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Amongst the County Court records held with us there are Bankruptcy papers dating from the late 19th to early 20th century. They provide a fascinating insight into the lives of those involved, their circumstances, personal effects, relationships and the challenges that they faced. In the first of two blogs, we outline the history of Bankruptcy,...

There are lots of bank holidays this month. But what does that mean? Bank holidays were first introduced in 1871 by banker and liberal politician for Maidstone, Sir John Lubbock. Thinking about bank holidays led us to look at our range of resources for researching local banks and the people who ran and worked in...

Welcome back to our dig diary! This time, we are learning about the Saxon occupation at Milestone Ground. Our archaeological works have been revealing insights into many time periods, stretching back into early prehistory. One period that is especially exciting to find evidence from is the Saxon or Early Medieval era, spanning from AD 410...

In our series of blogs marking the publication of the 1921 census, Tom shares his story. There had always been questions over his great grandfather’s upbringing. What unfolded was a sad story but would have been familiar to many families of that period. Sidney Guise had a unique surname in Nuneaton, where he grew up...

The second set of journals written by Ladies Charlotte and Mary Hill begin in the Autumn of 1815. They follow a tour of France where their brother ‘Atty’ is serving as Aide de Camp to the Duke of Wellington. Jointly written they continue to record the sisters’ daily routine, weekly lessons and vibrant social life....

The remarkable journals of two sisters offer a glimpse into Regency life and throw light on their place in the Sandys story. Ladies Charlotte and Mary Hill were the daughters of Mary Sandys, heiress of Ombersley Court in Worcestershire, and her husband Arthur Hill. Born in 1794 and 1796, the sisters were the third and...

A new exhibition on level 2 of The Hive reflects on the events of 80 years ago. Victory in Europe Day (8th May 1945) was when the Allies celebrated the end of the war in Europe after nearly 6 long years of conflict. The images of jubilant crowds waving flags, dancing in the streets with...

WAAS work in partnership with the Forestry Commission to enhance the historic environment evidence-base for woodland creation proposals in Worcestershire The government is committed to increasing tree and woodland cover in the UK from 14.5% (in 2023) to 16.5% (by 2050). Diverse, resilient woodland habitats play an important role in tackling climate change through carbon...

What historic and modern Coroner’s records do we hold? Worcestershire Archives, as parent body and approved Place of Deposit on behalf of WCC holds historic and modern Coroners’ records from the 19th – 21st century. These include records known as ‘Coroners’ Cravings’ which record Inquests in the late 19th century, through to Coroner’s Daily Record,...

This is the third blog in the series on how members of staff have used the recently released 1921 census to further their own research. This is Julia’s story. We all have our family mysteries; those stories you half remember from childhood, but didn’t ask questions about at the time, and now it’s too late....