Collections highlights - Archive and Library
Collections highlights from our Library and Archive.
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Far from the Madding Crowd – 1967 film
Read moreMany scenes in the 1967 film of 'Far from the Madding Crowd' were shot in Devizes. The production turned Devizes Market Place back in time
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Collection of Melksham photographs
Read moreVolunteer Anna has taken an indepth look at one of her local towns, Melksham. She has discovered photographs of the area in our archive. Melksham,
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Holy Cross Church, Seend
Read moreStudent volunteer Anna takes a look at Holy Cross Church in Seend... Holy Cross Church, is a Grade 1 listed church (in 1962), funded by
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Map of Wiltshire – John Speed
By John SpeedRead moreOur Archive and Library houses an intricate 1610 map of Wiltshire by famous cartographer John Speed (1552-1629). Speed's visually impressive maps of both county and
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Women’s Land Army
Read morePhotograph of 'Land Girls' on a Wiltshire farm close to Devizes. The Women's Land Army boosted agricultural production during the Second World War as men
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Wiltshire Words – Dartnell and Goddard
Read moreA Glossary of Words used in the County of Wiltshire by George Edward Dartnell and the Rev. Edward Hungerford Goddard, MA, published for the English
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Devizes 18th Century Annual Cucumber Feast
Read moreNo person shall be permitted to shew cucumbers raised in hot houses or stoves; they must prove the cucumbers to be of their own raising.
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Balloonomania in 18th Century Wiltshire
Read more"At last we see the Balloon making its way slowly amongst the stars . . . like a Star of the 2nd Magnitude" Balloonmania began
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World Book Day 2020
Read moreWhen you think of World Book Day, you wouldn't necessarily associate it with music... However, books come in all shapes and sizes. This World Book
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Wiltshire’s Women Writers
Read moreFor Women’s History Month, we're taking a look back at famous female writers in Wiltshire. One of our Library volunteers has been digging through our
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Handmade Valentine’s Card
Read more“Would you draw fair Eden nearer and to Earth the angels bring you must seek the magic mirror of a golden wedding ring” In the
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Wiltshire’s famous female authors: Daphne Fielding
Read moreOur volunteers have been delving through our Library stacks to shine a light on Wiltshire's famous female authors. We were amazed at how many women
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George Eliot and Devizes
Read moreDuring work in our Library and Archive, one of our volunteers discovered some interesting connections between George Eliot and Devizes. Newspaper cuttings of Eliot’s visit
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Richard Sandell’s Bracket clock
Read moreThis bracket clock has pride of place in the Long Room of our Library. It has not worked for many years, but has been restored
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Norah Ussher
Read moreIn 1979, Alexis Taylor was sorting through her Great Aunt Norah’s belongings after her death. In a chocolate box titled ‘A present from Weymouth’ she
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Sir Richard Colt Hoare – catalogue of books and manuscripts
Read moreSir Richard Colt Hoare was born 9 December 1758 died 19 May 1838. He was a descendant of the famous banking family which was founded
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Gift of Stonehenge to the Nation – letter from Cecil Chubb
Read moreA thank you letter written to Canon Goddard from Cecil Chubb dated 1st October 1918 found whilst cataloguing a book entitled Wiltshire Autographs. The year
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Ship Money Tax – Kingsbridge Hundred 1635
Read moreStored in the Archives are over 450 boxes of papers given to the Museum over the years. The papers were donated and often represented research
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Sir John Popham – Reports and Cases
Read moreWe have recently been donated ‘Reports and Cases’ by Sir John Popham of Littlecote, written in 1682. The Reports and Cases collected by the Learned
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John Britton
By John BrittonRead moreJohn Britton was born at Kington St Michael in Wiltshire (7 July 1771 – 1 January 1857) From an unpromising beginning he became an English
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William Cunnington III
Read moreA figure who should not be overlooked in the centenary year of his death is William Cunnington III (1813-1906), the principal founder of Wiltshire Archaeological
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Hungerford Papers
Read moreAmong the Library holdings are the Research papers of Canon J E Jackson (1805-1891) relating to the Hungerford family, their seat at Farleigh-Hungerford, and their
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Britton cabinet
Key objects, Antiquarians, Library and archive, Georgian, Avebury landscape, Stonehenge landscape, ArchaeologyRead moreThis cabinet was made as a talking piece for a gentleman’s drawing room, once owned by the travel writer John Britton. In the top is
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