Heraldry: more than just logos for nobles
Heraldry can help with family history research, and there are many sources freely available online.
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19 Feb 2020
Summaries of meetings held by our local teams
Victorian Divorce
Learn how marital breakdown was handled in the 19th century and discover key archives for tracing ancestors who divorced before 1901.
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30 Jan 2020
Open Evening – Discoveries
Read how society members uncovered family history truths, from French civil records and complex wills to debunking curious family legends.
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20 Jan 2020
The Victorian Plentys
At the Newbury Branch January 2020 meeting Ellie Thorne of the Berkshire Record Office outlined the history of the Plenty company, an innovative and successful engineering firm founded at the turn of the nineteenth century. Lifeboats, steam engines, boilers, pumps, diesel engines and even a delivery van were produced at Plenty's Eagle Ironworks in the heart of Newbury.
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16 Jan 2020
Short talks and quiz
Discover member research into the eventful military life of soldier John Gibbons and an investigation into the identity of General Ned Ludd.
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12 Dec 2019
Birth and Death Certificates
Learn how to interpret civil registration records, from informant qualifications and late entries to cause of death and official corrections.
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28 Nov 2019
Heroes of Woodley Airfield – talk by Joy Pibworth
'Heroes of Woodley Airfield' talk by Joy Pibworth. Many key figures in aviation history have ties with Woodley and this fascinating talk used the names of streets as the basis of their stories.
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23 Nov 2019
Boiled cats, mercury and Jesuit Drops: healthcare in Georgian Newbury
Whilst the physicians and surgeons of Georgian times were technically regulated by their professional bodies, standards of training and practice were unenforceable. Itinerant “doctors” moved from town to town, dispensing miracle cures for all diseases
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14 Nov 2019
Policing Reading in WW1
Discover how Reading and Thames Valley police forces adapted to First World War duties, record-keeping, and fallen officers in this summary.
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31 Oct 2019
The life and times of Robert Tebbott (1782 – 1850)
Around 1820 the Prince Regent, about to become George IV, decided that Windsor Castle should be rebuilt as a royal residence. The contract for the work was awarded to Robert Tebbott. The original estimate of £120,000 soared to £1.2 million.
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10 Oct 2019
The Edwardians – talk by Tony King
Explore the social shifts, royal scandals, and cultural innovations of early 20th-century Britain in this summary of a presentation by Tony King.
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06 Oct 2019
Putting Berkshire on the Map (Gough to Google)
Discover how mapmaking evolved in Britain and Berkshire from early 14th-century maps to 18th-century details and modern satellite technology.
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26 Sep 2019