R.A.Wilson's survey of the Witley parish churches

Canon R.A.Wilson was the rector of Great Witley from 1910 until his retirement in 1945. In 1923 he produced a short document entitled "A survey of the Parish Church of Witley and Great and Little Witley Chapels" for the Bishop of Worcester's  Advisory Committee, a copy of which I have recently acquired. It is a very interesting booklet, though much of the information it contains has been amended by more recent research, but nevertheless it is a most valuable item, not least because it contains a list of rectors dating back to the thirteenth century.

Great Witley Church Stewards Group

This afternoon Great Witley Church Stewards group had a get-together in the village hall, the main item being a very interesting talk by Derek Clarke on the project to restore the Poseidon fountain at Witley Court to working order, together with the reinstatement of the south parterre garden features. Derek was the architect for this major work which commenced some twenty-odd years ago, and has now resulted in this magnificent spectacle operating regularly for the public to enjoy. After a short interval for refreshments, the chairman of the church restoration committee, Simon Lees-Milne, gave the audience an update on the progress of various happenings at the church in the near future. Many thanks go to the speaker and his wife Edna, and to Roger Perkins and his wife Linda for organising the event and for providing the facilities.

The Countess of Dudley, Requiem service

Maureen Swanson (Ward), Countess of Dudley

25^th November 1932 - 16^th November 2011

Maureen Swanson, Countess of Dudley, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and stepmother, died peacefully in her sleep after a long illness. Requiem Service at Christ Church, Eldon Road, Kensington W8, on Friday 25th November at 2.30pm. 

Worcestershire Records Office - Last Day at County Hall

       Today was the sad occasion of the last day of the Worcestershire Records Office, County Hall branch, before closure of the serarchroom and it's facilities to the public for good. The present office opened with the County Hall complex some thirty years ago, and hopefully by the summer of 2012, the brand new facilities will be opened in Worcester city centre at "The Hive", a newly-built complex incorporating the Records Office, Family History Centre, Public Library, a new university faculty and more. The old office closed today in order to allow for the preparation of the complex logistical operation to transfer all the archive material from the old to the new over the coming months.

Display of some of the C.R.O's archive material in the Palfrey room

Reception desk and main searchroom

Members of staff at the main desk with the index boxes on the shelves behind

         The staff were on hand to meet and greet the public who came to pay their last respects to the old order of things; let us hope that the new set-up will be as good as the last. I would personally like to extend my most grateful thanks (and I'm sure Ruth will say the same) to the staff who, over the last few years, have been most helpful in assisting me in my research activities concerning Witley Court and also my own family history. Best wishes to you all and see you next summer.
   
          May I also thank Dr. Pat Hughes for being so kind as to sign my copy of her latest book, The Story of Worcester, which she has co-authored with Annette Leech; thoroughly recommended.

V & A Museum and Dudley House

"Bashaw" in the V & A museum

"Dudley House" - number 100 Park Lane, Mayfair - the exterior is almost complete and much of the scaffolding which has blocked the view for at least the last  two years has been taken down.

High up on the balustrade of the roof-line is the cartouche of the Ward family coat-of-arms and motto

A visit to the capital today to see Matthew Cotes Wyatt's magnificent sculpture of the old Earl of Dudley's favourite dog "Bashaw" in the V & A museum. After lunch a diversion to Park Lane to observe the progress on the refurbishment of number 100 - Dudley House, the exterior of which is almost complete.

Laura Troubridge, Rachel's Sister

Charles Henry Gurney and his wife Alice Maria Prinsep were blessed with a family of four children, Laura, Rachel, Thomas and Henry. Rachel is of course by far the most well-known of these siblings, becoming the  Countess of Dudley in 1891 when she married William Humble Ward, the 2nd Earl. Rachel's older sister Laura is less well known outside her own family circle but nevertheless she was a very accomplished woman in her own right and married well, her husband being Thomas Troubridge, a descendant of the famous admiral.
In her lifetime Laura became an author of fiction novels, though not a well known one. She did however write an autobiography of her life and times which was published, but copies of this fascinating work (including a chapter on her famous sister) are very rare and extremely difficult to come by. With the coming of the digital age it has become possible to re-master this publication and present it in digital format on compact disc for all to read and enjoy. Copies of "Memories and Reflections" by Laura Troubridge on CD are now available by contacting myself or Ruth Butler, when we will be pleased to arrange your purchase for a good value price. Many thanks go to Ruth for allowing her priceless possession to become available to the general public.

"Memories and Reflections" by Lady Troubridge is complete with illustrations and photographs.

Coming soon: "Sunshine and Shadows in the West Indies" by Rachel Dudley. A fascinating account of the Earl and Countess of Dudley's voyage abroad in 1907, written by Rachel upon her return to these shores. An even rarer publication than that of sister Laura's book, this CD will be available in due course: watch this space !

Tuesday 20th September 2011, Roy Peacock at County Hall

Local historian and author Roy Peacock was this evening the guest speaker at the Friends of Worcestershire Records Office meeting at County Hall, Spetchley. Roy gave an interesting talk on the early history of the  Foley dynasty, the main theme of his latest publication, "The Seventeenth Century Foley's - Iron, Wealth and Vision, 1580 - 1716". This book has already gained a very favourable reputation amongst local history enthusiasts in Worcestershire, being very readable and also well researched and presented; a highly recommended item for your bookshelf. Many thanks go to Roy for his time and effort which was most appreciated by the twenty-odd attendees to the meeting. Also thanks to the committee for organising the event and especially to Peter Walker for the refreshments. Mrs. B  graced us with her presence, as did Angela Snow and her friend Rachel.