Swindon in the Past Lane

And now a shout out for Noel Beauchamp, the third member of our Radnor Street Cemetery team. Noel has a knack of finding some fascinating cemetery stories. His latest one to air was that of Frederick Englebert Kny, a Bohemian glass engraver who came to England in 1867 and died in Swindon in 1905. Noel was one of the first subscribers to the Swindon Heritage Magazine, signing up one snowy morning at a launch event in January 2013. He went on to become one of our regular contributors and a generous supporter. Noel hasn't written a book (as far as I know), but he does run two history websites. His first is the meticulously researched Swindon Bottles website. In 2014 Swindon Heritage editor Graham Carter and myself went to interview Noel about his bottle collection. “Bottles were mass produced in large numbers,” said Noel, whose collection contains everything from a small eau de cologne bottle to several Codd bottles. Noel’s growing bottle collection includes siphons a...

Preparation for this year's Royal Wootton Bassett Field of Remembrance gets underway at Lydiard Park today. The 2019 Field of Remembrance opens in the historic 18th century Walled Garden at Lydiard Park on Friday November 1. A service of remembrance begins at 11 am with visitors requested to arrive before 10.45. The Field of Remembrance pays tribute to all service personnel who lost their lives in war, particularly the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Field of Remembrance was first opened by Prince Harry on November 9, 2010. During the ceremony Prince Harry planted a cross dedicated to his close colleague Lance Corporal Jonathan Woodgate, killed in action earlier that year. The Field of Remembrance will be open daily from 9 am to 4 pm and closes on Thursday November 21. Volunteers will be stewarding St Mary's Church at various times during November. Look out for the open sign outside the church.

Local history stalwart Roy Cartwright recently posted an article on Facebook in praise of the Local Studies Collection in Swindon Central Library, which gave me an idea. Over the next few weeks I intend writing about the unsung heroes of the Swindon local history fraternity. Some have written books, but not all of them; some write blogs, but not all of them. Some are Chair of this or secretary of that but what they all have in common is a passion for local history. I'm beginning with my cemetery partner in crime, Andy Binks and if you haven't met him on the local history trail - where have you been? For several years Andy and I (and Noel who I'll come to next) have conducted guided walks at Radnor Street Cemetery. Andy has been known to rescue shattered gravestones, attend to a bit of cemetery DIY and regularly liaises with SBC to make sure the cemetery continues to be maintained and protected. But that's not all he does! Andy is Chair of the Swindon Societ...

For me no trip to a country house or stately home is complete without a visit to the local church and a walk around the churchyard. So, following my tour of Avebury Manor and the Art in the Garden exhibition I popped next door to the Church of St James. A list of incumbents revealed that the Mayo family put in a lot of service (and services too, no doubt) from 1712 to 1823 and then I discovered the following plaque:- The clock in this tower was erected in loving memory of Isabella Horsley Mayo Who died 5 January 1883 and lies buried in the adjoining churchyard 1883 The parish register reveals that prior to her death Isabella was living at Stoke next Guildford. She was buried on January 10, 1883 and the service was conducted by Charles Herbert Mayo, Vicar of Long Burton with Holmert, Dorset, Rural Dean. She was 46 years old. Where did Isabella fit in to this clerical family and what was the story of her life? Was she a latter-day Jane Austen type figure, only wit...