury") was postponed, so that we could have another talk by Dennis Wraight before he emigrated. Dressed in uniform, and using original artefacts, he vividly brought to life the regimental history and times of "A Rifleman in the Peninsula ". After the first basic rifle regiment, formed in 1797 following lessons learnt in the American war skirmishes, the invention of the Baker rifle, with its much-improved accuracy over the old muskets, led to a second. The third, and last rifle regiment before amalgamation with other units was of specialist sharpshooters transferred from the King's German Legion. All of these faced adverse conditions from the weather, lack of supplies and disease, which were overcome with the discipline instilled by Wellington . Exhibits ranged from rifles, forage caps, great coats to tinder boxes and daily utensils, like contemporary shaving kits.

In February, Oliver Fish took us on a grand architectural tour of the "Palaces Around St. Petersburg". The extravagance of the 18th century Russian Imperial families dominates their successive palaces; each one more ostentatious in classical design and over-whelming scale; each with grandiose gardens, fountains, memorials and pavilions. Interestingly, these Imperial Palaces survived revolution and wars simply because the Russian people regarded them as monuments to their own ancestors' craftsmanship. Much of this spectacular legacy is at risk - in need of restoration at a time when funds are needed elsewhere.

In Marc h, we had another, yet very different, military subject - "The Crimean War; a tale of lost opportunity". With clarity and contemporary engravings, Clive Williams OBE put this nonsensical war into perspective, highlighting the consequences of shortfalls and inexperience, mistakes and misfortune. His finale of a modern life-size model of the Sebastapol battlefield was spectacular. Also in Marc h, on being given access to the old Police Station and its outbuildings before development, Trevor gave members an interesting guided tour.

Barbara Young

Other News

Heritage, Family History, Museums and Libraries

Berkshire Record Office

Interested in World War 2?

We have made available a guide to local records for WW2 held at the BRO. The guide covers those emergency functions that were carried out locally, such as the ARP, civil defence, evacuation scheme, and the Home Guard, as well as examples of local records showing life on the home front. It includes information about bombing raids across the county along with highlights such as an evacuees' scrapbook from Oakfield Hostel in Wokingham, a German military map showing bombing targets in Reading and the records of Manor Farm, Inkpen, which was farmed by women during the war.

The guide is free and is available from the Record Office.

The Cave family of Coppid Hall, Bracknell

We have recently received some lovely late Victorian photograph albums that have come in with a few other papers relating to this family (including some 1930s scorebooks for Bracknell Ladies Cricket Club). The albums contain both local scenes, mostly around Bracknell and Wokingham, as well as pictures from Cave family holidays in the Isle of Wight and Wales . One album has created interest as far as Sheffield , as it shows paintings in Wortley Hall, which have since been lost.

Turn on the waterworks

From time to time things are rescued from skips and brought into the Office. One such collection comprised a variety of records from the Maidenhead Waterworks Company 1874-1957. The Maidenhead Waterworks Act formally created the company in 1875 and survived until the mid 1950s when it became part of the Thames Valley Water Board. The collection deposited is remarkably complete considering its provenance.

Sadly we know other things were lost from the same source - only the last volume of Wokingham District Water Company board minutes survive 1926-1934; those from 1876 onwards are presumed lost to a different skip. I guess this serves as a reminder that Local History Societies can perform a valuable role on the ground in saving records, particularly those from local businesses that have closed or been taken over. If you come across something you think should be in an archive, please do get in touch.

Mark Stevens

Maidenhead Heritage Centre

A new exhibition, "Ivor Novello - A Life in Four Acts" featured the man who dominated the London stage in the 1930's and 40's. For much of this time his home was at Littlewick Green. On June 24th, a special show "Enchantment" at Maidenhead Town Hall will include the world premiere of Ivor's recently discovered home movies, many of which were filmed in and around "Redroofs", and include his neighbours from Littlewick Green. They have been restored to digital standard and will be shown between performances of his music.

Brian Boulter

Reading Central Library

Recently, a self-service microform scanner has been acquired, and an A3/A4 printer, which sit by the microfilm cabinets and microform readers. It will deal with film and fiche, it gives better prints than our old film printer, you can do your own printing there and then, rather than having to wait, and the prints are cheaper. "Serviced" printing by the staff is still available, now used mainly by people who can't get into the library to do it for themselves. The machine has proved popular - some enthusiastic customers have spent £50 and more at one sitting! The charge for self-service printing is 50p for an A4 sheet, and £1 for an A3 sheet.

For some time now, members of Reading Public Libraries have had free Internet access to The Times Digital Archive - I mention it because it's not as widely used as it might be, and it can be so useful for local historians. The Library has paid the subscription on behalf of its members, as have some other library authorities. Members can use the service not only in libraries, but anywhere where they have Internet access. From the welcome page of the Library website - www.readinglibraries.org.uk - you click on the "links" button and then scroll down until you find Times Digital Archive. Then you'll need to tap in the barcode from your library card.

It's indexed pretty fully, and will take you directly to the article you want - with the option to look at the whole page if you wish. The kinds of thing you can find include obituary notices, notices of marriage, bankruptcy notices, advertisements for local firms, and, advertisements of business premises to let. Not long ago I used it to see if there was anything on the silk industry in Reading , and found a couple of articles from 1818 and 1823.

Of course, if you're researching anything to do with the town of Reading , you'll probably find articles with the word "reading" in them as well as what you actually want. The coverage is for 200 years - from 1785 to 1985 - and you can limit your search by date if you wish. You can also limit your search to photographs. The Digital Archive has already given me several hours of pleasure.

David Cliffe, Local Studies Manager

Reading Museum Service

These are just some of the exhibitions that may be of interest to BLHA members. For details of all our forthcoming events and exhibition details please go to www.readingmuseum.org.uk/news

To receive our latest 'what's on' diary why not join our free mailing list, call us on 0118 939 9800.

Exhibitions:

Samuel Beckett - The Irish European , 25 Marc h - 25 June 2006, Museum of Reading

This exhibition forms part of the international celebration of the centenary of the writer's birth. His life and work is explored using material from the University of Reading 's Beckett archive. Art works by photographer John Haynes, and video artist Bruce Nauman complement this not-to-be-missed show.

The Rainbow Show from 29 April, Museum of Reading

An exhibition of artefacts and artworks in a rainbow of colours, not forgetting the pot of gold! We've searched through the museum's collections to uncover a huge variety of coloured objects for you to explore: bikes, birds, beetles, biscuit tins, brightly glazed ceramics, coins, firemen's helmets, minerals, toys and models, Venetian glass and much more.

Matthew Williams, Senior Curator

Courses

University of Reading 's School of Continuing Education

History courses and day schools taking place from April 2006 at the University's London Road campus. For further information check www.reading.ac.uk/ContEd or call 0118 378 8347.

C26 Criminals, capers and killers: crime in Britain since 1800

Date/Time from Wed 26 Apr 2006 (7 meetings) 10.00am-12.30pm

C29 The road to democracy: Britain 1780-2006

Date/Time from Thu 27 Apr 2006 (7 meetings) 1.30pm-4.00pm

C31 Domesday England 1066-1100

Date/Time from Thu 27 Apr 2006 (7 meetings) 7.00pm-9.30pm

C35 Ninety years on: the Battle of the Somme

Date/Time Sat 10 Jun 2006 10.00am-4.30pm

C36 The Tudor housewife

Date/Time Sat 10 Jun 2006 10.00am-4.30pm

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