At the Nursteed Centre, Devizes
Please scroll down for information about the Nursteed Centre, and also note that the Society's Resource Centre (ie for its office, libary, research etc) is on the Bath Road, at the other side of Devizes from the Nursteed Centre.
The Devizes Branch's regular meetings are on the third Tuesday of each month (except December) at 7.30pm. Some meetings may be on Zoom. See below for contact details, details of topics, venues and any changes. Everyone is welcome, and there is no charge. Tea/coffee available and time to chat or ask questions. Please keep an eye on this page for any changes.
Future meetings
Tuesday 20 May - "Beyond the 1939 Register". Richard Holt will look at the history behind the registers and additional records of National Registration, the information that they contain, and how they might help you with locating family members between 1939-1991
Tuesday 17 June - "History of the World as seen through my Family Library" - JJ Heath-Caldwell. Linley Wood is the the ancestral home of the Caldwell family. Books from the libary cover the dates 1563 to 1949. Topics include the Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, Anglo Saxons, Vikings, French, the English and the Empire etc, through to 1949.
Tuesday 15 July- "Was your Ancestor a Gypsy" - Beverley Walker. Is there a story in your family that one of your ancestors was a Romany Gypsy? Or have you come across people in your own research that look as though they may led a travelling lifestyle? If so, how can you establish a firm connection with a Gypsy family?
Tuesday 19 August - Our Branch visit to the REME Museum, Lyneham (our visit last year was cancelled): a modern, interactive Museum to explore the story of the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Tuesday 16 September - "Maple Leaf Villa" The story of the name given to the first Wiltshire library headquarters by the Canadian Army in 1914
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Recent meeting - April. "Heroes and Ghosts" - Mike Hallett. Wing Commander Harold Blackburn was Mike's grandfather and a pioneer designer, pilot, instructor, prize winner and – during World war 1 – a decorated hero. Later, a family scandal resulted in his story being hidden and his memorabilia buried in a drawer for decades. Mike told us about his grandfather’s extraordinary life, and how his story was eventually uncovered by methodical research and ultimately was told to the world on the “Antiques Roadshow”
Recent meeting - March. After a very brief AGM, our Members' Evening was an enjoyable opportunity to hear some details on members' own trees, to learn how they'd researched them, and to ‘meet’ some of the interesting relatives that had emerged. Among them was Bob’s relative who survived the sinking of the Titanic and ended up with a fur coat in return for her honesty, and Tony’s who moved from South East England to Shanghai where he was employed in the maritime trade of that great port.
Recent meeting - February - Breaking down brick walls in your family history research" – Mark Bayley. After being involved in the development of FindMyPast and TheGenealogist and associated sites for years, Mark was impressively adept with many ways of searching. He started by showing us how investigating the (probably) familiar Censuses could be varied to produce less obvious information. Then he moved on to less familiar (at least less familiar to me) resources where Smart Search, imaginative use of keywords, and the direct linking of maps to results could remove that one brick to bring that obstinate wall tumbling down. The underlying lesson was to keep going back and exploring afresh
Recent meeting - January - "More than just names on a page" - Debbie Bradley's talk was a whistle-stop tour of resources that might help to bring our ancestors to life. She mentioned a great many, some perhaps familiar, such as newspapers an estate records, and others more obscure, such as the archives of the London Underground, Marks & Spencer and major banks. There were many more. With ancestors from Chirton, Devizes and Swindon, Debbie added extra colour to what we might know about the history of our local area as well as giving plenty of ideas for future research.
Recent meeting - December - our annual Christmas Party included the well-established quiz provided by Barbara Fuller and another from Bob Knightley, along with other entertainments and seasonal drinks and snacks. It was an excellent way to round off our Branch's year.
Recent meeting - November - "Shipwrecks and Survivors" - Graham Warmington. In 1782 John Warmington was shipwrecked on the coast of South Africa. Graham told a detailed story of the amazing escape from the wreck, the personalities involved and the hardships endured. John Warmington was one of eighteen who survived a trek along the coast and across tremendously difficult terrain. He was one of only four who returned to England.
Recent meeting - October - "Extraordinary Wiltshire Women" - Ruth Butler of the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre introduced us to some Wiltshire women who shaped the nation's history. She included the manouvering of powerful medieval heiress Ela of Salisbury, pioneering woman writer Mary Herbert, Blanche Arundel - defender of Wardour, Arundel Penruddock - Civil War campaigner, Ethelred Anna Maria Bennett - leading but poorly recognised Geologist, and other equally worthy women before reaching 20th century queen of speed The Hon Mary Bruce.
The Nursteed Centre - our usual meeting place for the Devizes Branch of WFHS
Meetings: Nursteed Centre, Nursteed Road, Devizes SN10 3AH, (Click for map) third Tuesday of each month, 7.30pm
Access: 800 yards along A342 towards Andover: signed on the right by the pedestrian crossing.
Contact: Branch Chairman David Weaver on 01380 723191 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
