AGM 2024
WILTSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY
Registered Charity No. 290284
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Annual General Meeting of Wiltshire Family History Society will be held on Saturday 21 September 2024 at the Nursteed Centre, Nursteed Road, Devizes, SN10 3AH commencing at 3.15pm.
The business of the meeting will be to receive the annual report of the Executive Committee as Trustees, to receive the accounts of the Society for 2023/24, to elect the members of the Executive Committee other than the Branch Representatives for the ensuing year, to re-elect or elect where necessary the President and Vice-Presidents of the Society for terms of six years, and to transact any other business on the agenda to be circulated at the meeting.
Proceedings and election of officers will be in accordance with the Constitution.
Nomination forms for the elections may be obtained from the General Secretary by post or by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. They should be signed by the proposer, the seconder, and the nominee and reach the General Secretary by Saturday 7 September 2024.
A copy of the accounts may be obtained prior to the AGM from the General Secretary at the Resource Centre upon receipt of a stamped addressed envelope, or email address, after 31 August 2024.
Preceding the AGM, at 2.00pm there will be a talk by Mike Stone on ‘Early Railways in North Wiltshire from Brunel to Westinghouse’ to which all are invited.
July 2024 Journal
The July 2024 journal is now on-line and is available to members, who should log on and select Journals through the Members' Area. 
Advice Sessions
We are soon to start a joint venture with the History Centre at Chippenham to support the family historians who approach the Centre for help. Their archive staff are the experts when it comes to the documents in their care, but they recognise that their knowledge of family history practice and sources is more limited. Hence an appeal to us to help, which we have gladly answered!
From 5th July, volunteers will be in the History Centre on the first Wednesday each month to see enquirers by appointment or to answer questions from casual callers and to help the Centre staff with family history emails. The History Centre is the first port of call for enquiries and will be making appointments for the service.
Will a monthly session be sufficient to meet demand? We don’t know! But if there is a greater need from the community, we would be keen to expand this venture. So, if you live within reach of the History Centre at Chippenham and feel you would like to share your knowledge of how to research family history with new starters or help someone break down their brick wall, please contact me, Jenny Pope at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Wiltshire & Swindon History centre opening on Saturdays
Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre has just announced that it will be opening on the first Saturday of each month from July onwards. This is great news for those who are not free to attend during the week because of family or work commitments, and we have been pressing for this for some time.
Booking ahead will be essential. You can do this by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or tel 01249 705500. See their website www.wshc.org.uk for more information about visiting the Centre.
Ludgershall parish registers transcript
The transcripts for Ludgershall parish registers have now been published. They are available in print, on CD-ROM and download.
Baptisms and burials are available in print and as a download
Baptisms, marriages and burials have been incorporated into CMB17, which is now complete.
2024 Family History Day
Click here to view and download a pdf version of the flyer and map showing how to reach the venue.
Accessing Bristol Street car park and buses 15 June 2024
Unfortunately road works mean that the direct access to Bristol Street carpark shown in our main map has been closed. Access is now via Exeter Street – see below. Current parking rate for the car park is £1.20 for 5 hours (cash or card).
Also, buses which normally run along Bristol Street have been diverted along Faringdon Road. They will stop in London Street/ Sheppard Street: ask for the nearest stop to Emlyn Square
Corsley History Day
The Corsley Reading Room Committee are putting on a village History
Day on Saturday July 6th. Attached is a an outline of their plans for the day
Salisbury St Martin
The transcripts for Salisbury St Martin parish registers have now been published. They are available in print, on CD-ROM and download:
Two books; baptisms and burials
CD-ROM
CMB7 - includes baptisms, marriages and burials.
Download
CMB7 - includes baptisms, marriages and burials.
The links above take you to the relevant item in GenFair, our online shop.
There is also a free name index on this website in our Free Name Indexes page.
Proposed Destruction of Wills - Ministry of Justice
Our Wiltshire Family History Society President and Chairman have jointly written to the Ministry of Justice about the proposal to destroy old wills.
Our President and Chairman's response is available here but in summary it says
This Society takes a strong position against the destruction of original wills which have an historical importance and significance that would be seriously compromised if they were to be preserved only in digital format.
The root of the problem is the fact that the MoJ is not an archive service, despite holding a collection of manuscripts of national importance. It is not bound by the principles that underpin such a service: that archives are unique and irreplaceable, ‘They are primary source material and maintaining their integrity is vital to their legal, evidential and historical value.’ (Surrey History Centre website; accessed 10 Jan 2024)
Digitising archives has much merit in allowing greater access and reducing wear and tear on the originals. However, digital copies are vulnerable in different ways to documents. They can become inaccessible and therefore lost as hardware becomes outdated or is insufficiently backed up.
There is a consultation with the deadline for responding by the 23 February, but it is likely that the outcome will not be announced for several months.
The Family History Federation January Bulletin No 41 has an article by independent author Richard Holt about the issue. This has more information and links to the relevant consultations and press releases etc.
April 2024 Journal
The April 2024 Journal is now on-line and is available to members, who should log on and select Journals through the Members' Area. 
