The Tewkesbury Historical Society
Welcome to our local History Society website
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April 2025 Meeting
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Sir George Dowty book release invitation
The initial response to the release of the Sir George Dowty Diary book has been most enthusiastic - both here and overseas. It is a most fitting accompaniment to his statue erected a year ago. Few 20th century industrialists have received such international recognition - it reflects the magnitude of his achievements. The formal release of the book is to take place on the 9th June at the Graeme Hick Pavilion at the Worcestershire County Cricket Club. Rhodesian born Graeme played his entire domestic career of over 20 years exclusively for Worcestershire. The event commences at 10.00am in the presence of many distinguished guests and is to be followed by refreshments. The diaries from 1919 to 1975 will be on display including the fully restored 1953 edition. The setting is most appropriate given that Sir George Dowty was Worcestershire born, educated and apprenticed in Worcester and President of the Worcestershire County Cricket Club during their championship winning sides of 1964 and 1965. The Dowty Group acquired Worcester based mining engineers Meco in the late 1960s. To reserve a place at this iconic occasion email willmundy331@icloud.com
Codrington Talk: March 2025
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March 2025 Meeting
Bulletin 34
February 2025 Meeting
THS Social Evening
34th Season - Programme of Talks
21 Nov 2024 Andrew Mellor - Cider Making in Gloucestershire - from Fox Whelps to Firkins!
23 Jan 2025 Social - For Members, Friends & Guests
20 Feb 2025 Carol Davies - Workhouse Songs
20 Mar 2025 Andrew Chapman - Imagining History: the case for Historical Fiction
24 Apr 2025 Steve Goodchild - The Battle of Tewkesbury newly r-examined
Dowty Group
2025 Dowty Themed Calendar
Woodard Award 2024
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Results of Tree-Ring Dating for Tewkesbury Buildings
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Two large scale maps of Tewkesbury from 1811 and 1880
We are proud to present two maps on our site using new zoom and pan technology.We have the 1811 Enclosure Map of Tewkesbury and the huge 1:500 scale map of Tewkesbury created in the 1880s, both full of amazing detail. Use your mouse wheel to zoom and left mouse to drag.
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Even more Census Data
We are pleased to announce that the Tewkesbury Census Data for 1841 to 1891 has doubled in size. We now have 37,608 people spread over 9,575 property records. Take a look here.Cemetery and Burials database for Tewkesbury
Over the years we have collated information from the various burial grounds in the town and now is the time to release a one-stop location for all of them on this site. The new Burials Database in our Research section tries to do this. There is also an accompanying history and guide to finding the resting place of persons buried in the town. There are currently an impressive 18,564 records. For the decades 1841 to 1881 we can also link to the Census Database (not guaranteed they are same people)1832 Cholera Epidemic in Tewkesbury
One of our members, Dr Peter Raggatt, who is a retired NHS Clinical Biochemist at Addenbrookes Hospital and Lecturer in Cambridge University School, was moved to research and write an article about this epidemic with its comparisons with the present pandemic. [see attached PDF above] It links in with previous research on Cholera in Tewkesbury. Such was the impact of these two epidemics on the town that a monument was commissioned which now resides in the Cemetery, adjacent to the ‘Cholera Pit’ where many victims received a mass night burial [see attached]. Although John Snow, clean water for the Mythe Waterworks and improved housing conditions have ensured that 1849 was the last appearance of cholera, the brutality which occurred in World War II Japanese POW camps caused the death of several Tewkesbury soldiers of cholera in 1943-44. Here is a biography of one of them, Frederick Key.
Smallpox was another medical curse of the18-19th centuries but by the late 19thC vaccinations were made compulsory and a significant number of people in Tewkesbury became anti-vaccination. For more on this familiar tale, see Martin Holt's award winning article.
History is always so topical!
War Graves Tour
Tewkesbury Cemetery, CWGC sponsored, free War Graves Tour led by Sam EedleWheelie Bins
GLHA Summer Afternoon
![Sanctuary! [John Moore Museum]](/docs/Sanctuary.jpg){kind=link}
Gloucester Spring History Festival
Remarkable Incidents Relative to Tewkesbury
In the church-warden’s book of accounts, for Tewkesbury, A.D.1578, is the entry – “Pay’d for “the player’s geers, six sheepskins for Christ’s Garments.” And in an inventory recorded in the same book, 1858, are these words, “And order eight heads “of hair for the apostles, and ten beards, and a face or visor for the devil.” – This shews that mysteries, as plays were then called, were probably acted in the churches.
Meetings Videos
Video recordings of talks given at our meetings are often made and can be viewed on our YouTube Channel
Dowtys
Heritage Hub
Upcoming events at Gloucestershire Hub.
Tudor House Hotel
A comprehensive building assessment has been published by Johanna Roethe of 'Historic England' - click here to read on their website.
The Winter of 1962-63
Lionel Walrond
Lionel Walrond, curator of Stroud Museum 1955 to 1990, took many photographs of Gloucestershire. A searchable collection is available on the GlosDocs website.
William Thomas Clarke
'True Blue Farm'