Historical Society
The Society
The society was formed in 1966 to "promote interest in the history of Olveston and the surrounding areas and to collect and preserve documentary and photographic records". The Society meets at the Methodist Church on the first Wednesday of each month from October to April. Talks usually have a local connection, either through the subject matter or the speaker. In the summer months we usually have two trips, often following up talks given during the previous winter. Visitors are always very welcome at all our meetings.
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OLVESTON PARISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY PROGRAMME: Oct 2024 - April 2025 All meetings take place in the Methodist Church, The Street, Olveston BS35 4DR at 7.30pm, with refreshments served before the start of the meeting. Annual membership is £10, payable on the door - covers all seven talks and refreshments. Cash or cheques only, please. Visitor fee is £3 per evening, payable on the door - includes refreshments All welcome! Anyone can join or visit. |
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Wed. 2 Oct 2024 |
Welcome, all! After a short AGM, we’ll have a talk from David Hardwick on A Cave in Alveston: Fishmonger’s Swallet. Hear who The Fishmonger was, what bones were found in the cave and how Time Team got involved. |
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Wed. 6 Nov. 2024 |
Lynda McLaren will be shining a spotlight on some of the amazing stories of The Women of Berkeley Castle, spanning several hundred years. The list includes assertive and intelligent women, as well as some who had very complicated lives. |
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Wed. 4 Dec. 2024 |
Meg Wise, knowledgeable local historian and volunteer and trustee at Thornbury & District Museum, will tell us the life story of Handel Cossham: Thornbury’s Man of Substance. Born in a tiny cottage on Thornbury High St, he went on to become one of the West Country’s wealthiest entrepreneurs and benefactors. Find out how. |
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Wed. 8 Jan. 2025 |
Discover how Bristol boat builders recreated a 500 year old boat in The Making of the Modern Matthew and how, taking their inspiration from John Cabot’s journey across the Atlantic in 1497, a joint UK/ Canadian crew set sail ‘in his wake’, negotiating storms and a Fisheries Protection vessel as they did so! |
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Wed. 5 Feb. 2025 |
Nestled in a hidden Cotswold valley is a unique, Grade 1- listed, incomplete, neo-Gothic Victorian house. Using pictures to illustrate her talk, Woodchester Mansion: An Unfinished Masterpiece, Liz Davenport will tell us the story behind the building of the house and its wonderfully atmospheric unfinished state. |
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Wed. 5 Mar. 2025 |
Renowned landscape archaeologist Dr Simon Draper is the Editor for the Victoria County History of Gloucestershire. He has researched in detail two Gloucestershire parishes on the Severn and, in Making a Living on the Severn can tell us about fishing and waterborne trade in the medieval and Elizabethan periods, as well as how Severn elvers and lampreys featured in the courts of medieval kings. |
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Wed. 2 Apr. 2025 |
Following up on his excellent and very popular talk about Tockington Park last season, local landowner John Gunnery will this year be giving us a fascinating talk about The Manor of Tockington. Not to be missed. |
Contact details for Olveston Parish Historical Society:
- Chair and principal contact: Richard Newley 01454 202011
- Programme Secretary & Secretary: Jenny Newley 01454 202011
- Membership Secretary & Treasurer: Anne Young 01454 412528
- Holder of the society's publications: Richard Newley 01454 202011
'FOR THE LOVE OF OLVESTON' by STEVE HUMPHRIES
This newly published book, written by Steve Humphries, tells the story of the parish through the memories of Eric Garrett, Jean Panes, Nigel Dawes, Ted Addis, Angela Shepherd and other local people aged around ninety, whom Steve (an acclaimed oral history documentary film maker and author) has recently interviewed.
Illustrated with over 100 photographs, the book can be bought for £10, through Olveston Parish Historical Society, to whom Steve is generously donating any profits. The first two print runs sold out but we have had a recent reprint and copies of the book are now available again. Don't miss out!
To buy a copy of the book, please ring Jenny or Richard on 01454 202011
DIGITISED RECORDS OF LOCAL MANORIAL COURT LEETS
OPHS has a project under way to digitise four volumes of Manorial Court Records. All have been transcribed by Society volunteers and will be put on this website when they have been fully proofread and indexed.
A Record of Court Leets for the Manor of Elberton, from 1776 to 1830 and from 1859 to 1870: is now fully transcribed, proofread and indexed - available here.
A Record of Court Leets for the Manor of Olveston, from 1775 to 1830: coming soon.
Two further volumes, covering Elberton & Olveston from 1735 to 1774/5, have been fully transcribed and have still to be fully proofread and indexed.
GRAVEYARD SURVEY
Scroll down the page to find the 'Graveyard Survey' link. Here you can find out all about the Historical Society's project to transcribe and digitise the transcriptions of all the graves and memorials in Olveston church and churchyard.
You can use these links to find out more about:
- Graveyard Survey
- Publications
- Historical Buildings
- Tour of the Parish
- A Brief History of Olveston
- History Links
This photo shows an OPHS trip to Owlpen Manor in Gloucestershire
