Swindon in the Past Lane

A church has stood in the Lawn, the site of the former Goddard family home, since the 12th century. All that remains standing today is the chancel and three pairs of piers which once flanked the nave. By the 1850s the coming of the railways had seen the population of Swindon increase. The ancient parish church was no longer fit for purpose. In a poor state of repair and inadequate to accommodate the rapidly growing congregation the decision was reached to close it and commission Sir George Gilbert Scott to design a new one. Upon completion of Christ Church in 1851, Holy Rood was partially demolished. But for cemetery enthusiasts like myself even worse was to come. Sometime in the second half of the 20th century it was decided to remove the gravestones, presumably to facilitate the mowing of the churchyard. The headstones were carefully arranged around the perimeter wall, which probably seemed a good idea at the time. Unfortunately, over the years ivy has grown up and over the sto...

When Ambrose Goddard married Sarah Williams it involved a lot of legal man hours and a very large document. The Marriage Settlement dated 12 August 1776 reads like a tour of eighteenth century Swindon with some very familiar place names, even now more than 240 years later. Ambrose Goddard released in trust to his kinsman Ambrose Awdry and Charles Penruddocke, Wiltshire neighbour and political colleague, the manors of Over Swindon and Nether Swindon and parcels of land called Walcot, Tismead and Oakus grounds. Also included were messuages (house and land) in Wanborough and Stanton, Westlecott Farm in Wroughton and the tolls of markets and fairs in Swindon. Sarah's father, the Rev. Thomas Williams was no slouch in the property stakes either and in an accompanying document released properties in Carmarthenshire in trust to Owen Brigslock. Ambrose and Sarah married at St James's, Westminster on August 17, 1776. Sarah was 26 years old and Ambrose 45. The couple had three son...

So while we're on the subject of Swindon Heritage I'd like to mention former editor Graham Carter. In case you missed it, Swindon Heritage was a quarterly magazine for lovers of local history and was co founded in 2013 by Graham, First World War historian Mark Sutton and myself. During our five year career we published 20 editions plus a Battle of Britain 75th Anniversary special. There are still copies available at a knockdown price in the Library Shop, Central Library and bound copies of all 21 editions are on the shelf in Local Studies. But this wasn't Graham's only heritage publication achievement. Graham worked on the Swindon Advertiser from 1989-1998 before going freelance, returning to produce one off supplements. One of the supplements he researched, wrote and designed was the Chronicle of Swindon, a free insert which told the story of Swindon from pre-history to the new millennium.  You probably can't get your hands on a copy of this fantastic publ...

The first time I went to one of Mark's Great War talks I came away feeling as if I personally knew the men he had mentioned.  He told the story of the battles they fought in and the ones that claimed them, but it was not all about their military service. Mark talked about the men and their life before the Great War - the street where they lived; the family fish shop on the corner; the railway factory where so many of them worked; their sweethearts, wives and children. These men were not just a regimental number, a casualty, missing, killed in action, they were someone's son, someone's husband, a father, a brother. Some fought for freedom, some volunteered for an adventure, no one came home unchanged, so many never came home at all - and Mark introduces you to everyone of them. Remembering Swindon's sons who served has been a lifetime commitment for Mark. In 2006 he published Tell Them of Us, but his work has continued since then. Just last month he has been...

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.