Archives & resources for Gloucestershire
MAIN ARCHIVES Bristol Record Office
‘B’ Bond Warehouse, Smeaton Road, Bristol BS1 6XN 0117 922 4224 bro@bristol.gov.uk bristol.gov.uk/recordoffice The record office holds city council records back to the 1190s and records of the diocese of Bristol from 1552, plus parish registers and records for the Bristol archdeaconry which includes parts of South Gloucestershire.
Gloucestershire Archives
Clarence Row, Alvin Street, Gloucester GL1 3DW 01452 425295 archives@gloucestershire.gov.uk gloucestershire.gov.uk/archives Located in the city centre near the rail and bus stations, the archive is being renovated and redesigned. The current website has guides to records, an online genealogical database containing names from wills proved at Gloucester (1541–1858), inventories, nonconformist baptisms, overseers of the poor records and gaol registers.
Gloucestershire Family History Society
01452 524344 help@gfhs.org.uk gfhs.org.uk The society is a key partner in the redevelopment of Gloucestershire Archives. It runs a centre at Clarence Row (facilities include free access to ancestry.co.uk, findmypast.co.uk and thegenealogist.co.uk); holds branch meetings in Gloucester, Stroud, Cirencester and the Forest of Dean; and runs an online shop selling books, downloads, transcriptions and CDs.
Worcestershire Record Office
The Hive, Sawmill Walk, The Butts, Worcester WR1 3PD 01905 822866 archive@worcestershire.gov.uk worcestershire.gov.uk/waas Worcestershire’s county archive has material from parishes within the historic boundaries of Gloucestershire (but not the diocese of Gloucester) and pre-1540 wills for Gloucestershire.
OTHER ARCHIVES
If your family lived in parishes near the county border, useful records may be held elsewhere. Alongside Bristol and Worcestershire archives, there’s Herefordshire Archive and Records Centre ( bit.ly/h-a-r-c), Oxfordshire History Centre ( bit.ly/o-h-c), Warwickshire County Record Office ( bit.ly/w-c-r-o) and Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre ( wshc.eu).
Badminton House
Badminton, South Gloucestershire GL9 1DD 01454 218203 estateoffice@badmintonestate.co.uk badmintonestate.co.uk The game of badminton was invented here in 1863. The Beaufort family of Badminton has deposited the estate records with the county archive (reference D2700).
Berkeley Castle Archives and Library
Berkeley, Gloucestershire GL13 9BQ 01453 810303 archivist@berkeley-castle.com berkeley-castle.com/archives.html The earliest documents preserved here date from 1154 – they are older than the castle itself.
Bristol & Avon Family History Society
secretary@bafhs.org.uk bafhs.org.uk The society covers the former County of Avon, which was officially created in 1974 and abolished in 1996. The website features a parish map showing the areas covered, including parishes from within the Bath & Wells, Gloucester and Bristol dioceses.
Bristol & Gloucestershire Archaeological Society
admin@bgas.org.uk bgas.org.uk The society recently published Daniel Beaver’s The Account Book of the Giles Geast Charity, Tewkesbury 1558–1891, documenting support for the town’s poor over three centuries.
Dr Jenner’s House, Museum and Garden
Church Lane, Berkeley, Gloucestershire GL13 9BN 01453 810631 info@edwardjenner.co.uk jennermuseum.com The museum houses a collection relating to vaccination pioneer Edward Jenner (1749–1823), though note that the museum is closed until Easter.
Forest of Dean Local History Society
secretary@forestofdeanhistory.org.uk forestofdeanhistory.org.uk The society is celebrating its 70th birthday in 2018.
Gloucestershire Police Archives
admin@gloucestershirepolicearchives.org.uk gloucestershirepolicearchives.org.uk The official website of the archives of Gloucestershire Police includes photos, memories and stories.
Gloucestershire University
Special Collections and Archives, University of Gloucestershire, Delta Place, 27 Bath Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 7TH 01242 714851 archives@glos.ac.uk glos.ac.uk/life/libraries/pages/special-collections-and-archives.aspx The website details Special Collections and Archives, including the university’s own archives back to the 1820s.
LOCAL HISTORY LIBRARIES
Cheltenham Local & Family History Centre is located at the Cheltenham Library ( bit.ly/cheltenham-lfhc). It looks after electoral rolls, council minutes, newspapers, directories, photographs and prints. Other local history collections and research points are run in Cinderford, Cirencester, Stow, Stroud and Tewkesbury. There’s also Bristol Central Library ( bristol.gov.uk/libraries-archives/central-library) which has a large local history collection.