Oxfordshire
Printed by Parchment (Oxford) Ltd., Printworks, Crescent Road, Cowley, Oxford OX4 2PB from customer’s artwork supplied
President: Dr Hugh Kearsey
Vice-Presidents: Mrs Joan Howard-Drake, Colin Harris, Dr Malcolm Graham
President Emeritus: Jeremy Gibson FSA, FSG(Hon), FRHistS
Hon Legal Advisor: Jeremy Geere OFHS Registered Charity Number 275891
Chairman: Dr Wendy Archer
The Old Nursery, Pump Lane, MARLOW, SL7 3RD Tel: 01628 485013
Email: chairman@ofhs.org.uk
Secretary: Mrs Julie Kennedy 19 Mavor Close, WOODSTOCK, OX20 1YL
Tel: 01993 812258 Email: secretary@ofhs.org.uk
Treasurer: Miss Linda Dore
3 The Square, Aynho, BANBURY, OX17 3BL Tel: 01869 810069
Email: treasurer@ofhs.org.uk
Editor: Mrs Sue Honoré
Meadow Barn, Old Minster Lovell, WITNEY OX29 0RN Tel: 01993 778044
Email: editor@ofhs.org.uk
(redirected until October to Wendy Archer)
Executive Committee:
Wendy Archer, Malcolm Austen, Linda Dore, Paul Gaskell, Sue Honoré, Julie Kennedy
Derek Powles, Sheila Tree
Acting Editor this issue: Wendy Archer The Society’s website can be found at: www.ofhs.org.uk
Front cover:
Bale Top tomb at St Mary the Virgin, Witney See article ‘Piecing It All Together’ page 94
CONTENTS
From the Chairman and Acting Editor ...75
OFHS News ...76
Scene Around ...83
A Discovery in Ambrosden ...Pat Ford 87 Village Archives ...Ian Costar 89 Matilda Coles ...Carol Coles 91 Getting Back to My Roots...Mick Dumbleton 93 Piecing It All Together...Alan Simpson 94 Shipton under Wychwood Parish...Joan Howard-Drake 97 Jubilee George and Jubilee Charlotte...100
Oxfordshire History Centre ...Mark Lawrence 101 Berkshire Probate Index CD...Paul Gaskell 110 The SCHLESINGER family’s association with Russell’s Water ...Paul T and Philippa M Harding 112 The British Postal Museum and Archive...Penny McMahon 116 Those Latin Bits in Wills ...Dave Beames 121 Meeting Reports ...126
Library Accessions ...John Blakeman 131 Oxfordshire FHS Booksales ...132
Wroxton Abbey ...Brenda Crosby 134 Other Book Reviews ...135
Members’ Interests ...140
Useful Addresses ...142
Who’s Who ...143
Diary Dates...144 Meetings at Exeter Hall... Inside back cover
The Journal of the Oxfordshire Family History Society
Oxfordshire
FAMILY HISTORIAN
74
SOCIETY OBJECTIVES
1. to advance public education in family history and genealogy primarily within the county of Oxford
2. to collect, index, co-ordinate, publish and make accessible in the interests of genealogy any documents or records relating to the county 3. to promote the preservation of such documents or records
4. to encourage the study of genealogy
5. to assist educationally by lectures or otherwise in record research 6. to co-operate with Family History and other Societies with similar
interests.
The Constitution of the Society is lodged with the Charity Commissioners and a copy is available from the Society’s web site or, upon receipt of a stamped addressed envelope, from the Secretary.
OFHS Registered Charity Number 275891
Contributions to Future Editions
The Oxfordshire Family Historian is published three times each year with cover dates of April, August and December. Items for consideration should be submitted to the editor. The earlier an item is received, the greater the chance of inclusion in the next issue. The deadline for the December 2012 issue is 1 October 2012. Urgent short items may be submitted up to 15 October 2012.
The Editor reserves the right to edit, abridge, reject, or defer to a future date, all material submitted for publication. It is the contributor’s responsibility to ensure that material submitted does not breach copyright laws. Contributions remain the copyright of OFHS and the authors jointly. The observations and opinions expressed in the articles and notices in the journal are those of their authors and not necessarily those of the Society.
Subscriptions are renewable annually on 1 January
except that those joining during Oct, Nov, Dec have their membership carried forward through the following year.
Membership renewal forms are distributed with the December journal.
UK members: Individual £9.00, Family £10.00
Overseas members (incl. postage) £12.00
Cheques drawn in sterling and made out to
Oxfordshire Family History Society should be sent to the Membership Secretary (see the Who’s Who at the back of this Journal).
Australian members may pay via the Society’s agent (member 2202)
Mrs Barbara Geeves, 6a Webb Street, Mornington, Victoria 3931, Australia Email: agent-au@ofhs.org.uk
Membership details are kept on computer and are used for Society activities only.
From the Chairman and Acting Editor
The Society being ‘between Editors’, your Chairman is Acting Editor for this issue, and Rosemary Bailey has taken on laying out the journal for us. I have enjoyed being in contact with a number of members as a result.
The Society has had an exciting few months. It was placed second (out of eighteen entries) in the Large Societies category of the Federation of Family History Societies’ Elizabeth Simpson Award. This is for the Society journal making the best contribution to family history. Congratulations to Tony Hadland, our outgoing Editor. My thanks also to Tony for so ably editing our journal for the last three years, and for bringing it into the colour cover age. One member with whom I was talking, living in Littlemore, told me she always had a day out by bus to the place featured on the cover, and was wondering where she would be visiting in August. I hope she enjoys her day in Witney!
I have reported regularly in the ‘From the Executive Committee Table’ section about the project we have been hoping to bring to fruition of scanning Oxfordshire’s parish registers, primarily as a move to their being less used, and thus better preserved. I am delighted to say that, as the schedule currently
stands, by the time you receive this journal the project should be under way; indeed, we should have had scanned about 500 registers, across the full date range from 1538 (Bampton, for instance) to current times. The project will scan about 3,000 registers in total.
The Society has made a very substantial donation of sets of its transcribed and photographed resources on CD to the Oxfordshire local studies and branch libraries.
Stella Wentworth, Local & Family History librarian at Oxfordshire Central library at Westgate, was very appreciative of the spread of CDs she received from myself on behalf of OFHS. Her letter of thanks is reproduced overleaf.
Wendy Archer
CHAIRMAN, AND ACTING EDITOR
S tel la We nt wo rt h wi t h OFHS Chairman Wendy Archer
76
OFHS News
From the Executive Committee Table
by Wendy Archer
Some of the matters discussed by the Executive Committee in February to May 2012 are reported below.
Committee changes
Tony Hadland, who has been our Editor for the last three years, notified the committee of his intention to leave the committee in June. Sue Honoré, who is taking on the Editorship from October, has been co-opted onto the committee.
Federation of Family History
Societies
At the FFHS Annual General Meeting and General Meeting at Wesley’s Chapel, London, OFHS was delighted to hear that we had been awarded second place, with a ‘High Commendation’, in the Large Societies category of the Elizabeth Simpson Award 2011. The Award is competed for annually, and is given for the journal making the best contribution to family history. There were eighteen entries in our category. Tony Hadland, as Editor, collected a certificate on our behalf, and congratulations have been passed to Tony by the OFHS committee.
Finance
Monthly accounts were presented and reviewed. We made a donation of £5,000 to the Victoria History of Oxfordshire Trust, which was received with grateful thanks.
Open Day
We are looking forward to our well-established Open Day at Woodstock. For more details, see page 80. Dave Beames, our Wills Library Co-ordinator, is hoping to be at the Open Day.
Fairs and broadcast
We attended the Bracknell Family History Fair and the Oxfordshire & Bucks Fair at Kidlington, and took part in the Who Do You Think You Are? Live Show at Olympia. New members were recruited, including a transcription volunteer. It was good to meet existing Tony Hadland receiving the Elizabeth Simpson Award certificate from Nick Barratt on behalf of OFHS at the FFHS General Meeting in March
OFHS News
members, as well as help enquirers, and show and sell our CDs and book stock. Within Oxfordshire, talks were given to U3A groups and others. We also featured in a broadcast on Radio Oxford.
Holford Centre
Visitors to the Holford Centre continue to appreciate the warm welcome and help they receive from our advisors there.
Project to scan the parish
registers
Permissions from the parishes to have their registers scanned are being sought by Oxfordshire History Centre at the time of writing, about 50% having been received, with the detail and logistics of the project being finalised.
Projects
As a sequel to the Probate project 1508– 1652 we part-funded at Berkshire Record Office, a CD has been published containing an index to all the probate data at the Berkshire Record Office, 1508–1857. This has been a collaborative project between the project partners, including ourselves. Details of the CD are on page 110.
The new season of transcribing of Monumental Inscriptions has started. More details are on page 82.
Register transcription has continued, and re-keying of old transcripts is also progressing.
The project to transcribe the grave registers of the four Oxford City cemeteries is well under way, with ten
volunteers now working on the project. The images of the grave registers will be available to view at the Holford Centre.
Liaison with Oxfordshire
History Centre (OHC) and
Westgate Library staff
We have kept in close touch with the staff of both OHC and Westgate Library, both formally & informally.
Availability of OFHS
resources
We have made available to the Victoria County History staff copies of all our transcripts, and our Search Service databases, to help them in their excellent work. Within days of receiving the data, Simon Townley, County Editor, said ‘It works like a dream, and has already helped to fill a gap in the C17 and C18 descent of Ewelme manor! (The answer was provided by a quick parish register search, and by a transcribed MI in Wheatfield church ...)’.
In similar vein, we have donated to the Churchill and Sarsden Heritage Centre copies of the OFHS census transcripts for their area, along with the ima g es of th e cor r esp on din g enumerators pages. In return for a donation from OFHS of our transcript of their parish register, they have given us an extended transcript thereof.
We have developed comparable links with Bampton Archives.
As mentioned elsewhere, OFHS has also donated to the Oxfordshire Library Service sets of CDs to be distributed to
The next 64 pages of articles have been removed from this copy
— they are only present in the copies distributed to members.
142
OFHS Research Centre:
The Holford Centre, School Lane Stanton St John, OXFORD, OX33 1ET Tel: 01865 358151
See www.ofhs.org.uk for opening details Helpline: 01628 485013
Email: help@ofhs.org.uk
Oxfordshire Central Library:
Westgate, OXFORD, OX1 1DJ Open 09:00–19:00 Mon, Tue, Wed
Thu; 09:00–17:30 Fri, Sat. Closed Sun and Public Holidays
Web: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ oxfordcentrallibrary
Tel: 01865 815509
Provides a self-service selection of local and family history books, and access to a range of computer-based resources.
Local Studies Centres at other Libraries: Abingdon 01235 520374 Banbury 01295 262282 Didcot 01235 813103 Henley 01491 575278 Wantage 01235 762291 Witney 01993 703659 Web: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/libraries
Oxfordshire History Centre:
St Luke’s Church, Temple Road, Cowley, OXFORD, OX4 2HT Tel: 01865 398200 Email: oxhist@oxfordshire.gov.uk Web: www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ oxfordshirehistory Open 10:00–17:00 Tue, 09:00–17:00 Wed–Sat Closed Mon, Sun, Public Holidays and
Bank Holiday weekends
Berkshire Record Office
9 Coley Avenue, READING, RG1 6AF Open 09:00–17:00 Tue, Wed
09:00–21:00 Thu 09:00–16:30 Fri Tel: 0118 937 5132
Email: arch@reading.gov.uk
Web: www.berkshirerecordoffice.org.uk
Society of Genealogists (SoG):
14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, LONDON, EC1M 7BA
Open 10:00–18:00 Tue, Wed, Sat 10:00–20:00 Thu
Tel: 020 7251 8799 Web: www.sog.org.uk
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Centre:
280 The Meadway, Tilehurst, READING, RG30 4PE
Tel: 0118 941 0211 Web: www.rfhc.org.uk
The National Archives (TNA):
Ruskin Avenue, Kew, RICHMOND, TW9 4DU
Open 09:00–19:00 Tue, Thu 09.00–17:00 Wed, Fri & Sat Tel: 020 8876 3444
Web: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Federation of Family History Societies (FFHS): PO Box 8857, LUTTERWORTH, LE17 9BJ Tel: 01455 203133 Email: info@ffhs.org.uk Web: www.ffhs.org.uk
Guild of One-Name Studies:
c/o Hon Sec, Box G, 14 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, LONDON, EC1M 7BA, Tel: 0800 011 2182 Web: www.one-name.org Email: guild@one-name.org
Useful Addresses
Telephone numbers are shown for UK callers. From elsewhere replace the initial 0 by +44
Who’s Who in Oxfordshire FHS
Baptism Index Co-ordinator:
Dr Wendy Archer, see inside front cover – baptisms@ofhs.org.uk
Birth Brief Index:
Ian Costar
The Old Post Office, The Green, LUDGERSHALL, HP18 9NZ
– birth-briefs@ofhs.org.uk
Book Reviews:
Books (or other items) for review should be sent to the editor – see inside front cover
– book-reviews@ofhs.org.uk
Bookstall Co-ordinator:
c/o Research Centre – see below – book-sales@ofhs.org.uk
CD and Microfiche Sales – by post:
Miss Wildsmith
85 Downside Road, Headington, OXFORD, OX3 8JJ
CD and Microfiche Sales – email enquiries:
– cd-sales@ofhs.org.uk, fiche-sales@ofhs.org.uk
Computer Group organising panel:
Wendy Archer, Leslie Binns, Alex McGahey, Alan Simpson, Angie Trueman.
Contact the panel via Leslie Binns:
132 Cumnor Hill, Cumnor, OXFORD, OX2 9PH – 01865 863938 – computer-group-panel@ofhs.org.uk Helpline: Wendy Archer – 01628 485013 – help@ofhs.org.uk
Holford Centre: (see OFHS News for opening times)
The Holford Centre, School Lane, Stanton St John, OXFORD, OX33 1ET – 01865 358151
Journal Editor:
Sue Honoré – see inside front cover – editor@ofhs.org.uk
Journal layout:
Rosemary Bailey
Journal Distribution:
Denise Lambkin – see Membership Secretary
Librarian (books):
John Blakeman – see War Memorials Co-ordinator – librarian@ofhs.org.uk
Librarian (exchange journals):
Mrs Sheila Tree
148 Campbell Road, OXFORD, OX4 3NR – 01865 433266
Link and Photo Link Secretary:
Task shared by volunteers at the Holford Centre.
Members’ Interests & Membership Secretary:
Denise Lambkin 56 Arncliffe, BRACKNELL, RG12 7SB – 01344 425826 – membership@ofhs.org.uk Minutes Secretary: Mrs Sheila Tree
148 Campbell Road, OXFORD, OX4 3NR – 01865 433266
– minutes-secretary@ofhs.org.uk
Monumental Inscriptions:
Dr Alan Simpson, Forest Farmhouse, Old Road, Shotover Hill, Headington, OXFORD, OX3 8TA – mis@ofhs.org.uk
Open Day Organiser:
Mrs Jenny Lee, 213 Whitecross, ABINGDON, OX13 6BW
– 01235 799374 – open-day@ofhs.org.uk
Programme Co-ordinator:
Paul Gaskell – see Publicity Officer
Project Co-ordinator and Parish Register Transcription Project:
Dr Hugh Kearsey, Windmill Place, Windmill Road, Minchinhampton, STROUD, GL6 9EE
– 01453 887446 – projects@ofhs.org.uk
Publicity Officer:
Paul Gaskell,
28 Bulan Road, Headington, OXFORD, OX3 7HT – publicity@ofhs.org.uk
Research Centre: (see Holford Centre)
Search Services:
Dr Alan Simpson, Forest Farmhouse, Old Road, Shotover Hill, Headington, OXFORD, OX3 8TA – searches@ofhs.org.uk
Strays Co-ordinator:
Mrs Jennifer Tombs,
60 Selwood Road, OLD WOKING, GU22 9HT – strays@ofhs.org.uk
War Memorials Co-ordinator:
John Blakeman,
24 Newland Close, Eynsham, WITNEY, OX29 4LE – 01865 880792
Website Manager:
Malcolm Austen,
11 Corn Avill Close, ABINGDON, OX14 2ND – 01235 533626
– webmaster@ofhs.org.uk
Wills Library Co-ordinator:
Dave Beames,
162 Black Road, MACCLESFIELD, SK11 7LF – wills@ofhs.org.uk
144
August
Aug 18 Pickering, NRY
Ryedale Family History Fair Aug 25 Worcester, WOR
West Midlands Area Group Fair
Aug 29 Pudsey, Nr Leeds, WYK Experience Family Tree Maker Aug 31 Pudsey, Nr Leeds, WYK
DNA and Family History September
Sept 1 Canterbury, KEN
Wills and How to Read Them Sept 8 Newcastle, TWR
The National Family History Fair Sept 8 Parkend, GLS
Forest of Dean Branch Open Day
Sept 8 Liverpool, MSY Anglo-German FHS 25th Anniversary Conference
Sept 15 Thornbury, GLS
Bristol & Avon Family History Society Open Day
Sept 22 Doncaster, YKS Family History Fair with talks (change of date from 15 Sep)
Sept 22 Manchester, LAN Manchester Open Lecture Meeting and Surgery Sept 23 Hampton, MDX
West Middlesex Family History Society Open Day
Sept 30 Horndean, HAM Hampshire Genealogical Society Open Day
October
Oct 6 Woodstock, OXF Oxfordshire FHS Open Day
Oct 9 Canterbury, KEN
Tracing Your Roots Course, five Tuesday afternoons
Oct 13 Birmingham, WAR Further Steps Course - How to research before 1837
Oct 13 Merthyr Tydfil, GLA Glamorgan Family History Society Family History Fair Oct 26 Poole, DOR Researching Your London Ancestors Workshop Oct 27 Canterbury, KEN
The Parish and the Manor Day School
November
Nov 3 Woking, SRY
West Surrey FHS FH Fair & Open Day
Nov 8 Poole, DOR
Researching Your Scottish/ Irish Ancestors Workshop/s Nov 17 Greenwich, LND Guild of One
Name Studies Maritime Seminar Nov 17 Canterbury, KEN
The Foundations of Family History Day School December
Dec 1 Gaydon, WAR
Why be a Society in the 21st century?
Diary Dates
For more, especially the many events hosted by the Society of Genealogists in London, see the joint GENUKI/FFHS event calendar at www.geneva.weald.org.uk.
Events shown emboldened will have an OFHS stand.
This is the first year we will have a stand at this event, do visit us!
OFHS Open Day
Saturday 6 October, Marlborough School, Shipton Road, Woodstock, OX20 1LP. Family History Societies, museums, Oxfordshire History Centre, genealogical suppliers, books & CDs and research help. Free admission and parking, fully accessible. Refreshments available.
Meetings at Exeter Hall, Kidlington
General meetings take place in the large hall.
Library, bookstall and computer advice from 19:15. Talks start at 20:00. Computer meetings(*) usually take place in the small hall.
Doors open at 19:15. Talks start at 19:30.
6 August 2012*
Bucks Church Finder –
using the GRO Marriage Indexes to identify the parish
Brian Horridge 24 September 2012
Counting the People – census returns online
Dave Annal 1 October 2012*
Social Networking – Getting the best from Facebook, Twitter, Google+ etc., to extend our Family History research
Les Binns 22 October 2012
My Ancestor was an Apprentice
Stuart A Raymond 26 November 2012
The London Gazette: not just the brave and the bankrupt
Audrey Collins 3 December 2012*
Family History Programs – A comprehensive look at these important tools
Computer Group Panel 28 January 2013
Every journey has two ends – using passenger lists
Dr Christopher Watts 25 February 2013
Ringing True – The Bells of Trummery and Beyond – 350 Years of an Irish Quaker Family
Bill Jackson
Back cover:
Plaque on John Holloway’s Almshouses Church Green, Witney
See article ‘Piecing It All Together’ page 94 Photo by Alan Simpson
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