Westbury Branch meetings
The Westbury Area Branch meet every 4th Thursday of the month at 7.15pm in the
foyer of Westbury's Methodist Church [November - February meeting are held on Zoom] See below for details of topics future and past. Everyone is welcome and there is no charge. Tea/coffee available before the meeting, with time to chat before and after the talk
Please scroll down for contact details
28th August - Read All About It. - Claire Mills. Claire is an experience genealogist who is passionate about rediscovering our ancestors and sharing their She is particularly interested in local history and how our ancestors shaped our communities and well as how national and international events impacted on them. Claire’s talk looks at how newspapers are a fabulous source of information about our ancestors and their lives. Using examples from her work as a genealogist, Claire’s talk will use newspapers to uncover neighbourly disputes, attempted murder, domestic abuse and bankruptcy as well as celebrate weddings, sporting achievements, gallantry on the battlefield and the lives of important local people.
Future speakers to be confirmed
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Past meetings
24th July The Victorian Soldier - David Chilton
David’s talk is based on documents at the Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Museum and The National Archives, that you mostly won’t find online. He will be focussing on the men of the Royal Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiments in the Victorian period and how records throw light on their lives. David had a 30 year career in the Army, in infantry and then logistics. On early retirement, he became the manager and curator of The Wardrobe Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Museum in Salisbury for the next 9 years. He is now a front desk volunteer as well as responsible for creating and maintaining the 500 plus publications for Wiltshire FHS.
. talk is based on documents at the Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Museum and The National Archives, that you mostly won’t find online. He will be focussing on the men of the Royal Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiments in the Victorian period and how records throw light on their lives. David had a 30 year career in the Army, in infantry and then logistics. On early retirement, he became the manager and curator of The Wardrobe Berkshire & Wiltshire Regimental Museum in Salisbury for the next 9 years. He is now a front desk volunteer as well as responsible for creating and maintaining the 500 plus publications for Wiltshire FHS.
26th June - Joseph Lancaster, the Poor Child’s Friend – Terry Ransome.
When Terry retired he became heavily involved with the British Schools Museum in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. He managed the museum (as a volunteer) for 3 years, and was a Trustee for 6 years. It was there, that he developed a love of local history, acquired an in-depth knowledge of the early history of elementary education, and became an advocate of lifelong learning.
Terry’s talk is about Joseph Lancaster who was a pioneer of elementary education. In 1798 he opened a school for the children of the ‘labouring poor’ in Southwark, London. At that time there was no Government interest in universal education; indeed it was actively discouraged by many in the Establishment. The talk shows how Lancaster’s ‘Monitorial System’ worked with 300, 400, or even 600 scholars in one room, and how the Established Church and the Government belatedly accepted, funded, and eventually fully embraced elementary education for all.
25 April AGM plus Show and Tell
1 March Last Orders! A History of Westbury’s Hostelries. - Sally Hendry
Please note the change of Thursday to accomodate Easter. We will also be meeting in person in our usual venue - in the foyer of the Westbury Methodist Church
Sally Hendry, is taking us on a virtual pub crawl through the history of the pubs and inns of Westbury,
Thursday 22nd February 2024 - Simon Fowler - 'Researching Brewer and Publican Ancestors'.
NB This meeting is on zoom. Many of our ancestors ran a pub or worked in a brewery. The talk will tell the story of pubs and breweries. Many of us have ancestors who worked somewhere in this industry. The talk will help to discover the various avenues of research available. Simon is one of Britain’s most experienced family history teachers, writers and researchers. He worked for The National Archives on and off for over thirty years. He also edited Family History Monthly and Ancestors magazines. He has also written for Family Tree Magazine and Who Do You Think You Are magazine and has authored well over a dozen books mainly genealogical help guides.
The meeting starts at 7.15pm and the talk will commence at 7.30pm. All welcome, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for joining details.
Thursday 25th January 2024 - Helen Frisby - Traditions of Death and Burial.
Our next meeting will be on zoom, so you can join us from the warmth of your own home. I am delighted to say that on Thursday 25th January we will welcome Dr Helen Frisby, who will give a talk in the Traditions of Death and Burial. [Unfortunately this talk had to be postponed last year]
Death has been a source of grief and uncertainty for humanity throughout history, but it has been the inspiration for a plethora of fascinating customs and much human creativity. This talk by Dr Helen Frisby, the internationally recognised expert on the history and folklore of death, dying and funerals. and author of the Shire book 'Traditions of Death and Burial,' explores English death and burial customs from the Norman Conquest right through to the present day. From winding sheets to funeral bells and angels, together we'll discover how ritual continues helping us to relate to the dead, in ways which are at once innovative and longstanding.
Helen is secretary of the Association for the Study of Death and Society, and a Council Member and Trustee of the Folklore Society. and has appeared on BBC Radio and The History Channel.
The meeting starts at 7.15pm and the talk will commence at 7.30pm. All welcome, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for joining details.
Meetings: Methodist Church, Station Road, Westbury BA13 3HA, (Click for map) fourth Thursday each month 7.15pm
Contact - Mrs Lynne Vercoe This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
